PaulWarning

There is a website to do your own hearing test that sort off mimics the NHS one https://hearingtest.online/ You've probably lost some hearing around the 5k Hz range, most people do with age, go to your Doctor and get a referral to the NHS Audiology clinic, their hearing aids are free. I tried some private ones for a month on approval, yes they were better than my out of date NHS ones (I'm due to get some up to date ones in Feb) but not £3k better. They do take some getting used too, it took me a year and they still don't handle noisy environments well, but I would be without them

I'd be looking for a new drummer

being in a band that has their own material as well, I just say "If we want to do obscure songs we may as well do our own" that usually does the trick 😂

our problem is not what new songs to put in the set, but which ones to take out

used to use them, now switched to grey .60mm, less jarring of the (old)thumb joint, I've never dropped one either, they sometimes spin round so I'm playing with the wrong edge, a bit disconcerting but not a disaster

not sure what that's got to do with streaming tbh, more to do with the UK's recording industry being in a good place, mind you I've not heard any of them, must make the effort

anybody been tempted by one of these? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185714961468?hash=item2b3d796c3c:g:Kt8AAOSwp6Rjq~Ld&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsHYthLMhIAHUT%2BpxGMX%2FXkXGjXciPl0DqevxSBFQoH1ONFziTKKytHswNS8E9nFRiDXP%2FYHzDmknSpIXtbKVKLbiFOi4kxO%2Fq%2FWQSKBnqa8k2fvafq%2FG4%2BPsU%2FR%2BsW28uyrKQRIVkHHJaNK0d2R7nNRczgCLnVsNQnrWK4p7XUzfhdz%2BWTXNiz1SpKgHG%2Bzw742dC78sKYhBczVaf%2Byh%2BUHprHd6axhdxJpez2c9Gwo5|tkp%3ABk9SR_jLjf2vYQ

IBTL, I know shocking isn't it? that not all of the UK's many ills are down to Brexit

not caused by Brexit, but a shortage of lorry drivers according to this anyway, which is affecting all EU countries last time I heard https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/driver-shortage-statement/#:~:text=There is no shortage of,is solely one of distribution.”&text=What's the current situation%3F,small number of water companies

Northern Ireland water is still in public ownership, doesn't seem to work that well https://www.niwater.com/news-detail/11859/going-down-the-drain-lack-of-investment-is-sinking-ni-water/#:~:text=Chronic underfunding of NI Water,damage to the natural environment.

I know anecdotal evidence should be treated with scepticism, but, our old guitarist worked for the NHS in middle management, he thought all the different trust were a big waste of resources, caused lots of problems because they all had their own way of doing things

Ah, conspiracy theories, Labour have been banging on for years about the Tories privatising the NHS (remember Tony Blair's 7 days to save the NHS?) and because of this it's impossible to even discuss a different type of health cover without the 'US system' bogeyman being shouted from the rooftops, the NHS is just a bureaucratic money pit, it needs reform but everybody is too scared to do it because of the political fallout. It needs taking out of the political arena so sensible decisions can be made

why does it have to be a US style system, why not a French or German style system? on most measure they've got better health care than us

it has been covered before, I'm not proud, got some luminous tape of ebay, edit, and before someone tells me I've stuck them on the wrong side, yes, I am a lefty 😂

If the RM didn't deliver junk mail they'd be less profit and therefore less jobs, in fact it could mean the end of daily deliveries, Don't know about anybody else but I receive a lot less mail than I used too

Tutti Frutti with Robbie Coltrane is on the iplayer, episode 3 on BBC4 tonight, couple of new docs on sky arts tonight, Beach Boys and George Harrison

depends how much they are new, if they use parts that are available (i.e. ones they can get cheap) quality could be variable

there's a thread on here, sounds like try before you buy

I'm not sure what that has to do with the current problems unless it was kept as a monopoly. Opinions vary as to how it cheaply it was sold off by anyway. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/dec/18/royal-mail-sell-off-undervalued-firm-180-million

classic conundrum, Royal Mail under pressure from cheaper competitors (capitalism at work), understandable the workers want an pay rise, which the management thinks will make them uncompetitive. Not all workers are feckless layabouts, not all management are incompetent idiots, but some are

being a lefty it's even more difficult to find a shop that stocks that instrument you want, as @Doctor J says , by second hand then sell on if it's not for you without losing your shirt, o f course this relies on people buying new in the first place, and patience.

Royal Mail is in decline because the number of letters being delivered has fallen off a cliff and there is lots of competition in the parcels market, Post Offices were closed down because welfare payments are now made directly into banks accounts instead of being made in cash over the PO counter which was their main reason people used them.

we've done Slade a couple of times this year, first time went down a storm, second time, a bit more of a punky venue it didn't, so pick your venue I guess

yep, we do a punked up Shaky and a fairly straight Slade, just a bit faster, crowds just love singing along, well ours do anyway

Queen, Freddie was such a huge part of them, how they can carry on I don't know, but they do, charge huge money for tickets and the punters pay it, having said that I'm not a big fan