tonyXIII

I used to understand everything, but I was older then and I'm younger than that now, so I don't understand anything. With apologies to Bob Dylan (I think the lyrics of 'My Back Pages").

Here you go, bleep. Which is worse, to suffer loads of abuse or to be completely ignored and suffer none at all? And I don't care either. Cheer up, pal.

He didn't! It's there in black and white - Maradona.

Silver service?

Hmmm! You really should have thumped Farage (pronounced Farridge) when you had the chance. His influence on you has been toxic. Edit to add a smiley.

I bet you're a riot at parties, aren't you?

That is good! I do like jokes that make you think. You might not get belly laughs, but they are humorous and thought-provoking.

One of my childhood idols. Only 7 years older than me!

From one "snowflake" to another, "Enjoy your evening."

You forgot to add that they bring nothing to Super League. Don't forget that! In fairness, I assumed you were being ironic. If you were, good! If you weren't, it's time to grow up.

Sad news indeed. I saw Mountain live at Sheffield uni in early (Feb?) 1972. Absolutely brilliant and their live version of Nantucket Sleighride is still one of my favourite tracks ever.

Merry Christmas everyone. Here's hoping 2021 is a better year than 2020 has been. Take care and stay safe.

People of a certain age may suffer a slight twitch at this - "écoutez et répétez" *BEEP* . Sorry, Futtocks, but in my day, it was the polite imperative (2nd person plural form), not the infinitive that was used in this context. Perhaps this gives a clue as to why I struggle with foreign languages. I'm too bloody pedantic for my own good. My general advice to anyone is to 'go for it' don't wait until you've translated your thoughts perfectly into your target language or you'll never say a word.

Like Futtocks, I used Duolingo, but for Greek. I found it a good learning environment (mix of text and audio), but I couldn't get the hang of their 'ten minutes a day' claim. I felt a bit held back and wanted to make faster progress, but there was no 'skip ten lessons' button. This was probably because I already spoke a bit of Greek. It didn't cost anything, so I stopped after about four or five weeks. I should go back and try again. We'll see. Review grading - 4/5.

Oh, but you do.

I believe that Ian Blease and Paul King are quite sanguine about the fine. If that is so, then I'm not going to rise to the bait of those on here who love to pile in on an anti-Salford story. AFAIK, the main losers are the Council and Peel Holdings, who still own the stadium and need a tenant whatever, Marwan Koucash, who has gone on record as saying he doesn't want his money back, John Wilkinson, for whom I do feel some sympathy, and, finally, a number of small creditors for whom I do feel sorry, but can do nothing about. But, hey! Check out the headline! Nasty Salford! That's all some people care about. If it makes them feel good, let them fill their boots. Sorry, I almost forgot. The fine could have been worse and could have been a whole lot better, so I don't really have a view on it.

My fellow SRD fan Oxford is much more imaginative than that. He is actually disappointed that you didn't take the dg when it was 0-0. Sorry Spidey. Only just spotted your dg reference.

Hardly strange to be honest, but sheep's brain. I was invited to a friend's sister's wedding party and the brains are served as a delicacy to close family. My friend insisted I try some of his, so I had a couple of forkfuls. It was not unpleasant, a bit like meaty porridge, but I haven't repeated the experience. On a holiday in Egypt, my wife opted for camel while I had the beef (she is much more adventurous than I), but I did sample a bit of the camel. It was very similar to beef, iirc.

Thanks for that. I will read it later. The church butress thing, when told to me, reminded me of something I'd seen about Real Tennis and it was that connection that fixed it in my mind. Okay, I've read it. Despite the rather opaque language (architectural descriptors such as mullion - I know the word, but not what it means) it was very interesting from a social and historical perspective. It surprised me to learn that mediaeval peasants (presumably) had the time to play such games. That says more about me than it does about mediaeval peasants. Thanks again.

May I ask the experts on here a question? The BBC (and others) have reported that United are out of the CL. When I look at the table, it seems that a big win (5-0 or so) for the Turkish team would shift PSG's goal difference enough to put them below United and mean that United go through while PSG are eliminated. What am I missing?

That sounds like the game called Fives. There were two versions: Eton Fives and Rugby Fives. I played a couple of games of the Rugby version in London about 40 years ago. Played on a court very like a Squash court and, iirc, wearing a 'fingerless' glove on your hitting hand. I was told that the Eton variant was played on a court with wall butresses like a church cloister. It was an interesting exercise but not as much fun as rugby.

It was. However, i was disappointed that they didn't experiment to see how many trucks they could attach before the lead engine crashed into the last one. I reckon there's room for another twenty.

Sincerely, from a Salfordian to a Swinetowner, "Good luck, mate!"

Love them!

Favourites: any of the Sergio Leone trilogy and a big mention for Blazing Saddles. Least favourites: any that depict the 7th cavalry riding in to save the day OR any that depict the mass murder of native americans.