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@Earache Quite happy with the first session considering I’ve never used any of the tools (apart from scissors) before, so the base is nearly ready. Started off with a layer of nylon with foam attached that crumbled to a choking dust when you touched it, rubber webbing that had degraded to the point of disintegration and some bizarre packing tape repair which only farmer genetics would consider ok oh and so many awful staples. New webbing, a layer of hessian and some recycled felt, just one more layer before tackling the big stuff.

Exactly. If someone has never heard anything from birth they don’t develop that sensory part of the brain so they won’t suddenly be able to hear later if technology/medicine can restore it. They would have to learn it from new like a baby, connecting sounds to objects, actions and spoken words which takes forever and is why childrens speech is so far away from adult level for so long and the reason why cochlear implants often fail because the plasticity of the brain isn’t good. If a deaf baby is given hearing aids whilst their brain is in super growth mode the stimulation will develop the hearing centres and provide a library of sounds they do understand (maybe albeit in a muffled way) and a base for any improvement to connect to. The people in the vid all must of had some degree of hearing at some point to be able to join up the muffled crap to the new louder sharper sound. Thats the shock, that’s what produces the long long pause while you go “is that.. urr that sound? Oh my god it is” then it hits you hard that this new sharp clearer sound is what its supposed to sound like and you connect it up with the dull nearly nonexistent noise you heard before. I’ve spent a lot of the last two days agog. On a lighter note since Thursday afternoon I’ve periodically heard this really odd sound, not a nice sound, almost like a machine its quite methodical and has the occasional slap/snap sound in there. Every time I look for it it stops. Found it today. My dog is having a right royal time ‘cleaning’ herself. Now thats one sound I can live without

Forgot to post these yesterday what with the excitement of hearing again but I thought you’d like ‘em anyway. Went to see the new BSA at Fowlups and make contact so they remember me when the bikes finally arrive. Couldn’t bring myself to post the one of me on the bike due to pulling a stupid face but changed my mind cos unposed pics are always better regardless of the dumb ass expression And some of Fowlups which is probably double the size of what I’ve snapped. And bonus the sales guy is the one running the bike in (shaven head long mohawk standing in the pic behind me) warmed up a lot during the conversation about bikes to the extent he did a 180 from disinterested to really chatty and took my number so he could find out the latest on the ETA. I didn’t expect to hear from him but he rang this morning and said as we were already familiar he’d give me his direct dial number and said ring at any time with any questions and I’d be getting the first bike they get in in the right colour. Pays to be pleasant. And the horrible stickers no-one likes. Aftermarket parts coming to you at exorbitant prices soon!

New tat has arrived for my garage

Did that more than once to my brother in law who always pretended he’d forgotten his wallet and dumped us with his bill He regularly fell asleep at the table so we’d leave saying he’s paying, used to watch from outside through the window when they woke him up, totally priceless.

What's more surprising is that you say you have friends.....

I remember going for a my first curry aged 16 with some older mates after a gig. I had quite a few beers beforehand (at the gig) and I don't remember much about the curry as I fell asleep on the toilet , the staff evicted me after my mates had gone home

@Earache I’m refurbing a chair (well it will be two chairs, two sofas and and coffee table) and I wondered what the wood is. Any chance you know? The chairs have been stored cos I couldn’t part with them but didn’t know what to do with it till now. Think thats a date sticker, it was certainly bought in the 70’s if that narrows down by what was available then. Its extremely heavy and hard wearing. I used the sofas for about 15 years with three boisterous wreckers in the house and there’s not a mark on them. Quite an open grain.

My walk was fairly mundane today but good to get out anyway. It's impossible to walk by the river at the moment as everything is flooded big time so we just plodded around the local roads............... Took one for @yen_powell ......................

Out with Mandy and the group again this morning. It was a bit parky when we set off and didn't really warm up much during the ride. Not many pictures as I didn’t have much opportunity to take that many. I was on my non-ebike today, so had to work a little harder at it!

TLDR I’m jolly pleased with things. I’ve never enjoyed being sociable so that side of things really wasn’t missed initially but then you discover so many things you’re locked out of, it’s like watching life from behind a glass partition so you withdraw from normal activities. It’s one of the reasons they think deaf people are so much more likely to suffer from dementia, they become isolated and lose touch with reality but like Clive I’m lucky to have a good family. Humour is the thing I miss most, someone cracking a joke and someone else snapping back a witty retort, even if you can see their faces by the time you’ve pieced together the clues of what’s being said the moment is long gone and you’re standing there with a neutral expression while everyone else is laughing, you really do feel like a spare part. It’s a particularly painful loss as I used to be known for being good at a sharp comeback. Fortunately my family speak clearly and all have very deep loud voices that I’m well tuned into so I still get the banter at the table. I spent most of yesterday in a state of shock, I went to my upholstery course and even though it’s a bastid noisy environment I could hear the tutor (just) and to have a comeback for her “no-one likes a smart arse” comment felt like gold. Before I wouldn’t have heard what was being said let alone been able to lob one back. Serious hearing loss leaves you locked in but working in an eye hospital and treating patients who were profoundly deaf and also losing their vision has always made me grateful it’s only my hearing and not my eyesight too. I have another appointment coming up as there is more tech available that could potentially boost my hearing even further. I’d like to say it feels like Christmas but it’s way beyond that. I’m very excited by all the things I might be able to do again.

Thanks Rich. It’s pretty overwhelming after all this time but everyone around me is so very happy about it too it’s like a lottery win. Had a good one this morning stopped at a pedestrian crossing and the van started beeping a kind of loudish emergency type beep, I was in the middle of freaking out out looking for warnings on the dash when I remembered pedestrian crossings beep, the sound was coming from outside

Gets bummed in a walk in freezer full of strawberry ice cream.

Fuck!!! will it never end then?

My mother-in-law on the flight to Napoli and then my sister-in-law to Milan and flight home . Hence my anxiety trying to sort it all out

Why don't you just get on the sauce and then you won't be worried about it. I'm currently well in to some anaesthetic

Yeah there is that but you wouldn't be able to hear the ref either which could pose a small issue... In other news Why the fuck do I keep playing? Right now I could easily pass for a paraplegic I can hardly move any of my limbs and I hurt in places I never knew I had

Got a grandsons, he’s four years old , he can’t say please in Spanish that’s poor for four ….

Oh I don't know, you wouldn't be able to hear all the chat-up lines the opposition were throwing at you in the scrum so there is that

I‘ve always been odd

If I go to an Indian restaurant I'm in the curry house, does that mean if I go to a Chinese restaurant I'm in the dog house?

Yebbut everyone knows that so why wouldn't you make provision to top up your state pension whether that's via a personal pension, buy to let property, making voluntary top ups or any other way ? It'll only get worse in the UK in years to come , by the age of 30 you need to have something in place or you're fecked .

Marcel being horny.........................

Blew him wright out the chute ..

Why is Pedro laughing?

probably because Spain take more money per month off you through your working life giving you a better pension for your retirement. Here in the UK if your wise enough you can provide for a better retirement by taking out a personal pension from a young age. Just like you i didn't bother so in 15 years i will be on here moaning about how i didn't save for my future by slagging off my shit pension

Will do

Oak cleans up really nicely and should look great when you're done. Be sure to post some pics of the process and finished piece!

my mates , would of said the fella in the toilet is paying the bill , then fucked off and left

my nans probably been in sea more recent than prawns from a chinese and shes been dead 60 odd years

What does supervising a basketball game consist of? You're gonna be mayor of that place soon enough! Was dinner in one of the casinos? I don't recall anywhere with that many screens very near you... My day will consist of more 3D printing of things for an old bike, it's so much easier than doing actual mechanical work and you don't have to wash grease off your hands when you're done.

It's Claudia Winkleman on a BSA ...............

After game dinner ...

Had to supervise a high school basketball game last night - they played "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead during a break - which I thought was kinda cool. I'm sure the kids had no idea..

Well motorcycling is well known for causing tinnitus and deafness so maybe consider getting some good plugs. Slow hearing loss is one of those things that by the time you realise what’s happened it’s too late and there’s no reversing it.

If your family aren’t deaf and you wear good ear defenders/plugs in noisy environments you’ll be dandy.

Surely you can live without Bronksi beat

All the things you forget when you can no longer hear must be vast and it seems like it is taking some getting used to hearing again. I don't know if I'd cope if I was deaf it seems to me a very lonely existence

I ride like a totally deaf person. I assume I’ll hear nothing. I was horrified by the number of times I’ve missed blue lights behind me and realised I can’t hear their loud sirens. But imo a good rider is worth ten twats.

I worry more on the scoot.....I can just hear the engine, but with my lack of and distorted hearing it sounds nothing like a engine....it is hard to describe the sound I hear.......so if it was getting ready to go bang I would not know. I do know a guy who was passed for a cochlear implant and had one fitted, he was very disappointed with the results, he said everyone sounds like Minions.

Next step it to get her to do the repairs if it does.

Mr Slowly told me I looked like vid of a baby hearing noise for the first time and I did exactly the same jaw drop n disbelief as all of those people. You can’t quite comprehend what you’re hearing, there’s a noise and you have to attach it to what the rest of your brain knows/understands. Feels totally crazy. So nice.

You still suffered to put biking trousers on for a 10 mile ride home? I once had a similar thing exiting a swimming pool, even breathing hurt. After half an hour laying down in a panic it went away.

Just for Pete. Around 1993 my then girlfriend worked in Madame Tussauds. My commuting routine at the time was to ride from home with her to Baker Street, drop her off, then ride back to my work. She would then get the tube home as she finished earlier than me. One day on the way back to work from Baker Street I hit the mother of all pot holes, it really really jarred my back, but I thought no more of it. About an hour later, I moved a little too quickly getting something from a low shelf and there was a click in my lower back. It was agony. I could just about walk if I kept dead upright and took short steps. I decided to walk just around the corner from work to the local chemist and buy some of that Ralgex deep heat stuff. Unfortunately if I didn't put my feet exactly right a pain so intense would hit me that I would involuntarily let out a sharp breath and noise. Think the Michael Jackson type high pitched noise and that would be what I did every 10 or so steps. Walking to the shop this noise would come out and any one walking in front of me would turn to see what it was, only to see a bloke walking like he'd shit himself. I made it to the shop only to discover that the deep heat cream was on the bottom shelf. I had to ask some old lady to get it for me. By the time home time came I think it took me about an hour to get my bike trousers and boots on, Michael Jacksoning the whole time. Luckily I only lived about 10 miles from work in those days.

Had a 8k jaunt with the Dear Boy today. Same ground covered but good to be out there all the same.

Well it’s frustrating for the unaware isn’t it… although not arf as frustrating as it is for us deafy’s, we got to deal with wots in front of us.. and sometimes an empathy lacking wonder. Not saying I’ve been there but….