[SA Chris]

Been forcing myself to take my DSLR out on daily walks, with a different lens each day and got some photos I'm pretty pleased with. I'd fallen out of love with it for a while..

[Duma]

I'm ~2kg lighter, not sure why, it's def not from drinking less. Maybe more running.
I've seen a lot more of spring unfolding around my neighbourhood than I normally would, which has been fantastic.
I've built a board, along with various other playing with wood stuff, and remembered how much I love it.
And (selfishly) I've had significantly more time than normal with my daughter.

[nik at work]

Nothing selfish about that

[Duma]

Not sure she thinks that! I'm much stricter on homeschooling than her mum... (tbf she's working from home full time and I get lots of midweek days off.)

[andy popp]

I was in a work Zoom meeting with 90 participants this morning. Not many had video on but one of the few that did suddenly got up, walked down a hallway, carrying his laptop facing him, placed the laptop down on the bathroom floor, pulled his pants down and sat on the toilet, obviously about to have a shit and in perfect view of everyone. When someone pointed out we were all watching his face showed this was not deliberate. Don't get me wrong, I don't need to see my colleagues taking a dump, but it was the highlight of the meeting.

Apparently a Danish school had to offer an apology this week after a teacher finished some Zoom teaching, failed to leave the meeting, and started having sex with someone.

[Will Hunt]

Someone. Anyone.

[andy popp]

I was wondering too but didn't receive that information. I'm guessing not their spouse.

[tomtom]

Zoom basics. Mute Mic. Hide video.

This is what I made use of meeting time today 😂

[Oldmanmatt]

I was wondering too but didn't receive that information. I'm guessing not their spouse.

I suppose you can be reasonably sure it wasn’t a student...

I have completely re-carpeted the matting at the wall and will probably get the whole place repainted, possibly even remodelled and every hold washed.


I can’t think of anything that will make it any less likely that we ever reopen....

[petejh]

I was in a work Zoom meeting with 90 participants this morning. Not many had video on but one of the few that did suddenly got up, walked down a hallway, carrying his laptop facing him, placed the laptop down on the bathroom floor, pulled his pants down and sat on the toilet, obviously about to have a shit and in perfect view of everyone. When someone pointed out we were all watching his face showed this was not deliberate. Don't get me wrong, I don't need to see my colleagues taking a dump, but it was the highlight of the meeting.

Apparently a Danish school had to offer an apology this week after a teacher finished some Zoom teaching, failed to leave the meeting, and started having sex with someone.

Danish.. Was the apology because it wasn't hardcore enough?

Brilliant dump story!

[cheque]

Apparently a Danish school had to offer an apology this week after a teacher finished some Zoom teaching, failed to leave the meeting, and started having sex with someone.

In my head the teacher is played by John Cleese.

[Falling Down]

Flippin' eck Andy - hilarious!

I've been able to get my little backyard sorted or veg and fruit.  New potatoes, tomatoes (cherry and big chunky ones), broccoli, artichoke, chard, courgette, rocket, parsley, coriander, mint, rosemary, strawberries, and dwarf mulberry.  Got some beans coming in the post too and will put out the lettuce soon.

We bought a home oyster mushroom kit so have had a bag sealed with straw and spores for four weeks. Tomorrow it gets opened and transferred to a porous bag to allow the mushrooms to grow.  Can't wait to see how they turn out.

[jwi]

Apparently a Danish school had to offer an apology this week after a teacher finished some Zoom teaching, failed to leave the meeting, and started having sex with someone.

Why apologise? That doesn't sound very Danish at all. I am disappointed.

[SA Chris]

Tomorrow it gets opened.

Must be pretty crowded in there at the moment...

[Andy F]

Huge shout out to Fatneck for his sterling work: https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1262396438987841539?s=19

[duncan]

Great stuff fatneck.

I may have a green light on moving out of London. Possibly deserves a thread for itself but this is very CV induced. We have friends in Marple Bridge which seems reassuringly pretentious for expat. north Londoners. Any work would be in Manchester and likely very part time so don’t mind a bit of a commute. Train to from Stockport to London seems pretty good. Gmaps suggests 2 hours to N Wales and 1.5 hours to the Yorkshire lime big three which sounds amazing and there is plenty of hillwalking for when I get really old.

Any thoughts on living in this part of the world?

[tomtom]

Nice enough place...

It'll take you 30-45 min to get to Stockport station at rush hour (maybe longer..)...

30 min to the Tor, add another 10-15 min for the Eastern Edges. <1:30 to S. Lakes Lime.

Manchester (in general) has very little right on its doorstep (e.g. theres no Burbage 10 min drive away..) - but there are many many places within ~ hours drive away on many different rock types in many different settings.

[Falling Down]

Great news Duncan.  Errm Sam is in that neighbourhood so will be able to help.  I was close by in Buxworth for over fifteen years and I think that’s Ru’s neck of the woods too.

You’ve got a few crags very close by like New Mills Tors, Wingather etc. Then Glossop grit & Kinder during the Summer months.

Dead easy to get to Cheedale and the surrounding crags plus The Roaches area too.

Wales, Yorkshire The Lakes easy to get to in ~2 hrs.

A few home boards in the area once you get to know the place.

It’s a nice place for walking and generally getting outdoors.

[Ru]

I live in Marple Bridge as FD said. Reasonable-ish road commute into Manchester (depending on traffic) 20 mins by train. Stockport station takes you to London in 2 hours. 30 mins to the peak (depending on which bit), a smattering of nearer crags. About 1 hr 10 ish to yorkshire, 2 hours to wales, 2 hrs to lakes, 1 hr to lancs quarries. Marple Bridge is also reassuringly pretentious as you say.

[andy popp]

@fatneck, good effort lad.

@duncan, this sounds very good. Can't believe Tomtom hasn't mentioned sub one hour to Cheshire.

[tomtom]

@fatneck, good effort lad.

@duncan, this sounds very good. Can't believe Tomtom hasn't mentioned sub one hour to Cheshire.

Shhh... not been post lockdown - though from Social Media looks like it’s been pretty busy (I fear for the state of the long wall in the woods.. parking issues at Harmers..)

[duncan]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.  Sounds promising. I can happily live without crags 10 minutes away, it will still be hugely better from a climbing perspective than where I’m now. I’m most psyched at the prospect of climbing in The Lakes and Wales regularly again, the places I started in but have barely visited for the last 20 years. I have family in south Manchester which is a bonus.

Crucially, my wife likes the area, has friends there, and thinks it will work better for her than most places outside London. Obviously gentlemen of taste like Ru and FD living there is a recommendation in itself!

Putting this all into action right now will be a challenge, but so is any big change.

[Mike Highbury]

I may have a green light on moving out of London...Any thoughts?

It is the most stupid, witless thing that I've heard in all of my life.
Mx

[SA Chris]

There goes the neighbourhood

[tomtom]

Three houses in our road moved here from London in the last 2-4 years (Didsbury) - and during lockdown distanced in the road sundowners have described their reasons for coming here “it was just like ‘Stokey’ in Manchester”. Hmm... 🤔