Early Risers.

[Simon G]

Afternoon all, todays walk has been walked and we went past a stables where there was loads of manure in bags for free.  Two car trips were then made, so I now have a large pile in the garden.  That makes 3 dumpy bags full and rotting down, and now this pile, plus a pile of already rotted stuff.  I just hope that all this work is reflected in the quantity and quality of the fruit and veg this year!

 

Todays post consisted of a letter from the NHS inviting me to go onto their online system to book my first Covid jab.  The only problem is that I was phoned by the GP surgery this time last week and had the jab on Saturday!  Left hand and right hand operating a bit independently!  Still, better two invites than none.

 

Lovely sunny day here, so I am sitting inside in the sun, nice and warm without the need for the central heating just now.  When it cools down, the woodburner will be lit.

[Tony_S]

36 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

To whit, a set of 400-day clock pendulum suspension springs, blocks and fork! I have a 400-day clock that I've had for around 50 years

When I was young but tall enough to look in shop windows I always used to like looking at those clocks. It was one of those “one day I’d like one of those”. A bit like the Mamod engines  in the model shop or classic sports cars. 
So many of the clocks that look like that now are just decorative the mechanism being a quartz drive. The dream of a sports car to tinker with disappeared after years of trying to keep cheap old cars going. I like my comfortable reliable car now. I don’t want a live steam engine now, just not interested. As for timepieces I have a plastic Casio that is solar powered and radio controlled which is great and just about as far technologically as could be from a 400 day clock. I suspect I would still be happy staring at one though!

Tony

[The White Rabbit]

It's a good day for looking at the countryside from behind glass. Sun, snow and hail today so far. 

 

Some bits sorted out, paperwork chewed and part of the hutch cleaned. One headache removed but it involves that which must not be spoken of, so I'll just say "Meur ras". 

 

Now it's time to speak to someone about some cassettes. Back later...

[jonny777]

On 09/02/2021 at 11:33, BoD said:

Ah,  Oscar - a collection of aphorisms looking for a storyline.

 

I bet you didn’t realise that I was once the Literary Critic for Exchange and Mart.

 

The prose is very camp, but no less interesting for that. I prefer to read books that I know nothing about. 

 

I haven't seen a copy of Exchange & Mart for years. In the 1970s I was tempted by an Aston Martin DB6 which was on sale for just over £2000 IIRC in that paper. I wish I had bought it, but keeping it in good nick and buying fuel would have bankrupted me. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by jonny777
Fat fingers

[Coombe Barton]

17 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Evening All,

Not been about much today so hope all is well.

Thanks for the support regarding Mil and SWMBOs cousins attitude towards having the COVID  vaccine. Got Sydney for a sleepover.

Getting  late so I’ll bid you all a goodnight,

Robert

Just on the news - the WHO recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for all adults - 

[Coombe Barton]

30 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

In the 1970s I was tempted by an Aston Martin DB6 which was on sale for just over £2000 IIRC in that paper. I wish I had bought it, but keeping it in good nick and buying fuel would have bankrupted me. 

Like replacing the front suspension bushes every 5000 miles. It was the fastest moving item in the stores in the early 1970s

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Coombe Barton

[polybear]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

It is reassuring to know that many ERs treat people “as they find them” and are not prejudiced by race, religion or sex. However some people are prejudiced and it doesn’t matter how good, intelligent or whatever someone is, the bigot sees the race, gender etc first. So while nice people have nice thoughts, some people have to put up with prejudice from those who aren’t.

 

 

Bear isn't racist, prejudiced etc etc. at all.  He hates everyone equally.....

A productive day - walls now filled, sanded, marked for coving and about a million "X" scratch marks (done using a masonry nail) right round the walls to help give the coving adhesive something to really grab hold of.  Bear predicts right paw is gonna hurt like hell in the morning, if not before.

 

Cooker still not reconnected, so it looks like toast & tomato sauce for tea tonight; din dins was a big bowl of cornflakes.  You can live on it....

On a brighter note, Bear has half a tin of custard in the fridge that requires eating, so it seems like a good excuse to sling a microwave treacle sponge in with it

[The Lurker]

I had to look up 400 day clocks; I had never heard of them.

 

sounds like Ian may have two clocks  he doesn’t have to wind up often but which will be inaccurate at keeping time!

[Ian Abel]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

When I was young but tall enough to look in shop windows I always used to like looking at those clocks. It was one of those “one day I’d like one of those”. A bit like the Mamod engines  in the model shop or classic sports cars. 
So many of the clocks that look like that now are just decorative the mechanism being a quartz drive. The dream of a sports car to tinker with disappeared after years of trying to keep cheap old cars going. I like my comfortable reliable car now. I don’t want a live steam engine now, just not interested. As for timepieces I have a plastic Casio that is solar powered and radio controlled which is great and just about as far technologically as could be from a 400 day clock. I suspect I would still be happy staring at one though!

Tony

These clocks, correctly COMPLETELY called "400-day Anniversary" clocks (the idea being that as it ran about 400 days on a winding, one could just wind it on your anniversary) 

 

The full story is that my mother loved them and wished she had one.

After I started working, I saw advertised somewhere - today it would be one of those despicable ads on the right side of RMWeb!! - a "deal" where if you purchased one, you'd get a second one at some discount (don't remember exactly how good a deal!), so, being the good son I was, I purchased one for her and got one for me

 

I'm not even sure how I managed to transport it over to the US intact when I finally moved my few belongings here, as it all came in a couple of suitcases!

Nevertheless, it's been with me for ages now and is a pleasure and a talking point when it's running and on display. Pictures will be forthcoming

 

[grandadbob]

56 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Just on the news - the WHO recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for all adults - 

 I always thought Roger Daltrey & Pete Townsend were good blokes!  

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

Tired, aching muchly particularly in the back and undercarriage but now in a slightly better mood than I was earlier . BP did get quite high at one time and there was a lot swearing for which I'm still being reprimanded.  The flat pack table was an absolute pig to put together, especially the lifting top and whoever designed the bloody thing should be shot.  However The Boss likes it so I will say no more about it.......she's now looking for a new nest of side tables but a least they'll be in one piece.....I hope.  

SMOG tonight and I need to select some wine to accompany it and after that we have a family Zoom session.

Farewell for now.

 

 

[tigerburnie]

23 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

 I always thought Roger Daltrey & Pete Townsend were good blokes!  

You don't know them very well then....................................hell raisers in their yoof.(But then WHO wasn't..........did you see what I did there.............................coat.....gone..........)

[iL Dottore]

12 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

You don't know them very well then....................................hell raisers in their yoof.(But then WHO wasn't..........did you see what I did there.............................coat.....gone..........)

Hey, Who Are You to talk about My Generation!?

 

 

[TheQ]

Il Dottore's post is definitely in need of the

groan button 

my usual visit to the" when will I get the jab" estimator  to find another million have appeared in front of me,. How did that happen???

 

Snow seems to have been melting today, but I've felt the house cooling as sunset arrived.. it's going to be cold tonight..

Edited February 10, 2021 by TheQ

[grandadbob]

It was quite sunny here for a lot of the day and we had a fox basking in the sun in one of our flower beds until I gave him words of advice.      He made his excuses and left. 

Most of the snow has gone from the  road but the BBC weather forecast for Sutton which was saying earlier it will be -6°C tonight is now saying -9°C!  That's very unusual around here.

Edited February 10, 2021 by grandadbob

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

 I always thought Roger Daltrey & Pete Townsend were good blokes!  

Wasn't them. The (female) doc looked a lot better

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Well it is afternoon here still as I have spent most of it on eyelid inspection. A successful fodder run and I now have sufficient fodder to take me into next week when according to the seaweed twirlers this cold snap will be over. As I mentioned earlier my back garden has something of a micro-climate. This is because it is surrounded by brick buildings and 6' brick walls on two thirds of the sides and the other third by a 5' fence and evergreen shrubbery. It is basically L shaped with the entire foot surrounded by brickwork. The back of the house which faces almost due south forms the sole of the 'foot'. As you can imagine it creates quite a suntrap and what with todays sunshine much of the snow and ice has disappeared. Even in front of the house which gets very little sun this time of year the ice melted quicker than I expected, it only took me fifteen minutes to de-ice the car this morning rather than the expected half hour. So Ian has another string to his bow, horology. I don't know what it is about pendulum clocks but I've always wanted one. I always wanted one like the one that was on the wall of the 'Emmerdale' farmhouse forty years ago. (My mum used to watch Emmerdale.)  Do other ER's have other hobbies? apart from the obvious one that is never mentioned. We are aware of a few, mine is collecting and studying old maps, especially of areas that are familiar to me were traces of what is on the old maps are still visible.

[tigerburnie]

21 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Well it is afternoon here still as I have spent most of it on eyelid inspection. A successful fodder run and I now have sufficient fodder to take me into next week when according to the seaweed twirlers this cold snap will be over. As I mentioned earlier my back garden has something of a micro-climate. This is because it is surrounded by brick buildings and 6' brick walls on two thirds of the sides and the other third by a 5' fence and evergreen shrubbery. It is basically L shaped with the entire foot surrounded by brickwork. The back of the house which faces almost due south forms the sole of the 'foot'. As you can imagine it creates quite a suntrap and what with todays sunshine much of the snow and ice has disappeared. Even in front of the house which gets very little sun this time of year the ice melted quicker than I expected, it only took me fifteen minutes to de-ice the car this morning rather than the expected half hour. So Ian has another string to his bow, horology. I don't know what it is about pendulum clocks but I've always wanted one. I always wanted one like the one that was on the wall of the 'Emmerdale' farmhouse forty years ago. (My mum used to watch Emmerdale.)  Do other ER's have other hobbies? apart from the obvious one that is never mentioned. We are aware of a few, mine is collecting and studying old maps, especially of areas that are familiar to me were traces of what is on the old maps are still visible.

I'm loaded with hobbies(according to SWMBO) expensive too(again according to the same person, gardener, fisherman, wildlife photographer which includes climbing mountains quite often as well. I'd also like a fishing boat, some creels and another classic car would be handy too, no time to get bored lol.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

... one of the ... people indicted in the US Capitol siege, has requested he be allowed to travel to Peru in a couple of weeks for a wedding!

Only after a federal judge permitted a Texas woman, accused with a charge related to the Capitol insurrection, to travel to Cancun, Mexico for a weekend business retreat with her employees. The power of precedent!

[Ozexpatriate]

29 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I don't know what it is about pendulum clocks but I've always wanted one.

As a youngster I was fascinated by pendulum clocks - particularly the tall case / 'grandfather' clocks. Less so cuckoo clocks. There was one in the home of a childhood friend. I like chimes, but not cuckoos. 

 

I do have a chiming mantle clock with an eight-day mechanical winding. It is perpetually slow. There is a screw adjustment to run it faster. The slot is dished and very shallow and I have not succeeded in finding a single screwdriver that will budge it without popping out and scratching the brass plate. It makes me wonder if there is a special crescent-headed screwdriver known only to clockmakers.

[New Haven Neil]

We splash around in this, when we get the chance.

 

[The White Rabbit]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Do other ER's have other hobbies? apart from the obvious one that is never mentioned. We are aware of a few, mine is collecting and studying old maps, especially of areas that are familiar to me were traces of what is on the old maps are still visible.

 

I think I've confessed to my liking for both maps and treacle tart previously. Though preferably not on the same table at the same time. In happier times, I liked combining some walking and a bit of photography. If I got soaked through and chilled to the bone I'd call it landscape photography. And sailing could have a good side, though if you got it wrong, you could also end up wet and cold... Reading a good book is always a favourite, especially in front of an open fire with a glass of something suitable to hand. 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

And of course.....

 

[polybear]

Bear proposes a bit of fun....

If you were marooned on a desert island with one other person of your choice - a famous celebrity - then who would it be, and why?  Only one rule - no mucky thoughts allowed

Over to you....

[New Haven Neil]

Ah, well that depends.

 

Brian Cox or Sigourney Weaver, you work it out!