So far, in the last 24 hours I have had 6 calls from telephone numbers using the first 7 digits of my mobile number.
Do these people seriously believe that creating a number similar to mine is going to get me to answer?
They need to think again.

Firstly, my phone is on silent 24 x 7. If someone needs to speak to me they can leave a message and I'll (maybe) get back to them, but only if I recognise the number.

Secondly, if I don't recognise the number I won't answer. They will have to leave a message. No message, no response from me.

Thirdly, if they leave a message and I'm not sure that I'm happy with things, they don't get called back.

It doesn't matter to me what number they contrive on their computers, it could even be the number before or after mine, if I don't recognise it it just takes up another line in my call history.

Up until 19:30 today only.

My daughter had hers.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/covid-19-englands-biggest-coronavirus-vaccination-centre-in-west-london-breaks-policy-to-offer-jab-to-anyone-over-18-for-today-only-12321580

Flower Mantis - SE Asia

I understand that there is another Covid variant being investigated, it's been found in Vietnam and is apparently a cross between the Indian variant and the Kent variant.

With luck, as those two appear to be controlled with our current vaccines, we won't have to worry too much about it. But we must, as ever, stay safe and get vaccinated when we are due to be.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57303306.amp

:
A man had just finished a putt and reached in the hole to get his ball, but pulled out a leprechaun!
"Sure, and ye have me." Cried the leprechaun. "And if ye let me go, for yer tribble, I'll give ye three wishes!"
"Thank you." Said the man. "I don't really need anything, so I'll pass on the wishes." He let the leprechaun go, and went off to finish his game.
The leprechaun was dumbfounded. Who had ever heard of such a thing? He sat on a pebble and thought to himself. "Such a man as that deserves three wishes! I'll give 'em to 'im in spite of 'imself! Now what!!! Why money,of course! Everyone wants money. So, for his first wish he wants to be a Millionaire! And second-let's make him a great golfer! And last-ah! Let him have a wonderful sex life."
A month went by and the leprechaun spotted the man playing on the course again. He jumped out of a hole and yelled up to the man: "How ye be doing?"
The man smiled and said. "Hello, little friend. I be doing just fine."
The leprechaun smiled back and said. "And how's yer money situation, if ye don't mind my asking?"
"It's funny you should ask." Replied the man.
"An uncle of mine passed away and left me a fortune!"
"Hah! Is that so? And how's ya golf game now?"
"It's an amazing thing." Said the man. "For the past few weeks I can't do worse than two under par!"
"Sure and that's wonderful!" With a sly look, the leprechaun asked. "And how's yer sex life?"
The man, obviously embarrassed, looked away and coughed. "Well, it's fine. Two or three times a month."
The leprechaun was aghast. "Two or three times a month? That's horrible!"
The man looked up and said. "Actually, it's not bad for a priest in a small parish."

I've been to 14

Did anyone enjoy this series as much as I did?

To me, this was one of the funniest programmes of the week and what I really like about it is that someone wins the £10,000 prize.

The rules are simple, a couple have to decide whether each of 6 people can or cannot sing. If, when they get to the last "singer" that person can sing, the couple win £10,000. If on the other hand the 6th "singer" has fooled them and cannot sing, that person wins the £10,000.

I love the concept and have to say that even though Amanda Holden is on the panel Jimmy Carr manages to throw in at least one perfect insult to her every week, and she always takes it well.
Alison Hammond is brilliantly funny and makes me laugh with very little effort on her part. (Especially the ladylike way she sits! )
I've never liked Paddy McGuinness in any other programme, but he is so well suited to this one.
For me, it has been the funniest and most enjoyable programme of the week and I look forward to seeing the next series.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08jknt4

'Monstrous' warehouse and distribution centre planned for farmland in West Yorkshire would 'dominate' Spen Valley landscape https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/politics/monstrous-warehouse-and-distribution-centre-planned-for-farmland-in-west-yorkshire-would-dominate-spen-valley-landscape-3253504

“How many years of beauty do I have left?
she asks me.
How many more do you want?
Here. Here is 34. Here is 50.

When you are 80 years old
and your beauty rises in ways
your cells cannot even imagine now
and your wild bones grow luminous and
ripe, having carried the weight
of a passionate life.

When your hair is aflame
with winter
and you have decades of
learning and leaving and loving
sewn into
the corners of your eyes
and your children come home
to find their own history
in your face.

When you know what it feels like to fail
ferociously
and have gained the
capacity
to rise and rise and rise again.

When you can make your tea
on a quiet and ridiculously lonely afternoon
and still have a song in your heart
Queen owl wings beating
beneath the cotton of your sweater.

Because your beauty began there
beneath the sweater and the skin,
remember?

This is when I will take you
into my arms and coo
YOU BRAVE AND GLORIOUS THING
you’ve come so far.

I see you.
Your beauty is breathtaking."

~ Jeannette Encinias

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
I love this site, it fascinates me looking through the collections

This is the most colourful one in the UK, it is very rare and found only in Snowdonia and is a protected species.

The Rainbow leaf beetle.

That woman with the annoying screechy voice trying to get me to buy a ticket for a chance to win a house from Omaze.

It closed last night.

Hopefully she'll have a sore throat when the next one starts.

In a secret ceremony while everyone was talking about football

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15108452/boris-johnson-marries-carrie-symonds-westminster/

One of the jewel bugs.

Grrrrr what a performance!! I purchased two small items, both under a tenner, from Ebay and paid via PayPal. I had to pay separately for each item, confirm I wasn't a robot, receive and enter a security code and do this a couple of times for each item before the payment was accepted.
Ebay are definitely trying to put people off from using PayPal. No way am I giving Ebay my bank card details.
Has anyone else had this problem?

Is it just me but can anyone fathom out what IKEA's are trying to do!, eventhe tag line makes no sense.

The Picasso bug

Would you admire and support a politician who admits they were wrong?
Any examples gratefully received.

Will it encourage hard to reach people to have it

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-johnson-johnson-single-dose-vaccine-approved-for-use-in-the-uk-12319122

"... our economic model depends on us buying junk we don’t need with money we don’t have." How true.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/26/britain-net-zero-targets-environmental-issues

This is for you ladies!!! I recently ate at a restaurant where a table of girlfriends of a certain age were having a wonderful time, and came home and wrote this. You may recognize somebody, maybe yourself ...

Lunch With Girlfriends
By Kathy O’Malley

Elaine’s vertigo has never been worse
Kay can’t recall where she left her purse
Rhonda’s about to replace her knees
Linda’s breathing is tinged with a wheeze

Donna's left boob has a troublesome lump
Diane’s on her third trip to take a dump
Lorraine’s husband can’t remember a thing
Nine years a widow, Marge still wears her ring

Marlene is dealing with another UTI
Sally’s giving a hearing aid another try
Marie has decided she can’t drive at night
Sharon still wears clothes two sizes too tight

They’ve been through divorces and babies and wakes
They do for each other whatever it takes
They’ve already buried Marcia and Kate
And truthfully, Lizzie’s not looking so great

So whenever they can, they get out to eat
Open bottles of wine and forget their sore feet
There’s laughing and crying and letting down guards
And when the bill comes, there’s ten credit cards

So here’s to the waiters who keep orders straight
And to the places that let lunches run three hours late
And here’s to the girlfriends, those near and those far
Here's to the girlfriends, you know who you are!!!

An old Irish woman was rocking in her chair, reminiscing about the good times in her life and wondering how long she may have left, when out of no where, a fairy godmother appears. 
The fairy godmother told her you've led such a good life, I'm going to grant you three wishes.  The old woman couldn't believe her luck and thanked the fairy godmother. 
The fairy godmother asked for the first wish? 
The old woman replied, "I've never had much money me mainly spent it on drink,  I suppose I would like to be rich."  POOF-the old woman's rocking chair turned into solid gold and was four times bigger. 
The fairy godmother asked what her second wish would be?

The old woman replied, "Oh, I would very much like to be young again and look a princess. It was" POOF-the old women was transformed into the most beautiful, young and vibrant Irish princess ever.

The fairy godmother asked, "and for your last wish?"
Just then the old woman's cat walked by.  The now young Irish  princess looked at the cat and said, "I love that cat more than anyone left on this earth.  Could you make him the most handsome prince ever who loves me?" 

POOF-there stood the most handsome noble Irishman the old woman had ever seen.  Her heart fluttered as he slowly walked towards her.  When he bent on one knee to whisper in her ear, she felt weak and then he said, "I bet you're sorry you got me neutered now aren't you?

I know very little about the top football clubs, nor the leagues, nor the players.

However, I've just seen on the news that Marcus Rashford, who I understand plays for Manchester United has been racially abused after a match last night.

What the hell is the matter with these people?

I recall that this lad took on the Government to supply food for kids who were starving. I don't recall him demanding that only black children should be fed. As I recall, it was all kids, male and female, black, white and all shades between who qualified. He didn't racislise his demands and yet he is being picked on because of his colour.

I don't know if things have changed, but I always thought that professional footballers (whilst highly overpaid) were selected because of their expertise both in and on their field.

For him to have been chosen, gives me the impression that he must be better than a lot of other players. So why are sick people abusing him over his colour? He has proven himself to be better than a lot of white people. That's the reason he played and not a white player.

I hope the police catch up with and deal with the abusers. One of whom I understand to be a school teacher!

Let's all do our part and keep abuse out of our lives. No matter who and no matter what!

Had delivery from Sainsbury’s clothes Yodel and was able to follow progress for the first time. Loved it. It showed where driver was, how many deliveries before he would deliver mine and I could calculate roughly when he would arrive at my house.

Now I am expecting delivery from Amazon. Yesterday it was a disaster. Did not ring back door bell, phoned and hung up before I even was able to get to phone. Went to door and the delivery van had gone. Redelivery. I was furious and rung help -line. 0800 2797234. Surprising they always answer very quickly, very helpful.
I only have a few apps. but if I download the Amazon app. will I have the same facilities checking?
Today redelivery up to 9 pm. Email arrived at 8am. Do I dare just pop into wash room where my fridge is?

What drink can you not live without? I wonder what weird and wonderful concoctions we can learn about 😀

After many years of entering my ID and password, Sainsbury's have over the past few days introduced a 6 digit security code as well before accessing your account.

Enter ID and password and then they send you a 6 digit code by email. So you then have to logon to your email, get the 6 digit code and enter it in the Sainsbury's logon, only then does it go through to your account.

What an annoying mis-improvement to implement. It is however a very secure measure to bring your email into the equation, anybody can get into your account if they have your ID and password or complete a captcha. But they cannot get over your email.

In my post --help -- a few questions re: Sim card were raised. Trying to solve the problem I went into Martin Lewis site and found the warning --Do not pay through Pay Pal. Hope some of you might find it helpful.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/PayPal-Section75/

Beano stop using the nickname Fatty for one of their characters

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9606691/The-Beano-stop-using-nickname-Fatty-character.html

Particularly for over 60, but it applies to anyone.
Very interesting info that, quite frankly, I never thought about.
By: Arnaldo Liechtenstein, physician


Whenever I teach clinical medicine to students in the fourth year of medicine, I ask the following question:
What are the causes of mental confusion in the elderly?
Some offer: "Tumors in the head". I answer: No!
Others suggest: "Early symptoms of Alzheimer's". I answer No!
With each rejection of their answers, their responses dry up.
And they are even more open-mouthed when I list the three most common causes:
- uncontrolled diabetes
- urinary infection
- dehydration
It may sound like a joke, but it isn't. People over 60 generally stop feeling thirsty and consequently stop drinking fluids.
When no one is around to remind them to drink fluids, they quickly dehydrate.
Dehydration is severe and affects the entire body It may cause abrupt mental confusion, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart palpitations, angina (chest pain), coma and even death.
*the habit of forgetting to drink fluids begins at age 60, when we have just over 50%of the water we should have in our bodies. People over 60 have a lower water reserve.
This is part of the natural aging process.*
But there are more complications. Although they are dehydrated, they don't feel like drinking water, because their internal balance mechanisms don't work very well.
*Conclusion:*
People over 60 years old dehydrate easily, not only because they have a smaller water supply, but also because they do not feel the lack of water in the body.
Although people over 60 may look healthy, the performance of reactions and chemical functions can damage their entire body.
So here are two alerts:
1) *Get into the habit of drinking liquids*. Liquids include water, juices, teas, coconut water, milk, soups, and water-rich fruits, such as watermelon, melon, peaches, and pineapple; orange and tangerine also work.
*The important thing is that, every two hours, you must drink some liquid. Remember this!*
2) Alert for family members: constantly offer fluids to people over age 60. At the same time, observe them.
If you realize that they are rejecting liquids and, from one day to the next, they are irritable, breathless or display a lack of attention, these are almost certainly recurrent symptoms of dehydration
Inspired to drink more water now?? Send this information out to others! DO IT NOW!
Your friends and family need to know for themselves and help you to be healthier and happier.

It's good to share! *For people over 60*

I still have not switched my heating off - use the thermostat to take the chill off in the early mornings and most evenings.

Midsummer's Day.
The turning point when we, in the northern hemisphere, are closest to the sun. From then on the days start getting shorter.

Today, similar to yesterday, we have achieved an outside shade temperature of 13° C.
Wouldn't it be nice to one day feel warm?

... on a two finger KitKat I just took from a pack.
It says January 2022.

They've got to be joking, they'll all be gone before the end of May 2021.

Printing a BB date on some things is just a waste of ink.

Spend all morning trying to place an order on Amazon. Message is send to mobile phone reading ---Tap link to respond --- I do not have anything to tap --- Thank you

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeWUoYtd/

Well I voted for Norway.
My wife voted for Sweden.

How about you?

There once was an Indian who had only one testicle

And whose given name was 'Onestone'.

He hated that name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone.

After years and years of torment,

Onestone finally cracked and said,'

If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!'

The word got around and nobody called him that any more.

Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said,

'Good morning, Onestone..'

He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest where he made love to her all day and all night.

He made love to her all the next day,

Until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.

The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do.

Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until

A woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away.

Yellow Bird , who was BlueBird's cousin,

Was overjoyed when she saw Onestone.

She hugged him and said, 'Good to see you, Onestone.'

Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest,

Then he made love to her all day,

Made love to her all night,

Made love to her all the next day,

Made love to her all the next night, but YellowBird wouldn't die!

Why ???

OH, come on... Take a guess !!!

Think about it !!!

You're going to love this !!!

Everyone knows..

You can't kill Two Birds

With

One Stone !!!😂😂

Dear Mum & Dad,

I am very well, I hope you are too. Tell big brothers Sean, Paddy and Mick that the Army is better than working on the farm; tell them to get into the Army quick before the jobs are all gone.
I was a bit slow settling down at first because you don't get out of bed until 6am, but I got used to it and I like sleeping in now. All you do before breakfast is make your bed, shine your boots and clean your uniform. No cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack, nothing. Men must shave, but it’s not too bad because there's hot water and a light to see what you’re doing. For breakfast there’s cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no fillet steaks or sausages. You don't get fed again until noon, and by that time all the city boys are buggered because we've been on a 'route march', which is just like walking to the well in the meadow.

This will kill Sean and Paddy with laughter but I keep getting medals for shooting!! I don’t know why because the bull’s-eye is as big as a bloody bull's head and it doesn't move and it’s not firing back at you like the Murphy’s did when our bull got their cow in calf before the Ballina show. All you have to do is make yourself comfortable and hit the target - piece of piss. You don't even load your own cartridges – they come in boxes and you don't have to steady yourself against the roll bar of the tractor when you reload. Sometimes we wrestle with the city boys and I have to be very careful because they break easy - it's not like fighting with Sean, Paddy, Mick and all the other local fellas all at once like we do.

Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either; it looks like I'm the best the platoon's got. I've only been beaten once by this guy from Dublin - he's 6 foot 8 and 120 kilos so he’s a good bit bigger than me but I fought to the end.
I can't complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before word gets out how good it is.

Your loving daughter,
Siobhàn.

Had a bottle of white vinegar about 1/5 full. Noticed the liquid gone off white with white fluffy bits floating in the bottle. Never had vinegar like this before. Any answers?

What a waste of time that turned out to be. For three days they pumped us with clues that showed virtually the whole village could have done it, leaving cliff hangers each night. However, with all the red herrings and blind alleys they sent us down, there was never a hint as to why the killer killed - until we were told at the end of day four.

Pace, (The Police and Criminal Evidence act 1984 codes of practice), was not noticeably adhered to. The lead detective, whilst interviewing was shown to be intimidating and threatening. There did not appear to be any legal representation for those being interviewed.
We were shown a 2 way mirror in operation during interviews, which would not currently be used as video of interviews could be seen by other officers, not that we knew who was supposed to be watching anyway.

Evidence of DNA found on the victim's clothes wasn't disvovered until 5 years after the crime. Allegedly because the police didn't need to look into the case further once a person had been arrested, tried and sentenced - based upon what evidence we have no idea.
People appeared to be being interviewed at the police station (including overnight) with family members unaware of where the interviewee was and why.

There were more holes in the programme than you'd find in a pair of fishnet stockings.

To my mind it was a waste to make 4 hours of television to show what they did. It would have been better making a one hour programme, changing the concept a little, securing the facts and getting rid of the peripheral dross.

I hope future offerings are more worthwhile than INNOCENT.

Three men, an english man, an Irishman and a Jamaican are in the maternity ward waiting for their wives to give birth. The midwife comes out and congratulates them, announcing that they were all now fathers of beautiful healthy baby boys. However they was a problem. They were all born very close together and in the mad rush they all got mixed up. So she asked if they could each go in and identify their sons from any family resemblances, traits etc.
Paddy says he'll go first, so in he goes and comes out with a black baby.The rastaman looks confused, "Excuse me", he said, "but do you think that one might be mine?"
"Probably", said Paddy , "but one of them in there's English, and I'm takin' no feckin chances !!!!!"

I think there was a post recently about these, so here's some info and advice I read this morning https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/may/18/delivery-text-scams-the-nasty-new-wave-sweeping-the-uk