Nadia Comaneci, Montreal 1976, aged 14, she was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.

Torvill & Dean, 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics: Won gold with a groundbreaking, artistic "Bolero" performance, securing perfect
 scores from every judge.

Jimmy Saville, and I suppose  in the same genre, Gary Glitter, Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, and Max Clifford.

Ian Watkins

Oh my, I miss a couple of days and the wheels fall off a Blonde lynch pin. I'm sorry to hear your news and I hope you'll be back to normalish very soon.

Looks about right.

Welcome to the club Tom.

It does, I hate taking tablets etc I had to have 2 cups of tea at the same time at one point one for knocking back the meds and another to sip and enjoy.

F'kin middle age huh.

RIP JV. Loved when he mimicked other players.

Me also RIP John

I agree Kev, totally depends on mood. I don't think mine would be the same 5 bands for weeks, maybe months.

Like many I could have had a bigger list.

Aberfan - the first big news story that stuck in my memory. I was 8 years old.

9/11 also the death of Osama Bin Laden. 

Chernobyl

I've been taking Vitamin D for a while, it is supposed to combat Alzheimer's but you have to take at least a certain mg per day and you need to take it together with Vitamin C too as they work together. My Dr didn't know that  

Ironside wins thread!

Hope you get your operation soon and things improve for you.

A big yes from me too, that's a hell of a list Alistar x

Sometimes I really despair at how rubbish our NHS can be.

Here's the highlights of my conversation with the Practice Diabetic Nurse 2 days ago-

ME-Why have I still not been referred (for 2 years) for my 1st Annual Diabetic Eye Test? My Optician says I now have cataracts and possible optic nerve damage
Nurse. Because you are not Diabetic. Your last reading was 41-that's pre-diabetic
Me: No, it's not. My reading before was 100, and I have been on Metformin, prescribed by you, for the last 2 years
Nurse. Sorry, that's my mistake. I'll sort it. I can see from your notes that you had a reading from a blood test supplied via us in 2024 of 100. Tell me-why did you never action the diagnosis of diabetes via a Reading of 92 from your last GP Practice in 2017?
Me: I'm guessing that is because, before today, nobody has ever told me about that 2017 diagnosis/result? For 9 years! Or told me I was Diabetic for 7 years
Nurse: Oh, dear...

Good job I haven't got high blood pressure

For years I never read the leaflets inside medications, I trusted that Dr's knew what they were doing until I was perscribed something that was new to me and I googled it.

Turned out it was a complete no no to something else I was on and it had a huge chance of killing me.

Safe to say I always read those leaflets now.

OMG.....

You could regret starting this thread, I'm on more supplements than meds these days!

I'll post the list...you can all have a nap, I'm sure you'll get bored, tldr when I do 

oops

Good to see Cosvaldo Ardiles making a return to the Internet Policeman streets

Even better to see things are going so well for you

As you're involved with dogs, I'm guessing you probably know Niall that runs 'Happy Doggo' over in Koh Samui, I have guessed?

I spend hours every week following along with his daily life since Max went over the rainbow bridge in the summer.

Absolutely wonderful to watch all the good he does, though there is a fair bit of bawling when some of them unfortunately pass away.

Great to see Cos posting.

I can relate to your post Marky, after we lost our Marbs I started to follow a turkish guy on YT called Walter Santi, named after his dog and first cat.

He's a big cat person and has about 18 indoor and outdoor cats, the outdoor are mainly strays who he looks after and they all get treated when needed and looked after. I think I'd love a house in the sun with fruit trees and cats.

SHAZ! How the devil are you?  I hope yourself and himself are well.

Mrs Red makes sloe gin every year but muggins here has to pick the berries. I end up looking like a bad lion tamer.

When she's finished making the gin she uses the alcohol soaked berries in her home-made chocolate liqueurs.

Lethal they are.

Click to see full-size image.

Hello there Sir Red Dog!

We are both ok tyty.

Him indoors is really good, good enough to complain relentlessly about the Welsh weather and no sign of any gollf yet. He went out with some of the lads for breakfast this morning and I reckon the biggest topic of conversation was the lack of golf and too much weather!

I'm good, still on crutches but I'm allowed to start gentle excersises now and I'm looking forward to getting out when Spring arrives. I've not been allowed out on my own due to the risk of falling and not being able to get back up again, mad huh! I confess I don't miss people but I miss being able to jump in the car and head to the beach for a paddle and listen to the sound of the sea. Hopefully that will improve soon.

I've got hobbies ongoing and I've started doing the Swedish death clean (döstädning) it's a Scandinavian method of decluttering and organizing one’s home to reduce the burden on loved ones after death. Not planning to die yet but I'd like to get rid of everything I've collected that I don't need anymore. I might as well investigate EBay, vynil collectors  etc  and get some dosh for it before anything happens and his nibs just chucks it all in a skip! I still have books to send out, I've not long since learned that Royal Mail collect now so no excuses now! I have 3 areas in the house to put things, one for friends, one for EBay etc and one for the Cats Protection. Our somewhat shrinking black bin is always full. I miss Liverpool and the 3 bins - laughs.

I try and keep up with Blonde, it's a bit easier than it was which is sad. I try and keep out of politics as I could swing for one or two or three but I'm not the only one so........

When I do get out, I'll start to take pictures again. I'll have to ask how to post them as I haven't for years and the method escapes me.

I trust you and everyone at home are well.

Likewise everyone here.

xXx

P.S. The cakes look pretty cool!

Ordinary Wellington boots aren't really suitable or comfortable on long (ish) walks, but 4 or 5 years ago I discovered these.

Neoprene Wellies.

Basically a sturdy well made rubber boot with a tough, grippy sole and a waterproof Neoprene upper that hugs your leg instead of flapping around.

Bliss.


The thorn that gives the blackthorn its name is a phenomenal weapon. Up to 4 inches long and as hard as iron, it can really inflict some serious damage. The saving grace is, it's a defence weapon. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone.

Click to see full-size image.

A belated Happy New Year everyone.

Newportlad and I used to go out every autumn picking sloes from the blackthorn to make one of my fav tipples but we gave up as cheap gin stopped being cheap and you can buy it now so it's not worth it.

I do continue to make rhubarb and ginger gin and plum sherry.

My speciality grow your own is garlic, especially elephant garlic and this year I'm going to have a go at confit and black garlic,

Whatever. When is the book coming out?

So glad you seem to be enjoying your Great Retirement Adventure. When is the Honeymoon trip report coming  

Hopefully, I will catch up with you at DTD soon.

Hi Alan,

Hope you are keeping well. How's your lad?

When is the book coming out? Ha. A sort of "private" version, 100 copies or whatever, just for friends & acquaintances might just happen. A good pal is going to help me with editing it etc, so you never know. It seems a bit pretentious, writing an autobio, but some truly extraordinary things have happened to me, they really have. "WAL" in every sense. I might have to have it published posthumously though, there's a difficult blend between honesty & upsetting some folks, but it won't matter (to me) if I've moved on.  

Maybe see you at DTD soon. I see Direwolf ""Guy" there frequently.

And I bumped into this young lady at Resorts World Birmingham last night....

Sorry just catching up after starting cataract removal, my upgrade continues! I couldn't read anything until I made all the txt bigger and then couldn't read the instructions. Isn't middle age wonderful.

Great to see Alan is still here and that Brommers is still looking as fab as ever.