Happy thread

[jonclox]

(Graphic details  withheld so save certain dignaties )
Nice to be up and able to move more than 10metres away from the bathroom/loo for the 1st time since Friday morning.
Luvvvvvvvvvv mass produced  birthday cakes 

Suggest you don't cough strongly for a couple of days, Jon

Noted 

[paulprice]

Well the Domestic Overlord is taking me to see the Star Wars film in a couple of hours 

The replacement drawbars for my Jubilees and Royal Scots have arrived from Bachmann, actually they arrived a few days ago but I lost them.

I got a complementary copy of the Railway Modeller, which included a cheque for the article, and after totally stripping down my latest ebay purchase, I now have another Duchess in the fleet that runs as sweet as a nut and it only cost £40

Bad luck must be around the corner, but until it turns up I say  to bad luck

[Tdm]

Every year at Xmas time, and especially if we had people round and were throwing a Party at our home, to get myself & others in a good mood, I would dig out and play an old Mike Harding video sketch (a recording on VHS tape taken at one of his Blackpool shows) which is basically about a mix-up at Xmas between a 14.5lb Turkey and a Budgerigar.

No matter how many times my wife & I watch it – it always makes us laugh, and puts us in a good mood in readiness for the Xmas festivities.

Unfortunately some time after moving to Tenerife I converted all of my VHS tapes to DVD and then got rid of them, but when I tried to play the Mike Harding disk, neither  my PC nor DVD player would recognise it, although all the other DVD conversions were O.K.

I kept the disk though and this year decided to have another go at playing it, but still had no joy at first. I am not a person to give up easily though, so did some checking & investigation and discovered that this particularly disk had never been properly "finalised", and the DVD player that had created it has long since gone, so I couldn't put it back in that particular device (as recommended) and select the "finalise" option.

After some further investigatory work, I downloaded a "trial" version of some rather expensive "all singing / all dancing" DVD management software, and one of the video options within it was to "finalise" an unfinalised disk on a device other than the original one used to create it.

Lo and behold it worked, and last night my wife were able to watch the video again, and it still made us laugh, and made us feel better and ready to face the next few days in a happier mood after a number of upsets recently that were threatening to spoil Xmas for us.

The video sketch in question is my favourite "funny" all time Xmas video, and back in the 60's (before he became famous) I used to regular visit a local Folk Club in Chorley where Mike Harding performed and was just starting off in his new career.

If anyone hasn't seen the sketch I am referring to (known as the 14.5lb budgie sketch),
and needs a laugh, do try and do so, although the YouTube version is now no longer available for some reason. The recording was made at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool, I think in the 70's.

Regards

Terry

[steve836]

Happy Cristmas everyone

[railsquid]

Thanks once again to the combined efforts of a Merseyside retailer and the Japanese post office, a package has arrived at an optimal time of day for covert receipt and without troubling the local excise. 

[paulprice]

Thanks once again to the combined efforts of a Merseyside retailer and the Japanese post office, a package has arrived at an optimal time of day for covert receipt and without troubling the local excise. 

You lucky little bugger you, I live about 30 mins from the retailer and even I cant manage a covert mission over there without the Domestic Overlord finding out

[railsquid]

Thanks once again to the combined efforts of a Merseyside retailer and the Japanese post office, a package has arrived at an optimal time of day for covert receipt and without troubling the local excise. 

You lucky little bugger you, I live about 30 mins from the retailer and even I cant manage a covert mission over there without the Domestic Overlord finding out

Oh, did I mention that as I'm resident outside the EU, the British customs and excise didn't need to worry their pretty little heads about "added value" either 

[paulprice]

Thanks once again to the combined efforts of a Merseyside retailer and the Japanese post office, a package has arrived at an optimal time of day for covert receipt and without troubling the local excise. 

You lucky little bugger you, I live about 30 mins from the retailer and even I cant manage a covert mission over there without the Domestic Overlord finding out

Oh, did I mention that as I'm resident outside the EU, the British customs and excise didn't need to worry their pretty little heads about "added value" either 

Show off, I can go off a chap you know

[Newportnobby]

Some of you may be aware that, having had to have a new roof on my bungbelow (at huge cost ) I found the roofers had fastened my TV aerial somewhat unsafely/untidily and that every time we have a new fancy-named storm (which seems to every week up here in Lankyshire) it flaps about and creaks alarmingly, as if it's going to pull the entire gable end off the property. Well, I waited until the main seasonal festivities were over and rang an artisan yesterday and he promised to be round today.
One is happy to report that (a) he even turned up on time and (b) at a very reasonable cost the aforesaid aerial is now firmly fixed to the wall rather than the uPVC soffits and Nobby can now sleep soundly in his bed
Yes - you may think I am easily made happy but to find a tradesman, be it plumber, electrician or whatever who will actually turn up on time for a small job (to them, but not to me) is a wonder. Most of the buggers don't seem to want the work or don't return calls or don't answer their phones, even those who advertise 'NO JOB TOO SMALL'.
Now to find someone to fix the leak in my conservatory.................................

[GeeBee]

Some of you may be aware that, having had to have a new roof on my bungbelow (at huge cost ) I found the roofers had fastened my TV aerial somewhat unsafely/untidily and that every time we have a new fancy-named storm (which seems to every week up here in Lankyshire) it flaps about and creaks alarmingly, as if it's going to pull the entire gable end off the property. Well, I waited until the main seasonal festivities were over and rang an artisan yesterday and he promised to be round today.
One is happy to report that (a) he even turned up on time and (b) at a very reasonable cost the aforesaid aerial is now firmly fixed to the wall rather than the uPVC soffits and Nobby can now sleep soundly in his bed
Yes - you may think I am easily made happy but to find a tradesman, be it plumber, electrician or whatever who will actually turn up on time for a small job (to them, but not to me) is a wonder. Most of the buggers don't seem to want the work or don't return calls or don't answer their phones, even those who advertise 'NO JOB TOO SMALL'.
Now to find someone to fix the leak in my conservatory.................................

Know that feeling well glad your Arial/roof are OK now keep our fingers crossed for the leaks
Graham 

[fatso]

Thieves  have stolen my wife credit cards I have not report this crime to the police as the thieves are spending less than my wife .

[Tdm]

Thieves  have stolen my wife credit cards I have not report this crime to the police as the thieves are spending less than my wife .

Made me laugh too at first - but then also brought home the fact that a holidaymaker here only yesterday had most of his & his family's belonging stolen from the apartment they are staying in.

I sympathise of course but in quite a number of cases holidaymakers seem to leave their brains on the Runway when they come away as they do things they would never do at home - like leaving doors or patio windows open when they go out and not putting their valuables in the safes that are available.

Every holidaymaker on arrival gets a welcome pack which contains information and advice about security amongst other things, but few seem to read it in their eagerness to get to the Pool or the Bar.

[daveg]

Like Mick, I 'found' a gem of a Mr Fixit who was able to pretty much immediately respond to our cries for help and  sort our major water leak.

In 2 days a large hole was dug, old badly done work removed and an entirely new service made into the house.

This chap is 76 years old!

Amazing.

Dave G

[colpatben]

My 17 year old car has just passed its MOT with only a couple of advisory notes
Which we will get done in the new year .
Thank God for that we were a bit worried it would fail as its so old .
Bob

Our beloved 1998 Jaguar Sovereign has just failed its MOT in a pile of rust Sub frames/Engine mounts (known failure points). Nobody wants a V8 4 litre gas guzzling monster these days.

He ho New year New car.

[Sprintex]

Our two 15 year old Fiestas both passed their MoT recently - Clare's with a clean sheet and mine with an advisory for a rear tyre which I knew was near the wear-indicators

The joys of doing all your own maintenance and repairs


Paul