Thread 15 - TalkLair: “I Can't Lie To You About Your Chances, But... You Have My Sympathies.”

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 14).

Autumn seems to have gone straight into winter. It's cold, wet and windy. In the TalkLair, the hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them). The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch though, always eager for general chit-chat on all manner of topics.

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

Could be Bulgarian or Romanian or Serbian Orthodox too. All of whom disapprove violently of each other.

I had a lovely lunch with BuddhaPest today and duly passed on all good wishes, which he reciprocated. We worked out that the last time we saw each other was probably 2004, so we had a lot to catch up on. He's still a GBOL though in fact he retired last year.

I only use olive oil or groundnut oil now.

Gosh @Britinme, 20 years! I’m glad you had a nice time.

I’ve had a rubbish day. I had so much stuff to do, and had it all planned out, but somehow in the process of walking 20 metres across a car park, I managed to step in a fresh pile of dog shit. Except I didn’t realise until I got home, sitting at my desk, when Kasper knocked one of my boots off the rack. I started to tell him off but realised he was being a Good Boy alerting me to the shite all over them. I then discovered it was also all over the carpet in my hall, so spent the next two hours scrubbing and disinfecting the carpet, the boots, my car pedals and myself in a blind PMDD-exacerbated rage, fantasising about torturing the dog owner and cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to put carpet in a hall. I only bought the boots last week as well, it was their second outing.

Thank goodness for my boy with his observational skills and calming properties.

I recognise Georgian when written but now realise I have absolutely no clue what it sounds like.

StepPaBint got through the op OK, but had a heart attack afterwards so looks set for a long stay on the ward.

Helpful Kasper. I hope you managed to rescue the carpet.

That sounds tough @NoBinturongsHereMate - a prolonged hospital stay doesn’t sound ideal.

I absolutely love dogs, but owners who don't pick up after them make the red mist descend on me.

I particularly like the conversations you can have with spaniel owners: "How old?" "Ten (or whatever)" "And still a maniac?" "Oh yes..." There's a group on FB called My Dog Is A Twat, and usually about 2/3 of the posts relate to terrible spaniel misdemeanours like escaping through a Velux window and getting stuck on the roof.

Sorry to hear that, @NoBinturongsHereMate .

Top work by Kasper as always.

NoBinturongsHereMate · 29/10/2024 19:34

He'd got to the stage of not being able to remember the cancer, so each time it was mentioned it was a 'new' diagnosis to come to terms with.

That's an awful situation, does he have the capacity to understand the implications of cancer?

On edit:

Yes, I see he does... sorry, I'm a bit tired but am finally going home today.

Gonners · Yesterday 21:20

Then there was the massively bearded, hatted and robed man sitting in the queue for vaccinations, clearly a priest in some Orthodox church but not Greek or Russian because when he answered his phone, all I heard was noise. I wonder if he was Georgian?

Could he be Coptic? I see three around my little town, sporadically. Never all at once. They also have more turban-like hats, with a silver cross.

Sorry about Step Pa Bint. Hospitalisation is difficult for people in dementia, very disorienting.

People who don't pick up after their dogs are particularly enraging for dog owners who do pick up. Good Kasper.

I have not only given up seed oils, I have added lard back into my mix of kitchen fats. If I can get it I'll use beef dripping as well - much the best thing if you want to brown onions for onion gravy. The 1970s are rolling in their grave.

He's generally quite lucid in the moment, just doesn't retain it. Although at the moment he thinks he's busy building a jet engine so that's a nice distraction - hospital-induced delirium has some benefits.

I'm sorry Bint. Have you been able to speak to him since? I hope he isn't finding it too distressing.

hope you managed to rescue the carpet.

Fortunately I had some Dr Beckmann so scrubbed it with that, but I'm considering buying a steam mop as apparently you can get ones with carpet attachments, plus it would be good for the hard floors. All of my carpets could do with a good clean but I can't cope with the upheaval of a proper carpet cleaning service at the moment.

@NoBinturongsHereMate Sorry to hear about StepPaBint's continuing poor health How awful for you and MaBint.

Massive sympathies on the poo-ey carpet situation @VictorianBigot. I fear I'm sounding like a typical MNer when I get aerated about dog poo not being picked up, especially as the population of dogs has gone through the roof since COVID.

Halloween was enjoyably quiet here. Our set of streets has always been rather poor at participating, but this year I genuinely think we were the only house that was decorated. Nevertheless, we did try as we always do, with several pumpkins carved by DDs, spooky cobwebs on the gate, a cauldron of sweets, etc. We got a grand total of 6 groups of trick-or-treaters, each consisting of 1-4 small goblins and ghouls. I was impressed that anybody even bothered to walk around our area - favourite was the tiny lad dressed as Jack Skellington, runner-up was a dad in an inflatable dinosaur costume supervising his little vampire daughter.

DDs were pretty delighted to sit down after we'd switched off our pumpkins, with almost a whole cauldron of chocolates, and Buffy on TV.

I went out trick or treating with my DGDs and their mum last night (8, 5 and 42). They were dressed as characters I absolutely didn't recognise, mum had a black cat mask and tail on and I had a witch's hat covered with silver cobwebs and traily bits like spider legs round the brim. Some people round here had gone to great decorative lengths, but the local code was that they were offering treats if they left a pumpkin outside so it was all very jolly and the kids made out like bandits. We went out early is, as soon as it got dark, so when they got back to their place they took a turn at handing out treats. All good fun.

I've not spoken to StepPaBint, no - don't think he could manage a phone call. Both his daughters live nearby so they are tag teaming with MaBint so she can get some rest. He seems happy enough apart from not liking the oxygen mask, and being delayed from finishing the jet engine. And his obs are improving today.

As I've just been racking off the latest batch of parsnip stout into demi-johns (that batch #76 since I started keeping) this afternoon, it strikes me that as I have suitable boxes for transit, if any of you lovely people would like to try a bottle, i will happily send you one if you message me the details. I really like it, or I wouldn't keep making it. It is my gift to the world, no-one else makes it that I'm aware of, and I believe I have perfected the recipe. It doesn't taste much 'like' Guinness, although it looks a bit like it, but if you like Guinness, or porters, or schwarzbier, you'd probably like it. I am always on the search for new converts! 😀

My Irish ancestors would be ashamed of me, well the teatotal ones wouldn't, but I can't do Guiness/stout/porter. Too bitter. That said, I can pour a very fine Guiness.

It's not bitter, but I didn't imagine booze would be an option for you, Mouse.

Anyway, I hope I haven't killed the thread! 😀

I can’t do it either. I can’t really do any alcohol these days.

It looks great though @duc748, excellent work!

@NoBinturongsHereMate how is StepPaBint?

@Kucinghitam did you manage to get a dr appointment?

That looks properly Guinnessy @duc748

I am not a fan of stout or parsnips but my brother is a fan of both so a bottle for him might be of interest, possibly with a jar of his jam heading your way in exchange.

DH would probably love that (not me - I don't like any type of beer, ale, stout, porter...) but I think the postage to the USA would be excessive considering the packing around a glass container. Nice offer though @duc748 .

Ah - hello - I lost you all (or the site stopped sending updates, do you have to post every so often, I wonder?) Anyway good wishes and healing on it's way to all who are in need, Holding you in the Light as Quakers say)

I've been having interesting conversations with people about the Peace Pledge Union white poppy I wear around this time of year, much less militant (In the correct sense of the word) than usual, that's progress I suppose, although maybe it's just a reaction to the current world stat. Anyway I have actually joined and signed the pledge this year rather than just yammering on about them.

In other news I'm currently on a train hurtling towards Cheltenham Spa - will be reaching the final destination of Bath by 9.30 Going to be participating in a workshop based on the Joanna Macy book and website - as part of a community group in Birmingham trying to mitogate Clamate Change at Neighbourhood level (Website here for the curious https://workthatreconnects.org/) I'll update later today when I've done the course/workshop. I left my breakfast on the kitchen counter, doh!

Happy Monday, a rather misty warm day for November.

That looks beautiful, does the parsnip's sweetness give it a milder flavour?

We used to have a microbrewery before covid (Thousand Trades Brewing Company) in Birmingham, but a greedy landlord, crap covid qualifying criteria and the way that directors weren't compensated for small businesses meant that we nearly lost our house, had to stop, and are still paying back a bounceback loan that we took out to save ourselves. Grrr

That looks an interesting brew, duc. Could swap for something made of apples (jam or black butter). I'll send you a DM.in a bit to see if we can work out exchange methods.

Look forward to hearing more about the course, Grow. And I hope tou manage to find a replacement breakfast en route.