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Apple fanboy said:
Had several teas whilst working on this grey and cold day.
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I can well imagine.

Hot drinks are a necessity in the afternoon at this time of year.
Apple fanboy said:
Glad I’m not heading out anywhere until Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest.
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I need bread - and milk, as my organic milk seems to be (despite bearing a best before/expiry date of 1st January, and this is deepest, darkest, dreariest winter - not the height of summer, - when one expect milk to keep until its due date) responding ominously to the application of heat.

And, I think that I may need cream, as well.

Hence, tomorrow, I shall venture out.

The French bakery shuts tomorrow evening for a week, hence, my phone call (to remind them to keep my bread), and also a reminder to myself that if I don't actually buy some bread tomorrow, I run the risk of not having any of the good bread for over a week.

As it happens, I recall that last year, I had failed to get to the French bakery in time, just before they shut for the New Year, and was obliged to source bread elsewhere.
Apple fanboy said:
Hibernation is the answer. Come wake me up in the spring!
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This has been my position for years.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
I can well imagine.

Hot drinks are a necessity in the afternoon at this time of year.

I need bread - and milk, as my organic milk seems to be (despite bearing a best before/expiry date of 1st January, and this is deepest, darkest, dreariest winter - not the height of summer, - when one expect milk to keep until its due date) responding ominously to the application of heat.

And, I think that I may need cream, as well.

Hence, tomorrow, I shall venture out.

The French bakery shuts tomorrow evening for a week, hence, my phone call (to remind them to keep my bread), and also a reminder to myself that if I don't actually buy some bread tomorrow, I run the risk of not having any of the good bread for over a week.

As it happens, I recall that last year, I had failed to get to the French bakery in time, just before they shut for the New Year, and was obliged to source bread elsewhere.

This has been my position for years.
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We use long life skimmed milk here. I hated it at first, but after 25 years I’m quite used to it. We always have several months supply (of most foods!).
 
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Made the mistake of trying to get home from London by train - on the east coast all stops north of Edinburgh were cancelled. Had to take a 2.5 hour bus journey to get home from Edinburgh (after the 4.5 hour train trip), only to suffer food poisoning once I got home (no doubt from the train food). Sigh. I've been to London by train 5 times for Christmas, and 4 of those times it was problematic actually getting home (floods this time - it was the wrong kind of water, but, in previous trips, there were strikes and engineering works).

We are not amused.
 
VulchR said:
Made the mistake of trying to get home from London by train - on the east coast all stops north of Edinburgh were cancelled. Had to take a 2.5 hour bus journey to get home from Edinburgh (after the 4.5 hour train trip), only to suffer food poisoning once I got home (no doubt from the train food). Sigh. I've been to London by train 5 times for Christmas, and 4 of those times it was problematic actually getting home (floods this time - it was the wrong kind of water, but, in previous trips, there were strikes and engineering works).

We are not amused.
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I can well understand (and sympathise with, empathise with) the profound lack of amusement.

That sounds rough.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
We use long life skimmed milk here. I hated it at first,
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Not surprised.

I would hate it, too.

One of the advantages of this part of the world are good quality dairy produce, and I am determined to take full advantage of that when I am home.
Apple fanboy said:
but after 25 years I’m quite used to it.
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I doubt that I would ever become used to such; I'd prefer black tea and coffee to that.
Apple fanboy said:
We always have several months supply (of most foods!).
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I suspect that the organic milk company - their products normally have a good fortnight's shelf life - prepared their bulk Christmas deliveries (in advance) around, or at least, ten days before Christmas, which means that the date on the carton doesn't quite reflect reality.

The problem is that they shut - and thus, don't do deliveries - between Christmas and New Year (my local shop kept two cartons for me last week, rather than the usual one), which means that replacing it with milk of equal quality is something of a challenge until the supply chains are restored around a week or so into the New Year.

Well, tomorrrow, when I shall head into the city for my French bread, I think that I shall also pay M&S a visit for milk and cream, as I expect that they should have some available, and their quality is not bad at all.
 
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From a recent MacSparky newsletter (a lawyer who quit to write about Mac/iOS productivity):

If you are a Star Wars fan and want to avoid the nonsense television on New Year’s Eve, queue up episode IV on Sunday night at 10:02:43 PM exactly. If you hit play at the designated moment, when the Death Star blows up, we have a new year. I’ve been doing this for years, and it makes for a much more enjoyable New Year’s Eve. Rebel Force Radio has all the details.
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says what I want to say about commercialization of the holidays.
 
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My New Year's Eve tradition is to turn on the television about the last five minutes or so of the current year-soon-to-be-old-year and then I'm ready to watch when it is time for the beautiful Waterford Crystal Ball in Times Square (NYC) to descend as it counts down the last seconds of the old year and hits the magic instant that begins a brand-new year (in the US in the Eastern time zone, anyway)..... After the ball has descended I watch a couple of minutes of the merriment among the crowd throughout Times Square and then shut off the TV again.

On New Year's Day itself I call or email/text family and friends and wish them a Happy New Year.....
 
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sgtaylor5 said:
Nothing; that’s a great idea and not commercial, but very personal.
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Well, while the commercial saturation of the Christmas period does not remotely appeal for Yuletide celebrations, I must say that it appeals even less (and there is a lot less justification for it, for it is not as though commerce is not already satiated between the excess of Christmas and the subsequent purchases made during the sales period that succeeds Christmas) when acknowledging the turning of the year.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Well, while the commercial saturation of the Christmas period does not remotely appeal for Yuletide celebrations, I must say that it appeals even less (and there is a lot less justification for it, for it is not as though commerce is not already satiated between the excess of Christmas and the subsequent purchases made during the sales period that succeeds Christmas) when acknowledging the turning of the year.
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Yves Chouinard, who founded Patagonia and has since passed on, gave his whole staff paid time off from Christmas Day through New Year's Day. That tradition continues to this day.

A good time to reset and gain energy for the new year. The first four or five months of the year are my busiest time repairing computers, longer if the weather continues worse later in the year. We've had snow in June some years; it's pretty warm with no snow on the ground right now and has been for a few weeks now. I'm not complaining, I'm pretty good at driving in heavy snow to clients, but it is always draining and tough on my composure doing it. I've got a good small car and I don't want to wreck nor hurt it.
 
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sgtaylor5 said:
Yves Chouinard, who founded Patagonia and has since passed on, gave his whole staff paid time off from Christmas Day through New Year's Day. That tradition continues to this day.
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An excellent tradition, and wone which meets with my wholehearted approavl.
sgtaylor5 said:
A good time to reset and gain energy for the new year.
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Exactly.

A time to think, take stock, and, as you say, perhaps, re-set, certainly, re-calibrate, as we approach the New Year.
 
I’m afraid I tend to have a different NY tradition. Generally I don’t even stay up for it. After all I’ll no doubt have been awake early (like today).
I don’t really drink anymore or text anyone, so it doesn’t make that much sense to stay up.
When I was younger I would go to parties and what not. But I’ve not been to a party in decades. Wouldn’t be my scene these days.
 
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rm5 said:
Cuban rhythms are on my mind... but let's be honest, when are they not??? Specifically, how the montuno/tumbao/clave/cascara all just fit together effortlessly.
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Cuban rhythms are amazing.

Over twenty years ago, I had the extraordinary privilege of hearing the Buena Vista Club play live, during one of their European tours; it was an awesome and exhilarating experience.
 
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I’ve missed my end of year weight target I set myself back in September. But only by 3 lb. Quite happy with the 2 lb I lost this week. I’m sure not many people will have!

Today is another wet and miserable one. I did my cross trainer hour this morning, plus a 2 mile run.

Time for tea. When isn’t it?
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Cuban rhythms are amazing.

Over twenty years ago, I had the extraordinary privilege of hearing the Buena Vista Club play live, during one of their European tours; it was an awesome and exhilarating experience.
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I have fond memories of summer parties in my university years 20 years ago of listening to Buena Vista Social Club. Love putting it on when driving on a hot summers day. I’d love to have seen them live.
 
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Got out in what had seemed a surprisingly pleasant interlude - although I was waiting over half an hour for a bus that is supposed to make an appearance every twenty minutes at least.

Although it was cold, the sun made a brief appearance, and in a burst of wild optimism, I took my prescription sunglasses with me. This proved entirely unnecessary.

Anyway, the bus eventually arrived, whereupon I headed into the city, where I collected my French bread, which was already bagged and ready for me; they shut this evening for the entire week until this day week, next Saturday - and their shelves were already pretty empty. I requested my usual bread order for next week.

M&S had plenty of cream and milk.

However, I decided to forego organic milk, even though they stocked the organic milk I usually buy, (unfortunately, with the same date as that of the milk that had already expired).

Thus, given my experiences of earlier this week, instead, I bought their Jersey & Guernsey milk, although the expiry date on that milk falls fairly soon, as well.

Actually, I had planned to go diary shopping, but, that can wait until next week, as can the (outrageously expensive) blood oranges I had my eye on.

In any case, the sky darkened ominously, turning a threatening charcoal colour, while the weather rapidly deteriorated; it is now lashing rain, fairly chucking down, cold and quite miserable.

Rather than brave it further, I decided to take a taxi home.
 
Damn it.

On my return home, when passing, I have just tapped the barometer (which I find to be extraordinarily accurate).

And it is plunging, plummeting, tumbling; the verb the Met Office tend to use is the more moderate "falling", but doesn't quite capture the precipitate nature of the needle's descent.

Well, the barometer is "falling".

Ominous.

Not a good sign.
 
Flooding in our local area. But not where we are. Just a few miles down the road though.

Dinner is almost ready. Fish and pasta tonight for me. Makes a change from chicken and rice.
 
sgtaylor5 said:
Yves Chouinard, who founded Patagonia and has since passed on
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"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
;-)

Yvon Chouinard did divest his ownership of Patagonia about a year ago but he is still alive today.

Patagonia to Publish The Future of the Responsible Company After Five Decades of Business on its Own Terms — Patagonia Works

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE VENTURA, Calif. — Patagonia is set to release The Future of the Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 50 Years , written by the company’s director of philosophy, Vincent Stanley, with founder, Yvon Chouinard. It
www.patagoniaworks.com www.patagoniaworks.com
www.patagonia.com

Yvon Chouinard Donates Patagonia to Fight Climate Crisis

Earth is now our only shareholder. Patagonia is giving away all future profits to fight the climate and extinction crisis. All profits are now the planet's.
www.patagonia.com www.patagonia.com
 
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