The Retirement Thread

[PaulSB]

I am awake and feeling knackered, as usual.

I have only left the house to travel a total of about 40 km (25 miles) so far in 2021, about half on my bike and half on foot. Longest ride 6 km, longest walk 3-4 km. I will probably do my slightly extended lumpy singlespeed Lidl/Metro ride later if it dries up as forecast. I NEED the exercise!

I did a short stroll to the station at 22:40 yesterday to pick up a Metro for crossword practice. (I fancied something less taxing than the puzzles that have been frying my brain the past week or so!) And that finally brings me to the subject of the quote above - the Aldi dash.

As mentioned before, Todmorden is finally about to get an Aldi store. Construction has been going on throughout the pandemic. I am sure that virus precautions slowed down progress, however. Opening date is 2 weeks today so the pressure is really on the builders. They were busy rolling the tarmac in the car park last night when I walked past.

There are a few Lidl products that I like enough to make separate trips for if Aldi can't match them but I am sure that I will switch allegiance to Aldi ASAP. No point in doing a 1.5 km walk or ride home with 10-12 kg of shopping when the distance can be reduced to less than half of that.

Ah, I finally feel like I am alert enough to get up and check to see if it the Lidl run is on!

Does life get any better than this...?


I bloody well hope so!

Based on our local Aldi and Lidl I think you'll find them quite different. I've always wondered how one can do a proper "shop" in Lidl, the range is hugely varied but far from comprehensive. Aldi I find offers virtually everything we need bar a few items I have to visit the hated Tesco for every couple of months. Saying that Lidl has things I like which Aldi don't offer.

 

[PaulSB]

Well then, today. Hmmmm. I've done quite a lot but feel strangely dissatisfied with this.

On my short walk today the birds were singing a LOT! Plenty of birdsong all around. I've decided nature knows more about weather than the Met Office. If birds are singing it means spring is on the way.

Turned the 6.00 news on, after 30 seconds I thought "feck it' and switched off.

I'm rather pleased I did this.

 

[Dave7]

I used to do archery as a lad.
Still got a passing interest.
Used to work with a girl who represented England in the Commonwealth Games.

Me also.....in a very amateur way. Had a decent bow, proper arrows, the leather finger thingy and wrist protector...AND a decent target board. Things have certainly moved on when you look at today's gear.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Had a phone call from the Doctors surgery this afternoon. I’ve been booked in for my COVID-19 jab late tomorrow afternoon. They’re making use of a local Sports and Social Club, it has ample parking and a large main hall. Coincidentally it is also where our running club meet when not in lockdown.
They booked my follow up jab for 23rd April.💉

 

[ColinJ]

Did a little leg work and then some man yoga. Then I felt a little peckish and today is 3 eggs, cheese and bread day so...three cheesy eggs and some Marmite sourdough porridge bread toast. Health food. View attachment 572094

I will be having something similar this evening. I called in at the local Asian corner shop this afternoon and picked up tasty pitta breads. I have some nice eggs to use up, and some cheddar cheese to grate on it. I think I may have a tin of beans as well...

Based on our local Aldi and Lidl I think you'll find them quite different. I've always wondered how one can do a proper "shop" in Lidl, the range is hugely varied but far from comprehensive. Aldi I find offers virtually everything we need bar a few items I have to visit the hated Tesco for every couple of months. Saying that Lidl has things I like which Aldi don't offer.

One doesn't actually need 'comprehensive' - that is more of a want!

I have simple tastes and I am not much of a cook so I mainly get by on 4 or 5 different meals. I am always pleased to eat more interesting meals cooked by someone else, but I really just need fresh and tinned vegetables, miscellaneous herbs and spices, tea, coffee, and a few other things. Oh, lots of dairy produce!

We have a Morrisons but I can't be bothered to go there very often.

 

[PaulSB]

I will be having something similar this evening. I called in at the local Asian corner shop this afternoon and picked up tasty pitta breads. I have some nice eggs to use up, and some cheddar cheese to grate on it. I think I may have a tin of beans as well...


One doesn't actually need 'comprehensive' - that is more of a want!

I have simple tastes and I am not much of a cook so I mainly get by on 4 or 5 different meals. I am always pleased to eat more interesting meals cooked by someone else, but I really just need fresh and tinned vegetables, miscellaneous herbs and spices, tea, coffee, and a few other things. Oh, lots of dairy produce!

We have a Morrisons but I can't be bothered to go there very often.

Round here Morrisons can be pretty good but only after Aldi. Not sure about want v need. By comprehensive I only mean getting a week's meals under one roof which we find tricky in Lidl.

 

[classic33]

I will be having something similar this evening. I called in at the local Asian corner shop this afternoon and picked up tasty pitta breads. I have some nice eggs to use up, and some cheddar cheese to grate on it. I think I may have a tin of beans as well...


One doesn't actually need 'comprehensive' - that is more of a want!

I have simple tastes and I am not much of a cook so I mainly get by on 4 or 5 different meals. I am always pleased to eat more interesting meals cooked by someone else, but I really just need fresh and tinned vegetables, miscellaneous herbs and spices, tea, coffee, and a few other things. Oh, lots of dairy produce!

We have a Morrisons but I can't be bothered to go there very often.

According to Aldi, it's open while 10pm tonight.


And you're due an Asda soon.

 

[Dave7]

Had a phone call from the Doctors surgery this afternoon. I’ve been booked in for my COVID-19 jab late tomorrow afternoon. They’re making use of a local Sports and Social Club, it has ample parking and a large main hall. Coincidentally it is also where our running club meet when not in lockdown.
They booked my follow up jab for 23rd April.💉

I wish you luck with the follow up jab .

 

[ColinJ]

According to Aldi, it's open while 10pm tonight.
View attachment 572117

And you're due an Asda soon.

Ha ha - they have jumped the gun there!

Things are moving on very rapidly though. They completed the stonework surrounding the preserved tree and when I walked past today they had landscapers putting in lots of plants around the tree. I can't say what the plants were - gardening is not my thing!

The car park is about 60% surfaced now and I saw that the checkouts had been wired up - they were all lit up.

There was originally a plan to build an Asda on that site, but it ended up being sold on to Aldi. There will now be a supermarket on each of the 3 main roads into Tod. It would be ridiculous to build a 4th supermarket in a town this small!

 

[ColinJ]

By comprehensive I only mean getting a week's meals under one roof which we find tricky in Lidl.

From time to time they run out of a few things but I shop there about 3 times a week and I can usually stock up on a subsequent visit.

I'm sure that if I tried I could think of something that they didn't have, but 90+% of the time they have 90+% of what I want.

I'll probably end up doing 2 shops a week at Aldi and then make a 3rd trip to Lidl to pick up any extras.

My bubble pal doesn't like Lidl so she shops at Morrisons when she comes over. I sometimes give her a call when she is there to ask if she can pick up the odd thing for me.

Ah - I HAVE thought of a couple of things that Lidl doesn't have that I like to buy! I don't like any of the types of rice that they sell. I like proper 'rough' wholegrain rice and I have never seen any in there. There is a wholefood shop in Tod that I can get it from but it is expensive. I also buy soy sauce there because I don't like it full of sugar and the other crap that tends to be in supermarket soy.

 

[12boy]

I've googled it no avail. What is a bubble pal? Do you take bubble baths together, frolic on the greens with those giant bubble makers, seal yourselves in a plastic ball to roll downhill or is this another naughty euphemism?

 

[Dirk]

I've googled it no avail. What is a bubble pal? Do you take bubble baths together, frolic on the greens with those giant bubble makers, seal yourselves in a plastic ball to roll downhill or is this another naughty euphemism?

Is this what you were looking for?
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household

 

[classic33]

I've googled it no avail. What is a bubble pal? Do you take bubble baths together, frolic on the greens with those giant bubble makers, seal yourselves in a plastic ball to roll downhill or is this another naughty euphemism?

It's for when you go cycling!!

Nowt to do with zorbing.

 

[ColinJ]

I've googled it no avail. What is a bubble pal? Do you take bubble baths together...

Ha ha... It has been a long time since my bubble pal and I shared actual bubbles - probably about 25 years! (We were partners for 15 years but split up 20 years ago.)

@Dirk has linked to the UK government information. 'Support bubbles' are a practical way for single people to obey social distancing rules without going mad. My pal and I were already pretty mad before the pandemic came along, but that doesn't mean that we couldn't have gone even madder trapped in our respective homes alone...

 

[classic33]

@Dave7, for the avoidance of doubt.

Sleet
Is a mixture of rain and snow and is a winter precipitation.

During wintry weather, snowflakes can go through a warmer layer and begin to melt as they fall towards the ground.

Snow
Snow is formed when temperatures are low and there is moisture in the atmosphere in the form of tiny ice crystals.
Precipitation falls as snow when the air temperature is below 2 °CC

Hail
Hail occurs during severe weather such as thunderstorms when dust or particles in the air collide with cold water.
An ice pellet is formed as the water freezes around the object. When the pellet becomes heavy enough it falls to the ground.


Mist
Is defined as 'when there is such obscurity and the associated visibility is equal to or exceeds 1000 m.' Like fog, mist is the result of the suspension of water droplets, but simply at a lower density.

Fog
By international agreement fog is the name given to resulting visibility less than 1 km. However, in forecasts for the public, this generally refers to visibility less than 180 m.
Defined as 'obscurity in the surface layers of the atmosphere, which is caused by a suspension of water droplets'.

Haze
Is a slightly different phenomenon which is a suspension of extremely small, dry particles in the air, not water droplets. These particles are invisible to the naked eye, but sufficient to give the air an opalescent appearance.