Actually I have no idea of that happens often in the US, but I was asked all the time in Colorado, grey hair and all, seemed to be just a way of avoiding disputes.

I thought that was a given when they started talking about verification? Same as having to show ID to buy alcohol in the US, and affirm to the checkout assistant in Woolies that you're over 18 to buy non-alcoholic G & T in a can (gateway drink?)

After driving to the city for an errand, I came home and wasted time and was sleepy. Now wide awake after the dogs found a tiger snake in the garden (yelling, chair-throwing, chasing the dogs off the snake with a hoe will all wake you up) but all a-flutter and still not doing any work.

Looks a bit like Jack Nicholson about to make mayhem. I can't unsee it now.

I dunno. The look in that collie's eyes is a bit suss.

That meaning of your post did cross my mind. The five wood-burning fireplaces, too. FIve! By choice! I mean, don't you need a scullery maid for that?

Gosh yes. I had a bad drop foot and dodgy balance for a while (now only a bit) and joined a 'support group' on social media. Was shocked at how many people were risking falls or worse because they felt they had to avoid any assistive device.

Haha yeah I'm always thinking 'but the weeds! but the cleaning' with these grand houses, but I want to know about the logistics too. How does the house itself work?

'Without ever meaning to, we’ve been poisoning next year’s beetles.' Yeah no, 'we' meant to: that's exactly what it says on the label. People need to own what they're doing when they trash the environment.

Mean! But I love how you laid out the story.

I learned to crochet, and to quilt and embroider, entirely off the internet at a time when I was somewhat isolated overseas.

If China had done this. You guys would already have done:

1 Calling in the Chinese Ambassador for a verbal bashing

2 Holding your 1200th PRESSER condeming China and China bashing

3 Threatening to send Australian Navy to South China Sea to ensure freedom of navigation

Pure Hypocrisy.

My department adopted a policy that is roughly “at teacher’s discretion, ai may be used in a manner that only aids the learning process.” I got to teach my kids on day 1 what “heavy lifting” meant, eg “the phrase teachers discretion is doing a lot of heavy lifting as we will not be using ai ever”

I see. Will check them out!

*on most of them

It fits? Big air fryer? Small pizza? Sections? – thinking of getting an air fryer, but the actual space seems small most?

I whippersnipped the garden edges yesterday and, deservedly, won the World Embroidery League's Marine Environment Award.

It is remarkable how all of these things seem to have gone mostly unremarked, or if not unremarked, then sort of shrugged off as irrelevant

To me, it's the spectacle of a predatory industry feasting on infrastructure that was meant to be used to eliminate fossil fuels, and killing climate progress

… and says it has decided simply to sell Tasmania, debt and all. Recent 'national imperative' legislation – inspired, as it happens, by Tasmania's rules to allow democracy to be set aside for certain projects – allows this to happen. 4/-