When me and the kids first arrived in the Philippines from Dubai and the first afternoon rain arrived the kids asked âcan we go out and play in the rainâ
âYes go its funâ was my reply.
â argh they will get wetâ was the mrs.
âThey will enjoy itâ me.
They did.
Point of order. I believe that the BBC switched weather forecasters so that the government had to make up the shortfall in Met office funding.
A âtwo fingers to youâ for the charter fannying and budget cuts.
Link?
Funny if true.
The company switched weather forcasters for one based in Dubai whilst the rig is based in the South China Sea because it was cheaper.
We now have a wet stone and a window to see what the weather is like. Nothing to determine what it is going to be.
The seaweed in my garden saysâŚno rain yet.
âŚalthough a little dew on the grass, which was nice.
A 12 minute commute, door to door.
After the hell on roads experience of:-
It is genuinely like having half a dayâs leave, every day.
What do I do with all this time?
Where you working now papster?
I am ITK, @saintbletch.
In the Knowsley. I think itâs the first time Iâve worked locally and actually gone to work for around 9 years.
Quite strange. Someone called my name today and I ignored it, assuming they must be talking to another Paul.
Nope, it is my missusâ mateâs fella. He works there too.
Children, yes believe it or not, children.
How did my daughter become so damm sensible and organised? Some of you have met me, so know she doesnât get it from me and i can vouch for her mothers lack of, well anything really.
Just got a call as she has finished her first day on her research placement and she seems to be enjoying it and looking forward to the work.
Itâs nice watching the sensible ones grow up and iâve at last realised how patient my parents must have been.
An R whiteâs ice lolly. Bloody brilliant
Nothing in the fridge for dinner, canât be arsed to go to the shops, got a nice crusty loaf though and some extra virgin olive oil and some really good balsamic vinegar to dip it in 
Top trivia question coming right up. Can you identify the man in that famous advert? His son is considerably better known, but he (the advert man) sang on the ad as well as starring in it.
For some reason I thought the ad itself was later than 1973. Maybe it just ran for a few years.
It must of done as I wasnât born until 1975 and remember seeing it as a kid. Iâve cheated and looked up the answer. I can see it now.
I believe youâve told me this before.
(You boring bastard)
Iâll leave it for others to see if they can get through to the bonus round.
I think there were a few versions, wasnât ronnie corbett in one?
Declan McManusâ dad - canât remember his name
Ross McManus it most certainly is. He had a long career as a singer, much of it spent with the Joe Loss orchestra. Scarcely the household name that his son became, though. The prize for your perspicacity is the warm glow of beating various old farts to the punch.
Squid. Not something I get to eat, let alone cook, very often, as my ever-loving wife wonât touch it. I did once make her my fabulous dish of squid braised with aubergines (mentioned in the recipes thread I believe), and she said she liked it; but we hadnât been seeing each other for too long at that point so she was very certainly just being polite.
But, as sheâs away in Marrakesh with her elder daughter this week, last night I had two fresh squid, bought at the market in Emsworth, seared in the pan with olive oil, garlic and some hot smoked paprika. Served with tomatoes and sour dough bread, it was fucking lovely. And if you think that squid, like Bletchâs underpants, is rubbery and tasteless, then youâve never had it cooked properly.