Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

12 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

And a charmingly-named and delightful little spot it is too

I was hoping to visit there again this summer, but ...

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Coombe Barton

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

... is a village in Exmoor on the coast, a place with horrendous parking charges.

 

Coombe Barton I made up as a combination of two generic names, meaning "valley" and "the largest farm in the area".

 

But it then turned out that there's pub of that name at Crackington Haven,  Cornwall, home itself of some spectacular folded rocks

https://coombebarton.co.uk

 

Oops sorry, Coombe Barton ,  I've been to Combe Martin,... brain confusion and throw back,  as I've walked Exmoor several times some years ago.. 

At least I didn't call you Barton Broad with my interest in sailing,  I've sailed  there many more times. 

 

Sanding experiments seemed to work, but I won't know for sure, until the post sanding varnish has dried.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Barry O said:

When I was a child if we used "eenie, meanie, mini, mo" I didn't know what the words meant and never even thought about it as rascist.

Yes Baz. That's how systemic racism works. But the people to whom it is directed know what it means.

 

The Wikipedia page on Eeny, meeny, miny, moe is quite interesting. Apparently there is a Cornish version from 1882.

Quote

Ena, mena, mona, mite,

Bascalora, bora, bite,

Hugga, bucca, bau,

Eggs, butter, cheese, bread.

Stick, stock, stone dead – OUT

 

5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

So Guy Gibson was a racist because he called his black dog 'nigger?  

Perhaps Mike, but we can't conclude that. I don't see why remembering the dambuster raid has to involve his dog anyway, whatever it was called. It's a complete irrelevance.

 

5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

... the word derived from the Spanish 'negra' - meaning black (and no doubt the word 'negro' probably came from the same linguistic root).  Back in the 1960s (note, not the 1940s) my then girlfriend bought a suit in 'nigger brown - it wasn't a perjorative term but a  descriptive one in common everyday usage in Britain. 

It's Latin - niger, like the country. The OED quotes Lord Byron using it in the pejorative sense in 1811. A Washington Post essay from 2001 observes:

Quote

We do know, however, that by the end of the first third of the nineteenth century, n!gger had already become a familiar and influential insult.

 

Even the 17th century quotes in the OED under the heading "Used by people who are not black as a relatively neutral (or occasionally positive) term, with no specifically hostile intent." are pretty racist by today's standards.

 

I'm quite sure people used it regularly without intending any slur, (this being a hallmark of systemic racism) but it clearly was, at least from the 19th century. 

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The rain is predicted to arrive here in the early hours tomorrow and hopefully it would have cleared by lunchtime. The remaining component for the repair of my printer arrived today so I'll contact the engineer on Monday to make an appointment. Time for dinner, chicken and bacon pie and chips, be back later.

[The Stationmaster]

47 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

 

Perhaps Mike, but we can't conclude that. I don't see why remembering the dambuster raid has to involve his dog anyway, whatever it was called. It's a complete irrelevance.

But you surely can't conclude the opposite in any case - a word in common usage in the terms of that time can hardly be judged by the terms of today.  

 

The word is of course wholly relevant to the Dambusters raid because NIGGER. was the radioed code word confirming that the Möhne Dam had been breached.   So if Gibson was racist in naming his dog so was Bomber Command in the use of this code word.  We should always remember to judge history and language in its proper context and not. by what somebody decades later happens to think its context was or should be.  Alas the latter seems a common failing of many people in Britain nowadays witness their destruction or desecration of statues and demands to remove various books from libraries in places of learning.

[polybear]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Shortly,  I shall head out again,  this time to a little sanding experiment on the boat.  2.5 ltr of le Tonkinois varnish has arrived ordered a couple of days ago.  It will be deposited in the garage on a cool spot for safety.  That should allow me to complete the varnish renovation,  and give a supply for maintenance use. 

 

 

 

Out of interest, what did you use for the sanding experiment?  And have you any experience of le Tonkinois vernish - I often see it for sale at the Model Engineering Exhibition at Ally Pally at do wonder if it's actually as good as is claimed?  I seem to recall it's not cheap though.

[Coombe Barton]

Looks like I'm further forward on the caravan than I thought. Tomorrow a bit (not a lot) more cleaning then it'll be ready for loading. The only thing I have to find is the kettle, and that's in one of about fifty boxes behind me as I type.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Coombe Barton

[Ozexpatriate]

47 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

... a word in common usage in the terms of that time can hardly be judged by the terms of today.  

Mike, I think there's room for discussion that it was offensive then - even if many did not realize it was so and used it without realizing it had a pejorative meaning.

 

47 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

The word is of course wholly relevant to the Dambusters raid because NIGGER. was the radioed code word confirming that the Möhne Dam had been breached. 

Thank you for that factoid. I may have known that and dumped in the forgettory.  I presume it was chosen because of the dog? Or was there a different reason?

 

47 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

We should always remember to judge history and language in its proper context and not. by what somebody decades later happens to think its context was or should be. 

I wholly agree. As the very comprehensive definition in the OED provides, that word has a long and troubled history. I would draw your attention to the quote from a Graham Greene novel ("The Heart of the Matter") in 1948, roughly contemporaneous with the period in question and English, where he writes "Mustn't call 'em that you know."

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[AndyB]

Evening all. 

It was a busy week. 

Or should I say a busy 6 months leading up to a couple of lines of code being changed  

So, lots of planning and prep made things go smoothly.

Laurels were sat on for an hour or so and then we were off again with the next mountain off stuff to do. 

 

Rather looking forward to a 2-week holiday. A week in Salopshire as a starter to that. 

 

Meantime a Greek friend has shared some of his recipes which I'm going to have a bash at. 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

 

Out of interest, what did you use for the sanding experiment?  And have you any experience of le Tonkinois vernish - I often see it for sale at the Model Engineering Exhibition at Ally Pally at do wonder if it's actually as good as is claimed?  I seem to recall it's not cheap though.

I've used Tonkinois on the bench  I refurbished. It went on well though a litre cost me over €30. It covered well.

42 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Thank you for that factoid. I may have known that and dumped in the forgettory.  I presume it was chosen because of the dog? Or was there a different reason?

 

As far as I know the dog was run over in the morning of the raid and the codeword was adopted that day and the dog was buried when the codeword was received.

 

Jamie

Edited July 18, 2020 by jamie92208

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, AndyB said:

Rather looking forward to a 2-week holiday. A week in Salopshire as a starter to that. 

Dave, Dave, INCOMING!

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

As far as I know the dog was run over in the morning of the raid and the codeword was adopted that day and the dog was buried when the codeword was 

 

Jamie

There are many books on the Dambuster's raid, but by far the best two I feel are:

 

The Dambusters Raid by Dr John Sweetnam 

 

Chastise: The Dambusters by Max Hastings

 

John Sweetnam was one of my military studies tutors at Sandhurst  and he gave a rather impressive presentation on the research he had carried out for the book.  Not only did he delve into the raid in great detail, but also covered very personal issues such as managing to get hold of letters written to the next of kin by Guy Gibson the morning after the raid. 

 

Max Hastings has dissected the raid as well as looking into the background, planning and aftermath, especially from the German perspective. It certainly is in the same class as his book on Bomber Command.

 

Funnily enough, I can claim to have met both authors!

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Shock, horror....sunny all day on Fraggle Rock.  No cricket though.

 

Mega shopping day to the big city was had, which we do every 6 months or so for things we can't get in the local stores.  Then working on an R/C live steamer job for a friend, so not done in work time!  

 

Watched F1 Qualy, no real surprises except the performance of the ink Mercedes..... and a couple of British lads who are going to be the stars of the future IMHO.

[brianusa]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And a charmingly-named and delightful little spot it is too.  Not for the fainthearted as the roads on both sides are single-track lanes graded at 1:4   When you can safely reverse uphill along one of those roads for some distance to allow an oncoming vehicle right of way as the Highway Code requires then you can wear your driver's stripes.   

 

I learned to drive on such roads in my folks '49 Anglia, the one with 3sp transmission and wonky wipers.  I shouldn't like to do that these days with my old Lincoln which is a lot bigger and unlikely to fit, unless they've all been widened a bit!

      Brian.

[Gwiwer]

Evening all.   

 

A fine afternoon was had pedalling to and then sitting beside Teddington Lock.  Dr. SWMBO had arranged to collect some books required for WFH from a colleague there but we had around 45 minutes more or less to ourselves first quietly watching the river, the paddle-boarders, kayakers and occasional cruiser pass by.  Thames locks have recently re-opened to traffic after their virus-enforced closure.  River traffic isn't what it normally is and currently lacks most passenger-boats from the pleasure cruise operators.  The calm of low-tide dead-water around the lock and in the below-weir pool were very popular with paddled craft however.  Black-headed gulls were out in force too, along with the usual geese and ducks.  

 

Having returned to the Hill of Strawberries I was locking up the bikes when Neighbour (Upstairs) spotted me and asked if I had seen New Neighbours (Top Flat).  They share a common entry door and - as happens every time new tenants arrive - the new ones had locked the common door locking out Neighbour (Upstairs).  The latter was frustrated by that but more concerned about the effect of afternoon sun on her just-bought sausages; in the circumstances I agreed to her request to isolate the latter in our fridge until she was able to get in.  Placed inside a carrier-bag which was then wrapped in Cling Film the sausages thus became the first visitors inside the home since this nonsense began!  Humans are still not allowed in on instructions of Dr. "Remember I'm Vulnerable" SWMBO.   Within the hour all was well.  The landlord's handyman was despatched with a spare key to let her in and the sausages were reclaimed.

 

In other news I have GDB'd myself   Walking through the hallway between the bookshelves I managed to stub my starboard middle toe on the leg of the step-stool.  That caused it to impact into the index toe next door and caused me to utter expletives.  As I was on the way to the bathroom it was perhaps lucky that no other accident occurred!  Application of ice packs and a precautionary shoe have resulted in painful and restricted mobility.  The blue air has reverted to its normal absence of visible colour.  The toes are turning a reddish-black at the nails and I have everything crossed that they don't require medical attention.  

 

Time will tell.  If I can sleep tonight and walk in the morning then I can probably manage.  I reckon I have cracked toes several times in the past but have never had them treated.  Officially I have still never broken anything.  Unofficially however the total is something like toes (more times than I care to count), nose (once, possibly twice), wrist (suspected and cast but was never in fact broken) and a couple of teeth have had minor knocks to the corners.  

 

I shall retire to bed in the hopes of a pain-free night and some sleep.  Watch this space.  Sleep well when your turn comes.  

[brianusa]

20 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

My first Cornish pasty was consumed this evening. The verdict is that they are satisfactory, but the meat could have used more seasoning. As a result only half was had, the other will be saved for lunch tomorrow. Half a jumbo sausage roll was also eaten, which was excellent. The sausages will be tested tomorrow for breakfast

 

Enjoy your pasty which should be big enough to satisfy without adding anything else.  The cooking adds proper gravy to the meal or should do.

Yeghes da..

               Brian.

[laurenceb]

Rick, - OUCH!!

Night awl

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Dave, Dave, INCOMING!

 

Hey. I'd offer to buy you both a pint in the Salop Ian metropolis.

But I've forgotten the combination to my wallet!  

[iL Dottore]

Evening all,

The comment made about evaluating historical events (and people) in context cannot be emphasised enough as to its’ importance.

Many many years ago at university I had to take an obligatory history class (don’t ask) and early on in the semester, the professor posed a question to the class: “who would you rather see elected to run the country, an alcoholic, sexist, political turncoat who smoked like a chimney and suffered from sometimes crippling depression or a teetotal, vegetarian, animal loving politician who turned his small failing party into a national success”? The majority of the class voted for the second politician. (I don’t think I need to say who these individuals are, as it will be clear to anyone who has read a little history). Which goes to show you can’t make accurate value judgements on the past by the standards of today.

What many of the stridently vocal “Woke generation“ fail to understand, is that every country and every successful individual of the past has gone through periods or has done things that looking back were at the time perceived as necessary but with the benefit of hindsight may not have been, especially by today’s standards, the least worst option. As has been said by many, and in many ways, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. So, the erasing of the past is certainly not the right way to ensure the elimination of that problem for the future.

 

The other thing I wish to mention, and something that really infuriates me about the so-called “woke generation“ is although they are protesting against - to use the most obvious example - slavery, they are actually not doing anything about the modern day equivalents. There is plenty of evidence about modern slavery going on in the UK, from trafficked women to illegal immigrants forced to work in sweatshops for fear of  being shopped to the authorities, yet I don’t see these vocal protesters actually doing anything about that. It’s certainly not cynical to observe that it is easier and safer for them to pose for an Instagram selfie after a nice happy demo and a fun time defacing a statue in order to prove how “right on” they are, than to take on the very unpleasant and frequently dangerous modern day slave masters.

 

If we look back at history, we must never forget that at the beginning of each revolution the benign revolutionaries who are agitating because of a desire to make the world better, like Lafayette, unless particularly attentive and firm in resolve, are soon elbowed aside (if not eliminated by) the extremists such as Robespierre. And, as at least one famous Roman general and politician had observed, the mob is always baying for blood....

 

Good night all

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

couldnt get onto website last so didn’t report in and the night before I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed. Not much to report, football team almost relegated now, need a miracle to survive. Chair of my MRC has resigned due to other commitments and it’s going to be a big blow to the club. We on the verge of purchasing new premises so it’s come at a bad time.

Been with SWHBO to Bils to help with diy jobs today and did a bit modelling this evening.

Im ignoring a couple of topics at the momonet as I come here for a relaxing time and to talk bo88ocks. There’s too much ‘heavy stuff’ in the news, at work and at home.

The talk of fried bread and pasties has had to be ignored, both on my list of favourite foods, as being on gluten free diet I have had neither for a couple of years now. The talk about tea has also passed me by as I only drink coffee.

May have a lot on tomorrow so I will bid you all a goodnight and hope tomorrow is a good one for you,

Robert

 

[Coombe Barton]

If I were you, I wouldn't start from here

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/07/18/domestic-day/

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. There's a serious shortage of round tuits here at the moment. I still have to put the wheelbarrow together but my attention keeps getting diverted. I dead headed the poppies in the front garden today, they are opium poppies. I noticed one of the unripe seed heads had been nibbled by something. Whatever that something was it would be as high as a kite if it ingested the contents. I put the nibbled seed head in the green bin, the others were put in a paper bag to collect the seed.

[Tony_S]

Latest items on the track.

The chassis is for a 1963 Ford Galaxie.

 

[Barry O]

Totally worn to a frazz. Cricket took ages. Sun did eventually appear after we had got q bit wet. Pah,

 

I have always been brought up to believe its not the colour of the skin, its the nature of the person within it that counts. Perhaps my exposure to Golly W3gs and a childrens refrian  have  damaged me forever.. hopefully not!

Goodnight all!

Baz

[brianusa]

5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

We should always remember to judge history and language in its proper context and not. by what somebody decades later happens to think its context was or should be.  Alas the latter seems a common failing of many people in Britain nowadays witness their destruction or desecration of statues and demands to remove various books from libraries in places of learning.

Well said!  Its worth remembering that a certain party in Europe prior to WW2 thought it was a good idea at the time and look what happened to them.  

     Brian.