MrsDoyle

The only datum I can think of is tidal datum, used in shoreline measurements. I’ve seen the plural given as datums though… argh!

While we’re at it, it’s turmeric, not choomarick.

My anthill is myriad. It’s the same as many. “Myriad stars”, not “a myriad of stars”.

When I lived in Edinburgh’s Old Town in the 90s I had a couple of young guisers come to the door, not trick or treating, but “a penny for the guy”*. I gave them a pound each, they were thrilled.

*The guy is Guy Fawkes, “remember remember the fifth of November”.

My friends and neighbours and I all use a variety of messaging services and apps like Spond to organise get-togethers, sporting events, working bees etc etc. I’m in a ridiculous number of WhatsApp groups, all very active, and I see most people in them irl regularly. Without the internet I don’t know how we’d cope. It’s hard enough herding cats in a group chat, imagine the number of phone calls we’d be making!

I thought it was interesting that she was ok with all the neighbourhood surveillance until it was used against her.

Kiwi fruit 🥝 - nature’s scrubbing brush. One per day is all you need.

Ah yes, I should have read all the comments.

https://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/sauces-and-chuteny/plum-sauce/

It says to wait at least two weeks before using, but I find it gets even better after a couple of years! Especially delicious on sausages.

I make a lot of jam and am very careful to sterilise the jars beforehand - wash thoroughly, heat in the oven, dry with clean cloth. Lids with that seal strip are trickier, so after washing and drying, I line them up, pour white vinegar into each, and leave them half an hour. Dry off with paper towels. That way I never get mould on the seal.

I’m guessing you didn’t do any of that? The pickles are possibly all right, but… it’s a risk I wouldn’t take. And I’m still getting through a batch of spicy plum sauce I made in 2015! Never had any mould on it.

This is the movie Yesterday, where a failed musician gets knocked out and wakes up in a world where the Beatles never existed. A few other things too, but mainly the Beatles. Spoiler: he becomes a mega star.

I agree - I make a lot of soup, and can use the stick blender directly in the saucepan. So much easier to clean than a jug blender.

I think it may be dawning on them. I’m on an international holiday & didn’t get time to faff about installing Linux before I left. But I discovered the day before my flight that Microsoft has extended its offer of security updates for another year to individuals as well as businesses free of charge, and signed up. Last time I’d looked I’m sure ESU was for businesses only.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/extended-security-updates

The bit that made me laugh was: “ESU enrollment does not provide other types of fixes, feature improvements, or product enhancements.” Phew!

I’ll crack on with upgrading to Linux when I get home, nice little winter project.

It happened in the UK too, in the 60s. Some of the lines have been reinstated in recent years, but most were gone for good. Cars were the future! Really dumb.

In Belgium we hired bicycles at the railway station at Ypres, biked around the countryside all day, then dropped them off and got the train back to Brussels.

As for the Netherlands… this is a typical railway station bike park.

Not weird at all. I reach into my left pocket for my phone with my left hand and am ready to operate it with my right hand. Having it in my right pocket would be awkward.

Taps aff!

Three, down to two now. One’s 70, the other’s 82.

72. I haven’t noticed a great slowdown in healing/recovery - I had a knee replacement six years ago and recovered well from that. Never had COVID, rarely get colds. I feel like my health is generally better now than in my youth, when I drank, smoked and took drugs. When the doc suggests I lose weight I want to show him pix of my speed-addled self in the 70s. I was super slim! But so bloody unwell.

I wish. My WiFi is ZeroGravitas, a ship name from the Culture novels; the only other named WiFi in my vicinity is Routered in Faith. :-(