The Night Mail

[jamie92208]

21 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

I'd be very worried if I was you Bear. It's when they accept that they have made a b........,ks of it that the trouble really starts. As they then try to fix it.

 

If I were you i'd lay in a supply of kindling as I wouldn't be surprised if you get a bill saying you owe them £2.5 million, due to backdating and unless you pay with the next seven days they will be round to disconnect you.

 

Then of course the next bill will arrive and say your £250 in credit but that they would like to raise your direct debit to £3,000.

 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

There is an ample store of kindling in our woodshed. Probably enough to see us out.  It just needs collecting from Charente Maritime.  Just trying to be helpful.

 

Jamie

 

 

[AndyID]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I have been thinking about getting some electric radiators to make use of our spring and autumn electricity surplus. They would save using our gas on days like today. We haven’t turned the central heating on but only because neither of us will admit to being cold yet. The cottage we stayed in recently had some interesting “intelligent” heaters with control options that would fit in with our solar energy generation. We don’t generate enough to cope with our  full winter heating requirements. I need to do some sums to work out whether it is worth using such heaters. Using it rather than getting 3.5pence for each kWh we export is part of the calculation, not that I expert to export anything during the winter months. 

 

Apart from a propane fireplace we are "all electric". We hardly ever use the built-in fan assisted heaters and use inexpensive portable oil filled radiators instead. Their maximum output is only 1.5kW but they work well for us. There are probably similar heaters available in the UK.

[AndyID]

10 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

There is an ample store of kindling in our woodshed. Probably enough to see us out.  It just needs collecting from Charente Maritime.  Just trying to be helpful.

 

Jamie

 

Probably hardwood too. Not like the stuff we have here that's full of pitch.

[Tony_S]

22 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear phoned this morning to discuss why an in-home display has yet to arrive; after looking at my account it seems that Bear's very latest super-duper smart meters are sooooo smart that they won't work with the current network surrounding Bear Towers - and as a consequence are working in "legacy mode".  Huh?  The bottom line is that an IHD won't work at Bear Towers.  What a total and utter FWAOT.

That doesn’t seem totally logical to me. What ever method your meters use to connect to the outside world isn’t really anything to do with the connection from the meter to an in home display. I believe most IHDs communicate to the meter with Zigbee protocol. Now if they had said the new sooper dooper meter didn’t have an IHD available yet I could understand that. 

[polybear]

30 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

That doesn’t seem totally logical to me. What ever method your meters use to connect to the outside world isn’t really anything to do with the connection from the meter to an in home display. I believe most IHDs communicate to the meter with Zigbee protocol. Now if they had said the new sooper dooper meter didn’t have an IHD available yet I could understand that. 

 

Bear seems to get regular emails (every month in fact) asking for meter readings, despite having smart meters.  Kinda defeats the object if you ask me....

[Happy Hippo]

One is packed ready for the off tomorrow for the TMRG extravaganza.

 

I've got neary a car full, so obviously far too much.  However a goodly amount is taken up with part of Pantmawr North and a pair of trestles The rest of it should fit in my trundle truck which usually gets everything into the exhibition hall in one trip.

 

I have remembered a flask and mug plus makings, so I will not be totally reliant on the on site drinks dispensers.

 

Note to self: Call by Lidl for some cake en route.

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear seems to get regular emails (every month in fact) asking for meter readings, despite having smart meters.  Kinda defeats the object if you ask me....

We were with Eon and they transferred us to Eon Next. Eon Next started asking for our gas readings. I asked if there was some problem and they (phone call) confirmed they could read the meter and it was just something to do with the account transfer even though it was the same company really. All sorted after a couple of months. We do have to send our export reading, even though the smart meter sends that. Only every 6 months and it is for confirmation. As I am only sending the number on their meter I don’t know quite why. I have a separate account number for the export and it won’t let me enter a meter reading online but an email to them seems to satisfy. 

[Tony_S]

17 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

for some cake en route.

We were away for a week and took some cake with us. Brought some of it back too! 

[Northmoor]

Working from home as normal today, except I wasn't.  My daughter had a cold earlier this week which laid her out for two days, by last night I was aching and shivery; not a comfortable night's sleep.  I logged in for one 30 minute presentation (which became an hour) this morning then retired back to bed.  I've slept for about eight hours since this morning and seem to have a lot of symptoms of food poisoning as well and cannot face any food; no-one else in the family is affected despite eating the same as me.

Last time I felt this bad was flying back from Hong Kong via a Bangkok stopover.  By the time we landed in London I couldn't even keep water down and didn't get out of bed for two days.

Errrggghhhh.

 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

Probably hardwood too. Not like the stuff we have here that's full of pitch.

Yes it's all oak offcuts from barrel making for the cognac industry.  In metre lengths about 3 to 4" across and about half an inch thick.  I cut it into 8" lenths then split it with an axe.  It's good stuff. I must have a stack 5' high and a metre square.  Unfortunately  the saw mill that sold it off has shut down.

 

Jamie

[pH]

 

Is this an advert, a warning, or an instruction?

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Bear seems to get regular emails (every month in fact) asking for meter readings, despite having smart meters.  Kinda defeats the object if you ask me....

 

 I had smart meters installed via one supplier.  A few years back.

Then I swapped suppliers - they required monthly readings as they couldn't communicate with the meters (despite having all the serial numbers etc.)

If I missed a reading, then it was estimated.

Swapped supplier again and they now get readings from the same smart meters.

 

Go figure.....................

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We were away for a week and took some cake with us. Brought some of it back too! 

 

That is so inefficient.

Could you not have detoured via North Hipposhire?

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

 5' high and a metre square. 

 

Typical Brit modeller - mm/foot mixed measurements.

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, pH said:

 

 

Is this an advert, a warning, or an instruction?

 

2 out of three for sure!

[polybear]

8 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Yes it's all oak offcuts from barrel making for the cognac industry.  In metre lengths about 3 to 4" across and about half an inch thick.  I cut it into 8" lenths then split it with an axe.  It's good stuff. I must have a stack 5' high and a metre square.  Unfortunately  the saw mill that sold it off has shut down.

 

Jamie

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..................................

Have you any idea what that stuff would cost at a Timber Yard?  Bear wanted Oak Window Boards for the lounge refurb - until I realised that being a retired Bear I was unlikely to get the Mortgage required......

 

6 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

 I had smart meters installed via one supplier.  A few years back.

Then I swapped suppliers - they required monthly readings as they couldn't communicate with the meters (despite having all the serial numbers etc.)

If I missed a reading, then it was estimated.

Swapped supplier again and they now get readings from the same smart meters.

 

Go figure.....................

 

The guy that installed the smart meters at Bear Towers said "these will work even if you change suppliers, not like the old ones......"

Well, if that bloke happens to be reading this - your own f.company can't even read them, so I don't hold out much hope for any others either.  Yep, Rant.

 

6 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

That is so inefficient.

Could you not have detoured via North Hipposhire?

 

That would be very inefficient too - Bear Towers is much closer......

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

The sun's popped out to say hello

I need a shave before I go.

But before the show, where I go to make

I need to find a pile of cake.

[Winslow Boy]

8 hours ago, pH said:

 

Is this an advert, a warning, or an instruction?

 

Its what happens when Big H is shown cake!

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Typical Brit modeller - mm/foot mixed measurements.

 

It goes on. TT is 1:120 but that doesn't stop it being described as 2.5mm to the foot.

 

[Compound2632]

10 hours ago, pH said:

Is this an advert, a warning, or an instruction?

 

Brilliant book. I can recite it from memory from frequent readings nearly 20 years ago!

 

One hippo all alone

Calls another on the phone

 

... and so on - centre spread there's a wild party - but at last:

 

One hippo alone once more

Misses the other forty-four.

 

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

It goes on. TT is 1:120 but that doesn't stop it being described as 2.5mm to the foot.

 

I was guilty of that at first; it is of course 2.54 mm / ft.

 

But the point is that several of the major scales in British railway modelling are defined in mixed measurement: 4 mm / ft, 7 mm / ft, 2 mm / ft for those keen-eyed finescalers. There's absolutely no problem with that and it is in fact very convenient, since much of what we model was built in imperial units. I'd be puzzled to work out what a locomotive wheelbase of 8' 0" + 8' 6" scaled out to in 1:120 but at 4 mm / ft I can see immediately that it's 32 mm + 34 mm.

[Dave Hunt]

I don’t know what’s going on but when I try to access RMW on my iPad it doesn’t work properly - I can’t get onto my activity, the search function doesn’t work, I can’t reply to posts or leave reactions and lots of other glitches. I’ve managed to get on using my iPhone so it isn’t all apple devices but it’s only started happening since the recent RMW update. In short, pah!

 

Dave

[BSW01]

I use an iPad to access rmweb most of the time and don’t seem to have any difficulty.

Perhaps it’s you settings or even the search engine you use? 

I’m currently using google chrome, but sometimes use safari, neither seem to give me any problems. 

[SM42]

I'm finding that I have to navigate the site by notifications.

 

I can get to two threads and then I get "this site doesn't appear to be working" but using tre notifications I can get round it. 

 

No probs on the desktop, just the iPhone.  

 

Problem probably at my end 

 

Andy

Edited October 1, 2022 by SM42

[SM42]

In other news the flooring is nearing completion and we are dog sitting again. 

 

Got home this morning at 0630 and stepped through the door, no barking, closed door, no barking. Took three steps into the main hall and heard paws padding down the stairs, followed by an abundance of excited affection. 

 

Some guard dog. 

 

Andy

[jjb1970]

The stuff about E.ON brings back a few memories. I worked for them in generation (power plants) and I have to say that I've never seen another company led as badly as they were. At the time their CEO was a guy called Wulf Bernotat, who was always being quoted in the UK press attacking the government for general cluelessness and idiocy. The problem was that whilst he was correct in his assessment of the UK government his own leadership was just as inept. When I joined the company they were sitting on a fabled multi-billion Euro 'war chest', and the shares were high, when I left they'd blown all of their cash on stupid investments and were desperately selling off many of their assets they didn't have to write down to stay afloat. I found it rather heartening that it isn't just British companies saddled with such people.