#Builder Kent

[jgaconstruction]

Home Refurbishments like Loft and Cellar, Basement and Garage Conversions are a popular and cost effective way to increase the value of your home property while creating space for your lifestyle.

[mddeck]

MD Deck Locations in Kent County, MD

https://mddeck.co/deck-builders-kent-county-md/

https://mddeck.co/deck-builders-chestertown-md/

https://mddeck.co/deck-builders-galena-md/

https://mddeck.co/deck-builders-millington-md/

https://mddeck.co/deck-builders-rock-hall-md/

[esteemed-excellency]

ohh I'm very curious, i *think* i know what a folly tower is, but I'm not certain! would you mind explaining please? (and maybe how this thies in witb hiram specifically?)

Of course! A folly in architecture is a building constructed for decorative purposes, there's not a precise definition in terms of scale or design, even if by modern standards the buildings are usually small, they can be gloriettes, fake ruins, artificial grottos, towers, etc. They became a trend in english and french landscape gardens during the 18th century and the term began as "a popular name for any costly structure considered to have shown folly in the builder" (quoting the Oxford English Dictionary's definition from wikipedia).

Overall they're very fun and interesting ornaments but towers in particular have their own value as landmarks, viewpoints, or historical constructions (like the irish "famine follies"). I personally like the liminal aesthetic they convey, given that they were often placed in the middle of nowhere, and the convoluted effect of some bigger constructions.

[Hadlow Tower (Kent) / Broadway Tower (Worcestershire) / Pontypool Folly Tower (Wales) / Scrabo Tower (Northern Ireland) / La Scarzuola (Italy) / The Swallow's Nest Castle (Crimea)]

In Fallen London, the Edict of Towers is an abandoned location between Hell and Parabola (reachable via Marigold Station), described as a maze of mirrors, walls, towers, turrets, and parapets. It was an ancient defence of Hell but it's empty now, and people risk getting lost between the Is and the Is-Not trying to navigate it. So, because i'm a huge sucker for cursed escherian labyrinths, i decided that it would be the perfect place for Hiram's parabolan base.

The halls of mirrors tie in with some descriptions of Is Someone There?, and the battlements fit the theme of A Game of Chess, which are Hiram's main dreams and nightmares. They're also perfectly on brand with the pseudo-medieval aesthetic of the Red Court.

Also, the vibe reminds me of a mix between surrealist/metaphysical paintings and the XII century italian tower craze:

[Almayer's Folly - René Magritte / The Red Tower - Giorgio De Chirico / reconstruction of Bologna during the 1200s / a depiction of San Giminiano during the 1200s/1300s by Taddeo di Bartolo]

[cubbercel23]

Builder Andrew Phillips from Sevenoaks in Kent doing his rendition of the Full Monty.

[story-weavr]

In reference to previous post of mine:

How might Lex Luthor fall for reporter Clark Kent?

Assuming Lex Luthor (to his knowledge) never met Clark Kent before Superman came to Metropolis, how might attraction grow?

Lex Luthor is an apex predator who desires to have control. He’s suave and charismatic while also being intellectually superior to most. Lex goes for the following:

- trusted female employees,

- women whom fit the bill for upper echelon via beauties, talent, &/or pedigree

The ones he chooses to marry are only because marrying them serves his plans in some way. And as far as I know, barring Angela Blake/ Ardora/ Gertrude, they all ended in divorce.

When he first meets Clark Kent, he underestimated him at first due to his appearance of being mild-mannered and “second banana” to the alluring yet infuriating Lois Lane.

Clark Kent, however, asked questions that were to the point whilst still being respectful as opposed to Lois’s sharp wit. They make a good team; perhaps why Clark’s name is usually the by-line of a Lois Lane story.

His writing was also rather engaging, albeit infuriating at times when the content is not what he would prefer.

And he is rather non-opportunistic as opposed to others of his profession, hence why he has gained the trust and friendship of many big names such as Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, & senior scientists of STAR Labs.

But in the end, Clark is just another human; imperfect albeit moral. A pawn.

What would change Luthor’s mind?

A) Perhaps, one day an attack by one of Superman’s other foes cause structural damage in the building or mine they are in, forcing them to wait for rescue while another Metropolis hero (Steel perhaps?) is busy dealing with said villain.

Bored, perhaps Lex would spark a conversation, not hoping for much, only to find Kent was rather intellectual and had a sharp wit.

B) Perhaps Lex Luthor would discover & adore the work of one Atticus Clark. He can’t help but read The Janus Contract over and over again. A bit silly to enjoy a mere adventure novel, but it just spoke to the inner daring boy that Lex often has to squash. He is so impatient for the next work that he actually gets someone to look into Atticus Clark.

He becomes utterly shocked that said author was mild-mannered Clark Kent. The writing styles, albeit of the same engaging prose, are quite different!

Why on Earth would a brilliant author hide his identity in such a way that his own publisher doesn’t know his real identity?

A means to protect his private life? Shyness?!

Lex manages to have a private conversation with Clark, asking for his autograph. At first offended that his privacy was invaded, Clark couldn’t help but give in to Luthor’s genuine admiration.

Lex, having admiration for someone of such talent, even offered to have his publishers replace Clark’s current ones. Clark explained that while honored, he had no complaints about his current publishers who respect his privacy and don’t push him for more works.

For him, writing novels was an escape, a thing of joy, release, and introspection on both himself & humanity. His job was uncovering the truth and doing the right thing.

Perhaps their conversation falls into philosophies which then turns into other topics. Lex becomes shooketh and intrigued at the amount of knowledge & understanding Clark has. And the other man just brushes it off?!

C) Perhaps an incident happens at LexCorp event, where a child or incapacitated person falls into the water and Kent dives in immediately after. Coming out of the water, the person in distress is safe.

Lex meanwhile is forced to question his sexuality when he does not see the expected drowned rat.

Clark Kent, having thrown his jacket off to dive after, is more muscular than one would think. Not that of body builders or that damn alien, but of a proportional slimmer variety.

His skin is glowing in the sunlight.

His eyes sparkling due to the wetness clinging to his glasses.

His hair, usually arranged in careful bangs or covered by a hat, settle around his head in messy curls, framing his face and clinging to his skin.

Skin that was surprisingly smooth and free of dense hair usually associated with men.

Lips, where before Lex had not noticed, were pink, seemingly soft & plushy, and trembling as water droplets caressed them

A face lightly dusted with a blush matched the stuttering words of an obviously cold and embarrassed man asking his partner Lois for his coat.

Lex Luthor needs a drink and a moment to think.

D) Perhaps Lex Luthor receives a message that a certain individual who was related to an employee of his late father has special information that might interest the billionaire.

What that information is, the girlfriend of said individual didn’t know. Just that it was about Lex’s past.

Lex, annoyed at the reminder of his “dearly” departed father & what seems to be a clumsy blackmail attempt in the making, has the man watched.

Much to his confusion, he received a report that nothing was found in the man’s apartment or place of work. The man also never made any attempts to get in touch with Lex Luthor. If anything, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Then one day, the man drove out of town. He first stopped somewhere and came out with several files. Because it was crowded, the Luthor agents could not approach or steal from the man.

The man immediately went back to Metropolis, to a diner in a bad part of town. Soon, Clark Kent walked in with the brief case.

Sitting down in front of the man, the somber faced reporter slid into the booth.

The smirking man merely slid the files across the table. Clark then took them. He then slid the briefcase onto the table.

When the other man touched it, the reporter didn’t let go. Instead, he quietly said that a friend of his had already wiped the backup data and that another had already stolen the other copies.

The reporter continued that if the other man ever came looking for money again, his friends have given him enough dirt that if he published it: the cops would be involved.

The only reason he didn’t already and instead paid the money was because he didn’t want mutual destruction. Clark went on to tell the man that he has friends in high places that will keep tabs on him for the rest of his life.

The reporter went on to remind the criminal that “the other party” WILL kill him if he even tried to blackmail him like he did Clark.

The criminal smiled and reassured that he isn’t that stupid hence why he chose to blackmail Clark. Now that he has the money, he has no desire to get dead because he was greedy and stupid.

Clark released the briefcase. Getting up, he stated that it would be a good idea if the blackmailer left Metropolis, never to return. He then left.

The other man, smug, left the bar as well.

Luthor’s employees opted to wait. The next time Superman was busy or out of Metropolis, they tracked down and captured the blackmailer (arrested for another crime?), covering their tracks with a false digital trail + false ID.

The blackmailer not wanting to die, said he would only tell either Luthor himself or someone Luthor trusted.

Lex, curious but not prioritizing, sent a member of his inner circle (Mercy, Hope, Spaulding, etc)

When his trusted minion came back, Lex Luthor was told a story that he wouldn’t have believed if not for the fact Clark Kent literally paid over a million dollars to the man to keep it secret.

Apparently, the accident in his youth that cost him his first independent business and most of his hair was also used as an opportunity by his father. Lionel Luthor hired a hypnotist so that young Lex Luthor would forget about his male lover. Lionel would go further and threaten the other boy to leave the US, wanting to make sure Lex never saw the other.

The boy would go on to flee. Lionel had the boy monitored. Many years later, his death, however, ushered the return of the boy now man to his hometown, a young child in tow.

One would think that the farm boy found love again overseas. Except, according to the sporadic reports of Lionel’s goons, the only females he was in close contact with were never pregnant. Plus the baby was practically a newborn when he first appeared.

In addition, the hometown of the boy had some very strange rumors and incidents: ghost sightings, skin walkers, succubi, a lot of deaths or disappearances.

The investigator went on a limb & threatened to expose Clark Kent as Lex Luthor’s former lover. He also made insinuations about Smallville’s weirdness and how Conner Julian Kent must have been named after Jules Luthor, Lex’s uncle who had lived in Smallville.

What do y’all think?

How might the villainous Lex Luthor see mild-mannered Clark Kent as more than a pawn?

[cdlhunter]

1936 Pontiac Six 4.0-Litre Motorhome Coachwork by Russell’s of Bexhill. This Pontiac motorhome was ordered new by a Captain Dunn of Bexhill, Kent through a local coachbuilder by the name of Russell. The vehicle was ordered in 1935 from the USA and arrived in this country as a driveable chassis with front wings, bonnet, and scuttle. When the vendor’s father first acquired the Pontiac, he contacted Russell’s of Bexhill and informed them of its existence. Mr Russell, a member of the firm’s founding family owners, revealed that the Dunn family had been very close friends with both his parents and grandparents. He then invited the owners to the Bexhill Festival of Motoring, which they attended with their renovated Pontiac motorhome the following spring. After replacing its old oil and petrol, and fitting a new battery, the 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine had started within one turn of the starter and has run sweetly ever since. The Pontiac had been painted khaki in anticipation of its being used as an ambulance during WW2. The interior remains just as it was found, though a boat builder was commissioned to re-varnish the woodwork in the correct dull gloss finish. All curtains and linoleum are original, as are all the fixtures and fittings. Source: ruotevecchie.org #pontiac #pontiacmotors #motorhome #trucks #cdl #cdlhunter (at CDL Hunter) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpUuUHcODdd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sidewalkstamps]

L. Glenn Switzer Contractor 1930 (Photo taken April 29, 2024 on Glenalbyn Dr. & Glenmuir Ave.)

According to the Los Angeles Times, L. Glenn Switzer died at the age of 96 on July 11, 1990, so he was born in either 1894 or 1893. He started "the first ready-mix concrete company in Southern California" in Pasadena in 1930. The company, Transit Mixed Concrete Co., worked "at construction sites throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties," in addition to manufacturing concrete blocks and panels. He was a Quaker and was "president of the national Conference of Quaker Men" in 1954" ("L. Glenn Switzer; Formed Ready-Mix Concrete Firm." Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1990.

In 1941, L. Glenn Switzer was the manager of Transit Mixed Concrete Co. They had multiple locations including 1000 North La Brea in Los Angeles, 3492 E Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, and 780 Union Pacific Place, which doesn't currently exist but I think may be in Commerce, CA (Los Angeles City Directory 1941, Los Angeles City Directory Co., 1941).

In an advertisement in 1945, Transit Mixed Concrete Co described themselves as "Pioneers of Transit-Mixed Concrete in Southern California" (Southwest Builder and Contractor, Volume 106, F. W. Dodge Company, 1945).

According to Switzer v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, United States Tax Court, June 30, 1953, 20 T.C. 759 (U.S.T.C. 1953), L. Glenn Switzer and Howard A. Switzer were partners in the company in 1944-45. Their respective wives were Ida H. and Florence M. Apparently they didn't commit fraud with intent to evade tax, but the husbands were deficient due to negligence.

We learn from Find a Grave that L. was Lewis. He was born in Iowa in on June 26, 1894 and died in L.A. County on July 11, 1990. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, CA. His wife, Ida, was born in Iowa and they married on December 29, 1915 in Marshall, Iowa. They had at least two sons (Elmo Glenn, Eugene Lewis) and one daughter (Mayme Elizabeth). She lived in Pasadena in the 1940 and 1950 censuses. She died on October 18, 1987 and was also buried in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, CA.

Howard Allison Switzer was Lewis's brother (they also had four other siblings: Elias Claire, Gladys Lucile, Richard Kent, and Florence Eliza) and co-founder. He was born on July 30 or 31, 1908 in Ladora, Iowa and died on January 7, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA. He is also buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, CA (Find a Grave). Their parents were Richard Martin Switzer and Carrie Estella Lewis. (The photo above is Howard in the 1920s, probably in Long Beach, CA, and was submitted to Find a Grave by 'jmb'.) According to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, he had moved to Long Beach, CA in 1920 with his parents and sister. "He joined his father and older brother in their concrete contracting company after graduating from Long Beach High School." This company was a predecessor to Transit Mix Concrete Company, which, according to the same obituary, was "credited with using the first concrete mixer trucks, which prepare the concrete to be poured once it gets to the job site" (January 9, 1997). Howard moved to Pasadena in 1932 and married Florence.

She lived to 105 and had lived her whole life in Pasadena, CA! They had four sons: Forrest, Roy, Marshall, and Norman. She was "known as Flossie to most of her friends." ("Florence Switzer Obituary," Pasadena Star-News).

Other sources:

The Tax Fortnighter Annual, Fallon Publications, 1954

[diabolus1exmachina]

Lotus Seven Series 4 

The Lotus Seven was first introduced in 1957 by Lotus founder Colin Chapman. Chapman’s idea was to create a lightweight, nimble sports car that could provide an engaging driving experience while being affordable for the average enthusiast. The car’s design was inspired by the clubman racers of the day and the earlier Lotus Mark VI and it was offered in both kit form and as a turnkey car. The kit option would be the most popular, vastly outselling the turnkey car as kit cars at the time avoided the automobile purchase tax which was no insignificant. Interestingly, the law stated that kit cars couldn’t be offered with assembly instructions, an issue that Chapman addressed in his own unique way by offering detailed disassembly instructions that the kit builder could follow in reverse to build their car.

The first Lotus Seven, also known as the Series 1, was powered by a 1.1 liter Ford Sidevalve engine producing 36 bhp, and the car weighed just 725 lbs. Its lightweight design was classic Chapman, with a tubular steel spaceframe chassis, a fiberglass body, and a simple cockpit with only the bare necessities.

The Seven was an instant success, praised for its agility, speed, handling, and its affordable cost. In 1958, Graham Hill drove the Lotus Seven factory demonstrator to victory in a race at Brands Hatch, solidifying the car’s reputation as a highly-capable racing machine in the right hands. Over the years, the Lotus Seven evolved through various iterations from Series 1 through to Series 4, each with its unique features and improvements. The Series 2, introduced in 1960, featured a stiffer, simpler chassis design, revised suspension, and a more powerful engine.

The Series 3, released in 1968, was most commonly powered by the 1.6 liter, inline-four cylinder Kent crossflow engine. The Series 3 cars were also produced under license in Argentina, with over 50 made, and the model would be reintroduced in modified form by Caterham after the Series 4 proved less popular than anticipated.

The Series 4, introduced in 1970, marked a significant departure from the earlier Lotus Seven models. The Series 4 was designed to be more comfortable and practical than its predecessors, with a wider body and improved amenities. It also featured a more powerful engine, capable of producing up to 120 bhp, making it faster than the previous Lotus Sevens.

Despite its increased comfort and convenience, the Series 4 retained the classic Lotus Seven design elements, such as its tubular spaceframe chassis and lightweight fiberglass body. As noted higher up, the car was available in kit form or as a fully assembled vehicle, making it accessible to a wider range of enthusiasts.

[omg-hellgirl]

My grandfather was a boat-builder who had learnt his trade in Gravesend and Kingston-upon-Thames, while nan was a Kent girl; one of 12 children. She saw granddad as a ''good catch''. She was already ''with child'' when they married.

Chris Jagger, Tales of our Australian mother.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 2.25

Holidays

Armed Forces Day (Dominican Republic)

Big Bang Theory Day

Choiseul Province Day (Solomon Islands)

Colt Revolver Day

Commedia dell’Arte Day

Coronado Day (Mexico)

Cuddle Day

Dag van de Revolutie (Day of Liberation and Innovation; Suriname)

Dance of the Secret Places

Day of Liberation and Innovation (Suriname)

Deinonychus Day

DNA Discovery Day

EDSA Revolution Day (Philippines)

Februaristaking (Netherlands)

Flag Day (Bangladesh)

George Harrison Day

Gray Day (Scotland)

High Five Day

Imam Ali Day (Iran)

International Cochlear Implant Day

Ireland Reads Day (Ireland)

Italian Buckthorn Day (French Republic)

Meher Baba Day

Memorial Day for the Victims of the Communist Dictatorships (Hungary)

National Billy Day

National Day (Kuwait)

National Don't Utter a Word Day

National Jessica Day

National Kathy Day

National Masturbation Day (Poland)

National Nicholas Day

National radio Day (Thailand)

National Reparations Awareness Day

Peace Memorial Holiday (Taiwan)

People Power Day (Anniversary of EDSA Revolution; Philippines)

Pistol Patent Day

Revolution Day (Suriname)

Russian Warship GFY Day

Quiet Day

Sister Wendy Day

Soviet Occupation Day (Georgia)

Time of the Old Woman begins (until March 4)

Tristan da Cunha (a.k.a. Queen’s Day, Saint Helena)

Women’s Day (Iceland)

World Bookmark Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day

Let's All Eat Right Day

National Chocolate-Covered Nuts Day

National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day

National Clam Chowder Day

National Muffin Day

Tastykake Day

4th & Last Sunday in February

College Goal Sunday [Last Sunday]

Freedom Sunday [Last Sunday]

National Woman’s Day (original date; 1909) [Last Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning February 25 (4th Week)

Peace Corp Week [thru 3.2]

Telecommuter Appreciation Week [thru 3.2]

Independence & Related Days

Choiseul Province Day (Solomon Islands)

Kuwait (from UK, 1961)

Pigeon Island (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Texas Independence Day Celebration, Day 1 (of 2; Texas)

Festivals Beginning February 25, 2024

Popsicle Bridge Contest (Richmond, Virginia)

Tampa Bay Jewish Food Festival (Tampa Bay, Florida)

Feast Days

Æthelberht of Kent (1st Christian Anglo-Saxon King) [current date]

Anthony Burgess (Writerism)

Bd Robert of Arbrissel (Christian; Saint)

Burke Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Caesarius, Physician of Constantinople (Christian; Saint)

Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás (Positivist; Blessed)

Dance of the Secret Places (Shamanism)

Day of Mut (Mother Goddess; Ancient Egypt)

Elizabeth Fedde (Lutheran Church)

Ethelbert of Kent (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Fflur (Celtic Book of Days)

Feast of the Blessed Regina Marriam of Vattalil (India)

Feast of Montu (Egyptian Falcon-Headed War God; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Feast of the Stinky Butts

Festival of Ptah (Ancient Egypt)

Gerland of Agrigento (Christian; Saint)

Giuseppe De Nittis (Artology)

Hare Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Hermie (Muppetism)

Jacques Philippe Caresme (Artology)

John Roberts, writer and missionary (Christian; Saint)

Kitano Baika-sai (Plum Blossom Festival; Kyoto, Japan; Shinto)

Maria Adeodata Pisani (Positivist; Blessed)

Media Hiems I (Pagan)

Octopus Enjoyment Day (Pastafarian)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Artology)

2nd Sunday in Lent (a.k.a. ... 

Reminiscere Sunday

The Transfiguration

Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (Christian; Saint)

Victornius and six companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Virgil (Positivist; Saint)

Walpurga (Christian; Saint; she was canonised on 5.1 c. 870 and Walpurgis Night is celebrated 4.30) [Crops]

Wendy Beckett (Christian; Sister) [Art]

Wenchang Wang Day (Chinese God of Literature)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [9 of 53]

Premieres

Belle Epoque (Film; 1994)

Boat Builders (Disney Cartoon; 1938)

Boom at the Top or Bullwinkle Loses His Head (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 259; 1964)

Boris Talks to Himself or Mockingbird Heel (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 260; 1964)

Born to Peck (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1952)

The Bourne Ultimatum, by Robert Ludlum (Novel; 1990)

Broom-Stick Bunny (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Camelot (TV Series; 2011)

The Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saëns (Musical Suite; 1922)

The Cat Above and the Mouse Below (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1964)

Count Screwloose and J.R. the Wonder Dog (MGM Cartoon; 1939)

DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (WB MM Cartoon; 2020)

Drive Angry (Film; 2011)

Gold Rush Daze (WB MM Cartoon; 1939)

Hall Pass (Film; 2011)

Henry IV, Part 1, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1598)

In the Name of the Father (Film; 1993)

The Lady Eve (Film; 1941)

Little Earthquakes, by Tori Amos (Album; 1992)

Modern Times (Film; 1936)

The Mouse on 57th Street (WB MM Cartoon; 1961)

On the Beach, by Nevil Shute (Novel; 1957)

Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip, by TLC (Album; 1992)

The Passion of the Christ (Film; 2004)

Phoney Booths, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S3, Eps. 37 & 38; 1967)

Please Please Me, by The Beatles (US Song; 1963)

Reindeer Games (Film; 2000)

Rubber Duckie, sung by Ernie (Song; 1970)

Slap Shot (Film; 1977)

Soldiers' Pay, by William Faulkner (Novel; 1926)

Songs from the Big Chair, by Tears for Fears (Album; 1985)

Superman: Red Son (WB Animated Film; 2020)

Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, by Carl Jung (Science Book; 1952)

Ten Summoner’s Tales, by Sting (Album; 1993)

Terror Island (Animated TV Show;Jonny Quest #24; 1965)

That’ll Be the Day, recorded by Buddy Holly (Song; 1957)

Vikings: Valhalla (TV Series; 2022)

Wonder Boys (Film; 2000)

Yes Minister (UK TV Series; 1980)

Your Show of Shows (TV Series; 1950)

Today’s Name Days

Walburga (Austria)

Berislav, Hrvoje, Nestorije (Croatia)

Liliana (Czech Republic)

Victorinus (Denmark)

Tormi, Tuule, Tuuli, Tuulike (Estonia)

Tuija, Tuire, Vanessa (Finland)

Roméo (France)

Edeltraud, Walburga (Germany)

Riginos, Tarasios, Tarsi (Greece)

Mátyás (Hungary)

Cesario, Costanza, Vittorino (Italy)

Alma, Grants, Zalga (Latvia)

Margiris, Rasa, Regimantas, Viktoras (Lithuania)

Viktor, Viktoria (Norway)

Bolebor, Cezary, Konstancjusz, Maciej, Małgorzata, Modest, Nicefor (Poland)

Tarasie (Romania)

Frederik (Slovakia)

Donato, Valerio (Spain)

Sigvard, Sivert (Sweden)

Artema, Artemis, Welden, Weldon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 56 of 2024; 310 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 8 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Nuin (Ash) [Day 8 of 28]

Chinese: Month 1 (Bing-Yin), Day 16 (Ji-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025)

Hebrew: 16 Adair I 5784

Islamic: 15 Sha’ban 1445

J Cal: 26 Grey; Fryday [26 of 30]

Julian: 11 February 2024

Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 28 Homer (2nd Month) [Virgil]

Runic Half Month: Tyr (Cosmic Pillar) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 67 of 89)

Week: 4th Week of February

Zodiac: Pisces (Day 7 of 30)

[jgaconstruction]

If you are looking for a reputable local home builder to provide excellent customer service and successful completion of your project, JGA Construction is for you. With a wealth of experience in refurbishment, modernization, extensions and renovations, including conservatories, garage, loft and attic conversions, to give your home that extra space and luxury., JGA Construction can provide the project managed building contractors solution for you. Builders in Bexleyheath.

[liznt]

‘cmfj is roy kent/jamie tartt’ is making me crave ted lasso again

i wanted to write a fic where all the different characters are convinced the that only reason ted doesnt like tea is cause the last person couldnt make a good cuppa to save their life

rebecca drinks some fancy mortnum and mason’s white tea, keeley says ‘listen i love rebecca but she doesn’t drink real tea’ and serves him the strongest cup of builder’s tea you can imagine, roy says ‘bloody ‘ell keeley’s tea could strip paint off a wall ‘ere have this’ and serves him black earl grey (there i lose the rhythm, but higgins’ would be a mostly milk ‘seen a ghost’ situation) ANYWAY

though, as a brit, it pains me to end the fic this way, it ends with ted in trent’s apartment on a rainy afternoon and ted says, “now. i can feel it coming. you’re gonna try to give me some tea so im gonna save you some time: please do not. i’ve tried them all. ive tried the dark ones and the pale ones and the ones with bergamot jam. and i do not like them sam i am. they all taste like-’

‘-old sock water?’ finishes trent. ‘i hate tea. you want some coffee?’

[mapsofthelost]

new maps newsletter out on Substack.

Voices on the radio, builders of the invisible, ghosts on stage, flying horses, a witch's mice, Beowulf in Kent, insurgent ghosts, folklore films, and more. Here's a new story from it.

THE OTHER STATION

You might have the radio on one evening and notice a lot of interference, the hiss and fade of static like the sounds of swash and backwash up a shingle beach, distant tones and voices blurring in and out of hearing. Must be some weird atmospherics tonight, you think.

After a short while, everything goes silent, even the station that you were listening to. You’re about to reach to retune when sound comes back. It takes you a few moments to realise it’s not what you were originally listening to, but you leave it as the radio was only on as distant company for you anyway, soft voices in the long night.

It’s broadcasting a phone-in show, and the presenter has a soothing voice, low and kind. The callers are all ringing in with nostalgic memories, childhood games and stories of when they met their loves, their regrets and their triumphs. Many of them sound elderly, and sometimes they struggle to remember the detail, sound a little confused, but the presenter coaxes them on, gentle and kind, helping them tell their stories.

After a time, the static creeps back, until you can hardly tell the difference between it and the voices, and then it is just a long continuous hiss that fades to nothing and the programme you had first listened to stutters back in.

You weren’t meant to hear the other station. Or to hear the callers, who so loved to talk about the things they remember from their life, before it ended.