Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.

 

Lunch out with Jayne was nice, really good pub meal.  Then the bike shop trawl resulted in some new waterproof trousers for Mrs NHN, fancy kevlar reinforced jobs with body armour - we don't skimp on bike safety gear.

 

Jayne in great form despite having a crepe week at work (she does clever things with legislation in the Attorney General's office), she finally is throwing off her depression after losing Gary.  Seeing her smile and laugh is such a great thing.  She's like a sister to us so we are really close.

 

Some work in the garden this evening to round the day off, it has been really nice and properly spring-like, that uplifting feeling of finally 'getting there'.

 

Musical skills passed me by too, despite attempting two instruments when I was younger.  As for sport, racing bikes was OK (I'm no Hailwood though) and table tennis was the only other thing really was any good at, although I did play some hockey school U13's when a pup.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis has been making a few rumbles this evening but Ibuforen has put him in his place. Went into Tess Coes this afternoon, not that crowded and I only needed a few bits so I didn't stay long. While I was there they were putting out a display of garden furniture. It was so light that even a gentle breeze would pick it up. Time for muggatee, be back later.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

"KIWI PIE"

Tea tonight with chips and baked beans or roasties and peas and carrots.

Up here it’s called a ‘mesters’ pie.

I hope no Kiwis were harmed in the manufacturing of that pie.

 

Beef and cheese pies are more popular with Kiwis (the humans rather than the flightless birds) than their "West Island" counterparts.

[Ozexpatriate]

11 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I remember my mother and grandmothers having a ceramic device that looked like an eggcup but without a base and a hollow stem and two cut outs in the rim. This was placed stem uppermost in the baking dish, the meat and then the pastry top was added leaving just a little of the stem showing. This allowed the steam to escape and the pies contents from overflowing in the oven.

Mum has a ceramic blackbird* that serves the same purpose. It is essentially a ceramic tube, shaped vaguely like a bird looking skyward with it's beak open. It is glazed with a yellow beak and the remainder black.

 

* Like the nursery rhyme "sing a song of sixpence".

[TheSignalEngineer]

17 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Musical skills passed me by too, despite attempting two instruments when I was younger.  As for sport, racing bikes was OK (I'm no Hailwood though) and table tennis was the only other thing really was any good at, although I did play some hockey school U13's when a pup.

I only ever got as far as a bit of piano playing but was quite good at musical theory, probably as I was good at solving puzzles especially involving number patterns. 

As far as sport was concerned the only thing I was good at was rifle shooting when i was in the cadets, although my claim to fame at school was when I somehow got drafted into a rugby team one games afternoon despite usually being about no.25 in the pecking order for the XV and usually ending up running the line. I had the distinction of scoring a try whilst unconscious, having picked up a loose ball which landed at my feet following a scrum, clutched it to my chest and dived for the line. Unfortunately one of the other team clattered into me and I collided with the post. I was knocked out but apparently I spun round and landed beyond the goal line on top of the ball which I was still clutching to my chest.

[PhilJ W]

2 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Mum has a ceramic blackbird* that serves the same purpose. It is essentially a ceramic tube, shaped vaguely like a bird looking skyward with it's beak open. It is glazed with a yellow beak and the remainder black.

 

* Like the nursery rhyme "sing a song of sixpence".

My mum's was plain white with no fancy bits.

[TheSignalEngineer]

11 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I remember my mother and grandmothers having a ceramic device that looked like an eggcup but without a base and a hollow stem and two cut outs in the rim.

Still got one of those in the kitchen 

[polybear]

 

 

28 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 As for sport, racing bikes was OK (I'm no Hailwood though) ....

 

Not sure it passes as sport, but Bear thought this rather clever:

https://newatlas.com/world-record-longest-wheelie-500km/49381/

- no doubt there's a video on the 'tube.  Apparently he was refuelling on the go, using quick fill cans passed to him from a car.  Thirteen hours doin' a wheelie....

 

In other news:

Washing done, bed changed, then WiFi switches from yesterday played with again - I wanted to check that both would turn on & off together using just one command to Alexa (the both have the same name - "Lights").  Nope....  It looks like one is marginally faster at switching that the other one is - and as soon as that happens then it's game over for the other one.  Fortunately Bear was able to set up a "Routine" via Alexa that makes any device added to that routine switch on & off with a single command.  At this rate, and given a few more years, I might even start to understand this new fangled technology - by which time it'll be obsolete.

Chip shop din dins , followed by demolishing the sink base unit - the actual sink and worktop are still in the lounge, supported by 3 wooden trestles so they can still be used.  The last two remaining base units will bite the dust tomorrow, leaving a small-ish wall unit that I've decided will be given a reprieve as it'll prove useful to have the use of for a little longer.

 

Then it was walkies time - well overdue; 2.68 miles according to some mappy thingy on the 'net.  Much more needed.

 

Finally, special Beary thoughts to those that need them, including those with family and friends in India at the moment - they're having a really rough time out there at the moment with C-19.  Perhaps their Government might start thinking about spending some of their (huge) defence budget on hospitals etc. in the future? 

[jamie92208]

6 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

ANZAC day 2021.

 

A sobering thought that our Vietnam Vets are now into their '70's.

 

As old as the original ANZACS  were  when  Vietnam was raging and 19 year olds were sent off to fight in giggle hats  for who knows what.

 

 

 

 

That's a very moving song, it's on my youtube play list.

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

59 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Mum has a ceramic blackbird* that serves the same purpose. It is essentially a ceramic tube, shaped vaguely like a bird looking skyward with it's beak open. It is glazed with a yellow beak and the remainder black.

 

* Like the nursery rhyme "sing a song of sixpence".

We have one too. Probably purchased from Amazon.

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

A sobering thought that our Vietnam Vets are now into their '70's.

Dad is in his 80s. He sailed with the RAN in a logistics convoy (at that point he was a reservist) to supply Australian troops in Vietnam. Not quite combat duty but technically in theatre. I remember him being gone.

 

He has slides of the flight deck of HMAS Sydney being used as an equipment transport.

 

Lest we forget.

 

A friend is a retired US Army Colonel who flew helicopters. He was wounded and shot down. He doesn't speak of his time in Vietnam often - at least not combat. Of many Vietnam movies he feels that "We were soldiers" (2002) captures the essence of helicopter engagement better than most. The movie (which of course does take story-telling license) condenses the Battle of Ia Drang (1965). The movie features Mel Gibson before he made a pariah out of himself.

[Tony_S]

When we were looking at ovens there was a category of those that could be plugged into a 13 amp socketand were fitted with a 13amp  plug. The oven we chose  requires a 16amp capable supply so is supplied wire ended.  In other counties it gets a 16 amp plug fitted. Ours has pyrolitic cleaning which uses all the heating elements to generate a very high temperature. Other cooking options use combinations of elements probably using more than thirteen amps. 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Tony_S

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[monkeysarefun]

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

. Australian pies are typical of a land associated with such oddities as kangaroos in that should you inquire about the nature of the filling you will inevitably be told that it is a 'meat' pie

I cannot say that I or anyone I know has ever wondered what is in a meat pie. Its just meat. Even the rubbery bits and the tubular white bits.

 

The only question that ever comes up when you buy one is "do ya want sauce?"  if you weren't bright enough to ask for a pie and sauce in the first place.

Edited April 24, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[Coombe Barton]

... and finding things you tidied away - which takes time ....

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/04/24/more-mixed-messages/

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

3. Australian pies are typical of a land associated with such oddities as kangaroos in that should you inquire about the nature of the filling you will inevitably be told that it is a 'meat' pie, i.e. it contains meat, and during one of the occasional sessions to control the population of such beasts the meat might even be that of a kangaroo.  On one occasion i even asked the butcher in Mosman - a generally upmarket part of Sydney - what was in the pies he was offering only to be told that it was - 'meat' (tasted alright tho' so it might well have been one of Skippy's cousins.

The Australian meat pie.  A national icon.  Almost universally disgusting.  Which is probably why they are normally eaten with half a bottle of "red sauce" (ketchup) smothered all over them.  

 

My experience varied.  Most were served too hot and you risked several degrees of burning to the mouth-parts if consumption was attempted too soon.  The rest were served cool - almost cold in a few cases - and sometimes with concrete where the pastry should have been.  One or two were also served searing hot with concrete - naming Coburg Bakery, Sydney Road Coburg for shame.  The filling is brownish-grey goo with chunks of something.  The filling is always described as "meat" never giving a clue as to the origin of that substance.  But - unless you encounter one of the uncommon varieties it has been within the vicinity of a bovine at some point in its career.  

 

I was never a fan.  I was encouraged and I was even fed them and told they were good for me.  Four And Twenty is a brand to avoid at any cost and is as iconic as Ginsters in the UK.  The "pie-warmer" is an obligatory fixture in any cafe, bakery or takeaway food stall.  There is no standard temperature and there seems to be no control on ho long the poor things are left in the device for.  On a slow day (and there are plenty of those in a land where temperatures soar to the low-40s Celsius) they might be in from dawn until dusk next Tuesday.  

 

For what it's worth Kanga meat is very different from meat-pie meat.  Lean, gamey and with a reddish colour even when well cooked.  Often served heavily seasoned which meat pies also are not.  

 

Gimme a plate-full of chops off the barbie with a side of snags and potato salad.  No shrimps.  

[pH]

34 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

A friend is a retired US Army Colonel who flew helicopters. He was wounded and shot down. He doesn't speak of his time in Vietnam often - at least not combat. Of many Vietnam movies he feels that "We were soldiers" (2002) captures the essence of helicopter engagement better than most. The movie (which of course does take story-telling license) condenses the Battle of Ia Drang (1965).

I wonder what he might think of this book:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenhawk_(book)

 

It might not be one he’d be keen to read, though.

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

Three calls from a poorly speech synthesized "Dear customer this is Molly from Amazon ... " this afternoon. All from different (spoofed) telephone numbers, with the latest from the VA (the department of Veterans' Affairs).

 

I don't know which is worse, this or "John" (probably from Bangalore) trying to sell final expense insurance, or the ubiquitous "Your car warranty has expired".

 

Federal legislation to identify spam on mobile telephones seems to have done very little for landlines.

 

EDIT:

"Molly" just called for the fourth time - this time from a healthcare system number.

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[Gwiwer]

14 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

"do ya want sauce?"

To which my reply is "Do you charge?"

 

Some do.  Some don't.  If you are prepared to invest in a meat pie it should come with (free) sauce as standard.  

[Ozexpatriate]

5 minutes ago, pH said:

I wonder what he might think of this book:

Both went to Fort Wolters. My friend has a story he likes to tell of a meteor storm during a predawn parade and calisthenics. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the sky.

 

There's a chance my friend likely knows someone who knows the author.

[Barry O]

Interesting day at the office. 

 

One team tried to bend the laws.. then my colleague  did.. not sure I should continue umpiring..it is not good at the moment.

 

I have tried all sorts of pies in Oz and New Zealand. Most have been fine.. with or without the ketchup.. makes up for the fact neither countries can make a good cup of tea!

 

Baz

Edited April 25, 2021 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Goodnight to most, morning to some, afternoon to others!

Baz

[Ozexpatriate]

10 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

The Australian meat pie.  A national icon.  Almost universally disgusting. 

My experience was different - from small, usually owner-operated, bakeries in southeast Queensland. Those labelled 'steak and bacon' and 'steak and onion' are my favourites. That and fish and chips are comfort food for me and usually something I will want on my first or second day home.

 

Pies from anywhere other than a bakery/pie shop can be roulette.

 

10 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Four And Twenty is a brand to avoid at any cost ...

Yes. Execrable.

 

8 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

To which my reply is "Do you charge?"

 

Some do.  Some don't.  If you are prepared to invest in a meat pie it should come with (free) sauce as standard.  

Agreed. Paying for tomato sauce per packet is a throwback to a post-war austerity mindset.

 

My son is a big fan of Australian tomato sauce versus Heinz Ketchup. He also likes the square squeezy packets that snap open on the top, which are extremely rare in the US. I concur. They are infinitely easier to open and use than the little plastic pillows that are so ubiquitous* here. 

 

* And in such high demand due to increased take-out food during the pandemic that they are (reportedly) hard to source.

 

[BSW01]

Good Devening Everyone 

 

Well I’ve made some more progress in the garden today. The new base for the water butt has been built, it stands 11” tall, exactly the same as the one it currently sits on. The old base is/was a temporary structure, built using old bricks stacked together with a large piece of paving on top for the butt itself to sit on, no mortar was used in its construction. The height of 11” high was chosen, as this is just tall enough for me to put my watering can on the floor and still fit underneath the tap of the water butt. The new one has been built as a permanent structure, using several large pieces or paving slabs.

 

Starting with a 20” square of mortar, the paving was placed and then cemented together, any large gaps were filled with small bits of rubble and then filled with mortar. A layer of mortar was then put on top and the whole process was repeated until the desired height was reached. The top is a single piece of paving, again sat on mortar, which was then set dead level with the aid of an 18” spirit level and a large rubber mallet. Using some of the old paving slabs means I now have less rubbish/rubble to move and put into the skip. I’m now going to leave it a few days before I actually transfer the water but over, so the the mortar has time to set. Before I can move it though, I do need to empty it, the water won’t get poured away, I have enough buckets, containers and old bowls that will hold all the water.