A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum

[Roger Webb]

I just had an email from eBay that read 'A timeless investment: Luxury handbags that blossom with time'. What are they getting at?

[french frank]

I just had an email from eBay that read 'A timeless investment: Luxury handbags that blossom with time'. What are they getting at?

A Mulberry bag, by chance?

[Roger Webb]

A Mulberry bag, by chance?

Well, not an entirely fruitless pursuit........but I did question my wife as to whether she would make 'A Timeless Investment' in the form of a 'Luxury Handbag', her own being rather scruffy examples of those French shoulder bags trendy in the 70s...and bulging rather than 'blooming'. She had a look at the bags on offer, and declared them fine, if impracticable for everyday use....more the sort of accoutrement that a Kardashian (what that?) might attend a court hearing with.......if she was travelling light!

[french frank]

Just looked up AA Milne's poem that begins "What is the matter with Mary Jane"? A scholarly online analysis followed which examines the adult bemusement at the irrational, incomprehensible whims of small children. It concludes that this poem lacks the wit of other Milne poems, but "Within the context of the early 20th century, the poem reflects the prevailing view of children as unpredictable and often illogical beings. It highlights the challenges of parenting and the enduring bond between caregivers and children."

First comment on this study reads: "I think the kid just hates rice pudding and is sick of it being served to her LOL." For myself, I think the answer might lie in the title of the poem ('Rice pudding'). The poem is quite humorous, but the analysis and the after comment made me laugh even more.

[gradus]

Fascinating article by Ferdinand Mount in the current edition of LRB reviewing a new biography of Christopher Hill. I distantly recalled that CH's historical writings had been accused of undue political bias but I hadn't grasped that he had been so severely attacked.. But then I'm just a general reader.

[Serial_Apologist]

Strange holes appear in our lawn from time to time. Not exactly sink holes ready to fall into but certainly large and deep enough for an unwary person to trip up and possibly break an ankle. Someone has filled the latest with a few stones but not enough, so when yesterday the couple across the street started having their front garden grubbed up, I went over and asked the owner - a friendly Irishman I get on with - if it would be ok to help myself to a few scoops of the heavy soil piled up in the skip parked on what had been their drive. "Sure, why do you need to ask?" he said. I explained that it could be an actionable offense for me to steal soil from his property without permission. "Really? Is that so?" he replied. "Very well then; you help yourself to the soil, I'll take pictures and ring up the police"!

[oddoneout]

Strange holes appear in our lawn from time to time. Not exactly sink holes ready to fall into but certainly large and deep enough for an unwary person to trip up and possibly break an ankle. Someone has filled the latest with a few stones but not enough, so when yesterday the couple across the street started having their front garden grubbed up, I went over and asked the owner - a friendly Irishman I get on with - if it would be ok to help myself to a few scoops of the heavy soil piled up in the skip parked on what had been their drive. "Sure, why do you need to ask?" he said. I explained that it could be an actionable offense for me to steal soil from his property without permission. "Really? Is that so?" he replied. "Very well then; you help yourself to the soil, I'll take pictures and ring up the police"!

Gave him a laugh, but you are quite right; just because something is in a skip doesn't mean that it can be taken without asking first. The contents still belong to whoever hired the skip, until the skip is collected when the ownership transfers to the skip company.

[Serial_Apologist]

Gave him a laugh, but you are quite right; just because something is in a skip doesn't mean that it can be taken without asking first. The contents still belong to whoever hired the skip, until the skip is collected when the ownership transfers to the skip company.

Huh, the really silly thing is that, not having helped myself last night, this morning, the skip had been taken away; in its place another full to the brim with the replacement substrate, which they will have paid for, so I certainly won't be approaching them!

[oddoneout]

Huh, the really silly thing is that, not having helped myself last night, this morning, the skip had been taken away; in its place another full to the brim with the replacement substrate, which they will have paid for, so I certainly won't be approaching them!

Bad luck. It's something that I am familiar with - not seizing(or being able to) the opportunity when it arises, although not so much now I have given up my allotment. Your mention of holes reminds me that I have a bucket of rubble that came out of the border when I dug a hole to plant a rose some weeks ago, that can go into a suitable pothole in my road. Now that we have had some proper rain some of the worst ones have reappeared - when water collects the stones are vulnerable to being sloshed out by vehicle wheels - especially when going at speed as the many daily delivery drivers do.
Is the garden clearance is to pave over/extend space for parking?

[Serial_Apologist]

Bad luck. It's something that I am familiar with - not seizing(or being able to) the opportunity when it arises, although not so much now I have given up my allotment. Your mention of holes reminds me that I have a bucket of rubble that came out of the border when I dug a hole to plant a rose some weeks ago, that can go into a suitable pothole in my road. Now that we have had some proper rain some of the worst ones have reappeared - when water collects the stones are vulnerable to being sloshed out by vehicle wheels - especially when going at speed as the many daily delivery drivers do.
Is the garden clearance is to pave over/extend space for parking?

He did say he was just doing a garden "refresh" are the existing appearance was looking tired, but today the men have spread the ashy-cement substrate across nearly the entire space, suggesting a complete pave-over, which would be sad, as well as installing and cementing over some cabling, presumably for a camera alarm and a drain. Some people up the street have already paved over what had been an attractive small front garden with granite setts; the short incline between garden wall and house front is too steep to allow off-street parking, suggesting new owners aren't interested in gardening, and maybe prefer looking out onto a sterile view.

[Old Grumpy]

Some people up the street have already paved over what had been an attractive small front garden with granite setts; the short incline between garden wall and house front is too steep to allow off-street parking, suggesting new owners aren't interested in gardening, and maybe prefer looking out onto a sterile view.

Perhaps they are Infection Control Nurses

[Serial_Apologist]

Perhaps they are Infection Control Nurses

[french frank]

I closed the elderly relation to restore this thread to currency - though the reminder of the long departed was nostalgic. The second thread came about 5 years later.

[vinteuil]

... sitting at a café table the other day I noticed that the wrapper around the straw provided with my freshly squeezed orange juice had emblazoned on it in bold capitals, taking up the entire length -

ΕΠΑΝΑΧΡΗΣΙΜΟΠΟΙΟΥΜΕΝΟ

This was obviously an important message

.

(It means : reusable... )



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[LMcD]

The electronic line judge at Wimbledon failed to call three shots that were out because a human being had turned it off for some reason.
Does anybody else remember the 1986 Radio Active Wimbledon Special when the newly installed electronic eye said 'out' every time somebody hit the ball and also occasionally when they didn't? (It's available on YouTube - live from Court 19!)