The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

2015 sounds more like it.
Yes, Southampton to Channel Islands.
I loved being on that plane. You could see what was out the front!

The one I wouldn't mind doing sometime is LoganAir's Twin Otter to Barra - landing on the only beach airport in the world. I've been to see it, but went by ferry.

It was a very relaxed operation. Firstly, all the usual CAA signs are around saying don't do this, don;'t do that, etc. including parking by the airport - however, when I asked him if it was OK, the security guy was perfectly happy for me to park there.

When a plane's due, they switch on a strobe light to warn cocklepickers on the beach, then a little tractor goes all over the intended runway, checking for cocklepicker, driftwood and .... basking seals.

If all is well, in comes the plane and it taxies up to the "terminal building". Staff come out and hang hazard tape over the propellors and the little tractor comes back out with a trailer for the luggage. The passengers get out and walk to the building, while the tractor takes the luggage to the baggage claim area - best described as a bus shelter ont he end of the building with a shelf and one pane of glass removed for the bags to be pushed onto the shelf

Once the plane had gone and I'd got my photos I asked the security guy if it was OK to leave my car there (despite all the CAA dire warning signs) while I went to have a look over the sand dunes to the west. His reply - "Certainly, sir. I can thoroughly recommend it, that's best beach on Barra over there." It was.


LoganAir's Westray to papa Westray route would be fun too, that's the world's shortest commercial flight at 1.7 miles taking, IIRC, 2 minutes, including taxiiing.

Pyxis

Ooooh! I'd love to see that!


Tell you what would be fun-erissimo! Being in a fighter that landed on an aircraft-carrier! Wahay! (See edit)




Oslo airport is quite good fun because you approach over the sea and all the little islands and you go down and down and it's still sea, and down and down and it's still sea, and down and down and it's still sea, and then right at the last minute you hit tarmac and screech to a halt! Yum!




(Edit...(Or even just being in a fighter!)

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

Tell you what would be fun-erissimo! Being in a fighter that landed on an aircraft-carrier! Wahay! (See edit)

(Edit...(Or even just being in a fighter!)

I'd settle for the edit - especially if said fighter were a Spitfire or Hurricane

zagubov

Sorry I misled you, Pyxis! I have this terrible habit of posting elsewhere.

I was watching the hurricane warnings in the US and thought the sign language fellow was a bit, well, frankly I thought he was just making scary hand signs. It now turns out that's all he was doing and wasn't really an interpreter. :eek:

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

....not sure when she will fit in the homework and violin practice.....

We used to get 2 hours/night. The school gave you a homework timetable and teachers gave out homework on the correct nights so you didn't end up with 6 hours of it.

I didn't get home from school until tea-time (2 buses and a wait) .... couldn't do it before tea-time as the table was laid. Couldn't do it afterwards as it was the living room and so mum/dad/sis were watching telly... and that was the only room that had a coal fire on in winter.

As for the other stuff, she needs to learn to choose - do the stuff completely, nor not at all... coming/going late/early doesn't make for a pleasant time at any of the events.

silvercar

We used to get 2 hours/night. The school gave you a homework timetable and teachers gave out homework on the correct nights so you didn't end up with 6 hours of it.

That brings back a memory. I'd completely forgotten homework timetables.

I always did my homework in my bedroom, away from noise and distractions.

As for the other stuff, she needs to learn to choose - do the stuff completely, nor not at all... coming/going late/early doesn't make for a pleasant time at any of the events.

I tend to agree. As homework increases and studying becomes more important, the number of out of school activities needs to be scaled back.

michaels

The kids are not hugely academic and the household is not very intellectual so I am not sure it is worth the effort of trying to get them to succeed academically, the amount of work required and the amount of unhappiness that will result just does not seem worth it.

Flu jab?

I think our DS gets one because of his age but none of the rest of us qualify but I see that you can buy them in Asda for a fiver. Now to me this seems like a no brainer, even if it only protects against a 1 in 20 chance of having a day or too off work and 3 or 4 days feeling miserable surely £5 is well worth it - but given it is so cheap why don't all companies (and may be all schools) pay to have it for their staff by default? Do any NP who don't qualify pay to have it done?

zagubov

In the US they give the flu jab to everybody over 50.
My work offers it to all the staff and I'm getting vaccinated soon.

silvercar

michaels wrote: »

The kids are not hugely academic and the household is not very intellectual so I am not sure it is worth the effort of trying to get them to succeed academically, the amount of work required and the amount of unhappiness that will result just does not seem worth it.

DS2 is less academic, he practises the max grade for minimum effort strategy. It seems to pay off well.

Flu jab?

I think our DS gets one because of his age but none of the rest of us qualify but I see that you can buy them in Asda for a fiver. Now to me this seems like a no brainer even if it only protects against a 1 in 20 chance of having a day or too off work and 3 or 4 days feeling miserable surely £5 is well worth it - but given it is so cheap why don't all companies (and may be all schools) pay to have it for their staff by default? Do any NP who don't qualify pay to have it done?

I have heard of people feeling so ill after the jab that they regretted it.

michaels may be most interested in this. Quite a few of the small/ medium sized energy companies pay interest on credit balances. I'm switching to Ovo and they pay 3%-5% depending on how ling you have been with them, couple that with a Satander 123 or natwest rewards account and you receive 2% on the payments too. So netting 5-7% on credit balances. usually a restriction on the balance, Ovo is £1k but that interest rate looks good.

ivyleaf

My ivyleaf gets the flu jab because of his medical conditions, and I get it as his carer. I think the only time we've been unwell afterwards was the year we had the pneumonia vaccine at the same time.
Last year's flu vaccine made my arm itch badly at the site of the injection, and it still itches at times, a year later! Strange.

Lydia Just wanted to tell you our grandson is very happy at his new school so far, and has been put in the top set for maths