Early Risers.

[brianusa]

13 hours ago, Barry O said:

Before we get too gooey eyed about Captain Sir Tom.. should he really have been in Barbados before Christmas?  Not entirely a good idea...just saying..

 

Baz

 

If I was his age, I wouldn't say no to the Barbados this time of year.  Duly masked, if course.

      Brian.

[leopardml2341]

The end of a rather dull Monday in every sense of the term.

 

Goodnight folks.

[Coombe Barton]

... which part of the law are they above? ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/boris-hopes-but/

[J. S. Bach]

11 hours ago, pH said:

That was a real request for information!

 

I couldn’t think of a reason why cups and mugs are like that, and wondered if anyone could tell me.

Ceramic needs a firing rest with no glazing. These insulators are an example; the first one has the firing rest on the outer skirt:

 

 

 

and the second one has the firing rest on the inner skirt (or petticoat as we collectors call it):

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by J. S. Bach

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Today back working though still quiet on the Long Island front.

With blizzard conditions possible in NYC I doubt you'll be hearing much from them today - even if they've all been working from home for a year now.

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

High C-19 death rate in the UK (106.5K)?  BBC News just announced that in the USA there were 91K in January alone. 

January was the worst month for CoViD-19 fatalities in the US. New case diagnoses are trending down quickly but are still at very elevated levels (~150,000 per day). 

 

Over the duration of the pandemic, the cumulative fatalities per 100,000 people in the UK is 159 and in the US, 133. Well over 1:1,000 in both countries. 

 

More than 1:13 people in the US have been diagnosed as infected.

[Erichill16]

Evening All,
As predicted a visit to work in the morning then came home and it was a close run thing but we decided to go for a walk rather than gardening. Also managed a bit of paperwork as some of the bills I fetched from work should have been paid by 31st of January, Ah well never mind.

I was due a hospital appointment on Wednesday but that’s been changed to a phone consultation which is slightly disappointing but totally understandable. I was hoping consultant  would send me for some blood tests to see how my gluten antibody levels were. (And me having a fear of needles!) . Last January I had a new antibody test done and the result of that was higher then expected so I would have liked that repeated. Of all the tests done, that’s the one that will most clearly show the progress of my condition. Secondary to that I was planning to call at Sainsburys   to pick up  medeira   cake  that nobody else does and at B&Q to get some wood for a certain hobby that I participate in.

Got to get up (relatively) early tomorrow to pick Sydney up, so only one film today, and on that note I’ll bid you all a goodnight.

Robert

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My niece phoned me earlier this evening and we had a good chat about our family history. She is still working full time and has been so throughout the covid crisis. However she has been the only one in her office though some others have been in from time to time. Tea has brewed so its be back later.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

I’ve made quite a bit of progress moving stuff about in the cellar, one wall is now accessible, but I’ve more still to do. I’ll carry on with this for the rest of the week and hopefully by Thursday, I’ll have access to the fireplace as well and both the wall and chimney breast can be stripped of paint. The biggest problem I have is finding where to safely store 8 boxes of laminate flooring. I think I’ll have to re-organise the underfloor storage area, there’s certainly plenty of room for it all in there. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

Phew, looks like I got away with it 

 

G'night all

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Ceramic needs a firing rest with no glazing. These insulators are an example; the first one has the firing rest on the outer skirt:

 

 

 

 

and the second one has the firing rest on the inner skirt (or petticoat as we collectors call it):

 

 

 

 

The base of any item that needs firing has to be kept glaze free, or it sticks to the oven shelf. Wax is usually used as it resists any glaze coating and then melts away in the oven. For the likes of the insulators above and mugs, the glaze is applied by dipping the items in the glaze coating. (That's why the insulator is glazed on the outside)

 

 

 

[newbryford]

Without straying into politics too much.....

Whilst I have no "love" for a certain politician with a fishy name [*] north of the border, there is one thing that they have right.

 

Golf is allowed..........

 

I have considered emigrating.

 

[*] the name is the same as a low bodied rail carrying vehicle and rhymes with surgeon

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, Barry O said:

...Just had a visit from a helicopeter.. a Sikorski S92 air sea rescue jobbie.. it flew all the way from Humberside ...

9 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

...two Chinooks although they were just passing over - extra noisily and a bit lower than normal...

8 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

We just had a visit from a Puma (helicopter).

Flew over, landed on at the Depot, sat for a few minutes, turning and burning and then disappeared pdq to the South.

Not a normal occurrence, ....

It’s clear that you have not yet grasped the significance of the helicopter visits!

This is the second part of Phase 1 of Bill Gates plan to control the world through implanted microchips.  Now that a significant portion of the UK population has been injected with the controlling chip via an inoculation for the so-called “pandemic virus“,  they are now helicoptering in the “people controllers” that will be distributed across the UK. These “people controllers”,  once activated, will turn the freedom loving British into a bunch of mindless consumers only interested in football and vacuous television programmes, whilst voting as directed by the controlling cabal via the microchip.

(Of course this is conspiracy b0llocks, but I think it’s rather inventive conspiracy boll0cks, don’t you?. Sadly, turning many Brits into mindless consumers only interested in football and vacuous television programmes, has already happened - even without a microchip!)

8 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Not to be confused with ‘ orange cake’. Unfortunately this one is just as inedible, it’s gluten free.

 

I really feel sorry for those who have metabolic conditions, such as being gluten intolerant or Type II diabetic, for not only do they have to be extremely careful with what they eat (or suffer sometimes rather unpleasant consequences), but they also are at the mercy of manufacturers who sometimes flog any old garbage providing that it is labelled as either “sugar free“ or “gluten-free”. Fortunately, for those with a sweet tooth, Italian cuisine has a number of delicious treats based on either chestnut flour (such as Castagnaccio) or polenta - both gluten-free. Castagnaccio is particularly fine when eaten with a good dollop of sweet ricotta and a glass of Vin Santo to go with it.

 

Now, whilst on the subject of “cake”, I can now reveal (given that the object in question has been totally consumed), that this past weekend I made a lemon cake that was refined by the addition of candied lemon peel and Sicilian lemon extract. To make the cake “bear-proof“ (and knowing what we know about a certain bear’s aversion to cream based fillings), I sliced the cake into two horizontally and filled it with a lovely and very more-ish cream made from marscapone and lemon curd. Although, I wasn’t too happy with the cake, those people both privileged and lucky enough* to be awarded a slice of the same, raved about it. In fact, I have an order for another one for this weekend!

 

iD

* I bake rather infrequently, but when I do the output is eagerly anticipated but as there are more willing consumers of my patisserie than there are cakes to satisfy them, then only the people who are very nice to me get a chance at a slice.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare,

Can't sleep at the moment, although I've had about 5 hours so far..

 

East Anglia has had the highest rainfall in 100 years, for the combined months of December and January. That came after the big storm before that. Now a major snow storm is hitting New York today, normally that will take three or four days to get here in a reduced format. I think February could join December and January for soggy weather..

 

Tulips 1637, ,  the South Sea bubble 1720,  railways 1846, stock exchanges 1929 , and Reddit 2021  what do they all have in common...  The public getting stupidly involved in share dealing, it doesn't look good. Every one knows the world economy is screwed up by covid, yet the public is pouring in money into failing companies and silver. It's all going to end in tears...

 

Forepaws are complaining of rain, Ben is the Snoring Collie, I'm getting tired but I need to get up in an hour..

Time to close my eyes for that hour..

[TheQ]

I note there are those saying the entire population could be vaccinated by the end of May...err no..

 

At the end of February those having had their first jab start becoming due their second jab. This will increasingly eat into the capabilities to do more first jabs.. They will have to double vaccination facilities again to vaccinate every one by May I can't see that happening, and I think the original projection of by the Autumn is more realistic..

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

My neighbour Mrs Electric-Chair has one of those personal alarms which she wears on her wrist.  It is an occupational hazard that once in a while it is pressed by accident.  The alarm company then phones someone on their list and asks him or her to go round and see if Mrs E-C is OK.  Yesterday it was my turn to get the call.  As it turned out, she was OK.  She is 93 and only now starting to look her age.  I could not help wondering whether I will be in anything like as good nick should I be spared as long as her.  I tend to feel like that with every approaching birthday – three weeks hence, since you ask.  She imparted some good advice which I already try to follow, the gist of which was “Do it while you can”.  Last birthday I had every intention of doing just that.  Then came Covid and the list remains as long as it was.  The way things are panning out there is not much chance of my making an impression on it this year.

 

Q, the journey that I contemplate is essential.  Would you expect me to say otherwise?  Phil, I already make frequent use of the navigation aids that you mention.  In happier times I am out and about and here and there quite a lot.  Despite failing O Level Geography in 1964 I can read a map – even one of those produced by Google which leave much to be desired.

 

The chances of my stumbling across Jamie’s step dragon in law are remote, for Bedford is quite a big place.  You never know though.  Best wishes to her and to all

 

Chris

[brianusa]

5 hours ago, newbryford said:

Without straying into politics too much.....

Whilst I have no "love" for a certain politician with a fishy name [*] north of the border, there is one thing that they have right.

 

Not too many have much love for Nicola!  Perhaps it was Alex, did either get anything right?

     Brian.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

East Anglia has had the highest rainfall in 100 years, for the combined months of December and January.

Differently from last year, when we were in a rain deficit, here we are slightly ahead of *normal* rainfall for the 'rain year' which begins in October. Somewhat contradictorily we only have about 67% of our *normal* snowpack in the mountains.

 

Snowpack is a more useful measure for us than rainfall since the snow is effectively our reservoir for the water we use in the summer. The rain just runs into the rivers and the ocean.

 

Temperatures have been warmer than usual at this time of year and January saw a lot of rain in a single event - about 75mm in 48 hours. This rain came in the form of an 'atmospheric river' from the central Pacific and was warmer than the usual rain, resulting in rain at altitudes where we normally see snow and depleting the snowpack dramatically.

 

The central California coast saw a massive amount of rain from another 'atmospheric river' last week. The footage of the new washout of the Pacific Coast Highway is quite dramatic. This is the second complete blockage of the Pacific Coast Highway in the Big Sur area in about three years.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Snowing fit to bust here. Pah! (According to our weatherman the temperature will rise and it will be chuckinitdarn later today.... PAH!)

 

Her indoors has an appointment at the dentist today to have a broken tooth sorted.. just hope she can get there and back ok.

 

I will also brave the snow to send two parcels today.. my things to sell pile is reducing rapidly.

 

@newbryford  even if you were allowed to you wouldn't get much golf played around here as it is so wet and soggy... just go for a decent (non ball hitting interrupted walk instead).

 

while we had a fleeting visit from @trisonic and @Smiffy2 no more visits .. and we are missing a lot of ERs. Hopefully they are all safe and well.

 

our new next door neighbour is still rebuilding the house.. they intend to have a couple of extensions built which will mean they won't have a garden and they won't be able to park both of their vehicles off road. I hope they have a lot of money to pay for wing mirrors!

Grab today and get the vest you can from it.

 

baz

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

It’s clear that you have not yet grasped the significance of the helicopter visits!

This is the second part of Phase 1 of Bill Gates plan to control the world through implanted microchips.  Now that a significant portion of the UK population has been injected with the controlling chip via an inoculation for the so-called “pandemic virus“,  they are now helicoptering in the “people controllers” that will be distributed across the UK. These “people controllers”,  once activated, will turn the freedom loving British into a bunch of mindless consumers only interested in football and vacuous television programmes, whilst voting as directed by the controlling cabal via the microchip.

(Of course this is conspiracy b0llocks, but I think it’s rather inventive conspiracy boll0cks, don’t you?. Sadly, turning many Brits into mindless consumers only interested in football and vacuous television programmes, has already happened - even without a microchip!)

I really feel sorry for those who have metabolic conditions, such as being gluten intolerant or Type II diabetic, for not only do they have to be extremely careful with what they eat (or suffer sometimes rather unpleasant consequences), but they also are at the mercy of manufacturers who sometimes flog any old garbage providing that it is labelled as either “sugar free“ or “gluten-free”. Fortunately, for those with a sweet tooth, Italian cuisine has a number of delicious treats based on either chestnut flour (such as Castagnaccio) or polenta - both gluten-free. Castagnaccio is particularly fine when eaten with a good dollop of sweet ricotta and a glass of Vin Santo to go with it.

 

Now, whilst on the subject of “cake”, I can now reveal (given that the object in question has been totally consumed), that this past weekend I made a lemon cake that was refined by the addition of candied lemon peel and Sicilian lemon extract. To make the cake “bear-proof“ (and knowing what we know about a certain bear’s aversion to cream based fillings), I sliced the cake into two horizontally and filled it with a lovely and very more-ish cream made from marscapone and lemon curd. Although, I wasn’t too happy with the cake, those people both privileged and lucky enough* to be awarded a slice of the same, raved about it. In fact, I have an order for another one for this weekend!

 

iD

* I bake rather infrequently, but when I do the output is eagerly anticipated but as there are more willing consumers of my patisserie than there are cakes to satisfy them, then only the people who are very nice to me get a chance at a slice.

This very cruel iL Dottorie taunting PB like this, particularly as there is now a travel ban in place. You should be reported- wait there whilst I go away and look up who I should be reporting you too. 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where it has dawned grey but currently dry.

 

Mrs Lurker's school has been supplied with a whole load of lateral flow tests; the idea is that staff take them a couple of times a week, and if anyone tests positive, the bubble is taken down and that staff member gets a second test from the NHS.

 

All well and good - Mrs Lurker took her first test yesterday evening and showed negative. But the kicker is that half the staff are refusing to test themselves. One excuse is that the other half is self-employed and if the staff member tests positive, then other half can't work because they would have to isolate. So instead, any assymptomatic spread will carry on undetected.

 

And we wonder why the rates are still high in this country. When the educators themselves take this attitude, what hope the rest of us?