Early Risers.

[Erichill16]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Bear is happy to perform a full, free technical appraisal of such a device - just post' em down.  Sadly the tests cannot be performed on a non-destructive basis though, so return isn't possible.  Hic...

 

Sorry Poly, got home from a walk to this.It’s the last one!

[PhilJ W]

I can see 'staycation' holidays being even more expensive over the next few years until overseas holidays are considered covid safe. All a case of supply and demand.

[polybear]

33 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

 

I have contemplated the idea of a static caravan, which all the family could use if and when they fancied a break. However, some people quote site fees at around £5000 a year, which seems a bit steep. 

 

One could get a decent number of UK holidays for that outlay each year. 

 

A friend of Bear's purchased such an abode (in Norfolk) - it was new, and from memory cost the best part of 30K - plus all the associated yearly bills; Bear did point out that for the outlay he was committing to he could do a lot of stays in various UK (or overseas) locations without the risk of getting bored by the same place each time, or the concerns and expense of maintenance etc.

 

Anyway, he was happy with it until the site decided that they'd move his caravan to a much less desirable part of the site  (they could do this as per the site agreement apparently) as they'd discovered that Lodges were now the "in thing" and nice profits were to be had.  When my mate decided to sell up ISTR that he had to sell the 'van back to the site (as it was them he'd bought it from in the first place) - which of course was somewhat less than market value

 

When he worked out how much it had cost him (depreciation & fees etc.) versus the amount of time he'd had it/use he'd had out of it the result was that it would've paid for numerous very nice holidays each year over the same period.

 

A hard lesson, sadly

[Coombe Barton]

The bum on the sofa is writing.

 

And visiting the fridge.

 

Must stop the latter and get on with the former.

[PhilJ W]

About 10-12 years ago I was looking at some beach huts at Holland-on-sea. Prices ranged from £5,000 to £8,000. I couldn't quite get the money to purchase one without taking out a loan. I wish I had now as you just have to add a nought on to the end of those figures if you want to buy one now.

[Gwiwer]

Today’s task completed.  Convert box into new blue sofa. Remove cat. Remove big red sofa to recycling facility. Replace cat. 
 

All accomplished without assistance. Delivery crew placed the box in the hallway without touching any part of the flat. I managed to get the red one out and along the road by myself despite Dr. SWMBO suggesting it would take two. 
 

What? There’s more???  Vacuum and dust, you say?  Yeah - dreckly 

 

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Shelving installed,

Just enough bits left  to do a little more tomorrow,

 

Trailer drilled, new bits..knife...butter.. 

Trailer now stands on its own.

Tube to stop keel wandering forward now fitted, 

Steel to stop keel wandering sideways, Derusted cut in half, painted with zinc.

Self drill screws arrived to late to install them today.

 

Email sent to council, I noticed on Ben's long patrol the council have been clearing the gullies into the ditches.  Unfortunately they pushed the earth into the ditches, just up hill from here,  blocking the 5 inch drain pipe which runs under the road, which empties the ditch alongside my garden, that will cause my garden to flood.

 

Hmm  Gower.. a certain Duke who had his own locomotive and carriages running on the railways until nationalisation, has Gower as a surname amongst many others..

 

Where as my Christian name is from a battle long before El Alamein, Granddad was in the bag several months before Alamein,  when 33,000 servicemen were ordered to surrender by Churchill at the second seige of Tobruk.

 

A roast beef dinner has been had, followed by blackberry and apple crumble and cream..

This is being followed by a glass of Port. 

 

Eyelid inspection beckons..

[Rugd1022]

A'noon all,

 

I think I may be ever so slightly overdue for an eye test, every time I open this thread I see 'Easy Rider' at the top of the page..... 

 

 

 

 

[simontaylor484]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

 

I have contemplated the idea of a static caravan, which all the family could use if and when they fancied a break. However, some people quote site fees at around £5000 a year, which seems a bit steep. 

 

One could get a decent number of UK holidays for that outlay each year. 

Some sites move you back as your caravan ages or when it gets to a certain age make you swap it for a new model. 

Some folk rent their caravans out to cover site fees and that but then you cant use it if you want to then.

The other problem is as people i know found it becomes boring goingbto the same place all the time and just going becomes a chore. We had a tourer and thought of pitching it at Blue Dolphin near Filey.

We would have had the same problems. Scarborough also seemed to go down hill they seemed to get folk moving there on the dole from Leeds and the like there even were ads in the papers saying why be on the dole in Leeds when you could be on the dole in Scarborough. 

[jamie92208]

The subject of middle names has come up. My grandmother was Lily Martin, Martin is my middle nsme andvour eldest is called Martin.  My father was always known by his middle name of Henry as his father was also Ernest Henry. I think that fustom was quite widespread  where the eldext son, on particular got given the same names as the father and was then called by the middle name.

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

Could it be 

 

Bardia

Mechili

Derna

Or point 206

[JohnDMJ]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

A friend of Bear's purchased such an abode (in Norfolk) - it was new, and from memory cost the best part of 30K - plus all the associated yearly bills; Bear did point out that for the outlay he was committing to he could do a lot of stays in various UK (or overseas) locations without the risk of getting bored by the same place each time, or the concerns and expense of maintenance etc.

 

Anyway, he was happy with it until the site decided that they'd move his caravan to a much less desirable part of the site  (they could do this as per the site agreement apparently) as they'd discovered that Lodges were now the "in thing" and nice profits were to be had.  When my mate decided to sell up ISTR that he had to sell the 'van back to the site (as it was them he'd bought it from in the first place) - which of course was somewhat less than market value

 

When he worked out how much it had cost him (depreciation & fees etc.) versus the amount of time he'd had it/use he'd had out of it the result was that it would've paid for numerous very nice holidays each year over the same period.

 

A hard lesson, sadly

 

Holiday homes are often not worth the effort. For me, my Father decided that a holiday flat on the Isle of Wight was a good idea; it worked well! However, it served me well by becoming my own home during my apprenticeship and early years in employment. My only 'contract': give me 24 hours notice that you're coming over and I'll find the floor!

 

Since my parents' demise, I considered the idea of a holiday home abroad but rapidly concluded that variety would be preferable to familiarity. My holiday home is .... Switzerland!!

 

[New Haven Neil]

a'noon.

 

Been missing a while, the lappy got a Win10 update i didn't want, then failed to reboot, with e 'fatal error has occurred' message.  Oh frabjoy. Bl**dy Windoze....  Took all of last night to sort out, finally got to a screen that allowed me to access a restore point and that did the resus. Eventually.  VERY eventually.  I hate computers.

 

I'm with John DMJ, I don't have a Christian name, as I'm not one.  Other religions are available.  I have two given or forenames though.

[polybear]

51 minutes ago, The White Rabbit said:

Though those were the times when most people only had one name and if further clarification was needed, would say X 'of [a particular place/trade]'. See Ivor's 'Jones the Steam'. Or 'Jones Pandy Mill', 'Billy Twice' or 'Evans Above'...

 

 

 

Bear used to visit an establishment on business numerous times over the years; there were a couple of employees there who were known as follows:

 

1. Dai Click Click:  The site photographer.

2. Dai Central Eating:  Apparently he only had one tooth at the front.

 

In other news:

Bear is currently watching "Dances With Wolves".  I've lost count of how many times I've seen it, but:

(a) It's a bl00dy good film, and

(b) It has the lovely Mary McDonnell in it   (Who now appears in the Battlestar Galactica remake series - and is still rather lovely ).

 

On the subject of first/christian names, Bear's maternal Great Grandfather's name was "Surtees" - the family lived in Sacriston, County Durham - a mining village many moons ago, shutting in 1985.  He was a miner, as were (several?) great uncles.  Surtees wouldn't let my grandad go down't pit, so he became a baker instead.  When WW2 started my Grandad did go to sign up, but being a baker was a reserved occupation so they wouldn't accept him.  A lot could be very different if they had....

[iL Dottore]

I have very mixed feelings about holiday homes. Over a decade ago Mrs ID bought the Holiday Hovel (a lovely well appointed one bedroom apartment) in the Obergoms. Where we are only has cross country skiing during the winter, so we are not over run by ski hooligans, Russian gangsters or drunk Hooray Henrys. It is very much her place, set up the way she likes it. And, to tell the truth, it is her little schatzkammer and she goes there as often as she can. It recharges her batteries and every day there are different walks for her to do with the doggies.

 

I can’t stand the place.

 

Apart from it being “her place“ (and if you are not married to a Swiss woman, you will never know to what strict extremes domestic order can be taken), I find the whole place boring. As much as I love walking the Wolfpack, having a whole holiday based around Alpine walks is definitely not my cup of tea. I go there because of marital obligation: every Christmas, the First of August (Swiss national day) and most Easters.

 

One of the reasons I do not like holiday apartments (or farm houses, or villas or homes for that matter) it’s because I don’t think they really provide you with a holiday. When you get there, after a number of hours driving, you still end up doing all the things you have to do at home (cook, clean, make the beds, et cetera), so it really isn’t a holiday. I have nothing against a second homes per se, providing the second home has ALL the facilities, equipment and functionality of the main home. Something most holiday homes lack (Of course if you are wealthy enough to own a proper second home, then you are wealthy enough to have staff at both homes to keep them ticking over).

 

When it is possible to go on holiday again, wherever my destination will be, the hotel will be luxurious (and surprisingly, you can frequently get great luxury boutique hotel rooms at a fraction of the price of a room in a mediocre mid-level chain), great nosh will be noshed (without having to cook, serve or clean up), I will be entertainec by various sorts of entertainment, culture will be cultured, retail therapy will be indulged in and at the end of each pleasurable day, I will return to a hotel room which is luxurious, clean, comfortable, all made up and ready for me to enjoy the night... The next day, after a refreshing shower, I will climb into some clothes, shut the hotel room door behind me - secure in the knowledge that in my absence it will all be returned to tip top shape - and saunter down to an enjoyable and frequently indulgent breakfast (and should I be in London, this would be, of course, a “Full English”).

 

At the moment, I am not pining for such a welcome break, as I know things are what they are and things will happen when they happen... But I’ll certainly enjoy it when it happens.

[polybear]

How dumb can you get:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-56698186

[Coombe Barton]

Naming in my family seems to have followed a similar pattern

 

Paternal grandparents - Lucy Stanley (maiden name) and Henry Ernest Colby

Dad - Stanley Henry Ernest Colby

Me - John Stanley ..,

Son - Richard John ...

 

Maternal grandparent - Daisy Mabel

Mum - Daisy

 

There were also a number of grandfather's relative called Daisy. I was told that way before mum was married that when they visited someone stood in the kitchen and called "Daisy" and four appeared.

[Coombe Barton]

Holidays

Started camping at age fourteen - Scouts.

Sandy camped from age seventeen

Occasional camping in the interim, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Ireland and Lake District

Camped in Cornwall as soon as son was old enough - 1994. Been through three frame tents.

Bought touring caravan in 2011,

Now on third caravan.

But since 2005 have been to the same campsite for summer. Before that same summer campsite from 1994-2004 as we were leading field trips. Caravan allows (or did allow pre pandemic) more shorter aways, Easter and bank holidays.

[simontaylor484]

My Dad is Michael my mums Brother is Michael 

One of my Dads Brother's is Richard my brother is called Richard 

Im Simon (obviously) my brother in law is also called Simon 

 

Confusion can reign 

Edited April 10, 2021 by simontaylor484
Missed off text

[TheQ]

Excuse the unmentionable.

 

 

Sorry it got saved prematurely,

G Rawlings was actually George Herbert, his father was Herbert George, those two names go back through many generations.

Me, I'm a descendant of Lucy Rawlings, and the name Lucy also goes back many generations.. At the MRC there was a lady, who had traced her family back .... In her family tree was....Lucy Rawlings.

The ladies family tree is via Wales, that branch of mine via Shropshire then Wiltshire.

 

Meanwhile, one of my sisters has always been known by her middle name as her first is the same as our mothers, my sister was very distressed when her first secondary school refused to call her by any thing but her first name.

 

My sisters and brother got given names from the family, I got lumbered.

Edited April 10, 2021 by TheQ

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Today’s task completed.  Convert box into new blue sofa. Remove cat. Remove big red sofa to recycling facility. Replace cat. 
 

All accomplished without assistance. Delivery crew placed the box in the hallway without touching any part of the flat. I managed to get the red one out and along the road by myself despite Dr. SWMBO suggesting it would take two. 
 

What? There’s more???  Vacuum and dust, you say?  Yeah - dreckly 

 

 

Now young man this is not a criticism as I am in fact very impressed but surely the better way to have done that would have been to removed/disassembled the red sofa beforehand giving yourself more manoeuvring room for assembling the blue sofa.

 

The fact that you didn't and still had enough energy left to move the red sofa to the council approved designated collection spot leads me to my admiration for your abilities.

 

Can I claim my £ 5 as I think you are Clark Kent in disguise.

[jonny777]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

 

 

When it is possible to go on holiday again, wherever my destination will be, the hotel will be luxurious (and surprisingly, you can frequently get great luxury boutique hotel rooms at a fraction of the price of a room in a mediocre mid-level chain), great nosh will be noshed (without having to cook, serve or clean up), I will be entertainec by various sorts of entertainment, culture will be cultured, retail therapy will be indulged in and at the end of each pleasurable day, I will return to a hotel room which is luxurious, clean, comfortable, all made up and ready for me to enjoy the night... The next day, after a refreshing shower, I will climb into some clothes, shut the hotel room door behind me - secure in the knowledge that in my absence it will all be returned to tip top shape - and saunter down to an enjoyable and frequently indulgent breakfast (and should I be in London, this would be, of course, a “Full English”).

 

 

 

I can see your point about having to cook/clean in a holiday home; but my problem with hotel rooms, especially in the morning, is that breakfast is often 8:30 to 9:30 but I like to lounge in bed  during hotel stays. If I am going to get up and have a shower, then swmbo has a shower, followed by getting dressed and wandering downstairs to eat, I have to get out of bed around 7:45 just for everything to be completed on time. 

 

Not only that, but if the hotel terms are half board, I am obliged to leave the room (whatever the weather) for a few hours when I might not want to. 

 

With a static caravan I can do as I please; and if I want to remain inside all day and have a bacon sarnie at 10:45 I can. 

[iL Dottore]

I’m waiting for the saffron fruit buns I made to have their final rising, so currantly I am bored (“currantly“, geddit?)

 

So as my over active brain has been churning over, I was thinking about all the ERs I have met and those I haven’t and I thought I would compile a short list of who I think these ER characters, who I have not met, would likely to resemble:

 

Erichill 16 = Johnny Rotten (definitely)

polybear = John Goodman

TonyS = David Niven, perhaps

Happy Hippo = Gert Frobe

Dave Hunt = maybe Kenneth Moore?

Philj W = George Cole

(and your picturations????)

 

Of course, when you meet someone from ER in real life, the reality is so different from what you imagine, that it is almost shocking. For example, ChrisF I imagined as a railway modelling Matt Lucas, he is certainly not that in the flesh!
 

Well time to rub some melted butter on an assortment of firm buns. 

 

Enjoy the Evening

[Ian Abel]

Morning...just barely!

 

POET achieved yesterday, though all that resulted was a fodder run, drizzle most of the afternoon/early evening prevented a Whitney walkies 

 

Today, cleaning out debris from the window wells, airing out large shutter/shade for the porch, and the Mrs off for a walk/lunch with friend.

 

Later, who knows, once the boss is back, will be attempting to hang the porch shade. Doubtless much p!ssing and moaning, by me, as I strive to get the thing working.

 

5 but damp first thing, may reach 11 but remaining cloudy all day apparently.

 

Carry on.

 

[Adam88]

7 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

Morning...just barely!

 

POET achieved yesterday, though all that resulted was a fodder run, drizzle most of the afternoon/early evening prevented a Whitney walkies 

 

Today, cleaning out debris from the window wells, airing out large shutter/shade for the porch, and the Mrs off for a walk/lunch with friend.

 

Later, who knows, once the boss is back, will be attempting to hang the porch shade. Doubtless much p!ssing and moaning, by me, as I strive to get the thing working.

 

5 but damp first thing, may reach 11 but remaining cloudy all day apparently.

 

Carry on.

 

 

What sort of drizzle?