Who knows how the Arabs treated their slaves en route but we do know the men were castrated and once Islam set in they never took Muslims. It's a whole abhorrent can of worms @Dovefromabove to think that anyone can "own" or another human being without getting into the whole mistreatment of people of another sex, colour, race, class or creed. I learned, with interest, that slavery was officially abolished in Ghana, for example, 10 years after it was banned in the USA.
I have a different Curmudge now. Minor in the scheme of things but major at the mo. Our cavity walls are not! The wall to which I am fixing a headboard has stone behind it. The battery in the drill/screw driver has given up so a few hours of delay while it replenishes itself.
@wild edges - that's a cracking t-shirt. I got all sorts of "designer" stuff for Possum when she was a tot as there was a Brussels version of the NCT which held twice annual sales of cast-offs. Loads of rich ex-pats and especially Americans selling stuff at silly prices. She had a fabulous pink seersucker Baby Dior romper suit that cost me the equivalent of a fiver and a pair of leather trousers for 6 yr olds - never worn - that I also got for a fiver and all sorts of OshKosh B'gosh denim stuff.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
He can't read yet @wild edges and you can have a snigger.
I am of the generation that had formal English grammar classes which included learning how a sentence is constructed and how to parse it. Two years later it seems teachers decided it was too dull and unnecessary and stopped teaching it.
All very well but I never had any problem understanding French grammar and tenses and agreements when we moved to Belgium and I took classes whereas 2 women I knew and who were 3 and 5 years younger than me didn't know what an object was, let alone direct or indirect, not did they know about transitive and intransitive verbs and subjunctives. They gave up after just one year.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
See what happens when 98% of the population says they’ve passed their English GCSE! 🙁
But there's no grade inflation despite the overall pass level increasing from 70% to 79% and 1 in 3 getting A or A*. Next time round we'll have the teachers saying it's not fair on pupils to have to go back to taking exams and we should all just trust teachers to be accurate with the grades they are giving!
In the olden days, I would let provisions run out and buy them as and when I needed them. Now, I replace stuff as soon as it's running low. I have a cupboard of stuff much like Thatcher's tins. Should I try to get over my squirrelling urges or is it a sensible precaution? I'm vaguely concerned about B**x*hit induced shortages too. Am I bonkers or prudent?
I've never understood the merit in not saying 'I told you so'. Ive always found it quite satisfying. But, hopefully, I will be denied the pleasure on this occasion.
Posts
I have a different Curmudge now. Minor in the scheme of things but major at the mo.
Our cavity walls are not! The wall to which I am fixing a headboard has stone behind it. The battery in the drill/screw driver has given up so a few hours of delay while it replenishes itself.
@wild edges - that's a cracking t-shirt. I got all sorts of "designer" stuff for Possum when she was a tot as there was a Brussels version of the NCT which held twice annual sales of cast-offs. Loads of rich ex-pats and especially Americans selling stuff at silly prices. She had a fabulous pink seersucker Baby Dior romper suit that cost me the equivalent of a fiver and a pair of leather trousers for 6 yr olds - never worn - that I also got for a fiver and all sorts of OshKosh B'gosh denim stuff.
See what happens when 98% of the population says they’ve passed their English GCSE! 🙁
I am of the generation that had formal English grammar classes which included learning how a sentence is constructed and how to parse it. Two years later it seems teachers decided it was too dull and unnecessary and stopped teaching it.
All very well but I never had any problem understanding French grammar and tenses and agreements when we moved to Belgium and I took classes whereas 2 women I knew and who were 3 and 5 years younger than me didn't know what an object was, let alone direct or indirect, not did they know about transitive and intransitive verbs and subjunctives. They gave up after just one year.
But there's no grade inflation despite the overall pass level increasing from 70% to 79% and 1 in 3 getting A or A*. Next time round we'll have the teachers saying it's not fair on pupils to have to go back to taking exams and we should all just trust teachers to be accurate with the grades they are giving!
In the olden days, I would let provisions run out and buy them as and when I needed them.
Now, I replace stuff as soon as it's running low. I have a cupboard of stuff much like Thatcher's tins.
Should I try to get over my squirrelling urges or is it a sensible precaution?
I'm vaguely concerned about B**x*hit induced shortages too.
Am I bonkers or prudent?
When the day comes you are allowed to post that we were warned
Ive always found it quite satisfying. But, hopefully, I will be denied the pleasure on this occasion.