Early Risers.

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

I ask the question - "Where does power come from on a windless night with a calm sea at high tide?"

 

From a battery that you charged up earlier when you were generating surplus.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is still very dark in this part of the world - but fairly mild (6°C).  There is a bit of a biting wind though.

 

Time for a coffee!

 

Have a good day everyone...

[Robert]

6 hours ago, Kingzance said:

What is frightening to me is our dependence upon interconnectors. In a civilised world we can get along but we only need a politician to throw a dummy out of his or her pram and our lights go out.

 

That's very true.  What really needs to be done is Europe wide investment to develop a unified energy policy which is safe, efficient and sustainable.  However, I suspect that the political will to do that isn't there.  All the time that we can muddle along in some way, shape or form everything will continue as usual.

 

It is true that a lot of France's energy is generated by nuclear, but of more concern (to me) are the two reactors in Belgium (Doel and Tihange).  Both reactors have micro cracks in their pressure vessels, but Belgium is dependent on the stations for 40% of its energy needs.  If anything were to happen there, it would become everyone's problem alarmingly quickly.

[chrisf]

Harrumph!  I have spent half an hour composing only to find that my well chosen words have disappeared into cyberspace.  Thank goodness for back-up.  This is what I said:

 

Good morning one and all

 

I tried to get an appointment with the minor illnesses nurse yesterday.  Since I last tried it, almost a year ago, the procedures have changed.  To stand any chance of seeing someone at the beginning of next week, I must phone the surgery at 4 pm on Friday.  I suppose that they are taking a calculated risk that most of the patients will either get better of their own accord or die before they can be treated.  It seems that I have several more nights in prospect of being awakened with a coughing fit in the wee small hours.  That tends to rule out for the foreseeable future any chance of waking from my slumbers refreshed and ready to face the world.  Having said that, the 3 am hack was much less severe last night.  As is so often the case, we will have to see what happens.

 

Today I’m off to see Poorly Pal in Stevenage and this evening we will be with the Hitchin chapter of the Royal Corps of Train Spotters.  Some m*d*ll*ng should get done during the day but this will depend on how rough I feel.  There should be time before I do battle with the A1 to clear up the ironing that did not get done yesterday but I have to say that there is a certain absence of enthusiasm for the task as I type.

 

My attention has been drawn to an item on “Good Morning” yesterday featuring a report by Dr Scott Miller on the koala hospital at Port Macquarie.  It may be found on YouTube and is a fine and well balanced piece of reporting.  When it comes to raising awareness, every little helps.  As I have said elsewhere, it is fine and dandy for carrots and potatoes to be parachuted into the scorched areas once teeming with wildlife.  However, we need to remember that koalas need eucalyptus leaves.  How this commodity is to be sourced could be a good question.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

Edited January 14, 2020 by chrisf

[Ozexpatriate]

36 minutes ago, Robert said:

... of more concern are the ... two reactors in Belgium (Doel and Tihange).  Both reactors have micro cracks in their pressure vessels ...

Oregon had one nuclear power plant, connected to the grid in 1975. By 1992 cracks were discovered in steam generator tubing and the plant was decommissioned. It was finally demolished in 2006 with the implosion of the cooling towers. 

 

In 2005 the reactor vessel was shrink-wrapped and barged up the Columbia River and buried whole in a pit in the Hanford Nuclear Reserve / environmental disaster area (where the plutonium for the ww2-era Trinity and Fat Man was produced, along with a staggering amount of subsequent nuclear weapons). In it's heyday, Hanford was served by the Pacific extension of the Milwaukee Road (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad).

[TheQ]

9 hours ago, PeterBB said:

As were the Normans who came over in 1066.

 

I Know I'm descended from at least one of them...

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, 1055 /659.

 

As people have said very windy, at about 21:00 a huge gust came through, roaring round the house instead of the howling, and after that it started easing. By this morning not a lot of wind out there, Ben the scaredy collie still didn't want out though..

 

Much thought has been going into the "porch " for the back door of the shed I'm down to two designs, and I must decide which, by home time to night, as I'm going to a big orange shed to get the wood. It's also been decided I'm building another raised bed to grow Swedes in, since Brassicas can't be grown in the same soil every year, it's recommended there is a a 4 year rotation, so that means 4 raised beds need to be built.....

Talking of growing, further GI /GL research has shown not all spuds are the same.. GI/GL wise. Desiree being one of the highest and Nadene being one of the lowest. as they are the two varieties stocked by out local farm shop you can tell which one we will be buying..Even if in much smaller quantities than before.

 

The NDR is being altered again not sure how, but there is a carriageway closed and vast quantities of cones deployed,,

 

Time to.. go measure something..

 

 

[roundhouse]

Good morning from a very calm Surrey. Winds were howling past our bedroom till early hours but I still slept.

 

Will be back in the shed working on the layout. Its all working but still require point motors in the fiddleyard and the turnout frogs wiring to the Gaugemaster circuits when they arrive today.

[jamie92208]

15 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

IIn 2005 the reactor vessel was shrink-wrapped and barged up the Columbia River and buried whole in a pit in the Hanford Nuclear Reserve / environmental disaster area (where the plutonium for the ww2-era Trinity and Fat Man was produced, along with a staggering amount of subsequent nuclear weapons). In it's heyday, Hanford was served by the Pacific extension of the Milwaukee Road (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad).

Is Hanford where they store the pressure vessels from dismantled nuclear submarines ? It must glow in the dark there.

 

Good morning from The Charente. No strong winds here but we did have a lovely sunset last night.  We then went out to a quiz and came home with a bottle of fizz. Today we may well go shopping this morning but orders have not yet been posted. More painting of shutters, indoors fortunately, then take the car to the garage this afternoon for some work to be done. This will deplete the muddling fund.  In between times I will continue a census of wagons on the layout.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

[TheQ]

Just received this missive from HR..

Living wage, I'll point out cleaners are outside contractors, so not affected, so it shows how low our wages are working for this "high tech firm" though I'm above the living wage level..

Apprenticeships, Finally the company are going to train people,  we have quite a few vacancies, so they are going to train people rather than increase wages to attract people..

Holidays... that's a cut back, you used to have all year to use the carried over days,

Everyone benifits, well I had the discount card, it saved me 5% at the big orange shed / Boots /The Works...another cut back.

Equipment loans, admittedly not used often, there aren't many who need to borrow a 8 digit DMM, but it's still another cut back..

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by TheQ

[Ozexpatriate]

42 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Is Hanford where they store the pressure vessels from dismantled nuclear submarines ? It must glow in the dark there.

Yes, according to Wikipedia.

Quote

A US Navy nuclear submarine reactor dry storage site containing sealed reactor sections of 114 US Navy ships as of 2008

But that's not all ...

 

The biggest issue at Hanford is that it was the location for the world's first plutonium enrichment facilities with Reactor B. They didn't really know what they were doing. Lots of horrible things ended up in the ground - all essentially on the riverbank of the Columbia River - the largest river in the Pacific Northwest.

 

It is a "Superfund" site.

 

There are tours. I've driven by, but never taken a tour.

 

I don't know if you are able to see this, but it's a good local documentary.

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Catch the weather report and then run a bath, be back later.

[Kingzance]

Even given the frequent lack of corroboratory evidence found in some Wiki documents, that post by Michael  is very informative. Having made so many nuclear reactors for both military and “peaceful” purposes, there needs to be a global management of how these and the waste from their fuels are dealt with but politics will prevent that. Meanwhile, how does the world obtain enough energy for its ever-growing population without resorting back to carbon? Once more I suggest that simple numbers of people are the biggest challenge to survival.

 

On that happy note, good morning all. ChrisF has covered the reason that my Sister in Law says is why hospital A&Es are overstretched, that of being unable to see a GP in a reasonable time -and she is a very experienced A&E nurse in a major hospital. Muggertea No1 consumed. Bins are out ready although bin operatives will no doubt not bother to put them back where they should be if they empty them. Fish, golf, cribbage and an additional meeting this evening beckon. Be good, be careful and be healthier.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Kingzance

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well it isn’t raining and the wind has died down, but it is cool, around 6C at the moment. My first task is to complete the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, on the way there I’ll drop Sheila at the hairdressers. Once back home and the shopping is packed away and I’ve had a second muggertea, I’m hoping to head back downstairs and start applying some top coat to the drawer fronts. 

 

Back later. 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

There was plenty of rain overnight and there's more to come this afternoon.

We are going to Sainsbury's as well to pick up some extra supplies as Joe and Gemma are visiting after school.  At  least I will cheer up a bit while they're here as  that dark animal is trying to escape.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by grandadbob

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It was windy last night and rained too. Just dull now. 
Aditi is off to Brentwood for a haircut. I have been left to manage some soup production. 
Tony

[Sir TophamHatt]

Morning all.

 

A windy evening last night and the down pour of rain was pretty good.  I love extreme weather.  I find the drone of this 8°C - 12°C range of cloudy skies but a cold wind just a little too boring.

 

Spent last night n the sofa... with the wife - 3rd trimester of pregnancy so she's big now and needs to sit a bit more upright while sleeping.  But as she suffers from heartburn and indigestion (because of the position of the baby), she struggles to sleep.  Pills for heartburn, that (GET THIS!) the midwife said was okay, the doctor said most women had another medicine so prescribed that, to which the midwife said that was banned!  Talk about fast moving!

 

Should be a good week for the railway though.  Cleared off some old coaches so it looks a bit bare.

Gonna have to fill that with something to make it look a bit more alive.

Must get on and continue detailing though - that's the next key part.

 

[BoD]

1 hour ago, Kingzance said:

ChrisF has covered the reason that my Sister in Law says is why hospital A&Es are overstretched, that of being unable to see a GP in a reasonable time

 

We had a much better, although worrying, experience with the NHS yesterday.  My daughter has been under the weather since New Year’s day with what appeared to be a cold.  Over the weekend she started vomiting frequently. On Sunday  a call to 111 and a booking at a walk in centre resulted in a diagnosis of sinusitis?  As she was still vomiting and feeling much worse by yesterday morning a phone call at 8am to her GP resulted in an appointment at 10past 10.  As her husband had already gone to work she asked me to go down and take her.  She was in with the doctor a fair while and he wasn’t happy with symptoms which by now included a very high heart rate and other anomalies.  He booked her directly into the Emergency assessment/admission  unit of the local hospital and offered her a (non emergency) ambulance to take her.  As I was there I took her.  There she had the best of treatment and after after various assessments and treatments, including rehydration and various injections, was feeling a bit better.  Tests continue.

 

We are still worried about her and weren’t  too impressed with the 111 service but can’t fault anything thereafter and are grateful for such a service.

 

Morning all. Enjoy your day and may all who are ailing feel better soon.

[polybear]

3 hours ago, TheQ said:

Just received this missive from HR..

Living wage, I'll point out cleaners are outside contractors, so not affected, so it shows how low our wages are working for this "high tech firm" though I'm above the living wage level..

Apprenticeships, Finally the company are going to train people,  we have quite a few vacancies, so they are going to train people rather than increase wages to attract people..

Holidays... that's a cut back, you used to have all year to use the carried over days,

Everyone benifits, well I had the discount card, it saved me 5% at the big orange shed / Boots /The Works...another cut back.

Equipment loans, admittedly not used often, there aren't many who need to borrow a 8 digit DMM, but it's still another cut back..

 

 

So once the Apprentices are trained they'll b*gger off elsewhere to companies that do pay a fair wage.....

The company where I work released the results of an employee opinion survey several years ago.  One dept. in particular was noticeable in that the vast majority of staff were pleased with their salaries & pay rises etc. etc.  Any guesses which one? 

Edited January 14, 2020 by polybear

[Shedman5]

Morning, just back from the local builders merchants with all items required sourced. A slight diversion on the way back saw me stop and purchase a bacon and egg sandwich which was excellent and of course that has been duly forgotten in conversation with other half!

 

Grey ( as always these days) and now starting to rain with high winds forecast for later, hopefully time in the shed beckons later but a few household tasks to complete first.

 

Enjoy your day

 

Alan

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

So once the Apprentices are trained they'll b*gger off elsewhere to companies that do pay a fair wage.....

The company where I work released the results of an employee opinion survey several years ago.  One dept. in particular was noticeable in that the vast majority of staff were pleased with their salaries & pay rises etc. etc.  Any guesses which one? 

I think they are hoping that because we are in deepest Norfolk there are few places to Bigger off to . Thats why wages are poor here..

[The Lurker]

5 hours ago, TheQ said:

Just received this missive from HR..

Living wage, I'll point out cleaners are outside contractors, so not affected, so it shows how low our wages are working for this "high tech firm" though I'm above the living wage level..

Apprenticeships, Finally the company are going to train people,  we have quite a few vacancies, so they are going to train people rather than increase wages to attract people..

Holidays... that's a cut back, you used to have all year to use the carried over days,

Everyone benifits, well I had the discount card, it saved me 5% at the big orange shed / Boots /The Works...another cut back.

Equipment loans, admittedly not used often, there aren't many who need to borrow a 8 digit DMM, but it's still another cut back..

 

How can you loose a holiday? is it some kind of tethered animal?

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Late arrival due to the walkabout time.

 

Flight e cellent apart from the pompous pirrock next door..guess who had 5 beers, 5 wines and 3 lots of food?. In between time he missed my head with his large luggage as he took it out of the locker before making even more noise putting it back in. It appears he is one our many "non value added" financial people. He could have used Slype or similar. Pah!

 

Wind farms..rotating electrical machines give me a head ache.  They are plum ugly and are not environmentally friendly during their construction,  maintainence and removal phases.

 

I worked on JET the fusion tokamak. One day it will be able to generate enough power to self sustain. But it does need a kot of less than abundant materials in its construction.

 

We could use smaller reactors (navy submarine types PW2 and PW3). These could be netwroed to provide power while leaving a smaller item to dispose of. Problem is we have political urge to take reactors apart but the work done at Wundscale and Sellafield shows it can done.

 

After a bit of a walkout I am told we are off to the bar later..lummy what have I done wrong now?

 

TTFN

Baz

[Kingzance]

With tongue firmly in cheek, how about towing our discarded nuclear-powered vessels up the nearest waterway to provide a source of power for when the wind doesn't blow / the sun doesn't shine and to provide a source of non-fossil based local power to the most rapidly expanding areas of population? Can you imagine the uproar in London, Birmingham (after dredging some canals), Manchester (dredge the MSC first), Liverpool and Glasgow if this was the solution to their ever expanding demands for carbon-free electricity? 

Seriously, Baz is making a good point. By keeping things small and local, we get away from large transmission networks, cut the impact of a major outage and have more manageable lumps to deal with when they reach the end of their lifespan.

[81C]

Afternoon All

I got a call very early to go and see to Zeus they have a cctv in the house to check on him the buqqer has ripped up the lounge carpet and spread his morning meal all round the kitchen floor

I cleared the mess and shot off to meet Lady Basingstoke, what a bore she was didn't say much just like the slapped #rse I can't be done with that sort of woman.

 

I went back to the dog he had ripped up even more carpet my daughter will hit the roof when she gets in tonight, I re-tidied everything and cleared the second lot of food up 5 minutes down

the line he had done it all again while I was filling in a hole in he had just dug in the garden I think his days are numbered I left the 3rd lot of mess so they could see what he had been up to.

 

Must get on Carp I. Tright. 

[Kingzance]

In one of the finest acts of hypocrisy this year (so far), Luton Borough Council (owner of Luton Airport who are attempting to expand by 65%) publish a policy proposal as per the attached report:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-51106816

 

The flight path for LTN is normally over St Evenage and particulate pollution is already running at around 5x WHO levels.