Simon_M

@Simon_M@mastodonapp.uk

Job: Global Head of Financial Planning & Analysis

Hobbies: Reading, hiking, observing cricket, buying books

Beliefs: Nonconformist christian, left-of-centre, mostly liberal

Once took part in a royal marines training exercise by accident.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

A day trip to Oban today, for work. A freezing cold day with some lovely conditions. From the passenger seat, a couple of photos. The first heading south as the sun rose (Loch Lochy), and then the second taken looking back as we passed Castle Stalker at sunset. A long day but a reminder of the beauty of the Great Glen.

A sunset scene, with landscape, a clear dark blue sky, orange sea and a small island with a castle on it.

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell What's the most incredulous pub in East Anglia?
The Norfolk & Whey

Simon_M, to random

Potentially dumb question:

Can you buy new wheels for a suitcase and do they come in a standard size?

This Christmas' load of presents had knackered both wheels on mine, which is why dragging it to the station was a little difficult.

Simon_M, to random

I'm wondering if London has been taken over by a zombie invasion already or if people are just being incredibly slow at pulling their train tickets out only after they have reached the barrier.

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

“Czech village priest sorry for smashing pumpkins”.

I don’t see the need, they were a good band who don’t need apologising for and I’m sure he had no responsibility for them anyway.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67168388

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell My first thought was whether this might be followed by a Danish rabbi apologising for Stereophonics.

Simon_M, to random

Very annoyed with someone. Had made plans to visit them, as they are a few hundred miles away. A week ago, I checked with them that the date was fine. They said yes. So I booked the requisite train tickets. Non-transferable and non-refundable, otherwise the price goes even higher.
Guess what the aforementioned person did today?
😡🤬😱

Simon_M, to random

Taking myself out for the day. Currently on a train around the Berks/Wilts border. One aim for the day is to find the tree that inspired the title of a Radiohead album.
So, do you know where I'm going?

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell That's a bit too far west.

Sheril, to books
@Sheril@mastodon.social avatar

Knowing so many of you share my love of , maybe you can help me find a new one to get lost in. I just finished “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr which was beautiful.

We haven’t compiled a good reading list together in months…

What stories have you discovered or rediscovered lately? 📚

Simon_M,

@Sheril It might not be a recent publication, but I just finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
Not necessarily a light or easy read, but it is an excellent and moving one, written with love and skill.

underseamonkey, to random

The PGMOL suspend yesterday's VAR.
The Jones (and possibly Jota) red card will be rescinded.

Yesterday's match should be retroactively voided and rescheduled.
A result borne of that officiating surely can't be allowed to stand.

#lfc #YNWA #TOTLIV

Simon_M,

@TiffyBelle The sense of entitlement among the Liverpool fans is hilarious. Sure, things weren't perfect and some wrong decisions were made, but I've not seen any of the reds fans point out that their goal should have been ruled out.
> IF (decision goes against us)
> THEN (whinge about it and declare it's all a conspiracy)
> ELSE (keep curiously quiet about wrong decisions in our favour)

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

Guess where I’ve been.

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell Mullet Creek

Simon_M, to random

In the current environment, it is very fair to criticise the Russian state.
Yet on this day, it is worth remembering a Russian military engineer who did the right thing on the 26th of September 1983. A healthy dose of scepticism on the part of Stanislav Petrov helped avert the accidental start of a nuclear war. If you don't know the story, please spare a few minutes to read about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident?wprov=sfla1

dancinyogi, (edited ) to random
@dancinyogi@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

I'm ambidextrous. What are you?

#poll

Please boost for a wider audience😉

Simon_M,

@dancinyogi I refer to myself as double right handed. That is, I eat in a manner referred to as left handed. But that is because all my dexterity is in my right hand. I cannot understand people who have dexterity in their left. So I hold my fork in the only hand it can work in: the right. Yet, peculiarly, many regard this as left handed.

cjhubbs, to random

The FDA says that phenylephrine is so ineffective that it's no better than a placebo and may require makers to stop selling it.

This comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever taken the stuff. It's useless!

https://boingboing.net/2023/09/12/fda-says-the-decongestant-in-otc-benadryl-nyquil-sudafed-and-mucinex-dont-actually-work.html

Simon_M,

@cjhubbs Everyone knows the best decongestant is a really hot chilli sauce!

Simon_M, to UKpolitics

It's one year to the day since Liz Truss became prime minister. Here's the perfect card to commemorate the occasion. #UKpolitics #politics #GTTO

Simon_M, to random

@simonvarwell This may be of some interest...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66689279

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

A very unreliable friend has promised me diving lessons, but I’m not holding my breath.

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell I was offered lessons in juggling and plate spinning, but I just couldn't manage that kind of multi tasking.

Simon_M, to random

Need a little slow down?
Take a walk with me through some woods in the New Forest.
#Walking #SlowTV
https://gopro.com/v/rdRMOwwPrk9pO

Simon_M, to random

A year ago today, Queen Elizabeth II was monarch and Boris Johnson was prime minister.
It's been a long 12 months.

Simon_M, to random

Come for a walk with me. This is a time lapse video from yesterday's walk through the New Forest. You can tell when I stopped to flip over a beetle that was upside down and being attacked by ants, when I had to dodge around some fallen trees that were blocking the path and when I had to slow down as the ground was quite boggy (but covered with sphagnum moss).
https://gopro.com/v/1ZRrE5k3gdyoQ
#Walking #NewForest #Hampshire

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell I got the Hero 11. It's clipped onto the right shoulder strap of my backpack. First attempt didn't get the horizon straight enough, but am getting used to it. Currently uploading some slower videos through heathland where it'll look like I'm sticking to the very right of the path.

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell Naturally, yes. But there some neat inbuilt features that help to stabilise the picture. What it does is it uses a wide angle lens to capture a lot and then auto trims and rotates the images to create a stable video.
But on this one, for example, I used a different mode that didn't auto stabilise. https://gopro.com/v/RDdazmg9w4wON

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell One downside is the battery life. I had the expectation that I could make long form videos of walking (to share with disabled and elderly friends) but the battery, which is GoPro's own, not AA or anything standard, will get eaten up quickly. Even if not shooting at 8K resolution and 120 fps. An 8 minute walking video and 1 hour of time lapse ate up 50% of the battery. So I've bought two extra batteries to take with me.

Simon_M, to random

For a while in the spring, our office was disturbed by the sound of banging from a fit out of the floor above us. Today, we found out who is moving in...
https://labourlist.org/2023/08/labour-party-national-headquarters-new-location-smart-building/

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell We could use them as black outs on the south west side of the building. The afternoon sun can be quite bright and the blinds we have are not exactly thick.

Btw, started Up The Creek Without A Mullet at the weekend. 2/3rds of the way through.

Simon_M,

@simonvarwell Found a few typos missed by the proofreader. But it's recognisably your tone. When going through the many email replies you received about staying in Sydney it did feel a little like padding. Overall, it's warm, silly but with touches of appropriate seriousness when you touch on national issues that affect people's lives.
Now, I'm sure there's a website that allows you to name an exoplanet....

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