Plenty of scantily-clad Hill's Angels around, and the interviewer introduced himself as Mr. Frederick Scuttle

There is such a thing as shadow writing. Perhaps SF doesn't write as much of his own material as we are led to think? His name sells books, however.

Well it does not surprise me. I made the mistake of buying the said book. It is a rubbish book, made worse by being written in an intensely annoying, fake jokey/chatty style. Cashing in on a famous name and an unwarranted reputation as a polymath genius. He should stick to acting.

I completely agree

And presenting. QI is a great show

Anybody remember John Shuttleworth?

'Karen plays the recorder, and plays pretty tunes to order'

'Mary had a little lamb. Green beans and new potatoes'

'I'm a serial cereal eater'

A.U.K... thinking of you... as I have acquired a poncho. It's only plain black wool though. My office gets very cold and drafty so in the Christmas sales I purchased this item of apparel at a knockdown price.

Am a fan.

Never mind Blur and Oasis, the real battle of the bands was between Sidebottom and Shuttleworth, Manchester and Sheffield!

Austin Ambassadors used to be made on a site less than half a mile from where I live!

Quorn Burgers, very tasty and very filling. Never had them before!

It's as quiet as a mouse on here tonight, innit???

Funny you should say that ....!

SQUEAK

My original post was 'it's as quiet as a mouse that's lost it's squeak'.

Wanna play Mornington Crescent with myself!

Before I went on holiday I emptied my purse of all the extra cards and bits that I wouldn't need, including my Company Credit Card, rather than take them with me.

I put them somewhere very safe...

(you can probably guess the rest )

glad and relieved that's all over. I hate going there and I hate my inlaws, apart from my late father in law, and my mother in law who'se wasting away in the most miserablest of places. I did cry today but I don't really want to discuss the reasons.

I am going to the gym stupidly early today. It is the first time I have been on my own and am quite terrified. I have had an induction but still all very new. Going early to avoid loads of people. I know it isn't difficult but makes me self-conscious!

I detest going to the gym as I am a very heavy sweater, plus I have manboobs and hair where there shouldn't be hair. I prefer a lovely bracing walk in the English countryside, or a bit of gardening when the weather's nice.

That's a difficult act to follow, Dave.

The problem is, I like doing exercise first thing, and at the moment, it is dark when I want to go. Hopefully for not much longer.

I remember feeling that way - I was terrified that people were watching me and laughing at my mismatched kit or lack of technique. Now that I've been an irregular gym-goer for a few years... when I'm there, I just want to run / cycle / do press-ups and if I'm doing it properly, I don't have the energy to watch other people.

Good luck!

Yes, I think that is the same with everyone. I also choose the equipment which is next to a wall or free on one side so I don't feel so sandwiched in.

Going to gyms and swimming pools in council leisure centres are totally free here in Birmingham provided you live in the city. But in spite of that I still don't want to go. I do have an appointment with our health centre's trainer on Monday morning to do with my weight loss.

I'd rather wear a corset than bare my manboobs or those hairy bits in public!

I have just cleaned the bathroom. It was overdue and needed doing. My husband is at work. Firstly, will he notice when he comes in? Secondly, if he does I wonder what he will say. If he says "Well done" he might just get a slap (or at least have it pointed out that since this bathroom was fitted six months ago, it's been cleaned by not-me precisely once). Though if he says "Well done, thank you" he will probably be fine.

This has led me on to a further realisation. It is my niece's birthday on Tuesday. She will be 11. Her brother will be 16 in June. I have never, ever had a thank you or even an acknowledgment of a birthday or Christmas present from either of them. Oh, except the one Christmas I was there and gave them presents in person!
Now, I don't for a moment imagine they aren't grateful. Just nobody tells me. I do remember the hours of torture writing thank you notes when I was young, and I wouldn't want to put them through that. But it'd be nice to know in some way or another.
Actually, it's probably not the kids. It's probably just never occurred to my brother to pass on any thanks or a description of present opening joy

Well, bathroom cleaned, various errands run, time to warm up some recorders!

That really is too much information!

Why on earth not? 10 minutes of torture for the child will mean such a lot to the giver of the present. I made mine write thank you letters, and yes, they hated it, but even now when they get a present from their one remaining ancient relative I still ask them if they've written (or phoned) to thank her. They are 28 and 25 years old.

It's also good for the child to realise that if they write and thank granny/auntie/uncle etc, then this will almost guarantee a nice present next time. If they don't say thank you then I would be reluctant to send another present.

My nieces (via brother 1) have always been good at saying "thank you". When they were younger it was usually thank you letters / cards and I'm pretty sure instigated by their mother. Now they're older (19 and 22) they tend to thank me via text or facebook or maybe a phone call. I don't mnd - it isn't the medium or how much effort they've put into it that 's important to me, and the advantage of text / facebook is that I'll tend to get a very immediate reaction as opposed to something a couple of days later.

My nephews (via brother 2) aren't very good. When I do receive thanks I think it's often prompted by my mother because I've whinged to her. It's my elfer nephew's 14th birthday at the end of the month and part of me thinks he'll get his birthday present when he's thanked me for Christmas!

Thinking about it, they'd have a total of three aunts to write to. I had anything up to 14 to write to, along with four sets of grandparents (steps on both sides, you see) - it did take hours

My mother is visiting us this evening, and then off to my brother next week. I will see if I can work out a way to word it to her, so that she can pass something on but absolutely not tell off my brother about it!

I remember being encouraged to keep a pad and pencil next to me when opening Christmas presents to write down who bought what. The thank you letters were a necessary chore to be done before New Year. I hated trying what to think to write in each of them once 'thank you for the lovely toy' had to be replaced with 'thank you for your generous voucher I will use it to buy x y or z'

It is just good manners to say thank you. I don't mind if it's a phonecall text or email.

I recieved several small gifts from my partner's family this year. It rather caught me by suprise (my extended family has a general rule that you don't give gifts unless you're in the same room on Christmas Day!) and its driving me scatty that I've not been able to send thanks, because I don't have contact details for any of these various elderly aunts and grandmothers. I have to be honest, I would be hard placed to put faces to all the names on the labels: So far though, I've only met these people at large family gatherings, where I'm introduced to so many that I loose track!

Of course, it doesn't help that at these family gatherings I have learnt to avoid being cornered by anyone female and eldery because of the dreaded conversation that tends to crop up:

"So... how long have you and *boyfriendone* been together now?"

"Erm... 5 years..."

"Oh! Oh... So, have you thought about getting engaged?"



And now they're all sending me gifts.

Misti - I am an old hand at answering such questions, my answers range over:

"No."

"Maybe when I feel like it."

"I'm holding out for a rich husband"

(I do however usually get asked only by people I know relatively well, so I can take the ____ a bit...)

Good luck

Don't worry it'll only be a year or so before they change to asking about kids instead.

Ed Miliband is a nauseating little chode. he hasn't a clue how to 'oppose' anything. But Ed Balls is a hundred times worse.

*faints clean away*

To be honest, I have an evil alternative to some of Corenfa's suggestions. Boyfriend-one has a cousin who is a couple of years older than us, and has a girlfriend who endures similar conversations. I have been known to say things like:

"Oh, I think *cousin* and *cousin's girlfriend* will get their first..."

Which usually sends the elderly relation flouncing off to interrogate the cousin's girlfriend!

I am utterly convinced that some members of the family are running a sweepstake as to who will actually get their first!

If I'm feeling really mean, I say: "Mmm, I think you need to ask *boyfriend-one* about that!" For some reason I haven't quite sussed out, none of them seem to dare do this!

By contrast, my own family are reasonably good. My parents have only mentioned that its a leap year this year once.

I cannot possibly do any piano practise today as it's far too cold in the piano room even with the heating on. My hands are blue with cold also.

My mother wins the award for that. Around the time of leap day 2008, I lost my job. I phoned home to share this news. There was a brief silence on the phone and then she asked: "It's February 29 soon, are you going to get married?"



I actually think that since she wasn't expecting to hear this, her mouth just sprang into action and filled in the blank with the first words that the brain thought up.

Get their first what? Child?

I will not be dictated to as to my conversation. I was very restrained and forbore to mention the M word when son and girlfriend were around for a couple of days recently. But why should I be gagged when he freely says things like : "..you're getting to the age now when you just don't notice things like cobwebs and dead things under the sofa cushions".

This from the arch teen-slob of a few years ago.

:S I keep typing their instead of there at the moment. Its so irritating!

My mother probably feels the same way as you, Mel. On the other hand I am allergic to dust, and I've noticed that I have to dose up on anti-hystamines before visiting my parents!

I could deal with the questions if they were asked in the same spirit as asking "what car do you drive" or "what do you do on weekends" or "how is your job going" - a general "I am interested in your life and you as a person, so I am asking after your welfare", but at least with my relatives (them being Asian) there is always the subtext of "it is time for you to settle down because that's what people do". Sometimes it isn't even subtext, it's explicitly said.

I don't like being made to feel that I am wanting for not conforming to expectations - so I decided that I wasn't going to feel that way any more, and I just give silly answers now.

I assumed you were married!. You havementioned a 'Mr Corenfa' in previous posts. Which brings us back to a conversation somewhere on the forum recently about who takes who's name after the wedding......

Hehe, I have mentioned mr C, but it's just a way of indicating the relationship. I don't like saying OH or DH and "boyfriend" makes me feel like I ought to be fifteen and hiding behind bike sheds.

Edit - I'm not at all bothered if people assume I'm married, I only mind if I say I'm not and get asked why not! Similar to how some of my more religious friends ask me why I'm not Christian.

I don't like the phrase boyfriend either: Its doesn't very accurately reflect the status of a 5 year relationship: And makes me feel like I'm still a tween.

I used to use partner, but then I discovered that somehow this led to people assuming I had a female partner, which has been awkward at times!

My grandparents feel I'm slightly improper for having lived with boyfriend-one outside marriage, but I think they're used to the idea by now! I guess they can't quite get over their strict catholic upbringing. The rest of my family are just curious: I don't feel any questions are driven by the need to drop hints.

One of my friends has recently returned to China as her work visa had expired. She had a long term partner in the UK, but they didn't feel ready to marry. Her mother was livid. "If he cared about you, he'd have married you so you could stay" etc. Her mother had therefore lined up a shortlist of potential suitors for when she got home, and was emailing photographs and career details through to her daughter. We tried to laugh about it, but my friend was really worried about how much the pressure would be on once she got home. I think my friend was planning to try and maintain her relationship in the UK, just as an excuse to fend off her mother's plotting!

Families can be complete nightmares. Hubby and me got asked so many times "When are you getting married?".

Now that we are married it's "When are you having children?"... Surprisingly, I'm not overly concerned about my mother in law's ticking biological clock

What has five letters and is not a diary, a blog, a psychiatrist, a confessional or real life?

I can think of a few different words that fit, but this is the Random Thoughts or Comments thread, in a sub-forum designated for off topic dicussion. Hopefully discussing a topic in family life that is clearly common to several of us, ought to be unobjectionable here?!

It's not objectionable in the slightest, imo.

Just checking!

Since this is the random thoughts or comments thread, anyone's allowed to say anything including random thoughts or comments about other people's random thoughts or comments. Or so it seems to me.

Indeed. Moreover, since this is the random thoughts or comments thread, thoughts or comments written here don't necessarily relate to other random thoughts or comments on this random thoughts or comments thread...