Go on go on go on go on go on
How do you say 1901 then? One thousand nine hundred and one? Nineteen hundred and one? Or nineteen oh one? Have you ever heard of the Eighteen Hundred and Twelve Overture?
I’m in the “twenty oh one” etc camp, it’s concise and consistent.
Scotland too: “hen” to women, “pal” to everyone.
Ah. Maybe work up a few phrases explaining your situation ahead of the trip?
Be open, humble, friendly, listen more than you talk. Try and learn a bit about the country you’re in, not to have opinions about it, but to better understand the people you meet. Happy travels!
Shetland is an archipelago, but ok. Historically populations in the Scottish islands moved around a lot more than you would think. Sick of the tiny village you grew up in? Hop in a boat and go to Orkney, or Skye, or Lewis. Travel by land was difficult, by sea was comparatively easier. There was also a lot of incomer traffic, from Ireland, Scandinavia, even the Baltic. So yes, there might have been a tiny fraction of genetic connection, but unlikely to be significant.
Oh my god! I’m sitting here touching myself like a fucking madwoman. Thank you so much! Brilliant, brilliant comment. I had no idea, how have I lived without this knowledge? Ok I’m touching myself again, this is hilarious.
In the National Museum of Scotland there’s a bronze-age skeleton curled up in a recreation of the person’s grave, surrounded by their grave goods. While I was stood looking at it, a woman was explaining to her granddaughter that the skeleton had been found in Shetland, where she herself was from. The girl turned to her and said, “Was he a friend of yours, granny?” We all laughed, but I think we all had the same uncomfortable thought - this wasn’t just dry bones, it was a person. What if it was a friend of granny’s? What amount of time makes it ok?
Looking at this body in the British Museum was even worse: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28589151
The Russian government cracks down really hard on anyone daring to protest against the war. You can be jailed for even calling it a war - it’s a “special military operation”.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-war_protests_in_Russia_(2022–present)
Big pass on a one-way ticket. I’d quite like to see a dinosaur though…
I was in West Berlin in 1981, we had a picnic by the wall and rode the metro through the ghost stations. Which were a bit meh to be honest. You had to change a certain amount of currency to visit the east and we couldn’t afford it, so we just stayed in the train and went back again.
We hitched to Berlin, and the freakiest part was driving through the corridor that linked West Berlin to West Germany.
“The proof is in the pudding.” It makes zero sense! The actual adage is, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It means that a dessert can look perfect and enticing, but if the cook used salt instead of sugar it will taste disgusting.
I don’t know what people even think they’re saying with “the proof is in the pudding”.
I once had a passenger criticise me for indicating a turn when there were no others cars around. She said it showed I was driving without thinking, automatically signalling when it wasn’t needed. I think I said something like “fuck you” or maybe “I’ll drop you off here then if you don’t like my driving”. I’m signalling my intentions to the universe! Behold my blinking lights, for I am voyaging leftwards!
Hardly anyone in the UK can say “sixth”. They pronounce it “sick”. Some people can’t even say “six”, that becomes “sick” as well. I judge them for it - lazy!
There was a bit of tech around at the time - telegraph. The flare sparked fires in telegraph offices and shocked some operators. As in electric shock, not a big fright, though no doubt also that. Some operators disconnected their batteries and were able to communicate by the auroral current alone.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event
The descriptions of the aurora are wild.
Your immune system gives some protection against botulinum, but it doesn’t fully develop until about six months to a year old. This is why you should never ever feed honey to an infant. Bees will occasionally end up on the ground, picking up botulinum. There’s a very small chance of a trace of the bug ending up in honey. It’s not enough to harm an older child or adult, but even thst tiny amount can kill a baby.
I’m right with you on “magic clean hand socks”. In the canteen at my last job the staff would make sandwiches wearing gloves and then take money from customers and ring it up on the till - still wearing the same gloves. Cash is the filthiest thing you could touch in this situation, but they’d go and make the next sandwich after handling it. Yuck.
Cold baked beans straight from the tin, eaten with a spoon. I’m grinning thinking of my dinner guests’ faces as they contemplate their tins.
I got a gift card to a steak restaurant as a thank you for a huge favour. It was the last place I’d go for a meal. I’d rather have had a book token - I could have bought half a dozen books, and instead it was a not very enjoyable meal for two.
I’m in the UK and KFC has gone downhill here too - something I’m very grateful for! A few years ago I got a real craving for a crispy, juicy piece of chicken with the colonel’s secret spices. I ended up with a grim, wizened leg that tasted of stale oil and despair. Never again. My own cooking is sooo much better, and cheaper too. Win win!