revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Count Steer wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 8:59 am

Noggin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:00 am
They asked for my licence, whilst one was checking that and the vehicle, the other chatted - he said I have “un petit accent du sud de la france” - I guess that’s a smidge better than an english accent.

We had a rather delumptious young French exchange teacher* one year at school. She said I talked like a French peasant.

(I pronounced Pentecôte as 'pen' rather the 'pon').

* 'Assistant rather than teacher. She just took 'French conversation' in small groups. It ended in a bit of a hushed up scandal. One of the 6th form boys and mademoiselle got a bit jiggy. Far from being scandalised we (the boys at least, maybe one or two of the girls too) were all a bit jealous. (The age difference wasn't much. I think they both decided to leave and the romance continued ).

I’ve got a mate here that used to be a supply teacher in what sounds like pretty posh schools. Anyway, he ended up teaching a French class when the snooty Parisien teacher was on holiday.

Now my mate speaks good French, but he’s more about communication than perfection

But when Ms Parisien came back she had a full on case of the vapours (this was probably 30 years ago!). Apparently she was horrified that all her students now spoke French like peasants. Viv replied with, but Madame, they can all have a conversation now. She didn’t think that a peasant conversation made up for not being perfect

Noggin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:00 am
the other chatted - he said I have “un petit accent du sud de la france” - I guess that’s a smidge better than an english accent.

My mate who lives in the Midi Pyrenees was asked whether he was Belgian?

Today i have relaxed in my lovely old chair. My recliner and I go way back...

Horse wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:56 am

Noggin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:00 am
the other chatted - he said I have “un petit accent du sud de la france” - I guess that’s a smidge better than an english accent.

My mate who lives in the Midi Pyrenees was asked whether he was Belgian?

I bet he said something like 'nonante' instead of 'quatre-ving-dix'.

(I remember a French chap at a talk saying about the speaker 'I think our colleague is a Belge'...just because he hesitated a bit before saying dates like 1996. ).

Horse wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:56 am

Noggin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:00 am
the other chatted - he said I have “un petit accent du sud de la france” - I guess that’s a smidge better than an english accent.

My mate who lives in the Midi Pyrenees was asked whether he was Belgian?

I've been asked that a few times by tourists. My physio considers it a massive insult, but as I said, to an English trying not to sound English when speaking French (or at least, trying to speak French properly) being asked if we are Belge is a huge compliment!!

Count Steer wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 1:10 pm

Horse wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:56 am

Noggin wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:00 am
the other chatted - he said I have “un petit accent du sud de la france” - I guess that’s a smidge better than an english accent.

My mate who lives in the Midi Pyrenees was asked whether he was Belgian?

I bet he said something like 'nonante' instead of 'quatre-ving-dix'.

(I remember a French chap at a talk saying about the speaker 'I think our colleague is a Belge'...just because he hesitated a bit before saying dates like 1996. ).

Oh blimey - the bloody numbers here are stupid. The Swiss and the Belges have it right, or at least more right!!

Who the fuck though it was a good Idea to have to say "4-20-10-9" to get 99 FFS!!

After my nightshift of terrifyingly drunk drivers (them, not me!), I got back home about 9am, faffed about a bit and went skiing!

TBF, didn't really want to ski with hundreds of hungover tourists, so planned to go to the top of a mountain by cable car (so I didn't 'have' to ski back down!) and have coffee and a snack of some sort until lunchtime when the tourists all head for the restaurants and then I'd come home!!

But, the restaurant is still run (or at least worked) by people who really shouldn't do customer service!! I'm pretty recognisable after all the years I've been here, and I did say I'd just finished work, but when I asked the guy if they did any kind of snacks he just said "non, rien". With no eye contact. And after I'd ordered a coffee! (No actual issue with them not doing food, it was the attitude about it. And the sugar, and the spoon -- then as I was leaving I noticed a new snack bar opened at the side which I'm pretty sure is run by the same restaurant Wasn't open as I arrived but had opened as I sat there trying to get the coffee to a point it could be drunk by me!! )

When he got back with the coffee (of which a fair amount was in the saucer) I had to ask for sugar, and then said I'd go get a spoon when the sugar was dumped on my table!! No no, I'll get it he said in a huff. By the time I had both sugar and a spoon my coffee was barely warm and TBF, that short tether my good humour has was awful short!!

So I drank some coffee then skied down to a lift that takes me up to another mountain top resto.

Sad thing about the first one is that my brother and his wife went there about 5 years or so ago and couldn't get served by anyone because the person serving in the area they had sat wouldn't serve them and no one else would because they weren't in the area for anyone else I was hoping it was nicer simply because it's a good place to be able to go with peeps that don't ski. But that won't be happening now


Anyway - went to the other place (narrowly missing being taken out by a skier going very very fast by the bottom of two lifts!! It's been a day of near misses! Not gonna have any luck left for 2025!!). And - no, they don't start food service until midday (was about 10.30) but the guy went and asked and came back with two options, one of which I ordered Bloody brilliant!!

So, here's the hard begged for panini with the hot choc and the awesome view And apart from the one scary near miss, the pistes seemed quite empty - was lovely, the two runs I did!!

Went back to the restaurant and got a full refund on our disastrous Xmas dinner. Then bought a settee in the sale. All in all a good day!

Taipan wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:54 pm Went back to the restaurant and got a full refund on our disastrous Xmas dinner.

What happened? Don't recall seeing anything.

Listened to the whole of Hysteria on vinyl, all four sides. While taking the tree and all the decs down and shoving them back in the loft.

Walked the dog! Cooked lunch, did some tidying up. Sorted some admin work and relaxed with the family. Wife is packing the daughters stuff for her stay away from home. Son is playing Age of Empires and cats have just been fed (again!). Gave the car a wipe down in the pouring rain, windows are cleaner for now and bird poo is rinsed off the bodywork. Going to open a bottle of something decent later on and relax for the evening.

Horse wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:37 pm

Taipan wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:54 pm Went back to the restaurant and got a full refund on our disastrous Xmas dinner.

What happened? Don't recall seeing anything.

Local Beefeater fooked up big style. Went there 2 years ago and it was surpringly nice so went again, but this year we had to wait for over an hour to get seated . Then the table was unmade. Got starters before we had any cutlery. Dinners turned up over an hour later and 9 out of 12 were inedible and stone cold and once again we had no cutlery. Got the wrong drinks delivered and our ones never did show up excpet one bottle of prosecco but no glasses. By this time my nephew and his other half had to go to collect his kids from his Ex so they never got desserts! We stayed for the desserts as eveyoen was huingry, but got the wrong ones and only a few arrived anyway. Incredibly we didnt do bad compared to some who got turned away with no dinner at all. There was near riots in the reception area. A few other tables got some dinners again cold and rubber beef etc. I've never seen such a shambolic mess in any restaraunt, ever!

That's appalling. And beyond jokes (even if you were being a bit picky)

Glad you got it sorted.

Arrived in Chau Doc for our last night in Vietnam. Tomorrow we'll get a fast ferry up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, it'll take about 5 hours I believe.

Two weeks ago we landed in Hanoi and then travelled north to Sa Pa. We've since visited Hué, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nah Trang (New Years Eve) Saigon and the a couple of days around the Mekong Delta to get us here.

A week in Cambodia and it's back to Turkey to have a hip replacement op.

Was finishing off the walk with our dog and there was someone just starting a walk with their elderly lurcher/collie.
I asked them what was the dog jacket it was wearing like as I was on the lookout for another decent one for ours.
The guy said, "If your still about soon you can have this jacket, its her last walk"

Jeez, I felt bloody awfull, poor buggers. I didn't fancy hanging about circling at 200 feet like a vulture to take the still warm jacket off a dog just before it gets put down but gave them my number.
I had a bit of a conversation with them and said I felt like I left it too long between our last dog being put down (2014) and getting our current one (2021) and kind of werbled on a bit saying it's maybe better to get right back on that horse by getting another sooner rather than later.
With luck they'll just get another rescue dog and keep the jacket for that, I can buy one for ours if need be.

Got the F350 all back together.

Yambo wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2025 11:36 am Arrived in Chau Doc for our last night in Vietnam. Tomorrow we'll get a fast ferry up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, it'll take about 5 hours I believe.

Two weeks ago we landed in Hanoi and then travelled north to Sa Pa. We've since visited Hué, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nah Trang (New Years Eve) Saigon and the a couple of days around the Mekong Delta to get us here.

A week in Cambodia and it's back to Turkey to have a hip replacement op.

Now that's what I call a holiday,when you need a hip op after.

Best wishes Yams.

Hit Trader Joe's, WallyWorld & Sprouts.. A weeks worth of food, which should have cost maybe $70 cost TWO HUNDRED & FIFTY FUCKING DOLLARS.

ZRX61 wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2025 12:13 am A weeks worth of food, which should have cost maybe $70 cost TWO HUNDRED & FIFTY FUCKING DOLLARS.

I say similar quite often to the wife when she comes back from Tesco.

Signed up to Gousto, I was getting seriously peeved at having to make a choice as to what I wanted to eat and then not being able to get ingredients locally when I wanted them, and being the only one in the house that likes spicy foreign muck often meant food going to waste or me not eating, so I'll give this a go.

Referral code if anyone fancies giving it a try www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=JEFF44 ... ce=weblink you get 65% off your first box + 20% off the first 2 months

We've done Gousto for pretty much every mid week meal for 6 or 7 years now. Love it.