Thanks - tiny hopper indeed then. Never seen either variety because I’m not from the US and was only aware prickly pears existed because of the line in the Jungle Book song

Cool - almost missed the little hopper. What size is the flower?

Thank you. I’ve actually had a fucking awesome day and now I’m off my face. Just perfect 😌

My birthday, that’s what it’s gonna be

Just seen from your replies that your son is headed to Wollongong and you were concerned about critters. I’m half hour north of Wollongong - it’s beautiful and a great area to live. It’s also more affordable than Sydney.

The chance of meeting nasty critters is not zero, but there are plenty of reasons it’s not common, and chances are even lower if you follow sensible precautions. In my 20 years here, I haven’t seen any snakes or dangerous spiders in suburban areas like Wollongong - only in less built up areas. Snakes are around but wisely keep out of humans’ way if they can. Spiders: I’ve seen one redback and no funnel webs. Sharks, various poisonous fish, octopi, jellyfish, etc are all out there, but again low chance and following well-publicised precautions reduces the odds further.

Hope your son enjoys his new life :)

As someone who moved from the UK to Aus 20 years ago - it’s a great move for your son. It’s has a lot in common with the US but is better than most western countries in almost every way. Aus is a great place to live, incredibly safe and a great lifestyle. Cost of living is currently high and it’s difficult to afford housing, but that seems to be common amongst most western economies anyway.

Once your son is settled, I strongly suggest visiting so you can see for yourself. Also, he’ll be proud to show off his new country to you. None of my family has visited me in Aus, which is disappointing although it is a long trek admittedly.

Like a mushroom, then…

Maybe a calendar?

Yes same to almost all of that, except it gets my teeth too. Worst is when my fingernails are short and my nails and finger pads touch it simultaneously, makes me want to work my jaw up and down as if I’m chewing something like fatty meat. Also send shivers down my spine just thinking about it

No snack, get smack.

Whipping Boy, an Irish alt rock band, late 90s Birmingham: I’d never even heard of them before a friend dragged me along. Jaw-flappingly stunning vocals, great songs, lyrics, instrumentation. Thought they were going places, especially on finding a couple of singles/EPs and the album Heartworm, but they broke up not long after. I bought everything they put out and still love when their stuff randomly plays on shuffle.

Yes. I’ve only experienced it in 2 countries, neither being the US, but both equally unpleasant.

The ingredients are ok. It’s the bread. It smells weird, tastes awful and nowadays I can’t even walk past their stores without holding my nose.

Best explanation of projection for this that I’ve seen

Definitely Aussie. Never seen it in the UK or South East Asia. Can’t speak for anywhere else

Yes and it goes on for a week. And here it’s become the biggest sales period all year…

How about a telescope? There are some relatively affordable models around. It’s potentially educational and a chance for a shared experience. The experience will be you look at the night sky together, talk about space, stars and galaxies…

Thanks for the extra context. Yes I’ve so far only accessed everything via smartphone app, but no doubt I’ll use my pc at some stage. Much to learn…

Ok thanks - wasn’t aware it was possible to read anything without logging in

I’m a new user, so hope you don’t mind answering a question - tried looking this up but no joy: I understand the broad concept of federated sso/id, but what do you mean by opening threads in the local instance?