Early Risers.

[zarniwhoop]

Should I mention that this is the day that I complete a 66th circuit of "a small unregarded yellow sun in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy",  and am therefore officially an OAP ? No, best not to mention that, I think. Oops. 🤩

 

Oh well, just time for some more beans on toast then.

[Tony_S]

53 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Depends upon the model year, but generally

• Good quality (it IS, after all, a VW)
• Functional
• Reliable (usually)
• Pedestrian styling
• Unexciting (except for the GTIs), but
• Gets the job done

My sister in law has one. She was sideswiped by a lorry on the M1, her car ended up facing the wrong way on the hard shoulder. The driver said he hadn’t seen her! The car wasn’t written off either. 

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, zarniwhoop said:

Should I mention that this is the day that I complete a 66th circuit of "a small unregarded yellow sun in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy",  and am therefore officially an OAP ? No, best not to mention that, I think. Oops. 🤩

 

Oh well, just time for some more beans on toast then.

Happy Bus Pass day.

[polybear]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Starting to get a bit muggy now, as the seaweed twirlers said it would. If you want to be vulgar perhaps this is for you.

 https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-10834055/Rolls-Royces-20MILLION-Boat-Tail-Pearl-unveiled-Worlds-joint-expensive-new-car.html

Personally I would prefer something a bit less gaudy, a Bentley in British racing green perhaps.

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

That just screams oligarch/oil sheikh noveau-riche.

 

I think you can now view RR as the “official car” of the vulgar moneyed. Thank goodness there’s still Bentley for “Gentlemen”….

 

This Bear kinda likes it - but not the price tag.  Totally unusable in this country, sadly - cos' the scrotes will be intent on either nicking it or trashing it.  For a lot less money I'd much rather have something that looks like a battered old Granada/Cortina etc. but with Lambo running gear and powerplant underneath.  Grey Primer - with the odd panel in a totally different colour here and there (suggesting a door from a scrap yard etc.), "rust" weathering (from an airbrush), fluffy dice, Poly + Polina windscreen sun strip......you get the idea.....

Could upset a lot of people at the traffic lights. 

 

2 hours ago, chrisf said:

So how do you rate the VW Polo, says he, apprehensive of the answer?

 

 

That just screams suave, sophisticated, debonair....though it can be a b1tch to park at times...

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

It is an insidious condition: it starts off with apparently innocuous symptoms such as having second helpings of things like a Victoria Sponge or a Carrot Cake and the next thing you know the patient is hanging around the dodgy end of eBay flogging off their prized possessions to feed their 10 a day LDC habit. One of the hallmarks of this affliction (which experts believe is a combination of psychological and biochemical dysfunctions) is the sometimes torturous self justification made by sufferers: commonly heard are statements like “that’s so good, I’ll have another slice“, “well, they were on sale“ or “it’s a sin to let good cake go to waste“ 

 

Unfortunately there are cases of those who, in the mistaken belief that the condition is actually undesirable, have taken to the most extreme methods of "self-medication" - such as actually giving away vast quantities of yummy cake to the neighbours.....

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

A variant of this condition, and one with an extremely poor prognosis is KYAMITIPHAGY (from the ancient greek Kyamites - bean) whereby the sufferer forms a fetish like attachment to baked beans. Afflicted individuals rapidly deteriorate and die in agony - sometimes in as little as 60 or 70 years after their first plate of beans on toast.

 

 

......but what a way to go......

 

Bear here......

A diddy bit of skirting work today (screwing bits to walls), after which an enforced delay may well occur - this Bear learnt long ago that trying to paint in temperatures hovering around the 30 C mark isn't a great recipe for success.  So I may even get around to making a couple of phone calls that should've been done yesterday, followed by MIUABGA.

 

In other news......

A little something to tip a certain fellow ER'er over the edge.....Nouveau Cuisine at it's very best.....🤣

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/foodanddrink/news/i-joined-the-9am-wetherspoons-punters-for-an-hour-in-rochester-and-it-was-a-bleak-experience/ar-AAYvaZg?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=10db483814ef4cc38762ea0587e98ded

 

And finally.....

"Thoughts and Prayers"??  It's a F. McDonalds.......the delivery guy did him a favour.....🤣🤣🤣

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/thoughts-and-prayers-for-cleaner-whose-mcdonald-s-arrived-covered-in-coke/ar-AAYub9N?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=10db483814ef4cc38762ea0587e98ded

Edited June 16, 2022 by polybear

[iL Dottore]

9 minutes ago, polybear said:

in the mistaken belief that the condition is actually undesirable,

Denial is a MAJOR psychological component of the illness!

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Not quit as sunny as it was yesterday, but it could get better as the day goes on. Sheila is busy getting herself ready for her Zumba class, so I’m keeping out of t.he way until it’s time to provide the chauffeur service. I shall then head of to Sainsbury’s to pick up a click and collect order from the in store Argos. I will then head off to our local garden centre to see if I can get some horticultural grit and a few bedding plants to go in the same pot as our now, quite large fuschia plant. After that I shall do a little work in the garden, as last night I spotted a plant that I’d positioned in the garden but not actually planted out, that will be remedied, along with a little bit of tidying up.

 

This afternoon, Charlie is due to call round for his weekly model making session,  if he didn’t have too much to drink last that is! 

 

Back later. 

 

Zarny. Happy birthday 

 

Brian

[iL Dottore]

42 minutes ago, zarniwhoop said:

Should I mention that this is the day that I complete a 66th circuit of "a small unregarded yellow sun in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy",  and am therefore officially an OAP ? No, best not to mention that, I think. Oops. 🤩

 

Oh well, just time for some more beans on toast then.

Happy Birthday!

 

I’m just a week older than you and like you a Gemini.

According to that Astrology nonsense, Gemini’s are supposed to have two personalities and when we were born “the sun entered Gemini” - so (supposedly) giving us FOUR personalities. So instead of, sometimes, “feeling like someone else“ we supposedly “feel like three other someone elses”. To borrow from The Who we are both probably Quadrophenic.

 

The Chinese zodiac is a little bit more encouraging: 1956 is the year of the monkey, specifically the Fire Monkey https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/1956-chinese-zodiac-monkey-year.htm it’s quite encouraging to find out that “People born in 1956 year of the Monkey are born with wisdom, humor and quick mind. Therefore, they are outstanding in many aspects”

“ Wise and outstanding“, I think we can live with that Z

[Winslow Boy]

 

So you'd say they were the yeoman peasantry - the traditional stock of england (yes I know they are made in germany). The first into the trenches etc.

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Depends upon the model year, but generally

• Good quality (it IS, after all, a VW)
• Functional
• Reliable (usually)
• Pedestrian styling
• Unexciting (except for the GTIs), but
• Gets the job done

 

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

So you'd say they were the yeoman peasantry - the traditional stock of england (yes I know they are made in germany). The first into the trenches etc.

 

I think they are made in South Africa now, so a Commonwealth product I suppose. 

[simontaylor484]

Happy Birthday @zarniwhoop

 

£13 for a McDonald's jeez. Although when I first saw the article I thought covered in Coke the guy would be able to snort his burger.

 

The first of 2 bin wagons has just arrived Garden waste I think 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, I was up early doors taking the boss for her bus as I'm collecting her from work with some friends for a sneaky archery practice session, fuelled by a chippy tea.

 

I don't know about iD's Beanology, but they certainly give you Phartyphagy.  Not too keen on them myself either, but they seem to have become an essential component of a full Manx/English breakfast.  I drown them in HP sauce for a bit of flavour.

 

VW Polo?  Early ones (the first) had a brick on a string that you threw out of the window to stop, the brakes were that poor.  Now a safe and staid (bar G40's/GTi's etc) buy, if a touch dear.  VW nut nephew had one for a while but wasn't taken with it, he also has a VR6 Corrado to play with on weekends though.  That's fun, if not exactly economical. At all.

[iL Dottore]

14 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

So you'd say they were the yeoman peasantry - the traditional stock of england (yes I know they are made in germany). The first into the trenches etc.

 

A rather nice analogy, if I may say so.

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi had looked at the Harrod  Horticultural version and even she thought they were a tad expensive. Some were even available in a fashionable ready rusted finish. We then spent ages looking for garden stakes online. What we didn’t know was that road pins are exactly what “we” were looking for. I did notice while adjusting the rose (William Shakespeare) that it was very thorny. I hope it liked the blood I contributed to its environment. 

 

Yes they are ideal. If I was doing it again I would go for the next size up, which I think is 12 mm. I chose 8mm and found that they bend very easy. For Mk 1 version I was going to make a hoop out of one of them but it broke. So rather than run the risk of breaking another I used the pot mover instead and I think it worked out better because there is a lattice work which holds the stems. I'd also hummed and r'd about whether to leave it untreated but because of the condition of the mover I went with coating it.

[AndrewC]

Happy Hoopy Frood day to Zarniwoop. Hopefully celebrating with a Pan Galactic Gargleblaster or 2. 

 

Now that I no longer work on Fridays, TFIT   poetf doesn't quite work. 

Little of note. Back to spring watch. Yesterday we had our first goldfinch visit the birdy buffet. Either that or it was a sparrow wearing a red & black covid facemask. 

 

The employer has decreed that despite most people spending a lot of cash on decent equipment as part of their employment contracts, their policy of bring your own tech has ended. We've now been supplied with "laptops". Either Mac (I'd rather use an etch-a-sketch) or a Microsmurf Surface 4. I ended up with the latter. It sucks. My next purchase from the south American river people will be a usb-c hub, external keyboard, and hdmi converter cable. The actual laptop can live under the desk amongst the dust yaks. There are quite a few people (especially the newest starters) rather p*ssed off that they've just spent well over £1200 for a work device that is now redundant with an almost zero resale value. 

 

Time for coffee. Enjoy your day. 

 

[DaveF]

Wednesday went well, I got to the flat nice and early to sort out the rest of the needlework things , Anne came and collected them and some of Mum's collection of books and magazines as well, so a good result.  Then I sorted out some more stuff to go into the bin along with things to come home.  I ended up with a very full car again.

 

There remained just enough space in the car to squeeze in three large bags of beading materials which I delivered to their new home.  Then when I got home I unloaded the car so my garage now has a nice set of plastic drawers which will soon fill up, the house contains yet more ornaments and books.  I also found a number of good quality small tools which Mum had collected over the years for her crafting.  I shall soon put them to good use when making small moving things.

 

Then it was time for a late coffee followed by salmon and new potatoes for lunch.

 

I spent the afternoon having a leisurely drive along the Northumberland coast - specifically past Cresswell and the southern half of Druridge Bay.  There are plenty of parking places, both official and unofficial so I was able to stop and take some pleasing photos.  As always the sand was good to walk on and there weren't many people about, even though it was warm and sunny.  I saw three kestrels, some house martins, swallows and assorted terns along with usual canada geese, herring gulls, black headed gulls etc.  There was also a field of alpacas.  

 

Druridge Bay looking north June 2022

 

David

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by DaveF

[monkeysarefun]

55 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

That's fun, if not exactly economical. At all.

 

Funnily, I'm finding that with a 6 litre V8 at the moment. I worked out today it's costing me 33 cents in fuel every time I go 1 km in it.

 

Good news is it's tuned to run on 85% Ethanol so at least as fuel keeps going up  there'll come a point when I can run it on Veuve Clique instead and save some cash.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Happy birthday @zarniwhoop and many more of them. The foxes were up early this morning, the youngsters playfighting with the little one getting the best of his two siblings. They've made a bit of a mess in the garden so I've got a cleaning up job when they're gone. I'm glad I filled up last week as the price at Tess Coes has gone up four pence a litre since. I'm not using the air-con, just using the fan on full power. There seems to be a problem with the air-con anyway, its not cooling the air like it should. No evidence of a leak but I'll have it checked out when the service/MoT is done next month.

[fraser hardmetal]

Looks like auf wiedersehen to the VW Polo as we know it.

 

The 2022 iteration will be the last conventionally fueled (petrol) offering. The replacement will be an all electric edition, probably to be christened the Pluggo...☹️

 

I had the 2016 1.4 diesel version from new and had it for over a year. Excellent little car - pulls like a train and 80mpg possible with 65-70 mpg all day. If purchased it has great residuals, parts and servicing are cheap, similarly insurance.

 

If you are not badge conscious the Skoda Fabia is not as well equipped, but is just as good really. I had one for a few days and could not fault it.

 

Looking at the impending debacle with the charging infrastructure, a recent, used fossil fueled runabout might not be a bad thing to have waiting in the sidelines - when everybody realises that the EV might not be the panacea it's cracked up to be and nobody's making the old stuff anymore.

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by fraser hardmetal

[Barry O]

Happy Birthday  @zarniwhoop!

 

My sister had a diesel polo. It was bright red and had the same 1.9Tdi as my Passout estate.. boy did it fly!

 

She had a sign in the back window "Warning granny in charge!)

[PupCam]

Morning Awl!

 

3 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

Should I mention that this is the day that I complete a 66th circuit of "a small unregarded yellow sun in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy",  and am therefore officially an OAP ? No, best not to mention that, I think. Oops. 🤩

 

Happy birthday Zarni!   

 

Might Puppers suggest a relaxing day reading a little Vogon poetry?

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

According to that Astrology nonsense, Gemini’s are supposed to have two personalities and when we were born “the sun entered Gemini” - so (supposedly) giving us FOUR personalities.

 

Well clearly even the most cynical person can see there are at least two personalities there ..

 

In Other News

 

My mate has been rustling up (3D printing) some replacement "Red Spot Finder Scope" mounts to hopefully improve (i.e. make the finder scope point in the same direction as the telescope more accurately) on the budget ones supplied with our telescopes.    He had some trouble with the holes of all things so I asked him whether the holes had to printed using a special "hole" material or did he just use the standard PLA.    This was his reply:

 

"However, when it came to printing holes, i turned to a specialist. This was the reply i got:

 

That's one of the many problems. The spool of holes comes in set sizes, you have to scale them for your individual use. They come in various materials and styles. Solid holes, open holes ( these of course come with and without walls) transparent, semi transparent holes. Holes that go no where, holes that go somewhere. Tapered holes, oval holes, square holes, oblong holes. Recessed holes, countersunk holes(with and without funny star shapes on the countersink, although these star holes can be used as self locking holes)

Holes that when looked from one side, don't align with the hole on the other side. Offset has to specified.

Holes that have variable dimensions, that change inexplicably to exactly the wrong size. (normally too big)

Invisible holes, designed to hide the hole, known in the trade as 'Solids'.

Holes that when viewed from different angles appear to be in the right place, but are almost exactly in the wrong place (these are specialist holes and have a surcharge depending on the level of position uncertainty)

We have an extensive range of specialist holes, Outside holes, (cylinders), wonky holes, rusty holes, holes that constantly change shape and dimensions (variation on the rusty hole) Please contact our team to discuss your requirements

We have a hole (sorry whole) range of coloured holes. Different textures are not available, although some are available in gloss, matt, transparent and translucent. Unfortunately due to the nature of holes, these aren't available on all the ranges or sizes.

When ordering holes, please specify all dimensions, especially ovality, even when not intended.

Triangular holes are a special order, although in abundance, size tolerance can be variable.

Extra carriage may be levied for over sized holes and deep holes (depending on dimensions)

Unfortunately due to the nature of holes we cannot entertain the return of unused holes, if the dimensions of the hole is wrong, or if the whole thing is wrong.

The exception to this is if the hole is faulty. (statuary rights)

All holes are double bagged. Any hole missing from your order must be reported within 7 days.

No responsibility can be taken if you put spare holes in your pocket.

If you need any further information, please go to www.holesRus.co.uk/outofyourmind/cranky/support"

 

I'm not certain who is the most deranged;  me for asking the question in the first place or him for providing such a comprehensive reply!

 

Have a good day and try and stay cool,

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by PupCam

[grandadbob]

Happy Birthday to ZW! 

It's getting hotter, app currently showing 27°C.

One bin lorry AWOL at the moment.  A strange thing happened with the other two lorries in that the binmen actually put all my and my neighbour's bins back in the place they got them from.  Most unusual!  🤔

Ocado came on time with one small acceptable substitution and a very cheerful driver.  The Boss is still not that keen though as some of the "use by" dates are somewhat sooner then we're used to. she's used to. 🤪  

A short walk was undertaken via Asda to pick up a couple of magazines for Herself but The Hip was complaining mightily after a couple of hundred yards so we managed less than a mile today.  Got back and sat in the shade in the garden but it was too hot so am now inside drivelling along as I normally do.

 

[AndrewC]

42 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Happy birthday Zarni!   

Might Puppers suggest a relaxing day reading a little Vogon poetry?

 

"Oh freddled gruntbuggly,

Thy micturations are to me

As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.

Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes,

And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,

Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts

With my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!"

[polybear]

2 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Good morning everyone 

 

Not quit as sunny as it was yesterday, but it could get better as the day goes on.

 

Bear has plenty - you're welcome to some (well quite a lot actually) cos' Bears with hot paws tend to have "the right 'ump".

 

3 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

Should I mention that this is the day that I complete a 66th circuit of "a small unregarded yellow sun in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy",  and am therefore officially an OAP ? No, best not to mention that, I think. Oops. 🤩

 

Oh well, just time for some more beans on toast then.

 

Happy Birthday Zarni!! 🎂🎂

Beans on Toast?  As you're the Birthday Boy why not jazz it up a bit?  Fried Egg(s) on Baked Beans on Cheese on Branston Pickle on Toast works pretty well.  Top it off with some salad cream (or Mayo if you're posh) and the job's a good 'un.

 

34 minutes ago, PupCam said:

 

"However, when it came to printing holes, i turned to a specialist. This was the reply i got:

 

That's one of the many problems. The spool of holes comes in set sizes, you have to scale them for your individual use. They come in various materials and styles. Solid holes, open holes ( these of course come with and without walls) transparent, semi transparent holes. Holes that go no where, holes that go somewhere. Tapered holes, oval holes, square holes, oblong holes. Recessed holes, countersunk holes(with and without funny star shapes on the countersink, although these star holes can be used as self locking holes)

Holes that when looked from one side, don't align with the hole on the other side. Offset has to specified.

Holes that have variable dimensions, that change inexplicably to exactly the wrong size. (normally too big)

Invisible holes, designed to hide the hole, known in the trade as 'Solids'.

Holes that when viewed from different angles appear to be in the right place, but are almost exactly in the wrong place (these are specialist holes and have a surcharge depending on the level of position uncertainty)

We have an extensive range of specialist holes, Outside holes, (cylinders), wonky holes, rusty holes, holes that constantly change shape and dimensions (variation on the rusty hole) Please contact our team to discuss your requirements

We have a hole (sorry whole) range of coloured holes. Different textures are not available, although some are available in gloss, matt, transparent and translucent. Unfortunately due to the nature of holes, these aren't available on all the ranges or sizes.

When ordering holes, please specify all dimensions, especially ovality, even when not intended.

Triangular holes are a special order, although in abundance, size tolerance can be variable.

Extra carriage may be levied for over sized holes and deep holes (depending on dimensions)

Unfortunately due to the nature of holes we cannot entertain the return of unused holes, if the dimensions of the hole is wrong, or if the whole thing is wrong.

The exception to this is if the hole is faulty. (statuary rights)

All holes are double bagged. Any hole missing from your order must be reported within 7 days.

No responsibility can be taken if you put spare holes in your pocket.

If you need any further information, please go to www.holesRus.co.uk/outofyourmind/cranky/support"

 

 

Specialist?  He's missed out Blind Holes, A55holes and Sh1tholes for a start.....🤣

[BoD]

2 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

"Oh freddled gruntbuggly,

Thy micturations are to me

As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.

Groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes,

And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,

Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts

With my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!"

 

I quite like that.  Some of your metaphysical imagery is really particularly effective. 

[zarniwhoop]

9 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Zarni!! 🎂🎂

Beans on Toast?  As you're the Birthday Boy why not jazz it up a bit?  Fried Egg(s) on Baked Beans on Cheese on Branston Pickle on Toast works pretty well.  Top it off with some salad cream (or Mayo if you're posh) and the job's a good 'un.

 

Thanks - knowing the general dislike of beans here, I was not totally serious. Plan for today is to eventually have a (very) small tarte aux myrtilles (blueberry tarte, no sugar, wholemeal flour) and later some griddled asparagus with sourdough rye. And fizz and perhaps some lager.

 

But tomorrow, perhaps extra helpings of beans (gemini, with the sun in gemini I make four portions) although that might not leave much carb butget for chips.

 

Edited June 16, 2022 by zarniwhoop
came back to this, missed there was a now-redundant line