Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

I'm awake, but SWMBO is still pushing out the road drill emulator.

 

Now to clear up, the debris field that is the kitchen - just too tired to do it yesterday.

 

Today necessity shopping is planned - once we have taken stock of what we have vs what we need, the. Dog walking and lawn mowing should broth be on the agenda.

 

But a pleading look from a dog means that I'd better get up and feed her some breakfast.

[Gwiwer]

Morning all. The sun is shining upon the Hill of Strawberries in between a few light showers.

 

Must have been some sort of social event on as after midnight there was a large noisy crowd on the station and - judging by the amount of hornage in use by the approaching train - probably on the tracks too. Unusual for here. Time will tell if it was a one-off nuisance.

 

Bacon and eggs prepared and enjoyed. Might take a stroll to Teddington Lock later.

[Oldddudders]

Happy Hippo's tale of Deep Heat reminds me of a similar tale 50 years ago involving Sloan's Liniment. Except there were two participants and they hadn't been married long. She had a bad back and he'd been massaging it with the product. One thing led to another and you can imagine the rest...... My limited knowledge of the female anatomy suggests it would have been quite difficult for the victim to cool the affected area in the way HH's mate did. 

 

Sherry and I concluded long ago that alcohol may send you to sleep but tends not to leave you there for long enough. Not that we necessarily use this knowledge wisely every evening!

 

References to wind have me wondering if my recent purchase of a jacket in Gore Windstopper is a bad thing?

 

Unusually I am out for lunch today, at a restaurant in nearby Bonnetable. Peter and Ivy, who live at the other end of the village, finally have a buyer for their gorgeous house and gite in several acres, so this is a valedictory event. They will be missed, but his Parkinson's is getting worse, and they want somewhere quiet back in the UK, probably the Isle of Wight. Motor engineers seem to be very prone to this nasty disease, and engine oil is in the dock for causing it, apparently. 

 

I hope Sunday is serving your needs well.

[newbryford]

Just about to board for the last flight. After 25 hours of going forward, it's time for a backward step to UK hours.

 

Talking of time, the clock in the main area at Schipol is brilliant.

 

At first glance it looks like there's someone inside, cleaning it.

 

Then it becomes clear that it's a big video screen, playing a man, wiping out the hands and repainting them.

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

[Simon G]

Morning all, a nice day in prospect here. Most of the morning to far has been spent pressure washing part of the concrete drive. While walking up it yesterday, it seemed pretty slippery. BSW01, I can recommend a pressure washer for making slippery surfaces better, but I would suggest not buying the cheapest around. I did that once and the washer didn't last very long.

 

I watched part of Eurovision last night and the standard was consistently awful. The Spanish entry was dire and well worth the nil points that it got from the first panels!

[lightengine]

Especially if he's rubbed it in deep heat................

Edit 

 

PS it was not GDB!!

Of course it wasn't.

He would have hacked it off with an axe, sliced it with a chainsaw, superglued it to a door, stapled it to a ladder or something worse. Nothing that trivial for our Bob!

[Coombe Barton]

A little more awake now.

 

Dogs fed

 

SWMBO fed

 

Me fed 

 

(all in that order)

 

Kitchen and fridge about to be attacked in - according to SWMBO - a couple of minutes. She said that a quarter of an hour ago.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Head Gardener seemingly well satisfied by last night's heavy rain although weeds are now being mentioned along with hoes.  However I'm told that 'we' are going out to buy some compost  so that will mean a changing over of car positions in the drive in order to release the one with the level rear floor - not a major task but as the drive is strictly single line with no passing place it does take a bit longer:  perhaps I should get a turntable and a stabling bay outside the garage?  Talking of single lines I think I ought to start getting the Spinney Light Railway overall layout and signalbox diagrams round my head ready for next weekend's visit and it includes section with token working, the Great Cockrow 'family day' will be following next month but I have worked two of the 'boxes there in the past. 

 

I saw the first few minutes of Eurobore last night and that was quite enough for me thank you so duly settled down with 'Dad's Army' and 'Woman In Gold'.

 

Enjoy your day folks. 

[bbishop]

Morning all,

 

Playing catch up, again.  I enjoyed Friday lunch in Shoreditch, then a trip with Mike and Jamie to an unmentionable place, before the Bakerloo line to Charing Cross.  I had an evening drink in Petts Wood, but got off a stop early for a brisk walk through the woods.   

 

Then yesterday a haircut and a very good evening with HJ in the Royal Oak (a Harvey's Pub), sampling the Light Mild and Dark Mild.  Yes, they brew two Milds throughout May.  Life is progressing very gently in the right direction (personally, not politically).

 

Christian Aid Week - so I've delivered my envelopes, out two days, CAW collecting two days so my attendance on ER may be desultory.

 

Bill

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Woken at about five by the rain rattling the windows but soon went back to sleep. Found a large carrier bag full of carrier bags the other day when clearing out the shed. Somehow I have filled them all with old clothes and books for the charity shop. Talking of charity donations, I get no end of bags through the door asking for donations of old clothes for different charities. All these are from commercial concerns who pay the charities up front to use their name (and charity number). Very little if anything that you donate goes towards the charities coffers it is all towards the company distributing the bags. With that in mind  I collected up all the old clothes that were unusable and old worn out shoes and put them in one of the 'charity bags' that was in the name of a charity I had never heard of and didn't have a charity number and left it out for collection, its now been collected.

[PhilJ W]

Did we win Eurovision?

[AndyB]

I note that Tesco's mobile team are excelling themselves. 

I made my first phone call - or tried to - and got an automated message saying I'd already used up all my minutes. 

A quick landline call to their customer services quickly identified the cause....

Having reconnected my phone their IT department took the unusual step of setting all the usage parameters to "reached buffer".

Easily solved but apparently it'll take another 24 hours to fix. 

Not quite sure why their service agent couldn't just over-ride the system!! 

 

I've given them till tomorrow first thing to fix it or the contract will be cancelled. 

[Two_sugars]

Did we win Eurovision?

 

1 >  Why man, divn't be so daft!

 

2 >  Sorry, I don't Know.

 

3 >  Who Cares?

 

 

 

Please pick one of the above.

 

John

[Tony_S]

Did we win Eurovision?

Some countries clearly make sure they won't have to host it the following year.

[RhBBob]

Did anyone see see Michael Mosley's programme on getting better sleep last week. Very interesting and I suspect a good many of us recognise the importance between a decent night's sleep and a better quality mood during the day Apparently Kiwi fruit helps. and (surprise surprise), alcohol doesn't! I've been avoiding overdoing it this weekend and can report a definite improvement. 

 

I did not see this programme although I have MM's book on the blood sugar diet which has been very helpful in keeping the diabetes numbers down.  Like one other contributor this morning, my sleep depends on not hearing the large motorbike that is SWMBO's nasal passages !  

I usually move to the adjacent bedroom which, without the luxury of curtain linings, means that i awake with the dawn, so to speak !!

 

Yes, SWMBO used to object when I snored but this was met by a sharp dig in the area of my kidneys; something tells me I am not about to use that method....

[Tony_S]

Aditi said she couldn't hear the weather forecast on the radio this morning (I was snoring which is unusual) so she got up, opened the curtains and then went down to make tea.

[DDolfelin]

Travel currency:

There is a growing popular usage of specialist companies to change money.

In general they offer percentage points better in exchange rates.

However, it takes a powerful act of will on my part to release money in quantity in the hope that the postman will arrive with my holiday money a day or so later.

In most countries, a valid debit card will see us through but in Greece and the Greek Islands they are practically useless as the traders can't get the money out of their bank so it is becoming a cash economy.

Burglars please note: Brutus and Predator are on duty should you wish to make a house call.

I'll feed them when I get back.

[Donw]

I was told he wouldn't like the taste and wouldn't lick. He clearly licked more.

 

Just trying to clean the damn stuff off!

 

Don

[JohnDMJ]

Travel currency:

There is a growing popular usage of specialist companies to change money.

In general they offer percentage points better in exchange rates.

However, it takes a powerful act of will on my part to release money in quantity in the hope that the postman will arrive with my holiday money a day or so later.

In most countries, a valid debit card will see us through but in Greece and the Greek Islands they are practically useless as the traders can't get the money out of their bank so it is becoming a cash economy.

Burglars please note: Brutus and Predator are on duty should you wish to make a house call.

I'll feed them when I get back.

 

If they haven't fed themselves in your absence!

[shortliner]

 

Morning all,

 

Head Gardener seemingly well satisfied by last night's heavy rain although weeds are now being mentioned along with hoes.  

 

Enjoy your day folks.

In our neck of the woods "the Head Gardener" is a hairdressers in the middle of Inverness 

[Coombe Barton]

In our neck of the woods "the Head Gardener" is a hairdressers in the middle of Inverness

IN Mike's case the same person serves both roles? Edited May 14, 2017 by Coombe Barton

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl,

For the pre_ biotic I just went on to the site of the strong women, and ordered that which had good recommendations, which I think is from a company called myprotein.

 

The sleep was last night was about 6.5 hours which is good for me.

 

1/2 ton of concrete laid,

Framing for 4 shelves installed, precut shelves installed,

Framing for 4 more shelves installed, shelves cut and installed all painted.

Outline framing installed for more shelving, once the size and purpose has been decided, then they will be built.

For the first time this year it was warm enough to have the doors open.

 

SWMBOs temporary potting table moved, compost, sand and water barrel moved. This is part of tidying up the viewable area from the mobile home, in preparation for my parents visit.

 

Long soak in the bath had, now awaiting dinners arrival.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Back after a quick two day trip.  Many miles driven, and two tired people - getting up at 04.00 to avoid the traffic on the M6 tends to do that, and to upset the body clock for that day just a tad.  Excellent evening meal in lovely surroundings of sausages chips and mushy peas eaten in the car in a car park in Church Stretton during a cloudburst - my we know how to live.  BTW they were quite delicious and a lot more filling and tasty than the stuff we saw being served up masquerading as food on the Masterchef final a couple of hours later on TV in the hotel.

 

As a good ten pages have passed me by, it has to be generic greetings, and noted that RIck is back with us in the UK now.  Anything else that's urgent, please PM me.  Geoff didn't mention anything when I met him earlier today, so I hope that this bodes well. 

 

The bad news (for my bookshelves) is that I acquired a number of railway books during the trip - just about as many as I took off for the boot sale last week.

 

Also managed to miss the Eurorubbish last night, and also to avoid the results on the news.

 

Back tomorrow.

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited May 14, 2017 by 45156

[AndyID]

Oh goody! It's snowing on the pass.

http://lb.511.idaho.gov/idlb/mountainpasses/mountainpass.jsf?id=6

[emt_911]

A busy day with a lot of tasks completed

 

Washing - Done

Build a false floor in the van - Done

Shopping for items to make my lunch for the week - Done

Van re-packed - Done

Van washed - Done

Ironing - Still to do after a roast lamb dinner