Thread 7 - TalkLair: “In fact it’s an oblate spheroid”

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous threads (thread 6).
The new lair of JTT escapees is all cosy and homey; we have truly settled here. Outside, the garden is blooming with spring flowers. Inside, the hearth is glowing, pictures are up on the walls, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

I have a mini chainsaw pruner thingy which is great. I also bought a hard hat plus ear muffs and visor. I use the hard hat if I’m cutting overhead stuff but haven’t bothered with anything else (I do have decent gloves though). My brother has used the ear muffs; not for the pruner or the hedge trimmer though, he’s used it with the really noisy tool which is the cheap and very crappy leaf vacuum.

Heh, here at MacAcres, we STILL talk about something really easy being like “shooting paintballs at Rik Waller” even though we can’t even remember what RTV show it happened on.

I went to see the film of the Vermeer exhibition today and it was wonderful. Unfortunately, I did drop off a couple of times because it was very sporophoric but I saw 95% of it and my favourite painting was first up. I know it's not as good as seeing the paintings in the flesh because you can only imagine the depth of texture on film, but I admire him about a million times more than I did and I admired him a bloody lot. In fact, I'd put up a good argument for him being the greatest artist that ever lived. The amount of detail in all of his paintings is mindblowing and maybe it was because I was watching a film but I kept feeling as though I could see moments of movement. I know it was my imagination but that was only possible because of the breathtaking beauty and pure skill of each and every painting.

10/10 HIGHLY recommend.

What a great reviiew, MM.

Dead jealous.

Glad it's not just us weirdos here, @Tricyrtis2022 and @Kucinghitam !

@MouseMinge was the first one in the film The Little Street? It was first in the exhibition and it just blew me away - I'd seen it before but had forgotten how it glows and seems completely alive. You feel like you can actually hear it, as well as see it.

In other news, I have just written an enraged email to the Sainsbury's CEO about the shitness of my local big store (Chiswick). Went there around 7, so it was quite busy with people doing the post work, pre-weekend shop of various sizes. There were TWO tills open. TWO. It's utterly crap. I think Tesco is much better for responsive staffing and I suggested they send the Chiswick manager on a field trip.

Brilliant! I was already doing a fair bit of shopping online before the pandemic but I can’t see me ever going back to traipsing round the supermarket on a regular basis. Mind, my nearest supermarket is Asda which may be a factor..

"We do similar ChezKuc, with extra points for quoting The Princess Bride."

Inconceivable.

@SqueakyDinosaur it was! I knew I loved it but it was so much more than I ever thought. And yes! I felt as though it were alive and I could hear life coming through the frame and the screen. I now absolutely have to get myself to the Reichsmuseum to see that and other bits of his work that they have there. I really wish I'd been able to go to the exhibition but at least I saw this film and it moved me more than I imagined it would.

Sainsbury's are rubbish at opening tills. I had too much for the little self service and got told I shouldn't have gone to the cigarette counter. Apparently I should have asked them to open a big till. The big tills where I'd been ignored.

Morning new thread. For no particular reason, I present a Jolly Good Book Review. (The review, rather than the book, being the good thing.)

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/2023.04.21-232356/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bringing-down-goliath-by-jolyon-maugham-review-2x2df8qcx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.is/2023.04.21-232356/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bringing-down-goliath-by-jolyon-maugham-review-2x2df8qcx

Blast, fell foul of archive link. My intro is lost but here’s a sharetoken. Just a book review that I enjoyed.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dc992f50-dd24-11ed-a0a8-657f9e54fc6a?shareToken=ae938d4a052bf4fc65923da9c7fb7a47

Ouch! That's one of the worst reviews I've ever read.

The real crime of this book is not that its author is insufferable. It is not that he displays an ugly streak of meanness against anyone who disagrees with him. It is that it is unbearably boring. Lawyers are supposed to be in love with the sound of their own voices; Maugham is also in love with his own prose. He quotes at length from his blog posts, from his interviews, from his tweets. But none of his mean-spirited but entertaining online cut-and-thrust, the very thing which made his reputation, has survived the transition to book form.

At least he seems to have taken the constructive criticism in good spirit.

https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1649690800987537409?s=61&t=Q6bG6UpgNNK6wBpPUj7sDg

The discussion of the book elsewhere included a link to a feature on a windmill house he owns, and I HATE it.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/70917429#/floorplan?activePlan=1&channel=RES_BUY&id=media5

Living room in separate building from kitchen, tiny bedrooms, stairs with everything. Just as well I don't have £3 million so am unlikely to absent-mindedly buy it

Oh, and I hate that floating firelace - how are you meant to clear the ashes?

It says the property has been removed so you can only see faded images those fireplaces are loathsome.

Can I show off my beautiful moth orchid in full bloom? It brings me so much joy. I need to expand my collection.

in full second* bloom. I am very proud of my orchid rebirth.

The orchid is beautiful and the rebirth impressive.

The horrible house is visible if you click on through. Why should I be the only one to suffer (bits of the decor are tolerable, but I still detest it).

'Bits of the decor are tolerable' = has a bookshelf, and the kitchen cupboards are a pretty shade of green. That's it really. I'd like the rug if it wasn't under that godawful fireplace.

Oh I see it now

OK, I don’t like the layout so much, or the old parts… and some of the decor is horrid, but I absolutely LOVE the rest. The mid century aspects are gorgeous and the walled garden is so pretty.

sorry

Actually I don’t care for the school gymnasium part either…

It kind of looks like a university campus designed by an architect hoping to win an award.

I like it! Agree about the floating wood burner though - no stone/brick hearth underneath? You’d have to move the rug every day to clean it out/build your fire.

That house looks very impractical to me. There are too many stairs and it would be difficult to heat. And the fireplaces are ridiculous.

DH managed to burn holes in our fitted carpet by being too gung-ho at chucking a new log into the wood burner, causing shattered bits of glowing embers to leap out beyond the hearth. So if you have one of those co-habitees, even a hearth isn't enough.