test please delete

[WTFH]

Though back in the day, Lego didn't have microcontrollers and such - just a load of plastic bricks and, if you were lucky, a few transparent ones to use as windows

Yeah, Meccano was what you needed if you wanted wheels, etc. And a big clockwork motor.
No electrics, no controllers, just chains, belts, cogs, worms and wheels

[DaveB]

Yeah, Meccano was what you needed if you wanted wheels, etc. And a big clockwork motor.
No electrics, no controllers, just chains, belts, cogs, worms and wheels

And any colour you wanted, as long as it was Green or Red.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Though back in the day, Lego didn't have microcontrollers and such - just a load of plastic bricks and, if you were lucky, a few transparent ones to use as windows

One remembers the Elecktrick Light Brick of yore.

And Strangelove Sis, being the lucky one of the clan, won a Big Lego Set wot had an electric motor brick.

Sophisticated stuff for the mid 1960s.

Later on they added blue & yellow.

[NickFitz]

Shopping done

Unusually, I included Morrisons in this excursion. The sole reason for this is that they sell beef flavoured potato sticks. M&S used to do these back in the late 1970s, and I really liked them, but they don't do them any more.

So I'm hoping these are as nice as the ones I remember from *counts fingers* forty years ago

In the meantime, I got a couple of Southern Not-actually-fried chicken bits from the Sainsbury's hot food counter for a late lunch

[DoctorStrangelove]

58 bus home through the Metropolis that is Skewen.

Tea/dinner was M&S breaded haddock followed by an individual Xmas pudding with custard.

It was Very Nice.

First pass (shirts) through the washing machine and now in the drier.

2nd (denim & darks) in the wm.

The excitement of my life knows few bounds.

<hiatus>

Shirts dried.

Denim etc in the drier.

Now watching a film.

Further details once I've watched it all.

Oh, ok.

It's "Kelly's Heroes(1970)" with Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland.

I watched it several times in 1971 and it seemed ok.

Now, not so much.

Kelly's Heroes (1970) - IMDb

From the receipt it appears to have mouldered away in the pile for 11 years or so.

they sell beef flavoured potato sticks. M&S used to do these back in the late 1970s, and I really liked them, but they don't do them any more.

So I'm hoping these are as nice as the ones I remember from *counts fingers* forty years ago

I trust they're closer to your memory than the above is to mine.

I'm tempted to watch "The Green Berets(1968)" John Wayne, George Takei, next.

The Green Berets (1968) - IMDb

Stone me, they're not wrong when they say it's a bit over fecking long.

<hiatus>

I'd like to say I'd enjoyed that, but I didn't.

Too long.

Couldn't decide if it was a war film, a heist film, or a comedy & tried to be all three at the same time.

And it was too long.

It might have been better if Don Siegel had directed it.

[NickFitz]

Tonight's tea has been a roast dinner: pork, to be precise, with the usual bits; and exceedingly nice it was

Off out in a while, heading to the pub to see if anybody's in tonight who has any more info about my friend who died

Further details once I've watched it all.

I shall catch up on the details when I return

[vetran]

luncheon was Stilton & Broccoli soup made by my own gnarled hands last night.

Is manufacturing 3 litres of soup excessive? frozen and ready to take to work

Tonight was rock & chips thanks to Miss V1

Just watching Whitney Houston greatest hits documentary, what a dreadful waste of talent.

Though her early videos were scarily Kylie-esque.

[NickFitz]

Off out in a while, heading to the pub to see if anybody's in tonight who has any more info about my friend who died

There were such people, and a certain facility with interpreting information in light of the inherent information-gathering-and-transmitting capabilities of its source seemed to be called for

Sources: the landlord; a jazz and blues guitarist and luthier of very high repute but (undeservedly) little fame outside those circles; and the senior crime journalist of the local rag.

The first two agreed on which hospital he died in, but the last differed. As he's a journalist and used to gathering details over the phone, and had actually spoken to the bereavement department, I'll give his report credence, meaning our friend died in the same hospital where I was just over a year ago. But if he's wrong, it was at a hospital way across town.

So I'm going to phone up and find out for myself on Monday.

Funeral: looks like that's going to be arranged by the bereavement department, i.e. what we used to call a pauper's funeral. These are normally held early in the day, like 9am; presumably that's when the cheap seats at the crematorium are available. The first two had the impression this would likely be on a Thursday; the last reckoned he'd been told Monday and Tuesday. So probably a Monday or Tuesday some time, but again I'll find out when I phone up.

And generally agreed: probably not for a couple of weeks or so.

And the landlord said that, assuming it's a first-thing-in-the-morning job, he'll come back and open early immediately afterwards so we can all toast his memory

It was mentioned by the journalist that the people at the bereavement department seemed quite taken aback, though pleased, by the number of people who'd been in touch with them asking about him. They usually deal with people concerning whom nobody calls, or maybe a neighbour or so, but they've had quite a few calls. Probably won't get him bumped up to a better time at the crematorium, but it's good to know people care

I shall catch up on the details when I return

There should be some facility to double-like, as your reviews posted after my original like have saved me from the future risk of thinking "Oh, I vaguely remember watching that donkey's years ago, let's give it a go" twice

[NickFitz]

The post-pub movie action was a rewatch of Man on a Ledge (2012), of which I previously said:

So finally I turned to Man on a Ledge, which turned out to be just the ticket - it seems to represent itself as a thriller, but it's really a fast-paced caper movie, and none the worse for that

which is about right, and it's well worth a watch IMHO

And then an exceedingly good episode of The West Wing. Obviously they can't do presidential nomination episodes that often, but when they got the opportunity, they did a very good job of it

Goodnight all

[NickFitz]

Home!

Back in 1h 16m, which is about as good as it gets

And, in the hall, I encountered the new resident of the first floor back, which has been empty for a few months. It appears to be a Frenchman with one of those beards that are so popular among young hipsters nowadays.

Actually, he was Swiss. My mistake