Toast

Returned from pub to find dog(s) had been sick all over sofa, carpet etc. All cleared up now, so just chilling out here. Probably down to the raw venison bones enjoyed earlier. Half a dozen more waiting in fridge thanks to kind butcher, so do we dare let them have 'em? Dilemma.

He's only 66? Jeez, I thought he must be at least 110.

Ah, so it's all his fault then. That explains so much.

Come on baby, jump inside my truck I tried to guess the next line there, but I got it wrong ......

3. Does horseradish count as a vegetable? 6. Dwarf is the other one.

This is rather ironic

Blimey, I'd forgotten about Slik. That song is a curious mixture, is it not - the choruses are ghastly but looking back at it, the rest was a sign of things to come.

Claude Choules is the only surviving veteran to have seen active service. Surely that qualifies him as the only real veteran of the war. I know that there are official guidelines and whatnot, but if they didn't do anything...should they be counted? I think that Patch was the last veteran in the real sense of the word given that he actually fought in the trenches. Choules, for example, explained his war as boring. Coudn't agree more. It's good that the BBC and Sky are reporting him as the last veteran. Although Choules did put his life at risk, but not to the extent that Patch did. I don't know about that, the risks are less visible at sea but they could still be bombed or torpedoed without warning and go to a swift watery grave. As for Claude saying his war was boring, there's bound to be a bit of modesty there, but Actually that was true for soldiers in the trenches too. They weren't permanently in the front line, and in quieter sectors, much of the time nothing much happened anyway.

Every time I see this I'm reminded of that naff Demis Roussos song.

Personally I've always regarded Claude as being a Brit, as well as acknowledging his allegiance to his adopted country. I took the post you quoted about being disqualified as jocular. No, I'm just a bit dismayed at comments in Harry Patch discussions elsewhere, which disregard Claude altogether. You expect ignorance from the wider public, but it's also happening in places where people should know better. "The Great War has now passed from living memory" sort of thing, and lots of pious "We will remember them" posts from people who have already forgotten about poor ole Claude.

Harry certainly made it clear that he wouldn't want one. Don't recall Henry saying anything, but I doubt he'd have wanted it either. These men didn't think of themselves as special. Plus the fact that he was born in Britain and lived in Britain for many years before emigrating. Why wouldn't he be considered British?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8157312.stm Wonder if he foresees as many as six, hmmmm.

Well, if it's any comfort it has also been pissing down all day here in West Berks, with liberal doses of thunder'n'lightning. Plus one small very angry terrier who wants to take on the thunder and RIP IT APART. Luckily stopped in time for us to stroll down to the pub, which we have just left. (Rain, not dog)

Indeed, one's fingers are often a very effective substitute. In all sorts of circumstances.

Now funnily enough I treated my car to a wash at Tesco's yesterday. Only the one where I go, they don't mob you, they have a proper little set up with hoses and a Portakabin an' all, up in the far corner of the car park. So if you wish to avail yourself of the service, you just drive up there and leave the car. They'll do the full monty with waxing and polishing if one so desires, but I just go for the basic wash. Fiver well spent, I reckon. I got fed up of picking the moss out of the windows of my last car, and I can't be arsed to wash it myself.

You didn't really think he was actually in that coffin, did you?

I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you don't wake up to find that it wasn't all a dream .....

Don't do yourself down, Carol - I think your myrtles look lovely.

She was a nobody in the UK.

Ugh, that's horrible. There should have been a warning about that.

Maybe his leukaemia will flare up again to please you. Anyway, why haven't you been banned?

Apparently this lady has managed to knock MJ off the front page by topping herself. Hilde Rens aka Yasmine, a TV presenter apparently.