Early Risers.

[Jock67B]

Good morning (just) all,

Got back safely this evening having had a great time in Cornwall and Somerset. Would have posted earlier but un-packing, delivering gifts to grandchildren and football (waste of time!) all intervened!

I hope the week goes well for all and I'll try to post more tomorrow after early blood tests.

Kind regards,

Jock.

[NGT6 1315]

Morning all. Wet outside after a well and truly rainy night. By the way, since when do you set off fireworks to celebrate a football match?

 

Just having breakfast while Enya's playing to set the mood.

[travelintrev]

Good Morning all,

 

Really good news about Aditi?  Not much else to report from here....not over hot (but humid), then found some useful modelling material in the local super market  yesterday afternoon.  Some 10 x 3 x 300 bamboo (wood) skewers!   (In 1:24  - 10" x 3")  So very useful for wagon frame building. (and other things!) 

 

Well its hump day again - so try to enjoy?

 

 

Trev.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

Excellent news with respect to Aditi.

 

The weather here this morning is grey, and very wet.  The rain is forecast to continue for the rest of the day.

 

I am not a big football fan, but I think it is reasonable to say that Germany won pretty convincingly last night

 

Have a good day everyone...

[trisonic]

 

I am not a big football fan, but I think it is reasonable to say that Germany won pretty convincingly last night

 

 

Yes, you could say that.......

It confirmed the suspicion that Brazil’s defence was suspect.

I’m not going to gloat (because Brazil, Uruguay and Chile, in particular have been great friends to us in the past to my certain knowledge) BUT this was never going to be a team that could be compared favourably to their 1970 iteration or indeed their their 1982 version. Their edifice of football needs to be torn down and re-built, reformed without their self-belief of always being the best.

It’ll probably do them a great deal of good in the long run.

 

Best, Pete.

 

Who likes just about any sport except Tennis, Formation Swimming and Basketball for some reason - I’m just competitive, I suppose.

[trisonic]

By the way, I’ve given in and made an appointment with a chiropracter (sic) for this Friday. I suspect that the crushed vertebrae (unoperable) in my neck are now interfering with the nerves in my left arm. The net result being a terrible pins and needles almost constantly  in my arm leading to an almost total lack of sleep (despite taking 5mg of morphine last night) - I cannot play guitar with any authority, like the Sex Pistols on a bad night

It’s a freaking nightmare.

 

Anyone give me a hint of what to expect from a representative of a group who I’ve always thought were “quacks”?????

 

Thanks, Pete.

[Pete 75C]

Pete, be prepared to be spoken to like a child if they don't know you or your history. It's not meant to be patronising, they'll just need to hear from you exactly what you think the problem is... Also, from my experience, chiropractors and nutrition experts seem to be totally devoid of any sense of humour, so beware. "I don't know what's wrong, you're the doctor..." probably won't go down too well. Best of luck.

 

Edit: forget the weather update from Norf Norfolk... "Grey"...

Edited July 9, 2014 by Pete 75C

[AndyB]

By the way, I’ve given in and made an appointment with a chiropracter (sic) for this Friday. I suspect that the crushed vertebrae (unoperable) in my neck are now interfering with the nerves in my left arm. The net result being a terrible pins and needles almost constantly  in my arm leading to an almost total lack of sleep (despite taking 5mg of morphine last night) - I cannot play guitar with any authority, like the Sex Pistols on a bad night

It’s a freaking nightmare.

 

Anyone give me a hint of what to expect from a representative of a group who I’ve always thought were “quacks”?????

 

Thanks, Pete.

 

Although the cause is different the pain sounds very similar to my mother's condition. She'd tried all sorts of pain killers, some simply made her disorientated, others zonked out all day, leading her to wake up at strange times of night and day. She ended up meal skipping as she'd wake and have breakfast around 14:00, then skip lunch....you get the picture. She became progressively weaker due to poor nutrition. A spell in hospital got her on the right pain medication and into a proper routine.

The pain medication was a form of morphine patch (bit like a nicotine patch) which drip fed into her system. Took a few days to become effective but she hasn't complained of any pain since. I get the impression you're taking oral doses....might be worth trying a more constant dose?   

[AndyB]

Morning all, a sunny start to the day here. 

Shame to see a once great team get thrashed, especially as they are the host nation. 

I can't help but mention though that Brazil got a lot further through the competition than England did. 

 

Busy few days of cooking ahead. My best friend retired recently after some 22 years with the boys in blue. He's having a party with some 65 people coming - I offered to help do a bit of cooking. Next day I have to produce a birthday cake for my youngest followed by a bbq for the in-laws. Then two days after that I'm off to cooking school with M Blanc over in Oxfordshire.

 

Tidying the garage today and chip fitting to a Class 108.

 

Have a nice day everyone. Andy 

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Overcast, breezy but not cold here down near the Thames.

Bin bags go out in a few minutes.

The parcel from Liverpool yesterday was some coaches. My Garratt is returning today. I must pay more attention to the emails!

We are going out tonight. The French conversation group Aditi goes to are having an evening of petanque followed by a meal. If I were in the least bit competitive I could get my boules out and practice this afternoon but I'm not.

Tony 

[AndrewC]

Morning all from a hazy and....... wait for it.........boring borough.

 

Tony, glad to hear things have settled somewhat for Aditi. Now she can plot her eventual overthrow without HR looking over her shoulder.

 

Pete: I've had issues with my shoulder and neck for years. Pins and needles, shooting pain down the arm, the lot. A lot of it is osteoarthritis based but some is due to a damaged vertebrae. A good Chiro can and will make things feel better. Its not a cure and it is something that requires ongoing treatment. It does take a while and $$$. Lucky for me, we had coverage at the start. Be prepared for at least 1 or 2 adjustments a week for the first month. These days I go once every 3-6 weeks for a fast cracking. Glucosamine and Capsaicin seem to help as well. I won't go into the horror story of our financial guru's surgery to repair his crushed vertebrae.

 

Lifey: I've been lucky with Chiropractors. My current one is a Kiwi who has a great sense of humour and is way to hyperactive first thing in the morning. He bought the practice from an Aussie who was also the England Rugby team's Chiro. Both guys are great.

 

Interesting things afoot at work. Loads of deck chair shuffling above as various departments and practices are being merged and changed. Sadly our division head who has only been around for 8 months got shuffled out the door. Shame as he did more good in those 8 months than the previous guy did in 8 years. Seems our little band of geeks is pretty much safe from any culling. Reading between the lines it looks like the contractors and non-technical types will be thinned out over the coming months. This is the douchebaggery layer filled with assclowns and useless project managers. I won't miss them. Knowing my luck, the semi-decent ones will vanish and we'll be stuck with the prime morons.

The practice is also finally getting its own sales weasel. The plan being to pick up more work from smaller clients. That will probably mean more varied work but less structure and formal design as there'll be more pressure to deliver with less overhead and time. For me that probably means becoming an end to end architect as opposed to doing just one or 2 roles in a project. Stay tuned.

 

Not a lot else to say. Have a good one all. The week is half over. (well it will be in around 4 hours)

[Gwiwer]

Goat moaning from a broken spill chucker

 

Greetings from a place better known for its heat but where it is very cold and wet, even snowing in some outer suburbs, country areas and down to 500 metres on the nearby hills.  

 

Good news from Aditi.  Not so good from Brazil.  

 

Good news also from Mrs. G. who (in her directorial role at the place of employment) has today received the local press to announce that said employer achieved a Gold Medal and the coveted Best In Show Award at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show all the way over there in summer.  This at a first showing at Hampton Court and after taking out gold at the Chelsea Flower Show two years ago.

 

She has also today received Elders of the local Wurundjeri and Boonerwurrung people on whose land we live and presented them, in a traditional ceremony, with highly-prized possum skins.  That is very seldom (if ever before) done by a whitefella; to be offered that accolade shows the respect she has earned and esteem she is held in by that community.

[Pete 75C]

Lifey: I've been lucky with Chiropractors. My current one is a Kiwi who has a great sense of humour and is way to hyperactive first thing in the morning. He bought the practice from an Aussie who was also the England Rugby team's Chiro. Both guys are great.

 

Yep, I guess it's never fair to generalise. Rather than assume you've been lucky, I shall assume I've just been unlucky! Sadly the ones I've seen over the years (I've seen a few) should have had "I never smile" tattooed on their foreheads. One of them even had a dark purple waiting room full of heavy metal magazines. That was just bizarre! I hope my encounters with Dr Misery over the years has been the exception, not the rule...!

By the way, I know in the US, chiropractors are actually doctors, is that true in the UK?

[Pete 75C]

She has also today received Elders of the local Wurundjeri and Boonerwurrung people on whose land we live and presented them, in a traditional ceremony, with highly-prized possum skins.

 

Wow. That never happens in Norfolk...

[AndrewC]

Yep, I guess it's never fair to generalise. Rather than assume you've been lucky, I shall assume I've just been unlucky! Sadly the ones I've seen over the years (I've seen a few) should have had "I never smile" tattooed on their foreheads. One of them even had a dark purple waiting room full of heavy metal magazines. That was just bizarre! I hope my encounters with Dr Misery over the years has been the exception, not the rule...!

By the way, I know in the US, chiropractors are actually doctors, is that true in the UK?

Not sure, I think there is a difference in qualifications. I do know that in Canada the ones there all have a Doctor of Chiropractic certification. My Canadian Chiro was always Dr Taylor. My current one is just "Don" even though he does have a Doctor of Chiropractic from the USA. http://www.kingchiropractic.co.uk/

 

Then again in North America every specialist, GP, radiologist, etc, are identified as Dr X. Whereas in the UK all clinicians seem to be titled as Mr or Mrs X.  

Edited July 9, 2014 by AndrewC

[DonBradley]

AndyB, Cooking;

     I learned cooking by trial and error as a Scouter, but progressed to the extent that when Scout Master, my Troop was regularly used to demo cooking at Scouters training camps.

    One early learning experience was a cooked savoury mince which resulted in the then Scout Master and I (ASM) touring the the camp site ALL night going from tent to tent tending to sick Scouts (Thick stomach glueing porridge was served for breakfast next morning which effectively stopped the symptoms) 

      Liver should be coated in seasoned flour and then seared in a hot thinly oiled pan so that when cut it still bleeds!. Serve with bacon, sauted onion rings, mashed potato and rich gravy.

 

Very good news on the Aditi front, however it appears that further episodes may yet occur.

 

Weather is still COLD at 18C at midday. Although I wear underpands AND long johns beneath my slacks my legs are still cold going to breakfast. My torso is clad in ; vest, T-shirt, long sleeve shirt and THREE jerseys. I would die in Scotland

 

Ill Dottore, the home does not have sufficient linen serviettes to provide clean ones at each meal. They are changed once a week for Sunday Dinner. The rings are essential so that residents are able to identify their own serviette .

Edited July 9, 2014 by DonBradley

[Gwiwer]

Cultural differences as well, as much as anything.

 

In Oz (and surely in Noozilland as well) it is normal to call anyone by their first name or an abbreviation of it.  Professionals and titled people usually don't insist on being addressed "properly".  I have had the misfortune to have had consultations with a good many medical practitioners and specialists over the past few years not one of whom expected to be called "Dr."  From my regular GP to my consultant oncologist everyone is known and addressed by their first name.

 

I speak with a  large number of people through work and occasionally come across a Doctor, Professor, Reverend or even Sir or Lady.  With one exception in ten years they have asked me to use their first names and not their titles, Sir or Madam.

 

By contrast in the UK I find the convention still stands that anyone with Dr. in front of their name is referred to by that title unless they are a surgeon in which case "Mr." (or a female equivalent) is used.  That is historical convention.  In Germany if you are suitably learned and hold two doctorates you are "Herr Doktor Doktor Schmidt" and woe betide if you get that wrong as you will be sternly rebuked, corrected and then invited to use their first name!

[The Lurker]

Clouds over Borough Market Junction this morning - the day of the "big" race. Well there will be about 10,000 people taking part and I won't have crossed the start line before the winner has finished - although we all have a chip in our number sheet so in theory I could win starting from anywhere. You just need to bear in mind that just because something is possible in theory doesn't mean it is at all likely!

[gordon s]

Morning all. Wet outside after a well and truly rainy night. By the way, since when do you set off fireworks to celebrate a football match?

 

Just having breakfast while Enya's playing to set the mood.

 

Oh Dom, how I wish!  I'd be out there celebrating if we'd made it to the World Cup Final in such style…..

 

Glad to hear the updates on Aditi, Tony.  Fingers crossed there's nothing more on the horizon.

[AndyB]

Cultural differences as well, as much as anything.

 

In Oz (and surely in Noozilland as well) it is normal to call anyone by their first name or an abbreviation of it.  Professionals and titled people usually don't insist on being addressed "properly".  I have had the misfortune to have had consultations with a good many medical practitioners and specialists over the past few years not one of whom expected to be called "Dr."  From my regular GP to my consultant oncologist everyone is known and addressed by their first name.

 

I speak with a  large number of people through work and occasionally come across a Doctor, Professor, Reverend or even Sir or Lady.  With one exception in ten years they have asked me to use their first names and not their titles, Sir or Madam.

 

By contrast in the UK I find the convention still stands that anyone with Dr. in front of their name is referred to by that title unless they are a surgeon in which case "Mr." (or a female equivalent) is used.  That is historical convention.  In Germany if you are suitably learned and hold two doctorates you are "Herr Doktor Doktor Schmidt" and woe betide if you get that wrong as you will be sternly rebuked, corrected and then invited to use their first name!

 

This may explain why my brother never speaks to us; we've mistakenly been using his Christian name! 

I had a colleague, years back, who was a Flight Lieutenant, medic and doing a Ph.D.

I used to call the whippersnapper "Drer, Drer, Flurt Lurt". 

On his first promotion we just called him "Squaders". 

When he eventually got promoted again I got even politer and it became "Wotto Wing Co!"

I'm guessing it would be "Drer, Drer Groupie" by now. 

 

Toodle-pip for now, and congrats to Mrs G for the flower show medal; the garden looks great. 

[DDolfelin]

All Hail Aditi!

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dry and dull earlier but the sun is now making an appearance.

Decorator has finished so no more watching paint dry for me. He's made an excellent job of it and what is probably more important Her Bossness thinks so too! Unfortunately this is giving her ideas for us me  to do some decorating indoors! Plans for evasive action (inaction?) are afoot.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Pete 75C]

Bob, I find when it comes to decorating, you can run but you can't hide.

When we (I) decorated the ground floor so we could move in, my wife chose a contrasting Victorian dark red colour for the chimney breast in the living room. Having applied two coats and spent ages meticulously "cutting in", I was greeted with "I don't like that!"... My mutterings of "you chose it" didn't help matters. A quick trip to Homebase and my wife produced another shade of red. Next day, "I don't like that either!"... Can anyone spot a pattern here...? In desperation, I mixed the two colours together and accidentally came up with a shade of red that met with approval.

In addition to dust mask and overalls, I'm considering a tin helmet and flak jacket when it's time to paint the rest of the house...

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Pete our chiropractors are pretty good although my current one, Stefan, is not as good as the previous one (who alas left), and I think it's because he's used to dealing with highly tuned bodies of world class sports folk - which is not exactly me!

 

Weather looks fair, haircut session (for me) has been decreed by the management and she's gone off to polish her scissors as I trype this.  It is needed abnd I'm on funeral duty for a past work colleague on Friday so i suppose I had better attend before long.

 

Have a good day one & all.

[grandadbob]

Bob, I find when it comes to decorating, you can run but you can't hide.

 

 

 Agreed but I am gonna try! I got out of doing the outside of the house because of "The Knee" and her concern (and mine) about long periods on ladders up to the eaves etc however I can't really use that excuse for indoors. Thinking cap is on and brain is ticking over albeit slowly.