ssomon

Durian spikes are easier to see and avoid. I left it to the servants to eat them anyway, as long as they did so away from the house. I couldn't get past the smell. You have to look a bit closer to see those on prickly pears. https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Prickley Pear.php

The resident oik seems to be on holiday. 😉

Perhaps I should have said "may make one very constipated", as it probably depends on the individual. Actually, I was never tempted to eat more than one. BTW, where we lived in Algeria they were served peeled, in a bowl (or bucket) of water with lots of ice. "Like all delicious foods, the prickly pear is best eaten in moderation. If you eat more than 2 or 3 (depending on your digestive system) they may leave you constipated for days… or you might have the direct opposite problem. Love and hate, indeed!" Source: https://www.journeybeyondtravel.com/blog/5-things-you-should-know-about-the-prickly-pear.html A way to peel them without getting spiked, if you want to bother with them:

I was warned many years ago, in Algeria, that they make one very constipated. MRD is about two.

I have suffered from gastric reflux for some time, and take a small daily dose of a drug which reduces the production of stomach acid. There are several drugs of this type; I am using Omeprazole. My wife began having a problem swallowing food last year. She described the problem to her MT as an urge to throw up, but the medicine she was given made no difference. We went together on her next visit; I asked her MT if it could be due to a hiatus hernia, which my mother suffered from, but she said that was not the case. Later my wife gave me a better description of what was happening. It sounded to me to be acid reflux, so I gave her one of my tablets. The problem went away a day or so later. I went with her to her MT a couple of days later, told her this, and described the symptoms as I understood them. Her MT agreed, and prescribed the same drug and dose that I use. This was in May 2023, and she has not had the problem since.

Careless of you, Norman, to be snapped in front of your chateau. Someone might also work out where you live. Wooly, however confident you feel, I advise you not to be tempted to cut him up. That scooter is better fitted out with armament than James Bond's Aston.

Especially as many are driven by people with no permis and no idea of how to behave on the road.

I understood the OP as saying that pre-Brexit she did not need a visa as a family member of an EU citizen, that EU citizen, pre-Brexit, being the OP. After Brexit, of course, he ceased to be an EU citizen.

I don't resent anything. I dislike him.

Irrelevant perhaps, but I wouldn't buy anything that adds to Mr Musk's fortune.

They look similar to the gilgies found in W Australia. https://rivers.dwer.wa.gov.au/species/cherax-quinquecarinatus/ We caught these in an inland stream by placing small pieces of meat on strings attached to sticks stuck into the bank. After leaving these for half an hour or so we found one on almost every bait, about a dozen or more. On returning home they were still alive, and we boiled them for a few minutes, as instructed by locals. The stench was so bad that we didn't even consider eating them, and left them in peace thereafter.

Let's hope 😁

I'm looking forward to the possibility of a debate between Harris and Trump. With her experience she should find it child's play to handle him, and he wouldn't get away with the bullying tactics he used with Hillary Clinton.

Especially when under the spell of their mobile toy.

Maybe JB and the orange one are representative of the majority of people voting.

I hate to say they still look just like rusty old junk.

I recently disposed of two old mattresses, which were still in reasonable condition, by putting them on Le Bon Coin as donations. They were both collected within 2 days.

That could explain the small number of really bad reviews for establishments which otherwise have a majority of very good ones, and on visiting, seem perfectly reasonable. As well as bad reviews posted by competitors or "enemies", of course.

Or maybe they will recover all the ducks after the race is over? https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/gard/nimes/record-pres-de-25-000-canards-en-plastique-font-la-course-au-pied-du-pont-du-gard-au-profit-des-malades-2979581.html#at_medium=5&at_campaign_group=1&at_campaign=occitanie&at_offre=4&at_variant=V2&at_send_date=20240603&at_recipient_id=459386-1651791101-1b2fba3b

I have a suspicion they didn't grab him out of kindness, and that it's unlikely he'll be seen again - by anyone.

We lost the BBC News channel about 2 weeks ago, but can get the news on BBC1. Also lost a few Freeview channels, but can still get some of them on the "+" version. I think this may be due to a plane tree in the road outside having grown somewhat since the dish was professionally reinstalled and aligned a few years ago. Unfortunately the installer is no longer in business; the number of Brits around here seems to have decreased dramatically in the last 3 or 4 years. Nothing to do with Brexit, of course 😉

I use a spreadsheet to arrive at the figures for our tax return, so it is fairly simple to change the rates for foreign exchanges. All our UK income stays there, so I have no actual figures to use. This year I made one calculation at a £ to € rate of 1.138 and another using the daily rates from www.exchangerates.org.uk , which is quite compact to print out. I always keep a copy and a note of the source for my figures, in case of any dispute. The amount of tax payable was slightly lower using the daily rates, and more importantly, just below the next tax band applying to us, so I used those results for our return. This also has the advantage of probably being a more acceptable source than second hand information that is available.

Then he went to the local, put the centipede on the bar and asked the barman "What do you think of this?" "Sorry sir, we get a few of those in here" said the barman as he squashed it flat.

So if you are take care to buy your house where there is very small risk of catastrophies you will pay a premium on your insurance to compensate those who are less careful.

But, judging from TV Police programmes, the average UK cop would spend half an hour or so arguing with them.