OT The Olympic Games

[Roger Mills]

OK, I stand corrected - by yourself and Adam. Replace "on the very day we 'won'" with "within hours of 'winning'". The sentiment is still valid!

[whisky-dave]

Started today wouldn't let us on leyton station platform as it was too busy, had to get the bus. So 3 buses and 1:35mins from E10 to E1 .

5.3 miles, Google estimate by car 13-15mins .

[T i m]

Or not *having* to do much at least. ;-)

Or can be pretty cheap, after the initial outlay. The Mrs can't walk very far (two full knee replacements and 62) but she's a pretty 'gritty' stoker on the tandem. She still can't pull her own weight (as they say) but I have been cycling for most my life and can generally make up any imbalance of power. ;-)

So, after you have spent a big one on the tandem and another monkey on the trailer and extras you are set to go. At least using the road as a cyclist is still free, unlike using the waterways (even for a canoe or rowing boat, round here anyway) and you can actually start from your own front door.

It's called 'contemplation' and good for the soul. ;-)

For some reason I've never been mad keen on money. Ok, it's nice to have enough to be comfortable and we have never 'gone without' as such (this 3 bed was all paid for when I was 40, mostly on my own so I must have been doing something right ) but, although I've always enjoyed my jobs, my life always started at 5pm, not 9am and I was very protective of work interfering with me living. [1] Of course, there were times (especially in 'support' roles) it was sorta expected you would go the extra mile (overnight installs etc) but I would then generally take my time back in lieu, rather than opting for the extra cash (partly because they couldn't TAX me getting extra time). ;-)

I wonder sometimes how I ever managed to get all the things done when I was working full time! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] When I was a support tech they asked me to go on a weeks course that required me to get a hotel. I asked them how they were going to compensate me for the hours from 5pm to 9am where I wasn't where I wanted to be (at home). They said, as if it was some consolation that I would have free food! After a bit of a kerfuffle, they sent someone else (apparently the reason they wanted me to go specifically was then I could train all our other tech's).

[stuart noble]

Yes, I've thought about cultivating an interest but have come to the conclusion that I'm not interested in interests. Swanning round a golf course or photographing butterflies just doesn't do it for me, and cruises are definitely out. I quite fancy a bike but it would need to be stored in the open, so couldn't be anything valuable. My grand daughter says I'm a LOSER and makes an L shape with her thumb and forefinger. She's probably right :-)

[T i m]

Quite. I've never thought 'I need to find something to interest me', it's always been a matter of which one to do / go back to now?

Nor me. That's like reading a book on the train because you are killing time (for me that is).

Ok.

What about a decent folding bike (if storage is an issue)? We currently have one in the hall (handlebars folded down but the bike generally ready to go) and you wouldn't really know it was there?

Like they do at any provocation it seems. ;-)

I bets she's not.

Cheers, T i m

[Clive George]

There's your answer - first thing, build a shed :-)

[stuart noble]

I might look into that. Trouble is, I'm tall (6ft 5") so I guess ideally I need a 28" frame and a 26" wheel to be comfortable. Haven't ridden for

55 years apart from a couple of minutes on a kid's bike last year where I was surprised to find that my balance was pretty damned good

[stuart noble]

Steady on, that sounds like work :-)

[S Viemeister]

If you find a suitably big folding bike, please let me know!

[Mr Pounder]

I have both.

[John Rumm]

Good idea... now all you need do is find the right language and hope they are literate!

Probably won't be long before a smartphone app with medical dictionary, voice recognition and synth to act as a translator is standard kit for this application I expect.

[John Rumm]

You quite a few in fact. There are four within quite easy reach of me - although that's really a split into boys and girls schools of two IYSWIM. There several quite a few more with Grammar or selective streams:

[hugh]

In message , geoff writes

The tackiest show on earth.

[polygonum]

I'd suggest that probably it not only had that, but also one for reducing the claimants to tears.

[ARWadsworth]

And then take the wife round the back of the bicyle shed.

[ARWadsworth]

Don't suggest it. It might happen:-)

A tax on time..............

[geoff]

In message , Tim Streater writes

Short of them?

There aren't the jobs for them, money's poor, respect is low

Whether we need them or not, there's little incentive to go down that career path.

[Andy Champ]

Yes there was. You changed the nut on the end of the tiller...

Andy

[JoeJoe]

I beg to differ - just back from Disneyland (not my idea...)

[Tim Watts]

And here we go:

"Skill shortage

But it highlights a lack of key skills which extends from too few young people studying maths beyond GCSE to too few students taking postgraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects. "

And they act surprised as to why that would be...