Christmas is only a week away so it's surely not too early to share this card from T47 with the rest of you Crivvies. It wasn't intended only for me anyway, but all readers, so it would be remiss of me not to publish it. I'm sure you'd all like to wish him festive felicitations in return, so feel entirely free to do so in our comments section.
24 comments:
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" T47, now that is one, out of this world space toy, it's a sort of, Jerry Anderson on LSD. Is it a custom toy? Eitherway, it's a real boy's toy, I would of played for hours with that. ("Still would!" "snigger!") Cheers for posting it K.
Merry Christmas, T47 :)
Before you purists pounce, I mean, Gerry Anderson, Jerry? What was I thinking, Tom? Time for bed, it has been a very short year. (as previously discussed).
The pedantic streak in me compels me to point out that you would've (or would have) played for hours, R, not 'would of'. No, don't thank me - the English lesson is free of charge. Yes, time for bed (said Zebedee).
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I'm sure T47 appreciates your kind sentiments, CJ.
K, not one of your most endearing qualities, but we all have issues. Mine seems to be, exact grammar at 12.40am, typing through my internet TV. But hey! Thank's, I think?
I'd say that being educational as well as entertaining is (or should be) a thoroughly endearing quality and that's what this blog strives for. After all, who wouldn't be grateful for being advised when their English is a little 'off'? Enlightenment is a wonderful thing. I've got loads of issues, mainly UK and US ones, some in colour, some in b&w, some weekly, others monthly. Oh, and there's no apostrophe in 'thanks'.
Kid, did you realise that you mentioned Beatrice Potter in your 14th December post? Of course it should be Beatrix Potter (I've been to her house). That's just me being pedantic. Oh no, I've set myself up for a right kicking here! Merry Christmas to yourself and all Crivvies. 😁
Kid, a couple of years ago I was listening to Radio 4 and I heard some woman say "Nobody sends Christmas cards anymore" which was news to me. She claimed that digital cards are replacing traditional cards so T47's digital Christmas card is the way of the future.
Nah, you're thinking of Beatrix Potter, the English writer, I was talking about the lesser known American writer, Beatrice Potter, who wrote 'Toad Sitting On A Chair'. But, hey - I'm prepared to give you a choice of pure p*sh, so... Of course I realise, M - I did it deliberately so that one of you would correct me and I could demonstrate how graciously I accept being shown when I err. (Take yer pick - and Merry Christmas.)
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Can't put a digital card on the mantlepiece though, CJ, can you? I think the price of stamps could well kill off sending Christmas cards 'cos postage is terribly expensive now. Incidentally, that's not the first time T47 has sent a digital card to Crivens; he did so a couple of years back.
P.S. And at least I spelt 'Beatrice' right. (Didn't I?)
For the first time this year, I won't be exchanging cards with my brother and sister in law. They live in New Zealand and it was their suggestion, partly because of the ridiculous cost of postage but also apparently hardly anyone sends cards in NZ with it being their summer so not really Christmassy and the cards are very expensive with limited choice. I used to send my brother an envelope with a few comics and the cards in but the postage was getting more expensive than the contents of the envelope, I was quite shocked at the last one I sent. It's a shame but the times they are a-changing.
Funny you should say that, because I received a Christmas card in July from relatives in South Africa, but the card had been posted in November 2023, taking 8 months to reach me. Same thing happened last year and the year before that - and maybe even the previous year. I can only assume it takes my cards just as long to reach them. Anyway, they said it would be the last card they sent abroad to anyone, because all their cards to the UK were taking far too long to arrive at their destination. (Maybe they should post their Christmas cards in April then, eh?) I checked with the Post Office to see how much it would cost to guarantee my cards would arrive in South Africa for Christmas and was told it was somewhere around £8. It'll probably be the same in reverse, so I can only assume that the South African postal service is deliberately delaying delivery in a sneaky attempt to make people go for the higher 'guaranteed' service.
The model was a Chinese made US double deck tour bus which when you consider Santa's global annual tour seems appropriate. It's updated with jet motors, a robot crew and many trees. Be good and he'll visit you!
As anyone will tell you, T47, I'm always good (cough). When Santa visits me, he uses his Space Blimp Of Christmas. Of course, he only uses it for special people.
So you have relatives in South Africa, Kid. My father had two younger brothers and one of them emigrated with his wife and children to Australia around 1960 but after a few years they moved to South Africa before eventually returning to Australia permanently.
On the subject of Christmas cards I've noticed there's one formerly common design that seems to have vanished from modern cards by which I mean the "Dickensian" images of stagecoaches and snowy scenes of 19th Century streets etc. I haven't seen any cards like that for donkey's years.
I've mentioned them before, CJ. Type 'Biffo, Kid & Roger - And Two Halves Together Again...' into the blog's search box. You'll see you commented on it at the time.
I think such cards are still available from time-to-time, usually in Pound Shop packs of 15 or 20. I can't recall when I last had a card like that, but it could've been last year for all I know. (The ol' memory's fading.)
Kid, I've mentioned on numerous occasions that I acquired my first Marvel comic from a newsagent's kiosk in my town's central bus station and I've also mentioned that the bus station was demolished in 2021 with a new state-of-the-art bus station being built elsewhere. The site of the old bus station lay derelict for a couple of years surrounded by a big fence but earlier this year work began to turn the site into an open-air market - there is already an open-air market in the main high street on two days per week (and on EVERY day in the run-up to Christmas) but I think this new site is meant to be a permanent market. Anyway this morning I noticed that the fences have been removed and construction is now complete so I went for a look around the currently still empty site and it's very impressive with new paving and areas for plants and big pots for flowers and benches and tables dotted around. The point of this rambling comment is to prove that progress can be a good thing - I suppose, Kid, that YOU would have preferred the old derelict bus station to be still standing so passers-by could have fond memories of it! But when I was nosing around this morning I remembered to go to the area where that newsagent's kiosk had once stood so it's possible to have fond memories of something without it still being there.
I've got fond memories of lots of places that are no longer there, CJ, so I don't dispute your last sentiment. However, in regard to the old derelict bus station, you assume wrongly. I'd have preferred the old bus station to still be the fully-functioning non-derelict bus station it had been in its heyday. And you ramble as much as you want, 'cos it gives me something to read.
But nothing lasts forever, Kid, and the new bus station is very modern with screens displaying the bus times and a coffee shop and a police station on the upper floor of the main building (the old police station was demolished along with several other buildings to create space for the new bus station).
By the way, I forgot to mention that a couple of weeks ago Brain Of Britain on Radio 4 included a question about Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. I think the question was something like "Which '70s sitcom began with two characters from a '60s sitcom meeting up again on a train?" and the contestant answered correctly. The 2024 grand final of Brain Of Britain is on Radio 4 tomorrow at 4:30pm.
Well, I'm hoping I last forever, so scientists better come up with the elixir of life pdq. My local town centre is several times the size it was in the '60s & '70s, CJ, and I can honestly say it's a lot worse. Doesn't have one supermarket, several units have never been occupied since being built over 20-odd years ago, and the whole thing is currently up for sale. Just ask McS, 'cos he works in my town and knows how rubbish the town centre is. I like Brain Of Britain, so I must try to remember to listen in.
So many own centres are going to pot Kid. Hamilton centre, just a few miles down the road from you has gone from a thriving shopping centre to (almost) a ghost town with so many major stores closing or moving to other parts of the town ( M&S, W H Smiths, Boots, Wilco Bairds, local shops and so many more) it's depressing visiting the town centre now. Then again smaller towns seem to be thriving Strathaven, Larkhall etc with businesses moving in.
Strathaven will likely have cheaper rents and rates for businesses, McS, which is probably why they're moving in. WHS in my town was supposed to be closing in February (even had a closing down sale), but since they managed to get a cheaper deal on the rates (and maybe even the rent too), they now seem to be staying.
I hope WH Smith's in Hamilton stays it's the only shop (bar Costas) I really visit there now.
I think there's a list on the Internet of which stores are closing (and have already closed).
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