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…

Well, what is your favourite vegetable?

Spinach, or possibly baked potato squash. I scored two in the Grainger Market on Saturday, £2.50 each. On the way back, Lidl had them for a Quid!

Never heard of potato squash before, but reckon I'd enjoy it. Must look out for some and see what it's like.

For myself, I have a lifelong love of cabbage.

Yes, yes I am a Quaker - Part of Central England Area Meeting :)

Part of New England Yearly Meeting here :-). Haven't been to meeting for about a year though. DH is on the Building and Grounds committee but being an architect gets very frustrated by the slowness of Quaker process.

He's not the only one!

A woman I know isn't a Quaker but is very devout and she goes to a weekly 'quiet group' run by a retired vicar. I asked her what happened at the meetings and she said, in her lovely country accent, 'First we has a reading from the Bible and then we sits and thinks about it for a while'. It sounds sort of Quaker-like.

That "quiet time" was the best thing about the Quaker school I went to in Northern Ireland. There were only two Quakers there - the (English) headmaster and a lovely, gentle boy in my class - but every morning at assembly, after announcements or whatever (nothing religious), the head would say something brief and non-controversial and then we would have several minutes of silence. It was surprisingly well observed. I pretty much emptied my mind and that brief interval of calm really set me up for the day. I remain ineffably godless, but Quakers get the thumbs up from me because they don't proselytise.

As an atheist Quaker I can agree with that. Do any of you remember andswivel from the old place? He's another one. I met him once - lovely bloke. I really liked him.

@Vegemiteandhoneyontoast I'm a big lover of cabbage too. When we were young we often had cabbage plus the essential Irish meal of bacon and cabbage. Anyway! Because I loved the cabbage so much I'd have the cabbage water, with a touch of pepper as a drink to go along with my meal. I loved it!

Most vegetables are great. Spinach would almost top the league if it was less shrinky. Petit pois with the tiniest touch of sugar and melted salty butter. Sublime. Peas, when you're de-podding them and eating them along the way are delicious. I think I like all of the root veg. Oh. I don't like fennel but that's my only real dislike. I'm ambivalent about squashes but only because they can be a bit too watery, especially marrow.

Anyway. Vegetables. Bloody brilliant!

I tend to prefer squashes roasted in chunks to deal with that wateriness. I love nearly all veggies though I'm a bit meh about kale.

Yes, I remember andswivel.

Thinking about Quakers I don't think I've ever met one I haven't liked.

Well, a gloomy good morning to the thread, as it is looking like a Trump victory.

My main concern is that with Trump, Xi, Modi and Putin at their respective helms, the climate is totally banjaxed

Not a good start to a Wednesday, is it?

I'm not even surprised at the result, yet I am surprised by the depth of my disappointment.

I am just waiting for the shuttle bus to Heathrow after returning the rental car. I’ll be glad to see DH tonight but I feel very gloomy about the state of the nation.

Kucinghitam · Today 09:32

Well, a gloomy good morning to the thread, as it is looking like a Trump victory.

Yes, my 11 year old was furious about it when leaving for school. Quite what a convicted fraudster and convicted sexual assault person, known for nepotism and corruption is doing in a position of power really leaves me numb. He's made America into a laughing stock, only it's not funny.

I take comfort in perhaps this is part of the Great Unravelling. There are many many good people who will stand against the chaos that we are living through, whether we're doing stuff at a local or larger level we're all part of the solution. Even a small gesture of kindness counts.

So depressing. It seems simultaneously utterly impossible and inevitable. The world was dangerous enough already.

As @SinnerBoy said on the other thread, Ukraine is going to be in a bad position now. And I have similar fears for Taiwan and disputed territories in the South China Sea.

And to make a shit day even shitter, StepPaBint's upward trajectory has taken a sudden downturn.

Oh dear, Bint, I'm sorry to hear that.

Poor StepPaBint, that's not good news. Fingers crossed that he improves soon.

Improvement is not on the cards. Just hoping he can be kept comfortable for the next day or 2.

Ouf, sending you some love x