Early Risers.

[monkeysarefun]

14 hours ago, TheQ said:

There were many fires in Norfolk over the last couple of days, the number of houses lost into double figures. They were so short of fire engines they took three out of the fire museum.. also engines came from as far afield as Merseyside and Tyne and Wear.

Given things are going to only get worse, European countries are going to need to develop proper  rural fire fighting capabilites similar to here and places like Canada. .

Watching those fires in Spain or wherever being fought by town appliances meant for fighting fires in buildings etc, ill-equipped for fast moving fires in areas without a water supply. Rural tankers are large capacity off-road capable, equipped with water curtains and heat proof sealed cabins.  The tactics too looked all wrong, one image had a firefighter directing water over the top of the fire front into  the burning trees behind.

 

Europe has a large advantage here in that all EU member countries could share the cost of a service that could travel to the country needing it at the time, rather than having to shoulder the cost entirely like you would if you weren't in the EU.

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[southern42]

' evening all from red dragon land.

Listening to a vey inspirational young flute player (below). If I had not come across his videos I may not have bought, and be playing, my bamboo flute. I think he was the final straw in a big pile of excellent Carnatic and Hindustani flute players.

 

The day went slowly, least ways, I did. The house is gradually cooling down approximately 2C since yesterday. Dining room currently 24C, normally around 18-19C.  This morning's bamboo flute session was a bit hot and sticky so fingers (and brain!) struggled a bit. Watched a few videos* new piece of music for which I have the notation. After click n collect groceries, I had a short spell getting to make sense of the notes. Another session after dinner and I eventually cracked it, I wonder if I will still be able to play it tomorrow? 

* These videos ranged from young beginners (boys and girls) to an experienced (a teacher) senior gentleman; and from the strictly classical to a semi-classical upbeat version. The latter, strangely, was the one that made my mind up for me to start learning it.

 

Video lasts 46mins. The two lads play continuously for half an hour before having a break.  To give you an idea, the longest I keep going for is about 3 mins at a time. Standard of play is just as far behind, if not more so! I have an awfully long way to go!

 

 

Anyway, I think it is time to have a mugasumat. Long night as it is doing next month's CnC groceries online order - at midnight! <yawn>

 

Hope it is cooling down for those in hotter regions, though I see the pinecone predictors are promising another hot spell next week. 🥵

 

Polly

 

[andyram]

Evening all and generic best wishes. Thanks to those for the good wishes and comments. Today has been a mixed day, bit I suppose that is a step forward from yesterday.

 

Mum and Dad are still feeling rough and are taking things easy. At present we still plan to go through with the holiday and keep the shop closed for a few days. I have composed a note for the door and will update the website and social media channels shortly. With that in mind, I had hoped that there would be a flood of sales today. Sadly not. The weather may be cooler, but this time it was the rain that kept people away and takings today were even poorer than on the Tuesday of the excessive heat.

 

There were some positives though. This morning brought my online appraisal meeting with the manager from the college. It also brought the offer of a small promotion. It is nice to have been recognised for a more senior post. The job is proving enjoyable and it is great that I can do it whilst in the shop.

 

Night all.

 

Andy

 

 

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

Where is the eeuurgh button

Here, sir:

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

... his book "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" it's very entertaining as well as enlightening

Yes. I read that one. It is on my bookshelf still.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

Where is the eeuurgh button

I better not tell you how we found out tgat someone had died once, then.

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

3 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I better not tell you how we found out tgat someone had died once, then.

 

Jamie

If its anything like the tales my Brother has told me like the smells,fly swarms the deceased who have voided themselves in their beds and then become stuck to the bedding to those who have decided to decorate a conifer hedge with brain matter after sucking on a 12 bore lollipop.

Oh and sticky blood on the carpets after massive bleeding after falling down the stairs.

 

 

 

[simontaylor484]

@andyram hope your parents are improving 

Congratulations on the promotion 

You wouldn't be the only business to shut for a holiday you need a break even if it's as exotic as yourgate

[simontaylor484]

Oh forgot to add the old lady who died alone and her pet dog had licked her throat open trying to rouse her.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well I timed my visit to the Trafford Centre this morning very well. As I drove in, there were 4 double decker buses were parking up in the next car park area, each bus was full of school kids. However, I was only going to one shop, so I didn’t stay there long. As I was leaving I drove past the same parking area where I saw the buses and I saw another 2 double decker buses just pulling in and there were now 3 coaches already parked up as well. That was a lot of teenagers that were going to be wondering about aimlessly, or larking about,  I’m so glad I avoided them! 

 

Charlie was a little late getting here this afternoon, he’s got a new figure to work on and wanted me to show him how to use an airbrush. So, once he’d finished adding the final few parts, I set up the airbrush and thought him the basics, such as how it worked, how to hold it and how to paint fine lines. He did this for about 30 minutes then gave the figure a couple of coats of paint. He’s impressed with how little paint is used and seems to have grasped the basics well, but I think he’ll need to do a lot more practice before he’s fully proficient. But the thing is, he enjoyed it and wants to learn, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to teach him. 

 

This evening, we had some much needed rain, but of it was only after I’d watered the plants! 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[monkeysarefun]

Just one more re rural fire-fighting vehicles, here's  one showing its capabilities at the fireground on the NSW south coast in the 2020 fires.  You can see the water curtain come on around the 2:09 minute mark,

(Rural bushfire fighters in Australia are nearly all volunteers who go through this kind of thing without even getting paid!)

 

 

[brianusa]

There are so many euphemisms for death and dying these days that being dead almost sounds good!  You pass, so it would seem or Be with Jesus or Taken by the Angels.  However you are just as dead with out all these niceties either in the fiery pit, an expensive coffin or pine box.  Death is as real as birth and life itself; its just that we don't know of it and perhaps just as well!😧

    Brian.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. A couple of packets arrived today, one from the UK and one from Hong Kong. Both were purchases from E-bay. The postage on the packet from Hong Kong was £2 but the UK postage was £3. I might add that the UK package was only posted last night.

[PhilJ W]

21 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Just one more re rural fire-fighting vehicles, here's  one showing its capabilities at the fireground on the NSW south coast in the 2020 fires.  You can see the water curtain come on around the 2:09 minute mark,

(Rural bushfire fighters in Australia are nearly all volunteers who go through this kind of thing without even getting paid!)

 

 

Outside of the larger towns and cities most British fire brigades are manned by volunteers. The recent and current intensely dry conditions were and are exceptional. Climate change is the culprit and changes will have to be made to cope with it.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[monkeysarefun]

43 minutes ago, brianusa said:

There are so many euphemisms for death and dying these days that being dead almost sounds good!  You pass, so it would seem or Be with Jesus or Taken by the Angels.  However you are just as dead with out all these niceties either in the fiery pit, an expensive coffin or pine box.  Death is as real as birth and life itself; its just that we don't know of it and perhaps just as well!😧

    Brian.

 

What was wrong with the golden oldies - Popped Your Clogs, Fell Off the Perch, Curled Up Your Toes or just plain Snuffed It?

Edited July 21, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[simontaylor484]

Speaking of

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62167906

[Ozexpatriate]

30 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

What was wrong with the golden oldies - Popped Your Clogs, Fell Off the Perch, Curled Up Your Toes or just plain Snuffed It?

Kicked the bucket.

 

Then, of course, there's this:

Quote

'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!

 

[BR60103]

12 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Some time ago he asked me how many UFOs I had seen, to which I replied that not only had I never seen one in the whole of my flying career but I'd never met anyone who had.

 

Most of the flying objects I see are unidentifiable. I did see the Goodyear Blimp once. And I can now recognize a Great Blue Heron.

 

I could once distinguish 14 classes of TTC PCC streetcar.

 

[zarniwhoop]

Not exactly a conspiracy theory, but a strange tale I've had hanging around on one of my browser tabs for a long while. Some of the items sound plausible, others I know enough about to describe them as [expletive deleted], a few seem to be just odd (at least compared to generally-accepted history).

 

But having regarded myself until recently as Scots[1.] (an anglo, but if I'd been any good at sports I could have competed for Scotland), and having been interested, and then amused, by the stories of the Templars, I found this rivetting. Warning, if you get sucked in it will take hours to read.

 

https://electricscotland.com/history/WhenScotlandWasJewish.pdf

 

I should perhaps mention that I've a soft-spot for alternative views of history (e.g. when did the South Saxons first arrive ? - I've read some very interesting web pages about that (e.g. early settlements around the Ouse valley, from one view of the place names) and about where their eventual capital was (Shoreham rather than Chichester). It's easy to get sucked in!

 

1. Now I'm just British.

[chrisf]

I have been rounding up what I need to take with me to Sidmouth at the end of next week - tent, sleeping bag and so on.  This is a task which it is a good idea to initiate well in advance.  Somewhere in the haven of untidiness that I call my home are several torches.  Only one has come to light so far and, of course, it needs batteries.  It must be three years since I last slept under canvas.  I find it good for the soul, if not always the small of the back.

 

Chris

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a cloudy but warm Charente.  The promised overnight rain has not happened.  Some friends from the UK who have a house in the village are due to arrive today and we are giving them a meal this evening.  There will no doubt be many orders issued to get the house tidy etc.  However the ironing needs doing so some suitable music will be selected.

 

On another tack entirely we got some brilliant news yesterday. No 2 son had to have an emergency  colostomy in 2019 to save his life.  He has managed it very well, as well as surviving a marriage break up and generally turning his life around.  He was told, a few months ago that he would have to wait 2 years for a reversal op due to the Covid induced backlog..  Yesterday he got a letter giving him a date of 5th August.  We are all delighted and we also know that he will be supported through it by his new partner, Gillian.  

 

Jamie

Edited July 22, 2022 by jamie92208

[TheQ]

I've just scan read that article "When Scotland was Jewish" and it's one of the biggest loads of carp I've ever read..

Carron iron works near Falkirk set up on the English border in 1759? That hadn't been the English border since the treaty of Perth in 1266 and in physical fact for some years before that..

Carron is a Jewish name? b******ks it's an English language corruption of a Gaelic name Carrann, and well attested.

The ancestry of the Stewart's is unknown? It's well documented for over a thousand years.. I could go on...

 

Mooring Awl,

3 hours plus 3hours plus 1 hours sleep a good total.

I'd have had more but Ben the I want out Collie decided otherwise, the cooler temperatures means he was a lot more active, charging around the garden chasing a scent in particular down by the main gate which is unusual.

 

Dull over cast and a hint of jew dew , no they weren't here in numbers, but there were a few in Norwich,. Britons (Iceni), Roman's , Anglo Saxons, Vikings (Danes as in Danelaw), and a fair amount of Dutch / Flemings make up the vast majority of population, until the EU allowed Portuguese in Thetford and great Yarmouth doing factory and hospitality work. Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,  provide all the local fruit pickers (and still do).

 

Plans for today,

 Not a lot,

I've some metal glue to apply to two bits of the E Spinner construction,

Then off to get stuff put in my eyes, the annual diabetic eye test. 

Later if I can see by then, it's off to the MRC.

 

Time for... A muggacoffee.

Edited July 22, 2022 by TheQ

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

Nooooooooooooo!   

 

Is Bear made of plastic, that's shocking news (but probably factual to some organisations)! 🤣

Of course not! But Chrimbotat do make a large scale, plastic and fake fur, Christmas @polybear - which was offered for sale on the pages of ER shortly before last Christmas. Rub the toy bear’s tummy and it would growl and say things like “turdy curses”.

 

Production was (extremely) limited and so they are collector’s  items now….