@Bernard said in Hay Bernard!: Oh, lovely! It puts a smile on my face. It feels longer than 17 years, to be honest. I've been up here going on 13 years in April (egads!). I've been up here 13 years in June (except the year I spent in NC). I remember you and I met up for lunch when we were both getting ready to leave NYC.

This last flat looks quite nice on paper. Is it under a busy flight take off? You seem to be at the point to take a deep breath, a notepad and pen in hand, and go start viewing places if possible. If I may say... It's exciting, tiring, disappointing, frustrating, exhilarating, expensive and incredibly time consuming, in fact its almost full time job. You could make an excel spreadsheet of potential places with essential and desirable features if you're super-organised. Rate the online area, style, rooms, grounds, price etc. However in my limited experience, visiting a place for sale is usually far different from the sunny, tidy, photos presented online. You suddenly know the reality. The UK estate agents say all sorts of crapola, basically exaggerate and often blatently lie. You decide to make the effort to view and go on an investigative trip: just getting there may be a deal breaker, why is the place now on the market, what's wrong with the house, the grounds, the immediate neighbours, the neighbourhood at night...? We travelled and viewed about a dozen houses around the UK before buying (3 visits to the one we bought), and ten flats in the local area of London before buying one for the kids. It's a helluva lot of money so you'd expect to put some effort in to get what you want. As I say, take a deep breath... Meanwhile I'm off out to buy a lottery ticket for my dream place: https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gblhchlac240061

I got this text from a neighbor last night. She's a middle school teacher in another school district; she and her husband have two kids, one of whom attends the school in question. Hi wtg, a (name of school) parent was taken bv ICE this week when bringing his son home from after school program. A parent has organized a walking school bus to help get kids to school safely. I can't help since I'm teaching every day, but I thought you or other retired neighbors might be interested. (link to sign-up site) (photo of sign in front of apartment building where many Hispanic families reside and that is two blocks from the school) This sign is the meeting spot. Feel free to share the signup with others you think might like to help out. They're scheduling a month's worth of volunteers and then will re-visit whether the service needs to continue. All the slots are filled already.

I was taught to strike a match and hold the small flame to the end of a frayed shoelace for a second or so. Melts the plastic threads together.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the UK will not yet be signing up to US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin's possible participation. Cooper told the BBC the UK had been invited to join the board but "won't be one of the signatories today" at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The board, which gives Trump wide decision-making powers as chairman, is being billed by the US as a new international organisation for resolving conflicts. Cooper described the board as a "legal treaty that raises much broader issues" than the initiative's initial focus on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The charter proposed by the White House does not mention the Palestinian territory and critics say the board appears to be designed to replace some functions of the United Nations. Some of the US's traditional allies have not agreed to join the board and notably, none of the other permanent members of the UN Security Council - China, France, Russia, and the UK - have committed to participation so far. The UN Security Council has been the main international platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution since the end of World War Two. But launching the board at a signing ceremony alongside world leaders in Davos, Trump said he did not intend it as a replacement for the UN and expressed his belief that it would help forge an "everlasting" peace in the Middle East. Trump said the board had the chance to be "one of the most consequential bodies ever created". "We're committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarised, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt," Trump said. "It's going to be a great plan and this is where the board of peace started." Trump said once the board had been completely formed, "we can do pretty much whatever we want to do". "But we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations," he added. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9jj1j74ggo

Wow. I need to rewatch the second half, fascinating. The first half reminded me of my daughters using a couple of early photography books for their art, one dedicated to various human motions with multiple photos of for example us jumping, another book of animals in motion eg horses galloping

I'll try, my way on my Samsung mobile: 1 Take photo on phone 2 Edit it nicely on phone and importantly also resize to 80 or 60 percent using the three dot menu options lower right. 3 Here in the forum on the quick reply option, click the two diagonal arrow next to quick reply that gives you the full reply screen with all options at the top of your reply screen. 4 Scroll right on those options and choose the vertical portrait photo option 4th from end. 5 Then at the bottom of your page click on choose file. 6 Find and choose the photo you just edited, which will likely be first up on your screen. 7 Double click on the photofile and it ought to upload, taking you automatically back to your full reply screen to continue writing your message. If it is red text and therefore the photo is containing too much data you need to resize it. The whole process is easy once learnt. 10 secs to take & edit photo, 5 to upload. Let me know...

I want one of those Trump cookies. I'm afraid sugar is a vice of mine.

It sure is! I have a board game Instagram account with just over 4000 followers and I am a small account over there. I do have publishers offer me the occasional free game in exchange for reviews but I’m not really interested in making video so I just post for the community. Even if you think you don’t like board games, there is probably a game out there you’d enjoy!

So I was in the Range, do you have that shop in the States? Getting a few bits&pieces, checking their post christmas sale and came across... [image: 1769036242734-20260121_225356-resized.jpg] (pen is for scale) Cute, £8 down to an irresistible £2 so got a couple. Get home, MrsA likes them and wants to go buy more (I think for Chinese New Year presents 🤪)

Good article.

@wtg said in US Treasuries So what will his response be? A 200% tariff on Danish blue cheese? Cheese, bacon and pastries

@wtg huh, never would have thought such a thing might happen with DOGE

Christoffer Carlsson's Blaze Me a Sun

@chas +1

Have fun! I’d love to do that.