THE BRITISH THREAD II

You're off to go cycling then

Hey Mac - wishing you and yours well - hope it's stopped raining up there.



As for harvests, Spendi, there's a bumper truffle harvest - well, who'da thought it!!!!! Truffles like the rain. £85 for a truffle. MMMmmm - I don't think so!

Actually Izzie, we've been in the eye of the storm here, and it's been quite good today....rain to the south of us, rain to the north of us, volleyed and thundered....but no probs here.

Glad to hear it Mac. River has gone down here so hopefully no probs here either.


eidt... oh oh... the Tall Ships are here next weekend.... planning on going. Should be FAB.

Mac.... did you get your electrics sorted? The loos are still leaking here (B8stid SWWater!!!!!) Now the conservatory has water leaking in too. Lots. Nem'mind. It will sort no doubt...... eventually. Hope yours wasn't expensive

Yes thanks, I got my electrics sorted and would you believe it, he only took a tenner for the job. Came out on a Sunday too.

Sorry about the water, Izz. Bummer. You need a tame man. A local chap with a steady hand, a cool eye and a willingness to please.

Quite interesting comment in today's Observer about Britain should be the Wimbledon of industry and finance ... and foreign owner's of football clubs.

(Allright: not really, but very nearly )


Nice victory against Andorra, btw!

Thank you for not mentioning Macedonia.

Just think: if England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pooled all their football talents we could have one big unified, crap football team.

Bloody hell, Murray beats Nadal in a nail-biter after rain interruptions.

Well done, the lad.

Now for Roger Federer.

Pubs are closing for business at a rate of 36 per week ...

I'm not sure if ringing their bells at 1pm on 14 September to protest at the planned tax rise can stop that.

And I was going to go out last night to see if there was a band on the the Nursery and perhaps purchase a pint or two but I stayed in instead and watched my DVD of The Wire.

Now I feel so guilty.

Murray did well...for himself. Why should that make me proud? I'm equally unimpressed with that boy from Stevenage wizzing round in his go kart.

Izz you said the tall ships are visiting you. Surely not mooring in the river?

that I do....that I do

Hey Stevie...

How was Waltham Abbey? What a beautiful place. Hope you didn't get too wet - knew you weren't down this way - the sun was shining - HA! Oh... the plants didn't like the rain....

Did you see the photos of Texas et al...

http://able2know.org/topic/119331-11

You would have loved the little chapel in Arkansas.

Tall Ships are coming to Falmouth so am really hoping to go (we'll see) - BigBoy turns 16 on Friday - I didn't think would happen - so, we'll see how the weekend pans out. HA - the farmer was right - as quickly as the river rises, she falls again too. Phew.

Love to you and Mrs. Stevie. Hugs x

Thanks for the photos Izz, really superb. Glad you and small fella had a great time, and got on so well with the natives, except the mozzies!

Thorncrown church was impressive...what a contrast with Waltham Abbey!

We did a fairly short run yesterday but our group leader managed to find one of the steepest hills in Essex right for the end stretch...just in case we were getting in the comfort zone. Nearly killed me. Its also a narrow road and we kept a car waiting at the top for several minutes as 10 bikers struggled up. We all said thank you...I enjoyed that! Driver not happy bunny.

Not too wet...my powers of conjuring up rain with bicycles must be waning.

We've had a visit from my BIL who currently resides in Doncaster. He and his Scottish(?) girlfriend flew out for few weeks in OZ. His visa requires him to leave merry old England every couple of years then he can re-enter and continue working. He's enjoying showing the girlfriend around our bit of Oz.
She said its all a bit overwhelming, she had imagined it would be a bit like England but "everything is different, Its cleaner, wider roads more space" houses are different, no rubbish, schools in Aust dont have big high fences with padlocked gates".
I think she was suffering a little bit of culture shock by the time they left.

Mumpad has vetted the girlfriend and approves. We think they'll probably move back to Aust in a year or two.

More like fast females and frisky forty and fifty somethings (like smorgsie). That's what pubs need. And friendly service.

One for Francis --

"Love's last shift." was once translated by a French intellectual as " La dernier chemise de l'amour."

Which is a long way from "the vinegar stroke."

And that translation was not bad at all, despite the apparent unlikeliness..

One more desperate trick by a desperate wife that doesn't, indeed, equate to the vinegar stroke..

I enjoyed that Francis. I'm glad I mentioned it.

I was translating it myself. It's too romantic don't you think?

You were translating it into French?

No, I didn't find it too romantic..