Early Risers.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening all,

 

I got the Weeden power plant running today, with a heat source provided by a Bassett Lowke burner. A bit of pulley fetteling is in order me thinks. Next will be to do a bunch of math as to the feed pump piping etc. The video is titled in that way as this plant is based off one most likely made by John Fowler (Leeds) Ltd, and installed at the Luabo Mill of the Sena Sugar Estates, on the Zambezi in Mozambique. 

 

Tomorrow is some online learning, first time at new school so it should be absolutely riveting. Some more English style sausages have been scrounged up from somewhere, they are a vast improvement on the last ones. One was had for lunch accompanied by a fried egg and similarly prepared toast. Yesterday after the speedy frivolity had ceased the man who wrote my signature came by and dropped off a scan of the ancient original track map for the raceway, which is now up on my wall and covered in various apex and track out markings. Unfortunately it only has 3/4 of the track, as the rest was on another negative and has been lost. 
 

stay healthy

 

Douglas

 

 

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

It rained for most of the morning, but eased off just enough so that when I went in at dinner time for something to eat, I didn’t get wet in the process. 

 

Whilst we were eating dinner the sun came out and then shone for the rest of the afternoon. Some more progress has been made with the control panel, I’ve spent most of the time putting cable ident markers on all the wiring, this will make fault finding a lot easier should one arise in the future. I’ve also fitted the common 12v to the items requiring that voltage and the 0v line to all the circuit boards, I’ll carry on with this next weekend. 

 

Goodnight all 

[brianusa]

My only knowledge of the Broads is reading Swallows and Amazons and other Arthur Ransome titles.  Although we did some sailing on Plymouth Sound in Mayflowers as long as there was a dead calm.

        Brian.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

Lovely photo the Sea looks like a mill.pond

You want a calm sea - this is ion the middle of the Engllsh Channel taken during our 2014 week on the briny - what is called a 'glass sea' (and you can see why).

 

Firstly our ship, THV Patricia (we were in a workboat like the blue one you see on the davits) and then the reason why we were there - the Varne light vessel. On a more recent visit to the area the sea was more like normal with sime reasonable size waves to enjoy plus an occasional splashing as it came over the bow of the workboat.  (We should have been having our second week this year on 'Patricia' starting this coming Wednesday but all passenger trips were cancelled for this year so we like lo like missing out on yet another week on the North Sea.)

 

 

 

[The Johnster]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

And on that note, I bid you all a splendid Sunday evening. I am off to play with my Battleship in the bath (it’s the end of August, time for my yearly visit to a tub full of hot, soapy, water)

iD

Quite right.  Elizabeth the First had a bath every year, whether she needed one or not.  

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

As hinted yesterday, I will be out and about today.  If all goes well I will remember the way to Harpenden and Stevenage, not having visited either settlement or the friends who live there for five months or more.  I am not expecting to do any m*d*ll*ng but have put the toolbox in the boot in case anything from it is needed in the course of the day.  The car will feel a lot better after travelling about 100 miles, for since that ruddy virus took hold of our lives I have been hardly anywhere except the supermarket.  A prime selection of CDs has been extracted from the hessian bag and if the mood takes me I shall wind down the window and share my music with everyone in earshot.  It’s all in the best possible taste.

 

On another matter altogether, I do hope that the snow in Australia does not harm the koalas.  They have been through quite enough over the past 12 months as it is.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

The rest of the year is cold, soapy, water??

7 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Quite right.  Elizabeth the First had a bath every year, whether she needed one or not.  

Well, exactly. Dear old JS missed the point. One has a bath, once a year whether one needs it or not, whilst the rest of the year one washes ones bits as and when they become available. One must be careful not to remove the natural effluvia that protect one from disease and, as any man of physick knows, washing saps the male life giving fluids 

11 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

.. I enjoyed the series, but not bothered about the foodie side i'm afraid, but I was surprised to see the canal ended somewhere I have been. Well not where it strictly ends, but Steiny went on to Port de Bouc, near Fos, where I once went on a ship!  My first taste of real French croissants...oh maybe I do like the foodie bits!

It’s interesting to observe how many people from Britain say, as you did Neil, that they are not fussed about the foodIe side. Then they go to the continent or to Asia and try the local food and are utterly gobsmacked. This, I think, is due to the fact that whilst there is an awful lot of really good quality and really amazing food available in the UK, there is an awful lot of stuff that is - to put it charitably - “industrial” And when people try a properly made “X” for the first time (as you did with the croissant) it is a revelation.

10 hours ago, brianusa said:

I'm always amazes at what you guys do around the house.  I wouldn't know where to start, so I give whomever a call and have them do the fixing, whatever it may be.  I would rather have it done properly than have me mess it all up and I never touch anything I know nothing about, which covers a lot!

       Brian.

Ah, the joys of being cash rich and time poor! When I do employ skilled artisans, it’s usually because the work to be done, although conceptually easy to grasp, requires a degree of experience. So, for example I’m perfectly happy to wire in a ceiling lamp, but balk at replacing the wiring...

8 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

...Some more English style sausages have been scrounged up from somewhere, they are a vast improvement on the last ones. ...

Have you ever considered making your own British bangers? If you can master the arcane art of the new-fangled steam driven engine, making your own soss will be a doddle! The secret is to keep everything (including the mincer) very cold....

7 hours ago, brianusa said:

My only knowledge of the Broads is reading Swallows and Amazons and other Arthur Ransome titles.  Although we did some sailing on Plymouth Sound in Mayflowers as long as there was a dead calm.

        Brian.

I too was under the impression that S&A took place on the Broads, but apparently (according to Wikipedia) the location in the books is a thinly disguised Lake District.

One lives and learns..

7 hours ago, The Johnster said:

But you live in the US where things are done properly by proper tradesmen.  In the UK our artisan class is by and large incompetent and criminal, sometimes incontinent and animal.

I say, that’s a bit harsh. I am not familiar with the ins-and-outs of training and certification of the skilled trades in the UK, but I am under the impression that anyone can set themselves up as a plumber or electrician or... Here in Switzerland, (for example) all electrical work has to be done by a properly certified (i.e. properly trained) electrician. And the authorities will check if work is up to standard. When our house reached it’s 50th birthday we had a visit from the local Baupolizei, who approved of the work we had had done to modernise the house; the only thing that was not approved was the neon lighting I had installed in the back cellar (I think the reason was that I hadn’t correctly sited the lamps, thus potentially being a fire risk [albeit incredibly remote]).The lamps were replaced.

Your comment does, however, remind me of numerous articles in the popular press that claim that Eastern European artisans (predominantly, but not always, Polish) are preferred for quality work. 
To be contentious, I wonder if the situation The Johnster describes is due to the fact that the artisanal trades aren’t as respected in the UK as they are on the Continent and that many youngsters would rather go to Uni and study “media studies” or “intersectional poetry” than go through a (demanding) apprenticeship?

Anyway, it’s a nice, cool and cloudy Monday morning and I’m off to “meddle in things man should not meddle with” in the home office.

iD

Edited August 24, 2020 by iL Dottore

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I too was under the impression that S&A took place on the Broads, but apparently (according to Wikipedia) the location in the books is a thinly disguised Lake District.

One lives and learns..

 

 

No confusion. The series tells of adventures in a variety of locations including the Lake District, the Broads, and the South China Sea.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Compound2632

[TheQ]

The first Book,  Swallows and Amazons is indeed set in the lake district, but with I believe Peel Island on lake Coniston transferred into Lake  Windermere.

As were the books , "Swallowdale", "Winter Holiday", " Pidgeon Post", and The "Picts and Martyrs".

 

The unfinished "Coots in the North" starts on the Broads then moves to the Lake District.

 

"The Coot Club " and "The Bix Six" are pretty accurately based on the broads especially in and around Horning just yards from my sailing club. The broads and places are very recognisable.

 We often still call the waterborne Grokles of the noisy intrusive type ... ...Hullabaloos..

 

The Books " We didn't mean to go to sea and Secret Waters are based around Suffolk and Essex particularly around Walton on the Naze.

 

"Great Northern " Is set in the Outer Hebridies, which was relevant to me, as just having read it for the first time, we moved there!!

 

The other  two are on the Schooner Wild Cat, set in the Caribbean  and the China sea are " Peter Duck" and " Missy Lee"

 

Me an avid Ransome fan? well I was.. what do you think got me into sailing..

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by TheQ

[polybear]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I am not familiar with the ins-and-outs of training and certification of the skilled trades in the UK, but I am under the impression that anyone can set themselves up as a plumber or electrician or...

 

I believe that anyone can set themselves up as a plumber, so long as they're not dealing with Gas - for that you need to be trained and Corgi(?) Registered.

Electricians also need to be certified - or their work signed off by a qualified electrician

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare..

3 hours , then as I tried to move to a more comfortable position and shuffle the duvet around... cramp in my right thigh... boy did that hurt, I can still feel it now..  2 hours then 1.5 on the sofa, a good total in the end.

 

The hands are complaining a bit this morning,  All I can say is... INCOMING!!

 

At the entrance to the outer lab, we have a sanitizer dispenser position... I think it was installed by Morecombe and Wise... You place your hand under the nozzle, press down the button with the other hand. and it sprays out anywhere, but not your hand . This time it was up my arm. But it's favourite is in embarrassing places..

 

We are back to full manning in the outer lab, as that's the last of the furloughed / must take their holidays back..

The incoming, for service, equipment racks are looking a bit empty.. Is this the start of the recession beginning to hit?? We normally start getting stuff in, as people return from Summer holidays, then build up to the end of the year, as those companies that use that for financial purposes, send their equipment in to use up their budgets..

 

One major System this week, I'm just setting up the DC voltages Potential Divider. ready to get started on DCV..

 

Time to.. get started..

 

 

 

[TheQ]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I believe that anyone can set themselves up as a plumber, so long as they're not dealing with Gas - for that you need to be trained and Corgi(?) Registered.

Electricians also need to be certified - or their work signed off by a qualified electrician

" Corgi" Was replaced by " Gas Safe" in 2009... (decision made 2006)

Edited August 24, 2020 by TheQ

[Barry O]

12 hours ago, The Johnster said:

 

 

Post no longer relevant

Baz

Edited August 24, 2020 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Woken by heavy rain about 4am but got back tosleep ok. Now sunny but cool up here in the North West Leeds Highlands. 

 

Trip to the post office followed by a trip to collect my prescription.

 

Having spoken (at last) to Nurse Drac (Sister Drac has hurt her back so is bot able to work at the moment) the message was.. keep on..do more exercise..call if your aches and pains in your legs , knees and hips are still a probem..

 

I have rried some joint relief..doesn't seem to work at all... never mind.

 

Now get out and get Monday sorted..Carpe Diem!

Positive thoughts to all ERs especially the "missing" ones

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

Good morning from a nicely sunny but slightly cool Charente.  The delights of digging out at the  corner of the wood shed await me later so I hope that it doesn't get too warm.  

 

I too am an avid Ransome fan and have most if the series in hardback. I was unaware of the unfinished one and may have to try and get hold of a copy.

 

Yesterday went well and I even did some scanning and measuring of small bits of brass.  We laughed ourselves silly watching Bridget Jones' Baby. We also had a goodc40 minutes chatting to Martin and Katie in Lincoln.

 

Chrisf, I hope that your journeys go well and Rick, I'm glad that you had such a good day out.  Douglas, that engine set up looks great. Well done.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin‘ awl. Long time no see as ever so often currently... 

 

Currently out of Leipzig for a visit to my mum and dad oop narf till Friday. Weather up here is much more to my liking: Sitting underneath the terrace sunroof with rain pouring down. Yes, I absolutely do love it after the atrocious heat we had at home for the past few weeks!  As I keep saying, if income and work were all sorted one way or another, I guess the northern climes were my preferred homestead without question.

Annika loves keeping her grandma and grandpa on their toes as well.

 

Enjoy whatever you’re up to...

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

By the sloshing sound the passing cars are making as they pass by our house we must have had some more overnight rain, if we did I was completely unaware of it. Up a little later than usual, but today isn’t a normal day anyway, as it’s going to be a long one. I’m due at The Christie this morning, I’m attending the Nuclear Medicine Department for my full body bone scan. My appointment is at 12 o’clock, but I’m advised to be there 15 minutes early to get ready for my injection of radioactive dye. However, due to the current screening process the hospital has a one way system in place. You enter via one entrance, so there is usually quite a big queue and exit via a different entrance. Both these result in a long walk to and from the car park, so I need to get there for about 11 - 11:15, to give me plenty of time to book in and get to the relevant department on time. This means that I’ll have to leave home just after 10:30. Once I’ve had the injection I will then have to wait approximately 3 hours before the scan takes place, so I will then decamp to one of the rest areas and wait there for the duration. The cafes and restaurants aren’t open either, so I also need to take my own dinner, this will be a sandwich etc and a couple of bottles of water to keep me going. The scan itself takes around 30 - 45 minutes, so I’ll be there for most of the day.

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

 

Brian. 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. My brother was an Electrician, the company he worked for specialised in fitting out hospital operating theatres so any work had to be perfect. As a senior chargehand he had to double check the installations after they had been signed off by the electricians. When I need a tradesman to work on the house I go to Checkatrade.com, I have always found them to be very good and have never had any problems. Also their prices are quite reasonable. Time to get on, be back later.

[iL Dottore]

Greetings all,

 

Just taking a break from my "real job" and - today - I am writing a guideline for the management of a particular medical event. That's not the news, the news is that in researching this guideline I consulted a number of documents published by various NHS trusts (in order to see if there is a consensus on treatment). One of the worst documents I found was a 10 page document, of which 3 pages (one section) were dedicated to the management of the medical event (and some of the language was incredibly simplistic for a document aimed at medical and nursing professionals), One section was dedicated to Monitoring compliance and effectiveness and another section was dedicated to Equality and Diversity, There was a two page Appendix dedicated to  Governance Information and a second, three page, appendix on Initial Equality Impact Assessment Form (which contained such vitally important medical questions such as "Are there concerns that the policy could have differential impact on... "sexual orientation" [which was one of 8 "Equality Strands" none of which had any bearing on the management of the medical event in question]):

In comparison, the SOPs from the last big company I worked for were/are a model of focussed clarity....

 

I remain totally flabbergasted...

 

Now back to work...

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It would have been Matthew’s 28th birthday today. We try to remember what we were doing on some of his birthdays. Quite often we were returning from holidays or in later years he was away somewhere. He was impossible to buy presents for, he always said he didn’t need anything. I think we sometimes managed to pay for a flight or train fare! 
Tony

[Coombe Barton]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Gas - for that you need to be trained and Corgi(?) Registered.

Now known as GasSafe. Son is. And a plumber, fully trained.

[iL Dottore]

Really sorry to hear about today being about bittersweet memories, Tony. Not much to add except to say that the miscreants on ER are here for you if you need support or just want to share a memory.

 

iD