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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 29, 2020 18:49:09 GMT
Children grow so fast...I used to wait until a week or two before school started to get the boys their shoes and uniform. As for pencils, school bag, pens, pencil cases, geometry sets, etc as soon as they got them they wanted to play with them so things got lost! ..the only things I bought at the start of the holidays were set books..which invariably remained untouched.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 29, 2020 19:00:24 GMT
There will also be huge crowds at the automatic photo booths on Tuesday evening since so many families forget they have to supply ID photos.
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Post by Kimby on Aug 29, 2020 20:21:43 GMT
Back-To-School shopping was always the time I was most glad about choosing not to have kids...
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Post by mossie on Aug 29, 2020 20:41:49 GMT
Don't remind me of the expense.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 31, 2020 0:29:52 GMT
Agree with kimby. To be honest, I've never wanted human children. Perhaps when I was about 3 and playing with my dolls, but I always preferred my feline stuffies. An aunt, far more prosperous than my immediate family, sent me authentic Steiffs, both housecat and wild ones.
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Post by onlyMark on Aug 31, 2020 6:38:01 GMT
I've never wanted human children. For those of us who have had them, you find there are many years and instances when they don't appear to be human at all.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 31, 2020 8:55:10 GMT
oh very good...
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Post by bjd on Aug 31, 2020 11:09:41 GMT
Back-to-school shopping is such a small part of having children. Their advantages greatly outweigh their disadvantages although it's true there are some moments that can be a pain. That might not be the point of view of someone whose kids turn out to be problems, of course. I think we have been extremely lucky.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 31, 2020 11:48:01 GMT
Oh, I know. Buying for la rentrée is only a major problem for parents with little money, and certainly not a reason not to have them. Obviously somebody has to have children to perpetuate the human species, but these days there is really not a baby shortage in the world. I've just never had any desire to do so.
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Post by mickthecactus on Aug 31, 2020 13:10:39 GMT
There’s a shortage in some areas isn’t there? Italy and Japan come to mind.
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 31, 2020 14:51:54 GMT
And Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Taiwan....
Among the countries with the greatest declining populations up to the year 2050 are China, Japan and Russia. In Europe, the most affected countries are Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, Croatia and Lithuania. Of course one of the reasons that their populations are declining is because they don't want to accept immigrants.
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Post by bjd on Aug 31, 2020 16:11:41 GMT
I think one of the problems for little countries like the Baltics or Slovenia was the opening to Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR. They already had small populations and a lot of people went west to earn money and didn't go back once they had settled elsewhere.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 7, 2020 18:51:58 GMT
Had a drive today to visit someone. Drove a familiar route past a typical village from around here (called Espejo, which translates as 'mirror' and I've no idea at the moment why it has that name) - To here (Cordoba) -
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Post by lagatta on Sept 9, 2020 1:41:05 GMT
I'm sure a lot of people would like to settle in pretty Espejo, but they'd need jobs, education for their kids, healthcare and public transport.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 9, 2020 6:34:56 GMT
That's the unfortunate thing about life, you need the practicalities.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 9, 2020 17:49:56 GMT
So pretty! What is that on the hill overlooking Espejo -- a fortress or a castle or something?
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 9, 2020 18:16:41 GMT
Beautiful place...lovely blue sky too A little thing. Jeff and I went to a new supermarket today in Glenfield, about 1.5 miles away. First in-store grocery shop really for months. We went at 0730 so it was quiet. I always judge a supermarket on the quality of the fresh produce...well it was excellent. At the butcher counter I asked for 2 thick fillet steaks, I didnt want the ones on display because they were too thin...so he went into the cold store, found a huge piece of fillet, trimmed it in front o me...asked me where to cut and gave me two beautiful pieces. Cooked them this evening and they were soooo delicious. Might go again. It's not as big as the supermarket we usually use but I was impressed.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 10, 2020 1:54:37 GMT
That sounds lovely. Hope it keeps up the goood customer service. That's a very short drive by car, and I could certainly do it cycling.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 5, 2020 10:01:18 GMT
Going down to the Garden Centre today? Maybe your eye caught a glimpse of some pretty garden stone? Where does your garden place get it from? Arriving from Namibia this week a truckload of garden stone. This is all kinds of pebbles, and different stones sold in garden centres to beautify your footpath or surround your pot plants. It can be possible for the million upon millions of stones to contain a rough diamond and other precious stones…..if you're lucky to spot it!
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 5, 2020 15:52:19 GMT
Well, that is different!
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Post by kerouac2 on Feb 27, 2022 10:25:05 GMT
Returning from picking up a few things at Monoprix, I purposely crossed to the other side of the street to get a better look at our "problem " -- along with about 5 or 6 other locations in the Montmartre geological sector, a sinkhole has appeared in my street and I saw that it is getting worse. They had already closed off the street in that direction "except local traffic" but people who have used the street every day for years are stubborn and keep threading their way through the barricade. Well not anymore. I saw a couple cars try ("I'm smarter than everyone else.") and they had to turn around. I don't know how long it will take to fix the street because it has been partially closed for about three weeks now. The new sinkage implies that the problem is more serious than originally thought. When I bought my flat, I had to get a Montmartre sector geological certificate indicating no chasms had been detected under my building. Well this sinkhole is only about 70 metres away from my building. Maybe the whole neighbourhood will disappear.
While I was "admiring" the old paving stones under the asphalt sinking until they disappeared into darkness, I heard someone calling out, apparently to me. And there SHE was. I hadn't seen her for 2 or 3 years and did not miss her at all -- the old Roma beggar who used to camp out right in front of my building. Right now she is in front of the BNP Paribas agency, but that's probably because of the welcome sunshine on a cold day. She's been begging on my street for at least 15 years and always asked about my mother, whom she had seen me wheeling around from time to time, until I finally told her that there was no mother anymore. This woman looks about 90 years old (and might be only about 70, perhaps even younger -- the streets are not kind), so I had figured that she was dead at last too. She had a lot to tell me. I noticed that she was missing a tooth or two. "Very sick," she said. "Hospital long time, many medicine. Operation here (touches right breast) and here (touches abdomen) and my leg. 10 children and my husband died... right here." On this street? In Paris?
"I hope things get better," I said and hurried along. I did not give her anything. But of course now I'm feeling a bit guilty so I will give her something if I see her again. Nevertheless, if she can survive on the street for (certaonly more than) 15 years with 10 children, she is not doing as bad as she looks. This is not India.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 27, 2022 11:22:21 GMT
Good story. I remember you writing about her.
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Post by kerouac2 on Mar 1, 2022 15:06:49 GMT
On the bus today.
Two old women scamper on board at top speed so they can fight over the handicapped seats. Of course only one manages to get the coveted one facing the front. The other one complains, "I get sick if I face in the wrong direction." "So do I." "I took the train from Paris to Marseille once sitting in the wrong direction and I was sick for two days." They are only going for about 4 stops, so I was tempted to point out that if you compare the two trips, she should only be sick for about 10 seconds. But I keep my mouth shut and the other one grudgingly swaps seats with her.
The previously ill woman suddenly realises that she has forgotten her mask and takes it out of her bag. Puts it on. "They said they were going to stop the masks soon, but I wonder." The other one says "With what's happening now we might be wiped out with atomic bombs." Her companion agrees. "Did you see the Russian on television yesterday? That Khrushchev is crazy!"
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 9, 2022 16:49:32 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Aug 17, 2022 13:43:40 GMT
Fatima, the Tunisian woman who holds court on the bench downstairs every day for at least 10 hours, did not seem fazed by yesterday's rain.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 8, 2022 21:59:22 GMT
I have discovered a new annoyance in Singapore, or at least I never encountered it before. Near the Albert roundabout, there are countless wellness centres, reflexology, massages, beauty institutes, acupuncture, etc. They send young women out into the street to accost potential victims customers.
I am not transcribing their exact words but rather the way they reach my ears.
"Oh you poor ugly man. You need help bad! We can do!" "I'm fine, thank you." "You hideous! Those spots on your face! You can't keep them!" "No, I don't need anything." ...prods my face with finger... "Can take this off, only five dollar!" ...holds up vanity mirror to show me how awful I look... "No thank you." "Only five dollar and then we can do the other spots. You can't live looking so ugly."
You get the picture. But there are several of them, and they all went to convince me of my urgent need for skin care so that I will not destroy the aesthetics of Singapore. It only took me a few minutes to perfect a scowl to send them away. But they have the memory of goldfish and keep coming back because, you know, all white people look alike (Vietnamese and Thai guides have confirmed this to me in the past.).
It isn't really much of an annoyance but back at the hotel it caused me to notice 5 times more spots on my face than I had ever noticed in the past.
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Post by fumobici on Dec 9, 2022 2:36:21 GMT
Exploiting human insecurity is a gold mine!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 5, 2023 22:00:34 GMT
orphans
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 25, 2023 12:27:27 GMT
This morning I went to the Banque de France to exchange a damaged five euro note. It was given to me a couple of days ago at the newsstand, and the very same guy refused it the next day when I tried to get rid of it. Bastard! Anyway, the Banque de France is not very far from my usual cinema so I figured it would be an interesting experience to do an official exchange.
Just to get into the security chamber, I had to buzz the intercom on the street, where a man told me to display my ID card to the little camera window. Okay, thank you. Then I waited for the first security door to open, then it closed behind me and I had to wait for the second door to let me in. I climbed a few steps to the cash window, well protected behind bulletproof glass. The smiling woman requested my ID card and the incriminated banknote, slid out a form to fill in, name, address, telephone, email address, origin of the banknote, signature. The woman was busy on her keyboard at the same time. I imagine they enter the serial number and brief description and whether the police should be called to arrest the customer. Her printer produced a new form for me to sign, and then I was given a pristine five euro note that had never before circulated. "I'm sure that that this procedure costs more than the value of the banknote," she admitted. But she seemed very happy to see me because I was under the impression that for most of the day, she doesn't see a soul.
I could be wrong, though, because I imagine that when the major stores make cash deposits, there must be quite a bit of paper that needs to be taken out of circulation every time. Probably not at that window, though. It might be used by cafés and restaurants with a few bad bills.
Since I have an expired British five pound note that is no longer legal tender, I have renewed enthusiasm for hunting down the Bank of England the next time I am in London to compare the procedures.
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Post by htmb on Jan 25, 2023 13:38:00 GMT
Good luck with that endeavor. You may need to try more than one bank. I successfully exchanged £35 worth of old bills this past October, but the teller told me she really wasn’t supposed to exchange bills, unless I was an account holder, because the deadline had passed. My two friends tried doing the same with £75 about an hour later, at the same bank, and was refused.
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