The Grand Cafe

There’s another forum (not music/hifi) that I used to visit a lot, and now not so often, where almost every single thread will degenerate into name calling/offensive swearing/threats. For a while it was kind of interesting and, viewing from the side lines, fairly entertaining but after a while it just got depressing and I found that the attitudes and language started to impinge into my posts: The problem was you had to start your own posts on the attack… with a ‘first strike’ mentality.

1 Like

Sounds like a place to avoid! Fortunately relatively rare on this forum.

2 Likes

Just over 4 hours of this horrible year left here on the East Coast of Aus. I like just about everyone is looking forward to 2021. Hope for a much better, much happier and a hell of a lot safer new year. Take care.

3 Likes

Yes, 2020 has been a year we could have done without. Hopefully despite much bleakness, and worse for some, there will have been points of light to help balance out memories.

The opening of the New Year will be stark fo many, with cancellation of fireworks and parties and even visiting of friends, I wonder how the TV stations will deal with it, without the things to put on - though perhaps some countries will have fireworks(?). Thank goodness for the modern videocalling/conferencing tools like Facetime and Zoom, enabling virtual meetings and even parties!

Best wishes to all for a good year to come, happy and above all healthy, loved ones included - hopefully the vaccines will be taken up widely and bring an end to COVID ruling our lives, though I guess it will take a good proportion of the year before we start to glimpse the end of it.

1 Like

We have started performing the yearly tradition:

Results later …

This is how it looks like:

1 Like

10% completed:

So what is it? (I guess not deep-fried porridge, which is what the pis suggest!)

‘Oliebollen’ a Dutch tradition around year end. @litemotiv might be frying as well.

1 Like

Milk, wheat, raisins, apples, yeast, eggs. That’s more or less it. We will need days to eat them all. The kids will bring it to the locally living family.

Homemade are the best!

1 Like

… and now I’m hungry. :smiley:

1 Like

I hope you are not on a diet :slight_smile:

An ‘oliebol’ per day keeps the hunger away.

Nah, the diet starts next year …

1 Like

Indeed. Family tradition here. It’s a long story but somehow all men of the family came together to bake them. Now I’m doing it alone and we’ll distribute them.

I have just read about a chap in NZ who makes “recreations” of classic sports cars specializing in Ford GT40s and C and D Type Jaguars. Lewis Hamilton’s father has recently purchased one of his Jaguar XKSS and is going to put it on a plinth in his lounge. What I find rather amusing not to mention ironic is the chaps name is David (Dave) Brown and there is no mention of him building any Aston Martin “recreations”.

A very happy new year to one and all. :sunglasses:

1 Like

The Cafe seems rather quiet these days - must be lockdowns making people stay ‘at home’ and count the days to vaccine availability…

Currently freezing in the British Isles, or at least the part where I am. My weekly mountain bike session with friends on a Sunday morning didn’t happen due to black ice. And I’m back at work tomorrow after a nice break - but I think the ice will force me to go by car instead of bike (it’s the one thing that stops we cycling). But at least it has been dry and sunny the past few days, and mostly that rarity: low wind, several days tidying and trimming the garden hedgerows hopefully have kept me reasonably fit.

It has been quite I was thinking of getting Richard to close it.

Weathers been wet and rather (remember it’s all relative) a bit cold. No one is complaining after last summer. This time last year we were on fire with day after day of over 40c.

It’s compounded by the latest border closures and restrictions. We now have to wear a mask in shopping centres, public places etc. Christmas holidays are very subdued this year.

We’ve a nice run of summer weather now, 25°C sunny and sea breezes. Had a big Thunder Storm a few days ago, 45mm rain in 30 minutes - saves watering the garden.

Chilling out after family visits, though another brother arrives at Mums tomorrow.

We are away to Paihia for 5 nights next week. I’ve no serious work lined up until February and will then continue with the transition to part time work.

Heading to the pool soon. Today’s job was fixing a house reel bracket, which involved fixing the broken bit and then breaking another and having to do a jimmy on it,

I’m life guard by our pool this afternoon, it’s always easier with a nice cold gin and tonic.

2 Likes