chrisp65

yeah but it was a few days after Christmas and all the photoshop guys had knocked off, so he's a technical 2016 plus the alcohol meant it was 3rd January before he started to go cold or, you could argue it was less than a year ago but yes you're right

I know. I just posted a copy of it.

yeah, let's get this thread back on track

More of a park bushes kinda guy?

Unfortunately, 1.3 billion Chinese want a tiny taste of what we have. As do 1.2 billion in India. 182 million Pakstanis, 156 million Bangladeshis, 175 million Nigerians, 82 million Egyptians....Ethiopians, Mexicans, Vietnamese, Congolese.... Whilst we have laptops and take away coffees we cannot preach. We have a way to go yet. Riding a bike to work (wearing your special bike riding clothes, garmin and GoPro shit) will not do it,. it's just make you feel like one of the less bad bastards.

Well strictly speaking, that's Sully Island in the photo, but you can see one from the other so, hey, it's Christmas.

Boxing Day and New Year's Day swims up soon. It's something that's really taken off recently. Six or eight years ago we'd do it with the surf life saving club the kids were in and there would be a couple of dozen of us on the beach. Last couple of years there's been literally thousands on the beach. I still go to the New Year's one for the spectacle, a bracing walk and a bit of cake, but I'm too soft for being cold and wet, and Boxing Day is now strictly for drinking port and eating cheese n chocolates.

this evening's sunset almost nobody on the beach I loves a bit of winter when the coast is all but deserted

1 sellotape dispenser - absolute revelation 2 when the scissors just slip along the wrapping paper

In 30 years I've never known it be anything but 35 to 37 hours official. More if you want to 'get on'. But yes, agree on the point about productivity. People will expand tasks to fill the time. I'm lucky to work somewhere small and privately owned. When there's a shed load of work, I do a shed load of hours. This last week, I rolled in late, went home early and Thursday lunchtime declared I'd see everyone in the New Year as I'd 'finished'. It's quite impressive how tasks can be turned around when it's finish and home, rather than finish at 5:30 regardless. ----- In other news, I've just been to the supermarket. Definitely quieter than expected. The staff were pulling down the Christmas decorations and peeling the star and snowlflake stickers off the windows! I reckon by mid afternoon there'll be displays of easter eggs.

As the year drags its sorry arse to a conclusion, and as Charlie Brooker struggles to find any material at all for his News Wipe (!) it's time to review... Good Stuff: I thought the Euro's were great. That Belgium game was seminal. One nipper successfully dispatched to Uni. Attended a few good gigs. Villa turning a corner and winning a few games. I've just had possibly the world's finest ever fish n chips. I mean, properly the best ever. No gravy, I'm not a pervert. There's still at least one woman in this world that will voluntarily touch my penis. I gambled on spending big money to fix my car. For it to be the right financial call, the car had to go trouble free to December. It did. Barry Town getting to a cup final. Our first as a wholly fan owned club. Bad Stuff: The obvious stuff. Bombs and shit.

work finished shopping done pub lunch

You've got to have a dream.

We're the world's second largest arms exporter now. It's going to be part of Sajid Javid's British Oath that we have to respect each other, live in harmony and push for the number one bomb exporter spot by next Christmas.

Very good. Good recommendation there. Didn't put it on until the others were back home, there was more 60's civil rights in it than I'd expected. My nipper's currently doing a module on that very topic so we've all sat together and watched it.

A good test for the parties coming up. The Labour MP for Copeland (northern england) has stood down to take a different job. This will cause a by election in an area UKIP would see as a prime target and the tories will have seen themselves getting a little closer to winning the seat over the last few elections. This looks like an opportunity for Labour to get out there, tell people what they stand for and get some momentum going. It'll be interesting. (in a politics geek kind of way)

The newspaper is the Rayne Acadian Tribune. Rayne City, Louisiana, self titled 'frog capital of the world'. He has a top hat.

Unfortunately, it's not just the energy companies that don't like it. Several local schemes for small scale power stations and wind farms have been rejected due to local resident campaigns against actually being able to see how the energy is provided to leave the sky box on standby all night. I was involved in trying to get planning permission for a renewable energy power station on part of the old British Steel site just up the coast, on land currently poisoned with heavy metals. The planning authority rejected it as it wouldn't help 'future tourism plans' for the area. On Anglesey at the moment there's the potential for a new power station to provide energy, jobs and industry on the island. The locals are campaigning against unsightly pylons across the fields. Unfortunately, we need some lights and heating to start going off before your average punter will take this seriously.

If that turns out to be a spoiler, I shall hunt you down and insert an Alexander Armstrong CD.

No, don't know that. I'm only now getting beyond Nina Simone 'greatest hits' as it were. I've seen and heard a little bit of biography and it's definitely on my 'to do' list. ....just checked it out and it's on Netflix. The rest of them are out tonight for Rogue One, so tonight looks like a perfect opportunity. Good call, cheers.

as the office gets quieter and the phone has all but ceased ringing...