Canny lass

It's disappeared!!!! My fig leaf has blown away and taken all the silly badges with it! Thank you to whoever was responsible. normal service can now be resumed.

Malcolm is a man of great integrity. I'm sure it's the hat he's referring to. Euphemism??

I'm sure you could!

This is what happens when you talk on the phone in one language and write on a computer in another language at the same time! Redigera bort = edit out, in case anybody was wondering. Clearly my multi-tasking skills are already in decline.

I do have an incandescent purple hat but it's attached to a busty brunette which I've tried to redigera bort several times. Unfortunately it's not possible without removing 2/3 of the hat as well.

Good Heavens! I've been awarded a leaf! I'm officially an "Apprentice (3/14)", How the H---- does this system work?

1st post in the topic.

That's looking much better! I had a (ONE) hornet sting about 10 years ago and it was pure agony. Several must have been a nightmare.

The pig - all of it - is the mainstay of the Christmas dinner with ham being top of the list. The various parts are turned into several dishes: cheeks & trotters (brawn), ribs (glazed and roasted), shoulder (smoked), belly (salted & smoked) guts (sausage skin), just about everything else (sausage). The pigs head is, today, purely decorative but an essential part of the festivities. Artificial ones come in all sorts of materials and sizes. They are decorated yearly and the icing removed before being stored for the following year. I think the tradition is dying out. None of the children use them. You can buy all the dishes ready made but we always do our own ham, ribs and sausage.

It's probably just as well!! It's really only Iceland where it's eaten and it's not your everyday plain cooking.

@lilbill15 Congratulations! I see you've been promoted to "Apprentice (3/14)". Maybe we're getting points for using the side-door as well? I agree, the recent changes have taken the fun out of the site, but don't give up yet. Andy is very good at listening to- and sorting out site problems. The personal messaging service seems to have escaped the ranking system - should you have any queries and don't want to post till it gets sorted.

Thanks Eggy, Well, when they do get the hang of it, perhaps they can tell me why (according to the screen shot of my profile page you posted above) two badges were bestowed upon me for: "One month later (a month since joining)" and another for "One year in (a year since joining)" both awarded at 08.31, 7 hours ago, on Tuesday this week?

@lilbill15 It’s not the diminution in ranking that bothers me, rather the fact that we need to be ranked at all. OK, we’ve always had a sort of ranking system with newbie, pup, terrier, Bedlingtonian etc. but at least those ranking names were a pleasant element having, as they did, some connection to Bedlington and they said nothing more personal about a member than how many posts they’ve shared. The new ranking system, on the other hand, has no connection whatsoever to Bedlington. Instead, it seems to be centered on the individual scoring points on just about every activity they undertake. This seems, to me, to be totally unnecessary. We aren’t in competition with each other. We're just a group of people with a common interest. Counting and documenting every action we take here seems a little unfair as we all use the facility in different ways. For instance, take the response buttons on each post. You use them a lot while I hardly ever use them – not because I don’t like what people write, am not thankful for what people write or don’t have any emotional response to what people write. I just prefer to write a comment. It doesn’t take so much longer to write ‘thanks’ (unless you’re using a mobile device with small tangents and large fingers) - then, those shortcuts can come in handy. The questions must be asked: what is the use in documenting these responses and is it logical that I get a badge because you've responded to my posts in this manner 10 times (arbitrary number) while you do not get a badge because I chose to write a reply? The answers to these two questions are: no use at all and no it is not. A post without a response is every bit as valuable and appreciated as a post with a response,

... that last post just made me a rookie (2/14)!!!!!! I was perfectly happy with the site as it was. I must be getting old(er).

.... I just found them on my profile: Conversation First Post Collaborator Posting Machine and Reacting Well ... but I'm still none the wiser. Explanations required: Who is dishing out these badges and why? What is a "Posting Machine"? Who am I "collaborating" with? "Reacting Well" with what? Is this site changing from the pleasant, helpful, informative site I've always found it to be turning into some sort of competition among members?

.... and what are these badges that have suddenly appeared? I haven't managed to find them in reality yet - only on your pictures. Do we really need all these 'gimmicks'?

Thanks Eggy! It must be something new. I'm sure Andy will be able to explain it. PS. I see from your pictures that it's not 'hand-clapping' it looks more like 'hand -waving.

Can anybody explain to me what the 'hand-clapping' icon next to my name is? Passing my mouse over it reveals that I am a Newbie (1/14). You can call me what you will but after 10 years and 2½k posts I don't understand it. I'm sure there's a good explanation - it's just avoiding detection for me at the minute.

Perhaps it will be the same as our Xmas recipe for a pigs head:

Do let me know how this culinary delight turns out!

Very different!! The post was probably a lot quicker then with such diligent souls as John Stoker. I received a small parcel last week - July 20 - posted in England May 15.

@lilbill15That looks nasty! The reaction to a hornet sting shouldn't last more than a couple of days. Then you need to see a doctor. Probably need some sort of hydrocortisone treatment - locally or by mouth. TIP: Due to your penchant for rambling about in woodland and long grass, I strongly recommend you to carry a tube of antihistamine cream in your pocket (Anthisan is excellent, so is Boots' own make). If biten or stung get a dollop on straight away and rub it in both on and around the bite. It's especially good for hornet stings as they produce histamine. This action will save you days of itching and agony,

You've got some good ideas there. I've often thought that the information about the various forums and the areas they cover would be a good starting point for anybody who 'just happens to drop in'. Like Symptoms said, this is in no way a moan. I also think a forum for queries and tips about how to use the site would be a good thing. It would save us clogging up the other forums. Perhaps a FAQ forum could be useful.

That sheeps heed is nowt ti di wi me!