Today's News

[Daisy]

A few days ago I commented on the awful situation of people trapped in modern flats which have become unsellable because they are such a fire hazard. Today's snippet is almost the opposite!

Jim Irvine, whose family have a farm in Rutland, noticed some unusual-looking pieces of pottery in one of their fields. He dug out a shallow trench and found a Roman mosaic, thought to be the floor of part of a villa.

It's thought to be unique in the UK and features Achilles battling with Hector during the Trojan War. Further investigations by Leicester University have unearthed a large villa with barns, various other structures and possibly even a bath house.

I wonder if in 1,500 years people will be delighted to discover the remains of our Twenty-first Century homes, and what (if anything) will survive that long.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-59391650

[Gemini]

What a wonderful find!

I'm not sure what anyone in the future would make of todays homes, if anything survived!

[Daisy]

Gem - sadly if anything remains it will probably be some plastic tat!

[Oma]

I read about this too Daisy it was amazing that he realised how important his find was ,
Your right nothing much for us to leave for the future

[Nanto2girls]

Wow, what a find that was.

[Daisy]

Between Christmas and Covid news there has been little to inspire me to write about anything.

But today would have been Dr Stephen Hawking's 80th birthday. It's such an inspiration to listen to him, and if you click on the Goggle logo on the Google Home Page there's a clip of him talking about what inspired him to push forward the world's knowledge of theoretical physics and cosmology.

[Gemini]

Wonderful amazing and inspiring man.

[Daisy]

The news continues to be uninspiring (in my opinion, of course), but today the Highway Code is updated with changes in priorities for road users of all kinds, including pedestrians.

The Government website is highlighting 8 of these changes (I think there are about 50!) The hierarchy of road users rules are numbered H1, H2 and H3.

I have to admit my heart sank when I read the bit about cyclists being encouraged to ride in the middle of their lane! The cynic in me wondered if it was to reduce complaints from cyclists about pot holes, which are horrendous round our way.

I'm also worried about the fact that traffic of all kinds should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross at a junction. The picture shows a young woman crossing a junction with wide open spaces, perfect visibility, not an articulated lorry in sight on a bright, sunny day. I've no idea where this perfect junction may be found, but it's nowhere I can think of!

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022

[Plantaholic]

Oh dear, who makes these rules.

[Gemini]

I was reading all about this yesterday Daisy.
More madness

[Oma]

We said the same Daisy , plus it takes longer for a bus or HGV to stop than a car or a bike ,
As for cyclists two a breast and in the middle , I can see lots of accidents there , Cars changing lanes and not seeing them etc

[Daisy]

I thought I was just being a grumpy old woman, but at least I'm not alone!

Oma - there's all the hype about getting out into the countryside on a bike, enjoying the fresh air, getting fit, appreciating Nature, etc. Sadly what we see in our National Park is too much traffic of all kinds for the width and condition of our roads, plus people parking on areas that are protected habitats and leaving litter everywhere. No understanding at all of the ecological tightrope we are walking. Sorry <getting down off well-used soap box>

[Daisy]

This is not really news, more of a heart-warming story of one woman's determination and cheerfulness.

Mary Stocks is 81 (which we all know isn't old) and in 1974 she started to run her village shop in the hamlet of Colden, near Hebden Bridge. Described as being in the middle of nowhere her little shop has been open 6 days a week for nearly 50 years, although she does allow herself Christmas Day off as well. She delivers the local papers in her car, sometimes picking up supplies on her rounds.

During lockdowns she delivered necessities to her customers, with a cheeriness that I'm sure lit up many people's lonely days. What an amazing lady.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leeds-60174750

[Gemini]

Lovely story Daisy. Amazing lady indeed

[Daisy]

I seem to be following some sort of pattern with news stories - odd 'one off', offbeat, plain daft. This one's a 'curiosity' story.

Some people like to row up and down the Thames (other rivers are available) every day. Fresh air, exercise, probably lots to see as you scull past - what's not to like. I presume this is how one Simon Hunt from Brentford in west London views his daily row. Then one day he spotted something odd among the shallows amid the pebbles and rocks at low tide. It was a bone - a human femur. Thinking it might be linked to a crime he rescued it and handed it in to the police. They passed it on to experts for carbon dating.

To everyone's surprise it is more than 5,000 years old - the end of the Stone Age. While they experts were fairly specific about dates - between 3516 and 3365 BC - and that the person would have been about 5'7" tall, they couldn't tell if it was male or female.

He's going to donate it to the Museum of London.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...ondon-60266652