Out of touch - but alive & kicking

[PierrePanache]

Hi Dennis & anyone else 'listening'' - I've spent ages getting my laptop working as my wi#e & daughter are permanently glued to their 'I Pads' & so with me being 'out of circulation' - it fell into the old-fashioned category - a bit like it's owner! Not sure if this will post OK so will be brief for now. I'm having a bit of a prob navigating the new look BF so I shall just say that I had my vaccine jab on Saturday as considered in the 'Vulnerable' list. ME - Damn cheek! Oh well - lets see if this works, Hope yr all well/safe/humouress etc - Regards Rod A-S - London England (No longer Europe)

[yogi]

First I want to welcome you back to our little niche on the Internet. To be perfectly honest I do not recall reading much from you in the past, but then a little research shows you have not posted many things. One of our dearly departed Guardian Angels did seem to recognize you, and I have a feeling we might know you as some other alias.

Be that all as it may, The entire world seems to have gone through an upheaval since you last visited. Since most of our British friends have moved on to higher grounds the news directly from the continent has been rather sparse. And, I do realize you never were part of the continent, but you could see it from where you are located. Now your separation seems to be official.

We in America are on the road to recovery from the global attack by a Corona Virus, and we must thank you kindly for sharing the newly mutated strains with us. We always had a "special relationshiop" have we not?

Over the years this site has changed slightly in it's appearance, but it is easy enough to find this particular Chat Forum even on mobile devices. It's on the first page after all. Going forward, hopefully you will be able to find us more often. Variety is the spice of life, so they say, and I personally look forward to you adding some zest to our virtual gathering place.

[Kellemora]

Hello Pierre

Sure is great to see someone else post on here for a change!
I look forward to you joining in on the conversations.
We need new blood. Notice I did not say Victim, hi hi.

Let us know if you grow a third eye from that shot.
Many of us are waiting to see if it is safe or not, hi hi.

Take Care and Welcome!

[imhotep the 2nd]

Hey up.
Been a very long time since I last logged into this site. Couldn't quite figure out what the site was called so took me a few attempts to get the correct website. Oops! Lol
However I soon found it again much to my relief.
So I could definitely say, Out of Touch......but hey I'm still alive and kicking just like that Simple Minds song which I'm a huge fan of.

https://youtu.be/ljIQo1OHkTI

So far I've managed to escape catching this dreaded covid virus. My mum has been vaccinated and as I'm a key worker and main carer for my mum, I'm not far off being vaccinated myself.

[yogi]

You forgot who we are???
I am totally crushed

Fortunately you did find your way back, and for that I am very happy. You are the second Brit this week to return from oblivion, a fact of which I am very happy. As noted above, this place can use a few more posts from people we've not heard of in a while.

The COVID plague is upon the entire world and I am very happy to report that I show no signs of hosting it. The vaccine is in short supply and there are priorities regarding who gets it first. I'm at the bottom of the list of the top tier because of my age. That means I will likely be able to get the jab in time for a new mutant plague to be upon us next Fall.

Good to know you are alive and kicking ... just like the song

[Kellemora]

Hi imhotep, glad you found us again!

Hang around and join in our conversations.

[PierrePanache]

Five days ago I dusted off the laptop. My wife & daughter immediately told me how much they had missed the 'big screen' & I haven't had a look in until getting up at 0500 this morning. No matter - I should be OK for a while while they sleep, This PierrePanache ident was the only one that I seemed to be able to get into - but yes Yogi - it was an alias. I shall search back to my old posts but 'off the top of my head' I have been Gedtagius, Legion, Herodotus, Spilsbury & a few others, We met up years ago on that curious site 'Cerescape' where every other member appeared to be a moderator.

The last time I logged into BF, some time ago, I was greatly shocked to hear of the death of 'Ice Maiden' by reading the message left by her son. I had been in fairly close online contact with her at one stage but she had not ever mentioned her illness.

[PierrePanache]

Ha ha- I dozed off & my forehead posted my offering mid flow. I know I was being serious but Icey would approve of my laughing at my inability to stay focussed as she had a great sense of humour.

As mentioned I had my 1st Covid Jab last Saturday - the Pfizer variety - & do not appear to have any bad reactions. One one hand I am pleased that I am the 1st in my family unit to be vaccinated re possible risks - on the other I would prefer my family to be safe-guarded 1st. I had no choice in the matter as I am in the v vulnerable category. I am a v private person & although there are only a few of us posting at present - things could change so please feel free to pm me if you have any questions! In time I'm sure that the vaccines will be posted about by all who join this site but for now I shall keep quiet(ish) & hope!

Keep safe.

[yogi]

Legion sounds familiar, but I might be confused by the fact that we also had a Legend. Regardless, I am grateful that you mentioned Rod as a reference. Not that I recall Rod any more than the others, but we have been on the Internet a long time and my memory isn't what it used to be.

There have been many disastrous events which befell us in recent times, but there are signs that a turnaround might be in progress. The availability of a vaccine to battle the dreaded COVID is a good sign, but as it happens the distribution of said vaccine has been ill planned and is not readily available. Of the 50 states in America I happen to live in the one which is least prepared to distribute the vaccine albeit I am in the same risk category in which you find yourself. I've signed up on two lists and will likely take the first jab that is available. While there are a few horror stories floating about, by far the majority of stores I read are like yours. All very non-eventful.

Icey, Briar, was one of the brightest stars in theses forums. If nothing else she loved to chat and nearly always maintained a positive attitude. We corresponded privately for a while and she did tell me a bit about her illness. She knew the inevitable would happen soon but even in her last days Briar expressed hope and a will to carry on. I can readily understand why you befriended her. Briar was outgoing, friendly, and easy to talk to. Besides, she was also in the same timezone as you which made communications a lot easier.

I don't know what to say about our future. What you see is all we have at the moment. We are no competition for the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Imgur, TicToc, or any of the others. In some ways that is our claim to fame now. We are not big nor influential, but we are friendly and open to all comers. It's a great place to get away from it all, and I can assure you that we are not tracking your activities across the World Wide Web because we have no commercial interests. The laptop (or desktop) is probably the best way to view our site, but I have come here via my smartphone and had no problems doing what I normally do. In any case, come by whenever you can and exchange war stories with us.

[Kellemora]

I'm a fairly newcomer here Pierre. An old author and ham radio friend invited me here a number of years ago, and we got together talking about books for a long time, before he mentioned BF and asked me to join. He is now among the faithfully departed also.
In fact, nearly everyone I was friends with over the years has crossed the rainbow bridge. I'm sure my number will be coming up someday (I hope not too soon) as well.

[PierrePanache]

Kellemora - I'm so sorry if my mentioning |Icey brought the sadness all up again. Not like you to be so glum. I'm sure that you have a lot more to do before even considering popping your clogs! Get your vaccine done as soon as possible & when I get a chance I shall tell you all about 'virtual funerals' - undertakers don't miss a trick in England. Cut price bared to the bones cremations.

Take care - few things to attend to but will book in soon.

[yogi]

I've attended virtual weddings, and virtual family reunions, but had no idea that there was such a thing as a virtual funeral.

[Kellemora]

Oh, I'm not glum Pierre!
You don't know this but I was raised the funeral flower business, and made most of the casket sprays that went out our florist.
But at my age, after losing many friends in Vietnam, and then having all the older family members pass away, and now I'm one of those older family members myself, and most around my age are long gone already.
As for myself, I'm actually a happy fellow, even though I have two terminal illnesses.
I just take it a day at a time, and don't think much about when my number might be called.
I just hope it is later and not sooner, hi hi.

[PierrePanache]

Good on you that you are not glum & have a positive outlook on life. I have limited use of my laptop at present & my only have a very dim mobile 'phone & shall explain re the 'virtual funeral' when I get the chance to ramble. If I don't get my car prep'd for my w*fe to visit our latest grandsons - the next snowman in our garden will look remarkably like me! I bet the amount of snow that we are getting here would be nothing to you in the USA - BUT more than a couple of inches in London & everything grinds to a halt.

Take extra care you two!

[yogi]

When I lived near Chicago and talked to Brits on this site, I did indeed laugh when an inch or two of snow over there would shut down all operations. Around Chicago it would not be unusual for a heavy snow to fall in late November and we not see the ground again until the end of February. Now I live 300 miles to the south and don't see much snow at all. We haven't had any until about a week ago and even that was minimal. It all tends to disappear in a few days. However, we are under the influence of a Polar Vortex for the next week or so. Temperatures will be subzero a few of those days. That's way too similar to life back up in Chicago. LOL

And I was only slightly facetious about virtual funerals. I can image such a thing on the likes of Zoom. Hopefully I'll not have to experience one, and when you are free to ramble please do give us the details as you have them.

[Kellemora]

One does have to stay on the positive side of the fence to keep from being depressed.
Especially in my various situations I've lived through.

In St. Louis we got a lot of snow, probably not as much as Chicago, but we have had some really deep ones, along with ice.
I used to love going out driving in it, but my car was always well prepared to go anywhere in the snow and ice.
Cleated snow tires and chains if I needed them. We used to go to rich neighborhoods with steep hills where all the people who lived in those areas all parked at the bottom of the hill and walked home.
So around 3 am we would drive up to the very end of their road at the top of the hill, then lay on our horn and drive all the way back down out of their subdivisions. Laughing because all of their mega-dollar cars were all parked at the bottom of the hill.

[yogi]

Chicago was special in that it often experienced what is called lake effect snow. When the wind was coming from the right direction and blowing across Lake Michigan before it hit shore, it would snow (or rain) up to about a mile inland but not much further than that. If it did go inland farther the shoreline always got more than anybody else. The other side of the lake was likely to be sunny and dry. This cooling from the lake acted like air conditioning in the summer when things were dry. Temps by the lake were always several degrees cooler than anywhere else in Chicagoland. This is my 5th winter here in Missouri and only once did we see deep snow; about 10 inches of it. That reminded me of back home with one exception. Back home that snow would linger for weeks and months. Here it barely lasts a week.

[Kellemora]

Down south here, we have no snow plows to clear the roads, but they do put down liquid calcium chloride if the really believe it will snow. Most of the time we get snow they didn't think would accumulate, hi hi.

When I lived in Ballwin, we got a snow you wouldn't believe, the wind caused the dry snow to drift and settle into pockets, like between houses the snow could have drifted as high as the rooftops, while the front and back yard only had about a foot.
You can't do much with dry snow. It won't pack to make snowballs or snowmen. But a leaf blower will blow it off your sidewalk and driveway easily.
Then of course we get the heavy wet snow too, that freezes into solid ice masses.
Then the sun will come out, melt the top layer a little during the day, but at night then all of it down to the ground freezes like a solid chunk of ice.

At least down here, most of the time, the snow will be gone in a day, especially on blacktop. You can have two inches of snow in your yard, on tables and other outdoor items, but the driveway is clear, but only if the sun comes out to warm that blacktop up.
The sidewalks are still icy though.

[yogi]

The most difficult part of winter in Missouri is the propensity for ice storms. We would get them in Chicago but not very often. Here ice storms are fairly common. I've learned to stay put in the house and hope the power lines stay in tact during ice storms. Around this place people go about business nearly as if it were a normal day. Also, up north we had a wood burning stove which acted somewhat as a safety net should the power go out during the winter. We could always fire up the wood burner and keep warm. Everything in the current house depends on electricity. If that goes out for any length of time we will freeze to death.

[PierrePanache]

Well it is 19 days since my jab & still feeling pleased that I took my doctor's advice! I have a great NHS GP & he has done me proud over the years. My w*fe, bless her, quickly shrugged off a slight cold episode & cheerfully wishes to murder me again - so all is back to normal! In London we hit minus 6 degrees overnight - this is serious & I am waiting to hear if Boris J & Co have gone into hibernation. As per usual - my daughter urgently needs my laptop & so I shall ramble again in the early hours of tomorrow. She is still tucked up in bed - as is my w*fe & wishes me to take laptop up to her with juice & toast, She actually called me - mobile to mobile - to demand this service - where's my blood-pressure pills?

Be safe you two