Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[BambooToTheFuture]

Cheers mate, if there’s one thing I plan on doing it eating. Makes it better that I’m not paying.
Problem I have is I am very self conscious about eating alone so I normally stuck to take out or fast food.

Well all the more to try as many different eateries as poss Tbh the three places mentioned are pretty chilled. B&F is exactly what it says on the tin but with good burgers and cheesy fries. La Biere quite demure and relaxed. Le Bambou is a chuck anyone in where you can type of place. End of the day we've all got to eat and it all goes down the hatch. Bamboo would be the best if you want no fuss but also want to try out your best French lingo

Anyway, enjoy!

[Panda Paws]

Cheers mate, if there’s one thing I plan on doing it eating. Makes it better that I’m not paying.
Problem I have is I am very self conscious about eating alone so I normally stuck to take out or fast food.

I used to feel weird about it too - I find sitting at the bar helps, and every single restaurant in the US has sport on TV at the bar too, which makes it feel less strange I guess.

[Flashheart]

I've no problem whatsoever eating alone. Or drinking alone. I prefer it that way sometimes.

[Munichred]

The housing crisis, particularly in the SE, is far from trivial.

We're looking to buy in Essex. 550k plus for a nice three-bed semi/terrace with a manageable commute. Crazy money, but we'll get there. Most families won't, and that's the terrifying thing.

Luckily the market is being swamped with people trying to get their money out before it crashes thanks to Brexit, and it's quite quickly turning into a buyers market, so there is a readjustment coming.

After many years of flat-lining ;-) , property values have increased here in Germany too, especially in Munich during the last 5 years. A 55m2 one bedroom flat in my block just sold for 495k euros. In 2004 it was 152k.

[RobertT]

I used to feel weird about it too - I find sitting at the bar helps, and every single restaurant in the US has sport on TV at the bar too, which makes it feel less strange I guess.

Yep, and chatty bar folk and locals.  I often get the initial "where Ya'll from?".  I have now learned I come from just outside London.  Plenty of individuals at the bar as well.

[Red Frog]

Ought to go on the bevvy with Red Frog.

Just catching up. PM me if you fancy a glass, or if you tell me whereabouts you're staying, I can recommend some other good eateries that are local to you. There are far too many good things to do on a weekend in Paris to spend it in your room!

[Batch]

even if you just talk round the Louvre and be underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa it's got to be better than a hotel room..

[Red Frog]

And until the bad weather covers them up too much, there are all the pretty girls to be admired over a nice glass of red on a café terrace. It's an ancient tradition that never grows old. Unlike us.

[Reg Smeeton]

 This is probably one for Bambi, but I see that Laxton is up for sale..... I remember going there some years ago, and falling in a ditch, being a bit out of the head.

 For those that don't know Laxton is a unique survivor from the Middle Ages.... the last open field system in England, still regulated by the Manorial Court etc.

 It was mainly the 18th Century Enclosure Acts which did for the old system and with it created the move off the land for many and the subsequent rural poverty. There were of course some winners and the Enclosure Commisioners generally tried to be fair. It also bequeathed us what we take to be the classic Engish countryside, of fields and hedgerows with farmsteads dotted around, between the old feudal villages of green, pub etc.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/26/your-chance-to-be-lord-of-a-medieval-manor-for-only-7m

It is to be hoped that a sympathetic buyer can be found.....

[BambooToTheFuture]

This is probably one for Bambi, but I see that Laxton is up for sale..... I remember going there some years ago, and falling in a ditch, being a bit out of the head.

 For those that don't know Laxton is a unique survivor from the Middle Ages.... the last open field system in England, still regulated by the Manorial Court etc.

 It was mainly the 18th Century Enclosure Acts which did for the old system and with it created the move off the land for many and the subsequent rural poverty. There were of course some winners and the Enclosure Commisioners generally tried to be fair. It also bequeathed us what we take to be the classic Engish countryside, of fields and hedgerows with farmsteads dotted around, between the old feudal villages of green, pub etc.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/26/your-chance-to-be-lord-of-a-medieval-manor-for-only-7m

It is to be hoped that a sympathetic buyer can be found.....

Cheers Reg! Yes well aware of Laxton Estate and if I had a spare £7m lying around it is a project* I would be willing to manage. I just don't have the £7m lying around. Another example though of some exquisite beauty wedged between some of the nondescript towns close by in my area. It is certainly important that this way of farming is maintained.

I take it you have heard of or walked by Roystone Grange? A regular route for myself every month or so. It's incredibly easy to spot the "passage of time" and Roystone Grange has upto 6000 years worth of it. For a taste and a short read you can find out more here;

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/derbyshire-life/20181001/282033328106071

*Read as "lifelong commitment"

[Flashheart]

This made me giggle actually.

I had an applicant for a writing job. As part of the application, I ask for 200 words on Bangkok's skytrain, just so I can get a feel for their writing ability. This applicant replied that he was unable to write anything on it as he'd never used it.

I don't think he understood.

The applicant was not shortlisted.

[BambooToTheFuture]

This made me giggle actually.

I had an applicant for a writing job. As part of the application, I ask for 200 words on Bangkok's skytrain, just so I can get a feel for their writing ability. This applicant replied that he was unable to write anything on it as he'd never used it.

I don't think he understood.

The applicant was not shortlisted.

Oh dear! Does said applicant have a current paid position as a writer?  I've never used Bangkok's skytrain but i'm pretty certain I could write a 200 word piece about it!

[Reg Smeeton]

Cheers Reg! Yes well aware of Laxton Estate and if I had a spare £7m lying around it is a project* I would be willing to manage. I just don't have the £7m lying around. Another example though of some exquisite beauty wedged between some of the nondescript towns close by in my area. It is certainly important that this way of farming is maintained.

I take it you have heard of or walked by Roystone Grange? A regular route for myself every month or so. It's incredibly easy to spot the "passage of time" and Roystone Grange has upto 6000 years worth of it. For a taste and a short read you can find out more here;

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/derbyshire-life/20181001/282033328106071

*Read as "lifelong commitment"

No never heard of it, but do like having my eyes opened to landscape history, a particular fascination. There's a lot to be said for forensic local knowledge, for example I couldn't really tell you anything much about dating dry stone walls, other than it's a lifetime's work and somebody has probably done it.

As the article notes WG Hoskins is the daddy of English landscape studies, it was he who motivated the most recent great, Oliver Rackham.

[BambooToTheFuture]

I couldn't really tell you anything much about dating dry stone walls...

Personally, I've never tried to date a dry stone wall. I'd imagine the conversation is somewhat one way and entry would be difficult with all that lichen hanging around... 

[4D]

Sat in a club, agadoo etc being played. My beer has gone flat.