Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It isn’t sunny but it is pleasantly warm. Our not very full bin bag went out early this morning. It wasn’t anything I was aware of. We had cups of tea and biscuits during the night. Aditi didn’t sleep well. Someone had terminated a phone call quite abruptly and it was playing on her mind. 
I don’t have any plans but the Rehab Handbook I received yesterday suggests going for a walk (recording steps taken) should be part of my daily routine. The rehab nurse had asked if I wanted a pedometer. I declined as my phone does that reasonably adequately. I also declined the relaxation cd. 
Tony
 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Like yesterday, it’s a dull start with a few clouds but it is due to get warmer with some more sunshine. 

 

Theres not a lot planned for today, possibly pottering about in the cellar for the most part, as it will be a bit cooler in there and I’ve got a bit too hot working outside over the last couple of days. 

 

Sheila is going to the hairdressers later and will be out for at least an hour, so I’ll have the place to myself. 

 

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

 

Brian

[grandadbob]

Shopping has been completed but it took longer than planned.  Hardly anybody there but of those who were were several old colleagues and customers that The Boss knew from her 38 years employment  sentence with them so of course "we" had to have a chat.  Only one person (on a mobility scooter) not wearing a mask but she had a notice hanging round her neck declaring she was exempt.

Coffee time now and then 'twould appear that I'm free to do as I please as no"cunning plans" have appeared from Herself.

I might stroll down to The Shed for a couple of hours before lunch.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.

 

Good to see Robert, and Mike please do be careful!

 

Norra lot to say today, although Baz, I can't say how much I don't miss either the A19 or Testo's roundabout!  Once got knocked off a brand new (3 days) 750 Honda at Testo's, had to sue the guy/insurance company to get my money. Successfully I may add.

 

After yesterday's glorious weather today is a disappointment, 18c and dull, I walked too much yesterday so a fairly lazy day is on the cards.

 

Two more covid cases here, but both returnees from the UK so they have been in isolation anyway which is compulsory (another person just jailed for failing to), so no community transmission.

 

 

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

it's a very old account, no cards or online transactions.. I'd have to close it and open a new one anyway, which with all the regulations these days, it's just not worth the effort.

Oh, the nearest cash point for that bank is a 20 mile round trip..

Those accounts are useful to gave and opening new ones is a real pain in the proverbial.  We had one at the club that was setvup to deal with the estate ofva member. Solicitors and family were involved so we wanted a clear audit trail.  We used it subsequently for the same purpose with other members estates so it was useful to have.  We did get queried by the bank re inactivity  but when I rang them and explained theybagreed to keep it open but to only send statements out when activity occured.  It mightvwell becworth a letter or phone call.

 

Jamie

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all from your friendly neighbourhood human pin cushion.

 

Yes - after two efforts at trying to get out some blood (the right way) in the morning plus a flu jab the right arm was leading 2 pricks to 1 by early afternoon.  By the end of the day it was 2 all as I asked for the anti-tet to be squirted into my right arm.  So I just 'felt a scratch'  four times or more accurately felt 'a small pr*ck' four times - shame they're not allowed to say that nowadays.  Thanks for the supporting ticks and messages - the advice about getting the stains out generally accords with my own thoughts and the shirt has had a cold water soak without salt which had some effect so the next step will be with salt as I don't think we have any bio washing powder.  BTW if you use hot instead of cold it 'fixes' the stain according to various aged wives of this world.

 

As to the incident it was all too flippin' simple - attacking the jungle with the ancient rotary mower, which will cut brambles, it doesn't get them all and one of them managed to wrap itself round my right foot.  I moved, trhe bramble didn't (or not as much as me) foot stayed roughly where it had been but my upperworks didn't and over I went putting out my left arm to stop myself having a major earth fault.  The 'saving process did indeed stop me hitting the ground head first but left hand connected with specs carefully grazing the top of my nose and part of said specs digging into my forehead.  Blood poured forth from forehead and not only do foreheads bleed easily but my last INR result was 3.6 so it also ran very well.  Difficult to get up and up to the house.

 

Rob quicj kly called our local casualty unit who said I had to go to the RBH because I'm on warfarin so there were went.  So notwithstanding being somebody on warfarin with a minor head injury triage s didn't happen for over an hour and it was then nearly 3 hours until I was in a cubicle being examined - that bit was handled cleanly and efficiently.  Then a wait for a CT scan which finally took place nearly 5 hours after whatever internal damage mihght have been done had been done - but the scan revealed no damage so eventually home after nearly 5 hours in A&E.

 

Or rather in my case standing outside trying to socially distance from halfwits not wearing masks including some of those inside the waiting area not wearing masks - no wonder the flippin' virus spreads in hospitals.  The triage nurse wasn't wearing gloves. although there was no immediate contact as she applied the gear to check my BP and sats and she had a cough although she was masked and did turn her head aside.  the medic did put on clean gloves and swab down the couch and a clean cover was put on the CT scan 'bed'.  But no staff wearing vizors, and the hand sanitiser in A&E reception required you to press the top to get some out so in terms of infection control I reckon the RBH lurks about a year or 20 behind our GP surgery and the Nuffield in Oxford where the GD works.  The lad will apparently stirrng some of that through official channels he has said, no doubt coming from a local councillor rather than Joe public it should bite a little harder.

 

Several attendances by Jamie's former mob later in the evening but definitely not a busy day for them fortunately.   Overall score - hygiene to current standard i I would expect in a hospital - a grudging 4 out of 10, needs serious improvement, quickly: triage nurse - 1 out of 10; medical attention when I finally got it, 10 out of 10;  scanning attention, explanations and so on, when I finally got there 10 out of 10.  And to give them their due, for which I extend heartfelt thanks, this time they didn't forget me after the scan and I was wheeled straight back to A&E so unlike last time Rob actually got his own dad back instead of another Mike - 100 out of 10.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day folks and sorry if that tale has bored you.  The time wasted was very frustrating but not half as bad as the slipshod attention to infection control.

[TheQ]

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Those accounts are useful to gave and opening new ones is a real pain in the proverbial.  We had one at the club that was setvup to deal with the estate ofva member. Solicitors and family were involved so we wanted a clear audit trail.  We used it subsequently for the same purpose with other members estates so it was useful to have.  We did get queried by the bank re inactivity  but when I rang them and explained theybagreed to keep it open but to only send statements out when activity occured.  It mightvwell becworth a letter or phone call.

 

Jamie

I phoned them, they are insistent the account be used..

[Chris116]

38 minutes ago, TheQ said:

I phoned them, they are insistent the account be used..

Set up a monthly standing order from your own account to the unused account for £10. Then two days later set up another monthly standing order from the unused account back to your own account also for £10. Account is now being used so bank can't complain! 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Chris116

[polybear]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Norra lot to say today, although Baz, I can't say how much I don't miss either the A19 or Testo's roundabout!  Once got knocked off a brand new (3 days) 750 Honda at Testo's, had to sue the guy/insurance company to get my money. Successfully I may add.

 

 

And isn't it a wonderful feeling when you screw one over on an Insurance Company......

(Been there, done that, got the t-shirt; mine was a car smash - a new XR2 with under 1K miles on the clock)

(Also a 1985 CB750FD mothballed in the shed, under 4K miles, one owner, never seen rain.  Was planning to resurrect it this year and sell it, under C-19 got in the way.  Maybe next spring.....).

 

p.s. Can we borrow your Police Force and Law Courts over here please?

[simontaylor484]

Good morning all

Blood stains in shirt bucket of cold salt water.

My Grandad lived with us after my gran died he used to suffer massive nosebleeds he was on warfarin my mum used the above method many times to get blood out of clothing

 

[grandadbob]

Further to bloodstains on white shirts The Boss has (unsurprisingly) dealt with this problem on several occasions.  Too late for Mike but the best thing is to get it soaking in cold water before it's dried.   She always rubs some Fairy liquid into the stain before putting on a boil wash (if cotton) or the highest temperature possible for whatever material the shirt is.

[J. S. Bach]

7 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

 ...snip... Litle birdy flying high drops a parcel from the sky. Angry farmer wiping eye, thanks the Lord that cows can't fly.

Jamie

In its various iterations, an oldie but a goodie! Seagulls on the other hand .......................................

[New Haven Neil]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

And isn't it a wonderful feeling when you screw one over on an Insurance Company......

(Been there, done that, got the t-shirt; mine was a car smash - a new XR2 with under 1K miles on the clock)

(Also a 1985 CB750FD mothballed in the shed, under 4K miles, one owner, never seen rain.  Was planning to resurrect it this year and sell it, under C-19 got in the way.  Maybe next spring.....).

 

p.s. Can we borrow your Police Force and Law Courts over here please?

 

Our low crime environment here is rather pleasant!  I used to work in the system employed by the police and social services jointly as the office manager of our equivalent of a young offenders team - not a job I would do in the UK!

 

I hope you drained the carbs on the 750.......otherwise you have a really awkward and messy job to do!  Modern fuel is disgusting when left.

[The Stationmaster]

32 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

Further to bloodstains on white shirts The Boss has (unsurprisingly) dealt with this problem on several occasions.  Too late for Mike but the best thing is to get it soaking in cold water before it's dried.   She always rubs some Fairy liquid into the stain before putting on a boil wash (if cotton) or the highest temperature possible for whatever material the shirt is.

Interestingly the shirt went intp cold water around 6 hours after it had been christened and it had some effect. this omorning it has gone into a bowl of cold, salted water and that seems to be havinga. further impact.  Fairy liquid usually works really well on fresh stains although I've never tried it on blood - thus far.   And a light luncheon of baked beans with sausages on toast has been consumed,   Further comfort food (cod & chips) is planned for this evening although not yet known if it will be the Sikh version (the best locally), the Chinese version, or the Portuguese version (their evining chips have a nasty habit of being lunchtime re-warms).

 

When my nose goes 'pop' (as earlier this afternoon!) I usually mange to catch the output before it goes further than me although I occasionally fail.  Incidentally yesterday's efforts by Simone, the Good Count's daughter, have brought in a verdict of INR down to 2.9 which gets it into the target range - good news for once!!

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where it is sunny but not s warm as yesterday - but as i have spent most of the time in my "office" i haven't really noticed. Mrs Lurker does not work on a Wednesday so did most of the dealing with the conservatory men, although i did help with a little bit of the manhandling of the frames over the next door neighbour's garage roof. He, incidentally, will be getting a bottle of wine for the trouble we've caused him. 

 

The CFO has decided he wants something urgent for a meeting on Friday - and it really seems that he has decided to notice something a fortnight before year end which he has been too busy to think about all year. And when he realises the reason it looks bad is because the results are bad and there is no magic tax wand we can wave, then he will not be too impressed. But the numbers do at least tie in to the forecast we have been giving him all year!

 

Sorry to read of the Stationmaster's  mishap with the brambles , but at least it seems like no permanent damage has been done. i have never managed to significantly damage my face when wearing glasses - I was particularly relieved I was wearing contact lenses one day when the ball reared almost vertically from a good length ball, avoiding my forward defensive and striking me on the cheekbone, the seam cutting my eyebrow.

 

Anyway, a bit more work beckons so enjoy the remains of the day

 

 

[Debs.]

...............

[Ian Abel]

So Stationmaster joins the GDB ranks - do be careful out there folks, we are fragile, in spite of all our attempts to prove otherwise! 

 

HUMP day - wahoo...

Nothing happening here to speak of, yesterday a brief trip/visit with Bob to his place of origin. The family the Mrs works for love to see him, especially since they can't have a cat or dog due to allergy issues. He also seem to somewhat remember being in their place, even though it's a while ago now.

Today he won't be such a "happy cat" as it's his annual shot/checkup at the vet. They like seeing him also even though he's generally less impressed with them poking at him! 

 

Nothing else to report, except Jemma is heading over today to hang out with the Mrs - me, working.

 

Started out at 14 and sunny, heading towards 21 and mostly clear but some high intermittent overcast from the fires out west...

 

It's all downhill to the weekend, let's go 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Ian Abel

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The by-pass for the new Farcebook seems to be working as apparently they do not offer the return to old Farcebook when they put you into the new one. I've also found that they also have a by-pass for Farcebooks sh!t order top posts which they will put you in whether you like it or not, I much prefer new activity. There's loads of other features that make it a lot easier to use Farcebook. Thats it for now, be back later.

[polybear]

A Beary promise is a Beary promise.......

 

The Conservatory Roof.....

The Conservatory (hereinafter referred to as "C") started life as a Wickes Hardwood Conservatory, suitably modified to have solid blockwork end walls; built in 1997 by yours truly - though I didn't do the walls.

The Youngmans platform sitting on the parapet walls was left for me to use for a few days by the team that fitted upvc fascia and guttering, so I could paint the back of the house just before work started on the new roof; here's the C with plastic roof:

 

 

The roof was always a pain in the ar5e, needing regular maintenance to the flashing; this consisted of proper lead flashing but I soon learnt that a combination of driving wind and rain could get under the flashing and down the internal walls , so stick on flashband was added to stop this.  The only problem is that flashband needed regular renewal, and when the roof was 16 years old and soon needing another maintenance session I decided some research was in order.  Google soon told me that the latest rage was......solid roofs

 

I contacted a few companies and got details, but they all went cagey cos' it wasn't a "normal" C.  So I decided I could do better, for cheaper.

 

A cunning plan was invented, and a chat and visit from Buildings Control arranged.  They were happy bunnies, once I'd shown them the walls were on reasonable footings; the C would now be classed as a "substantially glazed structure".  Whatever....

The reason for involving BC was due to the owner of the place at the bottom of the garden being a Grade A T0sser, who several of us had managed to seriously p1ss off big-time by successfully blocking him from building a bloody great house in his back garden - the Gov. Ombudsman backed us up too.  I didn't want any risk of him moaning that it wasn't a conservatory etc anymore......

 

Construction took place in July 2013 and carried out by a local (and good) roofer plus chippies.

Extra Roof Joists added:

 

Lots of 4.5" Celotex insulation added to the roof:

 

 

You can see the damage caused by damp to the artexed end wall here; I used a wallpaper steamer to remove the damaged area at the top of the wall:

 

 

The roof is consists (from memory) of 12mm exterior ply overdeck, covered with two layers of Tyvek Supro Membrane (2 layers recommended by Tyvek due to the low roof pitch angle), 2 x 1 battens and counterbattens.

The outer roof covering is Metrotile Slate Roof Tiles; these are pre-formed galvanised sheet tiles - the shape and installation method is such that  should be nigh on impossible for water to get under them.  Highly recommended:

 

https://www.metrotile.co.uk/tile-profile/slate-900/

 

The roof is all correctly vented etc. with air spaces as required, vapour control layer, overfascia vents, hip vent strips.  The roofer suggested installing lead gulley channels at either end of the roof (these are hidden when installed) which catch and drain any water which may get under the side flashings into the guttering above the windows).  The alternative would have been to bend the metrotile up the side of the parapet walls and cover with flashing, which is a pig to do and needs the hire of a special tool from Metrotile to do, as well as not being as nice a job (the roofer has worked with metrotile before).

Incidentally, you can walk on the roof so long as you step on the bits that are supported by a roof batten underneath, i.e. the "nose" or front edge of the metrotile.

 

Here's piccies taken today:

 

 

 

All leadwork is Code 4; the roofer suggested completely covering the parapet walls in lead to prevent any risk of damp - in his experience (he's been at the game a long time) parapet walls are a pain, and sooner or later give trouble.  At first I wasn't sure of the appearance of so much lead - I describe it as being a bit "Mad Max Tina Turner" but soon came to realise I don't stand at the bottom of the garden looking back at the roof.  And I'd much rather have a (hopefully) trouble-free roof.....

Incidentally, watching the lead man work with a blow lamp and melting the lead together was pure magic.

 

Inside, the ceiling is covered with insulated plasterboard and skimmed:

 

 

Eagled - eyed readers may spot several varieties of Donk in the above photo.....

The other side of that window currently looks like a bomb site at present, as I refurb the kitchen......

 

Was it worth it?  Oh, yes, yes, yes....

Just before work started I took all the blinds (roof and window) down to see how hot I could get it (south facing, SE England) with all doors & windows shut.  In July 2013, afternoon:  48 C......

Work finished, similar day temperature (i.e. high 20's) and time, same test:  28C.  That's a result in my book.  Plus no leaks, no damp, no maintenance, no sitting inside a drum when it rains, far warmer in winter......

Downsides?  The kitchen is darker as a result; I could've had some roof windows added, but these introduce a risk of leakage.  There's a light switch on the kitchen wall too, and that's a much cheaper solution.

(Now that I'm doing the kitchen I would've liked downlighters in the kitchen ceiling, but the bedroom above is refurbished and now dedicated to a certain hobby, which involves the use of fitted cabinets around the walls plus a laminate floor.  Bvgger.  And I'm not pulling the ceiling down to sort wiring for downlights....no way.

 

And if anyone is still awake/hasn't skipped over the above/has found any of the above very useful then Bears are rather partial to Mince Pies (of the type found in the Cake Isle)..... 

 

A tired little Bear.

 

edit:  Boy, am I glad that lot loaded up ok and didn't flip out - though I did do a "copy" just in case, before I pressed the "save" button....

 

Edited September 16, 2020 by polybear

[Gwiwer]

20 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Brian, unfortunately I think common sense is a rare commodity at the moment and mores the pity. 

Common sense has been found to be uncommon. 

[New Haven Neil]

Donk is muchly impressed by Poly Bear's collection.  He'd get on well here.....

[Northroader]

I hope you scrounged plenty of lead offcuts while the guy was there.

[tigerburnie]

Quiet day today, chopped up a heap of wood for the winter fires, went to the next village to the chemists for monthly supply of pills. Sainsbugs delivered the comestibles and we later went for a walk down the lane to look at the railway, still no trains, which they said there would be. Still trying to buy a new bit for the front of the wheeled bits that move on parallel bits of metal in The Old Summer House, there seems to be a lot of expensive broken stuff for sale just now.

[polybear]

30 minutes ago, Northroader said:

I hope you scrounged plenty of lead offcuts while the guy was there.

 

Oh yes   All the old stuff that came off, plus any scrap offcuts were collected up and weighed in down the non-ferrous scrappies. About forty or fifty quid's worth, from memory.....

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

A Beary promise is a Beary promise.......

 ...snip...

The other side of that window currently looks like a bomb site at present, as I refurb the kitchen......

...snip...

That would be an "interesting" photo in addition!