Today's News

[Gemini]

I saw that a bone had been found but didn't follow up by reading about it.
Thank you for the story Daisy!

[Daisy]

I'm not sure at what age people should be classed as 'veteran' (answers on a postcard,, please!!!) but the BBC seems to think it's mid-60s.

If you watched the final of Mastermind on BBC 2 on Monday you would have seen a contestant named Alice Walker get a full score of 14 on her specialist round. I did wonder if her surname and her knowledge of the Peak District were related in any way. It was a runaway victory for Alice - by 6 points, and she said although the questions were difficult she felt they went 'her way'. I suspect she was just had a very wide range of knowledge.

Well done to Alice, but I do feel a bit miffed that the BBC consider this clever and knowledgeable woman "old".

[Gemini]

Daisy I often read about Elderly People of my age (67) !!!

Apart from all the arthritis pain (which I admit can make me feel 100) I don't think of my age group as being old at all.
Lots of life in us yet!

[Daisy]

I totally agree, Gem. I've just completed an online survey for something, and right at the end it asked for 'personal' details, including age, which went up in increments of 5 years until the grand old age of -


50! Then it was just 50+

Honestly, that beggars belief, doesn't it.

[Daisy]

A light-hearted news snippet which will hopefully put a smile on your faces.

If you have a pet dog or cat you may be used to waking up with your furry friend sharing your bed. But imagine waking up to find the dog you were cuddling was a complete stranger.

This friendly mutt had somehow got out of her own home during the night, gone down the street and somehow got into a stranger's house, where their three resident dogs didn't utter a sound, not even when the visiting dog climbed onto the bed and snuggled down with the humans.

The humans woke to find an unknown furry face on their pillows (the photos show a dog looking very like our Eva, but I promise she was Not Guilty!).

Totally bemused and mystified the humans appealed on social media and the invader's own humans were soon reunited with her.

[Gemini]

HaHa!
Imagine the humans faces

[Plantaholic]

Wow, what a shock

[Daisy]

News is very selective and this is something I wouldn't have spotted normally. Our next door neighbour has just spent a week camping on the Isle of Man, watching the TT races. I know racing motorbikes is a highly dangerous sport, and sadly there is a fatality during a season of MotoGP most years.

But the IoM TT races - on normal roads over rolling hills and open countryside surely must be 'safer'? Not so.

This year, alone, there have been three fatalities - 29 year old Mark Purslow died during an accident in the qualifying races. Just 3 days later, a sidecar passenger, Olivier Lavorel aged 35, died in the opening lap of the first sidecar race. Two days ago, Northern Ireland rider, Davy Morgan also died in what was the final lap of a race. He was 52 and a very experienced competitor.

So how can this carnage be allowed to go almost unreported, and there seems to be no steps to make the sport safer. If F1 hadn't brought in all the safety measures over the years I'm sure the sponsors would have been withdrawing their support. It's so sad, and so unnecessary.

[Plantaholic]

I didn’t realise this was happening Daisy, what a waste of life. It does seem they need to review why this is happening and put it right.

[Lizzie48]

I did read about that happening Daisy. Dangerous!

[Gemini]

I find this very shocking

[Daisy]

The news seems to be uniformly sad, bad or mad just lately, but this item caught my eye today!

I've listened to Desert Island Discs on the radio on and off over the years and mostly find it fascinating. You can spot the non-music lovers who try to choose what they think they 'ought' to like from those for whom music is really important, evocative and central to their memories. But in the early days, the BBC didn't routinely record the programme for its archives. Now, 90 recordings have been discovered by a collector. They date back from the 1960s and 70s, and include some very well-known names of that time.

The article points out that they are 'of their time' with Nyree Dawn Porter (who starred in the Forsyte Saga) being introduced by Roy Plomley as "an actress, and a very attractive one, too"!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63215698

[Daisy]

The icy cold weather has been a major topic of news and conversation for the last few days, but ice pancakes -really?

They are the result of foam floating on the surface of a river freezing into almost flat disks - a bit like frisbees. We live and learn.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-63992286

[Daisy]

Our supermarkets and the food supply chain have warned of various food shortages over the last 3 years, and apart from shelves suddenly denuded of toilet rolls I don't think anything has had a huge impact on our everyday lives and eating habits.

But a shortage of onions? Surely not. They're just a basic staple we totally take for granted. Unless you happen to live in the Philippines. Onions are used extensively in southeast Asia's cuisines, but the shortage has resulted in price hikes which has made onions more expensive than meat - to around £10.40 a kilo last month.

They have become a luxury many can't afford, leading to changes in restaurant menus and street vendors' offerings alike.

The reasons seem to be complicated - the perfect storm. The Filipino economy has seen costs rise with inflation reaching a 14-year high, combined with the reopening of the economy post Covid, together with two powerful storms which damaged the crops. The government has approved the import of both red and yellow onions to boost supply.

So when I'm shedding tears as I peel and chop this humble vegetable into my casserole, I'll spare a thought for those who now regard them as an expensive luxury.

[Gemini]

Gosh, onions are such a cheap staple here aren't they? Hard to imagine shortages and high prices.