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Yes, Elle, the Road Bridge.
Why there, I don't know.
It is not difficult to get to. There is a walkway all the way across.
Bridge is about one and a half miles long, over the river.
Potential suicides are not unusual at all. I think that most of them are talked into not jumping, thankfully.
Very disturbed people.
When these incidents occur, the Bridge is closed to traffic and lifeboats are in attendance. All part of the Emergency Services.
It causes chaos for the motorists, trying to cross, obviously.
The other thing that closes the Bridge is high winds.

Hi, Rusty!
I have just come off the phone after my weekly 'hour long' chat with my cousin in Blackburn! I don't know what we find to talk about, but the time just whizzes by!
(She was another person I had to tell about Margaret's death as they also knew each other )
So was this the bridge that was closed to traffic the other night when you had a visit from 'Abigail'?
Is the bridge close to you? Does your (elder) son have to cross it when he comes to see you?
Our 'wind' has died down and the rain didn't arrive, so not too bad a day here .
I'm getting stuck into "The Life Of Pi" now.... only about a quarter of the way through as yet.......I'm planning to watch the film (of the book) on TV on Tuesday (I think that is the day?).
I'm hoping for reasonable correlation between book and film! You know how I hate it when there are major discrepancies!
Are you aware that there is tennis showing each afternoon on BBC2 all week? The ATP World Tour Finals held at the O2 in London.
I'm just telling you in case you want/ have time/ to watch!

Hello, Elle
Yes, that is the Bridge that Abigail closed.
Double deck buses and high sided lorries are stopped first, and as the wind gets stronger eventually nothing is allowed to cross.
The Bridge connects Dundee and Fife. There used to be a ferry service which stopped when the Road Bridge opened in 1966.
There is a Rail Bridge further upstream.
My eldest son moved back to Dundee but he uses the Bridge most days as he works in Fife.
I mentioned to you about the V&A being built at the water front. Well, they are using the same building system that was used to build the Bridge. Sinking coffer dams into the river and working out from the shore. Impressive engineering!
I am not a tennis fan, Elle. I like Roger Federer, though!
He appears to be a gent!

You're right, Elle, it is Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice. Thank you for not pointing out I didn't even get the first line right (hangs head in shame).
Time to do something else!

Good morning, Rusty!
Lovely out this morning, though feeling colder than yesterday! Apparently, we can expect rain this evening.
I am glad that dog and I are back on track with the early morning walks - I think it is the nicest part of the day!
I had to look up "cofferdam"!
I have discovered that it is a temporary enclosure built within a body of water that allows the enclosed area to be pumped out , so that it is dry for work to take place. Or words to that effect! I learn something new every day!!
As you say, miraculous engineering!
I am glad that we are agreed about Roger Federer! My tennis 'hero'!
I shall record the tennis this week, as I shan't be around to watch it as it takes place.
What do you have planned for today?

Hello, Rosalind!
I didn't even know (till just now checking it out!) that you misquoted the last words! I just recognised it as being Lorenzo speaking.
I think you do brilliantly to remember as many quotes as you do.... Anyway, what's an odd word or two between friends?!
The import still remains!

I think the line is often misquoted as I did. However, I used to correct "glitters" all the time but not for a while now.

I think Lorenzo was given some of the loveliest lines in Shakespeare- beginning "Sit, Jessica" Which come to think of it, sounds like something you might say to a dog! Do you watch Pointless? They had a question about any 6-letter words from 3 of the famous soliloquys. Could do that one! Always stumped by film actors, actresses, directors and any modern music, though. The last film I saw in a cinema was "Master and Commander". We were in the front row, so felt very seasick.

Good morning, Elle!
Great day here, too, but quite windy!
I am just home from ASDA.
ASDA had a minute's silence at 11 o'clock for the people murdered in the Paris atrocities.

Yes, "cofferdam" it is, not the way I constructed it!
Yes, Elle, you are quite correct in your description of a cofferdam!
And that is the way the V&A is being built.
Cofferdams going out into the river.
A useless piece of trivia... The late Queen Mum opened the Road Bridge in 1966, and "Tay Bridge" was the designated "code" for when she died.
The Duke of Edinburgh's code is, aptly enough, Forth Bridge.
The Queen's is London Bridge
.
Only thing on my horizon today is a pick-up at the rail station later today. My son and his wife are off to Edinburgh to Christmas shop.
Miss Orlando dropped them at the station and I shall collect them.
Teamwork!

Rusty
Why are code words needed for deaths in the Royal family?
Pigale
I regret that, though I have heard of Racine, never of Corneille - oh dear, must remedy that gap. I met a guy on holiday who had recently published a book called "Babe" which he said was a modern translation of Candide. I didn't really know what he was talking about!

The parking tickets thing is a scandal and there will be national outcry if they are not cancelled. My son parked in a square enclosed with shops- you could park free for 2 hours, but had to get a ticket (which is fair enough) to show what time you entered the car park. He forget and went into B and Q for just a few minutes. Can't remember what the fine was going to be, but as he could prove he was not there for longer than the two hours (the park was gated and had only opened half an hour before he got there, his till receipt was timed and also the parking ticket) , he refused to pay and wrote (to B and Q among others) saying why. That ticket was cancelled so hopefully the lifeboat men's ones will be too.

Hi Rosalind,

If you intend to read any of Corneille's work (good luck ! ) just choose Le Cid which is the most well known one and probably his best tragedy.

As far as Candide, I don't know for sure what your friend meant but when Voltaire wrote it, it was basically an attack on some philosophers of the time (amongst whom Alexander Pope) who, very basically, pretended that 'all is for the best in the best of worlds'.
Voltaire opposed to this all the bad things that were happening in the world (eg Lisbon's earthquake, wars etc) and then ended by ironically saying something like 'but apart from that, all is for the best in the best of worlds) -in other words he was, as usual, sarcastic and caustic!

Now the same could be said today with all the horrible things happening in the world, so it is possible that your friend has made a 21st ~Century adaptation of Candide, which since it can mean 'naive' may by extension also be likened to ' a babe'

For what it's worth, but don't quote me!