so, when will you be starting stockpiling I wonder?

What a load of old rubbish. Stockpiling is unnecessary. My drinks cabinet has enough scotch to see me through to Christmas. We will, also be able to eat British caught fish when we can stop the French and Spanish nicking ours. Roll on BREXIT!

Thanks Grandad - we always seem to catch it on the news after the event!
Must try to get there this year.

Jalima1108, yes the murmuration of the Starlings does happen over where we live. I have always found the best time to see that is in the early to mid-Autumn when it is really spectacular to see.

Strangely enough, the best of that seems to occur in recent years over the M5 between Taunton and Weston Super Mare with the Starlings in vast numbers forming ever-changing shapes in the early evening sky.

If you are on the M5 at when that takes place you will feel all the traffic start to slow as motorists take in the sight from their vehicles.

Quite something to see.

Have you seen that spectacle - a murmuration of starlings, Grandad? Does it happen near you? It's something I would love to see but haven't managed it yet.

Fair enough, remembering the flooding on The Levels not that long ago, I can see why you would keep a well-stocked store cupboard.

Strangely enough I am up in London for at least two days next week. I am definitely getting to old for all that underground stuff and traffic grime you feel on your skin all the time you are in central London.

Best part about it is when you get on the train and it heads out of London at 130mph back down to Somerset.

Still if all goes well I should be back into retirement in October, this time for good, hopefully.

Heading down again on Monday grandad fo a few days with DD and the DGCs.
There is a cider farm quite near them I believe.
If I take your advice on the cider - beware!

Did you try the local farm made cider MawBroon? If not that surely is something to tackle.

Glad to have been of service MawBroon. We have lived in the area for over forty years now and would never wish to live anywhere else.

Wonderful wildlife out on the wetlands even in winter with not too many tourists as you have probably realised when you are down here.

Great area to visit for those that have never been. So, glad you have enjoyed your time down here.

Thank you for extending my education Grandad I have visited Somerset a few times as DD and SIL have a weekend/holiday house there but this is the first I had heard of the local term for ditches (?) so I googled Somerset Wetlands and learned all about “rhynes and rills” - including how to pronounce “rhynes”
Could come in useful next time I am on a pub quiz team.

We live near a small town town on the edge of the Somerset Wetlands. In winter what is known locally as the "Rhines" regularly overflow onto the roads and transport can become difficult.

Therefore we always stock up with tinned vegetables and meat etc just in case of a long flooding period on the local road.

This year we have decided to stock slightly higher, obtaining that on a weekly basis each time we visit the supermarket usually starting in September or October.

The food never gets wasted as come springtime if it has not been used we give it to our eldest daughter and her family who then use it up when they are away with there motorhome.

I think some people tend to keep on buying and stockpiling until they have cellars or rooms full of tinned and packet goods - much of which will end up being ditched because it has gone out of date.

varian precisely.

MaizieD, the maximum weight for an LGV vehicle on British roads is 44 metric tonnes (43.30 Imperial tons)

That maximum weight has to be carried over a minimum of six axles.

That's fine for those of us with the spare cash to stock up, but what about the millions who live from one poor pay cheque to the next?

So what tonnage is an LGV vehicle, grandad?

I was thinking laterally MaizieD - but this is what happens when people panic buy and stockpile. Supply will not keep up with demand. Others are left short and usually those who can least afford it.

Yes, I got that Jalima. But my suggestion was that if people were stocking up now shops would have a chance to restock. So, unless there was a world shortage of a particular item, they shouldn't run out.

especially when we thought that LGV was Light Goods Vehicle

Someone should have told them at the time

MaizieD, Gillybob, apologies for not replying to your LGV enquiry before but I thought I would reply to POGS first as I have been working all day

LGV is an abbreviation of "large goods vehicle"

HGV is an abbreviation of "heavy goods vehicle"

It was always referred to as HGV in terms of driver and vehicle until they reclassified the driver licence weight limits. That introduced the three and a half ton and seven-ton categories and they then changed the term to LGV.

Heaven above only knows why.??!

Very confusing.
My DD drove a small truck when she did her own removals. Presumably a Light Goods Vehicle in those days.

Only if it's 3.5 tons or less (or should that be 'tonnes'?)

Though anyone born before 1979 can drive a vehicle up to 7.5 tons. I can but my DD (1981) had to get an HGV licence to drive our 7.5 ton horsebox.

Apparently LGV used to be Light Goods Vehicle in this country, but it is now Large Goods Vehicle.
HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle and LGV stands for Large Goods Vehicle

Under the UK and European law, the LGV licence and HGV licence are the same licence. They cover all commercial trucks that feature a gross combination mass of over 3500kg which could include fridge trucks, box vans, Lutons, flat beds, tippers and ADR, drop sides, and much more.

You can drive a Light Goods Vehicle with your normal car licence apparently.

I was thinking laterally MaizieD - but this is what happens when people panic buy and stockpile. Supply will not keep up with demand. Others are left short and usually those who can least afford it.

I'm sorry if you can't see that; it is a hypothetical situation but could happen.

However, on a brighter note, my neighbour popped over this afternoon and we had a quick chat because she said that the latest is that Brexit could cause real problems - no more foreign holidays apparently.
She, as a staunch Remainer, thought that was ridiculous scaremongering and that it is, in fact, in everyone's best interests, the UK and the rest of the EU, for all of them to sort everything out before B-Day. I agreed with her.

I thought it was LGV ( light goods vehicle ) MazieD could be wrong though

That's what I interpret it as, gillybob. There isn't a particular problem with them is there though?. Isn't it HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) drivers that are a problem?

POGS further to your post of yesterday (30/07/18) you requested my opinion in regard to the EU freedom of movement for workers. That right of a European National to travel freely and work in any European Union member country has always been covered under what is known as the "four freedoms" of the EU, with the others being free movement of goods, capital and services. The foregoing makes for the very foundations of the EU Treaty all of which are legislated for under article 45 (TFEU)

To take the free movement of labour, that has affected various industries in any number of ways both beneficial and negative dependent on circumstance. However, in such a huge topic I feel we should concentrate here on the Road Transport Industry as that is where in my view the largest impact will be felt should a hard Brexit occur.

As I stated in an earlier post in this thread many Polish LGV drivers came to Britain in the 1990s under the free movement of labour legislation and were very much accepted in the road transport industry. in that, they in the main joined British driver agencies which supplement regularly employed LGV drivers in the most prominent Distribution companies during periods of high demand. In carrying out that employment they are paid UK agency rates of pay which are normally higher than drivers on regular employment contracts with the large companies.

In regard to internal staff in distribution centres, there has always been problems of recruitment and retainment with those jobs due to the unsocial hours required and heavy work connected to such employment. Therefore, many European workers (the majority Polish) have filled those positions from the mid-90s until 2016 when many both LGV drivers and internal staff seemed to return home.

Although I work these days in industrial safety, well over 50% of that work is involved with road transport companies and their employees. In that, my experience would be that the EU working time Directive has little to no effect on the industry as Britain was given an "opt out" to that legislation by the EU, the only country to have obtained such a condition

The legislation that will impact heavily on Britain I feel should a no deal Brexit take place, will be the EU Drivers hours regulations.That legislation despite being in existence for over twenty years will with the current LGV driver shortage be compounded by any delays which take place at the ports to bring near chaos conditions to the road transport industry.

As numerous leaders of the industry have and are still stating, clear guidance and planning needs to be brought forward immediately by the government if the above chaos is to be averted.

Wait until the tassels start turning colour, then peel back the green covering and stick something into one bit (a little knife?) - it should be milky and moist.
Leave them too long and they are cattle food!

Does it seem to be a selfish move for the better-off to empty the shelves of long-life foodstuffs by panic buying, spreading the word on the internet and causing shortages for those relying on food banks?

If people start stockpiling now then the shops will restock. The really selfish thing to do would be to panic buy on 29th March 2019.

It is very very sad to think that in such a wealthy country as ours people are having to consider that food bank users might go short if other people buy 'longlife' goods. I know your intentions are admirable, Jalima but it's an abominable situation.