Puffer

Please do keep this thread going, melrose.   It is appreciated, enjoyed and does indeed prompt considered response - on tangential issues as well as to the specific subject matter.

On 9/2/2025 at 10:28 AM, mlroseplant said:

I always suspected that you were just about half a bubble off plumb.  .  .

I strive to be at least as accurate as that! 📐🔨  My middle stepson may well have a view after I have finished assembling and fitting a whole series of wardrobes in his refurbished and extended house, where the floors are out of level by typically 2-3mm per metre across the wardrobe width. 

14 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Sometimes on the boat I can find it a bit odd. If the water level in the canal drops, which happens fairly often, the boat will be on a slight list (or something more severe if you’re unlucky or don’t know not to moor your boat in certain places) If it’s just a slight list you sometimes won’t detect it until you put on your heels  and suddenly feel as though you’d never worn heels before. And if you’re just learning in 12cm heels it can be quite challenging 

Regardless of the water level and any motion, a narrowboat is always going to be sensitive to the effects of loading - and that includes someone walking around.   It can be slightly unnerving to find that the boat lists slightly one way, and then the other, and when walking around (in heels or not) one can feel as though slightly drunk!   Also, as I well recall when doing some work on my brother's narrowboat in fitting a shelf along one side wall, being pleased that my spirit level initially 'proved' the shelf was level - and then a re-check ten minutes later said otherwise!   I simply forgot that the lack of stable foundations made use of a spirit level (or a plumbline) pretty well pointless!  

Nice sandals - a pity to ditch them.

I agree with Cali about a glued repair - assuming of course that the strap has merely pulled away and not fractured.   A polyurethane glue (such as Gorilla Glue) would be most suitable.

TBG is certainly missed here.

Frankly, I think they are ugly, particularly if worn by a girl of relatively modest build.  Almost orthopaedic in style.  I really can't see the appeal.

On 7/5/2025 at 4:40 PM, Shyheels said:

Yes! I think I hit even higher speeds but I didn’t dare look at my speedometer - it was a fast and curvy descent on a narrow  mountain road without guardrails. High risk, high consequence. 57mph was the last reading I saw. 

... before you closed your eyes and prayed?

Another pair that would look good on men.   Believed to be by Biondini, but not sure if still available.

Yes, an interesting, non-judgemental and literate article which could indeed promote the look.   The boots themselves are not very appealing - a rather heavy 'shoe' with a wader shaft attached - but I suppose that was to get away from the look of the typical female thigh boot which some men would find off-putting.   Maybe something like these would be better - sleeker but still discreet, and with potential for a higher heel if desired:

While we are on the subject: How many optometrists does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: 'One or two?   One or two?'    

Happy Easter to all!

23 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I assume you're talking about something like turpentine or naphtha, and not say, gin.

I didn't realise that 'white spirit' was not recognised by that name in the US.   I believe you call it 'mineral spirits' (a name not used in the UK!) or turpentine substitute.   

Some cellulose paint thinners may work, but there are so many different blends and experimentation (and possible disappointment) should be allowed for.

I wasn't originally advocating any alcohol (potable or not), as water is a component and tends not to mix with or dissolve anything oily.   However, iso-propyl alcohol (propanol; US rubbing alcohol), as used for switch/contact cleaning (and, usefully, leather stretching!) would possibly work on small spots, although not too easy to buy here. 

On 4/6/2025 at 10:13 AM, mlroseplant said:

There is a rod, but for whatever reason, it doesn't go quite go the full length of the heel. I have had this exact failure once before, cf. p. 80 of this thread. Those shoes were also Nine West, different model, but of the same vintage. Oddly enough, I bought both of them brand new and owned them for more than a decade before failure. I can't actually see it on these Planteras, but I guarantee you that the heel is beginning to break right where that metal rod ends. Why they didn't make it a little longer to go the full length is beyond me, but I only know that it is so.

If I decide to attempt some kind of repair, I think I'm going to go with the superglue, simply because it takes quite a bit of force to get that crack to open up enough to get something in there, so I'm hoping the crack is less than halfway through the thickness of the heel. I don't want to break it more trying to get something more viscous than superglue in there.

I have no scientific evidence to back this hypothesis up, but it is my guess that the failure has less to do with the inadequate stiffening of the heel, and more to do with the aging of plastic. Unless something goes terribly wrong, I think I have at least another decade or more of wearing heels left in me, so I shall be interested to see just how well some of these plastics hold up longer term, and what causes them to fail.

Your analysis and intended remedy seems sound to me; I hope it works.  Best to spray a little superglue activator (acetone) on the open crack, and leave to evaporate before applying the glue.

On 4/6/2025 at 11:26 AM, Shyheels said:

...

Ive got a bit of a repair/cleaning issue. I was wearing some nice dark grey nubuck suede OTK boots while cooking and spilled a couple drops of olive oil on the top of the shaft. Not hugely noticeable to be sure but I want the marks gone. Naturally it would have to be the suede boots …

Yes, oil of any type can be a real nuisance if it gets onto fabric or suede etc.   My best suggestion is to try a little white spirit, rubbed in with a rag or cotton bud.   But first apply a little spirit to an unseen area of the boot shaft to check for possible colur loss etc.   Some proprietary stain removers will work, but often hit-and-miss choosing the right one.    Even washing-up liquid and a little water can oblige; scrub gently with an old toothbrush or similar.

On 4/6/2025 at 8:28 AM, CrushedVamp said:

...

Overall its just a dislike of mine for todays dress like a slob attitude that seems to permeate fashion.

My daughter now wears Bear Jeans. I call them that because every time she wears them I ask her if she needs her AR-15 to take out the bear that attacked her and shredded her jeans to nothing but gaping holes...

I was looking at getting my wife another ankle bracelet the other day and got sidetracked on a blog post where the woman railed against ankle bracelets ...

I completely agree about the prevalence of sloppy/slobbish dress being totally unappealing.   Ripped jeans are pointless.
In England up to c1970, any woman wearing an ankle chain/bracelet was regarded (usually correctly) as advertising herself as a prostitute.   But ankle chains have since become quite fashionable and generally acceptable here (on women of almost any age), although there is still something of the 'common tart' vibe about them in the view of some critics.   Personally, I like them, although I am not a great fan of jewellery in general.

That's a pretty bad potential failure (and write-off) for a decent pair of shoes from a well-established source.   Is there a reinforcing rod inside the heel?   If so, it is not doing much of a job.   I can only suggest that, if the heel material is solid enough, you introduce some superglue (or maybe a good epoxy, especially if there are any voids) and clamp until truly set.   Nothing to lose really, and I hope it works.

1 hour ago, NrthEastHeel said:

Just purchased these for an insanely low price, £1.75 brand new. Was such an amazing bargain, would have been crazy not to. Theyre the Stessy from Aldo. 

Im just not sure what to wear with them 🤔 🤣

I suggest dark glasses, or a welder's mask!

On 4/1/2025 at 1:51 PM, Aly said:

I guess one must have some Scots blood running through their veins to appreciate the skirl of the pipes - nothing touches the soul quite like the pipes!

My wife (without any Scottish heritage or connections) is a fan; I can see the appeal in moderation.

On 4/1/2025 at 2:00 PM, Shyheels said:

I don’t mind bagpipes!

There is the old joke - why are bagpipers always marching? It’s harder to hit a moving target

It is well-documented that Bill Millin, the official piper to Lord Lovat (commander of the British 1 Special Service Brigade on D-Day), played his pipes while under fire during the Normandy landings, and again (most memorably) as they advanced to and crossed the Pegasus Bridge.   It was said that, although twelve of his comrades were shot and killed at the bridge, Bill was ignored by the Germans as they thought him to be mad!  (Bill saw further WW2 action and survived to die in 2010 at the age of 88.)

I too have noticed a recent tendency for some discomfort in otherwise comfortable footwear, with or without heels.   In my case it is a couple of sore toe tips on my right foot and a tendency for the skin there to be slow to heal - almost certainly the result of poorer circulation in my legs as one element of increasing age and declining health.   The good news is that the condition has been improving and heels are again practicable, despite the obvious tendency for toes to be pushed forward into a boot or shoe.   Thicker socks do help too.

I imagine that any heel of at least modest height (say 2.5"+), not just a stiletto, would be at risk of catching on a stool or chair crossbar.   After all, cowboy boots traditionally have high heels for just this reason - to keep one's boots anchored behind the stirrup crossbar.   (No doubt more than a few cowboys have failed to allow for that when on a bar stool after a couple of whiskies!)

16 minutes ago, mlroseplant said:

I don't have any more car stories today. Actually, I do, but I think we're all getting tired of car stories.

...

Apologies for going back to car talk, but I'm impressed with the Oldsmobile and its swift resurrection.   Is it necessary/obligatory to have an old or rebuilt car officially tested as being 'roadworthy' in Iowa (or elsewhere in the US), as with the annual UK MoT test (for anything over three years old)?

23 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Double indemnity is an insurance term though - or at least it was.

it’s certainly one of my favourite film. Did you know that in the scene where Walter Neff emerges from Keyes’ office and walks along the mezzanine the man sitting in one of the chairs is Raymond Chandler. It’s the only known film footage of Chandler in existence 

23 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I suppose in the strictest sense of the word, "indemnity" is not correct, since you can't really put a number on a person's life like you can a house or a car or a hospital bill, but yeah, it's a catchy film title.

...

'Indemnity' is certainly a legal term and a key one in many insurance contracts (such as fire or liability), the concept of indemnity being to put the insured back into the position he enjoyed before suffering some tangible (measurable) loss or damage.   And, for that reason, as mlroseplant says, insurance against personal injury or death cannot be 'indemnity' insurance as the sums insured are purely arbitrary - the chosen and pre-agreed 'scale benefits' set out in a schedule to the policy.   In the film, the scheduled death benefit sum was doubled if the death occurred as a result of accident, but it cannot be described as '(double) indemnity'. 

I didn't know about the Chandler appearance - and will look out for it next time I (re)watch Double Indemnity.

22 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I like tea as well - Lapsang Souchon, Russian Caravan and Darjeeling being my favourites, although I keep half a dozen other types in board as well. I’ve nearly always got a hot drink going of some sort.

on the subject of ankle bracelets I always think of the one Barbara Stanwyck wore in Double Indemnity, which caught Fred MacMurrays eye and led to such catastrophic consequences. 

One of my favourite films, superbly cast.   My only grouse is a purely technical one:   a life insurance contract is not a contract of 'indemnity' as the sums ('benefits') offered are purely arbitrary, on a scale according to the cause of death (or injury etc) - so dying from an accident (as plotted in the film) that would attract a doubled 'death' payout should be 'double scale benefits', not 'double indemnity'.   Doesn't sound so snappy for a film title, however!

21 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Not actually seen out and about, but rather a cautionary tale that was related to me by a friend of mine - a rather chic French woman who is an expert in high heels. She was seated on a bar stool at a nice cocktail bar and had, thoughtlessly, hooked her stilettos over the crossbar between the stool legs - and even more thoughtlessly forgot to un-hook them when she went to stand up. Apparently she did a full body-length face plant in the bar, an otherwise very elegant woman about six feet tall. I’ve no idea what expletives she came out with at the time, but she could see the humour of it hours later when she mentioned it to me in an email.

The word 'merde' comes to mind!

On 3/3/2025 at 1:55 PM, Shyheels said:

Well, I have Hunter boots bought about 20 years ago and they’ve seen some pretty heavy use in Antarctica aside from ordinary use in Britain and they’re going fine. I can’t speak to the quality of Hunter boots made last year or this because I’ve simp,y never needed to replace the ones bought twenty years ago

I think that says it all.

On 3/3/2025 at 3:11 PM, pebblesf said:

Absolutely!  Right now, I am ashamed of our country and embarrassed to be a US citizen.  My apologies to the rest of the civilized world

...

I could perhaps be forgiven for suggesting that the words 'the rest of' are inappropriate in the present context.   (Your personal apology appreciated.)

13 hours ago, CrushedVamp said:

... I remember being in church and a some were upset that this guy came in and did not remove his ball cap. They seemed surprised, and I was like, "just be glad the guy came. who cares that he wore a hat through the whole service". ...

I was at a family friend's wedding a couple of years ago, in church in a modest country town.   The bridegroom's father, with the general appearance of an artisan or farmer, was tidily dressed (in a suit!) but wore a 'flat cap' both in church and at the reception afterwards (in a fairly grand country house).   Frankly, I thought that disrespectful to both venues and to those present, and the bride's father (whom I know well) did not seem pleased, although too polite to comment.

15 hours ago, Shyheels said:

They’re great boots 

Are they really?   Because of the 'Hunter' label or because they are expensive?   The quality is not what it used to be when they were UK-made and there are better wellies available at a much lower price.   Maybe the man you saw was wearing 'old' Hunters (from the 1970s?) which have lasted well, as they normally did?   My wellies cost me about £4, bought from a builders merchant some 25 years ago, and remain fine for walking in wet and muddy conditions - including canal towpaths.   Even now, an equivalent pair can be found for £20 or less.