Early Risers.

[Danemouth]

Both SWMBO and myself have LPAs which are held by our solicitor. They are regiatered but the solicitor will only release them if I authorise it (for mine) or a letter from a registered medical professional.

 

Dave

[polybear]

A successful(ish) morning for Bear - door disposed of, the last bit of wall prepped for sealing prior to papering, then starting wallpapering other areas of wall previously sealed.  Then things briefly went downhill....

Bear carefully measured and cut a piece of L-shaped wallpaper to go beneath the legendary "Stair Box" on the ceiling.  Only Bear managed to cut the L-shape back to front, such that the face-side of the paper would've been glued to the wall.  Bvgger.

Soon corrected though, and now stuck to the wall without tearing the internal corner too.  Happy.

 

Bear notes that a petition has been started:

"Keep Piers Morgan on GMB for his common sense approach to life."

https://www.change.org/p/good-morning-britain-keep-piers-morgan-on-gmb-for-his-common-sense-approach-to-life?signed=true

Currently standing at 71K, with a target of 75K.

 

Bear had a called from the floor tiler - he's slipped the start by a day.  Suits me too, as it happens - takes the pressure off to get things ready a little.

 

On a downside, it looks like Bear may get soggy when on the Cake Run sorry, purchase of essential supplies this afternoon

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Obviously some top quality seaweed coming up the Exe at the moment as the forecast was spot on - its raining.   Good to hear that NHN's Debs is getting stuck into her new job and enjoying it - no doubt she'll be instructed to suss out who issues the footplate passes

 

Some right entertainment going on about the lad's latest lost cause flat purchase.  his surveyor found a ceiling in the flat (which is occupied) covered in ondensation and condensation/some sort of moisture up in the roof on the woodwork with no immediately obvious cause - hence (among other reasons - such as a cracked wc pedestal - the lad backing out).  The seller's has replied that according to his brother-in-law who is a 'survey' (whatever that means) that condensation on ceilings is not unusual, especially in new builds (the flat was built in the 1970s) and moisture in the roof area (softwood) timbers is not a problem!   We moved into our new build house in 2007 and have never had condensation on any ceilings neither did we have it on the new built extension to our previous house which included a new kitchen and a new bathroom.  I suspect the b-i-l 'survey' is one of the sort who does a quick visual visit duly understanding and noticing very little and then spends his time on the 'net checking prices and saying that the value of the property is whatever.  The lad's surveyor clearly knows exactly what he is at.

 

I believe that I might today be tasked with cleaning the vacuum as I'm told 'it needs to be done'.  I am also requested to bring in various items from the reserve storage facility which will mean exposing myself to the weather and as both of the large bins have bin done they will need to be walked round to the back of the house.  Baz has exactly the right word to sum up all these domestic demands - PAH!

 

Have a good day everybody and stay safe.

[petethemole]

I've just bin out to fetch the bins in. It's wet and windy, but not seriously, direct from the south. However the empty recycling bin walked itself most of the way down the N-S side passage with the wind behind it.  The garden waste bin, emptied last week and partly filled with buddleia prunings, managed a couple of metres.  That's definitely a cold wind though, I regretted going out in just a T-shirt.  Fleece and waterproof for the trip to ASDA and a post office this afternoon, I think.  Tigger however has been out in it, got soggy and has settled on Martyn's bed.

 

Have a good day, stay elfy.

Pete

[Tony_S]

Afternoon all.

Aditi’s new phone arrived just after 9am so I set it up for her as she was busy doing online communications with French people. Number and data transfer is so simple now. The battery on the old one was failing rapidly but lasted long enough to do everything. I was quite pleased that I could keep the old one going by charging it wirelessly while the USB port was transferring data. 

I then had a chat with the dentist who will remove my poorly tooth.  He said will probably have to suture it and he would like someone to accompany me and he suggested Aditi. This will be in a fortnight. If I need more antibiotics I just have to ring. Now I have finished the first course of tablets I may be able to have a more varied diet for a few days!

Tony

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, southern42 said:

The Cakebox filler is progressing with another sprinkling of 100s and 1000s.*

Which brand and colour?  I find the dilute PVA when applied to my brand causes the pink to run into the blue and melts the sugary bits .....  

 

1 hour ago, southern42 said:

Wet and windy.  Need I say more?

Cold!!!!! 

 

Good afterlunch all.  Cold it has been and cold it remains.  Wetness and windiness have arrived to make being outside a misery.  The House of Fun was busier today than we have seen it in months with the obvious effects of senior-school returns, affected somewhat by the staggering of year groups, now in full force.  For an hour or so every train carried standing loads and on those with significant numbers of school children they mostly occupied all seats not just the window seats as we have encouraged everyone to do for the past year.  

 

There was a lot of running along platforms to greet long-missed classmates with hugs (and some kisses) and any semblance of social distancing was totally absent.  Those of us able to do so kept as much distance as we could from other people.  Appropriate messages will be sent to some schools whose students were seen in some numbers to be ignoring the requirements to stay apart where possible and wear face-coverings unless exempt.  

 

In other news - the NHS.  Left hand meet right hand.  I know everyone in the NHS has spent a year under the pump.  I merely relate facts here.  I booked my Covid vaccinations via the NHS website as I have mentioned before and had the first jab over a week ago.  For the past week I have received daily texts from our GP surgery urging me to book.  Today I received three calls from "Unknown Number" sources with no call-back facility nor messages left.  I answered the third as we do have some works awaited indoors and it might have been the gas people.  No.  It was the GP surgery.  "We are calling to urge you to book your vaccinations ....... " I explained I had already had the first, booked direct, had the second also booked and even quoted the batch number from my card.  "Oh - we were not aware of that.  Did you tell us?"  I replied that I was not made aware at any stage that I was expected to do so.  GP receptionist went on to say that NHS website bookings should "only be made after referral by your GP" which is completely untrue.  She left it at that having gained the information that I was "done" and did not require any more "reminders" from the surgery.  

 

With that call in mind I followed up on my forthcoming hospital appointment.  I have a letter and a leaflet with it confirming the appointment and stating that I will be seen by {named individual} for an initial assessment and will have an overnight assessment done at home.  I did that 15 months ago; this should be a follow-up at my own request and supported by the surgery as I haven't heard a dickie-bird in 15 months but should be reviewed every three.  I know Covid has disrupted everything but I do need the follow-up.  Without that "Swansea" may withdraw my permission to drive.  I emailed a week ago and heard nothing.  I called the number I was given 15 months ago which is now a dead line.  I called the number on the letter which is an appointment query / change line and was put through to "the department".  "The Department" was a recorded announcement stating that all letters should be ignored because all consultations were being conducted by phone.  Click.  That doesn't help one bit when I have a piece of medical equipment which is not working correctly and needs to be attended to.  I have nowhere left to go.  I have to wait for the phone call (if it comes) and explain myself to who ever calls.  Not very helpful at all.  Potentially a waste of time.  We shall see.

 

It must be time for a muggercaffeine.  It's been a few hours since the last.  And then it will be time to medicate in order to remove Alf Rytus from the cold, damp joints at most points of articulation from the shoulders down.  

 

I rather think a Brandy & Lovage might also be called for .........  

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

14 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Brian Cowan when he was Irish foreign minister was known as BIFFO

Big Ignorant Fella from offally please note I am using the polite version.

 

I can think of far worse.

[Tony_S]

We seem to have a acquired a recycling tub for glass even though we hadn’t put ours out. It wasn’t worth it for a few pickle and jam jars. One of the neighbours likes to go round returning bins from kerbside to doorstep. We all then have to return them to their correct house! Aditi returned the tub to the correct house. Quite often some neighbours ask if we could put our usually glass recycling box out as they have a lot of bottles to dispose of. Not so much recently as people are not entertaining. 

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all

 

Been trying to ring drs surgery this morning they have now put on a recorded message re covid 3 minutes of waffle to get through pah.

 

Sleep clinic havnt recieved the sd card from my cpap machine that i sent in last week second time this has happened luckily the machine records the data.

 

Although some nights i dont use the machine 

[simontaylor484]

I dont know if any other ERs use Real Time Trains but i have recieved notification that from tomorrow Avanti West Coast will be putting which units they are using on their services on the site.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

I dont know if any other ERs use Real Time Trains but i have recieved notification that from tomorrow Avanti West Coast will be putting which units they are using on their services on the site.

All the time.  It is one of those genuinely useful apps which many of us refer to frequently.  SWR includes their train formations with little icons of the train formation.  It is smart enough to show which livery (SWT red, blue or white or SWR grey) each unit wears and which way round it is which is very handy when dealing with frequent requests such as "where is the bike carriage?" or "Which is the first class car?".  

 

Any time a train is shown as "delayed" on the public CIS information panels we can use RTT to establish where on its journey it has been delayed and by how much.  If it is still sitting in Waterloo (in which case the facetious but not inaccurate answer to "how long is the delay?" is "As long as a piece of string") we can swap to Open Train Times which is the other always-open app we use and check whether the train is in fact there (using the headcode), has TRTS (Train Ready To Start) or indeed has a proceed signal (the icon swaps from red to green - it doesn't differentiate between green and yellows).  Once TRTS comes up we can assume the train will be moving within 2 minutes and with us in 10 - 12.  

 

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

Afternoon... just.

 

Feel like I've achieved nothing today but looking back, not a bad day.

 

Highlights include discovering Planet Zoo (computer zoo building game). I can see I'll be playing that tomorrow too!

 

Watered the plants - they've been desperate for a week!

 

Set up the ride on train. Have found it drives slower than crawling speed though so not sure it'll be fast enough.

 

Got through to TalkTalk on their chat about cancelling the service. It never even started (will discuss this at a other point), which is a big relief.

 

Now just cooking the evening meal, whether you call this dinner or tea, it's going taste great! 

[The Stationmaster]

The official equivalent of Open Train Times is an excellent program and the same displays are also used on the screens sited in various places out on the latforms at some GWML stations - very handy for accurately checking which way round a train is as the announcers sometimes get it wrong. 

 

The original BR computing program which did teh same sort of thing was called P2 and came complete with the relevant desktop background picture but licences for it were expensive at £60 per pc so regrettably I didn't have one in my office (but i could at least watch our trains working in the platforms).  We also had a special version of P2 which included some stations/passing points in France & Belgium although (logically) all we got was our own trains.  The latter was probably just as well as i suspect much time would have been spent watching the working on LGV Nord if we'd had access to everything on the screens in the LGV Nord signalling control in Lille.

 

Departure Boards is another handy little package as it too shows train formations

 

http://iris2.rail.co.uk/tiger/

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl, 

Bin raining all day,  it wasn't much better inside.. 

After the ms office update the spreadsheet went very strange, I clicked a box on the spreadsheet, and it started randomly swapping between different pages and different spreadsheets. I had to shut it all down and reboot it seemed ok after.

The first major system, when I tried to update the spreadsheet with the new results, I found the spread sheet was damaged.. it took until 20 minutes before home time before I fixed it..

 

Meanwhile I was trying to progress major system 2 for this week, so far it's spreadsheets seem ok but will need careful checking at the end..

 

Before I tried to put the updated results while waiting for both systems to finish what they were doing, the net was researched for information on rudders, Blue moon's original rudder was too small. The current one I'm not happy with how it turned out in shape or weight, so eventually a new one will be made.

The current shaft is a 48mm piece of scaffold tube, very heavy.

So what should it be?

it took a long time to find out.. A slight smaller boat of the same style uses a stainless steel 1inch hollow shaft of 1mm wall thickness.

So I'm looking at either changing the thickness to 2mm or the diameter to 30mm.

Alternatively getting a carbon fibre tube. 3x the price and 1/3 the weight.

 

As for the shape, I know what it should look like, and eventually I'll carve that out of foam, fit the shaft, fiberglass that over, to produce a lighter and more hydrodynamic shape.

 

I think I need a whisky..

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Interesting talk about boilers. As I mentioned I had a new boiler fitted last September. The new boiler is a Valiant and is a lot quicker in heating the water up than the old one which was an Ideal. Wet and windy outside and that seems to have started Arthur Itis off playing his merry tune so a liberal coating of Voltarol cream is in order. Muggatee awaits, be back later.

[Gwiwer]

15 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

The official equivalent of Open Train Times is an excellent program and the same displays are also used on the screens sited in various places out on the latforms at some GWML stations - very handy for accurately checking which way round a train is as the announcers sometimes get it wrong. 

 

The original BR computing program which did teh same sort of thing was called P2 and came complete with the relevant desktop background picture but licences for it were expensive at £60 per pc so regrettably I didn't have one in my office (but i could at least watch our trains working in the platforms).  We also had a special version of P2 which included some stations/passing points in France & Belgium although (logically) all we got was our own trains.  The latter was probably just as well as i suspect much time would have been spent watching the working on LGV Nord if we'd had access to everything on the screens in the LGV Nord signalling control in Lille.

 

Departure Boards is another handy little package as it too shows train formations

 

http://iris2.rail.co.uk/tiger/

P2 is effectively dead in the water.  Some locations retain it but it has been altered from a generic log-in to staff-specific ones apparently due to the cost of licensing.   In short unless the individual is on duty and is logged in no-one else can make use of it.  

 

The new "Staff Information" screens are becoming widespread.  Reading was one of the first locations to have them on open public display.  It took a matter of days before regular customers learned the headcodes of "their" trains and would seek them out on the screens.  They have been installed at the House of Fun recently although roll-out there is not yet complete and a couple of P2 monitors remain.  The only people who have trouble getting a decent look at the screen are the staff!  They are a source of entertainment and information to the public as much as anything; watching trains "move" as the headcodes jump from berth to berth and watching the signals "explode" back from green to red is a source of, seemingly, endless amusement.  

 

Only this morning I was attempting to explain to an interested party what it all meant.  I put it in terms of "Train Chess".  This train can move that way - that train can move this way - the train over there can overtake the train in front of it by doing this.  And sometimes one "takes" another as two portions couple in the platforms.  Simples.  

 

[Ian Abel]

21 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I would consider heated seats and steering wheel as "essential" in your climate - with a remote start so they can warm up before you get in. Cooled seats would be nice too.

Indeed, that's why (see the SAGA continues below) we're looking for those as options we get on the vehicles in question  rather like those for here!

 

HUMP day...

Yesterday was definitely NOT for the feint of heart, stressful to say the least.

A note, in case it's not similar situation in the UK etc., at present.

The used car market is NUTS here, premium prices and little inventory, things disappearing fast as the appear! None of the more usual "haggling over price" that used to be common, even if you're paying CASH!  Go figure

SAGA continues;

1) Potential "new" car at the original dealership fell through, they called me back and said by the time they'd contacted the other dealer to transfer it, the car had sold! 

2) Found another very desirable option 40 minutes away, scheduled a test drive for 2PM, time to relax <sigh> (NOT SO FAST BOZO!!)

3) An hour later, told the car was being test driven as we requested OUR test drive, and that person was buying it!

4) Panic ensued, spent a LOT of time looking for and finding almost nothing suitable, THEN, located another "perfect fit" in Omaha, a 4+ hour drive away.

5) Placed refundable deposit - SO THEY DON'T SELL IT OUT FROM UNDER ME - and planned to go there Thursday or Friday.

6) As this #5 above was being finalized, #2 dealer called back - purchasers were looking at TWO cars and decided on the "other" one, so the one we liked was back available.

7) DON'T SELL IT - I almost screamed down the phone, and we shot off and took a test drive and PURCHASED IT  NOW we can relax!

 

It is the "Titanium" trim level, the highest available on the car, which for the Fusion Hybrid over here means all that @Ozexpatriateremarked on is on the car. That and a slew of other toys/gadgets/features I'll be very happy with and the Mrs could care less about!

Only minor issue, is that the Mrs hasn't driven a "newer/technology laden" car before, and that includes the rental, so wasn't comfortable driving EITHER home 40 minutes at twilight.

Trevor will take me up there this afternoon to get the car - YAY!  

 

Our dinner/murder mystery was had, excitement about our new car AND two more suspects cleared from suspicion. That leaves us next week (actually Saturday) to determine the murderer and wrap up the case. All very enjoyable, can be recommended as a good distraction and entertaining if you like solving puzzles.

 

3 and overcast first thing, starting to rain now and 10 for the high later.

 

Carry on...

Edited March 10, 2021 by Ian Abel

[Tony_S]

23 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

back and said by the time they'd contacted the other dealer to transfer it, the car had

I arranged a test drive for my present car. In between setting off from home and arriving at the garage in a Chelmsford (about 20 minutes) the person returning the car had pranged it very slightly. I got a test drive in a virtually identical (though new not slightly used) car. So the one I bought was straight back from the body shop a week later. My first drive in it was the trip home. 
Tony

[BoD]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Any time a train is shown as "delayed" on the public CIS information panels we can use RTT to establish where on its journey it has been delayed and by how much.  If it is still sitting in Waterloo (in which case the facetious but not inaccurate answer to "how long is the delay?" is "As long as a piece of string") we can swap to Open Train Times which is the other always-open app we use and check whether the train is in fact there (using the headcode), has TRTS (Train Ready To Start) or indeed has a proceed signal (the icon swaps from red to green - it doesn't differentiate between green and yellows).  Once TRTS comes up we can assume the train will be moving within 2 minutes and with us in 10 - 12

  The map function of Traksy.uk is similar and I prefer its layout.
 

[Erichill16]

Andyram, may the best team win!

 

[The Stationmaster]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

P2 is effectively dead in the water.  Some locations retain it but it has been altered from a generic log-in to staff-specific ones apparently due to the cost of licensing.   In short unless the individual is on duty and is logged in no-one else can make use of it.  

 

The new "Staff Information" screens are becoming widespread.  Reading was one of the first locations to have them on open public display.  It took a matter of days before regular customers learned the headcodes of "their" trains and would seek them out on the screens.  They have been installed at the House of Fun recently although roll-out there is not yet complete and a couple of P2 monitors remain.  The only people who have trouble getting a decent look at the screen are the staff!  They are a source of entertainment and information to the public as much as anything; watching trains "move" as the headcodes jump from berth to berth and watching the signals "explode" back from green to red is a source of, seemingly, endless amusement.  

 

Only this morning I was attempting to explain to an interested party what it all meant.  I put it in terms of "Train Chess".  This train can move that way - that train can move this way - the train over there can overtake the train in front of it by doing this.  And sometimes one "takes" another as two portions couple in the platforms.  Simples.  

 

Rick P2 is nearly 30 years old and i;m surprised that anyone is still using it - it was superseded back in the 1990s!!!  It's a BR heritage system which was expensive to run because of the licence fees and the informations sources it used have long been overtaken by systems which bleed off train describer information rather than working the way P2 did which was originally built around TRUST and then had various add ons.

Edited March 10, 2021 by The Stationmaster

[Coombe Barton]

Just seen the weather forecast - make sure the anchors holding Fraggle Rock have been checked, NHN, otherwise you may be sailing up the Solway.

[New Haven Neil]

9 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Just seen the weather forecast - make sure the anchors holding Fraggle Rock have been checked, NHN, otherwise you may be sailing up the Solway.

 

It is a bit rattly outside again!

 

Oh, and about that 'mainland' in your blog.....that'll be the British mainland, not the Manx one.     75 new cases today, 580 active cases.  This is going to take  while to clear out this time. 

[Ozexpatriate]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

So how does a restaurant know if someone has received two vaccine doses?  Apart from the on-line tracking and the blue hair of course....

They don't. Diners (irrespective of vaccination status) are permitted to remove their mask to eat and drink. Locally, in counties considered "moderate risk", restaurant indoor dining is restricted to a limited capacity with separation between tables.

 

The CDC guidance for fully vaccinated people was about gathering in private spaces.

 

The actions of some states (like Texas) to remove all pandemic restrictions continues to be 'newsworthy' with much anxiety expressed over a 'fourth' wave.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My census reminder arrived this afternoon complete with code to access the on-line form. Although its a bit early I opened the site and filled in the details, not difficult as its only yours truly to record. As a point of interest theoretically there should be no visitors or anyone visiting another household due to covid. The other item that arrived in todays post was next years council tax bill, an increase of £20 per year over last years.