Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

Morning a rather dank looking day, waiting for the new oven and possibly my deezul thingy that runs on parallel bits of metal, some muddling may take place once the oven is fitted, more fiddling with point rodding to do.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

A dull but dry start to the day, it’s a little warmer than yesterday, currently 11C. Today’s plan is more removing of paint from the cellar walls, this will probably take up most of the day. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but it’s one of those jobs that’s got to be done and like most prep work, it’s mind numbingly boring! I’m hoping to get this section (about 2ft wide) finished today, leaving the next bit (a 5ft wide section) for tomorrow. Once they are all done, I’ll make up a small batch of tanking slurry and apply that, then move onto the opposite wall, all 13ft of it!

 

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

 

Brian. 

[Simon G]

Morning all,

 

It is persisting down here just now and very breezy with it.  I may just be imagining it, but 2020 seems to have been about the windiest year I can remember.  Todays walk will only take place when the rain has eased, and then any paths will be sodden and muddy, so it will be a road/lane walk, although some of our usual lane walks will be flooded too, from experience.

 

I saw a great caption from the Ennerdale Brewery website recently.  It said "Because if ever there was a reason to drink, it is 2020"!

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Been sorting out the necessary cooking utensils for doing the venison. I found a frying pan just the right size at the back of the cupboard but it appeared to have been put away unwashed. So out with the scouring pads etc. and a bowl of hot soapy water and believe it or not the grunge just washed off. So the scouring pads went back and I have a nice clean frying pan. Its my habit to rinse utensils after use then put them aside to be washed later. What must have happened is that once I'd rinsed the pan it appeared to be clean and I'd put it away but cooking oil left on it oxidised leaving a brown stain. I'll let you all know how I got on later.

PS I hope our lady of the awl is OK, haven't heard from her lately even though some here have been a bit naughty.

[tigerburnie]

When I designed our kitchen some decade and a half ago, I thought it would be a good idea to have the oven higher up so SWMBO wouldn't have to bend doon to get to it, what I didn't take into account was now that said oven needed to be replaced I would have to lift the thing up to waist height..........flippin' 'eavy yon fan ovens. It's now on it's 1 hour "burn it in" phase so some eyelid inspection maybe taking place.

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon.

 

Phil, Our Lady is well and posting elsewhere and as such appears to be involved in much music making.  With heaps of technology of course as befits Debs!  No doubt she will look in here at some point.  I'm being good.....

 

Weather here is foul, showery but really gale force wind now, although warm at 12c.  It appears to have forgotten to get light.

[J. S. Bach]

5 hours ago, AndrewC said:

 ...snip... The real trick is to use Red Wigglers, the Cadillac of worms.  < < I'd be really surprised if any ER got that reference.  ...snip...

Cadillac is General Motors top-of-the-line brand so I guess that Red Wigglers are the best worms to use.

Edited November 24, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[simontaylor484]

Spent most of the day on phone calls to little result due allegedly to covid

 I wanted a resettlement figure for a loan they have to post it out. 

I want to get stuff sorted out with my enforced retirement Asap then we know our income. 

Some loans may be cheaper to pay off than others Credit cards will be easier to sort out repayment. 

[AndrewC]

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

Cadillac is General Motors top-of-the-line brand so I guess that Red Wigglers are the best worms to use.

Pretty close. The actual reference is to a long lost but still bloody funny program. WKRP in Cincinnati. 

 

  

[tigerburnie]

One of my favourite funnies from the States.

[jonny777]

Well, it's now 14 days since my 97-year old Dad tested positive for Covid and was confined to his cell in the care home. He has been tested again today and the results ought to be available in a day or so. He has had no symptoms, apparently, but the positive test frightened the life out of me and the rest of his family. 

 

He has refused to get out of bed on a couple of days, which is understandable giving the boredom he must have endured for two weeks with only a small TV for company, but I gather today he agreed to be taken outside into the garden in order to smoke his pipe (yes, pipe smoker since the 1940s), which is a promising sign. 

 

Car passed the MOT and was given a good servicing; and now is ready for a few more months of largely sitting on the drive. 

 

Just watched Kyren Wilson get a 147 in the snooker, and the fire is burning nicely - so all in all a good day. SWMBO is busying herself with her sourdough cultures, and I may get some carb-heavy delights in a few hours time, if I behave myself. 

[polybear]

 

6 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Today’s plan is more removing of paint from the cellar walls, this will probably take up most of the day. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but it’s one of those jobs that’s got to be done and like most prep work, it’s mind numbingly boring!

 

....But doesn't it feel soooo snuggly wuggly nice when it's done.....

 

Bear spent four and a half hours squirting mortar into the holes around the upvc back door frame (all part of the kitchen refit) using one of these jobbies:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cox-SOLPOINTING-Ultrapoint-Gun/dp/B0001P0SPQ

They work really well for such jobs, so long as the mortar is decidedly soggy otherwise the gun jams up.

[tigerburnie]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear spent four and a half hours squirting mortar into the holes around the upvc back door frame (all part of the kitchen refit) using one of these jobbies:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cox-SOLPOINTING-Ultrapoint-Gun/dp/B0001P0SPQ

They work really well for such jobs, so long as the mortar is decidedly soggy otherwise the gun jams up.

Strewth that's expensive

[Ian Abel]

Only Chewsday, seems the week is dragging with nothing happening on any front!

 

Window replacement started yesterday in the rental property, moving ahead at a splendid pace, looks great, and more to the point will make the place far less draughty than the original circa 1927 windows did!  He'd got 13 done yesterday so leaves him 8 to do today, should be a doddle.

Tree trimmers running late yesterday, so didn't show up till this morning - 8AM, rather too early for the Mrs to be presentable so I had to head out and confirm the requirements.

 

Having heard sod all from the Long Island client, who DID intimate they'd pretty much all be non-existent this week, I've decided to take tomorrow off (hell with NOT billing them for today, their fault for not being definitive enough), so that means 5 days off. My company provide both Thanksgiving day (Thursday) and the Friday after as company holidays.

 

So, what do do with 5 free days and self-isolating... if I DARE to, I may try and get a start on resurrecting the layout in the basement, all been in mothballs since we moved.

Will require a moderate re-organization of all the carp in the basement, but that needs doing anyway, likely THAT will take most of the time <sigh>

 

ONE major task today, curbside pickup of a wine order <hic>

 

0 overcast and damp first thing, not expected to improve much throughout the day, high of 2 expected.

 

Move on folks...

[roundhouse]

We are now holding our breath to see if we will be in tier 1 or 2. If tier 2 then we have to order a meal with beer in a pub. Unfortunately that would mean all our good pubs will be closed. However we do have a plan. Lunch in a pub then max limit of three pints. Mid afternoon food but bung it in a container (for take home and have another day) then have three pints. Evening dinner then three pints. Just need to find places doing cheap food and decent beer. Our Spoons hasn't been good between lockdowns for good beer.

Edited November 24, 2020 by roundhouse

[The Stationmaster]

9 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

I would be careful Chris about those stamps if I were you, upside down placement is considered an offence to the Queen and you could be arrested. Ah the mosquito traps I remember them well.

I expect the rules have long since changed but many years ago postage stamps were considered invalid if they were affixed upside down.  I wouldn't be surprised if nowadays there are plenty of folk out there who don't have the first clue about which way up is the correct way to affix them to a postal item and probably spend most of their time looking for the 'send' button.. 

[Winslow Boy]

8 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

I expect the rules have long since changed but many years ago postage stamps were considered invalid if they were affixed upside down.  I wouldn't be surprised if nowadays there are plenty of folk out there who don't have the first clue about which way up is the correct way to affix them to a postal item and probably spend most of their time looking for the 'send' button.. 

Well if we don't hear from him we might have to send out a search party. I'd suggest the tower of London as first port of call.

 

I thought that was why they changed the stamps to self adhesive as the 'youfs' couldn't figure out how to get them to stick.

Edited November 24, 2020 by Winslow Boy

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all.

 

This morning we went to Tesco - or rather she went shopping in Tesco while I spent most of the 30 odd minutes she was in the shop walking round the car park. No Ferraris today but two Teslae and a McLaren to ogle (in the case of the latter, the other two were only interesting because they were there and a bit different).  Some amusement not from idiot drivers today (almost entirely absent) but the couple who arrived in a BMW - he then drove off and she walked over to the shop but came back shortly after and got into a parked Audi convertible which she then drove to the click 'n collect to load up then she went back to the shop; one can't help wondering what might have been going on there?

 

Fortunately our favoured brand of toilet rolls are still on special offer at Tesco so the long term stockpile was duly increased by today's shop to match the highest score available on a dartboard.  This is not panic buying but merely our long established process of saving money as we never buy them when they are at full price but stock up when the price is reduced - saving another £5.30 today.

 

As herself has been completing online quizzes and then looking tposee how they've been doing once they were approved and posted I have been slightly robbed of keyboard access today.

 

Incidentally talking of money I was long. long ago that when looking at income after retirement what mattered was not how much you would receive in ension or whatever but what the net position would be after changing to a different lifestyle.  It doesn't work quite the same way if you've been on long term sick because you might already know how your outgoings have changed but the net position each month/pay period is far more important than just knowing how much you will be getting in.   But I'm sure Simon T will already be well on top of that.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day one and all.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Popped down to Tesco this afternoon for a few bits missed yesterday and to check out the availability/quality of various ingredients. Went pretty well except for one cockwomble who not looking where he was going pushed his trolley into my foot, right on the sore spot. The throbbing has now subsided but its still sore. 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, tigerburnie said:

Strewth that's expensive

 

Fortunately Bear didn't pay anything like that price for my example as it came as a part of a kit.  I did spend some time Googling the various offerings and the Cox appeared to be one of the more favoured examples - plus you can get spares easily.  Would it be worth the Amazon price?  For me, yes - it's been a real time saver and saved so much aggro it's a no-brainer; it also allows you to easily pump mortar etc. into the depths of crevices etc. which would be a real pain (and messy) to do using "normal" methods.  They are a bit of a learning curve though, as you do have to have the mix much wetter than you normally would.

[Erichill16]

Evening,

i thought putting a stamp on upside down was a sign to the recipient that you were unhappy with them. 

Robert

 

[PhilJ W]

11 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Another dark morning here.

 

Wondering what this second lockdown has really done.

I haven't seen a large reduction in traffic on the roads (I'm a key worker so still continue to go to work) like the first time, but I guess people aren't that bothered really.

 

But I did manage to bag a good deal from ebay on 4 pairs of trousers and a pair of jeans.

Still haven't learnt to buy two if the product is good.  Now I'm struggling to find good jeans that aren't "skinny", "super skinny" or "like tights" ... not a fan of this current trend and wish it would give up.  But then I don't want to buy boring old plain jeans either!

Tut. So this is what life has boiled down to.  Where to buy good jeans.

For jeans try www.jdwilliams.co.uk and look out for a brand called Union Blues. A bit more expensive but well worth the extra.

[NGT6 1315]

This video certainly is wide open to interpretation:

 

 

That doesn’t detract anything from the earworm value, though! 

[Coombe Barton]

... and a measure of stupidity ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/is-it-sensible/

 

[simontaylor484]

Cox are the brand leader in sealant guns. At the price on polybears link it isnt bad if it allows a decent job without getting a brickie in. 

  Although one wonders if you coukd make like an icing bag used for cake decoration out of a piece of plastic sheet