Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Anyone care to take a bet on who gets the first shot off across the bow...Maggie or Shirley?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Ramblings.............
So I asked DW this morning if she didn't think £2.35 for a Cornish pasty was a bit pricey and to my surprise she said no not really because its a meal in itself besides she said they make more money over there so they can afford it? Oh she also said the pasty is better than a hamburger. Agreed.

I see the pound is at $2.60 this morning so don't change dollars until you see the forecast which says the pound is going to go down.

Sally, I think I know your political persuasion is for the US but what would it be in the UK? Care to stick your neck out?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Sile are you sure you are on the right thread? you are American quite happy with your life there and thats where you intend to stay right?
SO WHY ARE YOU EVEN READING OUR POSTS? if they upset you soooo much especially, all you need to do is as Sally said go to the site you will feel happy on, on British Expats there are a lot of threads where Americans are very happy together, and Im sure there you will find peace, contentment, and much happiness :p

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Thank you thank you for a pleasant five minutes respite on another Monday morning in paradise!. Beautiful, photo's, I think you said somewhere else all with an Iphone as well? Impressive. For a brief moment I was there - you captured the essence perfectly. I don't know how I am going to focus for the rest of the week :)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Sile I think you need to lighten up as they say over here. This quote about the Olympics taken from another poster here on BE I think sums up America imho:

"Powers obsessed with their present or impending grandeur (or sophomorically threatened by rumors of decline) do opening ceremonies differently, humorlessly: much gorilla chest-beating disguised as epic; pumped-up self-congratulatory bombast, deploying vast numbers of bodies in perfect coordination in the service of kitsch folk ballet; synchronized smiling; selective allusions to precisely the popular homely traditions from which state and corporate power have sucked the lifeblood. A ghastly synthetic simulacrum of national unity, every leg in perfect alignment with the Overall Theme. That’s the way it’s been since Leni Riefenstahl invented the genre for Hitler’s 1936 Olympische Spiele. And though subsequent renditions have been less sinister, they’ve still had a kind of mechanical megalomania about them. You will mouth platitudes of universal brotherhood. You will celebrate the harmonious comity of the ripped."

The point is you need to look deeper. The full article is here:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...danny-boy.html

Interestingly, I believe the author is American. note his self deprecating humour and the ability to poke fun at others as well.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

wonderful photos - oh I don't think I can wait the 3 years!

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

My money is on Maggie. I think Shirley will give her a run for her money, but I feel confident that Maggie will prevail:lol: Are you acting as bookie on this Curleytops?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

My money is on Maggie as well, although I think Shirley will liven it up a bit - not sure when we are getting it here in Canada, any idea anyone?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I'm tempted to make book on this but I'm inclined to agree with you guys re the Dowager. I suspect Isobel could become a casualty of war hit in the crossfire & left in a heap. If memory serves me, Season 2 hit the North American airwaves back in January of this year so Season 3 could well air about the same time next year.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Fabulous photos.....no wonder you are happy there :-)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Thanks so much. Honestly I just snap and snap and snap and some of them turn out well. The rest get ditched and we never speak of them again :lol:

I am so looking forward to Downton!! Has everyone seen the trailer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvw7J26V68U

Ah, Matthew and Mary :wub:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Are you sure about that Cheers? I think the British pound is around $1.60 (at least I hope that's what it is as I am off to the UK in October for 3 weeks).

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

If only it was $2.60 to the £...I'd transfer a large amount to the US and make a killing. :fingerscrossed:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

One British pound is at 1.59 USD today.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

:thumbsup: Beautiful photos Sally, particularly the railway ones. My Dad went to work on the railway after he got out of hospital after the war, so I like any of train and stations. I appreciate the beauty and detail in each one.

Btw, Downton Abbey is set to resume in early January over here.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Me too, I would transfer everything I had and also make a killing :thumbsup:
I remember the days though when it was a rate like that, $2.60 to the pound, in the mid 80,s I think,

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

This is what happens when I starve my brain of food. You of course are right.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

When I arrived in 1972, it was $2.40 to the £1.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Why are you starving yourself Cheers??

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I remember $4.00 to the pound in the 1940's

Cheers

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Doctors orders.

Someone said, about a week ago, on here that the UK doctor changed her blood pressure medication that was prescribed in American and she has since lost about 20 pounds. I brought that up to my doctor today and he is going to try to adjust my prescription and see if the same happens to me.

Actually I'm not starving myself its just that sometimes I'm on the web before I eat.

Cheers

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Okay - good luck with everything.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

This post has nothing to do with MBTUK, but I just want to say congrats to Andy Murray - won the US Open Men's Tennis - first British man to win a major Grand Slam since Fred Perry. Way to go Andy!!! :) (And yes, I am half Scottish, so very proud of him).

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

According to the PBS Masterpiece website it will start to air on 6 Jan 2013. Us lot, on the other side of the pond, will have to keep our lips sealed as to what occurs:lol:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

+1

This is great news following on the success of the Olympics and the Paralympics. GB has excelled in hosting and promoting both games, along with bring home the medals. Well done to all involved, makes me proud to be British, not that I wasn't proud to be before.

Well done Andy Murray. The town of Dunblane will be in the news again, but this time for a positive reason. Lang may you lum reek Andy:)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

:tape::tape::tape: I suppose if those of us on this side really get the urge to "discuss" the goings on at Downton we could always start a new thread marked "Spoiler Alert" - then no one can say they weren't warned off :sneaky:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

curleytops,
Yes Im also looking forward to seeing the first episode of the third series this Sunday, do you know I read last year that Downton Abbey is made in England -------- but with mostly American Money, so that prompts me to ask why it takes sooooo long to Air it in the U.S. four months after episode #1 airs on British TV,S :confused:

I saw the first episode of the new Dallas last Wednesday, and am so much looking forward to seeing the second episode tomorrow Wednesday,
I was really impressed, the writers and story tellers did such a great Job,
from start to finish, it was so interesting and quite exciting too, it was fantastic to see some of the same actors playing there old characters like J.R. and Bobbie Ewing and others again,
I didn't really expect this series to be much good to tell you the truth, but it looks like its going to be as big or even bigger then the original all those years ago.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I saw the PBS people being interviewed and basically they get more bang for their buck if they show it in January rather than in September. No idea why, but it seems money is the driving force.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Oooooh Dallas! Missed it will have to see if it's on the player. I loved the old series back in the 70's & 80's. I will never forget the night JR got shot. My sis was in a huge panic to get home from college (a 2 hr. drive away) in time to see it, this was back in the days before vcr's so if you were late you missed it, end of. Well wouldn't you know it, her boyfriend was late picking her up for the drive home and it was debatable that she'd get there in time. By the time she did arrive home (just in the nick if I remember correctly) they were embroiled in a huge row over him being unreliable and for a minute I thought we were going to have a shooting right in our own living room :lol: Obviously she got over it because she married him.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Ha Ha thats very funny, she got over it though cause she married him :)
curlytops to tell you the truth I forgot about the first episode of Dallas and got the days mixed up ---- so the next day I just got into channel 5 main website and was able to stream the entire one hour episode,
I would like to know when the new Dallas aired its first episode in the U.S. could someone tell me please? Im thinking that they are a good two months ahead of us :unsure:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

It was aired in June and finished last month. 2nd series airing in January.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

While I've got you Rodney, how are you feeling a week later?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I need some advice.

We've seen a house that is perfect in every way for what we want, suits our style, is beautifully decorated, is below our budget, and is in a lovely peaceful village without being too far to shops and trains etc.

In every way it is just right for us and yet I am not sure. When I walk in the door, I like everything I see, but I don't have that 'wow I must live here' feeling.

With our last house I knew as soon as we pulled up outside that it was the one for me. Here I just don't have that same feeling.

But I haven't bought many houses so my question is this: How important is it to fall in love with the house at first sight? Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If so, what did you do?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

To be honest, in the cold light of day the ones I bought or was very tempted to buy based on "love at first sight" either were or would have been bad decisions.

The house I bought in the UK back in 1987 (did it up, rented it for a couple of years, then sold it - funded part of my graduate education) was a characterful victorian semi in the Cheshire countryside (Glazebrook) with "bags of potential" (as Phil and Kirsty would say - tossers). It was a complete money pit and the source of a lot of aggravation and heartache. I had looked at a more modest more modern semi just down the street which had everything I was looking for but not the vavavoom, just like you are talking about.

The two houses I bought in the US were relatively plain little single family ranches, but as I lived in them, I grew to like them more and more. They each had their limitations but over time that didn't seem to matter. I loved both of them and always looked forward to getting home after a trip away.

My current house was bought in March 2007 (yes, I know ....) based on seeing it on Rightmove and the opinion of a friend who lived locally (I didn't see it in person). I bought it because I knew it was in a nice village, on a decent street (some scallywags around, but generally a decent mix of people), and I HAD TO GET ON THE LADDER BEFORE PRICES WENT THROUGH THE ROOF! (newspaper headlines at the time). It really hasn't felt like home from the day I moved in. The location makes public transport to work difficult, the jackass who owned it had done so many boneheaded "DIY" jobs that I've spent much of my free time since then putting things right (or paying someone else to), and it is quite impractical (steep narrow steps up to the house, fiddly terraced garden, exposed to the driving rain in winter). I can't wait to get rid of it. There's really nothing majorly "wrong" with it, and visitors seem to like it, but for me it is just impractical and I almost resent the grief I've gone through to properly fix all the botched jobs, and all the hours I've spent driving to and from work for the past five and a half years. the only reason I don't sell it and move to a more convenient local location is because I don't plan on being here any longer than I have to (I'm just not having a lot of luck finding a job elsewhere).

If this house has everything you need, unless you find it unappealing, I'd say buy it. You'll grow into it. If you don't you can always move on but at least in the meantime you won't hate it because it will give you what you need (and presumably will be easy to sell).

p.s. You know we can give you better advice if you post the Rightmove link to it ... or don't you want us to know where you live? ;)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I can only say that we did fall in love at first sight with our house.It`s got bags of potential, and if one had bags of money it could be realised!
I`m kind of worried that the one you`re looking at doesnt fill you with happiness, since you may be spending many years there. It sounds rather like picking a husband, you want that certain something that makes the heart beat faster!
We had a period of time when we tried to move closer to London, and looked at lots of houses, but none of them were right so we stayed put.
I`m sure there will be others. Maybe this one is too perfect and you dont feel you`d be able to make your mark on it?

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

On the other hand, we`ve recently been pricing paving. I`d say, if its got good paths, buy it!

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

Yes, twice, bought both and made a profit when selling each.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

From what you're saying here it sounds like the house is perfect for you. Do you think perhaps your reticence is due to the fact that you've only just started the search and in the back of your mind you're wondering what else is out there? Just a thought.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

You get that feeling when you found its been sold before you can act;)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's Chit-Chat & Daily Catch-Up Thread
 

I would keep looking. You should have the right feeling about something this important I think....