Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.  Disturbed night due to Mrs NHN having a killer cold.

 

Wet 'n' windy here, but 7 miles away, but 1500 feet higher.....bungalow crossing up the mountain railway, and our usual route to work!

 

 

[AndyB]

Oh yes Please.

thAG3V9WPV.jpg

 

With tongue in cheek I'd imagined my BLT to be at one end of a fictional line called the Lettuce Line.    

Then I googled and decided to bacon off from that.  

Hope to ketchup with you all later.

[PhilJ W]

With tongue in cheek I'd imagined my BLT to be at one end of a fictional line called the Lettuce Line.    

Then I googled and decided to bacon off from that.  

Hope to ketchup with you all later.

The need for a groan button has reached ER's.

[edcayton]

Morning.  Disturbed night due to Mrs NHN having a killer cold.

 

Wet 'n' windy here, but 7 miles away, but 1500 feet higher.....bungalow crossing up the mountain railway, and our usual route to work!

 

 

bungalow.PNG

 

Clearly Spring has sprung on Fraggle Rock.

 

Ed

[New Haven Neil]

I think it is a March thing for us - we haven't had much in the way of snow all winter, but, three years ago....

 

 

TBH it hardly ever snows here, its too warm in winter, but when it does......

[Horsetan]

I used to do passport applications all the time at school - the local doctors charged £25 and I was free!

 

I did get a visit from someone who wouldn't state the organisation he came from to check one...

 

I don't countersign (British) passport applications unless I've known the applicant for at least two years - online / nodding acquaintances don't count, so I certainly couldn't do one for most of you.

 

For those who might be tempted to countersign one without giving it a second thought, beware: some years ago, a Magistrate signed a batch of these applications, apparently from members of his ethnic community. It transpired that he didn't actually know any of the applicants concerned, despite what was stated in the countersignatory section. He got six months.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Horsetan

[TheQ]

Morning all. Another day of sitting and waiting to be called. Boring.

 

I'm always surprised by people that can't swim. Growing up it was mandatory in schools to reach at least the Red Cross Survival level. A pass for that meant stripping off street clothes in a 12' deep diving pool, treading water for 10 mins, then retrieving your clothes from the bottom. (Swim suits worn of course)

 

I can sign Canadian passport applications made by people living in the U.K.

Of the three secondary schools I attended,

 

The first had a very small outdoor pool unheated  built by the pupils while my dad was a pupil, no compulsory levels of swimming were required.

 

The Second had no access to a pool, even though it was surrounded by water in the outer hebridies therefore no swimming was done.

 

The Third used to do a couple of weeks swimming each December in the city Pool, no compulsory levels of swimming were required.

The rest of Decembers PE lessons were Highland dancing, where I got shouted out for not being able to dance, because all my previous schools didn't do dancing...

[Ohmisterporter]

I learned to swim aged thirty one after years of watching my wife and kids enjoying swimming and I felt left out. Our local council ran an adult learn to swim class and I signed up; I wish I had learned years earlier. I will never be a great swimmer but have the confidence that I will not sink if I enter the water and can do a steady but slow breast stroke and even steadier front crawl. Meanwhile my wife powers up and down the pool doing two lengths to my one. (I should never have bought her that jet ski). Kath was a trained life guard and once when on holiday in Majorca she rescued a child from the bottom of the pool. No thanks from the parents of course. So Andy, learn to swim it is a life long skill you will not regret.

Stay safe all.

[Smiffy2]

Driving and diabetes. Agree with what has been said. As a rough guide I have been told that "4's the floor, 5 to drive" for Bm values. Mine rarely gets in to single figures. I'm always being told off by diabetes nurses and doctors because I don't test often enough. No-one has said that the strips are rationed, maybe that varies from one ccg to another.

 

Ed

 

Thanks to all who have replied on this. Like you, Ed, I am struggling to get into single figures, my best being about 7.5-8. No chance of a hypo. My test strips (Accu-Chek Mobile) aren't provided by my GP, so that's about £40 a month for tests alone. I pay it because I get so much free stuff on the NHS it seems ungrateful not to.

Just had a phone call from the GP following the blood tests yesterday, she wants to see me about my gout. My uric acid levels are high, and she wants to put me onto a drug called 'Preventa'. Can't find any info on it. She thinks I may have 'grumbling gout' - well, I certainly grumble about it.

 

Just waiting for niece to come and cut our hair, then I want to try cutting some sheet brass with Julie's Hegner. We're a lot better set up for equipment since the last time I was doing this, in the 80s.

 

Andy - I once ended up supervising swimming for half a term. I was never expected to go near the wet bits, and there was always at least one properly-qualified life saver on hand. The worst part was the noise...  I had given the swerve to swimming coach training at college by claiming veruccas. They never checked.

[lightengine]

I did some swimming at school. I had to prove I could swim for the MN. I can swim enough to save my life in a calm mill pond but not in 40 foot swell. I don't enjoy swimming. My 2 sons both learnt to swim and gain water confidence in the hotel pool whilst on a 2 week holiday in Crete.

I can't sign passport applications, well, physically I can, just not legally.

Edited March 22, 2017 by lightengine

[Happy Hippo]

I'm always surprised by people that can't swim. Growing up it was mandatory in schools to reach at least the Red Cross Survival level. A pass for that meant stripping off street clothes in a 12' deep diving pool, treading water for 10 mins, then retrieving your clothes from the bottom. (Swim suits worn of course)

 

 

I was surprised at how many can't swim.

 

Pull up your sandbags, and i'll tell you a story..................

 

When I was at Sandhurst, there was a goodly number of overseas cadets in training.

 

Their countries paid the MoD good lots of good money to get officers trained:  Of course they ranged from the excellent to the downright useless. (As did some of the homegrown types who despite a rigorous selection process ended up an the RMA because of whom their parents were.)

 

Anyway the Company went to the swimming pool and were then going to take the army swimming test.  Old DMS boots, a rifle and skeleton order webbing and a pair of coveralls over the required swimming trunks.

 

The PTI was new to Sandhust and this was his first session as i/c swimming  so: Up to the top of the 3 metre board, jump in holding your rifle above your head and then swim away from the board area and start treading water.  No mention of discarding unneccesary clothing!

 

So we all started piling in like paras going through the side door of a C130 only to find there were a lot of overseas cadets from the African continent who were either thrashing around in some difficulty or were trying to walk along the bottom of the pool!

 

After they were all recovered safely,  we found the reason that so few could swim was simply that they did not have swimming pools, so swimming was restricted to lakes and rivers.

 

Apparently the other residents of the watery areas, such as not so happy Hippos and Mr and Mrs Crocodile and their extended family took a dim view of such an intrusion, so the poor Africans prefered to remain in the shallows and in one piece.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Happy Hippo

[lightengine]

 

Apparently the other residents of the watery areas, such as not so happy Hippos and Mr and Mrs Crocodile and their extended family took a dim view of such an intrusion.

Surely the best swimming training known to man.

Similar to the athletics training on the Kenyan wildlife plains.

[The Lurker]

And what exactly did they do to those who did not reach that level?

 

Ed

Duffers drown?

Swallows and Amazons

[BSW01]

My mother taught me to swim as a kid, I can't remember what age I was, but I was very young, probably about 4 or 5. We used to go to the pool on a Sunday morning as a family, but my dad stayed at the poolside, as he couldn't swim and as far as I know, he never learned. I joined our local swimming club when I was about 12 and took part in local tournaments, I even played water polo for the club.

 

I've always enjoyed swimming, despite nearly drowning as a young teenager whilst larking about on a summer scout camp. Once I'd regained my breath and composure, I jumped straight back in the pool. I'm eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the open water sports center, which should be somewhere in the next 5 - 6 weeks.

 

Sheila can't swim, despite private lessons as a child and me trying to teach her, she is just too afraid of the water and hates it getting in her face, when that happens, it just causes her to panic, which is not good in water.

Edited March 22, 2017 by BSW01

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Interesting to compare the 'attitude' (I'm being extremely polite) of Andyram's Headmaster with the requirements of the Swimming Training Association which requires either a qualified Lifeguard to be present or for the teacher to be qualified as a Lifeguard - oh and the venue to be used must be risk assessed for suitability for the level of teaching involved.  It would appear that due to his apparent failure to comply with the necessary basic and professional guidelines the Headmaster is actually in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act as applicable to a school and that in consequence the governing local authority should be subject to prosecution for the failure of its school to comply with that law.  Any decent union rep (and its legal dept) could have a field day with that lot let alone the recent examples of victimisation and bullying.

 

Meanwhile in the cheery, but extremely soggy, Thames Valley area I have duly deposited the Good Doctor within a mile or three of the country house of a well known comedian in order that she can attend a training session for those involved in Riding For The Disabled activities - even though she's been doing it for several years and most of the ladies involved have been doing it for much longer ('suitable training has been given' will no doubt then be ticked off).  We - the memsahib and I - seem to be awaiting a break in the weather before progressing to the local branch of Tesco.

 

Oh and I now have an important call from 'BT' in (probably) India or Pakistan about my 'router security' but she did claim to be ringing from Newgate St although she couldn't confirm if it was near the prison - all almost plausible and she even gave me a 'phone number to call (which wasn't so plausible as some of her other blather).  In the end she gave up for some unaccountable reason although she called back after her first call had apparently timed out - maybe they're getting used to time wasters so I wonder if the chief crook is cutting them off if they don't get fast results.

 

Have a good day one and all

[lightengine]

Maybe Andy just does a brief lesson on swimming safety in and around the pool in class. A quick "put your hands up if you can't swim" and Andy raises his, just to show that its ok to admit that you can't swim.

 

Just imagine the conversations that evening in pupils households when the kids tell their parents that their teacher is taking them to swimming lesdons but he cannot swim.

 

Just imagine the Heads phone calls the next day. Well worth it.

[jamie92208]

I've had a good morning up at the chapel sorting various things on the layout. Quite a lot of Timebond has been used so I headed out to Morley to get some fresh air for a while. After lunch I'll be heading back for another fix.

 

I had a PE and swimming teacher for a mother she taught me some basic stuff but I never actually managed to swim until I got to the school I've just revisited. We had our own pool fed directly from the schools own spring with no heating. As many of the boys wore their trunks whilst playing rugby in the mud, we had to swim nude. Heaven preserve the school nowadays if such things were enforced. It's gone co-ed ! !!!!!!

 

Anyway when I went up to the senior school as a non swimmer I had to attend extra swimming lessons on one of my supposedly spare afternoons. It took about a term for me to get the hang of it and swim the required 3 lengths. The next week I managed 26 and since then have been a competent swimmer. I've always been grateful for that. My younger son taught himself when we were on holiday. He tried a snorkel out in the Med and found that once his head was in the water he could float without any problem. He just started swimming on his own and within a week was happily going with me to a breakwater 50 yards away and back. he went n to become a very fast swimmer at school.

 

Regarding Andy's situation I would second the suggestion about getting the order in writing but include in it the fact that the head had been informed that Andy can't swim and why.

 

Jamie

Edited March 22, 2017 by jamie92208

[Ian Abel]

Swimming;

i) Never surprised at who can/can't swim. Seems to be a real mix of folks. Even here in Minnesota, "land of 10,000 lakes", where a very large portion of the population have ready access to summer cabins on lakes or live near or on the waterfront of lakes and rivers, there are lots of folks that don't swim, and just as many where the entire family has swum from very early ages.

ii) I learnt to swim, parents orders, when I was about 6 on holiday on the Isle of Wight. There was a public pool right at the beach and they did kids swimming lessons. Swim when I can, since then, mostly at the lake in the summer now.

iii) We grew up right on the Thames, and my brother was immediately enrolled in swimming lessons after he fell off a flotation thingie in the middle of the river and barely survived drowning, rescued by the extremely fast reactions of one of the other dads.

iv) Both our kids learnt at early ages, partly due to us having the cabin, and therefore they were in the water most all the time when we were up there. Makes life MUCH easier when you don't have to worry about them near the water.

 

 

HUMP day...

 

Another day of little substantive to report yesterday, save the fact that, as always, any client issues that need addressing seem only to arise at the very END of the day, I often wonder if the staff do anything at all before 4PM!!

Otis day-care went as usual, all the four legged members of the household managing to sleep pretty much all day.

Jemma checked in from Phoenix, said she had to give up pool-side after a fairly short time due to i) it was 35C, ii) the pool became infested with kids (spring break for some over here) and a herd of wrinklies, by mid-afternoon!! Rough life 

 

Managed by about ONE MINUTE to beat the sunrise on the eastbound drive today, even then it was starting to get difficult - I'm now convinced more than ever that 99% of the population never go out during daytime, they seem so confounded by the burning orb in the sky!

 

Tonight we'll attend "soup supper" at church, the Mrs likes to participate with a personal contribution at least one week during lent. Then I collect Jemma at the end of her trip.

 

A quite chilly -7 driving in under clear skies, heading for +5 supposedly.

 

Working on through the HUMP towards the weekend.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Ian Abel

[tetsudofan]

Afternoon, just back from an appointment at the William Harvey Hospital at Ashford when I got the results of the biopsy performed at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital last month and was pleased to hear that there was no sign of any malignancy. Life can carry on now.......

 

Following receipt of the above news and after discussions with the Consultant it was decided that I'll get a TURP in about three months time which, he says, should keep me going for another 10 years.

 

Keith

[grandadbob]

I learnt to swim aged about nine or ten in the Great Ouse at Brampton Hunts. (No swimming pool nearby in the Fifties) My best friend's mum, who was a qualified lifeguard, taught me. Once she was satisfied you could swim non-stop back and forth across the river you were deemed good to go. I never looked back after that and was pretty  good in my youth and swam for the school. Haven't been in a pool for a couple of years but when I did I found all those years of smoking had taken their toll.

Kids and grandkids all taught at an early age and it's hard to keep the young ones out of the water.

 

 

PS The Ouse certainly did at the bottom - ooze that is.

Edited March 22, 2017 by grandadbob

[AndyB]

 

PS The Ouse certainly did at the bottom - ooze that is.

 

Did Thames Water re-route their bailiwick into it then?   

[lightengine]

Did Thames Water re-route their bailiwick into it then?

 

interesting to note that Bailiwick School is on Shittu Ahmed Street, Lagos

[Judge Dread]

My late father taught me to swim when I was very young. I found that once I had got out of the bag, it was quite easy!

It seems that in days gone by in Hull, new trawler men did not learn to swim because they had been told that if they went over the side in a place like the Bering Sea, they would freeze to death long before they could be rescued.

Andy, get someone to teach you to swim, if only the "dog paddle".

Best of luck with the union, when I worked for Hawker Siddeley, our shop steward was one John Sullivan, known to all as "John L."   

Edited March 22, 2017 by Judge Dread

[Horsetan]

 

 

....The Ouse certainly did at the bottom - ooze that is.

 

Did Thames Water re-route their bailiwick into it then?

 

 

interesting to note that Bailiwick School is on Shittu Ahmed Street, Lagos

 

Oh the serendipity!

[Smiffy2]

Maybe Andy just does a brief lesson on swimming safety in and around the pool in class. A quick "put your hands up if you can't swim" and Andy raises his, just to show that its ok to admit that you can't swim.

 

Just imagine the conversations that evening in pupils households when the kids tell their parents that their teacher is taking them to swimming lesdons but he cannot swim.

 

Just imagine the Heads phone calls the next day. Well worth it.

 

The teacher doesn't need to swim. There are lifeguards and probably swimming instructors. The teacher is there to supervise the pupils, not get wet. I've some experience of this...