The Retirement Thread

[Deleted member 1258]

As opposed to the problem with ITV & CH5, their funding model is such that they DO have to actually succeed at attracting an audience!

When I was setting up my Freesat box I accidentally deleted those 2 channels. It took me about 18 months to notice that they were not available!

I will stick to walking/cycling to Lidl and paying £1.10 for 2.27 litres (27.5 p/pint)!


Aargh, something is leaking round the blackout curtains. I think it is... DAYLIGHT!!


Dave is nice too, but a bit forgetful. The second or third time I met him was at an Audax event from Meriden (between Coventry and Birmingham) to the Cotswolds. I spotted a cuddly little bearded man sitting across the room at event HQ. Ah, that's Dave, thought I, and wandered over to have a chat. He seemed startled by the tall stranger...

To be fair you had been ill since I last saw you, and had lost a bit of weight.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Doesn’t help that the background music is sometimes a bit loud in some programmes. Turning the sound up doesn’t help as the music just gets louder too.

I recently discovered that our telly has several sound settings buried deep in the menu sub system. One of the options was " Clear Speech 3" ( I do wonder what happened to versions one and two ) We switched that on and it does help. A a lot of flat TV's are lacking in sound quality as they tend to be too slim for decent speakers ( plus the manufacturer can flog you an add on Soundbar )
More variable is the sound quality between programs with some being pretty dire. I recently read a film review where the reviewer remarked on the poor audio quality. On querying this he was told this had been a conscious decision as the Director felt that the audience would have to concentrate more and by concentrating they would better appreciate the film 🤔
I pop subtitles on from time to time if the audio is poor. They are also very helpful if you are trying to pick up a language, I watched the series " Deutschland '83" when I started learning German, after a while you sort to pick up the cadence of the language and still follow the plot via the sub titles.

 

[Paulus]

I am thinking of buying a bluetooth portable speaker, so I can play music from my phone etc with some quality. Any recommendations?

 

[pawl]

Yes there must be more to it, surely ???

Does seem excessive unless there is more to it. Pity those cops weren’t around when some bloke called Cummings was galavanting around Barnard Castle

 

[Dirk]

I am thinking of buying a bluetooth portable speaker, so I can play music from my phone etc with some quality. Any recommendations?

I use a KS Boombar in the caravan. Only cost about 25 quid. Works well.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I am thinking of buying a bluetooth portable speaker, so I can play music from my phone etc with some quality. Any recommendations?

If you are happy shopping with Amazon, Anker is a very reliable brand that is good value for money. They have a range of Bluetooth speakers to suit most budgets. Excellent customer service too should any issues arise.

It's worth pointing out that if you do have an Amazon account then setting your Amazon Homepage to " Smile.Amazon.co.uk means that a small percentage of the cost of your purchases goes to a nominated charity. There is a choice of several charities and you choose which one you want to benefit ( I chose MSF )

 

[12boy]

The forecast was dry till next week so there was a skiff of snoo last night. What's Snoo, you ask? Nuttin much.
Believe I will ride today after breakfast core and stretches. Ridden 4 times so far in Jan, coming to sixty miles. Average speed around 8 mph. I will blame headwinds and studded snows etc etc. Seems to be a lot harder work than the speed and distances should warrant. As your great British poet once said "what a drag it is gettiing old".
One benefit of advanced age is you have been around the block a time or two. A couple of recessions, a Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam war, HIV, the assassination of one president, forced resignation of another, obvious senility in a third while in office......my kids are understandably upset about the Capitol s***t show, and while it's truly horrific we will survive it and perhaps be wiser in the future. Probably not, though.
Be well and safe. For those of us with ailing partners, I hope for their health and yours, too, of course.

 

[PaulSB]

Jeez. Unless there’s more to the story, this sounds a bit excessive given what’s gone on in some areas!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814

Whatever you do don't post that in the How Local is Local thread, might cause someone to blow a gasket.

 

[Juan Kog]

Whatever you do don't post that in the How Local is Local thread, might cause someone to blow a gasket.

Oh go on Paul dive back in . If nothing else it will provide your fellow retiree’s with some entertainment.

 

[PaulSB]

Oh go on Paul dive back in . If nothing else it will provide your fellow retiree’s with some entertainment.

Well I might a bit later..........it's Friday night which means it's G&T night!!! 😉

I've just had a long snowy walk, cuppa tea and now I need a snooze.

 

[ColinJ]

I can see why police are trying to discourage people travelling to exercise, but that kind of treatment is going to upset a lot of people.

My stepdaughter lives in Birmingham and wants to walk her dog somewhere nice but his walking range isn't even enough to get to the nearest park and back so they would have to be walking round city streets all the time. She was planning to do 3-5 mile drives to scenic spots at quiet times of day, not see anybody, and walk him somewhere more pleasant.

Doesn’t help that the background music is sometimes a bit loud in some programmes. Turning the sound up doesn’t help as the music just gets louder too.

I watched old movie 'Local Hero' the other night. It was recorded with the technology of the early 1980s and boy was it obvious! These days movie sound is typically crystal clear. On that movie, the sound quality was muffled, and a lot of the cast were mumbling in Scottish accents. I am generally okay with them*** but not when mumbled. I kept turning the volume up only to be blasted a few seconds later. Those of you who have seen the film may remember that every now and then RAF jet aircraft would roar past on low-level training flights - I almost jumped off the sofa every time!

*** Half my family are of west coast Highlands and Islands heritage; Glaswegian accent excepted!

To be fair you had been ill since I last saw you, and had lost a bit of weight.

Oh, if it was post-illness, that would definitely account for it - I lost about 30 kg (5 stone; 70 pounds) in a year!

(Embarrassing photo time!)

From this fat cyclist...

To this scrawny one...

The baggy grey gilet that I was wearing in photo #2 had been sitting in a drawer for over 10 years because I hadn't been able to get into it before I got ill! Actually, my hands had been too fat to get those Planet X gloves on too... I knew that my belly was fat, but I hadn't realised how much fat was on my forearms and hands!

I'm a more comfortable weight in between now. A little bit TOO comfortable though - I'll have to lose some of it again!

 

[Mo1959]

Only just getting dark now the sky is so clear. Going to be a cold night by the looks of it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If they will surround someone walking 5 miles from home I wonder how they would react to a cyclist 10 miles from home

especially if he was old and overweight - they might just assume you couldn't possibly be 'exercising locally' because of the distance - note my username at this point!!!

If I was givena fine based on that I would take it to court and make them argue why it is banned - but then I can be pig headed at times

 

[ColinJ]

I am not cycling while there is still ice about, but once I do go out again I will think about how far to venture. I was a bit over-cautious last spring/summer but I can't afford to pay a £200 fine. That is about 15% of my available cash!

A 10 km (6.3 mile) radius of here would be pretty good. A 16 km (10 mile) radius would allow me to do some excellent rides. A 5 km (3.2 mile) radius would be a bit of a pain.

 

[welsh dragon]

We can expect snow here by 6 pm.