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What made you happy today?

Camberman

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Joined
12 Aug 2020
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148
Location
Camberley
A slightly strange one, perhaps - but it made me happy. I present a radio show on a community radio station (as opposed to presenting a radio show on a banana) and just after my show, the station plays a news programme called Democracy Now! which is free to community stations around the world I believe. It's normally quite simple - fade out my playing, fade up the news - but today I faded up... nothing. The ticking counter got down to 00:00 and then there was nothing on the air! This was a bit strange but to cut a long story short, the thing that made me happy was the slightly panicked but also quite enjoyable experience of then having to work out what on earth to do. In the end Spotify came to the rescue - I played a few tracks on that, between each I told the listener what was going on, and then finally we got it working again. Felt a little bit like the early days of broadcasting that I've read about, really. All good fun but I do wonder if anyone tuned in expecting the news and then got Jack Hylton instead...! :lol:

-Peter
Must have been confusing to hear "nothing" at the handover - but glad it worked out ok for you in the end!
 
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m0ffy

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Joined
24 May 2022
Messages
370
Location
Leicestershire
A slightly strange one, perhaps - but it made me happy. I present a radio show on a community radio station (as opposed to presenting a radio show on a banana) and just after my show, the station plays a news programme called Democracy Now! which is free to community stations around the world I believe. It's normally quite simple - fade out my playing, fade up the news - but today I faded up... nothing. The ticking counter got down to 00:00 and then there was nothing on the air! This was a bit strange but to cut a long story short, the thing that made me happy was the slightly panicked but also quite enjoyable experience of then having to work out what on earth to do. In the end Spotify came to the rescue - I played a few tracks on that, between each I told the listener what was going on, and then finally we got it working again. Felt a little bit like the early days of broadcasting that I've read about, really. All good fun but I do wonder if anyone tuned in expecting the news and then got Jack Hylton instead...! :lol:

-Peter
Something similar happened to me when our feed from IRN (independent radio news) failed and I had to start my show earlier, without my queued-up sting. You’ve got to have some material up your sleeve in the community radio game.
 

johntea

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Joined
29 Dec 2010
Messages
3,042
I went to the dentist :D

Strange thing to make someone happy you might think, but I sort of just stopped going during the pandemic so they booted me off the NHS list and my teeth have been in need of some major TLC since then

Finally decided to bite the bullet the other week and book an appointment at a private clinic and they couldn't have been more pleasant if they tried, did some fancy 3D scan of my mouth then the dentist had a good old manual poke around and a few more traditional X-Rays, one broken tooth beyond repair to be extracted bottom right of my mouth, several fillings and then a crown required for a couple of my front teeth

Dentist wanted me to go for a clean with the hygienist before starting any work, right I'll get that booked in at reception expecting nothing available until a few weeks time...

"We've had a cancellation for tomorrow so we can fit you in then"!

Then some of the initial fillings work booked in for 2 weeks time (only because I'm away myself next week so couldn't make any appointment then)

My finances are certainly going to have toothache for a while by the time everything is done of course but I ended up coming to the conclusion I can easily replace money, not quite so easy to replace (natural) teeth!
 

Benters

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Joined
7 Aug 2022
Messages
146
Location
Stafford
Never mind happy today, loads of happy memories of running on Cannock Chase as a kid and getting food at the Wimpy at Milford Common afterwards, and watching the trains go by from the car park of the Barley Mow next door. Amazingly it still seems to be there 40 years later
I like to go for the occasional Sunday morning run on Cannock Chase when I can find the time. I park just up the hill from Milford Common at the public car park above Sister Dora's nursing home.
I usually do about 7-8 miles. Always feel better when I've done it, especially if it's sunny.
 

SuspectUsual

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Joined
11 Jul 2018
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6,773
I like to go for the occasional Sunday morning run on Cannock Chase when I can find the time. I park just up the hill from Milford Common at the public car park above Sister Dora's nursing home.
I usually do about 7-8 miles. Always feel better when I've done it, especially if it's sunny.

We used to go during half terms, park at Milford and do anything between 8 and 13 miles - it was pretty brutal stuff. Milford to the stepping stones, then various routes but always including what were known as the switchbacks - a series of 5 or 6 killer climbs and drops - at least once. We earned our burgers and chips!
 

Camberman

Member
Joined
12 Aug 2020
Messages
148
Location
Camberley
Just done some hand washing and for the first time this year it has been sunny enough to hang outside on the washing line - it made me happy because I love the smell of clothes that have been dried and aired outdoors!
 

dangie

On Moderation
Joined
4 May 2011
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2,353
Location
Rugeley Staffordshire
25 mile cycle ride. Sunny blue sky. Bit of a breeze but not too bad. Still had overshoes on but risked shorts. Good to get a bit of fresh air over the kneecaps :D

If it stays dry over the next 2/3 days I’ll probably give the lawn its first light cut of the year. This always makes me think spring is here.
 

styles

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Joined
7 Dec 2014
Messages
4,878
Location
Gwynedd
Got ID'd for a Red Bull today. I'm 33. It may be related to having had to shave my beard when my niece and nephew painted it and the paint wouldn't come out.

Makes me feel better about having grey beard hair at 33!
 

Peter C

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Joined
13 Oct 2018
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4,739
Location
GWR land
Something similar happened to me when our feed from IRN (independent radio news) failed and I had to start my show earlier, without my queued-up sting. You’ve got to have some material up your sleeve in the community radio game.
[My bold]
Yes I think you're absolutely right. It's so much fun when it all goes well, and as I discovered yesterday it can be fun when it goes wrong too! My local station has just the one little studio but it's a great operation.


On the subject of other things that have made me happy today -- sending a letter. It's not often people get chance (or have the need) to send letters now but I quite like it, even down to the more mundane things of paying for postage online (what a world we live in!) and then printing out the label, sticking it on, and then getting it collected by postie. I've probably watched Night Mail and Night Mail 2 a bit too much... :lol:

-Peter
 

Trackman

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Joined
28 Feb 2013
Messages
4,274
Location
Lewisham
Got ID'd for a Red Bull today. I'm 33. It may be related to having had to shave my beard when my niece and nephew painted it and the paint wouldn't come out.

Makes me feel better about having grey beard hair at 33!
ID'd for Red Bull?? Is there a legal minimum age?
 

styles

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7 Dec 2014
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4,878
Location
Gwynedd
ID'd for Red Bull?? Is there a legal minimum age?
Not a legal minimum age, but a lot of chains have started applying Think 25! policies to their sale. There was a lot of media attention on teenagers drinking caffeine a few years back and I think the supermarkets decided if they self-regulate, the government won't bother introducing legislation to make it an offence to sell energy drinks to under-18s.

This was Co-op for what it's worth.
 

DerekC

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26 Oct 2015
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2,438
Location
Hampshire (nearly a Hog)
I went to the dentist :D...............finally decided to bite the bullet the other week .... the dentist had a good old manual poke around .... one broken tooth beyond repair......
What did you expect if you bite on bullets!

I was going to say - coming out of the dentist after a two hour session and into the spring sunshine!
 

m0ffy

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Joined
24 May 2022
Messages
370
Location
Leicestershire
The team I lead has been shortlisted for a moderately prestigious award, complete with swanky ceremony in London. I’m pretty chuffed about that!
 

styles

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7 Dec 2014
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4,878
Location
Gwynedd
The team I lead has been shortlisted for a moderately prestigious award, complete with swanky ceremony in London. I’m pretty chuffed about that!
Book yourself a forward-facing seat for the way home to help cope with the champagne downing!
 

125Spotter

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Joined
7 Aug 2022
Messages
113
Location
South West
I got off an Elizabeth line train at Liverpool Street this morning into an unexpectedly quiet central circulation concourse between the platforms.

There were people around - it was a normal Thursday morning - but for a moment I appreciated the contrast to the hustle and bustle upstairs, the wide open space, the airiness, the conspicuous lack of announcements vying for my brain capacity etc. I do appreciate the design of the Elizabeth line and its stations for this.

It lasted all of a few precious seconds until I realised I had to steel myself for the conversation about breaking my journey on a National Rail ticket at the TfL gateline upstairs (unnecessary, they just waved me through).
 

styles

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7 Dec 2014
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4,878
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Gwynedd
I had to steel myself for the conversation about breaking my journey on a National Rail ticket at the TfL gateline upstairs (unnecessary, they just waved me through).
It's got to be around 15 years since I had a TfL gate line worker not simply waive me through. With a lot of the nonsense they have to deal with from rude passengers and whatever, I think they just look at people and think, "They seem genuine, off you pop."
 

CaptainHaddock

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10 Feb 2011
Messages
2,720
Not quite today but this week I've been in North Wales on a two day walking trip. The highlight was seeing an unexpected colony of seals on the beach at Angel Bay just below the Little Orme East of Llandudno. Even though the beach is closed to the public and you can only view them from a distance (hence the blurry photo) it was still a magical sight!
 

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I got off an Elizabeth line train at Liverpool Street this morning into an unexpectedly quiet central circulation concourse between the platforms.

There were people around - it was a normal Thursday morning - but for a moment I appreciated the contrast to the hustle and bustle upstairs, the wide open space, the airiness, the conspicuous lack of announcements vying for my brain capacity etc. I do appreciate the design of the Elizabeth line and its stations for this.

I don't have to use them on a daily, but the Elizabeth Line stations always make me feel happy and in awe. What an achievement they are. Wonderful spaces.
 

Calthrop

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Joined
6 Dec 2015
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3,689
Just done some hand washing and for the first time this year it has been sunny enough to hang outside on the washing line - it made me happy because I love the smell of clothes that have been dried and aired outdoors!
Anything that can be misunderstood, I'm liable to misunderstand -- confess that I initially interpreted your first twelve words, to mean that today was the first time that you'd washed your hands this year :E; a second look, promptly set me right.

Have been made happy today -- as almost invariably am, every time I do it -- by a voluntary stint which I carry out a couple of times a week, at a food bank which is operated in my city. I'm purely behind the scenes, packing bags for the recipients up front; but -- "good works" stuff aside: for some reason I've come to find find doing this, grand fun in a hobby-type way: with the variations that can be played on the basic bag contents -- it feels for me, like an absorbing board game. "Small things amuse small minds", perhaps; but this is a bonus, about which I'm not going to complain.
 

SuspectUsual

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11 Jul 2018
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A day of painting and decorating which left me knackered but pleased with progress, and a couple of cans of Loch Lomond beer in the evening
 

Camberman

Member
Joined
12 Aug 2020
Messages
148
Location
Camberley
Anything that can be misunderstood, I'm liable to misunderstand -- confess that I initially interpreted your first twelve words, to mean that today was the first time that you'd washed your hands this year :E; a second look, promptly set me right.

Have been made happy today -- as almost invariably am, every time I do it -- by a voluntary stint which I carry out a couple of times a week, at a food bank which is operated in my city. I'm purely behind the scenes, packing bags for the recipients up front; but -- "good works" stuff aside: for some reason I've come to find find doing this, grand fun in a hobby-type way: with the variations that can be played on the basic bag contents -- it feels for me, like an absorbing board game. "Small things amuse small minds", perhaps; but this is a bonus, about which I'm not going to complain.
Your first sentence made me chuckle!! Re-reading what I wrote it could be interpreted that after washing my hands I hung them on the washing line presumably after having chopped them off LOL!
 

Calthrop

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6 Dec 2015
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3,689
Your first sentence made me chuckle!! Re-reading what I wrote it could be interpreted that after washing my hands I hung them on the washing line presumably after having chopped them off LOL!
There's a gruesome nursery rhyme in there somewhere ...
 

GusB

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9 Jul 2016
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8,141
Location
Elginshire
Beans on toast!

No chance of a takeaway after the pub shut later than normal and no desire to wait for anything to de-frost.

Bread, butter, baked beans and a little bit of black pepper... why did I let myself forget how good this simple meal is?
 

Camberman

Member
Joined
12 Aug 2020
Messages
148
Location
Camberley
Beans on toast!

No chance of a takeaway after the pub shut later than normal and no desire to wait for anything to de-frost.

Bread, butter, baked beans and a little bit of black pepper... why did I let myself forget how good this simple meal is?
I was just thinking about what to eat for my lunch later on - now I know! Haven't had beans on toast for ages - and I like the idea of jazzing it up with black pepper and so today is already off to a good start :D (hope that's a relevant emoji - I'm not fluent in the language LOL).
 

SuspectUsual

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11 Jul 2018
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6,773
Beans on toast!

No chance of a takeaway after the pub shut later than normal and no desire to wait for anything to de-frost.

Bread, butter, baked beans and a little bit of black pepper... why did I let myself forget how good this simple meal is?

See also a fish finger sandwich. Food of the Gods
 

dangie

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4 May 2011
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Location
Rugeley Staffordshire
See also a fish finger sandwich. Food of the Gods
Until quite a few years ago (many actually) I never thought of a fish finger sandwich until I saw it advertised in a cafe window. So when I got home I tried it. The future of sandwiches…… Now I often have one, a couple of fish fingers plus occasionally mixed with a couple of chicken nuggets :D
 

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