My refund was for a pack of tomatoes, boring! So I’ll tell you a funny refund story I heard today. Friends, mostly a bit squiffy (driver aside) were trying to book a hotel at their destination on booking.com. There were rooms available in hotel A. “Check the reviews” said Ms Sober. “Nah, just book it!” said Ms Squiffy.

Booking made, they tried to contact the hotel. No answer. Reviews were AWFUL. “Rats behind the bar” type awful. Fast forward to arrival aaaand the hotel was closed. They moved on to hotel B, where they learned that hotel A was shut because the owner was in jail for repeated violation of food hygiene standards.

So they called booking.com for a refund. “We can’t refund you until we’ve heard from the proprietor.” “The proprietor is in PRISON.” “Well we’d still like to give a chance to get in touch.”

It took them weeks to get their money back. Moral of the story is always try to book directly with the hotel.

I just had a look and apparently it’s back in business.

Review from this month: “Refused to stay, checked in 3 rooms & all checked out within 10mins of arrival, the disgusting place is a health hazard, taps not working, mould all over walls, the place needs closing down.”

Owner: “Sorry this not true just looking for refunds.”

I cut it in half and kind of gnaw the innards out. I don’t eat the skin, too fuzzy. I think some of modern kiwifruit have smoother skins, but I’ve been eating them since they were called Chinese gooseberries and to me they’re forever fuzzy.

Same here, my body goes to the local ned school. They’ll return to he ashes if you want, but I don’t care. I cleared it with my sister before signing the forms because she does care about cremains etc. Apparently the university has a memorial garden where they spread the ashes.

Same here! I feel like we should get paid for giving Google this fantastic idea.

Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, the Lone Ranger.

I’m not THAT old, but New Zealand didn’t have television until late in the day, so we got cheap, years-old US kids’ shows. I was ten before our region got TV and it was a few years after that when we got our own set. The first TV I ever watched was coverage of what must have been one of the early Saturn rocket launches. We went to my older sister’s boyfriend’s house to watch it. Very exciting!

I liked Lone Ranger best. “Hi ho Silver, and awaaaay!”

Phone in left front pocket, keys in right front pocket. Nothing else, that’s all I need if I’m just stepping out. I have several hobbies though, and I have a separate backpack/bag for each one, loaded and ready to go.

I thought my link was Gene Wilder?

Here in Scotland, yes. I usually opt for a phone appointment because I’m lazy. It’s never urgent but I can still get one within a couple of days. And that’s with the surgery having recently closed its list to new patients because of a population surge in the town (new housing).

I had a dog who’d lived rough and he stole stuff too. The pack of toilet paper was his biggest disappointment - “Hey this is all wrapping! There’s nothing inside!”

I was minding a friend’s cat one time. She wanted out into the back garden, but changed her mind when she saw the rain. She walked through to the front door and meowed there. I had to open the door and show her that yes it’s raining on this side of the house too.

I’m old and I smell exquisite. I know a lot of old people, and none of them smell of ketchup, let alone armpit or butt. If the man reeks, it’s because he has poor personal hygiene, not because he’s old. It’s you that’s denigrating the elderly by saying we stink.

Meanwhile in Scotland: “Gies a can a juice.” https://irn-bru.co.uk/collections/our-juice

Mock Turtle Soup of course. https://youtu.be/FWxFsJUlBbw

Following up on that, I’d been trying to remember the song in Blazing Saddles, when they literally break the fourth wall and there’s an anachronistic musical number being filmed - it’s called “The French Mistake”. https://youtu.be/FezOkjeNs5Y

1967, dir Mel Brooks - I mean, who else? What a guy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Producers_(1967_film)

Allofmp3, that was it! I downloaded the Muse albums too. :-)

The swamps of Dagobah.

There was this Russian website where you could download whole albums for like 50 cents. I absolutely loved it, because as well as current hits it also had the most obscure, crazy stuff, classical music, jazz, and world music. I think they’re all in prison now, the guys who ran it.

Springtime for Hitler, The Producers https://youtu.be/1zY1orxW8Aw

I was born in the year Princess Elizabeth became Queen. Also, Evita died that year.