Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

I thought I may have been turning into my dad.

 

But I'm now sure that I'm not.

 

Because I've just thrown out a couple of pieces of 'useful' wood.

 

[EDIT] But they did go into the kindling pile

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Coombe Barton

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where it is cool but dry.

 

I agree with PhilJW about checkatrade - unless we have a personal recommendation re a tradesman, we pick one from there; they have to have consistently good reviews over a reasonable length of time - i wouldn't choose the newly registered who has 5 10 out 10s in preference to the firm that is averaging 9.7 over 5 years. We hit on some very good plumbers/gas fitters/bathroom fitters and have used them a number of times.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

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.

 

It seems even sites like Checkatrade can have their downsides too; admittedly this article dates from 2014:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2671559/Can-trust-website-claims-banish-cowboy-workmen.html

It's worth researching the checking site you are using too, it seems.

Best story I heard of was the woman who had a new bathroom fitted.  Some time afterwards she noticed a sewage/drain smell; Plumber who did the work couldn't be contacted....

It turns out that he'd left a gap between the toilet soil pipe going thru' the inner wall, and the outside pipe coming in thru' the outer wall.  Result?  The cavity wall was slowly being filled with sh1t.......

Luckily the insurance picked up the (very large) tab, which included ripping down walls, cleaning out, disinfecting, dehumidifying, rebuilding, plastering, decorating, plumbing......

 

36 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

I thought I may have been turning into my dad.

 

But I'm now sure that I'm not.

 

Because I've just thrown out a couple of pieces of 'useful' wood.

 

Reckless.  Very, very reckless.  You'll need them next week, mark my words.  Book, Play, Film, T-shirt......been there, done that.

[TheQ]

16 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

 

 

 

Reckless.  Very, very reckless.  You'll need them next week, mark my words.  Book, Play, Film, T-shirt......been there, done that.

Pipe, Cardigan, slippers.

[BSW01]

Afternoon all

 

The roads were fairly quiet and when I got to the main entrance there wasn't the large queue I expected, so I arrived at the department around 20 minutes early. I was seen exactly on time and I'm now radioactive and will be for several hours. I'm currently sat in the sunshine, but relative warmth of conservatory. If it's not raining at dinner time I might eat dinner outside. 

 

Back later 

[Tony_S]

25 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

I'm now radioactive

After one of my tests I was given a letter to show in case I set off any radiation alarms in airports or railway stations. This was before lockdown/shielding. Also I had to keep away from small children or pregnant women for a few days. 
Tony

[The Stationmaster]

G'f day all,

 

My father was a skilled tradesman who served a 5 year apprenticeship and the bu ig difference today is that some trades don't require apprenticeships and NVQs give some people the idea that they are qualified tradesmen.  But as already mentioned gas plumbing etc work requires Gas Safe registration - which means training courses - electrical work is very tightly controlled including certification, there is now Water Safe registration for plumbers.  If you engage any tradesman to do a job you're a totally naive idiot if you don't first assess and check out his past workmanship and any good tradesman will be happy to arrange for you to see examples of his past work.  Checkatrade can be good but personal recommendation is ideal if you are looking for decent tradesmen or you pay a bit more and go to a proper company that complies with various standards.   And I speak as somebody who this week will be paying our plumber the thick end of £2,000, and his work comes with a guarantee that any problems, should they arise, will be dealt with free of charge.  so sorry but unless you an idiot you aren't over likely to be caught out by spiv, so called, tradesmen taking the whatsit out of your ignorance.  If nothing else just watching them at work will quickly tell you how good, bad, or indifferent they are and in many areas if they can't do a better job than me I will quickly see that they are not what they claim to be, a maxim I also applied back in my big railway days.  Back to earth.

 

Rain clouds look to be gathering outside but on the bright side I have mushrooms for lunch today although the current packet of bacon produced one very poor rasher yesterday although it did cook up nice and crisp.  In the garden the GD is doing a bit of clearance work so the last of the self-seeded spuds were dug yesterday (a bit too late for last night's lamb curry) and the sweetcorn has been removed today as it is fast approaching the state where it would only be good for cattle food (seemingly muntjac don't have the same foodie tastes as cows),  I'm not sure if we have enough mustard seed to deal with all the recently dug over areas.

 

No other major plans so I'll no doubt spend some time laughing (or crying) at various idiot postings on RMweb and having a go at a few online jigsaws.   Have a good day one and all particularly those in the hands of the medical fraternity talking of which Flavio will now have had a further indication of why the NHS costs us so much, all too typical of Britain today alas.  And stay safe folks.

[The Stationmaster]

6 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

After one of my tests I was given a letter to show in case I set off any radiation alarms in airports or railway stations. This was before lockdown/shielding. Also I had to keep away from small children or pregnant women for a few days. 
Tony

The thing that amused me about that sort of thing was that when I had an injection of a radio active isotope for a lung scan it was squirted into my body from a hypodermic encased in a not inconsiderable thickness of lead.  (Yes, I did work out that it was to protect those doing the needle job but at the time it struck me as incongruous that something which was said to be safe enough to inject into my body had to be surrounded by lead shielding.)

[Barry O]

The UKAEA at Windscale used to hand out a piece of disused fuel rod surrounded by a big perspex tube filled with Liquid parafin.. frabjoy!

Baz

[BSW01]

43 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

After one of my tests I was given a letter to show in case I set off any radiation alarms in airports or railway stations. This was before lockdown/shielding. Also I had to keep away from small children or pregnant women for a few days. 
Tony

I too have to keep away from small children and pregnant women for today at least. Once I get back home, I've no intention of going out again until tomorrow evening. 

[iL Dottore]

36 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

I too have to keep away from small children and pregnant women for today at least. Once I get back home, I've no intention of going out again until tomorrow evening. 

I don't have to keep away from small children or pregnant women, I prefer to do so...

 

It makes life so less complicated...

[Winslow Boy]

On 05/08/2020 at 12:06, AndyB said:

Did someone mention the G word?

 

 

b

 

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

G'f day all,

 

My father was a skilled tradesman who served a 5 year apprenticeship and the bu ig difference today is that some trades don't require apprenticeships and NVQs give some people the idea that they are qualified tradesmen.  But as already mentioned gas plumbing etc work requires Gas Safe registration - which means training courses - electrical work is very tightly controlled including certification, there is now Water Safe registration for plumbers.  If you engage any tradesman to do a job you're a totally naive idiot if you don't first assess and check out his past workmanship and any good tradesman will be happy to arrange for you to see examples of his past work.  Checkatrade can be good but personal recommendation is ideal if you are looking for decent tradesmen or you pay a bit more and go to a proper company that complies with various standards.   And I speak as somebody who this week will be paying our plumber the thick end of £2,000, and his work comes with a guarantee that any problems, should they arise, will be dealt with free of charge.  so sorry but unless you an idiot you aren't over likely to be caught out by spiv, so called, tradesmen taking the whatsit out of your ignorance.  If nothing else just watching them at work will quickly tell you how good, bad, or indifferent they are and in many areas if they can't do a better job than me I will quickly see that they are not what they claim to be, a maxim I also applied back in my big railway days.  Back to earth.

 

Rain clouds look to be gathering outside but on the bright side I have mushrooms for lunch today although the current packet of bacon produced one very poor rasher yesterday although it did cook up nice and crisp.  In the garden the GD is doing a bit of clearance work so the last of the self-seeded spuds were dug yesterday (a bit too late for last night's lamb curry) and the sweetcorn has been removed today as it is fast approaching the state where it would only be good for cattle food (seemingly muntjac don't have the same foodie tastes as cows),  I'm not sure if we have enough mustard seed to deal with all the recently dug over areas.

 

No other major plans so I'll no doubt spend some time laughing (or crying) at various idiot postings on RMweb and having a go at a few online jigsaws.   Have a good day one and all particularly those in the hands of the medical fraternity talking of which Flavio will now have had a further indication of why the NHS costs us so much, all too typical of Britain today alas.  And stay safe folks.

Having read all of the comments on the ability of artisans I note that not one concerns the gardening fraternity, either good or bad. Its as if the assumption is made that it is a trade that does not require any particular skill set. In deed almost any able-bodied person is allowed to call themselves a 'gardener' often inflicting horrendous damage without any reprocussions.  It wasn't always thus. Going back to pre-war years gardeners were required to serve apprenticeships of several years. I do wonder if this lack of appreciation of skills has led to the poor treatment of our green environment.

[TheQ]

The problem today is  they are relying of paper certificates, and degrees  for hands on roles.. No practical experience given..

[Tony_S]

25 minutes ago, TheQ said:

The problem today is  they are relying of paper certificates, and degrees  for hands on roles.. No practical experience given..

I didn’t teach on plumbing or electricians courses but the certificates on  the IT vocational courses were not issued for prowess on exams but for carrying out work related tasks. Practical subjects are expensive so that was something that affected whether or not courses were run or as often happened ceased to run. 
The vocational IT course I taught on it was initially proposed to have no formal exams. Students would complete a portfolio of work, internally assessed and externally moderated. However exams were added at the request of employers groups who needed to know how the courses matched up with GCSEs. It was employers who initially wanted courses to suit those who were not good at exams. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Tony_S

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon.

 

Old Frats extra run out was in memory of two of our deceased members.  90 miles, a good run on a rock 32 miles long.

 

iD, now you understand why I am no longer an NHS Manager!  It was simply unbearable.

 

[Gwiwer]

9 hours ago, chrisf said:

If all goes well I will remember the way to Harpenden and Stevenage

The 321 bus still links Luton and Harpenden as is has done since before we were born.  From there to Stevenage required a trip into WGC on the 366 followed by 303 back in the day when I travelled extensively by bus for fun.  The 303 and 321 were RT types and the 366 (a rail-replacement service) an RF.  Forenshire was always a tantalizing step too far for days out from the Sussex coast even starting on the first bus and returning on the last.  I got to see United Counties buses in Luton and Hitchin but never travelled on one.  It's surprising how similar the core network is 50 years later; some routes even have the same numbers though London Transport / Country and United Counties have long gone.

 

Of course one could always take the car .......

 

..... speaking of which SWMBO has asked me again today whether we should invest in such a device.  We have always said since returning to the London area that we have so little need (as opposed to occasional convenience or desire) for one that hiring for a couple of weekends a year is much the most cost-effective way.  Now she feels uneasy about public transport and a little restricted by viral circumstances so we are investigating the pros and cons.  Not to mention the costs.  

 

9 hours ago, chrisf said:

I do hope that the snow in Australia does not harm the koalas.

It doesn't.  They can look pretty pathetic all covered in the stuff and huddling in their trees but they are well covered in fur and provided they can eat they come to no harm in the snow.  It's not all that uncommon in their habitats and Australia has some of the finest skiing in the world in the Victorian Alpine region and the Kosciuszko ranges.  

[Barry O]

been a busy day so far..

 

 

Parcels posted , most of my prescription collected (I need to contact the Marie Celeste first thing to sort the missing ones out), paint bought and used, lawns mowed, lunch made and eaten...next up...er a bit of muddling I hope. 

 

Our cricket tomorrow has been cancelled already so a bit more gloss work will be undertaken, some muddling to be done along with cleaning and tidying..

 

Baz

[The Lurker]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

The 321 bus still links Luton and Harpenden as is has done since before we were born.  From there to Stevenage required a trip into WGC on the 366 followed by 303 back in the day when I travelled extensively by bus for fun.  The 303 and 321 were RT types and the 366 (a rail-replacement service) an RF.  Forenshire was always a tantalizing step too far for days out from the Sussex coast even starting on the first bus and returning on the last.  I got to see United Counties buses in Luton and Hitchin but never travelled on one.  It's surprising how similar the core network is 50 years later; some routes even have the same numbers though London Transport / Country and United Counties have long gone.

 

 

not to be confused with the 321 which runs from New Cross Sainsbury's to Foot's Cray Tesco, part of the old 21 route which used to cross London and end out in the wilds of Farningham. I read that it was in its full glory the longest bus route in London, but don't know enough to be sure. The 21 now stops at Lewisham and runs from Newington Green

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I was intending to get a few things done outside this afternoon but now its persisting down. 

4 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Afternoon all I'm now radioactive and will be for several hours.

 

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

After one of my tests I was given a letter to show in case I set off any radiation alarms in airports or railway stations. This was before lockdown/shielding. Also I had to keep away from small children or pregnant women for a few days. 
Tony

That reminds me of when my mum was having radiation treatment for her cancer. My dad and myself went to see her in hospital and found she had been put in a side ward on her own. Visiting time (1 hour) was almost up when the matron came in and asked us how long we had been there. We answered since visiting time started (about 50 minutes) whereupon the matron ordered us out. Because my mum was radioactive we should only have been there for 20 minutes max.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

A bit of skipping has happened, as I wanted to post, but I will try to backread tomorrow. 

 

Meantime, the usual greetings of the generic variety must suffice.

 

Today was another fodder run day, this time to the German purveyor of food beginning with A, and I managed to spend a lot more than expected - then it was back homewards, and I had a bathroom to clean after the putting away of the shopping - than a phone call from the log man, and he duly arrived, and dumped the logs onto the drive - they are now stacked in the garage, and I am sure that there are less than last year, but then I say that every year - we'll see how long they last.

 

Back tomorrow (I hope)

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

...iD, now you understand why I am no longer an NHS Manager!  It was simply unbearable.

Neil, given your experience, would it be too caustically cynical of me to say about the material I was reviewing today that much of it was “nonsense collected by a nonentity in a non-job for no real discernible purpose”?

A quiet evening awaits, some turkey fajitas Are doing their thing in a pan, Mrs iD is off giving a dog course (she is a Dog Trainer) and I may go off to kill something after dinner. 
 

Annoyingly, Jamie92208 (and others of that ilk) have planted in me the irresistible desire to buy more of Arthur Ransome’s books to keep my copy of Swallows and Amazons company. hence an order for six books went winging its way to amazon.co.uk this afternoon. If Mrs ID complains, I shall simply reply “some copper in France coerced me into it!”

 

Have a splendid evening one and all!

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

Missed posting this morning as I've been in a world of hurt today.  All I did was bend over to pick up the bath mat and something "went" in my back and I'm now in struggling to move mode.  It was bad enough to deploy some Tramadol.  I didn't help matters a little while ago because I ventured (gingerly) up the loft ladder.   A couple of days ago I'd noticed a stain on the landing ceiling which looked a bit ominous.  As it was tipping it down earlier I had a look from the top of the ladder (wasn't going to attempt going in) and sure enough could see daylight and there was water dripping in from what looks like a broken tile.  Managed to get hold of an old roofer friend of SiL Steve and he's coming round tomorrow to have a dekko.  If it's just a tile that needs replacing it'll only cost a few quid.  Said he - hopefully.  (Bearing in mind that I spent a large amount of quids on roof maintenance 18 months ago!) 

Now consoling myself with a large glass of Malbec which should go well with the Tramadol I took earlier. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by grandadbob

[Andrew P]

20 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

Evenin' each,

Missed posting this morning as I've been in a world of hurt today.  All I did was bend over to pick up the bath mat and something "went" in my back and I'm now in struggling to move mode.  It was bad enough to deploy some Tramadol.  I didn't help matters a little while ago because I ventured (gingerly) up the loft ladder.   A couple of days ago I'd noticed a stain on the landing ceiling which looked a bit ominous.  As it was tipping it down earlier I had a look from the top of the ladder (wasn't going to attempt going in) and sure enough could see daylight and there was water dripping in from what looks like a broken tile.  Managed to get hold of an old roofer friend of SiL Steve and he's coming round tomorrow to have a dekko.  If it's just a tile that needs replacing it'll only cost a few quid.  Said he - hopefully.  (Bearing in mind that I spent a large amount of quids on roof maintenance 18 months ago!) 

Now consoling myself with a large glass of Malbec which should go well with the Tramadol I took earlier. 

I can't understand why you weren't outside, up the Ladder on top of the roof and just getting on with the job yourself Bob.

It's not as though you have History in the disaster zone, now is it?

[grandadbob]

The tile in question is not that far above the gutter and in my younger days I'd have quite happily had a go but times have changed and I'm not (completely) stupid.  Particularly so since the husband of a friend of The Boss fell off a ladder trying to do some tree surgery just before last Christmas.  He's still in hospital!  He's about 80 and what the hell he was doing up a ladder at that age I'm b#ggered if I know.  He may be coming home soon but will not be able to walk again.  No way will I take that chance anymore especially as my dodgy knee has been known to give way occasionally.

[iL Dottore]

Oh dear, GDB, that’s not good news, I can think of A number of different diagnoses as to why your “back went“, most of them are not particularly good. I think a visit to your GP, or if you are still in pain tomorrow morning, your local emergency room, could well be in order.

Additionally, I really would avoid drinking alcohol with tramadol. Tramadol is an opiate and like all opiates it is potentiated by alcohol.

Maybe it’s because of my experience from years of being a paramedic (and cleaning up the resulting mess)  but there are two things I will absolutely NOT do, no matter what: drink (any amount of alcohol) and drive, or drink alcohol whilst taking opiates.