Early Risers.

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Bear also noted the news report about a protest at Pimlico Academy; it seems one of the things the students objected to was....the flying of the Union Jack .  Perhaps they'd do well to remember all those millions of UK and Commonwealth Citizens that died to ensure that it could be flown....

There are so many things that make my blood boil now, this sort of "Free Speech" is one of them.  

 

Another is the appalling increase in fly tipping and general "let's just lob this rubbish out of the car window".    Puppers had occasion to do an  ~30 mile chug around the leafy lanes today although a lot of the time the leaves couldn't be seen as they were hidden by detritus.

 

The country (and probably the world) is going to Hell in hand cart at an alarming rate!

 

1 hour ago, polybear said:

One example is finding a nugget such as a 600 x 600 sheet of copper that I'd "forgotten" I'd had - that's now up for sale.

Doh! - Puppers has a square hole in the garage ~ 620 x 620 x 20 that could easily have been filled with a sheet of head gasket raw material.   Do you know I actually had to buy some recently to make the head gasket for my little Beeza?

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by PupCam

[pH]

12 minutes ago, brianusa said:

 

Go where  you want to retire first then consider the tax situation!  My wife and I receive our UK pension which goes straight into investments which earn interest.  Saving is a waste of time with ridiculously low interest rates.  The UK and US have a deal with taxes which you can't do much about so we live with it; its enough to keep me in beer money!

       Brian.

Something about that, Brian. As I think has been discussed here before, your UK pension is indexed, with regular annual increments. A short distance north of you, our UK government pensions are frozen at the rates they were when we first started to receive them several years ago. It’s not a great inconvenience to us, with several other pensions coming in. However, there are people who retired from the UK to Canada to be with family here who are receiving only the UK pension, and at a rate which hasn’t changed in some cases for decades. That means that they have to get additional support through Canadian government programs. Without getting too political, it is expected that this will be raised in any UK-Canada talks on a more permanent post-Brexit trade agreement.

 

I know that isn’t to do with taxes, but I think it shows that some research before moving could be useful. And I say that as someone who made a mistake involving taxes on a pension despite, I thought, having researched it thoroughly.

[Tony_S]

39 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

e car aircon for the first time in quite a while and......... nothing, at least no chilled air.

The seals in car air con will dry out and allow the gas out if the system isn’t run regularly. The gas acts as the lubricant in the system. Land Rover suggest during lockdown that when the car is run for 15 minutes weekly that the Aircon is set to 22C at the same time. I use the climate control system all year, in summer to keep cool, in winter to aid demisting. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Tony_S

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Quite a pleasant day here, a small shopping trip this morning and then from midday onwards outside. A further section of digging was done, then further part of the drive was cleaned and finally the green flat area that should be a lawn was mowed. It is looking decidedly unhealthy.

No business work done and no shed time either but hopefully some of that over the next couple of days.

Saw pictures on tv of litter louts, it fxxxing disgusting. What hope is there when people think that kid do behavior is acceptable. 

Goodnight

Robert

 

[Winslow Boy]

24 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

The seals in car air con will dry out and allow the gas out if the system isn’t run regularly. The gas acts as the lubricant in the system. Land Rover suggest during lockdown that when the car is run for 15 minutes weekly that the Aircon is set to 22C at the same time. I use the climate control system all year, in summer to keep cool, in winter to aid demisting. 

I have a Renault, fairly old but a nice runner and the air con comes on automatically each time you start it up with the fan on. Don't know if more modern versions do the same but it is quite handy.

[polybear]

3 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Saw pictures on tv of litter louts, it fxxxing disgusting. What hope is there when people think that kid do behavior is acceptable. 

Goodnight

Robert

 

 

Bear also saw pictures of a park on the TV news that could quite easily have been mistaken for a landfill site (a neighbour mentioned today that pictures of the local park featured in the local rag for the same reason).  Whilst Bear realises that such behaviour is carried out by all generations, a fair share (or perhaps more?) is by the young.  Would that be the same young that protests about the world being on a path to self-destruction by any chance?

Second Rant Over (but there could be more....).

 

(Perhaps the council should close the park for a fortnight for cleaning each time such an occurrence takes place - maybe the locals might just start to think a bit more?)

[Compound2632]

4 minutes ago, polybear said:

Would that be the same young that protests about the world being on a path to self-destruction by any chance?

 

Don't lump them all together. 

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just purchased through E-bay an item that runs on two parallel bits of metal when Elec trickery is passed through said bits of metal. I was expecting to have to pay a bit more than I did for it as well. Chuffed I am. 

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Both the dining chairs have now had 2 coats of undercoat and will definitely need a third, but that’ll have to wait until next week now. 

 

I then spent the rest of the morning pressure washing the cellar steps, the retaining wall opposite the cellar window, the balcony above the cellar window and the patio. It all looks a whole lot cleaner now, especially the retaining wall. I finished just in time for dinner, so I left the packing up the Karcher until after dinner. 

 

This afternoon I finished making the obelisk that I started yesterday. It was then placed in the pot on the front door step, I then pruned the Ivy and entwined it roughly into the shape we want to be. It now needs a bit of gravel adding to cover the compost and hopefully it will grow to hide the bare sections that are evident now it’s been reshaped. 

 

 

Once I’d finished for the day and I’d got cleaned off and changed, I managed to roughly sketch out the layout for the gearbox I plan to use for engine shed doors. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use a single gearbox that has 2 output shafts to open and close a pair of doors. 

 

I was lucky that I was able to retire early, just a few days short of my 61st birthday, I also have a final salary pension, unlike a lot of my former colleagues who don’t. I’ve yet to start taking my company pension from my first employer, but I’ll be able to start drawing on that when I’m 65, later this year. 

 

Q. I forgot to say that I really enjoyed watching your sailing club video, it was nice to see so many youngsters enjoying the water instead of being sat behind a video game! 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[Coombe Barton]

... and maybe the last sight of the setting sun for a while ... https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/03/31/messages-of-caution/

 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

... and maybe the last sight of the setting sun for a while

"iron-on shelf edging"? What a chore! Were these pre-fabricated shelves?

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

There were mixed fortunes on the fodder run yesterday.  Although there was no frozen breaded plaice to be had, I did succeed in my quest to be just like Bear and have my very own koala carrier bag.  Thanks again for the heads-up, Bear.  I had to be shown where to find shopping bags.   The place where the koala bags should have been was empty.  The assistant was quite crestfallen until I turned round and found them behind me.  I am more than happy to support WWF in this way, in the hope that all contributions great and small will stave off the extinction of the koala, even if just for a few minutes.  There are learned people who reckon that the koala has thirty years at best.  That is scary.

 

The other find on the fodder run was something I have not seen for more than half a lifetime – Vesta chow mein!  I used to eat it when I was still a beginner of a cook, living in a bedsit and enduring shared facilities.  I am looking forward to finding out whether it is quite as disgusting as I remember it.  Earlier I did the laundry and let the mower loose on the lawn.  That was all the G word that I felt like doing.  The green bin, while not full, is well laden and will be emptied today, thus destroying the evidence of Tuesday’s toil.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[Barry O]

Ey up!

White Rabbits!

 

Busy day planned for today. A trip to the post office, a trip to moreasons (some items are not available when her indoors visits early doors)  trip to the butcher and a bit of staying warm to be done. I need to check to see if the Marie Celeste has sent my prescription to the right chemist.

 

Normally this would be coming to you from a cottage in Robin Hoods Bay. Hopefully by next Easter normality will have returned!

 

Stay safe!

Have a good Maunday Thursday!

 

Baz

Edited April 1, 2021 by Barry O

[polybear]

1 hour ago, chrisf said:

...... I did succeed in my quest to be just like Bear and have my very own koala carrier bag.  Thanks again for the heads-up, Bear. 

 

You are most welcome, Sir

All we need now is for a "first spot" of a certain gent sporting rainbow socks and a koala bag at a bring n' buy stand.....at least I think that's what they were called - it's been so long I've forgotten.....

 

In other news:

....There is no news, cos' today's planned fun was mentioned yesterday - so it's no longer news....

 

edit:  Bear has news after all   Having just checked how my ebay sales are doing (they're not...- mind you, they're pretty obscure and I'm not one for 99p starts as it's just not worth the agg to sell for silly low money) I've just noticed that Ebay has kindly "decided" to add a "Best Offer" option to my sales.  Er, no thanks - if Bear wants a best offer then Bear can quite happily select it himself, thanks.

Rant over

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by polybear

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple hare,

2 hours plus 3 hours sleep, not enough...

 

Ben the I really need out collie, was quite happy to do so today, no clouds, moon still up and orange glow to the West, unfortunately a northerly wind made it a bit cool out there. Ben enjoyed a really good snuffle out there. There's a lot of deer around at the moment,  there was one walking into the neighbours driveway at 4 o'clock in the afternoon yesterday..

 

612 / 383 that's 612 days total or 383 working days to go to retirement approximately (because that's averaged). 

and of that,

And then there were 3, as the live steam builder, officially the "In house Test Equipment, Software Engineer"  retired yesterday. So now we have 2 vacancies in a section of 5, and two of the three left will retire in less than 2 years.. The last one out turn off the lights.. There is no sight of any replacements, recruitment to here was taken over by a branch of the company in Holland a couple of years ago.. They don't have a clue, so far 2 applicants for the re advertised deputy heads post, one from India, one from Italy, both not entitled to residence in the UK, both not qualified for the job.. I could leave next December, that's the date calculations above, but may stay till April as the company bonus is paid at the end of March, that can be 5% of a years wages and it's all or nothing,  no part year payments at the end or the start...

 

Yesterday I turned on the air conditioning in the Land Rover for the first  time this year, I opened the bulkhead vents and a window..

The good weather certain brought out the cockwombles, a couple cycling illegally on a pavement , then proceeded to Illegally cycle across a pedestrian crossing, Illegally against their red and in front of me. I gave them a blast of the horn... Which reminds me I need to get a replacement for the somewhat asthmatic 37 year old piece of rust that thinks it's a horn..  parp...

 

Shortly afterwards two young girls Illegally riding Hire scooters on a pavement, for which they are supposed to have a driving licence and be on the road not a pavement (not even a cycleway).. 

 

I was on the way to the Big Orange shed for more MDF... The cutting machine was broken again, so first thing tomorrow, will be cutting that sheet into shelf sized planks..

 

There are many flowering fruit trees now in full bloom. it will be a bad harvest, frost over the weekend and Snow on Monday.. luckily ours aren't out yet..

 

Time.... I wandered down to the lab to finish off that Temperature meter.

 

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning.   Good news, allegedly, we are going to be in 'Lockdown Lite' from Saturday night. Macron spoke to the nation last night and Castex, the PM will speak today with the detail. It's the detail that matters as Macron used the word Region twice in different contexts.   In one it's the big region of Nouvelle Aquitaine for us and the other it appears to stand for department, think county.  As we live very close to the departmental border and the Dr's and Supermarket are in two other departments it could be interesting.   Obviously Macron is allowing Castex to make the April Fool announcement in Parliament today.  

 

Anyway, I got the door to the chicken run nearly finished yesterday and in the afternoon set off to buy some more staples.  However I forgot my wallet.  Nothing lost as I spent a pleasant couple of hours watching trains instead.

 

Today's task is to finish and hang the door, then Cluckingham Palace will be ready for it's new occupants.  Thus afternoon I will make another trip to a DIY store fore staples and also try and buy some water and corn dispensers.  Apart from that there isn't a lot to mention and no doubt the details of lockdown lite will emerge in due course.

 

Jamie

[Andrew P]

Its supposed to nice today, but as I type, its a little hazy, I can see the big bright ball through the haze, so hopefully by the time I'm cleaned and dressed it will be nice and warm for a walk.

 

So, the Sun is nearly out,

The Sky is nearly Blue,

Look after your self folks,

And me too.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Andrew P

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.  Dry out but just 7c, although that will be a maximum by the end of the holiday weekend apparently.

 

Norra lot going on today, need to speak to GP about more meds to keep the hip going, and that's about it.