johnh

Steve, you're not on the same drink as Biden are you?

Ha, Ha, very good. We never got past one engine failing and we were 'up there' all night twice as we flew through the night twice. Flight took 5 days instead of 4 due to engine problems.

When I flew to Singapore in 1955 it was on a four engine (propeller) Hermes. Notorious for engine trouble, which we had the whole way. (We got there in the end!) Have a great holiday Mike.

Don't know how that got in this thread and I haven't had a drink yet today! By the way, you have a good holiday Mike.

Had a cold phone call today, talking about insurance on my washing machine. I said 'I haven't got a washing machine, we are fortunate to have a stream running past the end of our garden and we beat the clothes on the rocks.' 'Do you do insurance for if the stream runs dry'? Click.

Thanks Matt, enjoyed that. Missed MoD on TV so first I'd seen.

He should feel at home in the Everton forward line then.

Eldest son and grandson are visiting tomorrow. They are calling on their way to the match at Brighton, both being season ticket holders at Goodison in spite of living in Nottingham. Haven't seen grandson for over a year so looking forward to it. He always phone's me to give me a run-down on the Everton games. He's now 6ft 7 inches tall and weighs 15 stone so I'll have to get used to calling him 'sir'!

I suspect her bag of stuff would contain steel wool and bleach. Take my chances with the bath!

Getting old doesn't help. Had arranged a game of snooker today and as I have had a back niggle, decided to soak in a hot bath last night to try and ease it a bit. I filled the bath quite full and when I was getting out, I slipped and fell back into the bath from almost a standing position. Fortunately, I didn't break anything but have several bruises and sore bits. I did create a tsunami wave which flooded the bathroom floor. My mate said I should ensure I land on my head to avoid serious damage! Back to showers from now on.

Ted Dexter has died, aged 86. RIP

I thought it was rather ironic the other day as I was stood there in my mask drawing a rather large amount of money in the bank.

Thanks Palfy. That all happened after a match against a Huddersfield Town eleven. First time I had ever played under floodlights. The team I played for was a representative team but I can't remember which team it was. I think it was either: West Riding County or Leeds & District FA. I remember that we lost but can't remember the score. I was appointed captain, though only because I was centre-half and they always made the centre-half captain in representative matches. After the game and shower, I went into a large room where a buffet was laid on. I saw one of our officials talking to Bill Shankly and when he spotted me he called me over and introduced me as 'our captain'. I have been very fortunate with my many special moments.

Sadly, Denis Law is the latest footballer to be stricken by dementia. I remember back in 1958, I was 22 and was introduced to Denis Law by Bill Shankly. Denis Law was 17. The introduction went as follows: Bill Shankly 'let me introduce you to a future Scottish international'. I shook hands with Bill Shankly then shook hands with the young blond lad stood next to him (who looked about 15). The name 'Denis Law' that followed didn't mean anything to me at the time. Bill Shankly was manager of Huddersfield Town and Denis Law was playing for Huddersfield.

I read an article somewhere on the amount of funding for each sport in the Olympics. Most sports were getting in the region of £20million plus. Couldn't help thinking back to when I got my invitation to play in a trial match for the GB team at the Rome Olympics (1960). I went to see my boss and asked him what the arrangements would be if I got selected. He said he would check with Head Office. A few days later, he told me that I would have to take unpaid leave. I played in the trial match but wasn't selected. Even if I had been I wouldn't have been able to go, as just married, with a big mortgage (at the time) and no savings, I couldn't have afforded the three or four weeks without pay.

My calculator is knackered. The x key doesn't work. Times are hard.

RIP.

Soon be Christmas stuff in the shops! This 'out of season' stuff has already started. Went in a local shop and they had loads of birthday cards. It isn't my birthday 'till March.

I agree. Why did he bring two subs on with only a minute of extra time to play? Why did he allow two young lads, who had hardly touched the ball, to take crucial penalties? Why does he allow Kane to play as an attacking midfielder instead of a striker? His management of subs throughout the competition has been poor. One paper referred to his 'calmness' on the touchline. There have been many managers in history whose 'calmness' turned out to be 'clueless'.

No matter how bad things get, just remember, there are some RS fans walking about with a tattoo of our manager somewhere on their body.

Palfy, my hair (though a mix of grey and white) still grows at a rate of knots. Before Covid, I used to have to go for a haircut every 3 weeks or so.

Went into town today, got parked easily. Called in the Barbers, empty, so got straight in. Did a bit of shopping then home. I had forgotten how nice a haircut feels.

I don't go out much but on the odd occasions I go to the grocery store, I never see anyone without a mask. The last time I went I was just walking up the first aisle, when, seeing all the people wearing masks, realised that I had left mine in the car and had to go back and get it! Here in Berkshire, it is very unusual to see anyone without a mask.

Thanks guys for all your good wishes. There are improvements and more importantly they are noticeable. It is nice to be able to have a pee almost normally instead of standing for half an hour waiting for a couple of dribbles. Can't celebrate with alcohol yet though, I have about a week's worth of antibiotics to get through before then. England are also brightening things up.

Spent most of last week in Wexham hospital in Slough. Had a waterworks problem that I last had about 12 years ago. Then, it knocked me for six and I was in bed for three days. It was sorted by antibiotics. This time, I didn't feel so bad so I didn't bother going through the hassle of getting a GP appointment. I thought it would work its way through. A few days later, I was no better so I made a telephone appointment with my GP. I explained the situation and suggested they prescribe me the same antibiotics. It wasn't my own doctor but the lady doctor said I had to attend the surgery to provide a urine sample and do some other tests. Drove round there and was there for about 45 minutes until it was all done. The lady doctor called me in and said 'how did you get here'? I said 'by car'. She said 'well you wont be going home by car as I have called an ambulance'. Gobsmacked doesn't cover it! She said that the infection had spread to other organs and we were talking Sepsis. A couple of hours later, I was in hospital wired up to three computers and they were pumping me full of antibiotics. I was covered in cables and the nurses were struggling to find space for the next injection. They were also removing a lot of stuff, mainly blood. For the first 24 hours, there was hardly a minute when someone wasn't doing something to some part of my body. I worked out that in the first 48 hours I had only 3 hours sleep, and that was dozing. Finally got home on Sunday evening, so have had two nights good sleep. There are good signs that the problems are receding but I am absolutely whacked out, no energy whatsoever. The one positive is that I never had any pain at any time. This morning my neighbour opposite knocked at the front door and said he had come to mow my back lawn (which badly needed doing). He also did the front. Good neighbours are like gold dust.