Member Info for bobbins2

Am I right in assuming that masks are still required on flights? This is likely to act as a deterrent to travel for quite a few people until it is removed - it would certainly put me off a long-haul flight.
As for the war, I have no idea how this will end , but fear it will drag on for quite some time, and even after it comes to some kind of conclusion (whatever that may be), the ramifications will be felt for a long time, with a subsequent drag on financial markets.
Hoping to be proved wrong.

woody - totally agree. I hope those brave souls defending Kiev are remembering to sanitize their hands regularly.

See above.

Woody - I like that - sounds like a reasonable compromise at this point. You should be part of the negotiations, banging heads together to end this insanity.
Potty - come on now, I'm sure wife is really a delight.

Thanks fordm - hope this is not just a short-lived bump. I was literally away from the screen for about 10 mins making another cuppa , and when I came back I couldn't believe it - not that I was complaining. The volatility in recent times has been bonkers, but just when you think it can't get any more volatile, it does. Mental.
PS - trying to cut down on the booze after a long and boozy weekend last week, but can't see me getting through todays shenanigans without reaching for the Smirnoff. Sorry - Tesco home brand.

Well I'm in bed watching TV with a cup of tea and a biscuit (digestive, obvs.), and it's all very depressing. Seems to have been like this in one form or another for a long time now - we had a couple of years of the media ( and certainly the beeb) telling us that Brexit was pretty much the end of civilisation: then we had the Covid madness, which was the end of the world for sure - and now we have war in Europe, and possible deployment of nuclear weapons, which actually could be the end of the world. That's without even mentioning the imminent demise of "Neighbours".
Could someone please let me know when to expect any good news, so that I can set my alarm for that day - until then I think I'll just stock up on digestives, and pull the duvet over my head.
Thanks.

Woody - yeah, I noticed that too. Seemed to have a problem with the fact that a rising price is headed in the right direction. OK.

No spare cash for me, but if I did, I would absolutely be buying now.

Heading back in the right direction - congratulations to those who managed to buy in the last couple of days (not me) . if it carries on like this, I personally should break even by July.

fordm - the hall monitors are tracking you down as we speak. Detention for you. you naughty boy.

by 4p from 110 to 114. Only 65p to go !!!!

How much bad news can one person take? Firstly a worldwide pandemic, followed by global lockdowns - then a European war, with Russia( Putin) threatening nuclear conflict. Then, just when you think you can't take any more, the ultimate kick in the balls - "Neighbours" is cancelled. I commented on this just last week - there was concern after Channel 5 dropped their contract to screen it, and it now turns out that subsequently, the programme will be cancelled altogether.
I honestly don't think I can carry on - one person can only take so many blows, and at some point you have to question whether there is any point in continuing. This latest news takes me beyond that point. It was fun while it lasted, so to those who consider life worth living in a post Neighbours world - good luck to you, and your your investments.
For me personally, the pain is no longer bearable.
Au revoir, and good luck to 2 "Home and Away".

"puts it in perspective doesn't it".
Spot on.

Hope you are right - like I said, I'm just thinking out loud.

Jesus - please don't bring up Taiwan, I think we already have enough to worry about!

Blue - you said earlier that some of thoughts were driven by " a very old out of date cold war fear". However, my main worry is this : Putin can't retreat, as this would represent humiliation to him. If he continues as he is, he could easily get bogged down in a protracted "guerilla" warfare scenario. Subsequently he uses WMD's within Ukraine to crush all resistance, a bit like the use of the atomic bomb by the allies to crush Japanese resistance. Ukraine is a big country, a "limited" nuclear strike could be an option for him. If that happened ( and I think he's mad enough to do it), then what does "the west" do?. He's probably thinking - nothing, because we're too scared of the consequences. He's probably right about that. Don't know what China would make of it.
Anyway - I could be way off with that train of thought (I hope so) - like a lot of other people, I am fumbling round in the dark here, and haven't really got a clue - just thinking out loud.

Lloyds - good posts, and I agree with your analysis. Maybe Ukraine could live with a "tactical surrender" just to buy some time. That said, I'm not really convinced by that either. Being honest, I'm not really sure where we go from here - I'm struggling to see any positive outcome.

You may be right blue, but playing poker with a psychopath, with nuclear weapons instead of cards, is a high risk strategy to put it politely.

"... NATO should pile in and wipe out the Russian army", That's a nice thought, but I'm not so keen on the nuclear holocaust that would follow.

For those with spare cash (not me unfortunately) who bought this morning - well done: up over 3% in 20 minutes. Beats working for a living.