Author: janus

I'm back......and front - in sunny Sussex-by-the-sea

A new roof

We’re being rethatched. And a very interesting procedure it is! But never fear – I’m not going to give you a straw-by-straw commentary. And while our expert thatcher is at it, he’s replacing many of the original roof timbers from 1860 (ish) which were hewn by hand from trees in the forest right here. The ‘good’ stuff which he leaves in place is extremely hard, almost defying his drill.

The thatch itself is Chinese these days. Why? Because local reed beds produce a much shorter stem which is more expensive to install – covering only half to 4/5ths of the area per bundle (see above).

So I’ll try to take some pics when it’s done – already a tribute to the craft.

Had a good day, darling?

As we all know, the Danes are the happiest people on the planet. They have hygge and Carlsberg, probably, and Crown Princess Mary neè Donaldson, mate.

And as further evidence of such contentment, it turns out they’re almost the world’s happiest with their jobs. But (shock horror!) the Mexicans are even happier and the Indians are not far behind. The Brits, of course trail the field at no. 22, keeping sad company with Sweden and Chile.

I’m afraid it’s all about being polite to researchers – but I may be wrong.

http://cphpost.dk/news/business/danes-top-european-job-happiness-index.html

Sam’s the man!

My reader may have noticed on his/her cyber-trek that Google has just celebrated the anniversary of Samuel Johnson’s 308th birthday. He was undoubtedly its predecessor – lexicographically speaking – before the more modern encyclopedias appeared. And his dictionary reflected his character as a poet, wit and literary compiler. Continue reading “Sam’s the man!”

Fake news?

Everybody’s fave airline (not), Ryanair, is having a Darwin , cancelling 50 flights a day, expected to total 2,000 before long. It claims it’s all about its holiday arrangements for pilots but interestingly, Norwegian (my fave!) has announced today that it has been poaching Ryanair’s pilots – to the tune of 140!

So who’s telling porkies here?

Meantime, guess who’s losing customers in droves and who’s first in line for new bookings!

A favourite voice

 

John Motson OBE, of the sheepskin jacket and Midlands twang, is retiring after 50 years on the mic. The Evening Standard celebrates appropriately:

”The 72-year-old has covered 10 World Cups, 29 FA Cup finals and more than 200 England matches.
He is renowned for an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game – and the occasional on-air gaffe.

Here, we recall some of his most memorable moments behind the microphone. Continue reading “A favourite voice”