Early Risers.

[DDolfelin]

ERs collectively have been through an awful lot over the years - all reflecting the human condition.

From a core of contributors numbering about six, it's now taking a lot of Andy's bandwidth.

 

Carol was in a gymslip when we started.

Who remembers fishing with Sam?

Some of our original persons of interest are now using zimmers.

I wonder if they have to leave their walking frames outside Gordon's sheds in case Shergar gets upset?

 

Best wishes to all for the next 4,000 pages.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Rather dull and dreary here today and going by the forecast it could go either way. On the subject of the 10,000th post. I suppose one could always go back over one's previous posts and delete enough to make Jock's post number 10,000? I'm sure I have posted enough drivel to do it on my own.

I always thought it was:

 

'Time for bed' said Florence.

 

'Boing!' went Zebedee

Another Jasper Carrot fan?

[Two_sugars]

Binary 101010?  surely should be reserved for Polly.

 

Piddling down here and supposed to last into the night. Sky is grey, showing patches of darker  grey and  more grey.

[leopardml2341]

I always thought it was:

 

'Time for bed' said Florence.

 

'Boing!' went Zebedee

Dunno, I'll check with someone old enough to know

[BoD]

Back to drawing upon ERs deep font of knowledge.

Should I inform my car insurance provider that I am now retired. I suppose it is a change of one of the circumstances that form part of the insurance proposal.

[grandadbob]

Yes - particularly if your car was insured for  travel to and from work as that may possibly reduce your premium. (if you're lucky)

[Tony_S]

Back to drawing upon ERs deep font of knowledge.

Should I inform my car insurance provider that I am now retired. I suppose it is a change of one of the circumstances that form part of the insurance proposal.

I am named as additional driver on Aditi's policy. I informed them I was retired and her premium increased by a few Pounds. My policy went down by a few Pounds when I informed them. They also asked if I intended to undertake any part time, consultancy or charitable work.

Hope this helps.

[Tony_S]

Insurance is strange. For a few years Aditi had full business cover. They then said all she needed was social domestic and pleasure + travel to a permanent place of work. They then said as she drove between different sites of the college she needed business cover again. This was in fact cheaper by a small amount. These were all policies through AA Insurance.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all.

 

Bit cloudy here but no worse than yesterday so I don't know if we'll get a visitation from the bearers of Merlins today, time will tell.  However we have had the alternative pleasure of six youngish blackbirds exploring the back garden this morning - all seemed to be of one family and that would make the second large family we know to have been successfully fledged in the garden in recent times.

 

Robert Simon is around but seems to be busy with modelling etc so doesn't have time to spend looking at the likes of our posts, last time I came across him was the Warley show last year if my memory serves me right.

 

Have a good day one & all.

[roundhouse]

Well, that was fun! Just spent 13 hours driving to Tacoma and back to collect #1 granddaughter for a wee holiday here in Idaho. We took the dogs with us and they were as good as gold. Fortunately, the MrsID's Jetta runs on diesel, which is only $2.41 per US Gallon at the moment, so the excursions was not expensive.

 

I see the vexing question of car hire in Scotland has come up recently. IMHO it's best to stay as far as possible away from the likes of Hurtz, Avaris and Underprize, particularly if they are anywhere near an airport.

 

Should you be planning to fly to Glasgow and need a car for a few days, call http://www.seedhill.co.uk/car-rental.html, ask for Robin, and tell him "Lorna from Idaho" (MrsID) recommended you call him. We've been using his services for about twenty years, and they are great. You will have to take a short taxi ride from the airport to his place in Paisley (Glasgow Airport is in Paisley) and the pickup/drop-off hours may not be so flexible, but there will be no shenanigans.

We will be in Tacoma in just over a weeks time but will be taking Amtrak Cascade service form Portland just for a day trip as will be visitng a number of craft beer establishments so no rental car for us.

[Tony_S]

I have always had excellent service from Hertz and Avis. Some of the others have been somewhat less impressive. I suspect the branch manager may have an influence. I worked in two schools, same town, same catchment area, same size. One was horrible, the other great. Only difference, the quality of management.

[bbishop]

Morning all.  I appreciated Dom's low key post.  To me, it's what ER is all about.

 

The two prize winners of the free Leipzig tram tickets - Keith (Tetsudofan) and myself.  To be used next April.

 

I'm off to Canterbury soon to collect a Q1 from the paint shop.  No, not the one you're all thinking of, that would just need a spray with mucky black, this is an earlier incantation in full SECR livery.

 

Bill

[sixoh8sixoh]

Yes - particularly if your car was insured for  travel to and from work as that may possibly reduce your premium. (if you're lucky)

Yes - you should BoD.  I discussed business use with my insurers a while back, and they explained that if you're doing a small number of business miles a year your premium is lower but I forget why!

 

Anyway, morning all from an overcast Scottish HQ.  I hope you all enjoyed Summer yesterday.

 

I spent a chunk of last night trying to finalise my accounts for the Lodge (for my sins I'm Treasurer).  I think I've got almost everything right but I've got a £5 discrepancy between the income/expenditure sheet and the assets/liabilities sheet. Blowed if I can find it. Tough, the auditors can try to find it!

 

Apart from a hiatus last year, I've been around for the duration of this edition of Early Risers (my first post is on page 2, post number 43 - just above Ddolfelin's tomb), and was there in the previous version. One day I might post something of significance! 

[Killybegs]

Well, the sun has finally burnt the mist off over the land but it's still sitting on the say. Weed spraying has been cancelled for the day as Ruby has been eating nasty things again and has a nasty dose of the sh*ts and needs ready access to the garden! Also rather frightening looking cumulonimbus clouds are gathering inland and I need a six hours without rain after spraying. Never mind, the strimming has been done, more sheets are going through the washer and I may go out and trim some hedges. No midges today but the flies are bad!

 

Have a nice day!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Why does 'multiquote' sometimes reappear on next page, sometimes not? And in the case of 'not', the quote then appears later when making a reply on an unrelated thread? (This is the kind of occurence in the world of computing that I find handy when its protagonists are boasting of their industry's progress relative to items like automobiles: undoubtedly a computing industry standard motor car would be much cheaper, more efficient etc. etc.. But the resulting cars would randomly and without announcement suddenly have the brake and accelerator functions exchange, the steering work in contra-direction, the engine management system suspend operation for an update, and refuse to unlock because of fatal error 100,650,000. Seen quite enough of satnav doozies to not want the world of systems control any closer to any road vehicle I am in!)

... I try to slow all diy jobs down. By the time I get round to them the requirement has generally settled down to a stable solution! 

Strangely, this advice is not to be found in any DIY manual. The suppliers of DIY goods must clean up on 'second thoughts'. I generally find that ignoring the request for ten or more years means it often goes away.

[AndyB]

That's the lawns cut and seeds gathered from the poppies. 

The property next door has a patch of wasteland and is home to a lot of weeds. 

I've just "re-seeded" it with a few hundred thousand poppy seeds, variety "Victoria Cross".  

 

Putting large gantt charts and other spreadsheets together is somewhat testing when the youngest is looking expectant for some play and is busy showing me all his DC Comics action figures. So, I'm thinking maybe do this late this evening and crack on with a trip to the park and a bit of work on the baseboards....

[andyram]

Better start taking the bromide, guys.  Our Carol is doing Strictly.  The thought of some of those skimpy costumes will send one or two of our number into relapse….

Carol?

[petethemole]

Carol?

 

The "Breakfast" weather forecaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kirkwood

 

She appears to have some fans.

 

In other news; there isn't any.

 

Have a good day.

 

Pete

[Judge Dread]

The "Breakfast" weather forecaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kirkwood

 

She appears to have some fans.

 

In other news; there isn't any.

 

Have a good day.

 

Pete

A lady I would describe as being "solid built". I'm going for a lie down in a darkened room now. 

[edcayton]

I got cross yesterday. I was in Tesco's (other supermarkets are available) at the checkout and the woman in front was on her phone all the time she was with the checkout lad, not acknowledging his existence in any way. I do believe that mobile phones have had a detrimental effect on the manners of people in this country. It may well be that I will never meet this lad again, but I spoke to him and apologised on her behalf. Or am I wrong?

 

There was a piece on Radio 4 recently (You and Yours?) about car hire charges. In particular the difference between Edinburgh Airport and city centre rates. The suggestion was to travel into the centre and collect the car from there, but that seems to defeat the object to me.

 

Ed

[The Lurker]

I got cross yesterday. I was in Tesco's (other supermarkets are available) at the checkout and the woman in front was on her phone all the time she was with the checkout lad, not acknowledging his existence in any way. I do believe that mobile phones have had a detrimental effect on the manners of people in this country. It may well be that I will never meet this lad again, but I spoke to him and apologised on her behalf. Or am I wrong?

I agree with you -she was being darn rude.

 

Personally I dislike the way that everything stops for the phone. I knew a guy who wouldn't answer his phone if someone rang when he had visitors "you've made the effort to come see me. That person is just ringing. I'll give you priority". I kind of liked that.

[Shedman5]

Afternoon, whilst Sunday might have been a glorious day weather wise and more importantly rest wise yesterday 11 hours was spent outside steadily reducing the "list" of things to mow/trim/move/replant etc etc.

 

Had a first go with my new toy ( so described by my other half) an extending hedge trimmer, no use for the chainsaw attachment at the moment but trimmed the tops of the hedges with ease.

 

Quite pleased with my acquisition which was on delivery to me for three weeks! But that's another story.

 

Enjoy whats left of the day

 

Alan

[Ian Abel]

Morning.

Had a good evening at our monthly "happy hour" get-together, and managed to avoid the rain that started just as we were heading out.

 

More rain expected today, including more flash-flood warning. Given much/most/all of the west and southwestern US is struggling with excessive heat, very dry conditions and forest/wild fires, I continue to enjoy the location I've chosen. The winters may sometimes be very challenging, but we're in better condition generally than much of the country, and predicted to be/remain that way more so than most.

 

Regards fuel prices - funny thing (and I have SOME expertise in the area, having spent several years running computer models for crude and finished product fuel refining and distribution) our prices were lower/on a par with most of the country until one of the largest refineries in the mid-west had to shut down due to some maintenance issue they need to resolve - funny coincidence/timing given the continued drop in crude prices??

Overnight the pump prices increased 30-40 cents. Again, from my experience, I KNOW the gas stations didn't suddenly ALL run out of fuel and need to be replenished from higher priced/transportation challenged locations, so how is it possible that these companies are allowed to decide that the supply chain STARTS at the gas station the following day! What a joke! So whilst the rest of the US is enjoying the lowest prices in over a year or more, and crude is at it's lowest in what, a couple of years or more, WE are now paying 2.79-2.89 around 30-40 cents more than a week ago <grrr>

 

17 when I got the paper this morning, overcast and already raining, expecting 19 for a high and storms with heavy rain much of the day.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Ian Abel

[edcayton]

The petrol station I worked at (long gone now) owner used to say that he put his prices up as soon as the announcement was made because the customers would expect them to be reduced as soon as. I could see his logic, but there weren't many reductions.

 

Ed

[Tony_S]

As I was about to go out this morning to attack the mahonia (no idea why the variety is called Charity, it has some vicious prickles). So I went in the garage and sorted through scenery stores for fences rather than buy some more. I then thought I deserved a play with my trains. This layout was started so I could run all the trains I would have liked when I was young. One of the first trains I bought after starting the layout was the then new Bachmann Blue Pullman. Until now it had only been round a second radius test track attached to a Sprog device. It looked quite nice trundling through the slightly scenic bit of the layout.

Still raining so no pruning!

Tony