They've arrived over there too?!! Bah.

I don't understand why people avoid trick-or-treaters - I love seeing the little ones with more creative costumes. Though I can't stand the teenagers who expect candy and clearly haven't put any thought into it...

Yup. What's more we have our own indigenous halloween (or all souls) tradition. Souling Plays.

Because it is an American tradition and was unheard of over here until a few years ago. We celebrate bonfire night on 5th November, so Halloween is totally unnecessary. It also tends to be gangs of unruly teenagers who do it rather than cute toddlers dressing up with parents supervising.

... and there is something very creepy about celebrating the last day the souls of the recently dead spend on Earth, and their last chance to take revenge on their enemies before they pass over to the next world.

You might understand if you'd had the bad experiences we had here a few years ago. The little kiddles are not a problem. Rampaging teenagers (yes, with parents in tow!) who are willing to damage a visitor's car .... I could go on but don't have time now.

We held a Hallowe'en alternative party at the church. Sixty plus children (all in brightly coloured non-scary clothes). A great time was had by all.
Never had any trouble from trick or treaters myself but I know a lot of older or vulnerable people who are always scared this time of year. My neighbour turns her lights out and hides out the back of her house ever since a couple of children squirted washing up liquid in her face a few years ago.

Another rather more daring pensioner I know hands out a goody bag containing healthy snacks, a toothbrush and a Christian tract. No one has taken any revenge on her yet - but I think she gets fewer children calling these days.

I always quite used to enjoy the odd healthy bits, my friends dad always gave out satsumas every year, I loved it! Needless to say that many didn't!

No posts on Viva Percussion since late August...

When something is supposed to take "10 days to two weeks", at what point can you phone up and ask where they've got to (it's now three weeks and one day)?


Also, completely unrelated, I have just sent a rather complicated enquiry to Orange regarding merging accounts, changing package and invoking a discount, all in one go. Wonder what the chances are of them answering all my questions in one go (I did number them!)

Now




Orange broadband user here : I think you might get a reply to all three - customer service has markedly improved in the last couple of years

Just thought I had to post here because it's my 3000th post!

15 days.

Well done, Susie!

There should be separate, sealed and isolated carriages for those who insist on travelling with colds, flu and other contagious lurgies, so the rest of us don't have to catch them.

(You might guess that I am on a train. )

SB

Or they could scrub everyone down with bleach and issue contamination suits to all travellers.

Or they should be made to feel it's ok for them to stay at home in bed until they've recovered without the fear of losing their jobs hanging over their head

A wise social comment on one of the many things wrong with our society.

To think that only a generation or two ago, even in London, a family needed only one bread-winner, and their income would buy a house, and feed, clothe, entertain and keep warm a family ... nowadays it takes two highly paid professionals to afford the mortgage on a small flat in a part of the same London house.

I've just past 35000...

Is that the sign of a mis-spent middle age? Or perhaps a well spent one?

Ive noticed that Barry often exceeds 50 posts in a day, how does he have the time ???

Er...I wouldn't describe Baz as 'middle-aged'...

Maybe in a few years

at only a few years older than me, I wouldn't say he's middle-aged either

I like you....



...and you need to behave...


...and I like you too

He's got a time turner like Hermione in Harry Potter Book 3.

The definition of middle aged - always a few years older than me!

I like it...

Can I divorce my cat?

Only if you're married to it

Well, I feed her.... try to amuse her. Want her to sit on my lap..... but she doesn't like me. Unreasonable behaviour would be the grounds.
She was cuddled on DS's lap. I enter. She comes up to me and bites me.
She even sits on parents of pupils lap.
Today she tried to wee in my music room. One step too far- sabotaging my job.
Is she jealous of me?
Nah- she takes me for granted. I am the one who feeds her!
DS says she doesn't like me as I keep threatening to kill her!

Oh yes... she tries to trip me up too!

Oops! Sorry! Having now realised that Barry was born after he joined the forums, I guess he must be still in his infancy!

Apologies, Barry - I have met you, so have no excuse other than your wise and supportive posts making you sound older than you are.

I can't decide if the cost of taking MCTS exams, to become MCITP qualified, will benefit my career enough to be worth the cost.

Try ignoring her - apart from feeding her, of course. Cats being contrary animals, she might well decide she would like your attention. Failing that buy a bottle of Felifriend - or it might be Feliway - I can't remember which is which! One is for putting on cats, the other for the furniture etc

If all else fais stop threatening to kill her and threaten to get a dog !

Next semester's course offerings are up... with such a source of distraction, how am I supposed to finish work for the courses I'm currently enrolled in?

Finally remembered to phone them up and ask (day 24). They are looking in to it and calling me back...breath not being held!

They phoned back

It's my main recorder (treble 440) that's been off for revoicing. They phoned back and said that their repairman has been in hospital, but now he is out and he is working on it Right Now. Anyway, it should be ready Monday, which means it will be back in the London shop on Thursday-at-the-latest. Great, I said, are you open over the weekend, what with it being Greenwich and all? Yes, they said, we are open. So I said I would pop in and collect it when I'm practically passing by, and they said well, we could take it to Greenwich for you. So, as long as it is at the London shop by Thursday afternoon, they will take it to Greenwich and I can collect it when I am there on Friday - all works out rather well (except now I need to decide on which day to take off to go in to a rather specialist bookbinders to get an early 18th century (not-music-related) book rebound. Was going to do it the same day as I went to pick up recorder, but definitely won't be able to fit it in with Greenwich as well. Would do it Monday, but I've just logged in and my boss has logged out of work, so I probably can't do that really. Will ponder though, as I have nothing to actually do at the moment [all in testing], it may well be fine for me to do that...)

youtube isn't playing nicely:(

naughty youtube : go and stand in the corner

Anyway it is working fine for me.

Working for me now too, unfortunately

TF1 opening sequences, anyone?

*still plots revenge*

*gulp again*

Dear Tesco...

...the excessive re-arranging of stock is not going to make me buy more food. I have in fact bought less and will be going to Iceland tomorrow because I couldn't find half the things I was looking for...

Seriously, why would anyone take AS Physics?

I got 3% for a third year seniors (year 9 in new speak) internal physics exam. I think that was because I wrote my name very neatly at the top of the paper I'm generally hopeless at science...

.......err, because Physics is brilliant and fascinating. Who wouldn't want to know the secrets of the universe?

You must have had the wrong teacher Barry.

I had three physics teachers : none were able to make me any better at the subject. Couldn't understand much of it at all, eventually lost interest and wanted shot of it and all the other sciences as soon as possible...

Surprised I actually got a C in science GCSE. I was just as hopeless as you Mr Clari.