Canny lass

You have as much verbal eloquence as anybody else here - except perhaps HPW. Your education I don't know about but you are clearly intelligent so don't under estimate your contributions. I also have problems with Islamic ideology, but only with SOME aspects of it, but then again, I have problems with SOME aspects of Christianity as well. Ask yourself just what it is in Islamic ideology that you are against. Is it ALL of it (much of it is the same as Christian ideology)? Is it part of it? Is it perhaps just something that you've got hung up on like a near 2000 year old story of a man taking a child bride? Or perhaps the activity of a handful of extremist Muslims - I know, it may seem like more than a handful but of the entire Muslim population it is not more than so (Christianity has had it's fair share of slaughterers too). Ask yourself how much you really know about it. Have you studied it? Have you read their holy book? Have you read the bible to enable you to make comparisons? Have you taken a course of study on Islam? Ask yourself: How much do I really know about Islam? You don't have to answer publicly but be honest with yourself. Mind control, in varying degrees, appears in all religions I've had a look at. It hasn't been terribly successful: Some catholics practice birth control and when it doesn't work they have abortions - despite the Hell that awaits them for their sins - some Jews do not respect the sabbath, some muslims do not cover their hair. Religions do not appear to be for life if you don't want it to be. Mind control already started to lost its impact when torture chambers disappeared. Most people are no longer afraid of their religious leader as they were before. The same thing is happening within Islam. I don't know how many Muslim friends you have. It's none of my business either, so I'll not ask. I have five very close friends who are Muslim (and through them about 25 others, not so close but friends never the less). Some live in sweden, some live in England and one lives in Holland. They, and their parents, dress like me, style their hair like me, eat like me, go out and enjoy themselves like me and they visit their designated place of worship as often as I do (christenings, weddings, funerals). There is nothing in either their dress or their behaviour to make me think that they are more Muslim than I am Christian. You are probably rubbing shoulders on a daily basis with hundreds of 'Muslims' who no longer follow the rituals of Islam just as you are probably rubbing shoulders with hundreds of 'Christians' who no longer follow the rituals of the Church of England.

Eggy, There's nothing like information straight from the horses mouth. Thank everybody on FB for me. That b&w photo answers all my questions, What a nightmare it must have been and thank heavens I didn't ask about toilet facilities underground!

I'm in Brussels again next week. I think I'll ask to be paid in dollars this time.

Thanks Vic and HPW. We are so lucky here to have access to all your mining knowledge! As for the bean-can, I am delighted to have now found out what it is. I've only ever seen it on pictures but in my naivety I've always thought it was some kind of bait-box! Which brings me to another question: Where do miners keep, and eat, their 'bait' when underground? Surely, you can't have a 'canteen' underground. Another thing that was interesting to read was how the bean-can worked - by converting carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. Many people think that carbon dioxide is dangerous, but back in the 70's when barbiturate drugs were dished out like Dolly Mixtures (remember them?), for insomnia, respiratory difficulties caused by overdosing were treated with carbon dioxide. - not oxygen as - carbon dioxide is what stimulates the repiratory centre in the brain.

Still no luck but thanks for trying, Moe.

Are you poaching on my patch? Just joking. Feel free! Now that we are officially 'cohorts' you are welcome. Maybe we should apply for joint custody of Mary's little, white, fluffy lamb?

For some reason the site will no longer allow me to view. It says the film is not authorised to be shown in my country:

I understand that you are feeling a degree of irritation. Cycling has never really appealed to me for some reason but my old man loves it - 30-40 km, 5 times a week. I'm a running and swimming kind of girl myself - no need for gyms when I have the forests and the lakes, far away from the exhaust fumes od suberbia. An added advantage is no pool costs and no gym costs and it's right on my doorstep. Do you engage in any other sports or is it just cycling?

I feel the vibes of your happiness and am happy for you.

I’m sensing a feeling of desperation. I understand. Perhaps a walk or a cycle ride would help release some pent up tensions? What’s your opinion on exercise btw? Do you think it’s is all it’s cracked up to be? It’s beggared my knees, and there was I thinking I was ‘keeping myself fit’.

I’m sensing a feeling of exasperation. I understand. Should we try a spot of fishing perhaps? They seem to be biting extremely well today.

You are feeling threatened. I understand. Shall we try a spot of reading? A Short History of Decay by E M Cioran (whose mother is said to have told him that had she known how miserable he would be, she wouldn’t have given birth to him at all)! Sounds just about right for reading in these troubled times. On second thoughts, maybe not. How about Dreams1900 – 2000: Science, Art and the Unconscious Mind by Lynn Gamwell. Riveting reading!

You are unhappy. I feel your pain. Take solace in the fact that you are not alone. Millions in the world are unhappy with you. Should we look at some funny cat videos on YouTube? That usually works a treat for my grandchildren when they’re unhappy.

You are upset again. I understand. have you ever considered taking up poetry? Losing oneself in the flow of the verse can be quite soothing. Just now the local poetry group is reading the works of Kipling. Yesterday we read his wonderful poem ‘If …’, I’m sure you know it, the one that begins: If you can keep your head while all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you … Of course I read it many years ago in school but with age and experience in my rucksack it somehow takes on a whole new meaning. Do try it.

I feel the vibes of your happiness and am happy for you.

Most people answer 'the day my first child was born'. We all have our priorities.

Yes, it's free for you but you don't have to have your hair done and a new dress everytime you Skype a friend. You men have all the luck!

I don't know if this will help, Chris, but when we abandoned the house phone we bought mobile broadband 4G. Internet via the phone company cost us the equivalent of 30 quid a month and they promised a speed of 8Mbit/sec. We never managed to get more than 2Mbit/sec (between 1 am and 8am andwith the wind in the right direction) but most often it was below 1Mbit/sec giving extremely poor quality. OK, it was an unlimited amount of surfing but that's not so important for us. Internet via mobile broadband 4G costs us about 15 quid a month. The speed has never been below 23 Mbit/sec and is more often around 30 Mbit/sec. The quality is superb. However, we do not have unlimited access. We buy 50 Gbit/month and it's enough for our needs. Hubby watches a couple of hours international TV each evening via the net and surfs around about an hour a day. The grandkids probably use the same amount. We've never managed to reach the limit. We have an option of 'topping up' at extra charge should we need to, or we can buy more on a regular basis: double up (100 Gbit/month) would cost us 30 quid but we are offered a 20% discount because of our 'advancing years'. We shyed away from getting rid of the house phone for years purely because of losing Internet but we haven't regretted it. Definitely worth looking into.

Not at all, Webtrekker. The building material is a natural commodity in abundant supply all year round here in the frozen north and the council is only too happy to let anybody, resident or not, take care of it - it saves them the job - and people building and owning their igloos are saving the council the cost of building and maintenance.

No, no, no, mercuryg. It's not the jobs they are after it's the weather - more like their own.

Sounds wonderful! Myself, I'm enjoying this all too short summer here in the frozen north. Unfortunately i blinked yesterday and missed half of it! I would like to think we'll get a few more sunny days so that I don't have to start stoking the boiler but alas, I'm thinking that will NOT now happen. Only this morning I heard rumours of polar bears roaming the streets of Gothenburg and eskimos seeking residence permits in Stockholm.

I understand that you are feeling stressed. Try to relax. Think of something pleasant - w I understand that you are feeling stressed. Try to relax by thinking of something pleasant - what was the happiest day in your life for instance?

I forgot to add, we use Skype for many of our personal contacts as most of them live in other parts of the world. It works well, is cheap and it's lovely to be able to see who you are talking to or to show something you are talking about. I'd recommend it to anybody.

I sense a feeling of dispair. Try to think about something else for a while. Try one of those lovely ice-cream sandwhiches - soft ice-cream in a bread bun - that they sell in Sicily. Do they sell them on the mainland as well?

I think I'm understanding that you are irritated. Try to think of something other than politics for a while. How's the weather in Italy at the minute? Are you still caught up in the middle of a heatwave?