1. Morning all.2. Hello. My name is Stanley and I showed up in a village in Bulgaria. I’d had an accident with a car and I had a limp. But the nice peoples there took me to the vet and I got my leg fixed. Now they think I should travel to the UK (I think dogs are allowed to ignore Brexit) and find a forever home. But don’t worry, there are expert travel agents here looking into that.3. We’re possums. Sweet, huh?4. That’s very forward!!!5. What do you have to do to get some service around here?6. Tell me about it. Just shocking service you get these days!7. You might say I was in the pink.8. YES?9. You wouldn’t deny me elevenses, surely, even if it’s only half past nine?10. Snug as a dug in a (sheepskin) rug.11. Although I’m wondering why he has to wear that silly t-shirt!12. Vientiane, Laos. Taxi for Munguin.13. Ol’ Blue Eyes? That’s me.14. Eeeeek, snake hunter down under. Also, for everyone except DonDon, here’s his story which involves a massive spider!15. As Munguin always says, when in Rome… stand on one leg.16. Well, let’s be fair, it’s not like it was the Botanic Gardens, is it?17. So we went up to Glamis and found a great walk past this amazing waterfall… and there was a guy at the bottom of it raking around in the water. Turns out he was removing rubbish which people had dumped. He isn’t employed to do it; he just does it because he is a good guy.18. Nice that they have central heating in this house, eh?19. Room for a little one?20. So, is that you away then? Well, thanks for dropping by. Munguin always enjoys visitors as long as they don’t stay too long! See you next week.
Bonus:
Murmuration of starlings.
Thanks to Quokka, Dave A, John and Kay for the pics they sent in.
News about the spider and the snake in the Australian bedroom reached Kansas City last week. What’s worse than a giant spider at the head of your bed? A giant snake at the foot! It’s a wonder that anyone in Australia lives to maturity.
The article says that the people saw the snake…..closed the bedroom door…….and then phoned a snake catcher the NEXT DAY!!!! Seriously? The next day?
Surely the wiser plan of action would have been to call the fire department and burn the house down. But as the video shows, the conversation was casual, and the snake catcher released both critters in the back yard.
So the next time I’ve a spider in the bedroom I’ve to get it to jump onto a baseball cap and extricate it outside? I usually do it with a bit of paper though tbf my spiders aren’t as big!
“Itβs a wonder that anyone in Australia lives to maturity.”
They don’t. I mean some of them might be older, but maturity π
DonDon……Yes, I forgot about the sharks. The poor Aussies can’t even enjoy a day at the beach.
Spiders and bugs are smart. You almost never find them on smooth solid horizontal surfaces where they can be captured or swatted. They’re always in corners or on lamp shades!
In the 1970s when I was in London an old family friend had a pet snake which was called Bubbles. It was very long snake but harmless. The family friend was a bit batty and actually wrapped the snake around her and took it out for walks. Strange to see the head of the snake poking out of her coat.
One Sunday morning she took the snake out and travelled by underground to visit a relative. When she was reading she hadn’t noticed the snake had moved. The snake used to like looking at your face. After a few visits I got used to it.
A man next to her was reading his newspaper and was suddenly horrified to find a snake looking at him with the snake’s tongue going in and out of its mouth. The train had stopped at a station and he screamed “There is a snake on the train.”. Being a Sunday the carriage wasn’t busy but his cry emptied the carriage bar her. She realised what had happened and got the snake back around her waist and sat tight. A worried underground worker came in to investigate. He asked her if she had seen a snake, which she replied, “what? On the London Underground!”. Passengers got back on the train. She hoped Bubbles wouldn’t move until the train arrived at her stop.
And a SS tribute to Betty White. Betty was offered a part in “As good as it gets” but there was a scene where a puppy is thrown down a shaft and she wouldn’t do the film unless the scene was removed, it wasn’t and and she didn’t.
Those were lovely, a real balm for the soul. I’m sure Stanley will find a home soon. I loved the cub with the big blue eyes. The dug in a (sheepskin) rug was adorable – bet they think it’s a lamb.
Gorgeous orangs to start and finish – that’s the stuff!
O/t but of interest to Tris if no-one else. RNLI after being attacked by Farage et al for doing the work they aren’t paid for (saving lives at sea) are reporting a record fund raising year and loads of new supporters.
Also off topic, but it speaks of the friendship between our two countries which still exists today.
500 Scottish Pipers in Amiens Cathedral.
– Celebrating 727 years of the unbroken βAuld Alliance / Vieille Alliance / An Seann-Chaidreachasβ between Scotland and France β€οΈπ΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώβ€οΈπ«π· pic.twitter.com/2zgEWQUg6r
OT
Shouldn’t spoil SS.
With a report of 160,000 new cases for englandland a government stooge says the data shows there is NO NEED for any lockdown.
Remind me, It’s Sunday and Bank Holiday weekend.
Javid says we just have to live with the virus, lockdown a last resort.
They’re bringing back Nightinggale Light test cities, light because there is No staff.
Media ull of nonsense, huge numbers of Scots and Welsh crossing the borders to participate in freedom to incubate the next variant.
Some lovely sights on the site today, thanks for remining us that ‘Don’t Look UP’ might be a useful data source.
I saw this earlier:
ITV News
@itvnews
Β·
28m
A hospital trust in England has said it is ‘unable to maintain safe staffing levels’ leading to ‘compromised care’ at the heath care centres it covers
itv.com
Covid: Hospitals declare ‘critical incident’ amid ‘unprecedented’ staff absences | ITV News
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it is “unable to maintain safe staffing levels” due to Covid, leading to “compromised care” at its sites. | ITV National News
So if you live in Lincolnshire, you can’t count on hospital treatment.
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 
News about the spider and the snake in the Australian bedroom reached Kansas City last week. What’s worse than a giant spider at the head of your bed? A giant snake at the foot! It’s a wonder that anyone in Australia lives to maturity.
The article says that the people saw the snake…..closed the bedroom door…….and then phoned a snake catcher the NEXT DAY!!!! Seriously? The next day?
Surely the wiser plan of action would have been to call the fire department and burn the house down. But as the video shows, the conversation was casual, and the snake catcher released both critters in the back yard.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/snake-catchers-shock-find-in-sunshine-coast-bedroom/news-story/b90023d2d26a89f274019d08f4753a8c
https://news.sky.com/video/australia-watch-moment-wildlife-catcher-confronted-with-huge-snake-and-giant-spider-in-same-bedroom-12505894
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pic 4……If you don’t like pushy critters…..of all kinds…..New York is not the town for you. π
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So the next time I’ve a spider in the bedroom I’ve to get it to jump onto a baseball cap and extricate it outside? I usually do it with a bit of paper though tbf my spiders aren’t as big!
“Itβs a wonder that anyone in Australia lives to maturity.”
They don’t. I mean some of them might be older, but maturity π
LikeLiked by 3 people
Even if the Aussies manage to escape the spiders and snakes, there are salt water crocs who can swallow you whole.
Good point about maturity! π
The lady said she’d planned to spray the spider with Raid, but then the snake guy figured out the baseball cap trick.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Danny: ” . . . there are salt water crocs”. And don’t forget the great white sharks!
” . . . the baseball cap trick”. When I’m feeling very brave, I use an old glass coffee jug. It doesn’t work if the beastie is in the corner, though.
LikeLiked by 2 people
DonDon……Yes, I forgot about the sharks. The poor Aussies can’t even enjoy a day at the beach.
Spiders and bugs are smart. You almost never find them on smooth solid horizontal surfaces where they can be captured or swatted. They’re always in corners or on lamp shades!
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Clearly they are smarter than the average human!
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Everything in Australia is out to kill you!
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Major spider! Size of a Buick! Got a snow shovel? From “Annie Hall”:
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I just make friends with spiders in Munguin Towers. They are more friendly than Munguin and more or less treat me as an equal.
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π
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I’d have headed to the airport and fled the country in Munguin’s private jet.
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LOL……Always good to have an escape plan!
People are pretty safe in Scotland. Not even the occasional passing rattlesnake. Maybe an Adder from time to time. π
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Aye, fortunately the only things likely to kill you in Scotland are human beings or the Tories. Give me spiders any day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the 1970s when I was in London an old family friend had a pet snake which was called Bubbles. It was very long snake but harmless. The family friend was a bit batty and actually wrapped the snake around her and took it out for walks. Strange to see the head of the snake poking out of her coat.
One Sunday morning she took the snake out and travelled by underground to visit a relative. When she was reading she hadn’t noticed the snake had moved. The snake used to like looking at your face. After a few visits I got used to it.
A man next to her was reading his newspaper and was suddenly horrified to find a snake looking at him with the snake’s tongue going in and out of its mouth. The train had stopped at a station and he screamed “There is a snake on the train.”. Being a Sunday the carriage wasn’t busy but his cry emptied the carriage bar her. She realised what had happened and got the snake back around her waist and sat tight. A worried underground worker came in to investigate. He asked her if she had seen a snake, which she replied, “what? On the London Underground!”. Passengers got back on the train. She hoped Bubbles wouldn’t move until the train arrived at her stop.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Marcia……Great story! But one I’m glad that I didn’t participate in.
” A bit batty” may be understating it just a tad. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good old Bubbles… π π π
Sounds like my kinda snake!
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I like the name too! π
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It’s a harmless Diamond Python.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bet it was scared of the spider!
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On a spider theme
And a SS tribute to Betty White. Betty was offered a part in “As good as it gets” but there was a scene where a puppy is thrown down a shaft and she wouldn’t do the film unless the scene was removed, it wasn’t and and she didn’t.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Good for Betty.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those were lovely, a real balm for the soul. I’m sure Stanley will find a home soon. I loved the cub with the big blue eyes. The dug in a (sheepskin) rug was adorable – bet they think it’s a lamb.
Gorgeous orangs to start and finish – that’s the stuff!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Start the year like we mean to go on!
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A relaxing time in Laos to start the first Soppy Sunday of 2022.
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Oh wow, these waterfalls…
Beautiful place.
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O/t but of interest to Tris if no-one else. RNLI after being attacked by Farage et al for doing the work they aren’t paid for (saving lives at sea) are reporting a record fund raising year and loads of new supporters.
Teehee!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/02/rightwing-attacks-rescues-uk-lifeboat-charity-fundraising-rnli-royal-national-lifeboat-institution
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brilliant.
Just BRILLIANT.
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Also off topic, but it speaks of the friendship between our two countries which still exists today.
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Up until fairly recently Scots had automatic French citizenship and vice versa.
“By French law, a Scotsman born before 1907 still possesses the full rights and privileges of Franco-Scottish nationality.”
Hey Emmanuel any chance you could reinstate that for those of us post 1907? If nothing else it would really piss off Les Anglais.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh Oui. That would cause all sorts of problems for the Brits.
I can see Jacob Rees Fogg, self combusting…
Not an altogether unpleasing image!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Again, off topic, but it’s worth a read, remembering that the author of this thread is health editor of a Tory supporting newspaper.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1477418349009293315.html
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OT
Shouldn’t spoil SS.
With a report of 160,000 new cases for englandland a government stooge says the data shows there is NO NEED for any lockdown.
Remind me, It’s Sunday and Bank Holiday weekend.
Javid says we just have to live with the virus, lockdown a last resort.
They’re bringing back Nightinggale Light test cities, light because there is No staff.
Media ull of nonsense, huge numbers of Scots and Welsh crossing the borders to participate in freedom to incubate the next variant.
Some lovely sights on the site today, thanks for remining us that ‘Don’t Look UP’ might be a useful data source.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I saw this earlier:
ITV News
@itvnews
Β·
28m
A hospital trust in England has said it is ‘unable to maintain safe staffing levels’ leading to ‘compromised care’ at the heath care centres it covers
itv.com
Covid: Hospitals declare ‘critical incident’ amid ‘unprecedented’ staff absences | ITV News
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it is “unable to maintain safe staffing levels” due to Covid, leading to “compromised care” at its sites. | ITV National News
So if you live in Lincolnshire, you can’t count on hospital treatment.
That’s what it’s come to.
Glad you enjoyed the sites.
https://animalchannel.co/man-rescues-octopus/?utm_source=twitter_ads&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=322c80b7-8246-61e5-1425-1bd8b07f7b1d&twclid=11477756968186138634
Apparently Octopuses are really clever… Maybe a few of them would like to join the English cabinet.
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIGIZv0XEAIfwF2?format=jpg&name=small
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