| lesley153
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What programme on Monday? I may be able to get it on BBCplayer.
"some really awful people I spotted in seconds"
I can do that too - and I have even been scolded for making long-distance judgements about strangers - except when I was pregnant, and gave house-room or brain-room to some truly dreadful people. I wonder why what intuition I have deserted me at a time I'd have thought it was most valuable.
Congratulations on getting your house back. Enjoy the tranquillity. :)
Reply #401. Jan 21 11, 3:29 PM
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satguru 
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| Thanks Lesley, there may be one more night next week but I'm closing the door after that. A little variety is OK but people either grow on you or wear you down and she wore me down in a much shorter time than a day already. The programme was Horizon, some of it was pretty basic, a little was new and have to admit a little was completely beyond me. Whether that was due to the explanation, the subject matter or the fact I was on the internet at the same time, or a combination of the three is debatable, but if you get the hologram scenario please share! |
Reply #402. Jan 21 11, 8:46 PM
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satguru
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| Watch it tomorrow as well, it's about global warming skeptics. Being the BBC no doubt they'll be calling us unbalanced and trying to convert us. Maybe one day we'll see a programme from the terrorist's point of view as well as Jenny Tonge has made it her mission to share. |
Reply #403. Jan 23 11, 11:26 AM
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satguru
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I've had a busy few days for a change, after finishing the known photo uploads at the weekend I returned to Streetviewing, had an area I hadn't been to yet so checked that and found what could have been an old sign straight away, although impossible to tell online at that resolution. I checked on Sunday and found it was indeed an old one, looked like new and one I hadn't got, and took a selection of photos in the area to add to the collection. Yesterday was dodging the showers in Chiswick as my father needed to go to the big health food shop there as it's cheaper than anywhere else nearby, and wandered around the charity shops till closing time. I now have a second bag of fishtank gravel to cover my plant pots with, and will be buying a sack of the new garden variety next time I can get to the garden centre miles from anywhere.
I was all set to ask Grace over to sort out her letter and found she has the flu, and realised I could simply get her to read it over the phone, and sorted the whole lot that way in half an hour so got the evening free and fixed her problem in one go. That is a relief as well. It's ironic I have someone who not just wants to marry me (I have two others right now as well) but is attractive as well (no others at that standard) but has the mind of a child (as one of the others does as well, the ex who has left her husband and wants me to take his place, cholilla/god forbid). I ran from that mantrap in 1985 and wasn't prepared to return half my lifetime later thank you, she hasn't changed a bit and proved that most people are what you find and if you don't like something now you don't want it for the rest of your life.
Quiz wise has been average, no words for a while but an expert win and three badges which aren't so easy to get. Knowing how many of the world's top TV and radio quiz players are competing with me tells me the standard is the best and I am able to keep up, I don't think I'm heading for the TV, the only one I was prepared to try was Millionaire as it's filmed locally and one I always do well on at home, but the competition to get in, bearing in mind the massive cash winnings, is the greatest on earth and costs money to enter. I tried for a while but wasn't prepared to spend the £1000s the professionals spend on calls to guarantee no more than a 3/10 chance of getting on the actual hot seat. The rules changed since but competition to join hasn't. University Challenge was the other, except I didn't go to one, and aren't prepared to do a course now just to try for it plus it's filmed in Manchester which is somewhere I'd avoid unless I lived there already. My father's from there so know it only too well, but the journey is bad enough and no better when you actually get there. And the Weakest Link, which I may have considered as pretty basic so no revision required to play, has just moved from Elstree to Glasgow so cuts that out as well.
So with no TV for 4 hours tonight (unless cable comes up trumps) I hope to win a word with any luck as have the time to devote to them, and see what else I can get done. I think I may have earned the freedom this time. |
Reply #404. Jan 25 11, 1:19 PM
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satguru
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I've really just been going with the flow since the weekend, the ex wanted another night here this week and as she actually has her own place she can go to now had to turn her down or she'd never go back and keep on turning up, so she came here yesterday but was returned at the end of the day and I got back to my extra pizza. We've been ordering the same pizza for as long as I remember, and besides the odd wrong topping they turned up with extra large yesterday for the first time, and rather than go back and make them again let us have them for a pound more, so had enough for three meals. Right topping, twice the size, good mistake.
Other than that I took some pretty ordinary places today simply to fill the map, and am still finding lots more to upload, and into the second month now, which is pretty compulsive work. That'll continue tomorrow, plus more streetview searching in case another old sign turns up, as did within minutes last week. But I've got my freedom, something to fill it, and anything else will be a bonus. The outside news is pretty depressing so no longer taking much notice of it as at least half is self imposed so not news as such, just reporting people taking advantage of others. If people either choose to attack innocent people or steal from them (as politicians in this case), it's not news, but what we allow them to get away with or the actions of evil madmen. Who you choose to assign these to is up to you as I now find it hard to see any difference. If the politicians want to behave like the criminals they claim to protect us from (one more done for fraud this week) then we should wake up and realise, rather than vote for more. Obama's latest speech was a simple clone of similar read in the UK, Australia and goodness knows where else in the last year, and showed him for nothing more than a body hired to do a job and do well for the rest of his life after. He's not thinking for himself, the policies are the same across the planet and that wouldn't be a coincidence but a design. If the people want not to be oppressed they should first realise it, and then stop voting the same mugs in every time. Julia Gillard ousted the Prime Minister just before the Australian election, lost, and is still there. Now that's politics. She's got the identical agendas to the others and somehow manages to carry them out despite losing the popular vote. Please try harder or this will happen in your country and back yard next if it hasn't already. Don't wait for the rationing before you stand up and do something. |
Reply #405. Jan 27 11, 8:34 PM
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| lesley153
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[singing]
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear David...
Happy birthday to you.
[stopped singing now]
Have a lovely day, and remember, you are still a spring chicken. :)
Reply #406. Jan 28 11, 7:50 PM
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| veronikkamarrz
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...What Lesley said, or sang! Have a great day David!
Reply #407. Jan 28 11, 9:04 PM
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satguru
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| Thanks a lot Lesley and VM, the big birthday was last year so it's not such a shock this time ;) |
Reply #408. Jan 28 11, 9:26 PM
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Jazmee27
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Belated birthday greetings.
Reply #409. Jan 29 11, 9:00 AM
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satguru
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| Thanks Jazmee, not belated at all, it's only 5pm here, they just got in quickly! |
Reply #410. Jan 29 11, 11:05 AM
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Professer
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Happy Birthday David
Reply #411. Jan 29 11, 12:16 PM
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satguru
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| Thanks Gary, been busy taking photos till now, just got back from the worst traffic jam in 2011 (in both directions as well) and about to go out again. I'm not as passive as it looks really but don't always recall the details as they are very similar every week. |
Reply #412. Jan 31 11, 12:25 PM
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satguru
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2011 has brought a new variation to my projects, filling in the spaces on my Geograph photo map. I have now started looking for places I can get to not already taken, and been to Headley in Surrey which had the old sign, South Kenton, Kingston, Barnes and today the underworld territory of Mitcham. Road works along the way followed by the country's most complex one way system, a constant reminder every few years why I hadn't been there for a few years as it always takes me that long to forget. I had some art deco houses to cover, and in the end took random photos all over simply as the traffic was gridlocked from end to end despite almost navigating correctly across town could not reach either destination before it became dark and got council estates, shops and terraced houses. But one thing is I doubt a single other person would have bothered to take any of the godforsaken places I took, although to be fair they were a poor copy of places like Birmingham and Manchester which are far worse for ten miles or more.
Then my ex up north (ex1 technically as I met her first) had come down for a day last week and left a case in a hotel so booked tomorrow and I am in the line of fire. As I had to go and read my grandma's meter then the plan is in stone and she's fine with it. I can live without her inevitable ordering me around but had she had to get a train home the same day would have been a short period if nothing else. We will see. Then I have a list of photo trips planned, the distance depending on the daylight, and if I can make a few original trips if an old sign turns up as well as it did last week that will be a bonus.
Our anti global warming tax group has just gained a very valuable member, an actual weather expert, and has made a video for us already which makes the whole story look like the filthy conspiracy it is. And unlike me and a few others he is a scientist, although two of the staff there are geologists who know a heck of a lot about climate throughout earth history. The latest programme on BBC tonight gave a couple of skeptics an hour's say, but being the BBC discredited the main one at the end and ignored the others entirely. But all publicity is good publicity as apart from using one dubious paper everything else he said was still true. The fight is growing and maybe they realise they are beginning to lose or they wouldn't make so much effort to fight back. But it's now solely in the hands of the US Republicans as they are unique in opposing it and the future of the planet lies with them. I trust good will win over destroying our way of life for the rest of mine and yours. Our UK fuel bills are already at record highs due to carbon taxes and it's only just started. To prevent poverty... Cut your leg off to prevent gout. What a bunch of shysters and shame on the voters for putting them all in around the world as it's their bills that will rocket as a result and they'll suffer as much as everyone else. |
Reply #413. Jan 31 11, 7:47 PM
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satguru
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I spent the whole day indoors today till after 1am when I went for a little walk. I was on the phone and uploading photos till the 2 hour TV programme followed by another on video so can't be in two places at once. I must get some food tomorrow or it'll be sandwiches for lunch till the weekend. Otherwise there are few actual plans, and wonder if I'll drift like this the rest of my life at this rate. I think one or two things could fix it sooner or later but none are actually guaranteed by any means. I had about a third try to fix my pyjama drawer with no success, a carpenter could do it in minutes but I wouldn't know where to start and will continue to only open a few inches till one does. Next door's builder I reckon as he did my garage door, see how blogging helps work things out?
I could do with a bit of inspiration, yesterday someone said we could change everything in our lives if we believed it was possible, one of two conflicting spiritual schools, the enlightenment path which believes everything is perfect as it is and we have to change, and the path of the adept who does it the other way. So far I've seen no evidence of either so none the wiser either way. But one thing I do know is the places I see and music I hear in some dreams is as unlike anything I could create myself as the waking world, so there is a clue. And if we could create it wouldn't be anything complex, as it would be natural and pretty much like controlling a lucid dream. It would probably also imply multiple realities as I can't see two football teams ever winning if both sides could fix the result. That is the current view of quantum physics so watch this space.
I think Wikileaks also has a couple of months for the latest files to be released, but the last report I heard was Julian Assange implied he'd only release them if imprisoned, which basically loses his friends on all sides if the case. If he does hold them back then I can't see any support remaining, but has this long to decide or not.
So tomorrow has a skeleton- food shopping and possible bedroom tidying. Going to my grandma's twice a week as well as the earlier friend who emigrated in 2002 has left a heck of a lot of spare time. The few other friends left from the past have moved to the fringes and hardly ever get a chance to see them. Of course I have the sponges, who hang around and mop up my energy, but always have and the only improvement is they are now female at least.
Oddly enough as I typed a ufo story came on the radio and my friend Nick Pope commented on it in the paper and he asked callers to talk about it, so I did my thang and also asked why he didn't reply to my email as he asked me for a psychic reading the last time he called in and he said it got lost in the swamp and luckily I keep everything and sent it again. Just when I'd run out of material I was gifted, maybe it is fixed. And I got the mystery word a few minutes later after a bit of a gap. Clues.
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Reply #414. Feb 02 11, 9:00 PM
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satguru
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Last week's theme was 'half way' in my property dealings. We accepted an offer for my grandma's but besides being a bit lower than the last won't celebrate until the contracts go through. But I also got planning permission for my neighbour to build a room at the back of her house as long as she builds one on mine as well, which she'd rather do for me than lose out altogether. That's something I'd never have expected but again will celebrate if and when it's in place.
The quiz gates opened wide anyway, two experts and six words, two pairs in two days included. I do definitely hear the right word in my head regularly whether or not I play it first, so a good test of my real psychic ability. I got my photo book today, it has every old sign I've taken in three years and is a pretty impressive collection. I can't think of a single company or place who would be interested, but all the people in my online groups would be. And the museums have their own anyway, but unlike mine are not where they were created for so to me are worthless. Meaningless at best.
I have a list of places to take new photos now, mainly a shlep as in five years of digital have covered most places that aren't, but a few easy ones regardless of the distance. I also had my first official task for the repeal the climate change act group, and spent a good few hours during the week collecting quotes for them to use in the publicity, and we have had an interview for a major Sunday paper and hope it's in there tomorrow. The British are a dichotomy as bold in the face of foreign invaders and totally passive in the face of our own lords and masters, which has allowed us to more or less be treated as serfs for the last few thousand years when they wanted to do it. There are small petrol protests at last, now we've broken the last (tax created) record, but that is the sort of level the primary school kids would have managed if it was France. I can but hope a point will be reached when we have millions on the streets as most of the current problems are avoidable.
But currently I have done my business for the time being. I will clear the remaining items from grandma's which will clutter up my house, plus the records that must go to Palmer's Green in order to sell unless I find anywhere else. Otherwise I have no plans or expectations even for tomorrow, and whatever happens will just go along with it. My imagination is not unlimited and have used it up for now. |
Reply #415. Feb 05 11, 8:09 PM
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satguru
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For some reason I slept almost 24 hours in the last 48, I was very tired over the weekend and clearly needed it. That made it very difficult to go out anywhere besides the gym each day, and ploughed through my photo archives for the mapping site and dug out some real classics hiding amongst the files. Then I had a stroke of genius. I took a photo of an old sign at night with hardly any paint on the lettering, the flash wiped out the raised letters and lost half the names as a result almost two years ago. The journey is heck and did it twice already to find the darn place so wasn't doing a third one, and then because I'd been fixing unposted photos when I opened the daily files I realised I usually posted the best sign photos after taking a few extras and maybe another had more legible names. I found four and one which hadn't been used indeed had a just readable place on top, which I darkened and is now pretty easy to read. It was the only gap in my sign collection and has now been filled, and hope the print will also be the same. I also got the book I made of every sign in order on saturday which I found even more impressive than I expected. That's three year's worth of work, indoors searching online and up to 40 mile each way trips to get many of them. I always did the same when I collected train tickets till they changed them, except as they covered all of Britain my record was 500 miles in a day, but I was 20 years younger then.
The week ahead is free, my car should get its service one way or another and then the eye test, as I can read then that's my own test as the eye test is something we can easily do at home except for the health part. My left eye showed its limits when the lens fell out last year but as the right is half as weak then allows me to see reasonably when I take the glasses off, but the good news is how well I see with them on with both eyes. My astigmatism is -2 in both eyes and then shortsighted in the left to almost double that, and then need nearly a +2 per eye to read again. That makes both the tests and subsequent changes into a major financial and mathematical ordeal every few years as the reading part is losing its elasticity faster than the distance ever changed. Quite normal really but means for the first time in my life I wear the same two pairs (clear and photochromic) alternately throughout the years instead of having the full wardrobe for less than these two cost me.
I must get to M&S soon simply as the vouchers won't be any use unless I spend them. I collected enough for almost a week locally so not technically urgent, but the lazy bug must be overcome as I've been there for well over a year now as my third one as a christmas present. I'm not complaining but supermarkets become an ordeal after 50 years including with the grandparents every few weeks. Two hours in Tescos with my grandma asking where everything is despite going there for years is enough to put off even the most patient, as well as her juggling act of picking up everything and comparing it before making her decision, as they did in the old markets.
The last few weeks have gone perfectly well without much planning, I have mainly chores on the current list so will stop me running out of material if nothing else. And whatever I don't do mustn't judge myself, that's the lesson in it for me. |
Reply #416. Feb 07 11, 9:07 PM
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satguru
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Just a quick update before bed as I have to go out to do gardening tomorrow. I got lots more photos done today around the places I hadn't been yet near my grandma's, now I'm using the red map to see the green bits not yet covered. I then cleared the remaining small items to here, two bags are heading to the charity shop and the rest either here or when I get to the nearest record shop to buy them (none that near yet). I've got the ex tomorrow after the gardening so no place for imagination, plus football on TV which she'll talk right through like a jammed radio. A pretty typical day really but hope it's a bit more fun than it could be.
I've also made stills from the film of my friend's party last year, they're not wonderful as the memory is a tenth as much as a photo but still usable. I also watched Inception as there was nothing on TV and was lent the disk, and was quite impressive. I saw at least three other films rewritten throughout it which spoilt it a bit, but the actual whole thing was good despite the borrowings. I think some of the cliches could easily have been missed out as explosions and car chases are pretty old hat and really more appropriate where the theme of the story rather than because the director knows they sell films. The categories that seem to have been created now, romance, comedy, horror and thriller seem to have too many formulas and as well as that half are remakes or based on well known stories rather than very much original, just like the current music as well. All I can say (for UK viewers anyway) is thank goodness for Miranda Hart, who has saved UK TV and comedy from the toilet at last. I don't often laugh from any TV show but that is pretty much non stop. The Big Bang Theory is also traditional humour but not quite Seinfeld as pretty predictable after a while, where Seinfeld was never quite the same twice. |
Reply #417. Feb 08 11, 8:30 PM
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satguru
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I've learnt something interesting on Facebook. As it's the only site with people I knew before I can see how many of us, including me, are rude where in the same conversations otherwise would never be. Mine is restricted to global warming as I simply see the harm caused by the belief and lose any tolerance when all I see are the words on the screen. I am not quite training myself not to, but withdrawing from the arguments altogether now I know people don't change their beliefs on it based on logic or appeal to their moral sense. But the wider view of some really laid back people calling total strangers all sorts without knowing a thing about them besides the isolated comment they've pounced on shows how restrained they must be in normal life as well, probably thinking such things but knowing saying it wouldn't go down well. We live and learn.
The gardening went well, two hours and then got a call earlier than expected just as I'd finished to pick the ex up, and we had a Chinese delivery for a change as we'd both had enough pizza already this week. It cost me almost double to get chicken in my fried rice as I needed to meet the minimum charge so ordered a meal for tomorrow. How a handful of chicken can cost almost the price of the rice is a mystery but it's still less than a meal with rice separately. I also should have chilli oil in it looking back as that was one of my regulars when I visited my friend in Golders Green once I saw it tonight and remembered. The Green Village is still there as far as I know albeit under a new name, but sadly my friend is thousands of miles away.
Tomorrow is free now in contrast, I've got nowhere planned for photos having blitzed Mill Hill yesterday and prefer to look for road signs online so I've got a specific place to go to next if one turns up. I will make my food trip and the chemist and see if the non prescription sleeping pills actually work as the others are rationed so have to be very selective when I take one. I won't celebrate yet but just got an email saying the Open University TV programmes are now available and the ones I wanted as well, although he didn't say he could get any when I asked before. Prior to that lecturers were only known by their students, but putting them on TV meant Kiki Warr, Gaby Smol and Allan Solomon became almost household names as were repeated for about 20 years annually. Because they worked a couple of miles from my house I ended up going out with Gaby Smol's daughter (physics I think he was) although only spoke to him on the phone once or twice when he answered, and seeing Allan Solomon at a shiva although was too polite to accost him as it may have been one of his relatives who'd just died. Kiki Warr developed my interest in marine invertebrates, as she beachcombed and pointed at all the gills and reproductive organs of the little animals she collected in the sand. I'd never heard of a radula before but have now written a quiz with one. It's the rasping tongue used to bore into shells and the like by the way. Fascinating and greatly missed since they axed the TV programmes.
So I'm one duck with pineapple and ginger down (plus a bit of lemon chicken with a crispy skin which really didn't go) with the chicken fried rice to follow. I think curry next time, it's been a while. |
Reply #418. Feb 09 11, 9:17 PM
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satguru
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Not many people wake up to find a new room in their house without arranging it, but in a few weeks I will be as my new neighbour was turned down for an extended bedroom as it overlooked my garden, so she decided the only way to get it was to do the same for me. I'm not complaining and they start tomorrow. It'll be about a month if they do the two at the same time but as it's outdoors won't really affect me in the house.
Otherwise the rain stopped any outdoor activity today, we're in the transitional period of having accepted an offer on my grandma's house but could be a month or two before it goes through. I cleared out the garden and kitchen stuff that was left last week and yesterday, now it's just a matter of waiting. I now have twice as much stuff to try and sell and really can't be bothered driving around loaded with heavy and bulky items and doubtless nowhere to park when I get there.
The weather as much as anything else has delayed my other jobs, the couple of days when the rain stopped I was more interested in taking photos and hope as the light improves will cover more new areas. The ex has returned to her flat when she can't find anywhere else, the two of them would rather pay for hotels than spend a night in the same flat before they sell it and go their separate ways. It is a mystery why some people get married when all they do from about the second week is moan about each other, stay married for decades and then say it should never have happened. I've always known if someone's wrong and am single as a result, plenty are right though but never managed anything although one I thought was turned out to be the most attractive girlfriend I've ever had but not right for me otherwise as she rented my spare room for a year after she dumped me, and we had absolutely nothing in common as I was only hypnotised by her appearance.
I hope I'll get a more ambitious photo trip this week now it gets dark a bit later, I always have to be collecting something and as far as the photo collection is concerned feel it would be cheating to add all the ones across the country for the last 40 years before I went digital. They're all on Flickr as that's a sharing site and not about covering the country but as I was already on digital when it started then that's what I should add, although many others do their whole lot. I should find plenty to do anyway as the chores are always there in between everything else waiting for me like a message on the carpet. Unlike those mine can wait, although I do know people who left the messages on the carpet as well. I do seem to know some odd people actually. |
Reply #419. Feb 13 11, 11:49 AM
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| lesley153
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I suppose you could have just wished Allan Solomon long life, and hope that would work.
Refused because it overlooked your garden? Amazing. I didn't think anyone would care! I thought any planning permission applications that were refused would be approved at second attempt, together with threats of appeal, because our government is happy to allow anything anywhere to become high density. Didn't Mr Prescott give his blessing to buildings on flood plains?
If you protest, you get called selfish for wanting to deprive people of somewhere to live. Huh? when did it become either-or?
They must really want the extension, to be prepared to have one built for you too. With what they'll be spending, wouldn't it be easier and cheaper for them to move?
"Duck with pineapple and ginger" sounds good. Hmmm ... I have duck legs in the fridge.
*wanders off drooling*
Reply #420. Feb 14 11, 7:42 AM
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