StreetCowboy

I guess you are assuming that the aliens would base their opinion on television drama, and not sport. The EPL would be more representative

The old yolks are the best.

The modern world is rubbish. I think Dr Who would’ve been better on the wireless.

What is the maximum width the courier allows? Sorry , I did not read your post carefully. If it is also too long, then unless the maximum width allowed is greater than the maximum length that they allow, then you may have to try a freight forwarder.

Back in the day, my mate came down from The Old Country, and we went to the into the big city. We went to The Brewery Tap, nearest pub to the Strangeways Brewery, replete with a “drink from 11 till 11” banner. ‘Sorry, we’re not open’ I pointed at the banner. She pointed at the fine print “Mon -Fri” So the only day you could drink all day, you couldn’t. We walked back into town and drank Tetleys.

Back in the day, some pubs allegedly opened at 0700. Not that I ever saw them at that time. I saw a fight in one of them, around 11 am. Myself and the other chap at the bar were doing our best to look elsewhere (not only in the sense of not looking at the shoving and pushing, but like we were elsewhere). The only time I thought about a pint at that time in the morning was coming off the overnight train from London, but I couldn’t see if the pub was open from the main road, and I couldn’t be bothered going to investigate. Last time I transited Hong Kong from the US I had to search for somewhere serving beer in the dawn hours of the morning. Years earlier, I’d taken my daughter to the dentists in HK, and agreed to meet my wife for dinner in a restaurant in Wanchai. We arrived early, so we stopped for a drink, and the only people there were still there, not there already. Anyway, as for why people are there before the pub opens… Back in the day, Diggers did not bother applying for a licence extension, so they would not open till 5 pm, so there would be a crowd waiting for them to open after the football. When TheBlether came to visit, after an afternoon in the town we stopped in a neighbourhood bar that did not open till 7, so we were sat drumming our fingers on the bar for 5 minutes. I doubt you wanted anything other than a holier-than-they condemnation of early morning drinkers, but I hope some people found the above either relevant, informative, interesting or nostalgic.

What's the maximum width? Maybe they could ship it on its side?

Where I come from, we call them “assassins”. Back in the day, I was walking in to the office, and I saw an honest worker taking great caress he marked out and cut paving slabs. ”I say, my good man,” I called out to him. “I see you are marking out your slabs with commendable care and diligence, but did you know that at the National Physics Laboratory we can measure with an error of one millionth of an inch?” ”Nae good in this job, pal. In this job ye’ve got tae be dead on”

Back in the day I was passing through Hong Kong and I stopped for a beer in what was once my local. I got chatting to the chap next to me and he says: "Whear yew from?" "Scotland" "Nawyernut. Yerfrim Ireland" "Listen, pal. You're from Belfast, and you ought to know the difference, but I'm telling you, I'm from Scotland" I don't recall the rest of the conversation, but there was nothing requiring medical treatment, and I don't associate it with a missed flight, so it must have been bland. Bland enough. SC

Modesty and politeness get more no-score draws than fitness gets wins. Have you ever played the football pools? SC

it's gentrified now. I'm guessing if you drank you'd be struggling to get a pint for three pounds in Leith now. I think in your case you could still get into a fight easy enough, though. SC

I am not sure anyone deserves a good beating, but you may be more qualified as a moral judge than I. Back in the day, my country gave up on corporal punishment, and I don’t think that thugs are any better qualified to administer judgement than courts.

Maybe he was not aware of the price of ladies’ drinks; maybe the price of drinks was not clearly displayed in the bar. Maybe someone had offered him drinks, and he was more intoxicated than he had planned. I often find that drinking leads to poor arithmetical ability, and also misjudgement, and even misunderstandings or mistakes.

The solution is probably more important than the root cause.... D'ye think it was the three rotations to starboard at the Tin Hau Temple to avoid capsize that finally solved the problem? I've bought new self-adhesive patches since my last puncture and failed repair, though I don't trust them. I also bought new tyre levers, forgot that I had done so, and bought more. I'll need a bigger top-tube bag for all this stuff...

Since the OP has not posted since July, I think we can assume that either the problem has gone away, or the bike has gone in the bin. If the former, then a close-out comment from the OP may be helpful for others suffering similar problems, @Maybole

How is your trip planning going? I hope you have a great time, but more importantly, raise a good contribution.

Prescience becomes nostalgia

I reckon if you drink less than your doctor, you're doing ok. But make sure that your surgeon drinks less than you do.

I don't think going into the garden is that dangerous. But I'm not going to come to a barbecue at your house, just in case...

The Tattoo is fine, depending on the weather

Small things

The present will always be a foreign country for those that live in the past.

I’d been lid up poorly with covid mot of the week, but Sunday felt well enough for a gentle ride. I’d agreed to lend my mountain bike to a friend who had just returned to the country, pending the arrival of his container, and I had to to spare, so took a trip round a local park. There was a lacrosse team practicing It is a nice little park, but for all that everyone likes parks, not a lot of people use them

My apologies to those of you who have heard this story before so many times, but like your grandmother’s stories, they’re so much more fun when you can sing along. I was walking up Sukhumvit Road on the even side, and I noticed a “Scottish” pub on my left. I went in and the cigarette smoke was so thick, I thought I’d been tear-gassed. It was brightly lit, with a linoleum floor - just like back home! I bought a pint of Singha, and looked about me. ”Whair’re you go?” ”Hong Kong…” ”Hong Kong? Ah wiz 22 year wi Swire Pacific - d’ye Ken Swire Pacific?” ”Yes - Cathay Pacific airlines and the Coca Cola franchise. Are you retired here now?” ”Aye; afore that Ah wiz in Hong Kong, twenty-two year wi’ Swire Pacific. D’ye ken Swire Pacific?” We did a couple more laps of this while I finished my Singha, and the fact that the pub’s gone now is not the only reason I’ve not been back.

If you’re going to wax, then waxing eloquent is as good a way to wax as any