Vagabond

Even older is the practice of sending engineering apprentices and the like to the stores and telling them to ask for a long stand. After keeping them waiting for half an hour the storeman would ask if they had stood long enough It used to work on the younger newcomers to the Bluebell Railway - some even didn't cotton on in response to the storeman's question !

First outing since October - age and various infirmities kept me away from fishing, but Norma and I did toddle out for a short session on a local pond yesterday. Not a lot caught, just perch and rudd, but it was a glorious day, early spring flowers a-flowering (celandine, wood anemone, primrose and cuckoo flower). Nuthatch calling loud enough for me to hear and in the sky a red kite - they became common in West Sussex last year, but this is the furthest east we have seen one. Thursday we had a non-fishing outing to a local reservoir and saw the first Little Ring Plover (3 birds) of the spring.

Sounds about right. "There are holes in the sky ,where the rain gets in, They are very very small, That's why rain is thin" Spike Milligan

I think everyone "knows" that a pair of polarizing spectacles will aid in spotting fish in the water. Certainly hack angling writers have written enough articles about the subject. I have always taken that received wisdom with a pinch of salt. Why ? ...... because I personally, during a long fishing life, have always picked up fish in the water pretty well, and on the odd occasion when a companion has suggested I try his Polaroids, have found they made little or no difference. So, I rarely spoke about this, as everyone else told me I was wrong - I knew I was right, but kept my own counsel. Now, had I snuffed it in my seventies, The secret would have died with me. But here I am, having lived long enough to develop cataracts in both eyes. Last November I had the cataract (the more serious of the two ) in my right eye removed and a plastic lens substituted, I am still waiting for the other eye to be fixed. So far, so good. One of the first things I noticed was the brilliance of the colours seen through my new lens - especially at the blue end of the spectrum. Looking at hazy blue sky and closing my right eye , the cataract-affected left eye is telling me the sky is a wish-washy dull yellowish drab. Shut the left eye and observe the sky with my "new" plastic-lensed right eye, and lo and behold the sky is definitely blue. I could hardly get over this novelty, and now observe most things by closing one eye or the other and observing the changes in colour and intensity. OK, easily explained by the cloudiness (and possible pigmentation) of the cataracts.and no great discovery. Now the spooky bit. The sun was shining the other morning, and we had half-opened a window, so the sun was caching it at an angle, causing a glint - something I had barely noticed before. Shut one eye, then open it and shut the other - yes, big difference, I could see the garden clearly through the angled glass with my left eye (and developing cataract) but with my right eye and its fancy lens, all I could see was a reflection of the early morning sun. A visit to a body of water confirmed the same holds good for a water surface. So, what is the explanation ? Bearing in mind polarization is a uni-directional thing - like the slats in a Venetian blind ie two polarizing filters one behind the other can be rotated with respect to each other so as to bring the "mini-slats" at mutual right angles and extinguish all light - Geologists of my generation used a polarising microscope with a rotating polar filter to identify rock minerals - some of which show polarity and some not. So postulating that I carry a polarising gene is a bit far fetched. Perhaps because I spent so much time stalking trout in my youth the cause is nurture rather than nature. Either way, once my second cataract is removed and a plastic lens substituted, then my ability to spot fish in the water will be diminished. I will have to join the rest of the human race and buy a pair of polarising specs ! Comments from anyone familiar with the biophysics of polarised light would be useful NB My spell checker objected to "polarising" with an "s", - insisting on the American "z" - until I got fed up and ignored it.

Steve Re post #10 I noticed the Telegraph specified Moroccan youths as the attackers. That puzzled me, as in many Arab countries I have visited (including Morocco), males holding hands whilst walking along the street is a common sight. There is some sort of inconsistency here, but I don't pretend to know what is behind it.

I note that what seem to be the common views of this group is that they all dislike Jeremy Corbyn, and all seem to favour a second referendum - the so-called "people's vote" None has so far done the honorable thing and resigned their seat, stand as an independent, and allow a "people's vote" to chose their representative.

Some years ago, the weather spot on a news bulletin had to be postponed, When the embarrassed weatherman finally appeared, he apologised, giving as excuse "We were celebrating Fahrenheit's birthday" Loved it !

Fished the Darling some years ago hoping for a Murray Cod. My heart sank as soon as I saw the colour of the river - a thick milky yellow, just like the colour of commercial carp puddles. Sure enough it was a carp a chuck and nothing else until I found a clear water tributary - still no Murray Cod (too small a stream ?) but I did get a rare Trout Cod from it and a few other Australian percids. The fish deaths reported do not surprise me, and one could predict that the Australian native fish would succumb to the lowered oxygen levels before the carp. An ironic coincidence is that the original stockings of carp were alleged to be done under the auspices of a chap by surname Pratt

As I said in post #90 I reached my conclusions about the age of 9 (that would be circa 1943 ) What I actually said was something like "The trouble with this world is that at least 70% of the people in it don't know their job" That was a result of comparing junior school teachers' general knowledge with my own. Sturgeon's Law was not published (according to your quote) until 1956 It looks as if people took more notice of that cocky little sod from Hemsby than I realised.

I think I was about 9 years old when I came to the conclusion that the world's troubles could be traced to the fact that 70% of the population were dickheads (or whatever we called them in those less polite days) 75 years later I realise I had the situation about right, but overestimated the average intelligence - your 90% is much nearer the mark. The 90% applies at all levels, from roadsweepers through dog-walkers to Ministers of the Crown. The procedure post-Brexit should have been carefully planned starting from the morning after the referendum - instead we look like getting last-minute panic action in the few weeks we have left before March 29th

Yes indeed, good cheer to all, as the sun begins its return to the northern hemisphere. I have declared a feast-day for family and friends.

Yep, agree with Snakey (#3) and Steve (#4) The technology has been around for around a decade. That is what led to the suggestion in my final paragraph in #1 Whether the cause for the disinterest in airport protection was complacency, parsimony or sheer incompetence (or all three) whoever was responsible for keeping airports safe was not doing their job. At least one airport security chief agrees with me - he has just stated the adventure has done the air industry a favour in providing a wake-up call "without serious consequence" (well, no loss of life or injury - just over 100,000 thoroughly p*ssed-off would-be travelers) Stop Press "Two arrests" but littler else since. I would advise against going bird-watching with binoculars in West Sussex in the immediate future

Any theories ? Terrorists ? Anti-new-runway "environmentalists" ? Mischievous geek doing it because he can ? Someone with a real or imagined grudge out to wreck the British economy ? or.... If someone had just invented a system to protect airports from drone attacks, what better way to bring the problem to world attention and thus ensure a prosperous future for his product ? Come on Chesters, and the rest of you -- what do you think ?

Re the dead squirrel It probably attracted both flies (hence maggots) and fur-eating moths (hence caterpillars) on its own account, apart from the church fabrics, I have shot enough squirrels and used the tails as a source of fly-tying material during the last 70 years or so to be well aware of the depredations moths can make on fur and feather if one neglects to keep them in an air-tight container.

The chrysalis of the carpet moth is very like that of a pinkie at first glance. If you leave natural fibres and dead squirrels lying around you might well get both. The church probably harbours mice,bats, silverfish, woodworm and death watch beetle as well .

Very true Andrew - see my post #17 this thread, prticularly the last paragraph

.....for a snifter ? Well here's one. Y'all have heard my boast of having six children and ten grandchildren before, but now there is a great-grandson to add to the list. I taught all ten grandchildren to fish, and am looking forward to teaching the next generation, So raise your glass to young Jack ..... .

Back to the original question, "Shall we stay or leave?" The answer according to May seems to be that we do neither, So every Leaver and every Remainer is going to be thoroughly hissed. No wonder it is suggested we make the hedgehog our national emblem.

When faced with having to help someone with a disability, it strikes me that a modicum of common sense and pragmatism is required , from both the disabled person and the helper. For example one group of science students I taught had a chap in a wheel chair, and a weekly session in an upstairs laboratory (Victorian building - no lift) Solved in two seconds- four volunteers from amongst his fellows to carry the chair and occupant up and down once a week. No "humiliation" involved. Just a pragmatic solution that all concerned accepted as routine. Of course we could have started a campaign to rebuild the university - but how would that have "helped" the immediate need of the student which was to get enough lab experience to pass his forthcoming exam. Another chap had visual difficulties in looking down a polarising microscope. So with the aid of some lab clamps and stands and a projecter lens I rigged the microscope horizontally so it projected an image onto the white wall beside his lab bench. Problem solved without the hassle and delay of ordering a special projector. The most challenging was a blind lady geology student (who wound up better able to identify rocks by feeling their textures than most students could by using their sight) It taught me a lot also, as I had to rethink many concepts in order to explain them to a non-sighted person.. One snag was the continued attempts of a "counselor" who wanted to grab some kudos from "getting involved" She wanted to organise a convention of blind students - theology, arts, social sciences. languages, sciences, catering, business studies etc etc. Linda soon put her right. " Why do you think I need to relate to other blind students ?" she said, "I know as much as I need about being blind, I have been blind from birth, travel daily to a job in the city and run my household, including shopping - the students I enjoy meeting are fellow geology students with the same academic problems as I have" I have rarely seen a counselor so lost for words............ As I get older and progress towards disability I will take any help that's useful. Hearing aid and reading spectacles I use without considering them an embarrassment, I need a stick to walk a short distance (like to my swim) and a mobility scooter to travel more than about 100 yards, No doubt things will get worse with age but I will not be "humiliated" by such trivia, If I need to be pushed in a wheel chair through an air port so be it. I was wheeled into and out of hospital last week following a cataract removal.. I was left briefly in a corridor, and approached by a busybo do-gooder and asked if I needed help. Rather mischievously I replied "Well, I'm waiting for my wife - unless I get a better offer"

In my trout/bass/salmon/cod catching days I had a similar problem with freezers. Wound up with two of maximum size and no room for the car in the garage..... Yes, I know, buy another garage

Begging at best, demanding goods with menaces at worst.

Not really, else they ripen faster than we eat them - greeny-red tomatoes waiting on a widow sill are a good form of short term storage. Fridge space is at a premium here !

This last week we harvested the last of our outdoor tomato crop ("Sun Gold" variety according to our nurseryman). Not only the latest we have ever picked tomatoes, but no trace of blight on the leaves whatsoever. We have eaten a lot of them this summer, made many jars of chutney, and there is still a bowlful of green-red tomatoes ripening on the kitchen windowsill. Been a good year for carrots an' all.

I have never heard it called a "lark's head" either, but have been using it for years for attaching peacock quill bottom only (and long before the term "waggler" was invented) Just a nylon loop whipped to the bottom of the peacock. if a wind sprang up whilst using a top-and-bottom porc, then off comes the porcupine (held by two valve rubber slices which get left on the line), On goes the peacock by this "lark's head", knot, adjust the shotting, and you quickly have the sunken line set-up to the float to beat the wind. You have to remember to recover the two valve rubber slices at the end of the session and pop them back on the porc. The picture does look a bit clumsy for attaching a small hook though - how do you thread a loop through the eye of (say) a #18 ? The grinner (aka uni) is quick and easy enough. John has the better idea of attaching via swivel and hook length

Good idea, but a policy of "put down the owners, rehabilitate the dogs" wouldn't get past our snowflake politicians. Allied to which, such breeds being discussed here are inherently dangerous for the reasons Ken states and rehabilitation may be impractical if not impossible