This is the first match where safe standing is being tried. Get your predictions in by 4pm.
Good luck

Now that the silliness of New Year is past, may I wish all members for the coming year, Good Health, Prosperity and Happiness in that order.
Good Health because it is difficult to be happy without it. Prosperity so that if you want to be un-happy you may do so in comfort, And finally Happiness because if you have the first two you don't deserve to be UN-HAPPY.
Consider that when you welcome the New Year you are actually celebrating being one year nearer your grave!!!!!???.😊😉😊😊

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.

The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey:

He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him.

They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

As soon as the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.

Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well.

He was astonished at what he saw.

With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.

Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up…….

Now Enough Of That Crap…….

The donkey later came back and bit the sh!t out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock…

MORAL FROM TODAY’S LESSON:

When you do something wrong and try to cover your a$s, it always comes back to bite you…..

Try this approach instead and be happier for it: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/be-bad-better-from-anger-to-laziness-how-to-put-your-worst-habits-to-good-use?fbclid=IwAR0bsWcY5fn29rTjke-jnBdTsaTTaWLf-0D7N4-ZzWWtLWKkKIVc0XjUy3g

Tony Blair knighted...unbelievable!

It's appalling: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/31/uk-governments-covid-advisers-enduring-tidal-waves-of-abuse

This morning I saw an idiot on another social media site describing people who go for vaccination as 'uneducated'. The arrogance of these people who've read daft theories on the internet is extraordinary.

How do I know what CO2 emissions my car makes?

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1543459/car-tax-changes-2022-update-petrol-diesel-fees

Happy New Year to One and All !

Strange how this was allowed to go ahead when the gathering for the fireworks wasn't.

Watched/ listened to this this morning as I do every year and they had the Lipizzaner horses this year.
Anyone else like it ?

How current events could be

The first Premier League game of 2022. Get your predictions in by 5pm.
Good luck

How lovely to hear this brilliant young lad has received special recognition for raising money for a hospice in memory of his dear neighbour

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-59829054

Smile another year gone and a new one on its way

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8KQbvCv/

Things can only get better - oh yeah that was the others 😁

Only talking about her the other day

New Year's Eve live news: London to get 'spectacular' fireworks display after all - but people urged not to turn up

Happy New Year to the UK for reaching 1,051,807 new cases of Covid over the past 7 days. An all-time world record and a grand New Years Eve total of 189,846 new cases.
That's the stuff anti-vaxers - go for gold - Rule Britannia.

Nick Knowles has commented that he is not happy with game shows like Celebrity Weakest Link where only the winner can give their prizemoney to a charity, and every other contestant goes home with nothing. He says the show is taking money away from charities.
I think the whole point of game shows is that someone wins, others don't. You can't have everyone winning.

If any of you missed this years series on viruses I would strongly recommend that you catch up on I Player, they were a very informative set of talks on viruses in general and Covid in particular, presented in an easily understood format suitable for the non scientist.
Personally I will watch these programmes for a second time to ensure that I extract the maximum amount of information from them because, what struck me very forcibly was, that many of the opinions bandied about by the media and on sites such as this, are ill informed and mistaken by authors with little understanding of the subject or the difficulties faced by the scientists that have to research the subject, and those that have to make decisions on the results that science provides. What seems to be the situation is that it's HEADS I win, TAILS you lose.

A Man goes into a Bakers and asks for 2 Bread Rolls..??
The Shop Man picks them up with the Tongs and puts them in a Paper Bag,
He then asks for 2 Cakes the Shop Man picks them up with the Tongs and puts them in the Bag.
The Man says :-
"It’s nice to see you don’t Handle the Food"..
The Shop Man says :-
"Nothing in my Shop is Handled by Human Hand"..
He then noticed a Piece of String hanging out of the Shop Man's Trousers and asks :-
"What is that Piece of String for"..???
The Shop Man says :-
"When I need a wee. I just pull on the String and it Pops Out"..
"That’s OK" Says the man.
"But how do you put it Back"..???
"That’s No Problem", says the Shop Man.
"I just Use the TONGS"..😜

Thank you to everybody who continues to help with donations to Beatrice and the Rescue Cats. It has been an exceptionally tough year. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2022.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10355731/Southern-Rail-cancels-services-London-Victoria-January-10.html

I love Worzel and find the new version just as great as the old one.

But there have been complaints about content

What do members think 🤔 petty or a serious misdemeanour?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10352911/Angry-parents-blast-BBC-ruining-new-version-Worzel-Gummidge-littering-innuendos.html

I've not yet obtained any of the newer, rapid LFT kits which only require one to swab inside the nose (as I understand it) but it seems that that system doesn't necessarily detect the Omicron variant of Covid-19, perhaps because its primary symptom can be a sore throat.
So do follow this advice and continue to swab both, to ensure that your test result is as accurate as possible.
https://inews.co.uk/news/lateral-flow-tests-omicron-covid-variant-detection-testing-kits-1374073?ito=twitter_share_article-top&fbclid=IwAR3ZLzKxMXt-wzEDBngeHo6g_ZTH87ZWKFp51k7Icp0oCAwUSMtVhbdyyVc

Would you like nominate someone who should be recognised for service to the local community, or has earned wider public recognition.

These people like to claim they are more intelligent and better informed than ‘sheeple’ who get vaccinated, but yet again, they went to the wrong address https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/29/anti-vaxxers-denounce-covid-testing-centre-in-freedom-march-through-milton-keynes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10345933/amp/Anti-vaxxer-kickboxing-champion-refused-acknowledge-Covid-discharged-dies.html?fr=operanews

Got a letter this morning - now to make my excuses not to go

As it has been said that we (the UK) do not provide training I thought I’d look into the offers available, for those who do not go into further education or a degree course . Interesting 🧐

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/free-courses-for-jobs

Can anyone else give good examples of training that’s available or that has helped in the past.

In this story people call it twixtmas or even blurgatory
The Norwegian suggestion is Romjul meaning Yule Space and from the Film How to Train your dragon 🐉 “Snoggletog”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2021/12/26/why-do-we-lose-track-of-days-between-christmas-and-new-years-15754725/amp/

What would you say to the children?
Would it embarrass you or maybe make you smile 😊

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17150005/monkeys-mate-in-front-of-kids/amp/

It said I had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19 on 21 December. I have to self isolate for 4 days and take a PCR test which I should get tomorrow or Thursday. I will get sent an antigen test if the PCR is positive.
I did think the app is a bit useless if it took 7 days to tell me.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/27/how-new-normal-of-wild-weather-put-strain-on-uk-nature-in-2021?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

I was wondering if anyone remembers the Classics Illustrated comics from the 50s/60s. I used to have quite a few. They were a great way to become familiar with some classic novels which would be a hard read for a child.

Someone posted this online - I think it deserves sharing

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/26/thames-boxing-day-swim-called-heavy-rain-causes-sewage-dump/

Being introduced in Northern Ireland from today.
They have brought back the Rule of Six. Applies to indoor gatherings, including weddings but not Civil Partnership ceremonies.
Outdoor sports can still have capacity crowds but groups of supporters must travel seperately to the stadium.

All suggestions very welcome.

'You and Yours' is just airing a programme about a truly terrifying case, in which a stranger managed to obtain a valid lasting power of attorney entitling them to manage the financial affairs of someone who didn't know them at all (!) and tried using it to sell a house owned by that other person.
An astute conveyancing solicitor, instructed by the supposed attorney, asked for additional proof of the supposed attorney's alleged relationship to the real owner, which stopped that particular attempt - but they may not have been the only conveyancer who was approached to act.
Apparently the fraud began with a Freedom of Information request to identify empty properties in that borough area.
The programme warns that properties held in one person's sole name, with no mortgage, are particularly vulnerable to this fraud. Since it's not been possible to retrieve the valid LPoA document from the fraudster and cancel it, the victim's entire financial affairs may also be targeted as well.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012scr

"It now becomes an almost irrestible temptation for a school leaver to take three years off, largely paid for in the end by the state, to put off starting work to take a degree which often adds little to their employability".

What do you think - and more importantly your ideas what would improve our further education system?

Received this this morning from an old friend of mine who has lived in Cyprus for many years and now has (I think) dual nationality.

I was supposed to have been in the UK now spending Christmas with my family, staying with R* and E* alternately returning home on 29th. A long story but I stayed with J* and his family in Yorkshire returning home on 1st December. I was stopped at passport control and security in the UK on my return journey home. I was told I can no longer use my passport and if I travelled back for Christmas I would be detained and sent back to Cyprus. My passport expires on 11th October 2022, ie late next year but the problem is, my passport is valid for 10 years 10 months and since Brexit, UK travel rules changed 1st January this year which now means my passport has effectively expired. I can only travel on a passport valid for exactly 10 years. I applied for a new passport as soon as I returned paying for “fast track” but as yet, no passport which means I have had to change my flights.

Life is definitely too complicated for me now.

Tonight's Monday Night Football. Get your predictions in by 7pm.
Good luck

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17141395/cruise-ship-mexico-covid-outbreak/?rec_article=true