Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

Morning, dry outside just now, talk of school sports, I didn't play much rugby at school, but did a lot of cross country and a bit of fell running, which I was quite good at, athletics was not so good, average at best, quite good at basketball a decent quick bowler at cricket, but hopeless with a bat. Football saw me in goal where I was adequate, I was top of the class for skiving off though.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Weather is the same as in the land of Sutt. Not surprising as as the crow flies its not that far away. As has been said spiders are our friends and should be left alone to deal with the real villains such as flies and other disease carriers. I very rarely have to resort to fly spray, only for the odd wasp or hornet but I've never come across one of these. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/terrifying-murder-hornets-vacuumed-enormous-22905443#source=push not that I want to.

On the subject of wildlife the shaggy inkcap mushrooms growing in the lawn disappeared quite quickly, I didn't see them go. However some more have sprung up a yard or so from where they were before, this time beneath the shrubbery. Muggatee awaits so its back later.

Edited October 26, 2020 by PhilJ W

[AndrewC]

I'm not interested in eliminating spiders, just reducing their numbers somewhat in the shed without resorting to chemical warfare. The ones in the garden, and there are a lot of them, never seem to get flies. All these beautiful and intricate webs all over the place but nary a spider snack to be seen in any of them. They must use Deliveroo and spin webs just for show. 

[Coombe Barton]

53 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

shrubbery

You must have been expecting this ...

 

[Chris116]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

I think the word is 'bracing', as in Skegness. 

 

Having lived in Skegness for six years I can confirm that 'bracing' is a euphemism for 'bleeding cold'. 

[Adam88]

On 25/10/2020 at 22:56, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. 

Do they let horses ride on buses?

 

Laurie Taylor (R4) related the tale of the little lad waiting for a bus in the Wakefield area with his dad who said: "Yon's not ours, that's t'Osset bus" and the lad says: "but I can't see the horse".

Edited November 6, 2020 by Adam88

[polybear]

54 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

I'm not interested in eliminating spiders, just reducing their numbers somewhat in the shed without resorting to chemical warfare.

 

Bear finds that givin' 'em a whack with a wire brush is a pretty reliable way of stoppin' the little bleeders in their tracks without chemical warfare - pretty good in the shed, but not recommended if one is sitting on top of your best antique french polished dining table.....

 

Bear has recovered the missing blood test form, and also raided the Co-op; unfortunately the raid was so early the milk hadn't been delivered so it looks like a second raid may be called for later - at least they won't be expecting me this time.  I could have gone in the little shop I also pass on the way home from the Co-op, but (a) walking in there just for milk whilst carrying two bags of shopping from "the enemy" is pretty poor form, and (b) I'd have to pay thru' the nose for it.

[Tony_S]

I don’t think we have many spiders in the garage or sheds. There are lots in the garden and quite a variety of species in the house. No one here gets upset about spiders. No point really. You can clean the house and a spider will have put some thread across the stairwell by morning. When he was a tiny pup Robbie used to do pouncing practice on big spiders but soon stopped bothering. He did watch them carefully though.  In the garden to reduce pests we use some pheromone traps and have used nematodes successfully too. I wish we had a hedgehog to eat slugs but they were probably killed off by the large quantity of slug pellets used by neighbours. 

I am at home for a while. The nurses at the cardio clinic couldn’t get any blood out of me so I have to return to see a phlebotomist at 1pm. The cardio nurse had no problem swabbing me though. 
 

Tony
 

[Gwiwer]

Happy Lunchtime all,  welcome to Moan-day.  

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Began wondering a while back why I was getting hungry and then realised that my lunch time has been forcibly relocated by those who demand we muck about with the time shown on clock faces; bah humbug say I.  Lunch preparation will now be commenced once I have finished this post - which will also allow herself access to the 'puter in order to order our Christmas meats etc from the esteemably excellent butcher in Pangbourne.  The order will also include one of their superb pork pies -  my 'naughty food treat' of the festive season (although I do occasionally also consume chocolate at that time of the year).

 

Must sign that fireworks petition - an excellent idea although not well supported in our constituency thus far I see.  That's probably because of the number of a.r.souls who seem to think that an extremely noisy and disturbing private artillery practice is their god given right - including the peabrained dimwit who started letting some off at 22.00 on Saturday night.  Quite why anybody would want to let off fireworks this weekend past defeats me and anybody starting to do some at that time of night demonstrates a remarkable lack of consideration for the more intelligent people he/she/it lives among.  We get enough public displays and organised events round here so why do these brain cell donors have to amuse themselves by trying to blow off their empty heads?

 

And back to normality time for lunch and the weather is starting to get a little worse after a bright, but chilly, morning.

 

Have a good day one and all and stay safe (unlike moronic pair of all too obvious grockles I observed in the town this morning).

Edited October 26, 2020 by The Stationmaster

[Coombe Barton]

19 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

why do these brain cell donors have

Donors then may be, but who'd want to be in the receiving end of such material?

[New Haven Neil]

2 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Having lived in Skegness for six years I can confirm that 'bracing' is a euphemism for 'bleeding cold'. 

 

Ah, I'm a native of South Shields Chris - I know what 'bracing' is!  The Manxies moan about the weather here, which I find warm and benign.  Mrs NHN is Cornish so can see both sides!

[AndrewC]

21 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Ah, I'm a native of South Shields Chris - I know what 'bracing' is!  The Manxies moan about the weather here, which I find warm and benign.  Mrs NHN is Cornish so can see both sides!

Bracing? Cold? pah! I doubt many if any on ER knows what real cold is. 

[New Haven Neil]

Just now, AndrewC said:

Bracing? Cold? pah! I doubt many if any on ER knows what real cold is. 

 

Oh you Canpacs have that 'dry cold' stuff, hardly counts to a northeast-coast dweller!   

 

A good friend hails from Ottawa, he's currently in Wales (managing the W&L but not for much longer) who insits Canada was NEVER as cold and wet as Wales!

[Erichill16]

Sydney isn’t quite sure about spiders.

[AndrewC]

10 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Oh you Canpacs have that 'dry cold' stuff, hardly counts to a northeast-coast dweller!   

 

A good friend hails from Ottawa, he's currently in Wales (managing the W&L but not for much longer) who insits Canada was NEVER as cold and wet as Wales!

After -30c there is no moisture in the air. You simply freeze-dry. Even the coldest, windiest, and wettest day in the UK can't begin to compare to cold that will freeze your skin in under 1 minute. 

[Compound2632]

19 hours ago, BoD said:

Well after all I’ve given the government over the years I’m going to have that extra hour thank you very much.

 

Flippin’ party pooper.  

 

It's only the return of what was taken from you in the spring. Alas no interest payable.

[Chris116]

My wife who comes from Wisconsin says she can cope with the weather there but after 19 years living in the UK still finds our damp cold a real problem.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Chris116

[Tony_S]

21 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

After -30c there is no moisture in the air. You simply freeze-dry. Even the coldest, windiest, and wettest day in the UK can't begin to compare to cold that will freeze your skin in under 1 minute. 

Matthew lived in the same block at the University in Calgary with other overseas students who until they moved there had thought 20C was chilly. It was quite a mild winter when he was there and it only got to -40C on a couple of occasions. 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Mrs NHN is Cornish so can see both sides!

Not only that but in parts of Cornwall once can see both side of the land - north and south coasts - which can have very different weather conditions despite being just a few miles apart.  

 

It is common to leave Penzance in warm sunlight, run into thick fog up on the moors above Newbridge and see nothing much of St. Just bar the grey fluffy stuff.  It is also quite common to be able to see one coast bathed in sunlight and the other getting wet from spots such as Mulfra Quoit and Chapel Carn Brea.   One side is usually sheltered from which ever direction the wind is arriving from while the other gets it full-force.  

 

I believe the short run from Penzance to Hayle is the shortest distance by rail between two stations on opposite coasts in the UK; PZ's honour used to go to Marazion until it closed many years ago.  There are counter-claims from Thanet where Ramsgate and Margate face opposite ways but both are, fundamentally, on the same coast which curves around.  

[polybear]

48 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

Bracing? Cold? pah! I doubt many if any on ER knows what real cold is. 

 

You called......

[Gwiwer]

Just now, polybear said:

 

You called......

Even Poly Bears don't live in Calgary afaik.  It's too cold for them.  They inhabit the "temperate" ice floes and slightly less cold land masses.  

[BoD]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

 

Must sign that fireworks petition - an excellent idea although not well supported in our constituency thus far I see.  That's probably because of the number of a.r.souls who seem to think that an extremely noisy and disturbing private artillery practice is their god given right - including the peabrained dimwit who started letting some off at 22.00 on Saturday night.  

 

I fancy this year will be a bad one for fireworks.  There have already been some round here too.

Some people maybe reacting against  the year we have had and current restrictions. There's not much else to do and people have had little else to spend money on.  This is already evidenced in the OTT'ness of Halloween.  And there's still a week to go.

[Ian Abel]

1 hour ago, AndrewC said:

Bracing? Cold? pah! I doubt many if any on ER knows what real cold is. 

I do  

-4 this morning, rather "brisk" getting the newspaper, and only expected to reach -9 overnight tonight

 

Monday moaning, though so far nothing much to moan about, which is good.

 

Weekend mostly spent travelling back and forth to the hardware store, those trips interrupted by occasional attempts to further the progress of the wiring in both the shed AND the garage. Always amazes me that the time spent on a project seems inconsequential compared to the time taken to obtain the necessary/correct items to actually DO THE JOB!!

 

Friday evening Tiramisu was a complete success, accompanied with lashings of vino and Amaretto <hic>.

Our friends head for Arizona on Wednesday, they've decided to seek a winter locale to hole up in as there's no real opportunity for vacations they tend to take over the winter months. We'll miss them sorely as they are the only people (other than the kids) we have spent much/any time with since this whole pandemic flustcuck took everyone's lives over! 

 

As noted, the weather here is decidedly nippy, may worm slightly towards the end of the week, still a light dusting/cover of snow for now, may or may not disappear before more arrives!

 

Tally ho.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Ian Abel

[The Stationmaster]

26 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

I fancy this year will be a bad one for fireworks.  There have already been some round here too.

Some people maybe reacting against  the year we have had and current restrictions. There's not much else to do and people have had little else to spend money on.  This is already evidenced in the OTT'ness of Halloween.  And there's still a week to go.

Fortunately thus far Halloween doesn't seem to be having much impact here but one well known cut price retailer is spending an awful lot on tv advertising for it in this end of the country so it could get a lot more noticeable by the weekend and it is half term here this week.   I don't doubt that there will be more than a handful of local residents doing their level best this coming weekend to outdo Bruchmüller when it comes to noisy barrages.