Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Well, Christchurch was recaptured from a by-election loss to LD.
Twitter - John Stevens@johnestevens 🚨 Sir Graham Brady just seen walking out of Parliament… does this mean the 54 letter are in or does it indicate absolutely nothing?
Hi Fitalass. Is Johnson as much of a problem for the Scottish Tories as we're led to believe?
Hes so toxic now you can ignore local, regional and national impact. Its all bad, all the time
83% disapproval rate should scare conservative mps and show him the doorn next week
But it's Scotland with only 5 MPs, sorry 5 Tory MPs, so it doesn't count.
It speaks to a wider issue especially with Wales much the same that he has to go
I was looking at the new boundaries in Wales before i ran out of free looks with EC. The Tories might have a big big problem winning much at all in the new 32.
Yes. They are pretty dire with even a moderate swing.
Even Monmouth gets a fat chunk of Newport. They might hold Montgomery and Brecon and Preseli looks better than Monmouth now but the rest..... nah
Newport is trending Tory, more so now the tolls on the Severn Bridge have been abolished. Both seats were only narrow holds for Labour last time.
Tories had a shocker in Monmouth at the locals though......
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Can someone explain in two sentences or less why Johnny Depp lost in London but has won in America?
Preparation. He didn't prepare in London and was slaughtered.
In the US, he was massively (and brilliantly) prepped by a team of lawyers and PR people. Every facial expression, every gesture, every off the cuff remark was tested and honed.
Heard, on the other hand, was complacent. She thought that it would be a repeat of the London trial. Which is an extremely expensive error for her - both in terms of damage to her reputation, damage to her bank balance and damage to her prospects.
No costs award in US cases usually so it's just the 15m.
It isn't really about the money for Depp. It's reputation and career.
I think Robert is talking nonsense though. The jury just wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or whatever it is.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
If you set foot on the platform, it DOES count!
Nice station (actually pair). Brunelian timber roof and a later GWR Dolomitic Conglomerate stonework and iron effort which looks like a Mr Chips post-Arnoldian public school (if one ignores the 1930s public works platforms on the eastern side).
Well, you can get exceptional supermarket food in the US. But you will pay through the absolute nose for it. Erewhon - here in Los Angeles - is craptacularly expensive, but they have outstanding bread, salami, cheese etc.
Bloody hell, I've just looked at some of their produce and it makes Waitrose look cheap.
Also: NOT EVEN THAT GOOD
I confess i am geekily obsessed with charcuterie, cheese, breads, picnic fruits and veggies, and wine, but anyway, they are quite a good way of judging a food culture (at least in the west)
That insane posho LA supermarket has moderately pleasant cheese and rather average salami and it costs about five trillion dollars
It actually has very good cheese, very good salami, and excellent fresh meat.
But it is insanely expensive. Like 3-4x the price of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
Wow.
I will say for Waitrose and MS they do do very good food.
I don't think it's worth the premium they charge over what I can get from other supermarkets. Because they also do some very good food. And if I want genuinely premium stuff I'll buy from a farm shop.
But to be more expensive than Waitrose and the implication being comparable to Tesco in quality? That's mad. When I was in America I thought how cheap everything was, but clearly it's changed!
Isn't part of this just the weakness of Sterling? If we were still getting $1.80 for every £1 then the prices in American shops wouldn't look as high as they do at the moment?
It's a measure of how much poorer we've become as a result of the weakness of the currency.
But, Sterling is an automatic stabiliser.
If it weakens in value it makes our exports more competitive and makes us a more attractive investment destination and thus staves off recession.
Yes, in the short term it's useful as you say. But in the long-term it reflects a weakness in the economy.
If we keep on devaluing the currency to be able to sell our exports that's a sign that our competitiveness is declining and we can only compete by cutting the value of our pay by devaluing the currency it's paid in.
Indeed.
The key problem for the Sterling zone is low productivity. Devaluing the currency only “works” in the short term. In the long term only high productivity results in a wealthy populace. (Or downright theft; see British Empire and other repulsive entities.)
Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Yeah. Don't think I've ever been to Dorset. Folk just have stereotypes about places. I was astonished at the makeup of Tunbridge Wells council too.
Definitely no stereotypes about Dorset and their political preferences
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative politician, journalist and landowner, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset since 2010.
Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Well, Christchurch was recaptured from a by-election loss to LD.
Can someone explain in two sentences or less why Johnny Depp lost in London but has won in America?
Preparation. He didn't prepare in London and was slaughtered.
In the US, he was massively (and brilliantly) prepped by a team of lawyers and PR people. Every facial expression, every gesture, every off the cuff remark was tested and honed.
Heard, on the other hand, was complacent. She thought that it would be a repeat of the London trial. Which is an extremely expensive error for her - both in terms of damage to her reputation, damage to her bank balance and damage to her prospects.
No costs award in US cases usually so it's just the 15m.
It isn't really about the money for Depp. It's reputation and career.
I think Robert is talking nonsense though. The jury just wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or whatever it is.
That of course is another consideration. Judge vs jury.
Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Well, Christchurch was recaptured from a by-election loss to LD.
Can someone explain in two sentences or less why Johnny Depp lost in London but has won in America?
Preparation. He didn't prepare in London and was slaughtered.
In the US, he was massively (and brilliantly) prepped by a team of lawyers and PR people. Every facial expression, every gesture, every off the cuff remark was tested and honed.
Heard, on the other hand, was complacent. She thought that it would be a repeat of the London trial. Which is an extremely expensive error for her - both in terms of damage to her reputation, damage to her bank balance and damage to her prospects.
No costs award in US cases usually so it's just the 15m.
It isn't really about the money for Depp. It's reputation and career.
I think Robert is talking nonsense though. The jury just wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or whatever it is.
Because Pirates of the Caribbean 11 left so many questions unanswered?
Can someone explain in two sentences or less why Johnny Depp lost in London but has won in America?
Preparation. He didn't prepare in London and was slaughtered.
In the US, he was massively (and brilliantly) prepped by a team of lawyers and PR people. Every facial expression, every gesture, every off the cuff remark was tested and honed.
Heard, on the other hand, was complacent. She thought that it would be a repeat of the London trial. Which is an extremely expensive error for her - both in terms of damage to her reputation, damage to her bank balance and damage to her prospects.
No costs award in US cases usually so it's just the 15m.
It isn't really about the money for Depp. It's reputation and career.
I think Robert is talking nonsense though. The jury just wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or whatever it is.
Rather than aquaman 2. Good call
Don't much go for potc but they paid one of my favourite contemporary writers Tim Powers a presumable fortune for On Stranger Tides. Not that much except the title survives in the film.
Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Yeah. Don't think I've ever been to Dorset. Folk just have stereotypes about places. I was astonished at the makeup of Tunbridge Wells council too.
Definitely no stereotypes about Dorset and their political preferences
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative politician, journalist and landowner, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset since 2010.
Very much a local landowner, though not the ones who own Kimmeridge or Lulworth.
Twitter - John Stevens@johnestevens 🚨 Sir Graham Brady just seen walking out of Parliament… does this mean the 54 letter are in or does it indicate absolutely nothing?
Hi Fitalass. Is Johnson as much of a problem for the Scottish Tories as we're led to believe?
Hes so toxic now you can ignore local, regional and national impact. Its all bad, all the time
83% disapproval rate should scare conservative mps and show him the doorn next week
But it's Scotland with only 5 MPs, sorry 5 Tory MPs, so it doesn't count.
It speaks to a wider issue especially with Wales much the same that he has to go
I was looking at the new boundaries in Wales before i ran out of free looks with EC. The Tories might have a big big problem winning much at all in the new 32.
Yes. They are pretty dire with even a moderate swing.
Even Monmouth gets a fat chunk of Newport. They might hold Montgomery and Brecon and Preseli looks better than Monmouth now but the rest..... nah
Newport is trending Tory, more so now the tolls on the Severn Bridge have been abolished. Both seats were only narrow holds for Labour last time.
Tories had a shocker in Monmouth at the locals though......
They didn't exactly have a great night in Newport either. But local elections are not always the best predictor of general elections.
It would be interesting to have a more detailed demographic breakdown of who is moving into Monmouthshire and Newport. Originally it was JAMs looking to buy their own homes who had been priced out of Bristol. But there is of course the possibility they are being joined by diehard Greens and Labourites who after all have the same problem.
The issue is, if so, are they the ones more motivated to vote? Particularly at the moment (because who would vote for Johnson or worse, ARTD)?
Equally, nobody has ever got rich betting on a Labour implosion in Wales. No matter how useless and nasty they are, they keep going somehow.
Exactly as I was discussing the other night (last night?) and I was much pooh-poohed. Yet I am right. If a Tory is gunning for this then you can be sure a Labour govt under 2nd vote Starmer will actively pursue it
Indeed it may be the way Starmer buys off the SNP and LDs to get a functional NOM govt
If opposition to Boris is associated with rejoinery then I'd say that helps Boris with his backbenches.
Poor move by Ellwood.
Looks at constituency.
Bournemouth East trending leftwards, predicted Labour gain by electoral calculus.
Gosh. So is Bournemouth West too. When did that happen? If you'd asked, and I know nowt about the area. Haven't even been there, I'd have said 15 to 20 k Tory majorities.
It's probably associated in the minds of many with well-to-do old people, but actually Bournemouth is, as best I can make out, a city of about 200,000 people which is only middling economically and has a substantial student population. It's not nearly as Tory friendly as, for example, neighbouring Christchurch (which was one of only two Conservative gains in the 1997 General Election, and the only one not recaptured from a defector.)
Ellwood has a majority of just under 9,000 and his seat is listed as Labour target 106 with a 9% swing needed to capture. Assuming UNS, if his unseating were Labour's high water mark it would get them well into largest party territory, though still about 30 short of a majority.
Well, Christchurch was recaptured from a by-election loss to LD.
97 was also new boundaries for the seat.
True, but the notional 1992 results seemed decent estimates, on the whole. (The notional 1979 results were sporadically poor.)
Well, you can get exceptional supermarket food in the US. But you will pay through the absolute nose for it. Erewhon - here in Los Angeles - is craptacularly expensive, but they have outstanding bread, salami, cheese etc.
Bloody hell, I've just looked at some of their produce and it makes Waitrose look cheap.
Also: NOT EVEN THAT GOOD
I confess i am geekily obsessed with charcuterie, cheese, breads, picnic fruits and veggies, and wine, but anyway, they are quite a good way of judging a food culture (at least in the west)
That insane posho LA supermarket has moderately pleasant cheese and rather average salami and it costs about five trillion dollars
It actually has very good cheese, very good salami, and excellent fresh meat.
But it is insanely expensive. Like 3-4x the price of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
We like to wallow in despair in the UK but our food is actually quite cheap, compared even to many European countries, and the variety and range of produce on offer exceptional in a highly competitive market.
We've got a lot to be thankful for.
Having travelled the entire world, and being an obsessive visitor of supermarkets everywhere I go - they tell you so MUCH - I’d say this is true
British supermarkets are *possibly* the best in the world at delivering great quality, variety, diversity and relative cheapness. We diss them at our peril
I’ve no idea why they are so good, but they are. They are especially strong in areas like wine, charcuterie, cheese (all my faves), less good at baked stuff, pretty good at world foods, hard liquor etc, extremely good at chilled ready meals, sandwiches, new ideas
They are run a very close second - maybe bettered? - by the best big French supermarkets. Carrefour and Leclerc. These will nearly always give you better bread and baked goods. And often better seafood and fruit/veggies
After that there is a bit of a gulf, with the discount Germans - Lidl and Aldi - doing a decent job of replacing shit local supermarkets
Nowhere else in the world compares to Western Europe. We are blessed
And was the Holy Lamb of God, in England's pleasant pasture seen? Probably not, though if He was, it was here: St. Just in Roseland. Day 4, and I am still convinced that West Cornwall offers the best family holiday in Europe. The Roseland peninsula today: the King Harry Ferry - my first experience of a chain ferry - then Porthcurnick (sp?) beach, fortified by an early pasty lunch from its excellent beachside cafe, where I reflected that despite all West Cornwall has to offer there was little better investment of time than 90 minutes with my youngest daughter creating a massive array of sandcastles which could be seen from all over the beach, from the South West Coastal Path atop the cliff, and, possibly, from space. A joyful experience for its own sake - especially given the new metal spade my mother in law bought me for the purpose, knowing how much I like a dig on the beach, and an even more joyful experience to spend 90 minutes - 90 minutes! - on a project with my ADHD daughter. The attention it garnered from beachmums was a surprising but not unwelcome feature of the exercise. Youngest daughter - with, I promise, no prompting from me - labelled it 'Welcome to Cookieville! Please no ruining. Thanks!'. Then on to St. Mawes - how many of these gorgeous, perfect little harbours can one county have? 30? 50? - where I learned yesterday that my great grandmother lived, in a house which a quick Google found surprisingly easily - very Agatha Christie in style, and finally to St. Just in Roseland, where she is buried. Now, my 12-year old daughter is on the brink of her teens and is not the carefree child she once was. And this can come over as surliness, as she sits and reads a book while her sisters play on the beach. But while we searched for her great great grandmother's grave - a character she has only just learned about - she set to picking wildflowers - daisies and buttercups, mainly - and bound them together with grasses to make a bouquet. This is not the action of a disengaged teenager. I admit, I got a little choked up. We never found her grave, though we did find a record of it in the index in the church. So we left the flowers on the grave of 2-year-old Connie from the 1920s. A thought for both of them. Almost incidentally, one of the oldest places of continuous worship in England, Jesus coming ashore, a wonderful, spiritual spot, holy well, etc. And a very proud father.
And was the Holy Lamb of God, in England's pleasant pasture seen? Probably not, though if He was, it was here: St. Just in Roseland. Day 4, and I am still convinced that West Cornwall offers the best family holiday in Europe. The Roseland peninsula today: the King Harry Ferry - my first experience of a chain ferry - then Porthcurnick (sp?) beach, fortified by an early pasty lunch from its excellent beachside cafe, where I reflected that despite all West Cornwall has to offer there was little better investment of time than 90 minutes with my youngest daughter creating a massive array of sandcastles which could be seen from all over the beach, from the South West Coastal Path atop the cliff, and, possibly, from space. A joyful experience for its own sake - especially given the new metal spade my mother in law bought me for the purpose, knowing how much I like a dig on the beach, and an even more joyful experience to spend 90 minutes - 90 minutes! - on a project with my ADHD daughter. The attention it garnered from beachmums was a surprising but not unwelcome feature of the exercise. Youngest daughter - with, I promise, no prompting from me - labelled it 'Welcome to Cookieville! Please no ruining. Thanks!'. Then on to St. Mawes - how many of these gorgeous, perfect little harbours can one county have? 30? 50? - where I learned yesterday that my great grandmother lived, in a house which a quick Google found surprisingly easily - very Agatha Christie in style, and finally to St. Just in Roseland, where she is buried. Now, my 12-year old daughter is on the brink of her teens and is not the carefree child she once was. And this can come over as surliness, as she sits and reads a book while her sisters play on the beach. But while we searched for her great great grandmother's grave - a character she has only just learned about - she set to picking wildflowers - daisies and buttercups, mainly - and bound them together with grasses to make a bouquet. This is not the action of a disengaged teenager. I admit, I got a little choked up. We never found her grave, though we did find a record of it in the index in the church. So we left the flowers on the grave of 2-year-old Connie from the 1920s. A thought for both of them. Almost incidentally, one of the oldest places of continuous worship in England, Jesus coming ashore, a wonderful, spiritual spot, holy well, etc. And a very proud father.
Easily my favourite PB travelogue so far (with no disrespect to the excellent others).
And was the Holy Lamb of God, in England's pleasant pasture seen? Probably not, though if He was, it was here: St. Just in Roseland. Day 4, and I am still convinced that West Cornwall offers the best family holiday in Europe. The Roseland peninsula today: the King Harry Ferry - my first experience of a chain ferry - then Porthcurnick (sp?) beach, fortified by an early pasty lunch from its excellent beachside cafe, where I reflected that despite all West Cornwall has to offer there was little better investment of time than 90 minutes with my youngest daughter creating a massive array of sandcastles which could be seen from all over the beach, from the South West Coastal Path atop the cliff, and, possibly, from space. A joyful experience for its own sake - especially given the new metal spade my mother in law bought me for the purpose, knowing how much I like a dig on the beach, and an even more joyful experience to spend 90 minutes - 90 minutes! - on a project with my ADHD daughter. The attention it garnered from beachmums was a surprising but not unwelcome feature of the exercise. Youngest daughter - with, I promise, no prompting from me - labelled it 'Welcome to Cookieville! Please no ruining. Thanks!'. Then on to St. Mawes - how many of these gorgeous, perfect little harbours can one county have? 30? 50? - where I learned yesterday that my great grandmother lived, in a house which a quick Google found surprisingly easily - very Agatha Christie in style, and finally to St. Just in Roseland, where she is buried. Now, my 12-year old daughter is on the brink of her teens and is not the carefree child she once was. And this can come over as surliness, as she sits and reads a book while her sisters play on the beach. But while we searched for her great great grandmother's grave - a character she has only just learned about - she set to picking wildflowers - daisies and buttercups, mainly - and bound them together with grasses to make a bouquet. This is not the action of a disengaged teenager. I admit, I got a little choked up. We never found her grave, though we did find a record of it in the index in the church. So we left the flowers on the grave of 2-year-old Connie from the 1920s. A thought for both of them. Almost incidentally, one of the oldest places of continuous worship in England, Jesus coming ashore, a wonderful, spiritual spot, holy well, etc. And a very proud father.
I take some minor pride from your happiness. A lovely story
Well, you can get exceptional supermarket food in the US. But you will pay through the absolute nose for it. Erewhon - here in Los Angeles - is craptacularly expensive, but they have outstanding bread, salami, cheese etc.
Bloody hell, I've just looked at some of their produce and it makes Waitrose look cheap.
Also: NOT EVEN THAT GOOD
I confess i am geekily obsessed with charcuterie, cheese, breads, picnic fruits and veggies, and wine, but anyway, they are quite a good way of judging a food culture (at least in the west)
That insane posho LA supermarket has moderately pleasant cheese and rather average salami and it costs about five trillion dollars
It actually has very good cheese, very good salami, and excellent fresh meat.
But it is insanely expensive. Like 3-4x the price of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
We like to wallow in despair in the UK but our food is actually quite cheap, compared even to many European countries, and the variety and range of produce on offer exceptional in a highly competitive market.
We've got a lot to be thankful for.
Having travelled the entire world, and being an obsessive visitor of supermarkets everywhere I go - they tell you so MUCH - I’d say this is true
British supermarkets are *possibly* the best in the world at delivering great quality, variety, diversity and relative cheapness. We diss them at our peril
I’ve no idea why they are so good, but they are. They are especially strong in areas like wine, charcuterie, cheese (all my faves), less good at baked stuff, pretty good at world foods, hard liquor etc, extremely good at chilled ready meals, sandwiches, new ideas
They are run a very close second - maybe bettered? - by the best big French supermarkets. Carrefour and Leclerc. These will nearly always give you better bread and baked goods. And often better seafood and fruit/veggies
After that there is a bit of a gulf, with the discount Germans - Lidl and Aldi - doing a decent job of replacing shit local supermarkets
Nowhere else in the world compares to Western Europe. We are blessed
I don't disagree with any of that, but I found the Portuguese supermarkets very good. Fresh veg in particular. Nice to see fresh peas. Excellent cheese, BBQ, fish, bakery.
I like French supermarkets. Interesting that you only ever get French and Dutch cheese. Never any British, which is a surprise. I wouldn't want it while in France, but surprised it's not there. Always amused by the maggot fridge for fishermen.
Well, you can get exceptional supermarket food in the US. But you will pay through the absolute nose for it. Erewhon - here in Los Angeles - is craptacularly expensive, but they have outstanding bread, salami, cheese etc.
Bloody hell, I've just looked at some of their produce and it makes Waitrose look cheap.
Also: NOT EVEN THAT GOOD
I confess i am geekily obsessed with charcuterie, cheese, breads, picnic fruits and veggies, and wine, but anyway, they are quite a good way of judging a food culture (at least in the west)
That insane posho LA supermarket has moderately pleasant cheese and rather average salami and it costs about five trillion dollars
It actually has very good cheese, very good salami, and excellent fresh meat.
But it is insanely expensive. Like 3-4x the price of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
We like to wallow in despair in the UK but our food is actually quite cheap, compared even to many European countries, and the variety and range of produce on offer exceptional in a highly competitive market.
We've got a lot to be thankful for.
Having travelled the entire world, and being an obsessive visitor of supermarkets everywhere I go - they tell you so MUCH - I’d say this is true
British supermarkets are *possibly* the best in the world at delivering great quality, variety, diversity and relative cheapness. We diss them at our peril
I’ve no idea why they are so good, but they are. They are especially strong in areas like wine, charcuterie, cheese (all my faves), less good at baked stuff, pretty good at world foods, hard liquor etc, extremely good at chilled ready meals, sandwiches, new ideas
They are run a very close second - maybe bettered? - by the best big French supermarkets. Carrefour and Leclerc. These will nearly always give you better bread and baked goods. And often better seafood and fruit/veggies
After that there is a bit of a gulf, with the discount Germans - Lidl and Aldi - doing a decent job of replacing shit local supermarkets
Nowhere else in the world compares to Western Europe. We are blessed
I don't disagree with any of that, but I found the Portuguese supermarkets very good. Fresh veg in particular. Nice to see fresh peas. Excellent cheese, BBQ, fish, bakery.
I like French supermarkets. Interesting that you only ever get French and Dutch cheese. Never any British, which is a surprise. I wouldn't want it while in France, but surprised it's not there. Always amused by the maggot fridge for fishermen.
French supermarkets also have great ham and chicken.
Watching Scotland play football is a funny thing! An old boss of mine years back said that he ignored the national team and focused purely on Celtic because the Scotland team was "too painful" to watch.
I dunno. Have watched every game since I moved up here and its always been entertaining. Not sure that me laughing at them is what they intended, but thats football. Do have to hand it to the team though, they do keep banging away no matter how bad they have been. And do enough to be considered unlucky losers.
Watching Scotland play football is a funny thing! An old boss of mine years back said that he ignored the national team and focused purely on Celtic because the Scotland team was "too painful" to watch.
I dunno. Have watched every game since I moved up here and its always been entertaining. Not sure that me laughing at them is what they intended, but thats football. Do have to hand it to the team though, they do keep banging away no matter how bad they have been. And do enough to be considered unlucky losers.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
Watching Scotland play football is a funny thing! An old boss of mine years back said that he ignored the national team and focused purely on Celtic because the Scotland team was "too painful" to watch.
I dunno. Have watched every game since I moved up here and its always been entertaining. Not sure that me laughing at them is what they intended, but thats football. Do have to hand it to the team though, they do keep banging away no matter how bad they have been. And do enough to be considered unlucky losers.
Outplayed and outfought in every department.
Totally. Ukraine could have been 5-0 up at half time. But they weren't. And Scotland missed the worst sitter since Ronnie Rosenthal's effort which would have made it 2-2
Is food still more expensive in the UK than in the US? (It was when last I visited, but that was many years ago.)
Food inflation has hit here, as well as almost everywhere else in the world, but it's my impression that food costs are still low here, compared to most other nations. (And probably much lower for the poor, thanks to what we still call "food stamps".)
(I haven't seen numbers but food costs for most items are probably a little higher in the greater Seattle area than in most of the US.)
On holiday we always notice things which are much more or less expensive. My US examples are bread ($3 for a cheap sliced loaf, $5 for the decent stuff. Compare 80p / £1.60) and biscuits (300g bourbon creams 45p at Tesco, $2.79 for own-brand oreo equivalents).
But looking at the flyer you link, it looks pretty cheap overall.
The overall cost of living is roughly similar in Seattle and London, but food is quite a bit cheaper in London.
I always remember food being cheaper in America, when I was young. Certainly in supermarkets (not NYC restaurants)
Definitely not true now, And the quality in America is seriously inferior
Eg my attempted picnic in New Orleans, which I mentioned on here, in a high end but not insanely posh supermarket. $50 for basics - nice cheese, nice bread, nice salami, etc
America is still maybe cheaper if your want to buy 30 tonnes of purple Cheddar balls or a vast amount of crappy beer, but even then I’m not sure
I too remember those heady days. Yeah the food here is expensive shite.
On the other hand, you can get no-preservatives-added carrot juice. Which I love.
You can’t get it in the UK for some reason. Comes with some acidic stabiliser.
I don’t understand WHY it is more expensive and yet worse?
America is a naturally wealthy country - enormously wealthy. It is a huge and dynamic capitalist economy. It is green and fertile and produces everything it needs and beyond, from wine to wheat, from Florida citrus fruit to New England lobster, it has vast natural resources and a wealthy populace willing to spend
Yet… the supermarket food is often shite. AND costly. What’s going on?
And this isn’t a distance and tiny towns thing. This was also true in New Orleans and Nashville on my latest visit. Big cities in fertile areas with wealthy people
it is some deeper dysfunction, which I don’t quite grasp
This was also my question. (Living over here is great in the sense it raises so many questions like this).
I think we discussed it a few weeks ago.
The reason seems to be:
1. US customers demand crap 2. It is also more efficient for “big agri” to churn out crap.
You see it even in the weirdest details. Even my 7 year old says,
“Daddy, why do the ice creams not come in many flavours, but you can choose so many different types of topping?”
Have you been to Australia?
That provides a fascinating counter example which is not Europe or America
Somehow Australia has gone the way of Europe. Not the USA. in the big Aussie cities you can go to a supermarket and get good cheese, bread, wines, meats, charcuterie, seafood, fruit, veggies, and it won’t bankrupt you as it is not seen as “posh” it is just what customers expect. OK it won’t be quite as good as Carrefour in France or M&S in the UK but it will be good
And Australia wrestles with the same distance problems as the USA (indeed much worse, as the population is so scattered)
So I think you’re right. Part of the problem is the CUSTOMERS, not the suppliers
There is also a significant price difference between face prices and loyalty programme prices
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
Burnley, Blackburn and Hereford for me.
Been to every county, travelled every mile of motorway in Britain.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
The British judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on 12 occasions.
But the US jury could not be persuaded that he did so at all?
To find for Depp you have to come to the conclusion that Heard engaged in a multi year conspiracy with a dozen people willing to commit perjury to fabricate evidence against Depp.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
I should go to NI, yes. I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
I should go to NI, yes. I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
Done the overnight ferry to Dun Laoghaire that way. All that you say. On the beach in Co.Wicklow by midday.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
I should go to NI, yes. I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
I had a girlfriend from Leicester. It's not that boring. But I'd struggle to praise it much higher. In my head it is RATAE, the walled city, the York of the Midlands. But I should be very clear the version of Leicester which exists in my head on the shaky basis of a few decent real ale pubs DOES NOT exist in real life.
Well, you can get exceptional supermarket food in the US. But you will pay through the absolute nose for it. Erewhon - here in Los Angeles - is craptacularly expensive, but they have outstanding bread, salami, cheese etc.
Bloody hell, I've just looked at some of their produce and it makes Waitrose look cheap.
Also: NOT EVEN THAT GOOD
I confess i am geekily obsessed with charcuterie, cheese, breads, picnic fruits and veggies, and wine, but anyway, they are quite a good way of judging a food culture (at least in the west)
That insane posho LA supermarket has moderately pleasant cheese and rather average salami and it costs about five trillion dollars
It actually has very good cheese, very good salami, and excellent fresh meat.
But it is insanely expensive. Like 3-4x the price of Tesco or Sainsbury's.
We like to wallow in despair in the UK but our food is actually quite cheap, compared even to many European countries, and the variety and range of produce on offer exceptional in a highly competitive market.
We've got a lot to be thankful for.
Having travelled the entire world, and being an obsessive visitor of supermarkets everywhere I go - they tell you so MUCH - I’d say this is true
British supermarkets are *possibly* the best in the world at delivering great quality, variety, diversity and relative cheapness. We diss them at our peril
I’ve no idea why they are so good, but they are. They are especially strong in areas like wine, charcuterie, cheese (all my faves), less good at baked stuff, pretty good at world foods, hard liquor etc, extremely good at chilled ready meals, sandwiches, new ideas
They are run a very close second - maybe bettered? - by the best big French supermarkets. Carrefour and Leclerc. These will nearly always give you better bread and baked goods. And often better seafood and fruit/veggies
After that there is a bit of a gulf, with the discount Germans - Lidl and Aldi - doing a decent job of replacing shit local supermarkets
Nowhere else in the world compares to Western Europe. We are blessed
I don't disagree with any of that, but I found the Portuguese supermarkets very good. Fresh veg in particular. Nice to see fresh peas. Excellent cheese, BBQ, fish, bakery.
I like French supermarkets. Interesting that you only ever get French and Dutch cheese. Never any British, which is a surprise. I wouldn't want it while in France, but surprised it's not there. Always amused by the maggot fridge for fishermen.
French supermarkets also have great ham and chicken.
30 years ago NZ supermarkets were very good, but nothing out of season.
The British judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on 12 occasions.
But the US jury could not be persuaded that he did so at all?
To find for Depp you have to come to the conclusion that Heard engaged in a multi year conspiracy with a dozen people willing to commit perjury to fabricate evidence against Depp.
Truly astonishing.
It's really not that unusual for juries to find against female victims of male violence.
It's much easier for them to believe she made the whole thing up then that Depp could be such a thug.
I'm a big defender of the jury system, and in cases like this it is only reflective of the biases and prejudices that exist throughout society. Hopefully society can change, and then jury verdicts will follow.
Priti Patel tells Tory plotters who remember she was sacked from the cabinet for having secret meetings with ministers and spies from a foreign country and then brought back to the cabinet and then broke the ministerial code by bullying staff to “forget it”
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
The British judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on 12 occasions.
But the US jury could not be persuaded that he did so at all?
To find for Depp you have to come to the conclusion that Heard engaged in a multi year conspiracy with a dozen people willing to commit perjury to fabricate evidence against Depp.
Truly astonishing.
It's really not that unusual for juries to find against female victims of male violence.
It's much easier for them to believe she made the whole thing up then that Depp could be such a thug.
I'm a big defender of the jury system, and in cases like this it is only reflective of the biases and prejudices that exist throughout society. Hopefully society can change, and then jury verdicts will follow.
Interesting how NT Times is reporting this:
The jury found that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were defamed, but awarded more money to him.
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
I should go to NI, yes. I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
I had a girlfriend from Leicester. It's not that boring. But I'd struggle to praise it much higher. In my head it is RATAE, the walled city, the York of the Midlands. But I should be very clear the version of Leicester which exists in my head on the shaky basis of a few decent real ale pubs DOES NOT exist in real life.
There’s a decent chunk of roman wall in Leicester, with a good 11th century church next to it. Some fool in the 50s stuck a ring road through, though, so there are no parishoners any more.
There is, however, a museum with the fattest man in England’s chair in it:
@dixiedean - you’ve never been to Dorset? I reckon the biggest town/city in Britain that I’ve never been to is Bristol (I’ve stood on Temple Meads station during a locomotive change, but that doesn’t count).
Sheffield and Edinburgh for me. I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
Norwich for me. I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap. Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
You should go to NI. Belfast has a superbly dramatic setting, possibly the most theatrical of any big city in the UK. The people are great fun - mixture of Geordies and Dubliners
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
I should go to NI, yes. I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
I had a girlfriend from Leicester. It's not that boring. But I'd struggle to praise it much higher. In my head it is RATAE, the walled city, the York of the Midlands. But I should be very clear the version of Leicester which exists in my head on the shaky basis of a few decent real ale pubs DOES NOT exist in real life.
There’s a decent chunk of roman wall in Leicester, with a good 11th century church next to it. Some fool in the 50s stuck a ring road through, though, so there are no parishoners any more.
There is, however, a museum with the fattest man in England’s chair in it:
After some months in London, Lambert was visited by Józef Boruwłaski, a 3-foot-3-inch (99 cm) dwarf then in his seventies.[44] Born in 1739 to a poor family in rural Pokuttya,[45] Boruwłaski was generally considered to be the last of Europe's court dwarfs...Boruwłaski lived to see his 98th year, despite the prediction of the money-lender who sold him his annuity that his small stature would make him prone to illness.[49]
Comments
I've been to Scotland for one night. Hogmanay in Glasgow. Few days after Lockerbie.
I think Robert is talking nonsense though. The jury just wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or whatever it is.
The key problem for the Sterling zone is low productivity. Devaluing the currency only “works” in the short term. In the long term only high productivity results in a wealthy populace. (Or downright theft; see British Empire and other repulsive entities.)
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative politician, journalist and landowner, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset since 2010.
Also, isn't the burden of proof different?
Don't much go for potc but they paid one of my favourite contemporary writers Tim Powers a presumable fortune for On Stranger Tides. Not that much except the title survives in the film.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/12/hes-the-mp-with-the-downton-abbey-lifestyle-but-the-shadow-of-slavery-hangs-over-the-gilded-life-of-richard-drax
It would be interesting to have a more detailed demographic breakdown of who is moving into Monmouthshire and Newport. Originally it was JAMs looking to buy their own homes who had been priced out of Bristol. But there is of course the possibility they are being joined by diehard Greens and Labourites who after all have the same problem.
The issue is, if so, are they the ones more motivated to vote? Particularly at the moment (because who would vote for Johnson or worse, ARTD)?
Equally, nobody has ever got rich betting on a Labour implosion in Wales. No matter how useless and nasty they are, they keep going somehow.
The British judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on 12 occasions.
But the US jury could not be persuaded that he did so at all?
British supermarkets are *possibly* the best in the world at delivering great quality, variety, diversity and relative cheapness. We diss them at our peril
I’ve no idea why they are so good, but they are. They are especially strong in areas like wine, charcuterie, cheese (all my faves), less good at baked stuff, pretty good at world foods, hard liquor etc, extremely good at chilled ready meals, sandwiches, new ideas
They are run a very close second - maybe bettered? - by the best big French supermarkets. Carrefour and Leclerc. These will nearly always give you better bread and baked goods. And often better seafood and fruit/veggies
After that there is a bit of a gulf, with the discount Germans - Lidl and Aldi - doing a decent job of replacing shit local supermarkets
Nowhere else in the world compares to Western Europe. We are blessed
Probably not, though if He was, it was here: St. Just in Roseland.
Day 4, and I am still convinced that West Cornwall offers the best family holiday in Europe. The Roseland peninsula today: the King Harry Ferry - my first experience of a chain ferry - then Porthcurnick (sp?) beach, fortified by an early pasty lunch from its excellent beachside cafe, where I reflected that despite all West Cornwall has to offer there was little better investment of time than 90 minutes with my youngest daughter creating a massive array of sandcastles which could be seen from all over the beach, from the South West Coastal Path atop the cliff, and, possibly, from space. A joyful experience for its own sake - especially given the new metal spade my mother in law bought me for the purpose, knowing how much I like a dig on the beach, and an even more joyful experience to spend 90 minutes - 90 minutes! - on a project with my ADHD daughter. The attention it garnered from beachmums was a surprising but not unwelcome feature of the exercise. Youngest daughter - with, I promise, no prompting from me - labelled it 'Welcome to Cookieville! Please no ruining. Thanks!'.
Then on to St. Mawes - how many of these gorgeous, perfect little harbours can one county have? 30? 50? - where I learned yesterday that my great grandmother lived, in a house which a quick Google found surprisingly easily - very Agatha Christie in style, and finally to St. Just in Roseland, where she is buried.
Now, my 12-year old daughter is on the brink of her teens and is not the carefree child she once was. And this can come over as surliness, as she sits and reads a book while her sisters play on the beach. But while we searched for her great great grandmother's grave - a character she has only just learned about - she set to picking wildflowers - daisies and buttercups, mainly - and bound them together with grasses to make a bouquet. This is not the action of a disengaged teenager. I admit, I got a little choked up.
We never found her grave, though we did find a record of it in the index in the church. So we left the flowers on the grave of 2-year-old Connie from the 1920s. A thought for both of them.
Almost incidentally, one of the oldest places of continuous worship in England, Jesus coming ashore, a wonderful, spiritual spot, holy well, etc. And a very proud father.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_Battery_Royal_Horse_Artillery
I like French supermarkets. Interesting that you only ever get French and Dutch cheese. Never any British, which is a surprise. I wouldn't want it while in France, but surprised it's not there. Always amused by the maggot fridge for fishermen.
I dunno. Have watched every game since I moved up here and its always been entertaining. Not sure that me laughing at them is what they intended, but thats football. Do have to hand it to the team though, they do keep banging away no matter how bad they have been. And do enough to be considered unlucky losers.
After that win for Ukraine, we’re now five months away from Scotland fans adding USA and Iran flags next to their names on Twitter.
I've been to every English county. Never been to South West Wales - that's my biggest gap.
Actually, never been to NI at all. So if we're including NI, Belfast.
This farce has to be ended and his mps must act next week
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/06/01/boris-johnson-puts-cabinet-reshuffle-ice-partygate-revolt-grows/
Worked for Corbyn.
Been to every county, travelled every mile of motorway in Britain.
Great pubs, great craic, and the food is much improved
Luscious countryside, albeit wet
The biggest UK city I haven’t visited is probably Leicester. I’ve no great desire to amend this. Everything about it screams: BORING. Sorry @Foxy
Truly astonishing.
NEW THREAD
I was talking to a school-parent who is off to NI for half term. It sounds brilliant, not least how they are getting there: the overnight ferry from Liverpool. Imagine: you set off from your house and are at your port in 45 minutes. For a northwesterner, this is at the very least tremendous novelty. And then sleep on the ferry and by morning you are in holiday! Sounds perfect.
All that you say. On the beach in Co.Wicklow by midday.
In my head it is RATAE, the walled city, the York of the Midlands. But I should be very clear the version of Leicester which exists in my head on the shaky basis of a few decent real ale pubs DOES NOT exist in real life.
It's much easier for them to believe she made the whole thing up then that Depp could be such a thug.
I'm a big defender of the jury system, and in cases like this it is only reflective of the biases and prejudices that exist throughout society. Hopefully society can change, and then jury verdicts will follow.
Priti Patel tells Tory plotters who remember she was sacked from the cabinet for having secret meetings with ministers and spies from a foreign country and then brought back to the cabinet and then broke the ministerial code by bullying staff to “forget it”
https://twitter.com/johnestevens/status/1532105458655322114
The jury found that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were defamed, but awarded more money to him.
There is, however, a museum with the fattest man in England’s chair in it:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lambert
I love wikipedia.