Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The answer to # 1 I do know as a friend has a child with Downs Syndrome. And an Ishihara test is for colour blindness (and the child will most likely be a boy). 

On the subject of birth defects. Two sisters have children who are therefore first cousins. One child is born deaf and her cousin has a cleft palate. Are these defects connected and if so how?

Correct answers.

As to your question, it could be due to a number of factors, but one likely candidate is Treacher Collins Syndrome (an autosomal dominant condition and one that can vary in expression from very mild symptomatology [and thus remain undiagnosed] to severe). Stickler Syndrome is also a possibility, but if there is a familial link then Type I Otopalatodigital Syndrome is a likely candidate (X Chromosome linked) but I’m guessing here…

Edited September 13, 2021 by iL Dottore

[chrisf]

Greetings

 

An hour in the jungle yesterday morning half-filled the garden waste bin but aggravated my aches and pains.   Much less strenuous was watching "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" with George Lazenby as James Bond.  Did I mention that I watch too much TV?

 

There are several good reasons to be out and about and here and there in the week ahead.  Zoom is all very well for keeping in touch with clubs and societies but you can't beat a face to face meeting.  To attend one of these gatherings later in the week I shall need to clutter up the M1.  Have I really forgotten just how bad that road can be?  Maybe the reminder will not be as bad as I fear.  Maybe it will.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris 

[NGT6 1315]

Moaning awl. I'll be off to work within the next half hour or so, but to set the mood just so, may I entice you to a truly atrocious pun...

 

"One time at the hoagie shop the actress Ms. O'Hara asked what the tiny pimiento-stuffed thing in my cheddar-bread sandwich was and I had to respond: "Wee olive in a yellow sub, Maureen.""

 

…quoted from https://www.bulwer-lytton.com …  

[polybear]

 

10 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

.......then we managed a safe descent (unlike car 3 a few years ago, which went on an unmanned journey/flight/madeintomatchsticks)

 

Can Bear assume that the sh1t really hit the fan after that little number?

 

10 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 

I was a little surprised earlier in the day to receive a knock at the door.  There was a crowd of young female students outside so I thought one had got the wrong number.  No.  Former Neighbour (Next Door) - she who moved out a month or two ago - was there dressed in nothing but bathers and brandishing a crumpled white shirt.  

 

 

Whaaaaaat?  You never invited them in for a slice of LDC???

 

 

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

2.    In early 20th-century medicine and psychology, descriptions of intellectual disability were quite insensitive. As a psychiatrist in 1925 what would the terms "idiot",  “Imbecile” and "moron" mean to you?.

 

4.    Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Adult-Onset Diabetes are….

 

5.    Bradycardia (slow heartbeat of 60bpm or less) was named after James Buchanan Brady (also known as “Diamond Jim” Brady) the Pre-WWI American businessman, financier and philanthropist in whom it was identified for the first time. True or False?

 

 

 

Bear knows some of these

 

2.  A Politican

3,  A pain in the ar5e

5.  No idea, but I suspect Gwiwer doesn't suffer from it after reports of his escapades involving an iron were reported earlier.....

 

How'd I do?

 

Bear's Plan for the day:

1.  Fit the extra catches that were delivered from South America yesterday to the loft ladder for the long-awaited degree of extra confidence that the whole bl00dy thing won't collapse unexpectedly....

2.  Receive a telephone call from the Council Planning Dept. regarding Bear's idea of a bike store in the front garden (I *may* neglect to add the word "motor" when discussing said idea, in case it "muddies" the waters....).  As to whether or not such verbal advice is confirmed with a letter or email is of some concern - I have a sneaky worry that there could easily be a "we have no record of ever saying that" somewhere down the line, and after Bear has shelled out lots of gronkits.....

3.  Take a look at a new pedal bin that was delivered to Bear from S.America dented - a replacement was requested but after much delay they've refunded me ( - I really wanted an undamaged example) and also asked me to dispose of the offending article.  It may be that the dent can be removed - though I very much suspect that Bear's arsenal of tools won't run to suitable implements - nor Bear's total lack of knowledge of panel-beating techniques.  Getting the dent out would be easy; doing it without it ending up looking like a piece of stainless steel bubble wrap is another matter entirely....

I suspect that leaving it be may be the best option; as to whether or not Bear can live with it is another question entirely...

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by polybear

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from down ere.  I'm intrigued by the Flying Flea as We live 40 miles north of Saintes. I was wondering where the airfield is as we pass a grass airstrip as we drive down. Just a couple of hangars and a windsock but it does look mown.  Just as an aside the word hangar is used for an open fronted building over here. As mentioned, a word that was 'borrowed' by the English. I would suspect during WW1.  There is no door on our woodshed and the postie knows to leave parcels in the hangar.

 

The market got visited yesterday and we got our Pass Sanitaire's checked by the Gendarmarie.  All very efficient.  Mussels were bought and a very nice Moules Marinierere was had for lunch. We had no white wine in stock so white Pineau was used by Beth. It tasted lovely. After lunch I loaded the trailer with a large pile of garden rubbish.

 

This morning I'm waiting in for nurse Dominique so will probably run the tractor round to cut the weeds, a thunderstorm  is due this afternoon so I'll get it done while it's dry. If nursey comes early enough then I will be off to the tip.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

Edited September 13, 2021 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Up early this morning as a lot of things to get done. 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Correct answers.

As to your question, it could be due to a number of factors, but one likely candidate is Treacher Collins Syndrome (an autosomal dominant condition and one that can vary in expression from very mild symptomatology [and thus remain undiagnosed] to severe). Stickler Syndrome is also a possibility, but if there is a familial link then Type I Otopalatodigital Syndrome is a likely candidate (X Chromosome linked) but I’m guessing here…

None of those as far as I know but its this:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waardenburg_syndrome . A former colleague of mine is the mother of the child born with the cleft palate, her sister had two children born deaf. Also the childrens grandmother had a streak of grey hair from the forelock to the nape, another sign of the condition. Its extremely rare and in the case I mentioned above was not identified until the second deaf child was born. Incidentally the deafness has been treated by implants and the child with the cleft palate has had reconstructive surgery as he has grown up (he's now 21).

 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning from a once more grey and breezy rock.  Normal service....

 

Norra lot on the cards today, general pottering is prescribed, a walk around the village then just maybe some muddling.

 

Poly, yes, Car 3 decided to have a little run out without its crew, who swear the handbrake was left on....which turned out to be defective, but other issues contributed to the runaway also.  Lots of operating changes have been made.  If anyone had been on board and were not able to operate one of the three braking systems, they would not have survived.  It got almost down to Bungalow station before it derailed, on a 1 in 12 gradient it must have been doing some incredible speed, the fell rail of course guided it as otherwise it would not have got nearly so far.  It was literally matchsticks.

[Andrew P]

23 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

I'm getting ever so slightly p!ssed off with repeatedly being confronted on RMW by having to select whether or not I will accept cookies. This morning it was worse than usual as even after making the necessary selections I couldn't get rid of the damned thing and ended up having to exit RMW completely and start again. If the site owners value my privacy so much, why can't they accept my selections once and then leave me alone?

 

Rant over. Have a nice day everyone.

 

Dave

I've never had that, most strange Dave.

[Tony_S]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

medicine quiz" is now here!

1 Downs

2 Levels of IQ or it’s derived function “mental age”.

3 vaccines/immunisation

4 Assorted names for same thing.

5 No. Sounds Greek to me.

6 Haven’t been prescribed any so probably cancer treatments 

7 Evolutionary remnants 

8 A4, B3,C2,D1. I may have surgeons and barbers confused!

9 C Montpelier. Though I have only visited the airport not the medical school.

10 Colour vision deficiency. (not “blindness”). Aditi’s Dad had quite severe colour vision deficiency so when he used Ishihara for his patients he had learned what answer most people gave. 
11 less than 5? No idea really. Can’t be a high number though I suspect. 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Tony_S

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

To a very dull and wet northwest of England, but thankfully the rain has stopped falling, but it does look like it could resume at any minute. Sheila is getting herself ready for her Zumba class, but as she is running a little late, she MAY require a lift to get there on time. 

 

My plans (if it stays dry) are to see if I can cure the leak on the outside tap! It’s a strange on as it only leaks when the tap is turned on and doesn’t leak when it is turned off. I’m hoping it is just a washer on the spindle, I have several to hand, but if I can’t fix it or get a replacement, I shall fit a new tap. Taking it apart will be the first job to see what can be done. Once that’s done, again if the rain holds off, I shall continue with the fireplace wall, but if it rains then more work on the engine shed will be done. 

 

Enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

 

Brian

Edited September 13, 2021 by BSW01

[New Haven Neil]

Raining now - pah!

 

Comment about colour vision deficiency reminds me that Mrs NHN has red/green issues, yet can pass all of those tests normally used, both the dotty thing and matching wool strands etc - she passed this (and everything else) in a police recruitment medical some years ago.  However she sees BR/GWR green as brown....and perfectly understands 'improved engine green'!

Edited September 13, 2021 by New Haven Neil
speelink

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

1 Downs Correct

2 Levels of IQ or it’s derived function “mental age”. I'll give you that. The divisions were: Moron – someone with mild intellectual disability (IQ of 51–70); imbecile – someone with moderate to severe intellectual disability (IQ of 26–50); Idiot – someone with profound intellectual disability (IQ of 0 – 25) where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot guard themselves

3 vaccines/immunisation Correct

4 Assorted names for same thing. Correct

5 No. Sounds Greek to me. Correct. Brady comes from the ancient Greek for "slow", "heavy"

6 Haven’t been prescribed any so probably cancer treatments You're thinking along the right lines, but I can't quite give you this one, Tony

7 Evolutionary remnants  Correct. All are examples of Human Vestigiality

8 A4, B3,C2,D1. I may have surgeons and barbers confused! Correct.

9 C Montpelier. Though I have only visited the airport not the medical school. Sorry, incorrect.

10 Colour vision deficiency. (not “blindness”). Correct. Aditi’s Dad had quite severe colour vision deficiency so when he used Ishihara for his patients he had learned what answer most people gave. 
11 less than 5? No idea really. Can’t be a high number though I suspect. Good thinking, though number is too low.

 

I see that Tony S is definitely "upping the ante" on the quizzes (Well Done, Sir!). So my next quiz - gastronomy, cuisine and cooking - will have to be a real stinker ( @polybearmight want to sit that one out - LDC [especially commercially made LDC] will not be a topic )

 

But do not despair, Questions 6, 9 and 11 above still need to be answered!

 

iD

[PupCam]

9 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

It's incredibly seductive but whatever you do though DON'T. BUILD IT.  The designs are for the original deathtrap version. I think I've got drawings for the HM14/93 somewhere and that, by slightly lengthening the fuselage and using a more sensible aerofoil (a NACA 23012 with a slightly elevated trailing edge) solved the problem. That solution was though discovered fairy quickly and Mignet himself developed a better aerofoil by 1937.

 

Much as I love the "Proper" Flea I wouldn't be building one.   If I were to build a full-size aircraft (almost no chance whatsoever)  it would be a beautiful little Chilton DW1A.   I may just happen to have the original drawings and the approved modifications from "Mr Chilton" Roy Nero.   What he doesn't (didn't?) know about the aeroplane wasn't worth knowing.       I got the drawings from Roy some years ago as "Henri" in the photograph in my previous post and I were thinking of building a couple of 1/2 scale versions.    The original engine used in the Chilton just happened to be a Carden Ford so the Flea may have lost its engine!    

 

Another interesting fact (at least for @polybear and I) is that the two characters who designed and built it were ex-Hatfield DH apprentices.   That'll account for its beautiful lines then ...

 

3 hours ago, polybear said:

It may be that the dent can be removed - though I very much suspect that Bear's arsenal of tools won't run to suitable implements - nor Bear's total lack of knowledge of panel-beating techniques.  Getting the dent out would be easy; doing it without it ending up looking like a piece of stainless steel bubble wrap is another matter entirely....

I suspect that leaving it be may be the best option; as to whether or not Bear can live with it is another question entirely...

 

Go for it!   Slowly, slowly catch monkey and another skill added to the tool box.    You've nothing to lose.   Currently it is dented, the worst that could happen is that it becomes dented ....

 

Have a good and safe day everyone.

[PhilJ W]

13 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Right, you 'orrible lot. Better late than never. The promished fiendishly difficult "slightly related to drugs and medicine quiz" is now here!

 

Have fun!

 

1.    What is Trisomy 21 better known as?

 

2.    In early 20th-century medicine and psychology, descriptions of intellectual disability were quite insensitive. As a psychiatrist in 1925 what would the terms "idiot",  “Imbecile” and "moron" mean to you?.

 

3.    Salk, Jenner, Pasteur and Hilleman all did what.

 

4.    Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Adult-Onset Diabetes are….

 

5.    Bradycardia (slow heartbeat of 60bpm or less) was named after James Buchanan Brady (also known as “Diamond Jim” Brady) the Pre-WWI American businessman, financier and philanthropist in whom it was identified for the first time. True or False?

 

6.    What kind of drugs are the following and which is the odd one out: Trastuzamab, Infliximab, Rituximab, Cetuximab.

 

7.    What do the Palmar grasp reflex, L-gulonolactone oxidase, Supernumerary n1pples and the Vomeronasal organ all have in common?

 

8.    It is the middle of the 16th Century and you need treatment – but who do you see? Match the profession to the task:

   a.           apothecaries

   b.           barbers

   c.           physicians

   d.           surgeons

   1.           cut open the chests, removes growths, amputates limbs,  

   2.           diagnoses internal problems, checks pulse and urine

   3.           perform bloodletting, setting bones and removes teeth;

   4.           sell drugs perfumes, spices, herbs, comfits, antidotes, aphrodisiacs, antiseptics, tonics, purgatives, laxatives, emetics, astringents and general cure-alls

 

9.    It is 1201 and you want to study medicine. Where would you go?

   a.           University of Bologna – School of Medicine and Surgery

   b.           The Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital

   c.           Montpellier  University – Faculty of Medicine

 

10.  You have brought your 2 year old child to see me. After examination, I send the child to a specialist for an Ishihara test. What diagnosis do I suspect?

 

Bonus Question: In humans, tail bud refers to the part of the embryo which develops into the end of the spine. However, this is not a true tail as it contains no vertebrae, but only blood vessels, muscles, and nerves. Fewer than ___  cases have been reported (documented in the literature) of infants with "true tails" containing the caudal vertebrae. What is the missing number? 

As an informed guess the answer to question 9 is c.

Edited September 13, 2021 by PhilJ W

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is a very pleasant morning here. It is slightly more overcast than it was earlier. 
Main excitement today is another trip out of Benfleet. “Overseas” too. Well perhaps oversea is an exaggeration,  over the bridge to Canvey Island to have something removed from my scalp at a dermatology clinic there. I have never been to that clinic before but it is right next to a place used for functions/weddings etc so no parking problems, I hope. I was going to drive myself but the instructions say not to.

Looking forward to Flavio’s food quiz but I can’t imagine doing very well on that . My favourite food/meal would be egg and chips but I could possibly confer with Aditi.

Tony

[Tony_S]

17 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Currently it is dented

If it can’t be removed, how about adding a matching dent in the other corner so it looks deliberate?

[Tony_S]

59 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Raining now - pah!

 

Comment about colour vision deficiency reminds me that Mrs NHN has red/green issues, yet can pass all of those tests normally used, both the dotty thing and matching wool strands etc - she passed this (and everything else) in a police recruitment medical some years ago.  However she sees BR/GWR green as brown....and perfectly understands 'improved engine green'!

Matthew had exactly the same colour vision deficiency as Aditi’s Dad. Colours like pale green and pink were indistinguishable from silver grey. They could identify green and red but saw them it seems as different shades of brown. They both had problems with blue/mauve/purple. It wasn’t a Ishihara test that identified Matthew’s colour vision problem. It was a “why Is my Furby only one colour?” 

Tony

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare,

Almost 5 hours sleep followed by 3 hours of intermittent dozing with the emphasis on the dozing so not too bad.

 

Ben the I don't like the dark Collie, is beginning to get reluctant to go outside for his morning patrol.. It won't be long before the outside lights are needed.. Of which one needs replacing..

 

Cockwomble of the day goes to the newspaper boy cycling along the road, no hands on the handlebars, looking down at his phone typing away.. I would have blown the horn but feared him wobbling in front of me, instead of just dropping the phone..

 

Another oddity used on the boat... Electrical bus bar.. Which is now the metal rail running down the bow, protecting the paintwork from quay headings.

 

As for tearing up tenners in the rain sailing on the broads? I try to keep it down to the 10 pences. There are those with the money, we have a retired banker in the club with a 40 foot Broads sailing cruiser carbon fibre mast etc.. But does it gain him anything? no not a lot.. The cruiser class are individually handicapped, so he still stands no better chance of winning than anyone else. His mast will have cost many times more than my boat, let alone his one off hand made boat.

The majority of our club members are just routine people, from van drivers to teachers,  we just buy what we can afford..

 

For most of us, we do have a spending cap, just like sneaking locos past SWMBO.

To sail at my club costs about £150 a year for a family club membership, for Blue Moon  moorings will cost about £180, broads tax (like road tax) £53, lift in and out as many times as I want £50 a year,  Insurance including racing risks £196 is the first quote I got. I'm expecting a new set of sails to be £1000 or £100 a year for their life. so a total of less than £600 a year.. 

 

The next nearest club to us?... That family membership alone is £470, the mooring cost.?? you have to ask!! 

 

Then you go to the south coast and... The skies the limit!!! one club I looked at the mooring fees alone would be over £6000..

 

Been very busy this morning, I've almost finished DCV on this system, which is a bit more complicated than most..

 

Time for... the last measurement  of DCV..

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

43 minutes ago, PupCam said:

If I were to build a full-size aircraft (almost no chance whatsoever)  it would be a beautiful little Chilton DW1A. 

 

Where's our resident awl-wielding, plane building ER'er lately?  With a workshop I'd give ALL my cake for.......

 

43 minutes ago, PupCam said:

 

Go for it!   Slowly, slowly catch monkey and another skill added to the tool box.    You've nothing to lose.   Currently it is dented, the worst that could happen is that it becomes dented ....

 

 

Or even worse dents than it has now....

 

25 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

If it can’t be removed, how about adding a matching dent in the other corner so it looks deliberate?

 

Tricky....it's round....

 

In other news:

Bear's progress so far:

1.  Two safety catches fitted to loft ladder - now if any plastic bit does let go then at least Bear isn't heading to A&E.  Tick

 

 

2.  Telephone conversation with Council Planning Dept.;  only an hour and a quarter late - which I could perhaps understand at the end of the day - but for an 09-15 appointment?  Still, better late than never.

And it seems that Bear will require planning permission cos' it's forward of the front house wall - for which they'll want two hundred odd quid....

Yet they seem happy for a developer to build 38 houses on a Farmer's field not 500 yards from Bear Towers.  Overlooking the fact that it's Green Belt.  Oh yes, and flattening the farmhouse and buildings for another 8 houses - it was to be ten, but the council didn't like that (despite the fact that a quarter of a million quid sweetener was to be paid by the developer "towards local amenities").  Now that it's eight the £250K has been withdrawn.  Oh yes, and those houses are to have some sort of self contained poo treatment tanks, the output of which will go straight into open ditches.  Yum yum.....

 

And now?  Well a dustpan was being held under each of the holes being drilled into loft ladder to catch the swarf.  Only for the last two holes Bear dropped the pan - which contained the swarf from the first ten holes - and the pan bounced off the banister rail on the landing and down the stairs, depositing the dross en-route.  Those paying attention may recall that Bear hoovered the stairs yesterday......

So that's the next job.....

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

Bear has my sympathies about planning permission - it was very lax here for years, then became exactly the opposite, nowadays you almost need permission to cut the grass.  Decking, windows or a door changed, fences, just about anything. Ridiculous.  But the developers can do just about anything just as you relate, brown envelope contracts.

[Two_sugars]

Morning all . . today is dull  and grey . .but . . 

 

GRANDDAUGHTER is 18 years old today.

 

Bear . . you can do it . . just take your time . .the first time I did any metal bashing, was to make a sleeve to join a 'bike exhaust back together.

 I used a redundant 1"diam SDS bit as a former . . .It worked and you couldn't see any dents on the finished article . . shame it was covered over.

 

Anyways have a good day, all, and   keep smiling.

 

 

John

 

 

[Pacific231G]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Good moaning from down ere.  I'm intrigued by the Flying Flea as We live 40 miles north of Saintes. I was wondering where the airfield is as we pass a grass airstrip as we drive down. Just a couple of hangars and a windsock but it does look mown.  Just as an aside the word hangar is used for an open fronted building over here. As mentioned, a word that was 'borrowed' by the English. I would suspect during WW1.  There is no door on our woodshed and the postie knows to leave parcels in the hangar.

 

Jamie

Hi Jamie

When I visited Pierre and Alain in 1993  I was shown round the workshops but didn't actually see any of their aircraft flying (that came a year later when I flew an HM1000 at White Waltham) but ISTR that they mentioned using the aerodrome at Saintes. Hoever, the HM1000 and HM1100 have very short take off and landing runs so they may have also had or used a private ULM strip closer to their premises in Saint-Romain de Benet (which is nearer to Saujon than to Saintes). The airport at Royan is actually the closest to them but wasn't open to ULMs (Microlights) whereas, despite being shared with the military,  Saintes seems to be more of a club airfield 

The aerodrome at Saintes is Saintes-Thenac just to the south of the town and about 400-500 metres east of the A10 autoroute  at N454207 W0003810. I doubt though if that's the one you pass on the way as Thénac is a military/civilian aeroforome - though quite a small one with a 900m hard runway used by the military and authorised civil aircraft and two grass runways plus a shorter ULM (microlight) strip with the local aero club based there.

North of Saintes, my (well out of date) chart for that area only shows  St. Jean d'Angely/St. Denis  which is about 15miles north of Saintes and just to the north of St. Jean d'Angely. It fits your description as it has a single 850m grass runway oriented 100-280 and several hangars alongside the road between St.Jean-d'Angely just north of where the Saintes-Niort railway line crosses. It is though a fair way from St. Romain de Benet so I rather doubt whether the Mignets based any activity there.  

However, ULM sites are quite common in France and tend not to be marked on the half  million scale charts.

 

Update: Avions Mignet did use the aerodrome at Royan. They managed to crash an HM1100 there in August 1998 in what looks like a demonstration to a potential buyer. After demonstrating the wing  folding mechanism their piilot omitted to check that it was locked during his pre-flight checks- the rear wing duly folded up just after take off but he managed to get down without injuring himself- the aircraft wasn't so lucky. I'm wondering if it was the same aircraft I flew the year before, possibly with the same demonstration pilot, at the RSA Rally in Epinal GULP!

I'm afraid the Cordouan (HM1100 hasn't had a brilliant safety record with three double fatality accidents from only about 30-40 built thoigh only one looks like a loss of control accident. The HM1000 on the other hand seems to have been very safe.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Pacific231G
update

[jamie92208]

3 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

Hi Jamie

When I visited Pierre and Alain in 1993  I was shown round the workshops but didn't actually see any of their aircraft flying (that came a year later when I flew an HM1000 at White Waltham) but ISTR that they mentioned using the aerodrome at Saintes. Hoever, the HM1000 and HM1100 have very short take off and landing runs so they may have also had or used a private ULM strip closer to their premises in Saint-Romain de Benet (which is nearer to Saujon than to Saintes). The airport at Royan is actually the closest to them but wasn't open to ULMs (Microlights) whereas, despite being shared with the military,  Saintes seems to be more of a club airfield 

The aerodrome at Saintes is Saintes-Thenac just to the south of the town and about 400-500 metres east of the A10 autoroute  at N454207 W0003810. I doubt though if that's the one you pass on the way as Thénac is a military/civilian aeroforome - though quite a small one with a 900m hard runway used by the military and authorised civil aircraft and two grass runways plus a shorter ULM (microlight) strip with the local aero club based there.

North of Saintes, my (well out of date) chart for that area only shows  St. Jean d'Angely/St. Denis  which is about 15miles north of Saintes and just to the north of St. Jean d'Angely. It fits your description as it has a single 850m grass runway oriented 100-280 and several hangars alongside the road between St.Jean-d'Angely just north of where the Saintes-Niort railway line crosses. It is though a fair way from St. Romain de Benet so I rather doubt whether the Mignets based any activity there.  

However, ULM sites are quite common in France and tend not to be marked on the half  million scale charts.

Thanks for that. No it isn't St Jean, or The Danglies as we refer to it. It's on the right of the road between Varaize and Saintes, and east of the direct St Jean to Saintes road.  I'll have to look at my road atlas to get a better location. Thanks.

 

Jamie

[polybear]

If Bear recalls correctly then iD showed some dismay at some of those receiving honours.  Well the radio reported earlier that a certain tennis player may be lined up for a CBE.  Hmm.....

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a Sidcup which remains sunny-ish and is quite warm, and humid for the time of year.

 

The weekend was dominated by dismantling the climbing frame we bought for Elder Lurker's 3rd birthday. It was quite a good one made by TP and has served him and his brother and their cousins well, but is now past their use. We found no takers so it has gone the journey.

 

We also managed to watch the grand prix and some footie and some tennis so a good sport-watching weekend was had too.

 

I think that id is still waiting questions 6, 9 and 11 to be answered. I don't know the answer to 6 or11 but I think that 9 is the University of Bologna; I seem to recall reading that it is the oldest university in Europe.