This is in the national news

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-58322653

At the correct angle and in the correct light, their long wing and tail feathers reveal a prism of rainbow colours.

* Photo by Christian Spencer.

5 weeks ago I booked for a grass cutting, due to come last week but didn't, they rebooked for today - didn't turn up and when I phoned was told he has gone on holiday and is all booked up for next week.
They said they will phone next week if he can squeeze me in, the grass is very long and I am not a happy bunny today.

... Or should that be bear it?

Debate on FB about saying things the other [wrong ?] way round ..... apparently Mary Berry annoys people by always saying pepper and salt, not salt and pepper.
There have been moans about saying bacon & eggs instead of eggs & bacon.
How do you pair things ?

Another Carabao Cup match tonight between West Brom of the Championship against Arsenal.
Get your predictions in by 7.30pm.Good luck

RIP Charlie Watts

I've never thought of myself as a racist but the last week has got ridiculous.
The UK government has paid £114 million to the French government in order to stop illegal immigration since 2015 to June 2020 and in Jul 2021 the UK taxpayer handed over a further £55m to France. Yet more than 800 people were intercepted crossing English Channel yesterday. Channel migrants will keep coming, a French police chief warned on Thursday, as numbers for the year surged past 10,000.
Has the time come to immediately put them on a plane back to France? The french have our money and therefore need to sort this problem.

He talks a lot of sense

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRj9shk1/

Click on

This is our first League Cup match to predict. I think it's still called Carabao Cup.
Barrow are from League Two (old 4th division) versus Aston Villa of the Premier league. Aston Villa will probably use their reserve team and youth players.
Get you predictions in by 7.30pm for the 8pm kick off.
Good luck

I would like to recommend the new medical news feed Derek has sourced for the loop "Public Notices".

A GP in Burnham, Bucks, collates a weekly email for his patients covering the major medical news stories from the past week. Derek receives a copy and is now posting it, for the wider community, in Public Notices.

I think it's a useful read, and among other things, provides a helpful overview of the continually changing topics of Covid-19 and vaccination.

https://www.scooploop.com/thread/this-weeks-message-from-the-doctor

Are we ready?

Will members watch?

Still in Tokyo with an eight hour time difference .

It won’t take over the tv this time.

Crime in multi-storey car parks.

That is wrong on so many different levels. 😂

You have up to 7pm to get your predictions in. Kick-off 7.45.
That matches being chosen are the later or evening matches televised by Sky or BT featuring Premier League teams.
Good luck

... Maybe!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/queen-plans-legal-fightback-after-24811016.amp

Today's match kicks off at 4.30pm so predictions need to be in by 4pm.
I will publish the odds of your predictions at around 4pm.
Good luck.

Feeling a bit off colour so have done a lateral flow test which was negative. I hate doing them.

My son made me laugh about testing. He said he knows when his brother is doing a test because he goes into bathroom and shuts door. After a couple of minutes there's the sound of violent retching, then silence, then violent sneezing. If he doesn't hear anything after about 20 minutes then he knows the result was negative 🤣

Could this be an answer?
More than 3,000 people were recorded sleeping rough in London during the third lockdown between January and March this year. 200 pods will apparently cost less than £47,000 to build.

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/pod-homes-with-5-a-week-running-costs-are-being-built-for-londons-homeless-063021?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&cid=~london~natsoc~facebook~echobox&fbclid=IwAR1xmoY4JRI7sB4M0xdnovHytT_fx4k7bBHPXWmWwBkr9IZlHvfXD5-yItk#Echobox=1629107948

It appears whilst we now swear less, the words people use , or are more popular have changed.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/20/bloody-loses-its-place-atop-swearing-lexicon-as-british-use-of-expletives-falls

‘when we are lost for the right words we swear’ 😡

Kick off is at 5.30pm so get your predictions in by 5pm.

Absolutely dreadful

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9912965/VIDEO-Orthodox-Jewish-man-punched-face-passer-racist-attack.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58289893

Two brothers enlisting in the Army were getting their physicals. During the inspection, the doctor was surprised to discover that both of them possessed incredibly long, oversized penises.

"How do you account for this?" he asked the brothers.

"It's hereditary, sir," the older one replied.

"I see," said the doctor, writing in his file. "Your father's the reason for your elongated penises?"

"No sir, our mother."

"Your mother? You idiot, women don't have penises!"

"I know sir," replied the recruit, "but she only had one arm, and when it came to getting us out of the bathtub, she had to manage as best she could."

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/news/mandatory-speed-limiters-on-uk-cars-from-2022

I've just received an email from our local garden centre telling me that the Christmas grotty tickets are on sale from 1st September.

I have noted it in my diary because I just can't miss it 😝

Looking back at the Afghanistan debate in Parliament yesterday it became very obvious that the Government have more than a problem with Afghanistan, they have a problem with wearing masks.

As far as I know the rules still require you to wear masks in crowded places - personally I'm not ready to sit in a theatre or cinema, let alone a crowded Parliament building - without a mask.

Sadly it appears that Government do not follow the rules as well as the Opposition do!

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/britain-biggest-bike-lane-leaves-182118667.html

Kim has been having a bit of a hard time during the last couple of years.
She was caring for her partner Peter up to the day he died and on that day, she married him.

Last year she suffered a stroke and whilst in hospital trying to recover, caught Covid for a second time.

She is still coming to terms with all that has happened but is having to keep herself going with very little income.

Peter was an artist and has left Kim with quite a few paintings and sketches which she is now selling to bring in an income.

I bought one which I was lucky to have delivered in person by Kim. We managed to pass a pleasant hour or two in the garden with cake and coffee (or in my case tea).

If you would like to view the paintings Kim still has, please look at her profile page for contact details. There is currently a discount available which is better than the profile mentions.

https://www.scooploop.com/user/KimB

I had a new fridge freezer delivered today by AO
they damaged my vinyl kitchen flooring in several small places, they did not put the spacers on the back so it was touching the wall and I had to pull it out myself [although couldn't fit spacers].
Disappointed as before AO have been very good.

Way back in January I purchased two coach tickets for £136.00 for a local Christmas Spectacular at Thursford. Because of my wifes deteriorating condition which meant that she would not be able to get onto the coach or be able to see the show when we got there, so I decided to cancel .
I phoned the company and asked to cancel, they did say could I give them away but I thought that I would rather not have the hassle and cancel anyway, I asked what the cancellation fee was and he said he didn’t know so I cancelled anyway. Big mistake!!!
Today I recieved a cheque for £45.00 ! the cancellation charge was £91.00 and they had 132 days to resell the tickets for a highly sought after show.
I am livid.

2 barristers investigating old cases where the person was hanged to see if there was a miscarriage of justice.

Some of them are back in the 1800s when things were so different.

Anyone watching?

It's being considered that free prescriptions should be linked to retirement age.

What do you think?

A reptile centre employee in Utah, was pulled into a pool in an alligator enclosure.

Not for the faint-hearted!

https://m.facebook.com/100001851461129/videos/1023296364876441/

Taken from RAC Newsletter

"Money-grab" - Sadiq Khan plans to increase London’s red route fines to £160

PA Images

6th Aug 2021

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Drivers could soon have to part with even more cash after Transport for London (TfL) launched a consultation on hiking the maximum fine on the capital’s red routes by £30.

This follows an announcement last week that the increased Congestion Charge of £15 – at first thought to be temporary – will remain in place.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes condemned the recent move, labelling it a “money-grab” and expressing concerns that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is “waging a war on drivers and businesses that rely on their vehicles”.

An increase in fines for red route offences – along with others such as blocking yellow box junctions, breaking parking rules, performing illegal turns and driving in bus lanes – would mean motorists forking out a maximum penalty charge notice (PCN) of £160, up from £130.

Red routes are London’s most important roads. Although they only make up 5% of the total road length, they carry more than 30% of the capital’s traffic.

In a statement, TfL said: “Fines would be reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days. All income from PCNs is re-invested by TfL, to cover the cost of enforcement and schemes to reduce road danger.”

The public consultation – launched on TfL’s website – will collate people’s opinions on the PCN changes via a survey until 19 September 2021. If the increase in fines goes ahead it will be the first rise in 10 years, which TfL says would be “in line with inflation”.

It also says increasing fine amounts for offences such as illegal parking will deter motorists from breaking rules and therefore prevent the obstruction of “vital deliveries and collections”, as well as reduce delays for buses and emergency services.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of compliance and policing, said: “London’s network of red routes plays a vital role in keeping people moving across the capital and it’s really important that everybody follows the rules that are in place to keep roads clear and people safe.

“We’d much rather people follow the rules than fine them, and the proposed increase in fine is intended to increase compliance with the rules and make streets safer, cleaner and less congested for everyone.

‘I’d urge people to have their say on these proposals and we welcome all feedback on our plans.”

Is murder on the increase? Very little media coverage apart from the Plymouth tragedy.
I don't think we can compare the figures in the last 2 years due to the pandemic and lockdowns.
This is just the situation in the Metropolitan police area.
Should we be worried?
https://news.met.police.uk/latest_news/tag/murder

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMR8yTEKW/

Having blocked several numbers recently, I'm now wondering what happens when one of them tries to ring me.

Does the phone just ring at their end or do they get a message saying they are blocked or the number can't be reached?

Do not buy anything from this company. We bought some fruit trees and now we are getting calls every day. I don't answer but I check the numbers online.

There are loads of complaints about scam calls from them about all different things. One is about a motoring club which they sign you up to whether you want it or not.

From today ifwe've been in contact with a case of Covid we no longer have to isolate and a PCR test is only advised.

I can just see all employers insisting people go to work regardless.

It's really worrying to think how cases might explode. Wouldn't it have been better to cut isolation to maybe 5 days? I know it can take longer to show up but it surely would help to minimise risk.

Does anyone else feel this is a really scary course of action?

My first attempt went wrong so I closed it - could not delete it.

He loved his job. Driving a train had been his dream ever since he was a child. He loved to make the train go as fast as possible. Unfortunately, one day he was a little too reckless and caused a crash. He made it out, but a single person died. Well, needless to say, he went to court over this incident. He was found guilty, and was sentenced to death by electrocution. When the day of the execution came, he requested a single banana as his last meal. After eating the banana, he was strapped into the electric chair. The switch was flown, sparks flew, and smoke filled the air - but nothing happened. The man was perfectly fine.

Well, at the time, there was an old Bulgarian law that said a failed execution was a sign of divine intervention, so the man was allowed to go free. Somehow, he managed to get his old job back driving the train. Having not learned his lesson at all, he went right back to driving the train with reckless abandon. Once again, he caused a train to crash, this time killing two people. The trial went much the same as the first, resulting in a sentence of execution. For his final meal, the man requested two bananas. After eating the bananas, he was strapped into the electric chair. The switch was thrown, sparks flew, smoke filled the room - and the man was once again unharmed.

Well, this of course meant that he was free to go. And once again, he somehow managed to get his old job back. To what should have been the surprise of no one, he crashed yet another train and killed three people. And so he once again found himself being sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, he requested his final meal: three bananas.

"You know what? No," said the executioner. "I've had it with you and your stupid bananas and walking out of here unharmed. I'm not giving you a thing to eat; we're strapping you in and doing this now." Well, it was against protocol, but the man was strapped in to the electric chair without a last meal. The switch was pulled, sparks flew, smoke filled the room - and the man was still unharmed. The executioner was speechless.

The man looked at the executioner and said, "Oh, the bananas had nothing to do with it. I'm just a bad conductor."

I would love to see these,

Iridescent clouds happen because of diffraction – a phenomenon that occurs when small water droplets or small ice crystals scatter the sun's light. ... Cloud iridescence is relatively rare. The cloud must be thin and have lots of water droplets or ice crystals of about the same size.

Bad taste or an error of judgement

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-08-15/banksy-mural-featuring-an-inflatable-dinghy-removed-from-gorleston

Mary had lunch with 2 of her unmarried friends. Joan is engaged,Sinead is a mistress, and she, the third one, had been married to Pablo for 20+ years.
They were chatting about their relationships and decided to amaze their men by greeting them at the door wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes. They agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes. Here’s how it all went.
Her engaged friend Joan: The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos, and a mask. He saw me and said, ‘You are the woman of my dreams…I love you.’ Then we made passionate love all night long.
The mistress Sinead: 'Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn’t say a word, but he started to tremble and we made wild love all night.'
Then Mary had to share her story: 'When my husband Pablo came home I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes.
When he came in the door and saw me he said, “What’s for dinner, Zorro?”'