Socialising doesn't have to be for fun @NigelJ. Sometimes it's a necessary evil to get things done. Here's a Whaaattt reason to be proud of the Belgians - 3,6 K vues · 3,3 K réactions | I love how the world is telling us to f off. Love it! #america | Goddess Mia
I can sympathise, @Tidemark! Shopping for my first bra with my mother, in response to being asked what size was needed, she announced to the assistant that it didn’t matter, as I didn’t have anything to put in it.
For @KT53 and anyone else interested in Pope Francis and Vance and their meeting on Sunday What did Pope Francis think of JD Vance? His view was more than clear | Jan-Werner Mueller
I notice that crazy scientists are talking about "dimming the sun" to counteract global warming. They can poke that idea where the sun dont shine as far as I'm concerned, give me more sun and less cloud any time.
I rarely go to most of them (I'm not sure what the abbreviation SM is but it's probably not what I always thought it was ). I definitely don't go to council offices and can't remember going to a 'service provider '. I haven't been to a pub for at least 60 years but do go to clubs and social gatherings where most, if not all, have a similar train of thought with regard to the use of language.
@shiney we have to go to the council office to get a form signed to say we're still alive so we get our pensions. It usually goes well but that can depend on whether the mayor is in and, if not, which other elected council officer is standing in. Keeping the language simple helps. We also try and deal with other official documents online as phone conversations can be fraught with misunderstanding. SMs are a weekly necessity and we always use the cash desk option because I believe in employment and expect good service. Using an automated till save the SM money but doesn't give me a discount in return. Most of the staff are great but we occasionally get one jobsworth who can be difficult so, again, keeping the language simple is a necessity. We don't do pubs but OH golfs, we both dance - classes and occasional events - and not everyone understands our accents despite our speaking more clearly than some regional accents I've heard. Provençal anyone? Garden club plant fair on Saturday - can't tell you how many people left their brain at home when they got to the cake stand!
I suppose we could go on forever with how we do things. I go to the supermarket every week, sometimes twice, but always use the self scan gun as the tills are not manned (am I still allowed to use that word? ) at 6 a.m. I can't ever remember having to go to a council office. I run two clubs, help out with another and go to numerous gardening and plant events. Before covid once a year we used to open our garden to the public, for charity and get about 500 people in. We never had any trouble communication with each other. Over the last 67 years I have also run, or been on, many business and social committees and assisted with charities, all with no communication problems and never had to change the way I communicate. I admit to being a dinosaur.
Like you @shiney I've served on various committees for donkeys' years. I find running social clubs intuitive in terms of what needs doing but some colleagues, both English and French speaking, seem to need rules, methods, principles, organisational considerations spelt out in words of one syllable. Secretary and then president of a large dance club in Belgium with classes in 6 different dance disciplines and a committee member for each one - getting them to understand the need to synchronise calendars and plan events months ahead so we could book the necessary facilities from the local council and organise publicity - clearly rocket science. We joined and Anglo-French group when we moved here and at the only AGM we attended I had to ask the president to introduce each committee member by name and function, especially useful for new members like us. He came up to me afterwards and said it was such a good idea. Doh! It didn't get better. We are no longer members.
SM is an abreviation for Super market and also for Social media. Or perhaps Something mad if you are feelong in a bad mood . I doubt it is only the English language which has evolved over time but as a life long avid reader, I do often find myself automatically "proof reading" some modern literature to my own satisfaction.
@shiney I wonder if somehow you have been linking "Service Provider" and what you thought "SM" stands for.
