Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

1 minute ago, PhilJ W said:

I presume they are rising bollards as many of the cars involved are less than 7 feet wide. I wonder if some of the drivers, of the police van in particular were aware of the reduced width.

With that width it's not a bus lane, obviously. Wonder what the logic is?

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Hermes delivered

It does really seem to be down to their final driver. We have always been fortunate with our Hermes deliveries. They have all been very conscientious. Amazon drivers are ok at finding the house but many of them are already off down the road as I get to the door. Todays one was carrying a huge bag, I presume his van was somewhere nearby. Though the tracking app had replaced the van symbol with a sleigh!
Apparently our solar panel installers will arrive early tomorrow morning. Not sure what time that is but I suspect I will be getting an early alarm call. Aditi being very organised has made sure we can provide lots of hot drinks and biscuits. I wouldn’t like to be up on the roof at this time of year though at least the forecast isn’t windy and wet here. Some of the installation will be in the garage so I have covered the train and slot car layouts up. I don’t know what they have to do in the loft but it is still clear from when the surveyor inspected it. 
Tony

[BoD]

Good evening.

 

A busy but enjoyable weekend has left me cream crackered.  
 

Saturday night saw us celebrating son’s and his partners birthday with a family gathering.  I had a couple of glasses of falling down water and, since it is a while since I had any, I nearly fell over, but not quite.  They didn’t half put a grand spread on and a great night was had by one and all. 

 

Sunday saw us taking new grandson to a Xmas grotto and then on the evening to one of these woodland light walks. It really was magical.

 

Despite it being only a few miles ‘down the road’ we decided to push the boat out and book into the nearby hall/hotel for the night.  Quite posh it was and I had to be on my best behaviour and speak proper like.  The best part was, of course, a relaxed breakfast this morning.  Again I let myself go and had the full English.  It was absolutely delicious, prepared from quality local produce.   No disrespect to ‘standard fare’ breakfasts, which I have been known to enjoy in the past, but good quality ingredients make a world of difference.
 

We finished it all off with a visit to the local model shop on the way back to replenish various consumables.

 

I did suggest doing the whole thing again next weekend but for some reason was voted down.  Pah! As Baz would say.

Edited December 13, 2021 by BoD

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[PhilJ W]

14 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

With that width it's not a bus lane, obviously. Wonder what the logic is?

Probably to stop it being used as a rat run by heavier vehicles.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

Folk were tailing buses in and it led to carnage. 

https://youtu.be/2fVSOIiS78o

Is there some kind of traffic signal, or just a passive "NO ENTRY BUSES ONLY" (or equivalent hieroglyphics) sign?

 

There are many "BUS ONLY" lanes in Portland. It's easy for someone unfamiliar with local traffic patterns to end up in one. (They don't have rising bollards.)

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[PhilJ W]

Just now, Ozexpatriate said:

Is there some kind of traffic signal, or just a passive "NO ENTRY BUSES EXCEPTED" (or equivalent hieroglyphics) sign?

Do you really think that they read any signs?

[Ozexpatriate]

Just now, PhilJ W said:

Do you really think that they read any signs?

Irrespective to what I was asking. I can imagine a motorist unfamiliar with the area being 'caught'.

[Ozexpatriate]

39 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I had a look at that bollard video and I can’t work out what is happening. Are they just clouting the kerb and hitting the bollards? It is allegedly a 7 foot gap 

Yes, whatever they are hitting is completely obscured by the hedge and wheelie bins. It's hard to imagine it just being a kerb (even an inset kerb) with it blowing out tyres like that.

[BoD]

7 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Yes, whatever they are hitting is completely obscured by the hedge and wheelie bins. It's hard to imagine it just being a kerb (even an inset kerb) with it blowing out tyres like that.

The written commentary on the video suggested that the bollards had been moved by six inches so perhaps those who had driven straight through in the past just drove through again and were caught out.

[Ozexpatriate]

48 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Yes, whatever they are hitting is completely obscured by the hedge and wheelie bins. It's hard to imagine it just being a kerb (even an inset kerb) with it blowing out tyres like that.

Maybe it's here?

 

I noticed that the 'accidents' are all on the passengers' side. Drivers are clearly careful not to hit the bollards on the right. 2.1m / 7' might be harder to judge that we might guess - even for professionally trained drivers - like the police vehicle.

 

All looks very expensive.

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

All looks very expensive

I read that the bollard height was reduced as a lot of mirrors were getting hit. The width over mirrors of my car is 2.1 metres. With folded mirrors it is a smidgen under 2 metres. I would approach that restriction carefully. 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The weather didn’t stay dry for long, by the time Sheila was heading home from her Zumba class it was raining. It rained steadily for the rest of the day and had not long since stopped. 

 

As I predicted this morning, I spent most of the day in the cellar. I printed off the parts for the next building and I’ve already begun the building process. So far both the front and back walls are completed and the two end walls are partially done. 

 

After tea i completed the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, I’m pleased to say that well over 95% of customers were wearing masks today, perhaps the importance of wearing them it’s finally sinking in! 

 

Thoughts to  Tigerburnie’s wife on the loss of her friend, I also hope that the wee chap soon gets over his Covid diagnosis. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[brianusa]

Rising bollards? Traffic calming?  Only in England!  It would seem that the inventors of the roundabout now are more interested in slowing traffic now, instead of keeping it moving and what with cameras all over, a motorists lot is not a happy one.  Ask the man who hit one!

    Brian.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

Morning All,

 

I had to visit the dentist yesterday (a tooth broke) and was utterly amazed at how fast it all went: 15 minutes from sitting in the dentist’s chair to walking out with a repaired molar. My dentist is a great believer in advanced materials technology and has mostly moved away from traditional fillings (e.g. gold) to using high-tech plastics, ceramics and composites. He’s also contemplating getting a 3D printer in order to make bridges and protheses (he already has the specialised scanner for getting 3D images of the teeth and jaws).

 

Whilst on the topic of mastication (well sort of)  @polybear might be interested in this programme that was on My5 yesterday: Ready Meal Britain (watchable at https://www.channel5.com/show/ready-meal-britain/season-1/ready-meal-britain). It’s interesting to consider that today’s Ready Meals are direct descendants of attempts to provide the armed forces with edible food that wasn’t salted, weevil infested or just plain half-rotten. It’s also interesting to contemplate how prepared food has (mostly) gone from being a time-saver for the well-heeled (such things were initially more expensive than fresh - at least when I was a wee lad) to being a time-saver for those on low budgets (apparently, cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients is nowadays considered by many to be very middle class - or so the author Pen Vogler claims in her book Scoff).

Anyway, off to have a “French Intellectual’s Breakfast”: strong black coffee, an aspirin and a Gauloise Caporal 

Enjoy the day!

[pH]

31 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Anyway, off to have a “French Intellectual’s Breakfast”: strong black coffee, an aspirin and a Gauloise Caporal 

(Image of iD in stripey shirt and black beret)

[jamie92208]

2 minutes ago, pH said:

(Image of iD in stripey shirt and black beret)

With a string of onions round his neck.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente. Up earlyish as there is shopping to do and hopefully have my hair cut. At least i've got the right date today.  I got the fruit trees pruned yesterday. Hopefully the plum tree harvest may be better as half of it won't be out of reach, even with a ladder.  I even managed some shed time in the afternoon.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[chrisf]

The cards continue to arrive and are now making a fine display on the wall.  Many are quite festive but some are not: one depicts a cat sitting on a gate, another a squirrel.  One shows a grinning couple who are both former workmates.  How well I recall my cry of "Curses, foiled again!" when their engagement was announced.  Some depict railway subjects and I really like the one showing a steamy scene on the Talyllyn Railway and the greeting "Nadolig LLawen".  Quite what is festive about a London taxi is a good question: maybe it is the snow through which the taxi is trying to plough.  A long time ago I had an ambition to have my own cards made with a steamy locomotive on the front.  That foundered because I have yet to take the right photograph.  I now send robins instead.  It is said that the robin has a red breast because it cut itself on the crown of thorns.  One day someone will make a card with a picture of a humbug and I shall rejoice.

 

Chris

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, rock at an average sort of 7c and dry - might have a bumble out on Bumble, my new bike, later on, hips permitting.

 

Best wishes once more to those having to bear such unfortunate circumstances.

 

We do send some seasonal cards out of politeness and receive a few, despite not celebrating Christmas due to not being Christians, but that's just life.  We do tend to get ones with robins, trains or cats like Chris, and not religious scenes.  Shows some folk pay attention anyway.  Donk and his pals like to celebrate though, I note he has a Santa hat on in anticipation, not sure where he found that.

 

I do have a good snowy train photograph that can be used in greetings, of one of my 16mm scale live steamers ploughing snow.  It has only snowed significantly here twice in the 19 years we have lived here, so it was a rare opportunity.  The high ground gets a fair bit (the mountain road, our main route south, is at about 1500 feet) but down here at a towering 90 feet asl, it is a rare thing.  I may risk posting it......yeah, what the h.....

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Tried to log on earlier..couldn't  as I got a 522 message. PAH!

 

New ads have appeared courtesy of Criteo..whoever they may be.

 

I have to meet with a cricket colleague for a catch up. Could be out some time.

 

Other discussions are scheduled for today.

BoD sounds like you had a nice time..was it a Hardwick Hall by any chance?

Stay safe!

 

Baz

Edited December 14, 2021 by Barry O