WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Wendyf]

Colin managed to knock his water glass into the open drawer of his bedside cabinet in the early hours of this morning. I haven't ventured into that drawer for at least 25, possibly more, years. Most of the numerous unidentifiable objects it contained were either soaking or dripping with water. The oldest items in there were 2 pipes and a tobacco pouch that haven't been used for 50 years. I think he was saving them for his old age....
Not one of my most restful nights.

[Big Kev]

A man's bedside drawer is a sanctuary

What caught my attention this evening was the opening number of the BBC Proms Finale, a rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Sir Brian May and Roger Taylor made an appearance too. I can't believe the song is 50 year's old.

It's available on the iPlayer.

[Stanley]

My heart went out to you Wendy.... Surprised to hear Col had pipes and tobacco in his drawer.... I don't think I could trust myself to withstand that temptation....
I heard some of the Proms version of Bohemian Rhapsody Kev, it sounded good, I think I'll go looking for it later this morning.
What has my attention today is that Susan and Mick are heading North today towards Barlick. The eventing year is over and they are on their way to a tour round Scotland. If I was mobile like them that's exactly where I would be going now the midge season is over!

[Stanley]

Susan and Mick visiting!

[Stanley]

THIS caught my eye.....
3 hours ago
One in four driving tests in Great Britain are being taken in automatic cars, according to new data, as drivers opt for more electric vehicles (EVs) and shy away from manual gearboxes. Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show that 470,000 of the 1.8 million driving tests taken in England, Scotland, and Wales last year were done in automatics. nsurer AA said the trend is being driven by the UK's ban on new the sale of new petrol and diesel cars coming in 2030, as EVs do not need manual gearboxes. Emma Bush, the managing director of AA's driving school, said the need to know how to drive a manual car is becoming "irrelevant to many". To obtain a full driving licence for Great Britain a driver must pass their test in a car with manual gears. If the test is taken in an automatic car, the driver would get a Category B Auto licence, restricting them to driving to vehicles with automatic transmission only.
So it looks as though the days of constant mesh 'crash' boxes, splitters, double de-clutching and handling 12 forward gears are gone.
I remember driving home from Lanark Auction with a load of cattle and no clutch. I changed gear by adjusting the engine speed and did the trip ten minutes faster than a normal journey with a working clutch. That would be black magic to modern drivers.....

[Julie in Norfolk]

I lost my clutch at a barriered and signalled railway crossing, only realising it when the barriers went up and I stayed stationary. I had just passed my test and didn't have a clue what to do apart from repeat each action in the same order as I had been taught. I had a truck driver behind me, who realised after I didn't shift when he sounded his horn, and he helped me across (so he could get going). He also gave brief instructions which enabled my to get home.

My blood pressure still rises when I think of that,

[Stanley]

That happened to me once in my old AEC tanker Julie. Slightly more serious as I was half way across and blocking the line.... I managed to wind myself out with the starter motor.... It was an interesting experience!

[Tizer]

`Macrons to offer 'scientific evidence' to US court to prove Brigitte is a woman, lawyer says' BBC
I hope the accuser, the right-wing American influencer Candace Owens, gets her come-uppance for this. This is in the Guardian: The Macrons’ US lawsuit states the accusation that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux is completely false and Trogneux is in fact is her older brother. Trogneux, 80, lives in the northern French town of Amiens, where he grew up with Brigitte and four other siblings in a family famous for its local chocolate business. He was present in public alongside his Brigitte at Emmanuel Macron’s two presidential inaugurations in 2017 and 2022. Guardian

[Stanley]

Completely outside my orbit Peter. But like you I hope the accuser gets what is coming to him or her.
What grabbed me this morning was oversleeping!

[PanBiker]

A bounced payment for our dues with IONOS who hosts the site, insufficient funds, more info in the donations post I put together.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report for the unwanted after effects of weight reducing injections.....
After losing nearly six stone since December with the help of weight-loss injections, Emilly Murray has been left with an unwanted reminder of her former body - loose skin. "I can't wear what I want to wear," says the 35-year-old from Liverpool. "I cannot get my legs out because the skin hangs over my knee so much." While she doesn't regret losing weight for the benefit of her health, Emilly says the loose skin on her thighs "really does get me down" as it makes her feel self-conscious, and the way she looks naked makes her feel like a "catfish". "It looks okay when it's all pulled in, but then I feel like, when I take my clothes off, I look like a 90-year-old woman. It is horrendous." This month marks two years since the weight-loss injection Wegovy became available on the NHS to particular patients attending weight-loss management clinics in England, Wales and Scotland. It has been available privately since spring 2023. Another weight-loss drug, Mounjaro, became available privately in February 2024 and via the NHS in June. The drugs, which work by suppressing appetite, are not suitable for everyone and can have severe side effects.
Quick fixes very often have unwanted side effects!

[Cathy]

Oh that poor lady, she might need surgery to remove all that sagging skin. I feel for her.

[Stanley]

And if she stops having the injections she will put the weight back on.
Include me out!

[PanBiker]

I wonder if she is exercising along with her jabs. There are much older women at our gym who were overweight but now have well toned bodies. I reckon it's a matter of balance as in all things. There are no short cuts.

[Cathy]

I can’t see exercise getting rid of loose/empty saggy skin. Fat yes.

[PanBiker]

You need to exercise to replace fat with muscle, ideally at the same time as losing the weight. All eggs in one basket and she has created a problem that will be harder to fix. Not many bingo wings at the gym.

[Stanley]

From the look of THIS we got off lightly with our day of rain on Saturday.....
Several streets were left flooded as 28 flood warnings were issued across parts of north-west England after more than 20 hours of heavy rain. The downpours left cars abandoned in Altrincham and Salford in Greater Manchester, while a major standby incident was declared in Warrington, Cheshire, which was later downgraded. In Greater Manchester, the Environment Agency issued warnings for areas including Trafford, Stockport and south Manchester, with other alerts in place in parts of Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said three men had to be helped to safety from a car after being trapped by rising flood water just after 04:00 BST in Swinton, Salford.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC sport article about Christian Horner's settlement with Red Bull.
7 hours ago
Christian Horner formally leaves Red Bull a very rich man with unsated ambitions in Formula 1. The severance of the 51-year-old's links with the team he made one of the most successful in the sport was confirmed on Monday. Red Bull gave no details about the settlement terms, but BBC Sport has been told by a source close to the team that Horner secured a pay-off worth 60m euros (£52m). The move frees Horner up to return to F1 in the future - if he can find a project that is willing to take him on board. But what are the chances of that, why has he been paid off in such a way, and how will this reflect on Horner and Red Bull?
The rest of the article is a window into a world of impossibly high salaries and sums of money that ordinary people like us cannot fully understand. Read on if you want a window into that world.....

[Stanley]

See THIS and weep......
Jeremy Bowen, BBC Panorama. Published 4 hours ago.
Diaa, a middle-aged father and husband, was a polite host at his family home in one of the refugee camps in central Gaza. But you could see his pain. "Please come in. This is Abdullah's room." Abdullah was his 19-year-old eldest son. On 2 August he was shot dead waiting for the daily opening of one of the food distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). It started operating in Gaza in May, established by Israel and the US and protected by the Israeli military, the IDF, and armed American security guards who are special forces veterans. In Abdullah's empty bedroom, Diaa hugged his son's school bag. "My darling boy. His smell is still on it. May God have mercy on you, my son, forgive you, and accept you in the highest ranks of Paradise, God willing, with the Lord of the Worlds." Diaa blames himself. "The night before he said to me, 'Dad, I want to go.'" "I told him, 'For God's sake, I don't want you to go tomorrow, please don't go.' He said, "God willing, everything will be fine, Dad." "Of course it's an awful feeling, as if I was the one who killed my son, as if I was the one who sent him to his death. "But we needed that aid. I gave up my eldest son so he could feed his siblings, his father and his mother."
Remember Abdullah the next time you hear Netanyahu spouting his poison about Israel's actions against the Palestinians.....

[Stanley]

I knew that House of Flowers had gone but only realised today that another old business, Bardswell Jeweller, had closed. The shop is being refurbished.....

[PanBiker]

Jac's next door has the shop and is expanding through. Don't know yet what Bardwell's is going to be.

[Stanley]

Thanks Ian.....
How's the work on BF going on. It looks quiet as I pass....

[PanBiker]

We are still at the mercy of the Pendle Building Control. I don't think they do fast. James our contractor says it will be 12 weeks once he gets the regs confirmed.

[Gloria]

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[Big Kev]