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Post by bjd on Apr 7, 2023 5:52:58 GMT
Cold this morning (4°) but we should get to about 20 this afternoon and a sunny warm Easter weekend is forecast.
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Post by bjd on Apr 7, 2023 5:49:24 GMT
7 definitely looks like an arum, although the pistil? (the pointy yellow thing) is certainly longer than any of those in my garden.
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Post by bjd on Apr 7, 2023 5:46:14 GMT
The cemeteries around churches were one of the things I really liked on my visit to Yorkshire. They always added peace and greenery to the building.
It's also nice to see that old church still in use, unlike most of the old churches and monasteries destroyed during the Reformation.
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Post by bjd on Apr 5, 2023 18:57:37 GMT
Is the average American still buying into Trump? I think most of those still buying into Trump are rather below average.
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Post by bjd on Apr 5, 2023 18:48:27 GMT
Lovely picture, Lugg.
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Post by bjd on Apr 5, 2023 6:24:34 GMT
From the few photos of you I have seen, Mick, your daughter and her son resemble you much more than your son does.
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Post by bjd on Apr 4, 2023 19:01:02 GMT
It also froze last year at this time. I remember because we had had a mild winter and everything was budded/leafed out, then it all froze for several mornings in a row. Since it was cold in February/March this year, I thought it wouldn't happen again.
Biarritz was mostly sunny but with a cool wind. There were some people swimming in the ocean though, no wetsuits.
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Post by bjd on Apr 4, 2023 5:39:50 GMT
Clear sky and 5° here this morning, high to be only 13°. I'm off to Biarritz to meet up with a friend -- it's going to be chilly with that east wind.
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Post by bjd on Apr 3, 2023 18:32:06 GMT
Congratulations. I'm glad you found something and hope it works out well.
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Post by bjd on Apr 3, 2023 18:30:22 GMT
I don't know anybody who says "courriel" for an e-mail. Only "mails", which I have seen written "mél".
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Post by bjd on Apr 3, 2023 11:01:26 GMT
Are there any days left in the year that aren't dedicated to something?
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Post by bjd on Apr 3, 2023 11:00:08 GMT
We went through a phase like that in France about 30 years ago but without the huge fines. Nothing happened in the end. Yes, and it probably got worse, especially in the advertising, show business and related industries.
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Post by bjd on Apr 1, 2023 8:13:18 GMT
As with everything, it is all much more complicated than at first glance and it's not easy to sum up in quick soundbites on TV news. Also, the original retirement age protests have developed into bigger protests about inequality and other social factors, just like the Yellow Vest protests in 2018 started against higher taxes on gasoline (to fund action on climate change!) and became much bigger.
When Mitterrand dropped the retirement age from 65 to 60, the theory was that young people would be hired to replace the older workers. It didn't really work out that way, older experienced workers were not easily replaced by inexperienced young ones. Many of those suffering from youth unemployment often have no qualifications of any kind, not to mention discrimination because of skin colour or foreign (particularly Arabic) names on their CVs when they apply for jobs. This is not legal but nobody can deny that it happens.
Yes, working past 62 is also sometimes a matter of choice. If you are a construction worker or in a foundry, working till your mid-60s can be unimaginable. If you have an office job or are doing something you really like, like scientific research, then you can carry on with no great harm to your health.
And yes, politicians should also have an age limit. My personal bugbear is Jean-Luc Mélanchon -- the man is in his 70s, has tons of various cushy retirement pensions from all the jobs he has held in government over the decades -- I was surprised by the list of his various positions when I searched for his personal wealth -- and is calling for general strikes and for people to retire at 60.
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Post by bjd on Apr 1, 2023 6:21:53 GMT
Cloudy, windy and it is just starting to rain. 13° this morning.
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Post by bjd on Apr 1, 2023 6:20:41 GMT
Yesterday I pulled out the lantanas which definitely died in the frosty mornings we had. There were 6 of them so I moved apart some lavender plants I had put a bit closer together. I also have some purple osteospermums which did really nicely last year but all but one seem to have died -- at least they aren't showing any foliage at all. A look at garden info says they should survive to -5°, and we didn't have that but perhaps a repetition of -3 over several days did the trick. Will wait a few more days.
I also think I killed a newly-planted (in November) David Austin rose by moving it. But all the agapanthuses I cut back are doing nicely. As are all the weeds. I'm afraid that if I put them in the compost bin, they will seed all over when I use the compost so I end up taking them to the dump.
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Post by bjd on Mar 31, 2023 19:37:56 GMT
Not a stupid person, Kerouac. Just wait until fall and you'll get the double flu+covid vaccine they are planning to roll out annually.
I don't even think about covid vaccines any longer, just had the first booster (so 3 in all), then a light case of covid. Never had a flu shot either so I'll just wait and see how things develop.
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Post by bjd on Mar 31, 2023 6:56:34 GMT
If Trump is finally going to be arrested for hush payments to a porn actress, that's like nabbing Al Capone on tax evasion charges. Does none of the more serious stuff count?
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Post by bjd on Mar 31, 2023 6:48:19 GMT
Whatagain, the book I'm reading is in French: L'Ange de Munich. Not as witty as Philip Kerr, but not bad.
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Post by bjd on Mar 31, 2023 6:44:19 GMT
I wonder if the fact that there are fancy buildings mixed with plainer ones and small individual dwellings all dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries means that there was more of a social mixture in Parisian neighbourhoods then than there was later on. This refers of course to the outer arrondissements, not so much to the 8th or 7th. Since there were small shops everywhere and people doing all kinds of jobs not far from home, this would make sense.
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 18:04:46 GMT
Tino Rossi French actor and singer of a most annoying Christmas song
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 18:00:04 GMT
Portugal Pleasant country that shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 17:57:28 GMT
I found an interesting book at the charity shop: The Angel of Munich by Fabiano Massimi. It's set in Munich in 1931 and Hitler's niece is found dead in the apartment she shares with him. Two policemen are put on the case, then it has to be wrapped up quickly, reopened by Himmler...
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 17:53:35 GMT
Don't complain -- it was 28° here and just too warm for the season. At 8pm it's still 24°.
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 17:51:37 GMT
I'm assuming the word 'donceles" on the WC sign means women. Interesting because "donzelle" is an old French word for a young woman.
I like your first dress picture -- with the very fancy dress on one side and the young woman dressed in normal clothes right beside.
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 5:47:15 GMT
Yesterday it was 24°, today's forecast is 27°C before it cools off some this weekend.
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 5:45:48 GMT
Yesterday I dug my son’s vegetable garden Not a fan of "no dig", Mick?
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Post by bjd on Mar 29, 2023 5:44:45 GMT
I occasionally make a something similar to a shepherd's pie, most recently a few weeks ago when there were a lot of us at the table. I use ground beef because it's easier to find than lamb and anyway, I don't like the smell of cooking lamb, which is really expensive.
I put mashed potatoes on top with some extra butter added to make the top nice and brown. Only add any vegetables other than onions or garlic if I need some filler. Last time I added corn under the potatoes by special request.
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Post by bjd on Mar 28, 2023 8:53:10 GMT
Me too. I associate the word "Clignancourt" just with the flea market.
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Post by bjd on Mar 28, 2023 6:23:00 GMT
And look at Dracula at the back left.
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Post by bjd on Mar 28, 2023 6:21:42 GMT
Sorry to hear about the allergy, htmb, but it's good that you found out quickly what it was.
re penicillin. My husband, who didn't know he had any allergies, had a reaction (hives) to penicillin prescribed by a dentist after an abcess was removed. When he went to tell her, she first said it wasn't the penicillin itself (amoxilline or something) but the additives, but the rash went away as soon as he stopped taking the drug. Since then, I have talked to other people allergic to the same drug but fortunately there are others available.
And congratulations on the wedding and new family members.
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