Early Risers.

[roundhouse]

Good morning from a cloudy Surrey.

 

ChrisF - Guys is not an emergency hospital but they do have a walk in centre. Used to walk past Guys at least twice a day to and from work. Still not missing work. I may have some modelling work for a few people, one is building a layout and other fitting decoders in older locos. We shall see how that develops but not rushing into anything for some time.

 

Off to Mums soon to install more venetian blinds for her.

[Barry O]

Morning everyone!

Mugatea, then breakfast then car bodywork shop to be drunk/eaten/visited.

Then...undercoat a mainly brass item, followed by a top coat then.....

 

Have as good a day as youcan. Warm thoughts to all that ail and to our missing Ers.

Baz

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Cloudy start but a warm and humid day with sunny spells, light winds and the chance of the odd shower is promised.

Just had a phone call from son Steve asking if we can help out with some shopping for him as he's laid up with gout. He was diagnosed with it a couple of weeks ago and given some meds and has just got back from holiday in the South of France. It wasn't too bad while he was away but flared up again yesterday when he went back to work. Luckily he is able to work from home one or two days a week so will be doing that until it eases. Never suffered from it myself but those who have tell me it is bloody painful.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[jamie92208]

Morning all from a sunny corner of France.

 

The feeding of the 5000 went of well last night and was judged by all to be a success. We ended up feeding 16 who had starters of nibbles round one table. Beth had made two dips, a blue cheese one and a really strong garlic one. Then a main course of Lasagne with a choice f vegetarian and meat. These were made with pancakes instead of pasta and there was very little left. Friends had made two large trifles and a chocolate cake. Then drinks continued and Beth got her guitar out and we started a singalong. However for some reason the ants decided to fly and swarm so we retreated inside. I managed to round up enough chairs in the sitting room and we continued with one of the guests taking the guitar over. All in all a great night and great credit to the domestic goddess.

 

This morning, most of the washing up has already been done and I've made a start on sorting chairs and tables out. The recycling bin lorry has been and gone.

 

We have some friends coming from England for a week tomorrow with their severely autistic 16 yr old daughter so the calendar is empty until we see how Hannah settles down in strange surroundings. So some prep work for that visit will be done.

 

Chrisf I hope that you do seek some medical advice if things get no better.

 

GDB I hope that Steve's gout settles down, we had a neighbour up in Leeds who had it and I never realised how bad it could get.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[Black Marlin]

Greetings all, and hello to Jason Isaacs.

I am assured that some proper work will show up tomorrow. Today I am to occupy myself. 

Kind regards shuffling round all and sundry muttering "gissa job";

Tinkety-tonk, etc.
Gavin

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner temple Here,

A very broken nights sleep, but there was a reasonable amount of sleep.

 

Two cockwombles on the way in, both doing the same thing, that is braking and or stopping for pigeons!!, Must be grockles... The second one was also dramatically slowing for any sort of bend or curve, but then putting the boot down on the straights.. 

 

Intitial scans for information on removal of sail numbers from sails, seem to indicate all sorts of highly volatile substances, of which I have one Acetone, which is used for cleaning unset fibreglass resin off things. 

This is normally after pulling off the numbers, how much they may want to come off after 30 years on a sail could be interesting, so they may need a soak. ( I will be wearing an appropriate filter mask, gloves and eye protection when using acetone).

 

Though I've decided I'll leave the Initial K on the sail and follow that with a one.  Then above that, remove the Kestrel "wing" insignia and replace that with a Cresent moon in Blue.

The Crescent Moon for two reasons,

One, the English translation of the name is Blue Moon,

Two she was built in a Muslim country and they often use the Crescent symbol.

 

Similarly the name will be written on the stern in Arabic, with English beneath.

 

I haven't been able to pin Down when GBR was introduced instead of K as part of UK sail numbers, other than the Olympics used K in 1988 and GBR in 1992.

 

Well more measurements are needed,

Time to get on with it..

[jamie92208]

This is normally after pulling off the numbers, how much they may want to come off after 30 years on a sail could be interesting, so they may need a soak. ( I will be wearing an appropriate filter mask, gloves and eye protection when using acetone).

 

How times have changed. When I worked in a lab at BP in 191 analysing oils we had gallon cans of acetone and toluene above the sink to get oil and grease off our hands. Oh and the one concession to H & S, a warning notice about the danger of scrotal cancer from contact with mineral oils. The imagination boggles.

 

Jamie

[chrisf]

There is a tale of turmoil to tell but not today as I am still making sense of it.  Bear with me.

 

Scrub that.  I don't want to think about it any more.

 

Chris

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

Another dull start to the day, my first task will be the weekly Sainsbury’s Grand Prix. After which I’m hoping to get some more work done in the garden, weather permitting, if not there’s always the workshop.

 

This evening we have a guest, Evie is stopping over, we may well have two, if Ava makes up her mind to join Evie, will have to wait until later to find that out.

 

Back later

[lightengine]

Loads of it. To not panic about floating in the sea for the best part of half a day suggests borderline paralytic to me.

Even the lowest open deck was a distance above sea level and the sea at the stern of the ship wouldn't have been very calm with several screws thrashing the water around.

[PeterBB]

Hi Guys,

 

Gout, a build up of uric acid crystals in the joints as I think Rick well knows, is very painful and those who came under the famous Judge Jefferies just hoped that he was not having an attack for if he was their sentences would be longer/more draconian.

 

Jamie's gallons of acetone and toluene have reminded me of a stopper not properly fitted in an histology laboratory over a hot night.  The following morning one of the staff collapsed and others felt queasy - both of the chemicals are these days rated as dangerous.  

 

Here we go again- memories - bacteriology this time - 1 we used to be provided with our cups of tea at the bench, 2 an unnamed person used to stick the plating wire in TB samples before it cooled and bits spurted everywhere ... thank goodness it was in a fume cupboard.  3 The TB bacterium has a fatty covering and to stain it we had to heat the slide, and it could spurt.  If TB was present the red stain was taken in and the bacteria could be identified under the microscope.  All of these are now more than 50 years ago but vivid memories.

 

Peter

Edited August 21, 2018 by PeterBB

[lightengine]

I have a large collection of my late Fathers metasyntactic variables. Washers, brass screws, roundheaded screws, mixed screws, brass locks, plumbing bits, useful lengths of this and that, old woodworking tools, boxes of tacks, nails, brackets, you name it he saved it.

Metasyntactic variables, dontcha just love 'em?

Why did he save all these things I hear you ask. For that rainy day when something would need fixing. Sadly not enough rainy fixing days came in his lifetime.

[lightengine]

A ha!

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/british-woman-jumped-from-cruise-deck-after-argument-with-boyfriend/news-story/d0e2362bf5d9d992f52ac3d4ec0391fa

[Black Marlin]

A ha!

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/british-woman-jumped-from-cruise-deck-after-argument-with-boyfriend/news-story/d0e2362bf5d9d992f52ac3d4ec0391fa

Note to self: walking out on your partner is a particularly bad idea when you're at sea and the only place into which you can walk out is the middle of the Adriatic...

[lightengine]

Note to self: walking out on your partner is a particularly bad idea when you're at sea and the only place into which you can walk out is the middle of the Adriatic...

The words queen and drama spring to mind. I hope she is prosecuted for that. She wasted time, fuel etc for the cruise ship and the rescue craft. She should have more respect especially as a trolley dolly with safety in the air training.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Chris please go to the Doctor or - probably even better - go to A&E and get yourself properly checked over, even hanging around for ages won't be too much of an imposition if the visit at least results in reassurance and at best results in treatment/relief.

 

The woman who went overboard in the Adriatic still remains a mystery to me as various things (already noted above) don't make much sense and the shipping company with their 'flag of convenience' registered and crewed vessel aren't exactly likely to be unbiased although if there really is video evidence it could probably prove things one way or another.  I find the ship's Captain's behaviour overall rather puzzling - quite what good would come of turning a vessel that size to search for a single body in the water at night  strikes me as more of a sop to legal obligations and public opinion that a practical search option.  Perhaps the latter point is demonstrated by the fact that those using suitable kit in daylight actually managed to find her rather than run her down, and reportedly not far from the position where she went overboard.  All very strange with far more to it - in several ways - than might be immediately apparent.

 

I believe I shall today be charged with once again cleaning vacuum, partly infested with orange cat hairs which miraculously have not made their way to a convenient black hole.  In the meanwhile we've had the entertainment of our 'pet'(!!!!) Red Kite again alighting outside the open back door to have a meal, a camera was, alas, not to hand.

 

Have a good day one all (and Chris do what you've been told to do, go visit the medical profession)

Edited August 21, 2018 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

The words queen and drama spring to mind. I hope she is prosecuted for that. She wasted time, fuel etc for the cruise ship and the rescue craft. She should have more respect especially as a trolley dolly with safety in the air training.

One suspects that if nothing else she was likely to have been under the affluence of incohol and it is not unusual for those in such a state to do daft, and dangerous, things.  

 

While I still think it was rather pointless using 61,000 (nett) tonnes of ship to go looking for a body/person in the sea at night one point has to be considered and that is the legal requirement (which applies even to vessels registered under a 'flag of convenience') to comply with SOLAS and ICS regulations - basically I suspect that the captain had little legal choice, and even less choice in respect of public opinion, even if he thought the exercise would be fruitless.

[jamie92208]

I have a large collection of my late Fathers metasyntactic variables. Washers, brass screws, roundheaded screws, mixed screws, brass locks, plumbing bits, useful lengths of this and that, old woodworking tools, boxes of tacks, nails, brackets, you name it he saved it.

Metasyntactic variables, dontcha just love 'em?

Why did he save all these things I hear you ask. For that rainy day when something would need fixing. Sadly not enough rainy fixing days came in his lifetime.

I have in the shed a set of drawers, 4 rows high and 8 long that was made by my great uncle (Born in the 1860's) and which was then passed to my father and subsequently to me. 2 rows are screws and nails in half inch increments the other two could well be described as metasyntactic, eg washers, nuts, hooks, hinges etc. I have lost count of the things that I have mended using bits from those drawers. In Gildersome it stood on top of the wine rack made from land drain pipes, here it will be mounted on substantial brackets on the wall above my bench when I get that made.

 

 

Jamie

Edited August 21, 2018 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. GDB, I also suffer from a form of gout which itself is a form of arthritis. I was advised to avoid red meat, red wine and tomato's, (red for danger?). That though was 35 years ago and I have slipped a bit as I have cold sliced beef and tomato's in the fridge. He should eat plenty of oily fish as well but I'm sure the dieticians will point him in the right direction.

 

Note to self: walking out on your partner is a particularly bad idea when you're at sea and the only place into which you can walk out is the middle of the Adriatic...

The words queen and drama spring to mind. I hope she is prosecuted for that. She wasted time, fuel etc for the cruise ship and the rescue craft. She should have more respect especially as a trolley dolly with safety in the air training.

She should be prosecuted as a good few of her fellow passengers were leaving the ship at Venice and as a result missed flights and suffered other delays.

[BoD]

The words queen and drama spring to mind. I hope she is prosecuted for that. She wasted time, fuel etc for the cruise ship and the rescue craft. She should have more respect especially as a trolley dolly with safety in the air training.

All the news stories at the moment are still using the words 'reportedly' and 'it is claimed'.

[grandadbob]

Back from shopping for Steve and then ferrying him to & from Doctor for more meds and then clinic for blood tests.

 

Met one cock/henwomble (couldn't see properly as their head was below the level of the headrest and possibly the top of the seat!) Actually I'd call them a Prat in a Prius, driving at 30 in a 40 zone in the outside lane of a dual carriageway and them slamming on the brakes (yes slamming) and almost stopping when spotting a speed camera. I heard myself uttering language that I didn't know I knew. 

I stopped in plenty of time as I had a feeling, judging by their speed,that something like that might happen so was keeping well back. 

[Rugd1022]

Afternoon all, usual greetings / sympathies all round to those in need of same,

 

DIRFT has duly been shunted on the 'crack of dawn' shift (on a rest day no less as we're four men down this week), my relief turned up early so now the kettle is on at home, as is the trusty battery charger for the Mini's hopefully trouble free sojourn to the MOT emporium tomorrow morning. I count myself as extremely lucky to have a sympathetic tester very close by who still loves getting old cars up on his ramps, not to mention two Mini specialists and a very talented body and paintwork man all within a radius of twenty miles from chez 'ere abouts. Her indoors has just started work on a batch of psychedelic pendant / jewellery thingumybobs, using a mix of inks and enamels they wouldn't look out of place adorning a stray Beatle to two c.1967. I've asked her to do a purple one for me to hang off the rear view mirror in the Cooper S, at least it'll match the paintwork and fake fur floor rugs.... well, it makes a change from furry dice... 

 

Stay safe all.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Rugd1022

[The Lurker]

 

  The ever solicitous Harry asked me when we were e-chatting on Sunday if I had had to go to hospital.   Where it happened was right next to Guys but it never occurred to me to go in. 

You'd've been irritated. They would've sent you to St Thomas' where the A&E is located.

 

edit - to remove duplication

Edited August 21, 2018 by The Lurker

[Purley Oaks]

Afternoon all

 

Ian, glad your flight home was good but sorry to hear about the swollen ankles. I suffered after my only recent long-haul from Chicago. They went back to normal after a day or two. Like you I have a little hypertension.

 

An interesting day yesterday at the bookfest. Saw Ali Smith being interviewed by Nicola Sturgeon - Ali is a magical speaker as well as a magical writer, and Nicola's a real natural (as you'd expect). Both connected really well with the audience. Loved it!

 

In the evening saw Yanis Varoufakis with Jeremy Corbyn. All a bit academic with lots of chat about neo-liberalism and so on. Even with a relatively sympathetic audience Jeremy needed a bit more fire in his belly; still got no idea where his party stands on B****t. I asked a question as to why his party weren't streets ahead in the polls and didn't really get a coherent reply. A bit underwhelmed when I wanted to go home happy!

 

Tonight we're seeing the GRIT orchestra perform Martyn Bennett's Bothy Culture at the Playhouse, which Chrisf should know, I think. Looking forward to it. Front row seats!

 

Hope you're getting plenty of culture in your own bothies.

 

Mal

[newbryford]

Mention of once readily available chemicals - the other one that springs to mind  is Carbon Tetrachloride. Often used as a cleaning agent.

Highly toxic to the liver and other delicate bits.

 

Off to lunch. It may involve a short trip to Arcow Quarry.

 

Catch up later.

 

Cheers,

Mick