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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 24, 2019 16:54:13 GMT
It's probably more realistic that way. More kids pee in their swimsuits in the swimming pool than run around naked peeing in public.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 24, 2019 20:31:20 GMT
Whew, I came *this* close to booking flights next month from Seattle to Florence on Condor/Thomas Cook, which was the airline I flew on a few months ago for the same trip. I ended up going with KLM/Delta mostly because Condor was not the nicest airline anyway to do transoceanic on in my experience. Airlines matter a lot more on a ten+ hour flight. On a two hour flight, not nearly so much.
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Post by mossie on Sept 25, 2019 8:11:33 GMT
Pleased that you did not lose out Fumo.
The whole sorry saga of Thomas Cook has exposed the scandal of massive, multi million rewards for failing executives.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 26, 2019 18:38:40 GMT
Another funeral today, my Uncle. Thank goodness for my siblings. There's something really comforting about the way we care for each other.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 26, 2019 18:47:33 GMT
Very sorry to hear that, Cheery.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 26, 2019 18:50:37 GMT
Very sorry Cheery.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 26, 2019 18:55:36 GMT
Condolences, Cheery. I saw my own family in France dwindle until there is almost nobody left, but that's normal. (Of course there are numerous offspring all over the country, but I know hardly any of them.)
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Post by mossie on Sept 26, 2019 20:04:58 GMT
My commiserations Cheery, always a sad occasion.
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Post by mich64 on Sept 27, 2019 3:15:20 GMT
Condolences Cheery. Sorry to read about your Uncle passing.
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Post by mich64 on Sept 27, 2019 3:21:48 GMT
My husband returns to work tomorrow after being off on medical leave for 3 months. He was instructed by his surgeon to purchase a Kardia mobile EKG monitor and will have to take daily readings for a while and compile into a PDF file and email them to him weekly. We are hoping with a few months of results he will ascertain whether the surgery was a success or if it has to be repeated.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 27, 2019 3:57:59 GMT
So happy to know he's well enough to go back to work. Fervent hopes that the surgery was a full success.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 27, 2019 17:52:09 GMT
Thank you for the condolences. We're at the age when older members of the family as well as our peers are starting to die off at an alarming rate. Got to meet up with some relatives I don't know well...arranging meet ups away from funerals! On a lighter note, the jeweller rang today about the bangle I was considering having made. He's spoken to the chap who makes them and the price quoted is 20% less than the jeweller initially thought...so I'm going in tomorrow to order it
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2019 0:31:47 GMT
Exciting times. I can't wait to see what you have ordered.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 29, 2019 11:57:05 GMT
Some people told us recently that with our parents passing away we are starting to realise we come to the top of the family tree and therefore will be the next to disappear ... how nice. But there must be some elements of truth in that. However the worst for le is that we start to be thé beholders of some stories - of our youth - fir which we are the only ones left alive. not being able to share common memories is bothering. I'll have to learn to live with that.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 29, 2019 12:03:50 GMT
I have learned to live with that already. I am the last living memory of hundreds of family stories since my brother lives more than 9000 kilometres away and has been making his own family stories about which I know nothing.
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Post by bjd on Sept 29, 2019 13:53:12 GMT
There seems to be a fine line between passing on family stories and sounding as though you live in the past.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 29, 2019 15:17:06 GMT
I don't think the line is so fine within a family. As the stories get trotted out, it often becomes apparent that each person only has pieces of the whole story. One of my brothers is very close in age to me, but sometimes we need each other to complete a memory of an event. And it even comes out sometimes that I am the repository of stories that my mother doesn't know, even though they're from her side of the family.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 29, 2019 15:23:28 GMT
It is also interesting when family stories turn into family legends. I know that I have a hard time believing some of my mother's war stories, because they seem like scenes out of a movie. At the same time, I have never seen these scenes in a movie, so there is a good chance that they were completely authentic. I would be curious to know if my brother remembers any of these stories.
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Post by lugg on Sept 29, 2019 17:15:49 GMT
A long time ago my Mum wrote down everything she could remember about her family history and what she knew about my Dad's too for a primary school project my daughter was doing. I think that it is in the house somewhere and I have searched for it several times to no avail. Over the winter I plan to do the same - of no interest to anyone only family but I have a really very good reason now ... my first grandchild is due in March.
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Post by htmb on Sept 29, 2019 17:57:09 GMT
... my first grandchild is due in March. Congratulations, Lugg. That’s exciting news. A whole new life chapter for you!
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 29, 2019 18:38:20 GMT
Do you want to borrow one of mine for practice?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 29, 2019 19:44:12 GMT
Happy news, Lugg! You must be really excited.
That's a wonderful thing you are doing in writing everything down. Somewhere along the line a family member will recognize it for the irreplaceable treasure that document will be.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 29, 2019 21:12:07 GMT
Family legend. My Dad was nearly court marshalled, but saved by a peanut butter sandwich. As told to me by my father Dad was a corporal in the RAF during WWII. He worked on the aircraft (during the siege of Malta) stripping down the engines and fixing them with his crew. One day Dad was on his way back to the mess after a long shift when he nipped into the canteen for breakfast. The lady serving said that she had something new for him to try, and gave him a peanut butter sandwich. Dad agreed that it tasted lovely, food was scarce and something new was exciting...they chatted for a while until Dad left to find his bunk. Before he got far, Dad was stopped by an officer who told him to take his crew and get some aircraft under cover as there was a raid expected. He was told to take a truck and be smart about it. They duly commandeered a truck, drove to the airfield and with another crew moved the aircraft under cover. When they got back to camp there was another officer, spitting with rage demanding to know who had taken his truck...when Dad admitted it was him the officer wouldnt listen to any explanation but ordered Dad to be marched under guard to the brigg...or whatever it was called saying he was on a charge for stealing air force property. The officer who had asked Dad to move the planes was away from camp so couldnt be asked...Dad was held overnight before being marched before the camp commanding officer in the morning, absolutely terrified. When asked about taking the truck he tried to explain, but whatever he said the charging officer shouted him down. Things looked bleak, Dad was in danger of being court marshalled for taking vital property in wartime. The officer said that Dad had taken the truck at 0900. Which he knew wasn't true, he said that he'd taken the truck, on orders, at 1100 (this is just artistic licence...I dont know the exact times, just that there was a 2 hour difference between the alleged and real times). His accuser got VERY shouty but the commander was quite calm..he asked Dad if he could prove that he didnt take the truck at 0900. Luckily Dad remembered his visit to the canteen and the peanut butter sandwich. The lady from the canteen was called and asked if she recognised Dad and where she had seen him last...of course she remembered the peanut butter incident and was Dad's alibi. Turns out a bunch of officers had purloined the truck to smuggle women into the camp, and needed to get them out before they were found out. They'd been discovered and were in big trouble. The officers weren't punished, just moved to another camp. When Dad told me this story we were sitting at the table after a big Christmas dinner...slightly sozzled, it really shocked him that officers would lie like that and could have ruined a man's life for something so petty.
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Post by Kimby on Sept 29, 2019 22:57:42 GMT
Great story. Only way it could be been better was if he’d ended up MARRYING the girl with the peanut butter sandwiches!
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Post by Kimby on Sept 29, 2019 22:58:46 GMT
Seems like we older generation Any Porters should have a thread for classic stories from the past like this!
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Post by mossie on Sept 30, 2019 8:13:02 GMT
Great story. Only way it could be been better was if he’d ended up MARRYING the girl with the peanut butter sandwiches! Now there is a gourmet wedding breakfast to remember
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Post by lugg on Sept 30, 2019 18:03:05 GMT
Thanks guys - yes very excited. Mick - yes please . I guess the idea is to let them get away with anything/ dote on them / spoil them and generally disrupt any discipline that the parents want to instill.
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Post by lugg on Sept 30, 2019 18:13:54 GMT
Cheery - that is such a great family memory / story. Peanut butter features in some tales that my Dad told me too. Not as dramatic or life changing as your Dad's ....but how it used to be sold by the ounce and in paper bags and was such a treat when he was a boy. He did not get many treats and consequently as children my sister and I always found a jar in the cupboard.
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 30, 2019 18:24:29 GMT
Thanks guys - yes very excited. Mick - yes please . I guess the idea is to let them get away with anything/ dote on them / spoil them and generally disrupt any discipline that the parents want to instill. He’s 18 and 6’ 3”. I’ll put him in the post. Just give him lots of football and pizza. And octopus.
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Post by lugg on Sept 30, 2019 18:27:11 GMT
Haha Mick - football and pizza I can do but octopus may test my budding grandparental ( is that a word?) skills
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