Early Risers.

[Winslow Boy]

8 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

School houses;

Toilet block,

Bike Shed,

Back of the Bike Shed.

 

My School wasn't that posh.

That explains a lot. 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, another chilly but splendid one here.

 

NHS no shows - just had a conversation with a friend yesterday evening, he has a man-problem, hydrocele, and is in a lot of pain with a testicle several sizes too big currently.  Oooch.   he was absolutely furious and needed to vent.

 

He got a letter yesterday for his emergency appointment with the man-bits Consultant, however the appointment was for.....the previous day.  So he phones the department, to be told he was a no-show, and they started to give him a bollo....err...tell him off, big time, for wasting NHS resources etc.  He isn't too pleased at this point as you might imagine, and demands to have the no-show taken off his record and an emergency appointment early next week as he knows they have them.  The admin then is telling him there is no such thing etc etc, until the point he tells them his role in the same hospital.  Clinical Complaints and Claims Manager.  There are emergency slots, he can see them in the system.....he's working (uncomfortably) at home and is logged in to the same screen as Ms Unhelpful!  He has a Monday appointment. 

 

While on NHS, out of the blue Mrs NHN was asked to speak to the Deputy CEO yesterday, and when she went to the ivory tower, the DCEO asked her to be honest and open about why she was leaving!  An hour later, the DCEO has made a LOT of notes and declared herself appalled at what has gone on. Just maybe, some changes may be happening slightly higher up the food chain.  What goes around.....

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

My mother was from a large family. They were fairly evenly divided between supporting “the Blues” and “Villa”. It must have been complicated as they were also quite divided politically but not along the same lines as the football. A couple of my uncles took me to see a football match, Aston Villa v Fulham but it didn’t appeal much so never really supported anyone. Aditi gets very enthusiastic about the England team during international competitions.

It was frosty overnight but is sunny now.

I had an early morning phone call asking me not to attend a dermatology clinic on Monday. I only remembered this yesterday anyway when I had a look at the March page on the calendar. I had sent an email and left a message on their phone enquiring if it was still happening (booked a year ago). They have asked for it to be a telephone appointment. I would have gone but I am relieved I don’t  have to. 
Tony

 

[Winslow Boy]

2 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Morning, another chilly but splendid one here.

 

NHS no shows - just had a conversation with a friend yesterday evening, he has a man-problem, hydrocele, and is in a lot of pain with a testicle several sizes too big currently.  Oooch.   he was absolutely furious and needed to vent.

 

He got a letter yesterday for his emergency appointment with the man-bits Consultant, however the appointment was for.....the previous day.  So he phones the department, to be told he was a no-show, and they started to give him a bollo....err...tell him off, big time, for wasting NHS resources etc.  He isn't too pleased at this point as you might imagine, and demands to have the no-show taken off his record and an emergency appointment early next week as he knows they have them.  The admin then is telling him there is no such thing etc etc, until the point he tells them his role in the same hospital.  Clinical Complaints and Claims Manager.  There are emergency slots, he can see them in the system.....he's working (uncomfortably) at home and is logged in to the same screen as Ms Unhelpful!  He has a Monday appointment. 

 

While on NHS, out of the blue Mrs NHN was asked to speak to the Deputy CEO yesterday, and when she went to the ivory tower, the DCEO asked her to be honest and open about why she was leaving!  An hour later, the DCEO has made a LOT of notes and declared herself appalled at what has gone on. Just maybe, some changes may be happening slightly higher up the food chain.  What goes around.....

Not wishing to pour cold water on yours and good missus hopes but I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

There is one thing I learnt about local government and that it doest move very quickly. It is extremely difficult to get someone dismissed for incompetence even when it is blatent and even 'encouraging' them to move on can be dangerous because of the likely hood of it backfiring- more so given the fact that you are on a small island.

 

Even so it will have helped Ms NHN to have talked about it.

[New Haven Neil]

15 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Not wishing to pour cold water on yours and good missus hopes but I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

There is one thing I learnt about local government and that it doest move very quickly. It is extremely difficult to get someone dismissed for incompetence even when it is blatent and even 'encouraging' them to move on can be dangerous because of the likely hood of it backfiring- more so given the fact that you are on a small island.

 

Even so it will have helped Ms NHN to have talked about it.

 

Thanks.  DCEO is a 'new broom' and from 'outside', so you never know!  We both have spent enough time in the civil service to know how things work (or don't), NHS admin here is civil service, oddly, not NHS directly as in the UK.  It was helpful for her to know that someone has 'noticed' something not right in the department, and to be able to talk it through without it becoming a slagging act.  There are BIG changes under way here, with the splitting apart of the 'Department' of health and social care from the delivery side, which is to become 'Manx Care'.  The new CEO and DCEO have been brought in to 'sort it out' so the opportunity is there like never before - whether it results in anything actually happening, as you say, remains to be seen!

[Gwiwer]

11 hours ago, andyram said:

I wonder if Rick can clear up a confusion I have always had. I can understand that many footballing rivalries can develop from close proximity as tonight's game Man Utd V Man City, Liverpool V Everton etc. But London based Crystal Palace V Brighton?? Please explain?

This link explains it as well as any other source. You won’t find too many club rivalries with their own Wikipedia entry either. 
 

https://outsidewrite.co.uk/palace-v-brighton-enduring-m23-derby/

 

Good morning all. A beautiful one has arrived Upon the Hill of Strawberries though the grass was crisp and white until quite recently. 
 

Today marks a turning point in our determined avoidance of the nastivirus. SWMBO was provided with a government-sponsored jab in the arm a couplevof hours ago. She described it as “very efficient and well run” at a local centre and was pleased to receive the Oxford vaccine as she “trusts British scientists”. 
 

It’s my turn on Cheeseday. 
 

We biked / triked to the venue as that was the easiest option. She arrived 20 minutes early and was seen immediately. I hadn’t even had a chance to review ERs when she emerged minutes later all done and dusted. 
 

On with the day. Domestic Engineering is required and Sir Pawsworthy Catalot is protesting that he hasn’t been allowed out yet. 

[TheQ]

Disaster,

Chimney /sewer rods broke down the hole with scraper attached, I've just had to order a new 30 ft set to Push it through, then use a line and grapple to go fishing at the deep end..

Order on 24 hour or less send it NOW!

[andyram]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

You’re having a larf, aren’t you? Surely even the most partisan of supporters has the brains to put aside petty sporting rivalries and look after his/her well-being and that of his/her neighbours? If not, the words “foolish” and “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face” jump, unbidden, to mind. 

 

A little over the top answer if you do not mind me saying considering the fact my comment was made with tongue firmly in cheek. Mind you - I live in Derby so why travel the length of the A52 to the City Ground when there is bound to be an appointment much closer to home??? 

 

Anyway - I bid everybody a good morning. The sun is out, the sky is blue and there is beginning to be a little warmth in the air after the morning frost which resulted in the need to scrape the car windscreen this morning. I have completed my trip to Derby Arena and had my first jab. I am pleased to report a much more positive experience than the one we had two weeks ago for Sarah's first attempt. The staff were welcoming and helpful. Yes they checked my paperwork, and yes they needed to see my foster carer i.d card to prove I was a "frontline social care worker". Other than that there were no issues. As someone who admits to having a bit of a phobia when it comes to needles, all the people there were pleasant and helped to put my mind at ease. Only a short wait, then jabbed. I was required to wait the 15 minutes after the deed in case of any immediate side effects, but this was allowed to be spent in the car with my copy of Hornby Magazine. Unlike @Mike Bellamy there was no sticker with time etc. As an ex-teacher who spent many times handing out reward stickers,  I almost feel left out!!!!!

 

 At present I report no ill effects other than a slight pin prick pain in the relevant arm. Fingers crossed I can avoid the sort of effects that Sarah suffered.

 

 Returning to football for a second. The exit route out of the Derby Arena car park took me around the back of Pride Park stadium and passed the turnstile which I always enter the ground through. Although last night's game was by no means a classic, I still feel a little disappointed to not have been there. It's almost a year since we were last permitted to attend a game (a fantastic 3-0 demolition of Blackburn Rovers incidentally). Some people clearly do not understand the game and the importance it has in some people's lives. Yes, there are many who take things to far. However,  for me it is the social element, the meeting with my uncle and cousins before the game - a couple of pints consumed along with the pie and a pre-match chat. The chat throughout the game and yes the rivalry and emotions that then develop as the game progresses. A great goal, a great result can make you forget other problems for a short while and can make you feel better. (A bad result can make you feel worse of course - but only for a short time). I miss it just as much as I miss the relaxing days out on a steam train or the social element of the model clubs or exhibitions and the chance to catch up with friends and acquaintances.

 

Returning to ID's comment once more - Derby V Forest. United V City, Liverpool V Everton - they may invoke similar rivalries to those railway enthusiasts who prefer LMS V LNER or Steam V diesel, GWR v anything else and some comments are made with firmly with tongue in cheek.

 

Have a great day. Stay safe.

 

At 12.00 noon I am going to raise a glass to Sir Tom Moore whose funeral is today. A man whose whole outlook on life can be an inspiration to use all. 

 

[tigerburnie]

Morning, glorious sunshine, if a tad cold though, a lot of interesting topics on the go on here:-

school- I seem to remember someone saying they were the best years of their life....................nope. I was part of a bizarre experiment, in 1960 the 11 plus was abandoned and I was "chosen" to go to the high school a year early, missing my last years education, first lesson was maths, "Excuse me Sir, I haven't done this before" I remarked, "yes you have, you did it in your last year at junior school"........................."but I didn't do my last year at school"..................."Well you'll just have to catch up then" was the helpful and caring reply. That was my academic part of my life trashed, add to that not only was I the youngest kid in the school, but I was also the tallest, so my boxing career came on in leaps and bounds with all the fights in the play ground, so at least I did learn something useful in life. There were houses, but for the life of me I don't remember what they were , I did come second in the who could pee highest up the toilet wall competition(it helped being tall you see).

Off to cut the grass if it's dried enough take care all.

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Mine was the same, not so sure about the back of the bike shed it was an all boys school.

 

So was mine but the Girls School was next door.

[Tony_S]

23 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

high school a year early, missing my last years education, first lesson was maths, "Excuse me Sir, I haven't done this before" I remarked, "yes you have, you did it in your last year at junior school".....................

Aditi had a similar problem. Her family moved from Huddersfield to Heanor, the City of Derby,  the City of Nottingham and then the County of Nottingham all in a year. She had passed the 11+ in Yorkshire but somehow was put straight into the second year (Year 8 nowadays) in the County Grammar School. This meant she had great gaps in her knowledge of maths and science. Her family just assumed she was dim as she didn’t have the mathematical abilities of everyone else in the family. 

Edited February 27, 2021 by Tony_S

[Gwiwer]

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

You’re having a larf, aren’t you? Surely even the most partisan of supporters has the brains to put aside petty sporting rivalries and look after his/her well-being and that of his/her neighbours? If not, the words “foolish” and “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face” jump, unbidden, to mind. 

If there had been no alternative then I might have had to blindfold myself and put a peg on my nose   

 

“Petty” is not the word. Dyed-in-the-wool supporters consider the rivalry to be a matter of life and death. Petty it isn’t. This is serious.  This rivalry is deep-seated and expressed with passion. And sometimes a bit nastier.  That said there are one or two fans who will drink together on neutral territory “out of hours”

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Nice and sunny after overnight frost once again with the same promised for tomorrow so no doubt we'll see a pretty good imitation of National Lemming Weekend as the Covidiots come out in force.

 

My day is already settled(ish) with the W word top of the list once my mind is in gear to read back yesterday's amendments and see if they make as much sense now as they did when I wrote them, fingers crossed.  The G word has been mentioned but without including my name while the V word has been very firmly mentioned in connection with my name but I can always play (or try to play) the W word deadline card if needed.  

 

And of course Flavio obviously set out to ruin my day by striking terror in my heart with a mention, invariably accompanied by condemnation, of the frightening words 'Danish Bacon'.  Nowadays I understand it is something like 75% water held together by a sort of indoor bred version of pig flesh; it is not allowed in this house under any circumstances as we already have a mains water supply and prefer bacon which tastes like bacon and doesn't shrink to the size of a postage stamp when introduced to heat.  

 

I can remember the Houses I was in at both junior and grammar schools but I can't really remember the names of the others.  Coincidentally at both junior and grammar school the colour for my house was red, on a small badge at junior school (Curie) and a red blazer badge at grammar school (Hambeldon).  There were three houses at the latter school and one of the others was Periam - easy to remember as it was named after the lady who in 1609 founded one the original schools which subsequently merged with the one founded in 1604 under a charter granted by James I.  can't think what the name of the other one was.  

 

And the houses meant not very much except in/on the field of various sports where inter-house events took place all found the year except in rowing where there weren't enough of us involved to crew more than one four with a few reserves.  However latterly, after we'd restored it, we did manage to crew an eight but not at all well so we never rowed it competitively..   Which is less than can be said for one old boy who won a Gold Medal for rowing in the 1948 Olympics (Bert Bushnell).

 

Have a good day a one and all and try to stay safe as  the lemmings launch themselves forth upon the land.

 

PS No activity beyond occasional smoking behind the bike shed and bys and girls were segregated during free time outdoors.  But one couple in my year reputedly managed to 'go all the way' on the lawn in front of the main building one dark evening on the occasion of a school dance -  a story I can quite believe knowing both of them.  

Edited February 27, 2021 by The Stationmaster

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

A bright and sunny start to the day, but it's quite cool. I've just wiped down the bench below the workshop window for the first time this year, hopefully I'll be able to sit on it later with my mid morning muggertea. 

 

Currently in the workshop about to start working on the test track to turntable extension. 

 

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

 

Brian 

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Thanks.  DCEO is a 'new broom' and from 'outside', so you never know!  We both have spent enough time in the civil service to know how things work (or don't), NHS admin here is civil service, oddly, not NHS directly as in the UK.  It was helpful for her to know that someone has 'noticed' something not right in the department, and to be able to talk it through without it becoming a slagging act.  There are BIG changes under way here, with the splitting apart of the 'Department' of health and social care from the delivery side, which is to become 'Manx Care'.  The new CEO and DCEO have been brought in to 'sort it out' so the opportunity is there like never before - whether it results in anything actually happening, as you say, remains to be seen!

Ah had a few of them throughout my career. The outsider brought it to shoot a few of the walking dead and then swoop of to pastures new. I wish them luck. The memsarb probably got out just in time as often it is the 'trouble makers I.e the ones who actu ally get things done who seem to end up on the chopping block.

 

As to divisions of labour well where to start. Anybody remember the splitting off of the maintenance from the 'client' side in the 80's. Not dwelling on the politics of it but I do. What a great way to clear house of the less than able staff, not. What was forgotten was the fact that if they were incompetant before then it didn't much matter, now if they cocked up then whole entity could collapse.

 

There is only so much 'talent/competency in the gene pool and the smaller the pool the ........

[jonny777]

It was thick fog in North Somerset when I went to the lav at 5.30, but by the time I came downstairs just after 8am the sky was blue and the sun was shining; which it looks like doing for the rest of daytime. 

 

If I am not mistaken, I can hear the distant sound of a lawn mower. 

 

I have been doing some contemplating, and decided to order Freesias to go with the flag irises by the pond. That should lengthen the flowering season somewhat - assuming the mice don't have them all for breakfast after I have planted them. 

 

On football rivalries, I remember watching grown men sobbing on the terraces when they realised a late goal by another local club had saved theirs from relegation about 5 minutes before the end of the last match of the season. It became obvious that allegiance to a team for many folk is something that is not going to be altered by any amount of mickey taking or puerile chanting by other teams' supporters. 

Edited February 27, 2021 by jonny777

[Tony_S]

I believe we are off for a walk soon now the post has been. I had a blood test form from the GP arrive, a packet of decals (what we used to call water slide transfers ) from the US ordered last weekend and some toy car bits ordered early yesterday. The car bits came from Lancashire. Earlier this week I ordered some slot car spares from a manufacturer in Spain. It will be interesting to see what happens. As the only other way of getting them would be very silly prices on eBay, even if I have to pay vat and Royal Mail collection fees I won’t be unhappy. 
Tony 

 

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, andyram said:

....A little over the top answer if you do not mind me saying considering the fact my comment was made with tongue firmly in cheek....

No, Andrew, not at all. I don’t mind you saying that. I had suspected your comment would’ve been somewhat tongue in cheek, and I am very happy to stand corrected (Mind you my comment probably reveals my disdain for anything sporting. Like Lord Vetinari of Discworld fame, I believe any physical exercise beyond that necessary to keep one in good health and spirits is rather pointless)

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

...“Petty” is not the word. Dyed-in-the-wool supporters consider the rivalry to be a matter of life and death. Petty it isn’t. This is serious.  This rivalry is deep-seated and expressed with passion. And sometimes a bit nastier.  That said there are one or two fans who will drink together on neutral territory “out of hours”

The late, great, Terry Pratchett had something to say about this sort of thing. To loosely paraphrase, he said that when you have absolutely no power or influence over most of your life, the small things that you do have control over - such as which team you support or whether you model in EM or P4 - acquire a significance and importance in your life far out of proportion of their true importance and value.

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

...of course Flavio obviously set out to ruin my day by striking terror in my heart with a mention, invariably accompanied by condemnation, of the frightening words 'Danish Bacon'.....

YES!!!! He’s still got it! 

Even on his day off, Captain Cynical can still install abject terror and bowel loosening fear in the unsuspecting! (d*mn, I’m good). 
 

Now onto more important matters: CAKE!
 

Currently I have the cake part of the Cadburys Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bar inspired cake baking in the oven. Once I take it out and it is cool enough, I will give it its coat of chocolate. The cake will then be dispatched to Mrs iD’s cousin in a Bear and Hippo proof container accompanied by Mrs iD herself (plus Wolfpack).  And anyone trying to hijack the cake whilst it is in transit will seriously risk annoying Mrs ID. Even I, Captain Cynical, (who would fearlessly take on battalions of bears and hordes of hippos without blinking) would think twice about annoying Mrs iD.

 

Photos of CAKE may be taken!

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

would think twice about annoying Mrs iD

Aditi once was very cross with me about a cake. I woke her up one morning bringing a nice cup of tea. She was really grumpy and wouldn’t at first admit why. She had been dreaming and had spent a considerable time baking a perfect cake. She was just about to taste it when I woke her. 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Only finished breakfast an hour or so ago. Thats due to a long soak in the bath and a bit of eyelid inspection.

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

PS No activity beyond occasional smoking behind the bike shed and bys and girls were segregated during free time outdoors.  But one couple in my year reputedly managed to 'go all the way' on the lawn in front of the main building one dark evening on the occasion of a school dance -  a story I can quite believe knowing both of them.  

We had very few female teachers in my school, there was Miss Arthur the music teacher who retired shortly before I left. A bit of a dragon but with a heart of gold. The other one was a lot younger, in her early twenties. I can't remember her name but she left after about a year heavily pregnant. What set tongues wagging was that she wasn't married. Acceptable today but not so sixty years ago. Especially as the father was reputed to be one of the sixth formers.

50 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I believe we are off for a walk soon now the post has been. I had a blood test form from the GP arrive, a packet of decals (what we used to call water slide transfers ) from the US ordered last weekend and some toy car bits ordered early yesterday. The car bits came from Lancashire. Earlier this week I ordered some slot car spares from a manufacturer in Spain. It will be interesting to see what happens. As the only other way of getting them would be very silly prices on eBay, even if I have to pay vat and Royal Mail collection fees I won’t be unhappy. 
Tony 
 

E-bay now automatically add 20% VAT to items coming from abroad on behalf of HMRC. Its on items over a certain amount, £65 IIRC. Its partly due to Brexit but also due to many Hong Kong traders in particular having a habit of putting a lower figure on the customs declaration. At least you avoid the Parcel Force fees which can be as much as if not more than the VAT. 

[Coombe Barton]

Was sunny, then cloudy, now sunny again.

But I'm indoors performing minor demolishing.

[iL Dottore]

As promised: CAKE

it’s now cooling in the fresh air and the chocolate coating solidifying.

Unfortunately, I am still not entirely happy with the outcome of the chocolate coating. Right now, I am using a chocolate glasur, which is basically melted chocolate; I am wondering if a chocolate icing might not do the trick (although it could be too sweet). The idea is to have a perfectly smooth chocolate layer (like a chocolate bar) over the sides and the top.

Apart from the chocolate coating - which isn’t quite where I wanted to be, I am otherwise very satisfied with the taste and texture of the cake.

Future modifications could include adding chocolate chips to the cake batter mix, or replacing the raisins with a mixture of different nuts of the kind that you would find in Cadbury chocolate bars (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)

 

Any other suggestions?

 

iD

[tigerburnie]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi had a similar problem. Her family moved from Huddersfield to Heanor, the City of Derby,  the City of Nottingham and then the County of Nottingham all in a year. She had passed the 11+ in Yorkshire but somehow was put straight into the second year (Year 8 nowadays) in the County Grammar School. This meant she had great gaps in her knowledge of maths and science. Her family just assumed she was dim as she didn’t have the mathematical abilities of everyone else in the family. 

By the time I got to Grammar school I had all but lost any interest in education, I left before my exams were taken, yet when I got to college, I flew along passing with distinctions and finally set off on a decent career.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

adding chocolate chips

DCC conversion?  
 

Dottore’s Chocolate Chips?  
 

 

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

As promised: CAKE

 

 

Any other suggestions?

 

iD

If you can do it GF, forget the zwie bak, just bring it to the next brains trust meeting and I’ll be there!