laserguy

It's only money. The mental anguish caused by summer is far more costly. Only a little over 5 months til the days start to shorten. Here we go again....

Sure you would - but I'm banned from there! That's why I occasionally trouble threads like this.....

No you ain't - it gets everywhere and is very popular with the 'general media', as is lots of other cobblers like celebrity/sport/fashion etc etc. Sign o' the times, I'm afraid.

If only! As for all the climate-change crapola, who gives a monkey's anyway? Seriously - who gives a monkey's?

Opportunistic bleeders that they are..... everything can be put down to climate change - even normality. It's a larf,innit?

It never really went away here - it still made the most of its lesser time above the horizon. Here's hoping to a cold spring and washout summer to make amends. It's only fair...

Drawing in, in fercrissakes - as in contracting/shrinking/receding. In/out, shake it all about - either way the misery season is slowly but surely in ascension. It seems like 5 minutes ago that the clocks went back. Who knows where the time goes, Sandy?

Thanks - I'm glad that's cleared up. Did my response make sense? I didn't think it was ambiguous - just pointing out that one's sexuality is one of thousands of variables that make us what we are.

Are you deliberately trying to goad me into saying something I might regret - again? I'm saying that heterosexuality is by far and away the dominant trait - like people who do not have Asperger's, for example. I'm not for one moment saying that there is anything 'wrong' with it. What is it these days with everyone wanting to over-analyse and categorise?

The 'cause' of my 100% heterosexuality is that I was born 'normal', in that way at least. That's gonna raise hackles no doubt, but it's not meant to. I was born with Asperger's, along with a myriad of other (undiagnosed) 'faults'. Not necessarily problems - but aberrations all the same. Is anyone 'perfect'? What sort of world would that be?

As soon as all this damn snow melts, I'm gonna burn some rubber whilst I still can.

Nick, would you accept a little advice from someone who's done 'nights' for years? If possible, try to develop a routine where you stay up after work until mid/late afternoon. Wake up just before work and when you finish the ensuing night shift you're as fresh as a daisy. It's great 'cos you have most of the day free. No good if you've a busy social life as your evenings are spent asleep, but who goes out socialising just before a night shift anyway? The day shift kills me - having to go to bed at a certain time, up with the lark and coming home feeling shocking and thinking about the distant bedtime. Summer, with its attendant heat and light amplify the problem hugely. I'm on nights this week - came home at 0630 and did loads of chores before going into town. Feel bright as a button, having a spot of 'dinner' and will be retiring to bed around 3pm.

Well you would say that, a bit like a guy from Death Valley wondering why Brits get all giddy at the prospect of 30C in summer (but to be fair, I wonder exactly the same thing). Snow? Please itself for me - all I ask is that if it's gonna snow, it does it right.

I don't celebrate the 'return of the sun' - I dread it. As for our food, most of it comes from abroad these days, thanks to the gift of fossil fuels providing transport,pesticides,fertilisers,irrigation etc etc. Let those countries have the damn sun - we don't need it.

Much of the last two pages, 'celebrating' the soon-to-be-lengthening daylight, comprise some of the most depressing crap I have ever had the misfortune to read on the internet. Seriously.

Me neither, but some of the guys at our place are so far gone that I wouldn't be surprised if they did. That would be horrible but the birds would be most welcome to. Unlikely right now tho' - the place is like Greenland, so I'm told. I think it's still quite balmy for the time of year.

At least they haven't put it down to a nuclear-powered headless mutant spawn of climate change.... or have they??

It does us all good from time to time! I have actually relented, you'll be relieved to hear - but the heating will remain well and truly off whenever I'm home alone!

Today they've cleared off to her mother's place - presumably to get warm. Great - I can play heavy rock at '11' and at a comfortable temperature, now everyone's happy!

They're having one of my vindaloo specials for supper whether they like it or not. Twenty minutes after that and all silly notions of putting the heating on will have evaporated along with their minds.

They're starting to acclimatise, and it's never done me any harm. Cold preserves - heat festers. I'm told it's cold out today, but the CH remains untroubled in here.

He's actually developed quite a tolerance for one so young, but still has mountains to climb! Wonder if my vast capsaicin intake ( actually had a vindaloo for breakfast today) has something to do with my indifference to cold? Sat here with doors and windows open, heating off and t-shirt on and will soon be going to work in what amounts to a giant un-heated shed, wearing the same. I guarantee I'll be perfectly comfortable whilst everyone else looks like they're about to embark on an Arctic trek and will be moaning accordingly. Our drum has one of those forced-air ventilation systems in the loft - black mould/mildew/damp/stale smells etc etc are things of the past.

Around minus 10C if I lived alone. (Serious answer!). But I guess I'll allow it to be on for limited periods this weekend what with the kid being home from school an' all. That will open the floodgates I s'pose and it'll be on and off from then til early spring. Gonna have to force more bread 'n' taties down him.

Nope - don't be silly.

Maybe,maybe not. But if any response is only detectable under 'laboratory conditions' and with highly sensitive equipment etc, then it's a moot point. I am, to all intents and purposes, completely heterosexual. And you wouldn't catch me watching gay porn in the first place, I'll have you know!