MrsDoyle

A friend going to work in Oslo was asked if she had sorted out clothing for winter. She said, “Well I have my winter coat,” indicating the one she was wearing . Her colleague-to-be fingered it and said, “No, that’s your autumn coat.” Her winter coat, it turned out, was a down-stuffed waterproof.

So many things! But mostly that I have a lot of wonderful friends. I was a pretty lonely child, awkward and uncool.

I’m in the UK and KFC has gone downhill here too - something I’m very grateful for! A few years ago I got a real craving for a crispy, juicy piece of chicken with the colonel’s secret spices. I ended up with a grim, wizened leg that tasted of stale oil and despair. Never again. My own cooking is sooo much better, and cheaper too. Win win!

How do you say 1901 then? One thousand nine hundred and one? Nineteen hundred and one? Or nineteen oh one? Have you ever heard of the Eighteen Hundred and Twelve Overture?

I’m in the “twenty oh one” etc camp, it’s concise and consistent.

Scotland too: “hen” to women, “pal” to everyone.

TERFs are absolutely a tiny but vocal minority. Most people couldn’t give a toss.

Ah. Maybe work up a few phrases explaining your situation ahead of the trip?

Seeing it in a real theatre while stoned makes a huuuuuge difference. “It’s full of stars!!”

Be open, humble, friendly, listen more than you talk. Try and learn a bit about the country you’re in, not to have opinions about it, but to better understand the people you meet. Happy travels!

My favourite joke, being the only one I can remember. Still gets a laugh!

Oh, that is so much more interesting than wordle! Thanks.

Was playing Trivial Pursuit with family one time, classics question came up. My brother replied “Pericles”. His 10-yo daughter said “Wrong!” He knew he was right & demanded the “correct” answer.

“Testicles.” Pronounced to rhyme with Pericles. It was the answer to another question on the card - What is removed from a horse to make it a gelding?

The poor child. Her face as we all screamed laughing. “What?!?”

Shetland is an archipelago, but ok. Historically populations in the Scottish islands moved around a lot more than you would think. Sick of the tiny village you grew up in? Hop in a boat and go to Orkney, or Skye, or Lewis. Travel by land was difficult, by sea was comparatively easier. There was also a lot of incomer traffic, from Ireland, Scandinavia, even the Baltic. So yes, there might have been a tiny fraction of genetic connection, but unlikely to be significant.

Oh my god! I’m sitting here touching myself like a fucking madwoman. Thank you so much! Brilliant, brilliant comment. I had no idea, how have I lived without this knowledge? Ok I’m touching myself again, this is hilarious.

In the National Museum of Scotland there’s a bronze-age skeleton curled up in a recreation of the person’s grave, surrounded by their grave goods. While I was stood looking at it, a woman was explaining to her granddaughter that the skeleton had been found in Shetland, where she herself was from. The girl turned to her and said, “Was he a friend of yours, granny?” We all laughed, but I think we all had the same uncomfortable thought - this wasn’t just dry bones, it was a person. What if it was a friend of granny’s? What amount of time makes it ok?

Looking at this body in the British Museum was even worse: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28589151

Beekeeping, rowing, swimming, knitting, photography, gardening. I also do quite a bit of tech stuff, and some sewing and baking. None of it is for income, though I have been paid for a few photos.

Beekeeping is far and away the most absorbing and interesting hobby I’ve ever had. Where I live there are very active local associations that support learning and hold social events. The national association organises courses at all levels. A government department sends out bee inspectors to check for disease; great support and another learning opportunity.

If you want to, you can make good money from selling honey. It’s a lot of hard work, but really enjoyable.

Big pass on a one-way ticket. I’d quite like to see a dinosaur though…

I was in West Berlin in 1981, we had a picnic by the wall and rode the metro through the ghost stations. Which were a bit meh to be honest. You had to change a certain amount of currency to visit the east and we couldn’t afford it, so we just stayed in the train and went back again.

We hitched to Berlin, and the freakiest part was driving through the corridor that linked West Berlin to West Germany.

“The proof is in the pudding.” It makes zero sense! The actual adage is, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It means that a dessert can look perfect and enticing, but if the cook used salt instead of sugar it will taste disgusting.

I don’t know what people even think they’re saying with “the proof is in the pudding”.

Marine Traffic - I live by the sea.

Proton Mail - trying to give up Gmail.

Bitwarden - had to stop using the same password for everything.

My Row Counter - for knitting, it’s a fantastic app.