Marty

It did on my laptop, as well... Left me intrigued, and somewhat in awe of @Albert1434's ability to post a blank comment. Didn't know that was possible.

It's after midnight, so I'll finish my cocoa and head to bed soon. Good night, all! Before I go, I notice we're on page 1970...

So only..... *quick calculation* 93 chapters to go? Don't forget to eat and sleep occasionally.

Hi, Page! See you in a good few day's time, maybe?

Well I suppose I should let you all know just how well you all did trying to pick the 1966 me out... After a couple of wrong suggestions by duggie and clo (2 wrong from clo , initially), it now seems as though Gary, clo, Bucket, and duggie all think I am next to the end on the right of the back row. (If I've missed anyone in that list, just put it down to my advancing years ) And.... *Insert appropriate drum roll here*

I doubt it. Bar-steward!!! Hey, bro!

Greetings, young Albert!

Well, I can tell you it was grey! I was there, after all. Actually, I'm surprised young Llewellyn got away with wearing a grey shirt for that photograph. The school was normally extremely strict with its uniform code. Although it's quite possible he got a detention (and maybe even a few strokes of the headmaster's cane across his buttocks) for that faux pas of his that day...

My apologies, Gary. Hopefully that will be my final senior moment for the next while.

So are you also referring to the one two from the end, or the one next to the end?

True. But it was Gary (@Headstall) who said "second from right." And he still hasn't answered my question...

That’s my guess too I'll repeat what I asked Gary when he originally suggested that: "I've had this discussion with my own siblings in the past about photographs. When you say "second from right" - do you mean the one two from the end, or the one next to the end?"

I'll wait or @dughlas to confirm whether you're right or not before making the big reveal. But the lad on the far right was wearing a V-necked grey sweater, which was actually part of the official school uniform. It had to be V-necked, so it didn't hide the school tie. It wasn't actually mandatory to wear a sweater, so most of us would dispense with it during the summer months. If you look carefully you'll see that the lad next to the end on the left of the front row was also wearing one (and perhaps even the lad on the right on the back row).

I wonder if that's what Gary meant as well...?

To answer your two questions: 1) Not me, too far to travel. 2) It wouldn't be something right at the top of my "want" list. Next question, please!

Well it seemed to have cleared for that reply... ********* If I understand your problem correctly, try placing your mouse cursor inside the box that you want to get rid of. You should see a small square with a cross-hair in it immediately above the top left of the box... Move your mouse pointer onto that box It will turn into a solid white cross with arrows at the end of each of the 4 arms of the cross Click once and the small square should disappear Now press the Delete key on your keyboard, and the big box should disappear. Hope this helps! (And I am assuming you're using a PC or a laptop, I'm not sure how you would do it on a phone or tablet, although I suspect it would be somewhat similar)

I've had this discussion with my own siblings in the past about photographs. When you say "second from right" - do you mean the one two from the end, or the one next to the end? As regards size, I have the original print of the photograph somewhere, but it's not much bigger than that scanned image (if any bigger at all).

If you're talking about the one wearing a grey shirt instead of a white one, fourth long from the left, that's David Llewellyn. He was one of just a couple of lads who joined the school in the sixth form, having got extremely good grades in his O-Levels at one of the local Secondary Modern schools (as they didn't have a sixth form). But you're correct in suggesting that I am on the back row - meaning @clochette's guess was incorrect.

And here's an album of Christmas songs that could be played at that feast: (Although some of the jokes may not be fully understood across the pond.)

It certainly is!

And, talking of numbers, here's an article from BBC Future that might interest some of you. @Drew Espinosa, in particular? How Modern Mathematics Emerged From A Lost Islamic library https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201204-lost-islamic-library-maths By Adrienne Bernhard, 7th December 2020 Some quotes: The House of Wisdom was destroyed in the Mongol Siege of Baghdad in 1258 (according to legend, so many manuscripts were tossed into the River Tigris that its waters turned black from ink), but the discoveries made there introduced a powerful, abstract mathematical language that would later be adopted by the Islamic empire, Europe, and ultimately, the entire world. But this prestigious academy was in fact a major intellectual powerhouse in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, and the birthplace of mathematical concepts as transformative as the common zero and our modern-day “Arabic” numerals. For hundreds of years until the ebb of the Italian Renaissance, one name was synonymous with mathematics in Europe: Leonardo da Pisa, known posthumously as Fibonacci. Born in Pisa in 1170, the Italian mathematician received his primary instruction in Bugia, a trading enclave located on the Barbary coast of Africa (coastal North Africa). In his early 20s, Fibonacci travelled to the Middle East, captivated by ideas that had come west from India through Persia. When he returned to Italy, Fibonacci published Liber Abbaci*, one of the first Western works to describe the Hindu-Arabic numeric system. When Liber Abbaci first appeared in 1202, Hindu-Arabic numerals were known to only a few intellectuals; European tradesmen and scholars were still clinging to Roman numerals, which made multiplication and division extremely cumbersome (try multiplying MXCI by LVII!). Fibonacci’s book demonstrated numerals’ use in arithmetic operations – techniques which could be applied to practical problems like profit margin, money changing, weight conversion, barter and interest. “Those who wish to know the art of calculating, its subtleties and ingenuities, must know computing with hand figures,” Fibonacci wrote in the first chapter of his encyclopaedic work, referring to the digits that children now learn in school. “With these nine figures and the sign 0, called zephyr, any number whatsoever is written.” Suddenly, mathematics was available to all in a useable form. * "Liber Abbaci" (sometimes spelled Liber Abaci) translates to "The Book of Calculation".

Well, I see we're now on page 1966... 1966 was the year I finished my secondary education and went away to university; with the latter being a big step for me. As promised, here's a photo taken in my final term at grammar school of the sixteen members of my class ("Upper Sixth Science Two") Mr Hough, our form teacher is in the middle of the front row. He was also our Chemistry Teacher for the two years of sixth form. And I'm also in there somewhere!

It just about has now, thanks. Unfortunately, there's little more than half an hour's daylight left. And chances are it'll just be raining again by the time tomorrow dawns... I might take a walk before it finally gets dark, and then spend the evening baking bread, writing greetings cards, and maybe putting the marzipan on one, or both, of the christmas cakes I baked six weeks or so back. (Mental note to self: And don't forget you still have to cook dinner.)

Sweet dreams, brother B.