Author Topic: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)  (Read 814346 times)

anona

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1335 on: August 12, 2018, 07:39:56 PM »
You interesting people. I have few holiday memories that don't involve midges, sheep or Highland cattle.
I remember one in the '60s however, in Germany. Our party was in two cars, with my (newly qualified driver) brother driving one, and my father tailing him in the other. Yes: we got separated.
After a few nerve-racking hours revisiting place last met etc, my father found the Autobahn police and explained "Ich habe meine frau verloren". We understood the policeman to joke that ah, sir, he wished he could lose his (perhaps he wasn't a German). Hearing him trying to explain on his intercom that the other car was a "Wolseley" was a treat, too - but then neither am I able to do justice to the way he eventually pronounced it.
The police re-united us amazingly efficiently (so perhaps he was German, after all).


Ozzyjack

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1336 on: August 12, 2018, 10:02:08 PM »
Hi Anona,

Loved your German reminiscence.  I could even translate the German without going to a reference.

You know I dote over Border Collie dogs but I also have a soft spot for Highland Cattle, can take or leave sheep and hate midges.  So if you have any Scottish memories, don’t hold back.

Regards, Jack

Ozzyjack

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1337 on: August 12, 2018, 10:30:05 PM »
G'day Les,

I'm glad that your busy period is coming to an end and hope this means we will have more of your company.  I am sorry about your relationship disappointment.

But what I really wanted to do in this post is too share a religious experience with you.  I still haven't been able to track down my journal from 2004 but I remember this clearly.

We were driving along the top of Scotland on the 18th October.  The road was as straight as the gun barrel highway but not as long. Single lane with passing spots in case something comes the other way which rarely happens and you can see them coming for miles.  I had a sudden urge to stop the car and stand by the side of the road contemplating and performing another useful function as can happen on a long car trip. I looked up the hillside and on a rock there was a message. I felt it was destined for me.  See the attached photo.  I fully expected the next town to be Damascus, but it wasn't, and so I am still unreformed.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 04:13:33 AM by Ozzyjack »
Regards, Jack

cmh

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1338 on: August 13, 2018, 02:22:45 AM »
The Scots seem to like writing on rock. I remember many moons ago on regular trips across the border seeing a large rock high on a hill top adorned with the welcoming message of English Go Home. This was sometimes painted over and then would reappear. This went on for a number of years and must have taken at least 2 people a considerable amount of effort. It never put me off travelling around Scotland.

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1339 on: August 13, 2018, 04:37:29 AM »
Quote

I remember one in the '60s however, in Germany. Our party was in two cars, with my (newly qualified driver) brother driving one, and my father tailing him in the other. Yes: we got separated.

Oh Anona I do hope your brother wasn't driving his Hillman Imp round Germany >:D
Don't think they were built for the Autobahn :laugh:
Pen
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1340 on: August 13, 2018, 04:42:13 AM »
G'day Les
Glad to have you back :)  Hope we'll see more of you now things have quietened down at work.
I'm so very sorry about Karen. Money isn't everything (though it helps!) as she may live to find out.
Mind how you go.
Penx
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1341 on: August 13, 2018, 04:55:29 AM »
Evening Jack
Thanks for the most recent excerpt from June's travel journal. I can actually visualise it in my mind's eye. Especially that tiny room :laugh:
I must admit that although Eve & I have been away every year for the last dozen or so years all I have are my pictures.  I sometimes rack my brains to remember something or somewhere we'd been.  I usually end up having to ask Eve!
I do remember one holiday to Germany.  We went to the Hartz mountains.  It's in what used to be East Germany.  Wonderful place with a whole network of properly operating steam trains. We had to get on a cable car to go up a rather tall hill.  The tour manager asked if anybody had a problem with heights.  Only my hand went up.  I said to Eve that I wasn't going to get left behind so I said I'd close my eyes & open them when we got to the top.  I was petrified.  She had hold of one hand & a man from our group held the other.  It was fine until about halfway up & the wretched thing stopped :o.  It was very windy & swayed from side to side. I was shaking.  I'd never been so pleased to get back on terra firma! 
Enjoy your breakfast & have a nice day ;D
Missing you already :laugh:
Pen
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1342 on: August 13, 2018, 04:58:35 AM »
By the way I think you're far better off being unreformed >:D
Loved the pic of the rock!
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

anona

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1343 on: August 13, 2018, 07:35:43 AM »
Pen

No, not the Imp. My bother was driving the Wolseley - the Vooloolzessley.

birdy

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1344 on: August 13, 2018, 02:30:42 PM »
Hi Birdy,
I am sure your travels were interesting. Did you document them at all?.
I would be very interested in tales about your journeys, particularly those through the US and Canada as we've never been there.

For a few years, I was very good about keeping a diary on line, but that all fell apart last year when I got very caught up with a friend's problems and trying to straighten them out.  I usually do try to keep a trip diary because as you say, it's so hard to remember what happened when and where.  It also helps me label my photos - sometimes knowing what bird I saw on a particular day lets me figure out which photo goes with that name. It's even more helpful if there is a daily bird/flower/butterfly list.

One problem is that, since I don't travel with a laptop (I don't own one), I handwrite my diary, and then have to transcribe it.  I still haven't transcribed the 70 pages (small notebook pages, that is) from this year's May/June trip to England.  I suspect my diary would be very boring - it's very mundane, and a lot of it is about the friends I was visiting.  It's a lot more fun to go through my photos, though that is also much too time consuming.  I just realized that I hadn't ever got through the hundreds of photos I took two years ago in England, mostly because I was barely home before I was off to California for a family wedding.

So my diary is probably not of much interest, but if anyone want to see lots of photos of nature (I don't take many of people), I'd be happy to post links to the Facebook albums.

Valerie

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1345 on: August 13, 2018, 04:40:23 PM »
Would really love to see your photos Birdy.  We only take wildlife and nature photos too.  We tend to eschew cities and towns for that reason.  I also keep a diary of our travels - the old-fashioned way, in a notebook.  As you say, a diary comes in handy when trying to remember where photographs were taken which, for us, can number into the thousands!
I'll sleep in my next life

Ozzyjack

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1346 on: August 13, 2018, 11:29:44 PM »
Hi Cmh,

Your post reminded me that they are quite a few Anglophobes in Scotland.  I did  a bit of research and found

Quote from: Wikipedia
In a 2017 survey of 500 English people living in Scotland, more than half said that they had been harassed or discriminated against by Scottish people.

I’m glad this hasn’t put you off visiting Scotland.  Coming from Yorkshire and living in Cumbria, you can probably do a passable Scottish accent that would avoid you being labelled a Sassenach. ;)

Failing that you could learn how to say “G’day, mate. ‘ow yer goin’”.  

In our trips through Scotland as soon as we identified as “Aussies”, we were met, without exception, with friendliness and helpfulness.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 11:33:19 PM by Ozzyjack »
Regards, Jack

anonsi

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1347 on: August 13, 2018, 11:53:47 PM »
So if you have any Scottish memories, don’t hold back.

I agree! I'm headed to Scotland soon, so I'm excited about all things Scottish.  ;)

Ozzyjack

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1348 on: August 14, 2018, 12:03:19 AM »
Hi Pen,

Quote from: George Carlin
I don't have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights.

I only have a full English for Breakfast these days on my birthday and sometimes when we have visitors stay over.  Mostly it's a bowl of muesli with bananas, blueberries and yogurt and strong black coffee.

In case you've been suffering from sketch deprivation

Tracey Ullman Shows Off Her Uncanny Judi Dench Impression

Enjoy your break from the heat
« Last Edit: August 14, 2018, 12:23:15 AM by Ozzyjack »
Regards, Jack

Hobbit

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Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« Reply #1349 on: August 14, 2018, 04:30:24 AM »
Quote

Quote from: George Carlin
I don't have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights.

I only have a full English for Breakfast these days on my birthday and sometimes when we have visitors stay over.  Mostly it's a bowl of muesli with bananas, blueberries and yogurt and strong black coffee.

Tracey Ullman Shows Off Her Uncanny Judi Dench Impression

Enjoy your break from the heat

Morning Jack
How very apt is the quote - spot on!
I only have a cooked breakfast when I'm on holiday.  I'm very partial to scrambled eggs & crispy bacon :-H
Mostly it's very similar to you - bowl of cereal & a banana &, during the summer, strawberries & raspberries.

Brilliant sketch by Tracey Ullmann.  She looked & sounded just like Judi Dench :)

We've had a nice respite from the heat though it is supposed to be warming up again later in the week. Thankfully to normal summer temperatures & not to something resembling the Sahara desert :laugh:
Toodle pip
Pen

If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...