Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[Ozexpatriate]

8 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

We are told - by some sources that Israel will be ok - well maybe it will, but they aren't letting in foreign tourists.

Inside Israel (based on a couple of news reports I saw) is interesting with their "green pass" electronic vaccination passport. At the time of that report only people who opted in to the passport (and, obviously, were vaccinated) could enter establishments like bars and restaurants. Clearly such measures are effective - though not welcomed by everyone.

 

Trendlines suggest that here in Oregon our fourth wave might be peaking. Apparently the governor has a press conference later today. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say. There are multiple law suits being filed over her actions to mitigate spread. Case rates are where they were back in early November as our third wave worsened.

 

Meanwhile our scintillating Spring weather continues. A cloudy morning has evolved into a stunning afternoon topping out around 20°C. Tomorrow should see us reach 27°C. On Thursday rain and lower temperatures return.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[pH]

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

You think that a dot matrix is noisy, just try a daisy wheel printer!

... or an old mainframe chain printer.

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

We have been discussing printers.  Mine is an Epson ink jet with a scanner.  It’s OK but, like others, I object to having to replace a colour ink cartridge when all I wish to do is print a black and white document.  Should it fail it will be replaced with a different maker’s product.  Until then I shall soldier on valiantly.

 

Q, your post had me diving into my Strawhead CDs!  ‘Poor Jamie Foyers’ is not a song that I know at all well.  It must have been too recent an addition to the band’s repertoire for me to have heard them perform it on stage.  I dread to think how many thousands of miles I drove to see them after I encountered them at my first Sidmouth, back in 1975.  Bedford, where I live, seems to be 200 miles from everywhere!  It was nice to spend an hour or so listening to them yesterday morning.  I might just be getting over the grief I felt when they retired from performing.  When that happened I tried to cope with it by playing one song in particular endlessly in the car.  I chose ‘The burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna’, which I would take to the mythical desert island should I ever be invited.

 

As for guitars, I shall stand on the sidelines.  Since I was made to learn the recorder at school and managed to get some very strange sounds out of it, I have never even attempted to learn another instrument but I admire those who do.  I leave making music to the experts.  The niche nature of my taste has led to my coming to know some of my favourite instrumentalists personally.  ‘Instrumentalists’ does of course include singers, for is the human voice not the finest instrument of all?

 

Warm thoughts to Gordon and family and best wishes to all

 

Chris

[NGT6 1315]

Moaning awl. There, I managed to say hi!

 

Has been windy outside since yesterday with intermittent rain, but the weekend is predicted to be fairly warm. Good thing I’ll be off work as we were considering a BBQ.

 

Aside from the injection spot aching a bit and some general tiredness, I seem to have had no unwanted side effects. Neither did Elise, so I’m not resenting the second jab in any way. Though I do realise after-effects may be more likely to occur then.

 

Off to work in a few, so, ta for now…

[leopardml2341]

Morning all.

 

Weather seems t have settled down and returned to normal 'South Derbyshire grey'.

 

Missed most of yesterday due to work and later a humdinger of a headache that OTC meds wouldn't touch. Hopefully today will be better on both counts........

 

I haven't yet caught up with the 3 or so pages that I have missed, maybe later. In the interim, I hope all are well, sorry if I've missed anything significant and make the best of today.

Edited May 5, 2021 by leopardml2341

[Barry O]

Ey up!

The sun is shining, the birds are singing a grand morning up here in the North West Leeds Highlands.  Iwill make thevmostbof it as it may rain for the next three days...pah!

 

I have a double header cricket wise at the weekend.. it may just end up with a game on Sunday. (Which is a cup match so a return the following Sunday if it is rained off would be required.. pah!).

 

Before heading off across the road to Weetwood I need to deploy the shark. Yes it is also house deep clean day. Frabjoy....not!

 

Apologies for a duplicate post last night. I thought RMWeb was having a wobbly but loged off and didn't come back to check.

 

Time for my mugatea!

Very, very positive thoughts to Gordon and his family.

 

Hopefully our missinf ERs are all well.

 

Stay safe

 

Baz

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare,

 7 hours of very broken sleep again..

 

The burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna, is on the same album that Poor Jaimie Foyers is on (though some of their tracks appear on other albums), It's a track I also like, and listened to last night. Having listened my way through all their albums I'm now slowly working by way through adding tracks into my master play list. Those that I like, get added with an assortment of other bands, singers and orchestral pieces, this is to a play list that the computer works through at random when I'm doing other things.

Last night because I was doing that I forgot to type in the handicap formula..

One thing I've noticed is that I'm not fond of the lady singers they used, much to high a pitch..  But then I heard a steeleye Span track the other day and thought I didn't like Madie Priors singing.. Where as years ago I did.. I think my hearing has changed..

 

Gwiwers mention of conditions rings bells, I never used a map once I'd been there once or used that road... Though these days I have a navigator running, it's so If we get diverted off the roads I know I can get back en-route somehow..

However, I could never do his job, my frustration with customers would have me pushing them onto tracks. I'd want to KILL!

 

Ben the Pointer Collie was a wandering the garden and stopped looking intently into a Berberis hedge one leg up. Just like a Pointer.. But being a sensible Collie he didn't venture in with all those thorns..

 

I noticed yesterday , this years Sailing club Commodore is a Doctor, of what I'm don't know, But she's definitely not a crusty old man.. Still in her 30's I can remember her when she was in Nappies... I must be getting old...

 

Time I went and got on with this weeks equipment..

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a sunny Charente.  It's sunny but the seaweed twirlers, wherever they are in this country, have mixed messages.  The detailed show sun then cloud. The summary shows rain.  Yesterday  it rained on and off  from late morning till about 21.00. This is the first rain since I installed out 1000l water butt.  This morning it's collected anout 800 litres of water, amazing.  It's taking the flow from about 80 sq metres of roof so my maths makes it that we had about 10mm of rain yesterday.  As well as watching the water flow, on and off, I progressed with repairing two wioden garden chairs. I'm reinforcing them with some oak, saved from the firewood. The pieces were glued in yesterday. Today I plan to shape them, then fit some 6mm steel rod to reinforce them. I might even do some of the M word.  I can't go out today as I'm waiting for a text from DPD to say that some beds are arriving for the house we look after.

 

Thoughts with Gordon and his family and also hope that Hunt senior is doing OK.

 

Jamie

[leopardml2341]

31 minutes ago, leopardml2341 said:

Morning all.

 

Weather seems t have settled down and returned to normal 'South Derbyshire grey'.

 

Well, what a difference a few minutes makes,bright blue sky and sunshine now

[Andrew P]

Simply glorious down ere in da Souf.

 

A walk is REQUIRED, so I'll be orf for that soon

 

Have a good day one and all, stay safe and well.

[polybear]

8 hours ago, polybear said:

 

One of Bear's work buddies visited a supplier just before chrimbo one year - he arrived to discover one of our Project Managers was also visiting - and the supplier was in the process of loading up the boot of her car with booze and a hamper....

 

 

 

Bear remembered that my Boss at the time (a real-life "John Smith") had given the P.M in question the nick-name the "Black Blancmange" - she always dressed in long black dresses being part of the clue.  Then someone told her....

He lived to tell the tale, though we're not exactly sure how. 

 

6 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Trendlines suggest that here in Oregon our fourth wave might be peaking. Apparently the governor has a press conference later today. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say. There are multiple law suits being filed over her actions to mitigate spread. Case rates are where they were back in early November as our third wave worsened.

 

 

Perhaps any business whingeing about being forced to close "unnecessarily" should be given an option:  You can only open once you and all your family have been injected with a full-fat dose of the virus.  Wonder how many will take up the offer?

 

In other news:

Bear predicted this would happen - my talents are truly wasted....:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56989757

Whilst I think he deserves everything coming to him I do think he has a very real point.  How you find a court and jury in the USA capable of hearing a fair trial must be nigh-on impossible now, given the amount of pre-trial publicity given to the case.  All thanks to trial by media - again.

 

Bear suddenly realised last night that I'll need some wood screws to secure the new kitchen units to the walls.  Whilst I have enough screws to give B&Q a run for their money I very much doubt I have any that are getting on for 120mm long - they have to pass thru' the cabinet frame rail (18mm), the back panel (8mm) and the service void gap (42mm) before they even reach the wall.  Bear feels a daytime raid into the loft is called for, though I suspect it's one mission that is doomed to failure.  Now I have a choice - get fleeced for a pack of screws at some exorbitant price per screw, or a box of 100 - only for 80 of them to sit in the loft until doomsday.  Decisions, decisions....

[Andrew P]

Last day at School?

 

Can't remember, so it must have been un eventful.

 

Plus I've been asleep since then, MANY TIMES.

[jamie92208]

20 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear remembered that my Boss at the time (a real-life "John Smith") had given the P.M in question the nick-name the "Black Blancmange" - she always dressed in long black dresses being part of the clue.  Then someone told her....

He lived to tell the tale, though we're not exactly sure how. 

 

 

Perhaps any business whingeing about being forced to close "unnecessarily" should be given an option:  You can only open once you and all your family have been injected with a full-fat dose of the virus.  Wonder how many will take up the offer?

 

In other news:

Bear predicted this would happen - my talents are truly wasted....:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56989757

Whilst I think he deserves everything coming to him I do think he has a very real point.  How you find a court and jury in the USA capable of hearing a fair trial must be nigh-on impossible now, given the amount of pre-trial publicity given to the case.  All thanks to trial by media - again.

 

Bear suddenly realised last night that I'll need some wood screws to secure the new kitchen units to the walls.  Whilst I have enough screws to give B&Q a run for their money I very much doubt I have any that are getting on for 120mm long - they have to pass thru' the cabinet frame rail (18mm), the back panel (8mm) and the service void gap (42mm) before they even reach the wall.  Bear feels a daytime raid into the loft is called for, though I suspect it's one mission that is doomed to failure.  Now I have a choice - get fleeced for a pack of screws at some exorbitant price per screw, or a box of 100 - only for 80 of them to sit in the loft until doomsday.  Decisions, decisions....

One idea might be to use studding that screws into rawlbolts with a simple nut and washer inside the cabinet. Rawlbolts often use standard metric centres that studding replaces. I did this on a fence post fastened into a concrete wall and it worked.

 

Jamie

[AndrewC]

Greetings all from a rather February like boring borough. Global warming my a*se. (tongue in cheek mode) 

 

Little of note really. Technophobes look away now. I've procured an Apple watch. If it takes a little gizmo strapped to my wrist in order to improve my fitness and health, then so be it. One advantage is I don't have to dig my phone out of my pocket to see who is calling. I can ignore them with a figurative flick of the wrist. 

 

Chris: check your printer settings. My Canon allows me to print from only the larger black cartridge without affecting the colours. I'm sure my old Epson did similar. 

 

Week away booked. The downside is Eurostar won't be reopening Ebbsfleet for at least another year, if ever. That adds an hour to the trip each way when having to go via St Pancake. All refundable up to the last minute. Also looking at a long weekend at the end of the month to visit the offspring oop norf. 

 

Time to go, the watch is nagging me to stand and stretch. Enjoy the day. 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.

 

Thoughts go out to Gordon and his family, and the Hunts too.

 

Knackered here after a disturbed night.  No idea why, just had a bad one.  

 

6c 'feels like' 3c, according to the app-ometer. Looks sunny, with a stiff breeze.  Pal Harry is coming around after lunch, if its decent enough by then we may engage the vapour powered amusements outside.  He's getting chemo currently so not sure how well he'll be, but he has said he's OK.  The particular type actually enhances his immune system apparently.  

 

Other than that the day is yet to reveal much else, no doubt housework will intervene with pleasure at some point.

[The Lurker]

10 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

I think most folk slot in to the Autism Spectrum somewhere.  

Many people show traits that are described as being something people on the spectrum display - but this does not make them slot somewhere on the spectrum; it just makes us neurotypicals think we can understand how a person with ASD thinks. But ASD is as its name describes, it's a spectrum. And as I suspect you know from personal experience, the saying "If you have met a person with autism, you've met one person with autism". (Ironically, perhaps, a saying of neurotypicals that a person with certain ASD traits and an inability to get colloquialisms and inferences might not get.) 

 

To illustrate the first point I made, I like, Rick, have a very strong (but not total) tendency to visual learning. It manifests itself best in reading and knowing - I could navigate my parents around Singapore after a few nights with the A-z (aged 6,7) and amazed the head of my school there by perfectly recounting  the route we'd taken on a school trip to the zoo in an essay on the trip. But I am nowhere on the spectrum; I have taken the tests, and am firmly neurotypical.

 

Younger Lurker is, however, firmly on it and has a diagnosis that says so. He too is tends to a visual learning style - when he was  very little, almost exclusively; this gave him great difficulties in learning to speak - at 2 1/2 almost his only word was "car". But he eventually did get it and his visual learning style helped him go great guns with reading so that by the end of his first term in Reception at school, they made him a free reader. 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where it is sunny but cool, Not too many clouds to be seen.

 

Thoughts are with Gordon S and Dave's Dad.

 

Last day at school - we all left after the exams but were allowed to go back to attend a prizegiving. I was the lucky recipient of one and had to take unpaid leave from my summer job to attend. And that was it. I have never been back and never joined the Old Boys association as I was not part of the Rugby crowd and felt my membership would have just funded their drinking.

 

Years later my Dad bumped into the former Deputy Head who had taught me for 4 years for History and had encouraged me to do a history degree. The Deputy had absolutely no recollection of me! Perhaps the comment he made in one of my school reports says it all: "Appears lethargic but produces good work" B2

[Andrew P]

Once again, as MANY have said, thoughts for Dave's Dad, and also for Gordon and his Family at this time.

[Andrew P]

Read a lovely bit yesterday in a book.

 

On his 90th Birthday, the French conductor Pierre Monteux was interviewed by the BBC,  

'I still have two abiding passions,' he declared.

One is my Model Railway, the other women.

But at the age of eighty nine, I find I am getting just a little too old..........for Model Railways.'

 

 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the wind has all but gone and there are just a few white clouds to be seen. 

 

Apart from taking a few tools tools and other bits that won’t be needed in the cellar for a while, I’ll be spending most of the day rerouting the dining room wall light. This is the last circuit that needs to be rerouted and will mean that the ceiling will be free of all surface cables. 

 

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

 

Brian 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis was going at it hammer and tongs this morning but has now quietened down. Breaking news, Prince Philip died of old age, I expect the media will be making a song and dance about it as if its unusual for a 99 year old to die of old age. Muggatee to be drunk, be back later.