#wokingham

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 23: Wokingham

WOKINGHAMMMMMMMM!

I absolutely love everything about this episode. Literally everything. It's just basically perfect.

It's also, like Vaduz, an episode that would never, ever, EVER have happened in S1. I mean, S1 had a dude literally die on the plane and "it "what to do" was turned into a comedy routine... this is a much more, Idunno, humanist approach, I guess. It's hilarious, but it takes its humor from things other than the actual medical situation itself.

But even beyond that- would S1 Douglas have played along when Carolyn said that he cried when confronted by the bird strike in St Petersburg? Would he have even put a pause on the game? Would he have even shown up? Almost definitely not. The only constant, of course, is Arthur, who would have been equally willing to show up to keep Martin's mother busy in any season you can name. Lovely, lovely Arthur, and what an absolutely perfect scene by the way.

Now, there's the meta way of looking at it where people are like "I appreciated it when JF was writing a darker and more cynical show," which a) I disagree with factually (I think there were always hints of what the show would become from the beginning- I mean, as far back as Abu Dhabi, Douglas helped Martin out with the match) and b) I disagree with as a matter of taste (the heartwarming episodes are GREAT). But I have to hope that the meta people at least concede that the development FROM S1 to S4 in terms of the very different ways that people behave is extremely consistent with the character development. Douglas and Carolyn have both made some strides in the way that they relate to Martin that allow them to go run interference for him, but at the same time Martin has grown to become the kind of person who they mind less running interference for. He's mellowed, he's started to be less hung up on his rank for the most part, he's less obsessed with his self image. S1 Douglas would have never done it- but S1 Martin would have given him little reason to, and we've seen that change pretty organically.

It also helps, obviously, that Douglas and Carolyn know exactly what they're dealing with. Some of it, maybe, is seeing how Martin (and, to be honest, Caitlin!) ended up that way, with Simon to cut him down to size- and, as we've heard, his dad as well back when he was alive. (Incidentally, I meant to mention this in Uskerty but I found the fact that Martin has worn his dad's signet ring since the funeral to be both really sweet and just... gah. Emotional.) I feel like we've also all, at some point, met people who are, if not Simons themselves, have Simonistic qualities, so to speak. Carolyn and Douglas, as people who love to put on performances like this and have a bit of a proprietary feeling about Martin (in an "only we get to tease him" kind of way), presumably did it at least partly for the fun of it!

That said, this episode would not have been what it could have been without Wendy. Prunella Scales is amazing, and it's worth noting that (as JF mentioned in a podcast interview I heard once) she was in the early stages of dementia and, according to JF, was not always with it offstage but was just absolutely astonishing as soon as they started performing. She plays every note so perfectly, and adds a really interesting note of, well, momness (or I guess I should say mumness) that is really easy to identify with and also a VERY striking contrast to Carolyn, both for better and, occasionally, for worse- Carolyn would have never said anything remotely like "maybe Simon knows best" lol.

All in all, just really really good fun, hilarious, well plotted, all the usual... oh, and with another amazing audio humor joke with the doctor asking about the costume party. Just perfect.

Important question though: how on earth in this whole brag-off with Simon did Martin never slip that he's dating the freaking Princess of Liechtenstein?! How?!?! I'm not going to call it a plot hole because that's not how these things work, but I can imagine that he had to REALLY hold himself back from blurting it out.

[ignitingwriting]

Igniting Writing ‘Return’ Contest 2022 Now Complete!

Our Igniting Writing teen creative writing competition for the summer of 2022, focused on the theme of ‘Return’, has now come to an end. We had eleven contest entries, all of which had some great imagination and hard work poured into them. The submissions can all be read here:

Zhekai’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/692496141681639424/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Anoushka’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/693486577626775552/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Abigail’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/693871543944609792/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Evie’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694045960805957632/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Usmi’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694408675233775616/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Maximilian’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694474113826390016/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Grace’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694587601777229824/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Emily’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694588257534623744/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Natasha’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694590452372013056/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Colette’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694597848901337088/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Annabel’s entry: https://ignitingwriting.tumblr.com/post/694609653195227136/igniting-writing-return-contest-2022-submission

Since we had more entries from active Igniting Writing members than any competition we’ve held before, it this time we selected two winners, one from the Year 6-8 pupils and one from the Year 9-13 pupils. After some tough deliberating, the winners were Emily from the younger group and Annabel from the older group! Well done to both winners and everyone else that entered as well.

[victormap]

Portrait of Mr. Duck

[evaannaph]

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[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran (B 1981), Wokingham Carla Tomato, 2023

[colourfulkind]

Feature: Meet Wokingham Artist Vic Delaney 

“I hope if my ancestors are on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’  I’d be one of the ancestors they investigate, not one that they skip over. I want them to go ‘Check this woman out..she did good stuff!’” It is 7:03pm and I’ve been table-hopping in Sedero Lounge for four minutes. Attempting to find the quietest spot in the restaurant, I’ve knocked over a sizeable lit candle in my haste to make a…

[bs-electrical]

Winnersh today for the team replacing non working flood lights and replacing them with some super cool remote controlled ones! Also upgrading some kitchen lighting with non other than @auroralightingtrade #anotherhappycustomer #BSElectrical #electrician #winnersh #wokingham #vans #electricianinWokingham #electricianinWinnersh #electriciannearme #samedayquotes #floodlight #lighting #leddownlight #ladder #sparks #electricians www.BSElectrical.co.uk (at Winnersh, Berkshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8EsN1s2H8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[concretesavetime]

[gloriouswhisperscycle]

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[regionad]

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[cartyres]

Wheel Alignments To Proper Run Tyres For Your Vehicle In Wokingham

Worn tyres might also, first of all, be a result of alignment trouble, but the shaking itself is due to the condition of the tyres, now not the alignment itself. Often examining tyres is a fantastic item to include on day-by-day pre-ride inspections and may help tip you off to any problems with alignment. The use of a fleet protection app could make that procedure even less difficult, with digital inspection bureaucracy that can be over from drivers’ phones or tablets and automated painting orders. you may even add Wheel Alignment Wokingham duties to every asset’s character PM timetable so you in no way omit an alignment.

[ignitingwriting]

Igniting Writing ‘Return’ Contest 2022, Submission by Annabel

Photographic Memory "We take photos as a return ticket to moments otherwise gone." Katie Thurmes I traced the letters of my grandmother's neat, cursive handwriting on the back of the camera box. "She wanted me to have this?" I asked, putting the old camera back inside carefully.

"Yes, she specified the camera was for you and now you're old enough to have it," my mother smiled. "I can show you the previous films from the camera if you want?"

I nodded, eager to learn more about my grandmother. My mother fetched another box. I undid the ribbon and opened the box, unfolding the letter inside.

'To Sierra, if you're reading this; happy 16th birthday! Hopefully, I'm there with you today, celebrating all day. Love Grandma.'

I smiled. I couldn't remember what my grandmother was like - she had dementia since I was young - but this letter provided me with some comfort that she knew me once, even if not now.

"I'll go and make some lunch and leave you to look through the photos."

There were lots of smaller boxes inside the large box, each dated with the ages Grandma was when the photos were taken. I started with the earliest: ages 16-20. The first photo was of my grandmother and her friends enjoying their ice creams at a parlour. I squinted to get a better look - suddenly the scene came to life in front of my very eyes.

"Betty, what flavour did you want?" one of the girls asked my grandmother, twiddling her pigtails.

"Aww, come on Peggy, you know she wants cherry and I'll have pineapple; it's the same as always," another girl shouted, rolling her eyes.

Peggy returned with the ice creams. "Here you go, cherry for Betty, pineapple for Linda and vanilla for me!"

They began to eat their ice creams, my grandmother licking hers daintily. The others finished way before her and kept trying to hurry her up, laughing while they began to discuss boys they liked.

"We know Peggy likes John and I like Peter, but who do you like, Betty?" Linda teased. My grandmother shook her head.

"Come on, Betty, you know who we like." Peggy poked her jokingly.

"Ok, ok, I like Joe," Grandma giggled, blushing. Joe was my grandfather's name, but I never knew they had met in their teens. I never liked to ask my mother about them in case I upset her.

The image stopped moving. Watching my grandmother and her friends when they were my age was truly amazing; I felt closer to her than ever before, she was just like how I imagined her. Cherry ice cream was my favourite too - perhaps we were more similar than I thought.

So much of my grandmother's life was documented on these films, all her special moments in early adulthood. Her wedding was beautiful; gentle piano music accompanied my grandparents' first dance under a canopy of white roses. My grandmother wore a flowing white dress with poofy sleeves. It seemed like the perfect day for her and my grandfather, even though they were so young. I wished I could ask her whether it was everything she imagined it to be, as to me it seemed magical.

Even though the photos were in black and white, each moment appeared in vivid colour. I decided to open the next box, ages 21-27. This box was filled with photos of my mother's older sisters, Tiffany and Melissa, in their infancies. I could see the adoring look in my grandmother's eyes as she cared for them, fussing over every small detail.

28-37 contained my mother and her twin brother Christopher's early childhood and Tiffany and Melissa's first days of secondary school. It was fascinating to watch my mother and her siblings grow up, learning more about their personalities as children. My favourite was them all at the beach.

"Who's coming in the sea, then?"

Melissa jumped to her feet. "Me!" She was always the sporty one; now she runs marathons in her spare time.

"I'm reading," Tiffany moaned; no surprises there, her entire house is like a library.

My mother and Christopher were building a sandcastle together in their matching stripey swimsuits, but they stopped and ran down to the sea together, soaking my grandmother and Melissa from head to toe with their vigorous splashing. They all looked so happy playing in the water.

It had been a long time since they were all together; Melissa hadn't visited since Grandma's memory started to decline rapidly. She claimed she didn't want her memories of Grandma tarnished by her fading memory.

The 38-50 box had all four of the children's 16th and 18th birthday parties. They all had personalised cakes with their name and age in their favourite colours. Birthdays were the most special event of the year to my grandma, so the parties were very extravagant. It wasn't the same anymore; Grandma couldn't even remember my name, let alone my birthday.

The final box was labelled 51-. She never finished it before she started to decline. There were several photos of my cousins as babies in my grandmother's arms. The rest of the photos were of me as a baby with Grandma. They showed us until my third birthday party then abruptly stopped.

The final photo was of the letter on the front of the box, a farewell to the collection of photos as she slowly lost her memories of all these events. I smiled sadly; knowing of the wonderful times she had experienced made it sadder that she couldn't remember those happy moments.

My mother returned to the room. "Sierra, ham or cheese sandwich?"

"Mum, can we take the photos to Grandma and see if it helps her remember them?"

She sighed. "Sierra, we can go after lunch and you can try, but I don't think it'll help. She calls you Kelly because she can't remember who you are - she thinks you're me. But we can try, sweetheart."

It wasn't long before we were knocking on the door to Grandma's room at her home.

"Hey Grandma, I’ve got something to show you," I smiled, sitting down next to her on the bed. My mum stood in the doorway, watching fondly as I opened the first box. "Look Grandma, this is you, Peggy and Linda eating ice cream; you had cherry as it's your favourite."

My mum came and sat down next to me. "And this is you and Dad getting married and here's us all at the beach - you and your four children," she explained calmly. "These are of our birthday parties at 16 and 18."

I squeezed her hand and continued. "This is you with me as a baby, Grandma. Remember? I’m your granddaughter."

Grandma smiled as we showed her the photos. "Sierra, Kelly," she murmured, gesturing to the old camera in my pocket.

Although that was the last time my grandmother truly returned to us before she died, she gave me and my mother a special moment to return to whenever we miss her, forever concealed in a photo.

[victormap]

An English lake

[wandwisdom-blog]

The Rising Trend of DIY Car Maintenance and Pre-Loved Parts: Navigating the Shift in Car Servicing in Bracknell

The automotive industry is experiencing a notable shift in consumer behaviour, with more and more UK car owners opting for do-it-yourself (DIY) car maintenance and showing a preference for pre-loved car parts. This trend has significant implications for car servicing businesses, particularly those in Bracknell, where local car owners are actively seeking alternative solutions to traditional servicing methods.

According to recent findings from the eBay Ads UK survey, there has been a noticeable increase in Brits' inclination towards DIY car maintenance. Tasks that were once exclusively performed by professional mechanics are now being tackled by enthusiastic car owners themselves. From changing windscreen wipers to replacing light bulbs and even tackling tire changes, consumers are becoming more confident in their ability to undertake basic maintenance tasks.

This shift towards DIY car maintenance poses both challenges and opportunities for car servicing businesses in Bracknell. While some may view it as a threat to their traditional service offerings, forward-thinking businesses recognize the need to adapt their services and marketing strategies to cater to this changing consumer behaviour. By acknowledging the trend and offering support and guidance to DIY enthusiasts, car servicing businesses can position themselves as valuable resources within the community.

In Bracknell and its surrounding areas, including Wokingham, car servicing businesses can tap into the DIY trend by leveraging search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing strategies. By creating informative and engaging content that addresses common DIY maintenance tasks, businesses can attract local customers searching for guidance online. By incorporating keywords such as "car servicing in Bracknell" and "car service in Wokingham" throughout their website and content, businesses can improve their visibility and attract relevant traffic.

Moreover, there is a growing interest in sustainable practices among consumers, particularly younger generations. This presents an opportunity for car servicing businesses in Bracknell to promote eco-friendly options and position themselves as environmentally conscious service providers. By offering or promoting pre-loved car parts as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to brand new parts, businesses can appeal to environmentally conscious consumers while also reducing their carbon footprint.

In conclusion, the rising trend of DIY car maintenance and the increasing preference for pre-loved car parts have significant implications for car servicing businesses in Bracknell. By embracing these trends and adapting their services to meet the changing needs of consumers, businesses can not only survive but thrive in this evolving market. By incorporating SEO and content marketing strategies, businesses can attract DIY enthusiasts seeking guidance and support while also promoting sustainable practices within the community. As car owners in Bracknell continue to embrace DIY maintenance and sustainable shopping habits, car servicing businesses must remain agile and proactive in their approach to meet the demands of this shifting landscape.

[woodandwisdom-blog]

DIY Car Maintenance Checklist: How to Save Money on Servicing in Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading

Introduction: In Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, car servicing costs can quickly add up, putting a strain on your budget. However, there's a practical solution that can help you save money without compromising on quality – DIY car maintenance. By following a comprehensive checklist and utilizing local resources, you can keep your vehicle in top condition while cutting down on servicing expenses.

Understanding the Basics of Car Maintenance: Regular car maintenance is essential for ensuring the longevity and performance of your vehicle. However, professional car servicing in Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading can be expensive. That's where DIY car maintenance comes in. By performing routine checks and maintenance tasks at home, you can identify potential issues early on and save money in the long run.

DIY Car Maintenance Checklist:

Oil Change: Routine oil changes are crucial for keeping your engine running smoothly. In Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, car servicing professionals recommend changing your oil every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. To perform an oil change at home, you'll need basic tools and supplies, including oil, an oil filter, a wrench, and an oil pan. By following a step-by-step guide, you can save money on this essential maintenance task.

Fluid Check: Checking and topping up essential fluids such as coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer fluid is another important aspect of DIY car maintenance. Low fluid levels can lead to overheating, brake failure, and other issues. By regularly monitoring and maintaining fluid levels at home, you can avoid costly repairs and keep your car running smoothly.

Belt and Hose Inspection: Inspecting belts and hoses for signs of wear and tear is essential for preventing breakdowns and engine damage. In Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, car servicing experts recommend checking your belts and hoses regularly and replacing them as needed. By performing this simple maintenance task at home, you can save money on expensive repairs down the line.

Tire Maintenance: Proper tire maintenance is key to ensuring safety and fuel efficiency. In Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, car servicing professionals advise checking your tire pressure, tread depth, and alignment regularly. By rotating your tires and maintaining proper inflation, you can extend their lifespan and save money on replacements.

Tools and Resources for DIY Car Maintenance: Building a basic toolkit for DIY car maintenance is essential. In Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, auto parts stores offer a wide range of tools and supplies for DIY enthusiasts. Additionally, online resources, tutorial videos, and manuals provide valuable guidance and troubleshooting tips for home mechanics.

Saving Money with DIY Maintenance: By performing DIY car maintenance, you can significantly reduce your expenses compared to professional servicing. Costs can be high for car servicing in Bracknell and Reading, but with a DIY approach, you can save money while keeping your vehicle in top condition.

Local Resources for Car Owners in Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading: For car owners in Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading, accessing local resources for DIY car maintenance is essential. Auto parts stores in the area offer tools, supplies, and expert advice to help you tackle maintenance tasks at home. Additionally, online forums and groups provide a platform for sharing tips, advice, and recommendations with fellow car enthusiasts.

Conclusion: DIY car maintenance offers a practical and cost-effective solution for car owners in Wokingham, Bracknell, and Reading. By following a comprehensive checklist and utilising local resources, you can keep your vehicle in top condition while saving money on servicing expenses. Take charge of your car's maintenance needs today and enjoy the benefits of a well-maintained vehicle for years to come.

[images12345]

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