Gransnet today....Just my opinion.

Jalima, there was a photo from one of the red tops of a Jack Dusty issuing one of the last tots. We knew him, a few years later he worked at Vicky Barracks, tall, dark handsome chap. Just cannot think of his name!

Am I right in thinking that when the "mainbrace was spliced" and tots issued, the officers opening the rum cask worked in pairs and very fast - not because one of them might be imbibing illicitly while he had the chance, but because the fumes could have knocked out one man on his own?

Then there is the legend of "tapping the admiral"

When DH was in, wee bit later than Waterloo, there was just a pipe, "Up spirits" and the tots were given out. He hasn't heard of the "tapping the admiral" bit. Sounds a bit dodgy to me!

alima The legend had it (apocryphal) that Nelson's body was brought home preserved in a keg of rum, but by the time he arrived back in Britain, all the rum had vanished - said to be due to people dropping in to pay their respects and tapping the barrel. More likely evaporation.

(By tapping, I don't mean knocking it, I mean tapping as a pub landlord taps it.)

A second lieutenant I know said that they used to be sent to measure out the tots for the spirit ration, but was only supposed to spend a limited time in the enclosed space with the barrel open, and had to be in pairs. I imagine it was also so that they didn't have time to help themselves!

Thank you Elegran, an interesting and credible tale about Nelson
(My only reference book is Jackspeak, a rather tongue in cheek dictionary of Naval sayings. Their definition of tapping is rather different so it is good to know the actual one).

Alima tots are still available at Naval Reunions

Just caught up with this- GS has been for tea. It's probably just as well I wasn't on I might have said something unrepeatable to Christinefrance or whatever her name is. And I haven't had a glass of anything, but maybe I will now. Quite honestly my response to her "give it up" is simple.It's abusive. It's two words, and the second one is "off".

Thank you merlot for that OP well said.

This had done a full circle and is back to where we were a few weeks ago and all that was said on that post about Jingles banning and how GNHQ look upon the members here as delicate beige wearing folk that need protected.

I very rarely venture over here these days, I can stay at home to be bored...
I know all the new posters are going to bristle over this but what has happened to Gn over the last few years did it have anything to do with the loss of greatnan that the stuffing had been knocked out of us all?
Is it down to losing posters like Jingle and others who were passionate about the threads they posted on, yes Jingles ruffled a few feathers but there are also the posters who stir just as much but slide under the HQ radar!
At the end of the day its down to us all to make GN as strong a community as MN but the members who are over quick with that report button need to look at the damage they are doing.

Yes, I do feel like we're going round in circles, glass

Without witty and feisty posters Gransnet will soon become Grannynet where they all died of boredom.

Janeainsworth, Have a go at Kittylester?? Sorry who IS that?, ah yes must be that irritating person that I have used my personal ignore button on ( As GNHQ refuse to give us one).

Why on earth be so bl**dy rude shanma?
I cannot imagine what you have got against kittylester but it seems you are including janea in your broadside, better include me as well if being obnoxious having a
go at people is what floats your boat.

I've decided that I am a highly adaptable person. Shapeshifter, that's me.

glassortwo - the new members ARE Gransnet as much as the more longstanding ones. With every new member the forum changes its nature a bit - that's fine. Looking back is pointless - as with life, things move on.

Yupp.

Perhaps we'll just have to wait for some wittier and more feisty new members then to restore the balance. And a good sense of humour would help...

Feisty is apparently derived from an old US dialect (old US?) word 'fist' meaning a small aggressive dog, which itself comes from Middle English fisten: to break wind.

farty gransnetters... c'mon own up you trumpers

Farty then? A small and aggressive farty dog?

I've got one of those

Let's be glad this is online

Actually, I've got two but thankfully one is less farty than the other.

Merlot your thread has descended into farty feisty dogs.....

Who knows what tomorrow may bring.

Having just read all this,and the defefence from GNET, all I can say is well done OP. So many feisty members have been shut down. So many posts have been edited, such as "aye right" becoming.. "as they say in Scotland, aye right". Nobody from Scotland would ever say that, but Gransnet staff did. Racist website!

! The buggers!