Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Well the rain held off and I’ve been able to clear away a few more sods.

 

After dinner I tidied up my gardening tools, wheelbarrow etc and the went to the workshop. This gearbox that was making a motor run hot was tested again today and all seemed to be ok, so I assume the lubrication that I put on it before I left the workshop must have done the trick. A start was then made on a MARKIT gearbox which I picked up at the Manchester show in May.

 

Just as I was starting to make tea it started to rain, so I went out and put a few old compost sacks over the last few sods, so that they wouldn’t get wet. Once I was back inside it stopped raining, anyway I decided to leave them on, just in case! Which was a good job, as whilst I was at Salford Quays swimming, the heavens once again opened up. I managed a total of 4 & 1/2 laps, 2.4k or approximately, 1 1/2 miles in around 67 minutes, even managing a complete lap (500m) of front crawl. I then got soaked walking back to the car after getting changed.

 

Deb’s, good evening.

 

Goodnight all.

[AndyID]

In the US the "best before" dates are determined by the supplier/manufacturer and therefore might be slightly suspect. But, that doesn't stop me rummaging around until I find the one with the latest date

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[lightengine]

Nothing like a steak tartar with raw egg in France!

 

I've noticed that my local butcher here in Darkest West Sussex does not wash hands between handling beef, pork and chicken yet still has a 5 rating!

As long as he washes them after handling his meat!

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[Horsetan]

The £76 SLW Class 24 turned up a few days ago:

 

 

 

There were several reasons why it was so cheap:

 

 

 

Is very broken!

 

As I need P4 wheelsets for it, I wonder how easy or difficult it might be to buy replacement parts....

Edited July 17, 2018 by Horsetan

[Barry O]

Hello her Debship..hope you are keeping well. I hope you can escape hospital asap. We do miss you...loads !!

 

Right you lot .. especially Ivan..if her Debship is amongst us..work to the rules..ie no model railways on here...that awl all is blooming sharp!

 

 

A nice evening with friends and family..imcluding a pint of Cameron's Strongarm in the Head of Steam in Headingley

 

Time for some sleep so?. Night all!

 

Baz....eye sight not quite right..

Edited July 17, 2018 by Barry O

[lightengine]

The £76 SLW Class 24 turned up a few days ago:

image.jpg

image.jpeg

There were several reasons why it was so cheap:

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

As I need P4 wheelsets for it, I wonder how easy or difficult it might be to buy replacement parts....

Just watched it on Youtube, it looks great

[Ozexpatriate]

Green meat isn’t too good either.

Is green meat a euphemism for being a vegetarian......?

If we used "Green" = ecologically sustainable, then, chicken is "green meat"? 

 

Per unit of protein mass, chicken production has far less environmental impact* compared with say hogs or cattle, particularly in terms of total water and arable land (including water/land needed for chicken food). 

 

* Except for the stink.

 

On a per unit of protein mass some of the so-called "super foods" like almonds are the absolute worst offenders in terms of total water required. Nuts are a very bad choice from an ecological sustainability standpoint - worse even than hogs. So is olive oil.

 

I don't remember where I sourced this. Units are US/Imperial.

[BR60103]

We are cooling off as weather blows in from Ian Abel's area. Thermometer says 18 but the breeze blowing in is cooler.

We booked a program of a Chaplin film accompanied by the Wurlitzer then found out that extra cousins will be here that day.

 

And Baz can now share my Indian name, "He who stares down lasers with both eyes".

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

We have another rather warm day to look forward to.  The temperature is due to get up above 30°C today.  We really need rain now!

 

Have a good day everyone...

[AndyID]

Yippee! Over the hump now.

 

Skiing starts in five months, or even less

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all, and welcome back to Debs.  You still qualify for warm thoughts.

 

An e-conversation last night about, among other things, holidays reminded me with a jolt that I'm off myself in just over a couple of weeks.  Sidmouth FolkWeek beckons, although a printed copy of the programme would really make me get my behind into gear.  I need to round up tent, spare tent, sleeping bag, air bed, pump, clothing, torches, mallet, tent pegs, medication, sun block, various other lotions and potions, boots and all the stuff that I will remember when I really put my mind to it - ticket receipts for one thing, lanyard and delegate badges for another.   My e-friend Harry is off to South America in late August and would be bemused at this list.  I doubt somehow that he will be camping.  I have no choice.  If I wanted shelter in bricks and mortar I would have had to book it well over a year ago and pay through the nose and many other things.  I usually sleep quite well under canvas and find it good for the soul, if not necessarily the small of the back.

 

Something else will require my attention before I head south-west.  When I arrived at Hatfield House on Sunday the car told me that it is due for an oil change in 700 miles' time.  By the time I got home this had changed to 600 miles.  Finding a date for the work to be done is not straightforward and is likely to be perilously close to my departure date.  One very important task is to alert my aunt in Bristol, who on past form will be pleased to make me a cuppa on my way down.  I need to own up to being in Bristol last Saturday without seeing her.  I wonder if she will like the idea of me marching in a parade?  Only one way to find out ...

 

Warm thoughts to Andyram, Andy P, Robert, Simon, Tony and Aditi, Mal and all who are in distress or missing.

 

Chris

[jamie92208]

Morning awl from a rather damp Charente.   First of all Hi to Debs, lovely to see you posting, even if it did induce spine tingling fear.

 

Yesterday we had a good bit of rain including one torrential downpour that flooded our neighbours yard.  I hardly dared tell them that a lot of the water had run off our land as we are slightly higher up than them.   Fortunatley the water drained away without causing any damage this time.   There is an ongoing saga with drainage with dark mutterrings.  Some drainage works were done in our neighbours street which have made their problem worse but by some strange coincidence the mayor's daughter's patch no longer has flooding problems.   Rats are being smelled.

 

We had a few drips through the bedroom ceiling as we are still waiting for a gut to come and re do the roof, then the gazebo blew over.   As we need to use it today I have now got to go and get some strips of steel to splice and mend two tubes.

 

Anyway it has dawned bright but cloudy today.   Some friends are coming over from Limoges (80 miles) and Chris is bringing his chainsaw so that we can drop a tree that's strangling the plum and damson trees.   Then a BBQ before they set of back.

 

Baz, I'm glad that the laser work went OK.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[roundhouse]

 

  'As we need to use it today I have now got to go and get some strips of steel to splice and mend two tubes.'

 

 

We have a few spare tubes from when our blew over and broke but a bit far to drop them off on my way to Godalming this morning. Off to see an ex work collegue for lunch and help him out with his new Android phone.

 

I have just ordered a new gazebo so I can use it as a make shift spray booth till the new shed is built.

 

At the moment is a bit cooler here but the sun is out and will no doubt worm up a fair bit.

Edited July 17, 2018 by roundhouse

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Still hot.

 

IIRC, a former friend told me that the Use By date was invented by Sainsbury's as a tool to ensure stock rotation.

 

 

Food use by and sell by dates = bunkum and possibly even excrement of bull! Use your common sense.

 

 

 

A quick Google reveals this:

 

https://www.tnonline.com/2011/jun/18/milk-expiration-dates-courtesy-al-capone

 

Quite amused that he is referred to as a Chicago businessman.

 

and also this :

 

"The humble sell-by date actually has a surprisingly short history. It was introduced in Marks & Spencer's storerooms in the 1950s before making its way on to the shelves in 1970. It wasn't even actually called a “sell-by-date” until 1973"

 

 

As far as using common sense I agree however when someone is employed to check things like sell by dates etc and told repeatedly over many years that if they get it wrong they will lose their job and they and the company will be prosecuted then you might possibly understand why they may get a bit paranoid about it.

 

Not much planned today apart from a brief visit to check the dates on some of Messrs Sainsbury's products.

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited July 17, 2018 by grandadbob

[TheQ]

My cousins husband was telling me about some of the testing regimes where he works. They have containers set up to simulate conditions in various climates for vehicle parts. Some of these run for months. He is coordinating moving the factory to a new site. There is a time where all testing has been planned to cease and then restart once the equipment is installed in the new place. I am not sure if even generous time allowances survive contact with the builders!

we don't have containers but we do have chambers, so each new item is heat soaked , and then tested. All newly designed items are given the full heat  and cool routine, to well beyond the specified limits of use.

 

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Here,

 A very good nights sleep even though I had to decend the stairs at around 02:00, to escape the heat up there. Even so 25C in the living room this morning.

As I drove in a band of cloud swept over, so hopefully it will be cooler today.

 

Yesterday after work we went to SWMBO's Weaving group to collect all the old woodwork and kitchen units. Anything of use I'll keep, the rest goes on the bonfire. Today we'll go again, to collect the bricks from the counter. They'll be buried under the patio when I start building the next section. It's saved the weavers the price of a skip or two..

 

Talking of Bonfires, I'll really be glad if they cut the wheat and bail the straw around us in the next few days, it's getting really crispy out there. Yesterday, kids were seen setting fire to gorse on Mousehold heath (Norwich). Now I'm out in the wilds and there aren't to many around, But next week they start their Holidays...

 

We have to retune the TV again today, as yet another stage of channel shifting occurs.

 

 

Awlfully nice to see the Awl has returned... Yippee!!!

 

Time to... take the next measurement...

[Black Marlin]

Morning all, and hello to Jason Isaacs.

Also, hello Debs. We haven't spoken, but I've been warned you're a dab hand with pointy objects. I'm all for keeping life interesting, so that should be fun.

On today's agenda: having just about finished with the course I was reviewing (a 5-hr job that turned, in the end, into a 34-hr job) I am expecting a somewhat easier time of it; I'm just not sure what it is I'm meant to be doing. No doubt something will turn up. I've also noticed a slight easing of the ribs, which is great: quite apart from the pain they've caused, I've also been unimpressed at the celibacy they've enforced. 

Kind regards heaped with gleeful abandon on those unable to run away;

Tinkety-tonk, etc.
Gavin

[Barry O]

Boy did it rain here last Night! Should freshen up the outfield at Headingley for today's odd.

 

Hope all is well with those that ail.

Baz

[45156]

Morning All

 

Great to see Debs posting, and a reminder that the awl is still present  - now how's about an update on how you're doing and when you're due home (or are you posting from home) I;m guessing that as you've also posted on FB that the latter may be the case.

 

Generic greetings to everybody else as well.

 

New fridge freezer is due tomorrow, time still TBA - that will be THE FOURTH that we've had in seven years under the Currys repair plan, as nowadays they don't seem to carry spare parts to any great extent. 

 

Bacon bagel now called for and another mugacoffee.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

Another dull start to the day, but sunshine is forecast for today. Despite last nights downpour and one last week, United Utilities have given a date for hosepipe bans, 5th August!

 

Once I’ve finished my muggertea I’m making a cheesecake, as we have Ava, Evie and Max coming for tea tonight instead of Wednesday, as tomorrow we will be at The RHS Tatton Flower Show. It will be the first time we’ve been on member’s day, so hopefully it will be a little quieter than usual.

 

Back later

[AndrewC]

 

Greetings all from the borough most boring. Another hot day in the pizza oven we call a house. Last night around 1am the gears on the bedroom fan's oscillator gave up the ghost with a loud crunch. piece-o-crap. 

 

The saga of the building works continues. Builder finishes his meds tomorrow and intends to be back at work on Thursday. (like Alice I try to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast) In his absence I called the skip hire company to remove the now overflowing yellow tub of crap. It's been slowly filling with rubbish from afar since the building work stopped. They sure don't hire rocket scientists to work in their office. Called on Thursday. (we will confirm the pickup time and date with you) Also told them 3 times during the call they can't pickup before 10:30 as the neighbour works odd shifts and won't be around to move his car before 10. So..... 08:00 on Saturday completely unannounced the poor b*ggger of a driver turns up. D'oh. Another showed up yesterday morning too early as well. Finally third time lucky around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Of course all this means is the builder is going to have to get another skip in next Monday. Painting the front room has revealed a p1ss poor plaster finish in parts. That will have to be redone. Meh. 

 

Work is a steaming pile of yak excrement at the moment. Let's just say out of 38 people in our practice, we've lost 7 in the past 6 weeks. 2 of those were senior consultants, and a third is on long term stress leave. That leaves just 3 of us for every project on the books. I've been juggling 4 projects over the past 2 weeks. Throw in the stress of the building works and I'm about ready for the man with the nice white coat and long sleeves to take me to the rubber room. 

 

Hi Debs.  See, no train content. 

 

Meant to say this before: Hi Gavin. 

 

Bas: no rain here. Please send some. SWMBO has emptied all the water buts trying to keep her garden from looking like the surface of Venus. 

 

Tony: I haven't worked out what model of LR you bought. We came close to a Disco Sport last year but decided to keep the Freelander for one more year. It's 16 now and ready for retirement. 

 

Stewart: Why can I picture you camped out with a tent in front of your fridge freezer, Simpson's style, trying to keep cool. 

 

That's about it from me. More coffee awaits.

 

Enjoy the day. 

[81C]

Morning Peeps

It's day out day today  Her & I are off to Alton for some retail therapy she will make a bee line for the

frock shop I will be visit the Railway Emporium for more supplies of scenic material and just maybe as there

are sufficient  modelling tokens in the stash a new narrow gauge loco for my Indian Hill Railway the Bachmann

Baldwin looks very nice the pink one with no cab roof.

I see the High Priestess of the Awl is back with us I hope she is well and all those who quake in their boots at

the mention of this sect will have to start behaving themselves again.

 

Just to rub salt in the wound of you guys here's one I took earlier. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                        enjoy your day P.I.Staker

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Warm here.

Aditi has gone to Brentwood for a haircut and then lunch with a friend. I think I remember what I need to do, something about putting washing out. Main task was contacting Eurotunnel to provide my car registration. Their online system did not identify it. It must have been their problem as every other “enter your registration”system identifies it. Very nice man on their customer service line dealt with it.

Andrew couldn’t work out wihat I had purchased. The remote control for locking and finding in a car park needs a name so mine is called Rory, onomatopoeic and alliterative somewhat. I recall Andrew’s layout modules just fitted into a Freelander. I suspect that they would comfortably fit into the Disco Sport I returned yesterday but not into the Evoque.

Tony

Edited July 17, 2018 by Tony_S

[Horsetan]

.....There is an ongoing saga with drainage with dark mutterings.  Some drainage works were done in our neighbours street which have made their problem worse but by some strange coincidence the mayor's daughter's patch no longer has flooding problems.   Rats are being smelled....

 

See, this is one of those delicious rural conspiracy theories that is simply fascinating to hear about and, even better, it comes from deep France. They could serialise this for radio and call it The Archers and.....oh wait....hang on.....

 

Les paysans se révoltent doesn't have quite the same double-entendre that it has in English but, even so, it's far more entertaining that the rubbish they tend to dole out on the telly these days.