Thread 20 - TalkLair: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life"

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous Thread 19)

Britain swelters in yet another heatwave.

In the TalkLair, all the curtains are closed against the blazing sun as the denizens lurk like creatures of the night... or maybe we are creatures of the night. But rest assured, despite our scary fangs, 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…

The last rain we had was in mid-June, before which there hadn't been any for weeks. It's been hot and dry for months.

Apparently we had a few drops of rain the other day while I was out. I don’t think it was any measurable quantity though. My
garden is brown and crispy with cracks in the ground.

My brother is here a lot this summer so has some potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes growing in pots which are getting watered. Other plants in pots are getting the odd bowl of water from the kitchen sink (from rinsing salad, running the cold tap etc) but nothing could be said to be thriving.

Things that are thriving in our garden include:

• brambles (previously unseen but now absolutely everywhere and fruiting like fury);
• some sort of creeper that comes over the back fence - we're on a corner and it originates at the front of the house on the next road. It has also invaded their guttering;
• dandelions and other such delights - on the bright side, at least there's a bit of colour on the lawn;
• anything that needs cutting back;
• flowering bushes that were previously about 6 feet tall but are now - despite being cut back at the usual time - twice the height, and not flowering. So not really thriving.
• Lavender, which is making a bid to take over. That's fine by me.
• The roses are being brave; ditto the fuchsias.

Things that are not thriving:

• Everything else

Anyone else follow the r murphy thread and think that the regular poster there is a bit, well, strange?

Link please @moto748e ?

I didn't wish to do that. You can find it if you want.

I wish you many happy biking days, moto! I can't remember (if I ever knew) where you're based, but I hope it's somewhere near some beautiful scenery and nicely winding roads.

Wigan, of course. Pay attention at the back! 🍒😀There is nice scenery in all directions: Yorkshire moors, Peak district, North Wales, etc.

Excellent! I know the Peak District and the Pennines (N Staffs childhood) and we used to holiday in N Wales most years. All stunning. Whenever I travel in the UK (usually for singing trips) I'm struck afresh by the sheer variety of landscapes. You can go 40 miles and it's like a different country.

Back from a few days glamping* in North Yorkshire. It was exceptionally windy. It also rained, horizontally, on an hourly basis - not very heavily, but enough to affect most attempts at outdoor activity. Naturally, now that we are home and back at work, the weather has resumed being dry and settled.

*It is against my principles to (a) pitch a tent (b) not sleep in a proper bed.

Glamping, you say? In a yurt?

We went to the Lakes in 2019, 7 people in our pop up cathedral. The had yurts, which were extortionate and my wife was chatting to the owner and was explaining various "wrong" things with their construction.

He asked how she could possibly know and she replied that she's from Kazakhstan.

"Ah," he said, "yurts are Mongolian."

"Yurts are from Kazakhstan and Kyrgizia, they are called gers in Mongolia."

Cue some mansplaining...

Nice one, SinnerBoy.

It also rained, horizontally, on an hourly basis

That sounds wonderful.

This is at my main workplace. That bed is usually incredibly lush and overflowing with flowers, but this is how it looks today, even though it's been well watered for weeks.

@SinnerBoy "Yurts are from Kazakhstan and Kyrgizia, they are called gers in Mongolia."

I like the sound of Mrs Sinner.

Me too!

I'm hoping she challenged the idiot to a game of goat polo. That would be quite the spectacle.

She was polite manner of fact , calm and then confused. Just explaining, you know, what with knowledge and everything.

And in Mongolia, ger is pronounced yer.

Another day, another parcel! 😀I mailed SM to thank them for the brooches, and upped my monthly contribution a bit, and then it was, would you like a mug or a bag, and I thought, a bag, cos that's publicising.

The bags are great. I have one and it's massive and sturdy.

Anybody following the Cambridge plagiarism Walter-Mitty-esque drama? As university academics (former, in my case), alumnae, and with teen DC about to submit their UCAS applications, ChezKuc we are all agog.

Oh yes! As so often here, it's funny, but it's not. The Emperor’s New Clothes never gets old.

Oh yes! It's a wonderful tale of complete idiocy and I think we're all going to need to stock up on popcorn.

I'm doing a lot of not-so-gracious "I told you so" to DH about the damage done by woke virtue-signalling handwringing bollocks in academia.

How do your daughters feel, Kuc? Not always easy being gender-critical as an eighteen year old at some of our universities.

I'm intrigued by reports that some of his former students are demanding reviews of their grades. From everything I've read, I'd say he's likely to have marked them up, to prove what a brilliant teacher he was, rather than down.