The curious case of the shopping-cart in the night time

SimonTrew wrote:

.....he is hindered by having an empty shopping trolley that he seems insistent on keeping with him....

Anyway that is my story I hope it amuses you. I really still can't make it out.

Maybe he was off his trolley.. 

On the other hand shopping trolleys are well known to have minds of their own so he could have just been chasing after it.

Nice day today.  I believe we will have  21-22 C and sun for most of the day.

Maybe you need to think about getting a dog.
Could of been a nutter or a would be burglar.
He may also of had a weapon on him.
I wouldn't chase anyone myself these days, never know, sounds like a crazy or desperate person to be walking at night with a shopping cart.
Probably was looking around for easy pickings.
Maybe get at least a sign with a Beware of dog message printed on it.

Once in Hollywood as a young girl of 17 I turned on a stranger on the pavement/sidewalk and told him I was going to cut him up if he didn't stop following me.I have no idea how I got so brave or reacted like that but my insides told me to fight before it was too late.
I babysat my toddler niece all day long and needed a good walk after my sitting shift was over with. Early evening time around 6 pm on a hot summers night.
Was drinking a bottle of Pepsi soda.
I felt someone behind me heard them moving closer and closer and knew they were gaining on me.
Block after block, just got a over whelming bad vibe in my gut.
Hollywood was and still is known as a pervo place, used to get offers from dirty old men all the time while minding my own business, just gross.
Anyways the person was just a few feet behind me and my natural self preservation kicked in.
I swung around and told them to stop following me, to cross the st. or I'd cut them up. Looked crazed and acted crazed( on purpose)
Of course it was a sleazy man and of course he had bad intentions could just read it on his ugly face.
He crossed the st. and shouted out to me but I just held up my bottle and told him to move it or else.
hard to believe since I was so young and not a big person.
After that I'd always take my sisters two large dogs with me on my walks.
People moved away before they shouted out, "What you think we are afraid of those dogs" yes, they were afraid.
Sort of a bad neighborhood in that part of Hollywood.
These days I'd only shout or defend myself if they got physical with me first.
My mom used to carry a Derringer 2 shot gun inside her bra when she worked night shift, protection while she walked to her car. Sounds harsh but she was "experienced"with would be attackers.

Before I was born, she worked night shift in Conn. while my dad worked days.
My two older sisters were small and they couldn't afford babysitting. so that's why the split working shifts.
She would walk home with 3 other ladies but at the last block she went her own way home.
She walked near a park.
One night a man grabbed her from behind and held a knife to her neck and started to try and drag her into the park.
Little mom, 5'4" tall dropped her weight and didn't make it easy for him.
She still kicked and moved around even though the knife was to her throat. She would rather die then be attacked.
By luck a couple drove by and noticed the sidewalk fight going on.
They first thought maybe it was a lovers quarrel but the way my mom was fighting back they knew something was not right.
They called up the cops before anything more serious happened, guess the cops came out fast because they guy dropped the knife and ran off.
Then my mom broke down crying after the fact.
The police took her home and gave my dad a thrashing about letting her walk home alone at night. She quit working.
She also was attacked at a younger age while excepting ride from a stranger.
She lived with her 2 aunts who were very strict.
She left for work in the rain and missed her bus.
It was coming down hard.
A car pulled up with a older man, looked like a clean old grandfather type.
He told her he noticed she missed her bus( bells should of rung right then and there in her head) he told her he was going her way and he would give her a ride to work.
She hated going in late to work.
She got in the car and after a bit he just started going faster and pulled up a narrow unused road.
Mom was shouting at him to let her out, he just kept looking forward and going faster and faster.
Lucky thing was the road stopped because a road crew was doing some work.
She took that chance to hit him hard with her umbrella and jumped out of the car and ran off.
Missed work, got muddy and all wet.
Her 2 aunts let her hear it but they also put her to bed and gave her hot tea. She missed work that day for sure.
Get a dog, a big dog.
Keep a eye on your property to see if he comes back or not.

Did you check to see if anything missing around the property?

Had this happen: One person with the cart (car in our case) outside the gate. One or two others scrounging around the property for things to bring to the cart (car) man. I saw the two on the property and they ran to the car, jumped in, and the car and drove away with the trunk (boot to you Brits) open. Maybe you missed the others while chasing the one.

I don't think so. There is nothing in here worth stealing, Not violent just running away. Actually I had already locked my gate on the way out and just turned away after doing so and found this man with his trolley right in front of me.

We had to buy very secure locks and so on to get the insurance for the mortgage, they are top-notch locks cost a fortune. I have fitted them myself me and the missus and kinda delibreately tried to get in, you won't get in on one  of those by accident. So it is all securely locked. Even the cat can't get in except he has a microchip that works for the catflap, so he can get in no other cat can etc. And the catflap is inside in the garden.

I asked the missus cos the keysafe we have outside (in case we lost out keys) she reset the number a few weeks ago I said what did you reset it to. I don't mean the ACTUAL number but the number that shows on the outside. I checked and that has not been touched, still at 0000. (I asked her before I checked it rather than tthe other way round so as not to kinda "suggest" to her did you set it to 0000 oh yeah I might have done...)

Not that you would get in that, you could crowbar the keysafe off but getting into that would then require a lot of work, and I don't think he is that kind of burglar. It wouldn't be worth his while, the keysafe would cost more than what he would find in here. I keep my money safely in a bank not in my house, he would find about 250 forint in small change.

I think it is just a sneak-thief burglar. I bet when he went to the other house, in his orange bag, he just was looking around. He said (in Hungarian of course) this is my son's house. I bet he came out of there with some jewellery in his bag etc or whatever else was there, then continued to run away from me. I got as far as the M3 corridor Szentmihaly ut but I could not really go much farther as I would risk my own life and not worth it.

Eventually the police will catch up with him. This was about 9pm and it is a quiet residential district so nobody else around etc, I just habitually go for a walk about that time before going to bed, so that was what I was doing. I just go for a walk around the block while I have the city to myself.

I have phoned the police and will make a report I think. I know where and so on I went and what time but don't know the name of the streets but I can retrace the route this morning. I know the names of most of the streets round here but that particular one I don't know because I don't usually walk that way (have walked there maybe once or twice).

It is very very curious. I think just a sneak-thief, an opportunistic thief. He certainly got nothing off me excxept a good bloody telling off from an Englishman who will uphold the law. I hadn't my phone or anything on me anyway too busy chasing him trying to catch him, I don't run fast never have done, I did middle distance like a mile or 1500m I was useless at sprints, still am. But hampered by his shopping trolley I manaed to keep up with him. I got a good look at him but of course in the night-time under the sodium lamps it is hard to tell colour etc.  He just kept running away with his trolley shouting leave me alone (in Hungarian). Well if I had kinda offended him or anything he wouldn't do that, would he? He would turn around and smack me and tell me to fuck off and so on and fight with me, he wouldn't keep running away. So I think we have rather a sneak-thief in our midst.

The missus tells me that she has seen him before, I don't think I have. I think it is just a sneak-thief. But I will make a report to the police and hopefully eventually they will catch him when he does something stupid.

Definitely no others to break in etc. I came back home and nothing was taken or damaged, no signs of forced entry or anything,  nothing taken. I know what you mean a distraction burglary but this was not that. Just opportunistic sneak thief who chose the wrong place, I guess, or rather the wrong time. He could I suppose stand on his trolley by up-ending it then try to get over the gate. I think I rather surprised him and it was pure coincidence of timing, he got the wrong place at the wrong tiime. Since we are just doing the place up after bying it most of the stuff is still in boxes so it would take him hours to go through it (certainly does for me) to find anything.

Brits hate being called Brits! I ain't Brit I am English.  You try asking a Canadian what part of America are you from? Sheesh!

SimonTrew wrote:

I don't think so. There is nothing in here worth stealing

But a thief may not know that until they look around more closely.

And the most "useless junk" sometimes sprouts legs and walks away here if not nailed down. Even what one may think of as junk can be sold somewhere at some side market.

SimonTrew wrote:

Brits hate being called Brits! I ain't Brit I am English.  You try asking a Canadian what part of America are you from? Sheesh!

Hm. Not sure the analogy works. Canada and the USA are not unified under one flag. I am from California. Don't mind being called an American rather than a Californian.

And have seen discussions where people from other parts of the "Americas" being upset when they say they are an "American" and people assume they are from the USA (they claim saying they are an "American" is like a German saying he is a "European" -- referring to a continent, not a country).

To each their own. But I will of course endeavor not to allude to you being Welsh, or Scottish in the future.

Listen, matey, I do the bad puns around here, right?

Very strange. I am going to report it to the police later just because that way Officer Dibble might eventually catch him in the act. I didn't have my phone on me to call them anyway it would not do much good it would have given him too much time to get away.

They'll get him one day. I hope I did the right thing. Nobody else was around, it is a quiet residential district and you know Hungarians like to go to bed early, I am a bit of a late bird so 9pm is not late for me, so I just thought oh I will go out for a walk to kinda just I dunno think about stuff, walk round the block or two I kinda do that a lot, just to clear my mind and so on and put things in order.

I'll report it later to the rendorseg I will go to the police station to report it. Sooner or later they will catch him. There were no other witnesses because everyone was fast asleep. I don't know the exact time but would have been about 9pm. THe local shop ABC kinda shop (very nice family rn business in there_ closes at 8pm and it was later than that, but then I had to do some other business so it was around 9pm maybe later. I am being evasive a bit of course to protect privacy and so on but I know exactly what time it was, exactly what streets he ran up and down (I don't know the name of one of them but I can just find that out from my map or for that matter just walk down there and get the street name) very very odd.

The shopping trolley still seems a strange modus operandi to me. You would think there would be easier ways of going equipped, a crowbar for example. I doubt it was a distraction burglary because *I* distracted *him*. There were no others around. I hadn't pulled the blinds down and perhaps he saw me tippy tappying away on this computer, and thought here is my chance while he is watching the computer and not out of the window. Very odd. I have just got to know my neighbours so I will ask them but I don't speak Hungarian or Roma brilliantly. Enough to get by day to day but not complex sentences like "did you see someone last night about 9pm with a shopping trolley/cart". Anyway they wouldn't have they are a nice family, Roma I think, and work really hard on their house and the lads are about fifteen I would say, and were probably sound asleep by then cos usually they go off to work all of them about 7am. I didn't really notice this morning because I have not been out but their pickup truck is not there and the red car that is usually in front of my window is not there so they must be out at work I imagine.

Hey-ho, I think it is best to report it so that sooner or later he will get caught. I know where the police station is bt I know this is going to be a struggle.

I know we "Americans' would hate to be called Yanks.
Then again it's only a name, sticks and stones...
You might wish to ask your neighbors if they have also seen this guy hanging around or had any break ins themselves.
It can be scary, I know in Vegas they have a online neighborhood watch where everyone can tell each other about any crimes, strange cars parked or people going door to door.
My son likes working days so his wife won't be alone at night.
They have all their doors securely fixed at night.
It's a ok neighborhood where he lives but crime is everywhere these days.
Growing up my mom would leave the front door unlocked to go shopping and we never ever had anyone go in.
We all knew she kept the backdoor unlocked years later when we finally got her to at least lock her front door.
Those days of trusting people are over, sadly.

In the early 1960's we lived in a rural canyon area. Houses all custom made not one the same so every layout was different in each home.
Very cute area with a creek running down the side of the road.
My sister once told me she had been exploring in a empty house and asked me to go with her for a look about.
I was 8 or so years old.
Some people it seemed had gone on holiday and left their doors unlocked.
We went in, looked in their fridge, walked in each room but honestly we never opened any draws or took a thing, it was just fun to look at how other people lived.
That was a odd thing to do on our part but kids are like that, these days we probably would be shot for going inside.
When I was 9 years old I would house sit and pet sit for a elderly couple down the st. from us. I played one summer with their grandson so they trusted me.
I watered their plants, feed the cats and just went over 2 times a day for a week to make sure the pets were alright. Did that 2 summers in a row until we moved away.
9  years old and trusted with their house keys and pets.
The world is different these days, I wouldn't trust most of my adult neighbors to actually show up 2 times a day and do what they promised they would do... Guess I was a "good kid" after all.

SimonTrew wrote:

Listen, matey, I do the bad puns around here, right?

Matey? Are we on a boat now?

Ah.... I get it. Together, voyagers on the ship of life..... 

And we do not compete. I only do great, wonderful, stupendous puns (everyone else's opinion about them are just simply wrong).

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

Brits hate being called Brits! I ain't Brit I am English.  You try asking a Canadian what part of America are you from? Sheesh!

Hm. Not sure the analogy works. Canada and the USA are not unified under one flag. I am from California. Don't mind being called an American rather than a Californian.

But I will endeavor not to allude to you being Welsh, or Scottish in the future.

Heheh your safe bet with Americans (US americans) is to ask whether they are canadian. They will say no, I am from Utah (or whichever). DO NOT ASK A CANADIAN WHAT PART OF AMERICA THEY COME FROM. They always, and I was partnered with one for seven or eight years, have a maple leaf on ther bag and hat etc so that they are "NOT AMERICAN". If you see what I mean, they are rightly proud of being Canadian and hate being mistaken for Americans...

Same with Australiasians if you are not sure you can always say "What part of New Zealand are you from?" and they will say "I am an Australian actally" with no offence. If you ask a New Zealander "what part of Australia are you from" they get offended. The safe bet is, when in doubt, choose the country with the smaller population over the larger, when asking. The people from the larger country will not be offended you thought they were from the smaller. The other way around, they will be offended, and I don't like to offend people. What part of Californium are you from (I checked it on Wikipedia and that seems VERY Small)

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know we "Americans' would hate to be called Yanks.

I don't mind. Short for Yankee. And sometimes, as an expat, I feel like a Connecticut Yankee in King Authors Court.

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

Listen, matey, I do the bad puns around here, right?

Matey? Are we on a boat now?

Ah.... I get it. Together, voyagers on the ship of life..... 

And we do not compete. I only do great, wonderful, stupendous puns (everyone else's opinion about them are just simply wrong).

Alan Bennett the playwright says somewhere in his diaries "The thing about puns is everyone groans at them, either because they wished they had thought of them, or have seen them coming and have had time to duck". I did not have time to duck... I presume the link goes to some dictionary definition....

Why do you want to be voyagers on the sheep of life? You have chosen the wrong even-toed ungulate, they are not very good to ride really. Cows are much better. Can we be voyagers on the cows of life? I can be the gyulas cowboy and round them up... Anyway I have never had much to do with the Royal Navy, but I believe nowadays homosexuality is no longer compulsory

They nazis once dropped a bomb on Coventry (UK) and caused about five million pounds worth of improvements....

Oh sorry they are not puns they are just bad jokes

I love bad jokes. I went to the butcher, I said a pound of bacon please. The butcher said "lean back?" I leaned back and said "a pound of bacon please"

I went to the doctor, I said I have broken my arm in several places. He said don't go to those places.

I was watching that Salvage Hunt programme, I went up into the attic with the wife. Dirty, filthy, covered with cobwebs. But she is good with the kids. I found this old fiddle and this painting. I took them along to the antiquvarium, the chap says what you have there is a Rembrandt and a Stradivarius. Unfortunately, old Stradicari was a rotten painter and Rembrandt couldn't make violins.

(and so on)

SimonTrew wrote:

Heheh your safe bet with Americans (US americans) is to ask whether they are canadian. They will say no, I am from Utah (or whichever).

People in Hungary often assume first I am English (see, I remembered this time), because they know of no US Citizen living where I do (and probably can not understand why one would move here). I correct them by just saying "I am from the USA". They ask me from what part. Only then I say "California". And from that, somehow, the local gossip confused "California" with "Canada" and I became a Canadian to some here.

So if I wanted to be offended by where people think I am from, I have plenty of opportunities. Quite frankly, I don't really care and not worth trying to make right (and the local gossip will still muck that effort up anyway).

But I have thought about flying the maple leaf, union jack and stars and stripes together by the house some day, just because I have a wicked sense of humor.

Bloody hell I started this topic and I have ALREADY gone off topic.

Simon Trew, a man who takes you down memory lane and leaves you there.

SimonTrew wrote:

....I asked the missus cos the keysafe we have outside (in case we lost out keys) she reset the number a few weeks ago I said what did you reset it to. I don't mean the ACTUAL number but the number that shows on the outside. I checked and that has not been touched, still at 0000. (I asked her before I checked it rather than tthe other way round so as not to kinda "suggest" to her did you set it to 0000 oh yeah I might have done...)....

Be careful with those keysafes, specially if it's a Master Lock.  They are not that difficult to open.  I've tried it myself on mine and it works quite easily.   

Open a Master Lock Key Safe without the number

I've seen other locks you can open with a cable tie.

We don't use our Master Lock any more because it's so insecure to all but the dumbest thieves.

klsallee wrote:

But I have thought about flying the maple leaf, union jack and stars and stripes together by the house some day, just because I have a wicked sense of humor.

Yeah that'll confuse them. I think you probably have the same kinda sense of humour as I do. Not NASTY but just kinda I dunno bright and let's do this on purpose.

When it was the Queen's  Golden Jubilee we had a street party, I lived in a very small street the church at one end only three houses on the street and the old school opposite. We put p all bunting red white and blue, all the children sat in the street on trestle tables eating jelly and ice cream celebrating the queen's jubilee, I remember her silver in 1977 so this would be 2002, yes that would be right. It was a real old fashioned street party. I of course had made a Canadian flag (just on a big bit of paper and with some felt tip, I only made it at the last moment after putting up all the bunting around the trees etc and sewing them all off and cutting them etc) so I put a big Canadian flag on my garage. Now every child who attended that street party will have a Canadian flag on the back of the photos. Well, She's their Queen too isn't she?

I got T-shirts made up in big print at a T shirt company that say RIFF on the front of one and RAFF on the back. I still have them. The other one has it the other way round, so when the missus and I walked through Immigration at the Budapest airport it says RIFF-RAFF. The immigration officer asked her what does RIFF-RAFF mean she said well kinda hoi polloi, scum of the earth. We got through very quickly.

Sometimes you just have to do things just to see what happens. Teasing, maybe you would call it. I would do that with the flags. Add a Magyar one and perhaps a completely unknown one from the People's Republic of East Kebab or whatever just to really screw them up.

SimonTrew wrote:

Bloody hell I started this topic and I have ALREADY gone off topic.

I thought any topic was on topic in a Simon Trew topic, so you are not off topic.

But just writing that made my head hurt. 

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

Heheh your safe bet with Americans (US americans) is to ask whether they are canadian. They will say no, I am from Utah (or whichever).

People in Hungary often assume first I am English (see, I remembered this time), because they know of no US Citizen living where I do (and probably can not understand why one would move here). I correct them by just saying "I am from the USA". They ask me from what part. Only then I say "California". And from that, somehow, the local gossip confused "California" with "Canada" and I became a Canadian to some here.

So if I wanted to be offended by where people think I am from, I have plenty of opportunities. Quite frankly, I don't really care and not worth trying to make right (and the local gossip will still muck that effort up anyway).

But I have thought about flying the maple leaf, union jack and stars and stripes together by the house some day, just because I have a wicked sense of humor.

I say go for the flags.

The Union Jack is the British flag but we also have the constituent parts - most relevant being the cross of St George. This is the English flag (white background/red vertical lines crossing the middle). 

I'm of a mind to stick St George's Cross up myself (ooo....errr...missus....pfff...*) on April 23rd. 

Then stick up the HU flag on the HU national day to join it.

Aarrgh...only 5 days to English flag day and no English flags (or Hungarian one) in the Fluffy store room.

* British people of a certain age will know what I mean when I say that.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Be careful with those keysafes, specially if it's a Master Lock.  They are not that difficult to open.

Most any lock is easy to open if one knows how. And youtub can show you how.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I've tried it myself on mine and it works quite easily.

But be careful even playing around with practice lock picking in Hungary. Any tool that may be considered a lock pick in Hungary is completely prohibited (bizarrely they are considered "military equipment"). So I honestly wonder what the Hungarian government thinks of Bic pens....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2vLtpVPqhI

Would having a pen be cause for arrest?     Journalists may need to start carrying pencils.....

fluffy2560 wrote:

I'm of a mind to stick St George's Cross up myself .

If I did that, since I live on the St. George Hill, I think the irony would be lost on the locals.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The Union Jack is the British flag but we also have the constituent parts - most relevant being the cross of St George. This is the English flag (white background/red vertical lines crossing the middle).

Actually some people(i.e. idiots) tend to get very particular about the Union Jack only being on ships etc (a jackmast on a ship) and according tot he UK goverment that is completely false. You are entitled to call it the Union Jack not the Union Flag any time you want. Not that I car what the UK government says, but the official Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice is that yes, you can call it a Union Jack even when it is not on a ship.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I'm of a mind to stick St George's Cross up myself (ooo....errr...missus....pfff...*) on April 23rd.

Actually I tend to wear an English Rose in my buttonhole on St George's Day, My English roses are only just getting going in the garden and won't be ready for another couple of years at least, slow-growing rambling rose. And the English roses don't like the climate here so much so you need a hardy variety for the winter. Sheesh now I am turning into Gardener's Question Time I was not expecting that.  Trew once again veers off in a completely different direction.

It is kinda under-celebrated, the Welsh and Scots and Irish celebrate their national days in style, we don't really get to celebrate ours. One year at the pub we had a good English Day for St George, we sang ridiculously racist songs about how the English are best (Flanders and Swann) etc on the joanna and had a kinda ridicioulosly overly-English English day. We had people from all over the place living in the village, Scots and Welsh and Irish and from far farther away, and they all took it absolutely in good humour as we were singing about how awful they were. But then that is the English way. There is no good translation for "taking the piss out of yourself". Self-deprecation I suppose would be the technical word bt that won't do. My joanna, Phil bashing it a bit heavy on the left hand, me and Neil singing off-colour songs (but of course none of us is racist or anything, I think Phil at the Joanna is jewish but don't know cos never needed to know, none of my business).

I miss that in Hungary, a proper pub. You know, a proper community pub.

klsallee wrote:

Would having a pen be cause for arrest?     Journalists may need to start carrying pencils.....

Surely the pen is mightier than the sword. Therefore, since carrying a sword (without due care) would be an offence under the various Acts, then carrying something mightier than a sword, such as a pen, would certainly be cause for arrest. What you have there, without doubt, is an offensive weapon and wielding it without due care could cause injury.

The fact that journalists wield them offensively every day to cause maximum damage to other members of the public only compounds the felony.

There is my case for the prosecution. My case rests (over in that corner there) And that's not my ear, mine had a pencil behind it.

Yes, my head hurts now too.
Yes, it's true , one mans junk is another mans treasure.
If it's not nailed down then it's up for grabs.

From Cali too but most people here think I am Italian,German or Hungarians first.
Guess my hair is now darker and my tan has faded...No longer look Californacated or is that Californian?

Around the year 2000 we rented a villa house at lake Velenica.
My husband's old childhood friend lived right across the st. and is a so called "big shot, man about town" well known to the police and all politicians, a business man there with his finger in every pie.
Anyways, my husband and I went out for the day and our then 22 year old son was in the house alone.
We rented the house for a long 5 months time and the owners never introduced themselves or anything, the whole rental thing was arranged through our friend, we gave him the money for the rent etc.
So the day our son was alone he was downstairs watching some tv.
The front door opened up and 3 large men walked right in.
Our son grabbed the first thing he could find a fireplace poker.
The guys spoke a bit of English and went on about needing the poker, they drove over just for that one item! Right...
They took it out of my sons hands and left without another word said.
Inside job or what? If he hadn't been home maybe we would of gotten robbed, so glad they didn't do anything to our son other then scare the BeJeuses out of him.
I don't trust many people over here, just hard to when so many odd things have happened over the years.
Our neighbors, 3 different ones here are always asking us when we are going to the US again for a visit... We never tell them, we just leave.
Very odd stuff really.

SimonTrew wrote:

....
I miss that in Hungary, a proper pub. You know, a proper community pub.

They do have them here but it's not that accessible unless you're mates with a load of locals.  Don't ever recall a dart board.  British Embassy used to have a bar in it open to members.  Went a couple of times to it as I was invited but decided it was not my thing to hobnob with Embassy types.  Rather be at home watching The Walking Dead with the missus.  Someone has to keep an eye on the neighbours.

Not a lot of people use pubs these days in the UK as it's so much cheaper to booze at home.  Supermarket booze prices so much cheaper now.

Most of them are factory gastro-pubs now anyway and don't have the spit and sawdust that I remember when I and  you probably wer' lads.   

Ah well, where's my grindstone and my nose.  Be lunchtime soon.

You can of course make copies of them. I can pick out locks and pick your keys, however good they are, and grind and mill to make new copies. For if not, how do keycutters exist (and why do they always mend shoes? Who decided that is a good combination?) No such thing as a key you can't copy. Get some blu-tack or gelatine and press it you have a perfect impression on there, then transfer back onto the blank. However clever they make them, you can make a copy. Take it to your local laser cutter and have them do it on a computer-aided cutter like fluffy's new kitchen counters. That is not the question. It is a compromise between your own security and everyone else's.

The basic thing is, you have to secure your house to satisfy the insurer. Most shops and houses have great big glass windows next to them, many people's doors have a great big glass window in them. It is a matter of a second to break the window. The Law mst be satisfied that you have taken due care to secure the property. Buying good locks is a sign of that. We have decided, as a society, that responsibility is shared for our safety, that - if we have done enough to secure our homes - we are entitled to claim that it is enough, in the eyes of the law and the insurance companies.

Nowadays the locks on cars are so good that instead of thieves even attempting to steal your car they break into your house to steal the car keys on the keyrack to take the car away. There is a limit to kinda how much protection you can reasonably do. I don't have a burglar alarm and nobody (as far as I know) on my street does (i.e. i don't see any boxes) because like with car alarms they cry wolf and so are essentially useless BUT they show the insurance company I took all reasonable care to protect my property.

I could I suppose run a bit of twin and earth on three phase through the gate on a switch so that next time if he touches the gate he will get a shock bigger than a weirdo Englishman chasing him down the street at 9pm. But then I have overstepped the mark. Technically it is my property but that does not mean I can go hurting people and firing torpedoes at them if they attempt to enter. Case law tends to prove that although I heard that a few weeks ago an Englishman (in England) got off at court on the defence that he was protecting himself. He was 84 though and probably that just went on the sympathy with the jury. He SHOULD have gone to prison. You are entitled to defend your property as indeed did I. But You are not entitled to kill someone who wanders onto it (tresspasses). It is about proportionate response.

Told you I know my stuff.

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

I don't think so. There is nothing in here worth stealing

But a thief may not know that until they look around more closely.

And the most "useless junk" sometimes sprouts legs and walks away here if not nailed down. Even what one may think of as junk can be sold somewhere at some side market.

Yes we have a lot of useless junk. I have offered it to the Roma next door and they are not interested, it is not worth anything to them. Clearing out this place, from previous owners, there is a lot of useless junk. But not much worthwhile taking in that line, Steptoe and Son next door are not interested in it, it is LESS valuable than that. There really is not very much worth taking because I have asked around if anyone wants it. It is a kontainerkt (skip) job unfortunately. If anyone wants it they are free to take it, but nobody wants to take it.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know we "Americans' would hate to be called Yanks.
Then again it's only a name, sticks and stones...
You might wish to ask your neighbors if they have also seen this guy hanging around or had any break ins themselves.

It can be scary, I know in Vegas they have a online neighborhood watch where everyone can tell each other about any crimes, strange cars parked or people going door to door.
My son likes working days so his wife won't be alone at night.

They have all their doors securely fixed at night.

(...)

I Guess I was a "good kid" after all.

Never doubted it. And all that hard work is exactly where it has got you today - talking over the Internet to an  Englishman in Hungary. I bet yor parents are very proud ( waits for incoming trout

I was not and am not scared. I suppose it depends on personality. I was confused., certainly, but not scared. I don't know, the adrenalin kicks in and youur mind races and stuff, but I am not and was not scared. I imagine my wife would have been scared though (quite rightly). I am  five foot eleven and wear steel toecapped boots every day, I am probably scared them more. I am not fast, I am not tall, but the sight of a mad Englishman howling in English coming out of his gate with his crombie hat on (it was raining a bit) probably gave him the fright of his life.

I hope so.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know we "Americans' would hate to be called Yanks.

My previous partner I used to call her "The Old Trout" or "O.T." for short. It took her YEARS to find out that it is not exactly a term of endearment (well, in a sense it was). Yes Old Trout, YES OT what was that? She kinda never caught on that it was a bit of an insult then one day she found it in a magazine or something, and the penny (or in her case loonie or twonie) dropped. Blimey, that was funny. Set em up, watch 'em fall. It took her YEARS to clock on to that. Still called her the Old Trout afterwards. Yes Old Trout what can I do for you sweetheart.... maybe we should start a topic on less-than-endearing nicknames. My wife patently is just "the missus". Although she is also called "moo" because she is a dirty old cow with big brown eyes (and again, she likes being called moo). We would get a bit too personal maybe but these names I use not on sex-talk etc just all the time, nicknames I suppose you would call them. Yes, Moo, what is it now? Yes I did clean under the rim, Moo. No, Mr Sheen didn't. Mr Sheen isn't here he polishes the furniture not cleans under the rim. No Moo I did not use Swarfega I used that toilet duck stuff moo.  yes, Moo. No moo. Three bags full Moo.

My mate called his wife "The Home Secretary" which i think is very good. You'll have to speak to the Home Secretary about that (The Home Secretary is a very seniur office of British Government; I knew both him and his wife very well. He drove Moo to her wedding in his 1949 Riley, a distance of 200 yards. His wife and I edited the local parish newspaper every month for abour five years. "Speak to the home secretary".

I think that is the best one. Is it just a very British thing to give your other halves nicknames like that (in real life I mean, not on the Internet)?

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

....
I miss that in Hungary, a proper pub. You know, a proper community pub.

They do have them here but it's not that accessible unless you're mates with a load of locals.  (...)

Most of them are factory gastro-pubs now anyway and don't have the spit and sawdust that I remember when I and  you probably wer' lads.   

Ah well, where's my grindstone and my nose.  Be lunchtime soon.

Pub lunch?

Where I lived in Eaton Socon there was a good family butcher (Motto: "Families Butchered Daily") opposite the other side of the old A1 now Great North Road one again. He had been three generations, he had sawdust on the floor. The health inspectors shut him down. The place was immaculate and all his sawdust was clean you know, excellent butcher. They prosecuted him for havcing sawdust on the floor it was immaculate "like a pharmacy" I think is the Hungarian expression (gyorgysertar) but he put sawdust down cos his older customers kinda liked to have a butcher with sawdust on the floor.

He gave up. He just sold up the business. He could not be bothered to argue against these stupid rules and regulations. He just sold up and I imagine retired, said it is not worth it.

I am all for Elf and Safety when it matters. Clean sawdust on a clean floor to mop up spills etc, and to stop people slipping on the tiled floor does not matter. Wish they had more sawdust on all the tiled floors in Hungary.

I have a load of tiles out of Ferihegy airport that my wife's Dad permanently borrowed when he worked there. Also the roof is made of conveyor belts from Ferihegy TErminal 1... again, permanently borrowed.

You can't get Swarfega in Hungary. That is always one thing on my list when the missus goes to England, bloody great big tub of Swarfega.

Maybe we should start that as a topic, kinda what do you miss. Cos it is always small things like that. The big things I don't miss but the small things,  like what is an inch eight? Well it is 25mm by this radius. I know that but it is an inch eight. It has always been an inch eight. I have a box from Screwfix that has it as inch eight, one abnd a half inch eight, inch sixes and inch and a quarter eights. I can translate that but you kinda do this mental juggling act. Even the missus asked me to hand her an inch eight the other day. Whatever it is in Hungarian must be a long way round.

British sweets. LIDL do a good range, they used to have wine gums but they changed the name to crazy grapes but same thing, LIDL is quite good. I have some Curly-Wurlies and Swizzels-Matlow if I really need to DIY to pull a filling out LIDL is the best for sweets i think. I don't have a particularly sweet tooth but just now and again then when I do I eat half a pound of wine gums at one sitting.

Imperial measure. I am of the same generation as you I guess that I grew up constantly having to juggle metric and imperial and the generation above me would be saying have you seen the price of ninepenny stamps these days? Er, Nan, a ninepenny stamp has always been ninepence, that is why it is a ninepenny stamp.  Well you know what I mean. Imperial I think is v ery handy in day-to-day life because of its inaccuracy I mean if you say oh it is 300 yards people do not expect it to be exactly 300 yards, yet if you say 300 metres they expect it to be (in UK) and are surprised it is 290 or 305.

A choice of newspapers to hate.

A post office/Royal Mail that despite all its faults actually works.

Doors that close behind you on a hydraulic thingy at the top.

Being able to speak English without having to slow down and OVER ENUNCIATE EVERYTHING.

SimonTrew wrote:

...

You can't get Swarfega in Hungary. That is always one thing on my list when the missus goes to England, bloody great big tub of Swarfega.

Maybe we should start that as a topic, kinda what do you miss. ....

There's a topic called "Where can I get....?" somewhere here.  It hasn't had posts for a while.  Presumably everyone has everything they need but probably not everything they want.

I'm still looking for properly marked SAE or metric marked bolts so one can be assured of their strength.  The OBI bolts and nuts are made of cheese and certainly no good for cars.

I got a giant industrial tub of Swarfega when I was in the UK with the car.  I use it sometimes but I've now taken to wearing special automotive gloves and they work very well.   Swarfega goes funny if you don't use it or stir it up a bit sometimes - like once or twice a year.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

....
I miss that in Hungary, a proper pub. You know, a proper community pub.

They do have them here but it's not that accessible unless you're mates with a load of locals.

I do know one here it was not far from me. It has a dart board and an incredibly crap pool table that costs 50 forint a pop. The locals are all friendly and we played some games of pool etc. Its main fault is they did not stock brown beer barnasor which is more to my taste than light beer, although a light beer in the summertime is very refreshing.

My missus' dad's pub is also very good and I know the landlord and landlady there, they are very nice. Its main problem is it is on a very busy road in central Budapest so that when you sit outside on a day today you have to put up with the traffic.

I suppose I am turning into George Orwell about "The Moon Under Water", all the qualities a pub should have. Which then Wetherspoon's nicked to name their awful pubs after.

I dunno about the gastro-pub thing I have always avoided them, overpriced. Honest pub grub is fine. Greene King (which is based in Ipswich so kinda my local brewer, have taken over so many small breweries and spreading its tentacles nationwide) have signs that say "Home Cooked Food". Er, well I was not expecting it to be brought in by a pizza delivery boy. What the - is "Home Cooked Food"? It means you got it from 3663 or one of the others, stuck it in the freezer, stuck it in the ping. Now, I do not mind that as a bit of pub grub, but do not SWINDLE people they are going to THINK that it means "Home-Made Food". Just because you can get away with it doesn't make it right.

When we picked up the trailer, it was in Somerset I think or Devon, it was a long haul to get it but even with petrol etc  it was worth it for the price (still sitting here in Hungary). We came back stopped at a pub for lunch in Somerset somewhere off the M5. The missus was driving but I had to be aware cos of the trailer and to navigate by SimonNav, neither of us were drinking  of course. We find a Greene King pub. Soddit, Cambrideshire is stack full of Greene King pubs and where do we end up? In a Greene King Pub in the middle of Somerset. Sheesh.

When I tell the wife to get the map I tend to say look I am not sure where we are we have to work it out by WifeNav. Oh we have SatNav on my phone no jst get the map and tell me where we are on the map I will call out the junction numbers etc. Am I the ONLY person in the world who doesn't have SatNav? WifeNav is much more fun. When she directs me up a crease in the map, we end up in much more interesting places than we meant to be in.

SimonTrew wrote:

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

I don't think so. There is nothing in here worth stealing

But a thief may not know that until they look around more closely.

And the most "useless junk" sometimes sprouts legs and walks away here if not nailed down. Even what one may think of as junk can be sold somewhere at some side market.

Yes we have a lot of useless junk. I have offered it to the Roma next door and they are not interested, it is not worth anything to them. Clearing out this place, from previous owners, there is a lot of useless junk. But not much worthwhile taking in that line, Steptoe and Son next door are not interested in it, it is LESS valuable than that. There really is not very much worth taking because I have asked around if anyone wants it. It is a kontainerkt (skip) job unfortunately. If anyone wants it they are free to take it, but nobody wants to take it.

Some people advertise for free stuff on jofogas.hu. You might get lucky someone wants it.  I've never heard of the Freecycle thing being used here.

It's obviously cheaper to get someone to take stuff away for nothing than hire a skip but even so, a middle sized 6m3 skip is about 35K HUF (that's for a non-separated waste skip - they sort it out at the depot).  Not too bad compared to UK prices.

We've had so many skips here I've lost count.  We're gradually collecting all our rubbish for the next skip and if we've got space, we'll invite the neighbours to put in anything they don't want as well.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know we "Americans'

I worked in an pub in a village where I bought my first house, I still have a framed picture of the pub drawn by a local artist in pencil. I worked there to help pay the mortgage but more to meet new people in the village. It is a very old pub, built originally around Queen Elizabeth I's time.

One quiet  afternoon two Americans walk in, this is kinda reverse Fawlty Towers I suppose. Yes may I serve you I would like a whatever it was. Sure. got the drinks. Now this place is old isn't it? Yes, sir, it is quite old. How old is it? We're not sure Sir, but it is certainly pre-America.

I don't think he got the joke.

Yeah we do put stuff on jofogas to pick up and collect for free, But it is kinda not worthwike for anyone to pick up this fá timber and stuff. I have enough timber the previous owners had a lot of debts and crap and the place just needs a good clear-out. Fortunately National Chucking Out Day in this district is only in a couple of weeks time.

I gave my neighbour a new sink i.e. that previous owners had left and hadn't fitted, the missus decided she wanted a deep basin sink from Ikea rather than a stainless steel sink so there is money flying out of my pocket once again.  He took a few other bits and pieces. He is a roofer and will do our roof but I can't afford that right now even at mate's rates but it is good to get to know him. He took some bits and pieces, he is doing his house up too so he knows the score. His little girl is eight so I told the mother on a card to give to the daughter, in kinda very legible English if you want to practice your English the missus and I will help you practice. And drew a picture of FatCat who is of course the cat (what else do you name a cat? He is not fat but huge. So obviously he is called FatCat. He was I think 3.5 kilos at last weigh-in. He had his knackers chopped off before we knew him so his testosterone probably made him grow a bit too fast. Anyway we love him, we picked him off the street in England and he seems very happy with us except if I don't give him his Crunchies).

I am happy to give it away. The roofer next door there is a lot of guttering pieces and you think hmm that might be handy for him, but he says no use to me. It is actually quite hard to give stuff away in Hungary. He's taken a few bits and pieces that might be usefl to him but there is a lot that is just old crap.

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's obviously cheaper to get someone to take stuff away for nothing than hire a skip.

It is not the question of cost. I would just PREFER if someone could take it away if they can use it, rather than skip it. I have spent many a weekend chucking out skiploads of stuff from my other place.  I would rather have it go to a good home where someone can use it.

How are you getting on with those kitchen tops have they been fitted yet? I bet Mrs Fluffy is going to love them.

Mrs Fluffy and the Fluffiettes now are singing (to the tune of 'baby love') on Radio Caroline

Counter tops, oh counter tops
Oh I so love my counter tops
And when I wipe them (oh oh oh)
with floraszept (clin or furdo)
They SHINE, SHINE, SHINE, SHINE

Now counter tops, oh countertops
Ohh I love my countertops
They were pricey from Italy (wow wow wow)
It was bit of a pitaly
That they ground them out to fit the wall
But now fit nice I'm walking tall

My counter tops, my counter tops
I got me nice new counter tops
They are nice and shiny (wo wo wo)
So please don't be whiny (no no no)
Cos I'll keep em clean and nice
And polish them twice
And my husband will not
play dice on em (fade out)

That was the Fluffiettes on backing and Mrs Fluffy on lead vocals.  And now on Radio Caroline, hang on, we have some late news. Tony Blackburn is DEFINITELY dead now.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

.....he is hindered by having an empty shopping trolley that he seems insistent on keeping with him....

Anyway that is my story I hope it amuses you. I really still can't make it out.

Maybe he was off his trolley.. 

On the other hand shopping trolleys are well known to have minds of their own so he could have just been chasing after it.

Nice day today.  I believe we will have  21-22 C and sun for most of the day.

Have you ever got a copy of the Stray Shopping Carts of North-Eastern America? It won some kind of award at the Berlin Book Festival as the world's most boring book or something, naturally I had to purchase it (and many many others I am sure). The thing is if it was written as a parody I could trake that, but it is written absolutely seriously, showing pictures and descriptions of f ONLY north-eastern american stray shopping carts (deliberately excluding the rest of the country) and has maps and diagrams and a code he (it must be a he) has invented for how to classify them, B3 is "lost, presumed abandoned" and so forth.

I recommend you get hold of a copy. It is an incredibly accidentally funny read, like "English as She is Spoke".

https://www.amazon.com/Stray-Shopping-C … 0810955202

I just popped it up and I like that the review says "An absolute must-read for people who like stray shopping carts in North-Eastern America". D'Oh!

SimonTrew wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know we "Americans' would hate to be called Yanks.
Then again it's only a name, sticks and stones...
You might wish to ask your neighbors if they have also seen this guy hanging around or had any break ins themselves.

It can be scary, I know in Vegas they have a online neighborhood watch where everyone can tell each other about any crimes, strange cars parked or people going door to door.
My son likes working days so his wife won't be alone at night.

They have all their doors securely fixed at night.

(...)

I Guess I was a "good kid" after all.

Never doubted it. And all that hard work is exactly where it has got you today - talking over the Internet to an  Englishman in Hungary. I bet yor parents are very proud ( waits for incoming trout

I was not and am not scared. I suppose it depends on personality. I was confused., certainly, but not scared. I don't know, the adrenalin kicks in and youur mind races and stuff, but I am not and was not scared. I imagine my wife would have been scared though (quite rightly). I am  five foot eleven and wear steel toecapped boots every day, I am probably scared them more. I am not fast, I am not tall, but the sight of a mad Englishman howling in English coming out of his gate with his crombie hat on (it was raining a bit) probably gave him the fright of his life.

I hope so.

Funny, neen there ourselves.
Just today we went to the farmers market in the 13th .
Inside the parking lot I spotted 2 free tiny shopping trolleys!
Made me think of this site and the crazy man with the trolley.
Was almost thinking of talking my poor husband into snagging a cart by putting it into our truck./boot.
Maybe, just a big maybe if we had a house it could of come in handy.
Don't need it in the city.
I am not all that tough, just had to learn to stand for one's self.
Actually our mom would literally beat the stuffing out of us if we ran home crying because someone hurt our "feelings' or hit us.
Had to defend ourselves or get it worst from mommy- Mommy Dearest?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Funny, neen there ourselves.
Just today we went to the farmers market in the 13th .
Inside the parking lot I spotted 2 free tiny shopping trolleys!
Made me think of this site and the crazy man with the trolley.
Was almost thinking of talking my poor husband into snagging a cart by putting it into our truck./boot.
Maybe, just a big maybe if we had a house it could of come in handy.
Don't need it in the city.
I am not all that tough, just had to learn to stand for one's self.
Actually our mom would literally beat the stuffing out of us if we ran home crying because someone hurt our "feelings' or hit us.
Had to defend ourselves or get it worst from mommy- Mommy Dearest?

Well, the end of the original post said "I hope it would amuse you". It appears that it has! So that is a good thing. Hope you had a nice time at the market, I love going round markets like that. My grill I got on Nagykata market (in the sticks) for 2.000 and it is bloody brilliant industrial grill, also the deep fat fryer. I think came off the market. I loved to use to haggle with them. Nem ertem? Bocsanat nem ertem? Het ézer? Nem ertem? Bocsanat hulye angol vagyok? Ott ézer? Nem ertem. Ketto ezer? Igen en ertem ketto ezer.

Yes the art of smacking children has sadly disappeared, more stupid laws. NEVER to hurt them BUT to protect them. We didn't need to be told don't drink that bleach (no childproof caps then, that only a four-year-old can open, give a childproof cap to me I can't open it, I have to give it to a four-year-old to open it) and the harsh chemicals were right there at child hight. All the doors etc, none of this safety nonsense for sticking a bit of plastic in the konnektor/sockets/outlets. It won't hurt you it is earthed. Anyway they are made, specifically designed, so that children cannot get their fingers in them. The design of the British 13 Amp plug is a work of art really, should be in the Design Museum, and if you want to go BAZ MEG very loudly try treading on one. But none of this mollycoddling.

Sometimes a child needs a good slap to protect them. NEVER to hurt, NEVER in anger. But sometimes you do not have time to explain well look this is dangerous here please keep away if you toich that it will hurt if you touch that it will hurt you have to push or get them away from the danger. So the laws against slapping/hitting/smacikng call it what yo u will are absolutely ridiculous. You can explain later, but a four year old does not understand AT THAT MOMENT why it is going to hurt them.

It was so sweet on Sunday when the missus and I went for a  long walk for an ice cream (we were more in it for the walk than the ice cream) on the street near us there was a granny in her cooking apron patently come out of the kitchen and aunt or mother I guess and young child. A few yards down we saw her little child's pram and teddy bear in the pram. We called back, this is yors is it has she forgotten it? Gran was taking the child fot a little walk cos she is scared of the dog (I am sure it is a nice dog). But if Teddy wasn't there when she got back I bet she wold be in more tears. We tucked it out of the way and she said we will be back soon. The streets are safe here but as someone else said if something is not nailed down they will have it off you. I hope when they got back Teddy was still there.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Was almost thinking of talking my poor husband into snagging a cart by putting it into our truck./boot.
Maybe, just a big maybe if we had a house it could of cometab in handy.
Don't need it in the city

A motor car is phony. I'd rather have shank's pony (Irving Berlin is it or George and Ira Gershwin?)

When I lived in Texas I had an old bashed-up Ford Ranger just so I could get started in credit, i.e. to kind  "exist" if you see what I mean, i.e. that one of the minor struffgles of living abroad is to "exist" to have paperwork etc and a credit account, USED WISELY, is good way to do it. It cost $2,000 and I had the money down but deliberately left about $800 or so on credit that I paid off the following month.

I made a big mistake. Not with the credit, that was the wise move, but then we used to go getting things from Home Depot out of their skips/containers (what is the American for skip?) I got a nice load of cable drums which make fantastic tables in the garden, 5000 yard cable drum makes bloody good table for the garden (now I am turning into Top Tips For Cheating On DIY or something). Anyway I climbed on the back of the truck to get a bag of cement out of the skip. Tjhis was a very foolish move. I got two bags of cement out with only a bit of powder over me, thanks very much, cable drum and two bags of cement in the back of my Ford Ranger pickup.

We got them home the missus and I and set up the tables but I forgot the cement. That night, as only Houston can do, was an enormous thunderstorm. Add cemement to water and now my flat bed truck is, in the morning, more flat than I was expecting. Add cement to water and park it level in a flatbed truck, await results.... so from then on poor old TX3 S1A had its flat bed very bloody flat like a billiard table with self-levelling cement. It didn't do my gas mileage much good either.