The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15941 Post by G-CPTN » Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:55 am

1DC wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:44 am
a woman nearby saw me and rushed in and grabbed it. She looked at me shrugged and walked off, a well dressed respectable looking woman, bit of a shock that it has come to this.
I had the same experience in our local Coop last night.

I was keeping social separation distance from a member of staff when she barged in front of me.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15942 Post by 4mastacker » Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:59 am

Morning folks.

First night of home imprisonment completed. Cell door unlocked and a nice mug of tea provided by the warder.

Some daft bint has complained to me canal society about the amount of duck weed on the canal. Our man has replied it is free if she wants to help herself and prevent it going out of date. :|
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15943 Post by 1DC » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:00 am

I passed through Slashers sandpit abode, he would have been delighted to know that every flight to Venus was cancelled..

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15944 Post by ian16th » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:04 am

Ex-Ascot wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:38 am
Cape, the first time I went to Moscow the new MacDonalds was the only decent place we could find to eat but you needed to pay someone to queue for you. Did you stay in that massive square hotel near the Kremlin with big fat hairy female guards at each corner on every floor?

10 Sqn Association have asked for volunteers to be available to be phoned when members are sitting in isolation at home and want to chat to someone. I have volunteered! Never know.

Oh dear, just been onto the 10 Sqn Association website and made the mistake of looking at obituaries.

http://www.10sqnass.co.uk/images/PDF/OB ... Hickin.pdf

This guy was one of my top Royal and VIP F/Os and I am sure went on to be a Royal and VIP Captain. Specialist aircrew. Great fun. Always with a pipe in his mouth. Goodness knows how many beers we shared together. Older than me. When I was promoted he started to call me Sir until I told him not be so F...ing stupid. In Germany once with the PM and opposite to the hotel was a porn book shop. We were supposed to meet for breakfast at 08.00. He was a little late and announced that he had been in the 'Gentleman's reading room' =))
I see he did time in Jordan. Did he get any medals from King Hussein?

On 214 we had a Chief Tech Crew Chief who in an earlier life had been on Hunters. He'd spent time in Jordan training their guys.
Hussein took a personal interest and was a frequent visitor to the unit.
At tour Ex, Hussein presented him with an elaborate enameled medal. As a personal gift from a Sovereign, he was allowed to wear it.
We used put him in the front rank on AOC's inspection, his medal always stopped the AOC for a chat. Made him late, so the AOC dashed past the rest of the Sqdn!
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15945 Post by Ex-Ascot » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:24 am

Ian no he didn't wear any medals apart from a Gulf war one. Never understood the rules. I have one from Saudi and one from Kuwait but not allowed to wear them. Flew with a Captain on The Queens Flight who had a chest full from the Suez crisis. He was moving sand with night fighters. They were not British medals so do not know why he was allowed to wear them. Anyway, if you saw my Saudi medal you wouldn't be seen dead wearing it. Right over the top.

Now we have had the army visit us. Think that the chief was behind it. He says that the police are useless so he sent the army in to help us. Also think that he is tied up in Gabs with his new post on The House of Chiefs. A Private in a flack jacket with an AK47 and a Captain with a 9mm Browning. Nice guys. Offered to stand them down for an hour to have a beer but they refused. They were bloody impressed that 'er was a 'Captain' in the British military. The Capt has 37 years service in the BDF. Well bulled toe caps. Saluted us when he left.
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15946 Post by OFSO » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:29 am

Been out to get vital shopping. I.e. copy of the "Times". Only five customers allowed in shop at one time. Lovely sunny day, after lunch will sit in garden. No airliners being noisy and only a few helicopter gunships around looking for miscreants. Is it permitted to leave your house if you are a black youth and carrying a 12" blade ? I think we should be told......

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15947 Post by ian16th » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:41 am

Ex-Ascot wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:24 am
Never understood the rules. I have one from Saudi and one from Kuwait but not allowed to wear them.
I think that they need to be personal awards from a Head of State.
Cynicism improves with age

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15948 Post by Groundgripper » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:18 pm

Went out on a food hunt this morning, starting at the small farm shop attached to the dairy that's been supplying my milk for the last 34 years. Very nice little place with some rather nice stuff - could have spent quite a lot had I been so inclined. Only four customers allowed in at a time and everyone seemed to be respecting that.Thence to Tesco, expecting ravening crowds buying everything to fill their own already stocked shelves. In fact the car park was three-quarters empty and the shelves were better stocked than they have been for several weeks. Even had a selection of toilet rolls which people seemed embarassed to take. So that's the week's shop done two days early.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15949 Post by 1DC » Tue Mar 24, 2020 2:19 pm

Just been looking for a delivery slot from any of the four local supermarkets, all were sold out, even click and collect. This was as far as they advertise their dates, reckon people have finally listened to Boris, just wonder how many silver tops managed to get one?

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15950 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:03 pm

1DC, my daughter has a regular Morrisons slot and is shopping for us. I got a Waitrose slot a week ago, it is for the 19th April. Mrs PN was horrified at the cost of the shopping list and kept saying I have this our I have that. I keep telling her, the delivery is not for another 4 weeks. By then we will have depleted our war reserves. Similarly she says we don't have the freezer space. We will. I really need to start looking for another slot.

Point about home delivery, they can never provide enough staff to replicate instore footfall. They would have to select and pack home deliveries at the same rate the tills process customers. Then deliver the same perhaps 30 minutes from the store. Worst case one hour for one delivery. I have suggested they must do away with time slots for the moment.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15951 Post by CharlieOneSix » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:17 pm

Still can't register on the phone with Sainsburys as a vulnerable customer. Mrs C16 couldn't sleep last night and at 0400 paid ASDA £36 for a 1400 delivery slot every Tuesday from 7 April for the following 7 months. Apparently if we don't save on the delivery charges we would have had to pay then they refund the difference. Up yours Sainsburys! What a lass - she says she's never seen such a wide smile on my face as when she told me the news when I woke up.

Our online dog food supplier has run out of Dexter's specialist food - he has a restricted oesophagus and can only have a particular type of wet tinned gastrointestinal food fed slowly by hand or he sicks everything up if it's not almost sloppy. The retailer has also stopped taking any orders for anything until Friday noon. We worry more about him than we do about ourselves but we have enough of his food for the foreseeable few weeks.
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15952 Post by ribrash » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:32 pm

The number of e-mails I'm getting off big biz CEO's telling me what they're doing to help us.Not once have I been able to reply and tell them to feck the feck off.Thats how much they care.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15953 Post by tango15 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:40 pm

ian16th wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:04 am
Ex-Ascot wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:38 am
Cape, the first time I went to Moscow the new MacDonalds was the only decent place we could find to eat but you needed to pay someone to queue for you. Did you stay in that massive square hotel near the Kremlin with big fat hairy female guards at each corner on every floor?

10 Sqn Association have asked for volunteers to be available to be phoned when members are sitting in isolation at home and want to chat to someone. I have volunteered! Never know.

Oh dear, just been onto the 10 Sqn Association website and made the mistake of looking at obituaries.

http://www.10sqnass.co.uk/images/PDF/OB ... Hickin.pdf

This guy was one of my top Royal and VIP F/Os and I am sure went on to be a Royal and VIP Captain. Specialist aircrew. Great fun. Always with a pipe in his mouth. Goodness knows how many beers we shared together. Older than me. When I was promoted he started to call me Sir until I told him not be so F...ing stupid. In Germany once with the PM and opposite to the hotel was a porn book shop. We were supposed to meet for breakfast at 08.00. He was a little late and announced that he had been in the 'Gentleman's reading room' =))
I see he did time in Jordan. Did he get any medals from King Hussein?

On 214 we had a Chief Tech Crew Chief who in an earlier life had been on Hunters. He'd spent time in Jordan training their guys.
Hussein took a personal interest and was a frequent visitor to the unit.
At tour Ex, Hussein presented him with an elaborate enameled medal. As a personal gift from a Sovereign, he was allowed to wear it.
We used put him in the front rank on AOC's inspection, his medal always stopped the AOC for a chat. Made him late, so the AOC dashed past the rest of the Sqdn!
Possibly the Rossiya, which at one time was the biggest hotel in the world. Was it next to the river?

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15954 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:49 pm

Did you stay in that massive square hotel near the Kremlin with big fat hairy female guards at each corner on every floor?
Yes ! On my first trip we were discussing how to best make use of the voucher we had been given for meals in the hotel, to wit .. tomorrows’ breakfast ? No problem, said our senior stewardess, a more “mature” lady, I have breakfast in my room. Nonsense, we exclaimed, no one in Moscow can expect such egalitarian service entombed as we are in this Communist State. Follow me, she replied, and led us down the corridor to engage the resident Dragon Lady for our floor. It was reminiscent of that Joyce Grenfell song describing two Matronly ladies dancing bust to bust, as they parried each other, but eventually our champion declared ... I want breakfast in room XXX at 8.30 am, cereal with fresh milk, two fried eggs and bacon, toasted wheat bread and butter, and tea. ( or words to that effect ) This was all written down by the D.L., who then slid open a drawer, inserted the note and slammed it shut again. See, said our girl, s’easy.

At this one of the stewards stepped forward and said .... (repeat the above, with a different room number of course ) Niet ! was the immediate response. “08.40”, then she pointed to us all in turn and said 08.50 08.10, 08.20 etc. until we had all received our allotted time, no chance to change the menu of course, we all got the now fixed selection.

I retired to bed, and double locked my door, but at my allotted time, still in bed, the door burst open and an obviously put upon Russian matron dumped my breakfast tray down and I gave her my voucher, which I had placed on the bedside shelf, but she held her hand out, obviously expecting some dollar tip. Being undressed, and my wallet on the other side of the room, I just pointed to my upturned hat into which I had emptied my pockets, expecting her to give me my wallet, but instead she ferreted around and picked up a then English 2 bob piece, and looked at my quizzically, I nodded and she flounced out slamming the door firmly behind her. I never repeated the exercise.

On another occasion I passed the Dragon Lady as I went to knock on the Captain’s door, as arranged, to go for breakfast in the dining room, but there was no reply. Walking back the D.L. didn’t even lift her head from her task, but muttered – he has gone down for breakfast already. She knew who I was, and which room I had been to. KGB indeed. They knew everything about us, and we were undoubtedly followed.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15955 Post by tango15 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:05 pm

Yes, I quickly learned that a block of western chocolate or two or western cigarettes went a long way, even after perestroika, with the dragon ladies. The Rossiya was an awful hotel, just one rank above the Intourist. Of course you chaps used to stay at the Metropole until there was an incident with a chandelier, which is probably why you were put in the Rossiya after that! :)

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15956 Post by larsssnowpharter » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:41 pm

Is that chandelier story true? I had it as a hotel in Beijing.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15957 Post by tango15 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:58 pm

larsssnowpharter wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 11:41 pm
Is that chandelier story true? I had it as a hotel in Beijing.
I first heard it many years ago from a BOAC crew member, but not one who was on that trip. It has been variously attributed to a Canadian Hockey team, a medical mission and an apartment in Chicago! I did some extensive research into this when I was working during a Moscow winter, post perestroika and both the manager of the hotel and the British Embassy confirmed the veracity of the report as I had heard it.

As further evidence, I stumbled upon this website a few years ago, which confirmed the story, more or less as I had first heard it:

http://betteronacamel.com/Russia-USSR-R ... rvie-1970-

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15958 Post by OFSO » Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:33 am

Morning to all. Sun and near zero in London. Did my legit exercise walk last night and so did many others. With my cough I automatically have two metres pavement spacing, if not more. I hope Mrs OFSO's medication arrives at the pharmacy today as that's a nice walk.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15959 Post by handsfree » Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:57 am

Another beautiful start to the day here. Still chilly first thing, +1C feels like -2C.
A high of 13C predicted. All this sunshine is really bringing the buds on the fruit trees
close to bursting open.

I shall have an early start on the dialysis which will leave me plenty of sunshine left to potter
in the garden this afternoon. Pottering may include sitting in the sunshine on the patio
enjoying a glass of chilled dry white wine. When I say "may" ................ :D

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#15960 Post by Ibbie » Wed Mar 25, 2020 7:51 am

Morning folks.

Another night of rain hammering down. It's now drizzling. High temp expected of just 14c today. Not worth even a trip to local shop and bakers. Got wet enough walking Ed earlier.

Think it will be soup for lunch today and some form of comfort food tonight.

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