Thread 19 - TalkLair: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long"

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 18)

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

In the TalkLair, the fairy lights are festooned on the mantlepiece, the tree is twinkling with baubles, the mince pies are in the oven, the MN legendary chicken is ready to feed the hordes. The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch, 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…

Teeny tiny partial dusting of snow here yesterday morning but the few flakes that settled in the garden or the pavement opposite us (ie the north facing bits) are mostly still there today. And it’s pretty cold out. Inside it’s still boiling though but that’s the deal when there’s a super old person to keep warm.

I feel a bit like that. One of our joint Christmas presents was £50 worth of artisan cheese. It’s delicious but there so much of it. I love cheese but only eat very small amounts at a time. We’re almost through the soft cheeses and I think we can freeze the hard ones. I have been having so much cheese for days.

I'm seeing snow warnings in many parts of the UK, stay safe and warm everyone!

First (jet-lagged) morning in KL. I'm staying in a hotel for the first couple of nights to recover from my travels, but I was feeling unexpectedly super-energetic when I arrived yesterday PM and had a night out with a bunch of dear old school friends. Woke up stupidly early this morning and thought "Maybe I'll have a swim when the sun rises, will be good for resetting my body clock," and went to check the hotel website for pool opening info - only at this point did I realise I've managed to book a hotel with NO POOL

I know, my diamond shoes are too tight. But am genuinely puzzled what I can do with my day. I am right next to a giant shopping mall but was hoping to do something outdoorsy but not hot, to acclimatise. Think I'll have to go for a sweaty walk in the park.

Just popping in with a photo of the garnishes offered at our table this evening.

Is that chillis and garlic?

It is! A huge pot of bird’s eye chilies and chopped raw garlic!

Wow, bet those chillies are hot. You must be enjoying not being here freezing, @Kucinghitam !

I remember seeing women buying massive plastic bags of chillis in Indian markets, and thinking, that would literally be a lifetime's supply for me! Esp if bird's-eye! 🌶🌶

@Kucinghitam I hope everything's as calm as it can be with all your various family members and that you can concentrate on catching up with them, enjoying not being cold and eating amazing food!

It's lovely being with my parents and brother. As always, I am horrendously jet-lagged and have scarcely slept since I got here - on the bright side, I am getting through my backlog of audio books at a tremendous rate!

Dad has deteriorated a lot even since I last saw him in the summer. Less and less verbal, even more unsteady on his feet. At dinner, he mistook his tea for a sauce or soup or something, and spooned it all over his rice We're going to be looking at care homes in the next couple of weeks, with a view to starting with daycare sessions for mum to get some respite.

On another note, I saw this umbrella dryer at a mall. I think it's quite a nifty device but must surely only work properly for long brollies.

Excellent idea. But I agree it wouldn't work on a compact one.

Sorry about your dad's deterioration. What's the care home situation like there - is he likely to get straight in or are there waiting lists? Day care sessions are a good way to try out a few places. It's not the full experience but gives a decent idea about the staff and the food, as well as meaning it's a bit more familiar when he makes the full move.

AFAIK there are very few (if any) state-funded care facilities. Private homes range from very basic to 5* palatial. Care levels also variable. Will find out about waiting lists, but I imagine it depends on the individual home. My mum already has a shortlist, based on recommendations from the local branch of the Alzheimer's Society.

Musical battle: https://x.com/i/status/2009227217147204039

That was amazing and hilarious!

Photo for today - Chinese New Year decorations haven’t reached their full glory in the malls yet, but festive merchandise has started appearing in the supermarkets. Here’s a display of gift boxes of premium mandarins.

I had something of a Gaaah! Day yesterday. I have a friend who is badly disabled, an above the knee amputee, waiting for a second operation for spinal arthritis. He rang late on Thursday to say he had no food, so I took him shopping yesterday.

I stopped for diesel on the way home and realised I had no wallet. I called him,it wasn't in his house, or on the path outside.

I went back to Aldi and asked the same cashier we'd used and she said a woman had told her a man in the car park had asked if a wallet was hers, she said no, he drove off.

I went to the Police station and reported it, it hadn't been handed in. I cancelled the card, then drove to town to try and get some money. All parking in Newcastle is card payment, or phone, so I couldn't buy a ticket.

Got to the bank at 10 to 4, to find it shuts at 2:30. I didn't get a parking ticket. Im about to go on the Metro, hoping I can pay with cash!

Oh no @SinnerBoy! What an absolute pain in the arse, I hope you get it sorted quickly!

How bladdy annoying! I have the opposite issue in that I often just have my phone, no cash nor cards. In one wee charity shop my mobile virtual cards were being rejected and I was kind of snookered.
Luckily my banking app can generate a one-time code that persuades a bank machine to cough up, so I could get cash and buy the thing.
If I lost my phone I would be completely snookered!

I still use cash, mainly for local shops, baker, grocer, butcher etc. We were going to have pizzas last night, but that was scotched.

Ironically, Absolute Radio has had a feature on about people having wallets and purses returned and I was talking about it with my daughter. I've found a few and phones over the years and always handed them in, or charged the phone and waited for a call - always mam / mum!

I'm the same with cash : my barber and local shops and pubs taxis etc get cash. Corporates get card.

Same here. I've always got cash on me and it's clear the small businesses appreciate it.

Thanks for the support. I got some cash out unproblematically. I suppose I'd better use some to buy a new wallet...

I hope your wallet makes its way back to you, SinnerBoy!

The bloke may do what I did, @SinnerBoy, when I found a wallet containing a bank card (among other stuff) at the edge of the road right by a bus stop. I got off the bus in town - coincidentally right next to the NatWest - and took it in. The cashier looked at the sort-code on the card, said yep, she's a customer at this branch, I'll give her a ring and she can come in and pick it up.

It was pure luck, because had it required a trip to the (very inconveniently-located) police station I might not have bothered.

BetjemansBear · Today 12:48

I hope your wallet makes its way back to you, SinnerBoy!

Thanks, I don't even care about the money, but I have loyalty cards, sentiment nick-nacks etc, including the only photo I have of my mother.

Gonners · Today 16:21

The bloke may do what I did...

Thanks, I suppose it's a possibility. My daughter took a purse to the bank - same as hers - when she found one last year. It was reunited with its owner, she went back to enquire.