The Tour de France (aka TdF) is underway - today sees the third stage up there in North-westish France. Leaving the D-Day landing areas and heading deeper into France.

The 16th stage of this year's race, 18th July, is a 209 kilometer long stretch that takes the riders across the border into Switzerland, and through some of this land finishing here in my home town of Bern. The finish line is almost exactly 1 kilometer from my home.

HOWEVER, there is a great fuss being generated by the 'cheaper' Press here.

Hi all,

just a little heads up really.

I am leaving Switzerland in my car for a two week trip to the UK, leaving next Monday morning at very stupid o'clock. In the meantime, I have to do work, tidy my apartment, pack and complete the three blogs online that I post on a regular schedule.

It is doubtful that I shall be able to complete Julina #71 to an acceptable standard, get it proofed and get it posted before I leave.
And I do not know how much web access I shall have whilst on my travels.

Let's talk pierced ears.

More specifically, pierced ears that have now 'healed' up and the 'channel' through the earlobe is blocked since the skin has grown over the hole back there behind the earlobe. Probably due to the hole not being properly doctored after an allergic reaction to non-'pure' metals.

(Any other reasons that this could happen will be gratefully considered!)

Are there any dangers in getting it re-pierced?

Either the body's reaction or considerations for the piercer.

Two disturbing reports, about which I have been unable to check the veracity ...

http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/bill_le...

and

http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/christi...

As an example of the

(please select: power/complexity/ deliciousness/stupidity/wonder/insert your own)

of the English language, it occurred to me today that:

Read and lead rhyme.
As do read and lead.

But read does not rhyme with lead.
Nor does read rhyme with lead.

Have fun where and when you can!

Joolz.

Hi all,

I am spending far too many hours on a project by making assumptions, or, better said, approximations, and then having to spend so much time smoothing out the approximations to give vaguely meaningful results.

It would be so much more simple if I could just enter the variables into a spreadsheet and sit back and let it do the work for me.

Hi all,

as you Anmar fans are aware, Penny has just started a new thread called "What Milsy Did".
I happen to know that this is also a multi-part tale, but not as long as SEE - nowhere near!

So I have created another entry for it in the "Anmarian Appendices" to provide a simple click mechanism to leap straight to any one particular chapter. This entire portion of the Appendices I shall then order by author name. Unlike everywhere else I have done, these entries shall NOT be in alphabetical order.

G'day all.

I spotted a new (to me) homophone the other day, when an author used the word 'hoard' instead of the correct 'horde' ...

"The hoard of parents swarmed onto the football field ..."

It made me wonder where 'they' had stashed all these parents.

But the follow-up to this made me literally LOL.

I had mentioned it on another site and got a reply from a friend who lives in Las Vegas.

She said: "Here, we would have written 'whored'."

...

Enjoy your weekend folks.

Julia

...

Well, well, well.

Today, I realised that the past few weeks have just flown by.

In March I have:

... Bonny Eloise.

Born at 16:20 (UK time) 10th March, 2016

7 pounds 8 ounces (= 3.4 kgs)

As I am stuck in an hotel in France (but fortunately in the capital of the Champagne region) with a VERY slow connection, no more details available at this time.

J

(SHEEEEEEYITTTTT - me! A grandparent???????)

Hi all,

my daughter is about to sprog - we believe that the little joyous bundle shall be pink-coloured. So I am likely to be a grandparent in the next couple of weeks.

Which means I shall make a mad dash in the car from Switzerland to the UK soon.
And deal with the little one when I get there.

I have been trying to get the next couple of Julina episodes up and posted, but I am having a little difficulty concentrating on them at the moment.

Hi all,

now we have been stunned by Penny's brilliance, and pleased that there is at least one more chapter to come, I find myself in a very strange situation, in several ways.

However, the one of immediate importance is as follows:

Should I include the names etc etc from #139 in the Index?

If so, should it be in a different section?

It might be a HUGE spoiler to anyone coming late to this series!

Your opinions please as to whether I should update the index with all the names and ranks from #139.

Thanks in advance

Julia