Early Risers.

[Ozexpatriate]

The extended dry and unseasonably warm weather we had through the first half of Autumn has stressed the trees locally. Colour is late this year (it appears to be still peaking) and while recent rain is helping, the stress in the trees (particularly those not irrigated) is evident.

 

This is a good example of the difference from last year:

[chrisf]

There was a concert in Bedford last night, featuring a female vocal and instrumental trio named The Magpies.  Fortunately they were much more melodious than the avian species and it will be no surprise that I now have two more CDs in the collection.  I could have done without the backache that detracted from my enjoyment but such is life.

 

It is time to stock up on seasonal greetings cards.  How time flies.

 

Chris

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

2 hours sleep, short break... 5.5 hours sleep, I really needed that..

 

Grand dad started in , in 1919

Spent a lot of time in India and Egypt in,  1926-1938

Left these in northern France  at Dunkirk,

Then to its big sister in the deserts of north Africa as CSM / RSM 1940-

Before training / keeping the tankies  under control as RSM with. 1945-53.

 

Sometime I do need to visit Bovington tank museum again.

 

Ben the snoring Collie is still in his pit and I have no inclination to disturb him.

 

Plans for today.

Put the spinny thingy together.

Fit the cover to the back of the trailer.

Finish test equipment box conversion to cup boards.

Hopefully collect Landrover.

 

[iL Dottore]

14 hours ago, pH said:

I’m sorry - perhaps you misunderstand the purpose of a university education 😏. It is not to acquire knowledge, it is to acquire a piece of paper which will open the door to untold riches.

Thank you, pH, for admonishing me for my incorrect thinking.

God forbid little Tarquin or Jocasta should lower themselves to doing anything so base as acquiring knowledge, skills, expertise and starting a career - it’s almost as bad as going into “trade” 😮

That would never do!

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by iL Dottore
Typo

[Ozexpatriate]

Now that the unseasonable warm and excessively dry spell is over it feels like Autumn (my favourite time of year) is finally here.

 

This was from yesterday.

Today was sunny and I was able to mow the grassy verge, though it was chilly early (4°C and felt colder when I set out today).

 

Rain is forecast for most of the next week. This is OK. We have a deficit of 40mm to recoup.

[iL Dottore]

Some interesting posts about the naming of military vehicles. From the lists provided one could almost believe that the MoD has a sense of humour and was - as they say - “extracting the urine”.

 

All that got me thinking, what would be suitable names for military vehicles which would reflect today’s society? I came up with the following few:

 

The AEC Snowflake - Thin skinned, breaks down under anything other than perfect conditions.

The Humber Eco-Warrior - glues itself to the enemy.

The Austin Politician - impossible to pin down but suffers from frequent U-turns.

The Morris “Influencer” - tries to convince the enemy that it is a bigger and more important threat than it actually is.

 

I shall leave it to your imaginations as to deciding what sort of military vehicle each of the above would be (I’d also like to hear your suggestions for military vehicle names)

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by iL Dottore
Rewording

[AndyID]

6 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

A "highlight" when driving East-coast to Perth is "90 mile straight". 

 

 

 

 

I wonder how many drivers fall asleep. A lot of US roads are straight for long stretches and I don't care for them. IIRC the Motorways in the UK are required to only run straight for a limited distance.

[iL Dottore]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

….the “First Class Refreshments” now being a Starbucks franchise…. 
 

 

 

Well, that’s an oxymoron if there ever was one!

 

p.s. nice pictures 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Busy day coming up. Shopping at moreasons, bag to be packed then off to Canley for what may be less than a fun filled day. Pah!

 

In between all that I need to try and get my haircut, prepare for the Conference over the weekend and myriads of other, hard to sort out, bits of work. PAH!

 

Yes , the HE round (High Explosive Squash Head or HEsh) is a very effective round out to about 10km. Army have chosen to us the German Black Bess equivalent which can fir a less effective HEAT round.. such is progress..

 

Time to get a shift on.. touch to do to drivel on!

 

Enjoy your day.Stay safe!

Baz

 

 

[BoD]

9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

The long and winding road.....having transport is essential to really get the flavour of the place.  It's not all TT races!

 

 

PS - guide available for visitors - runs on bacon butties and coffee.

 

 

That’s my sort of road.

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

…Finally for today, I wonder if Flavio may want to try one of these next time he’s in the country? (And I don’t mean the chicken one!)

 

Goodnight,

Robert

Thank you for the kind invitation, but I have never - to the best of my recollection - ever eaten anything from Greggs.

 

In extremis, were I to be starving and every other source of nourishment unavailable, then I would certainly eat baked beans (especially if “improved” by the liberal addition of smoked paprika and various assorted hot sauces). But “CheeZe”? I’d rather live off my fat reserves thank you (which, TBH, would keep me going for a bit).

 

I don’t understand the mentality of some of these vegans. If they wish to eschew meat and dairy, why the need to have dairy and meat substitutes? (most of which are heavily processed, incredibly synthetic and frequently extremely environmentally UNfriendly).

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by iL Dottore
Spelling

[jjb1970]

A British 6" gun in Labrador Park, site of one of the coastal defence forts that protected Singapore. This was an old fort built in the 19th century, the famous 15" guns were at Buona Vista in the West and Changi in the East, positioned to protect the Strait of Johor and the great naval base at Sembawang.

 

[polybear]

9 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

I was going to send something back but I gave up as I my pen ran out of ink while waiting the return label.. Craftly, very crafty these………

I was wondering if someone dropped something accidentally on the keyboard .

 

Bear has left suitable VERY negative feedback (complete with associated 1-star ratings) for the seller who, er, wasn't.  In response to my message asking how come they'd marked the item as despatched and provided a tracking number they responded with:

 

The shipping number shows in the order information may confuse you, which was matched by the system automatically after your purchasing.

 

Huh?  Ar5ebadger.

 

8 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

A "highlight" when driving East-coast to Perth is "90 mile straight". 

 

 

 

 

A speed cop's paradise......

 

8 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

I havent caught a train in ages (4 years!)  until today so maybe I'm out of touch but are these " leaning rail" ar5e-resting  things instead  of platform seats a thing everywhere now or just something thought up by the evil geniuses of NSW Cityrail?

 

 

 

 

It's a F@rt Flap - designed to push the users' cheeks together to minimise the risk of follow-thru'.

 

Bear here......

Who definitely has an appointment with a paint roller today; at least the ceilings in question are very small and I have a paint roller extension pole; they're not my favourite weapon of choice - but working off a ladder over the stairwell comes a very poor second.....

Bear gone.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Not too much trouble from Arthur Itis this morning, just the odd stiff and aching joints that eased up as soon as I started moving around. Not a lot to do today, just dropping off a few items for the club sales stand at tomorrow's show and a bit of shopping. Time to get breakfast on the go, be back later.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Once again we’ve had some overnight rain, which has thankfully stopped falling. I will shortly be heading off to the butchers for the weekly meat rations and a pork pie for my dinner. Then Sheila and I will collect Ava, who once again is spending the day with us. We will then head to the Trafford Centre where we will spend the rest of the morning. Ava wants to buy some books, so we’ll probably spend a while in Waterstones first. After that we’ll head off for a drink and a slice before tackling the rest of the shopping. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[Winslow Boy]

54 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear has left suitable VERY negative feedback (complete with associated 1-star ratings) for the seller who, er, wasn't.  In response to my message asking how come they'd marked the item as despatched and provided a tracking number they responded with:

 

The shipping number shows in the order information may confuse you, which was matched by the system automatically after your purchasing.

 

Huh?  Ar5ebadger.

 

 

A speed cop's paradise......

 

 

It's a F@rt Flap - designed to push the users' cheeks together to minimise the risk of follow-thru'.

 

Bear here......

Who definitely has an appointment with a paint roller today; at least the ceilings in question are very small and I have a paint roller extension pole; they're not my favourite weapon of choice - but working off a ladder over the stairwell comes a very poor second.....

Bear gone.

 

Tin hat time then PB.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

speed cop's paradise...

You need to grasp the  vast emptiness of outback Australia... That stretch is pretty well smack bang in the middle of 2 police stations - which are 1500km apart. Not too many cops will go 700km to sit in the desert with a speed gun.

 

Go as fast as you like, but you'll probably hit a camel or a roo!

Edited October 28, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning All,

 

I’m feeling decidedly grumpy this morning. Let me explain why…

 

Next year, when I turn 67, I will officially “retire”. To celebrate this I plan to go to Japan for 3 weeks on a foodie/railfan/cultural holiday. So I started doing some preliminary planning: basic rail travel is easy enough - a 3 week JR railpass in “Green Class” (first) is a reasonable £500. But that doesn’t cover travel on one of the luxury hotel trains. So I looked into booking one of the three hotel trains I’ve my eye on. One hotel train can only be booked in Japan, but for the other two you can’t just say “I’d like a ticket please” you have to make an application and agree to pay immediately if the application is successful. Thing is, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a berth - which plays havoc with planning - as there is a waiting list for tickets. For the Train Suite Shiki-Shima (https://www.jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima/en/) this is despite a 4 day/3 night tour costing as much as ¥1’772’000 (about £10’500!).  Eeek!

 

“OK”, say I, “DIY is probably not the way forward” so I started looking at various specialised travel agents that create bespoke trips. A lot were predictable (I’ve been to Japan before, so I’m looking for something different), many were for small groups (no thanks - I’m definitely a solo traveller) and all were various degrees of “expensive”. But what has really got me grumpy (and the reason for this “rantette”) is that all these “luxury” travel packages ship you to Japan in economy (including one eye wateringly expensive package that was well North of £20’000!).

 

Twelve hours (average flight time LHR-NRT) folded up like a pretzel in economy is NOT what I call “luxury” 

 

Fortunately, I have a chum in the Airline biz whose day job is arranging “appropriate” travel for High Net Worth individuals - I’ll ask him if he can help me out at the really cheap end of the market.

[DaveF]

It's a very dull dark wet morning here but should clear up by coffee time so I have postponed this morning's walk.

 

Yesterday could be described as a curate's egg, or almost a day of two halves.  It started well with a few jobs done and then a very enjoyable walk southwards along the beach, just about 2 miles in all.  The Spring tides and the recent winds have returned a lot of the sand to the beach so I was able to simply step over the breakwaters.  The burn which runs over the beach a bit further south had more water than for a long time, fortunately the water had spread across the sand rather than forming a channel so I was able to cross it without geting wet trainers.  On the way back I saw a number of council workmen on the promenade with a JCB digging the sand off it which had blown from the beach.  The council here are quite good at keeping things tidy.  In the park the other day I notiiced that the summer carpet bedding had been replaced with the usual winter bulbs and wallflowers, a lot of the roundabouts also have well tended flowers or shrubs and there are tubs and boxes all over the place, even on the Quayside.

 

I got back home in time to go the usual communion service at church but decided that I felt tired as I hadn't slept well (yet again) so came home for coffee.  I listened to my phone message - but that is a tale for a later post today as it caused a problem, hence the curate's egg reference.

 

In the end I was able to cook some chicken, bacon, cheese, veg and potatoes, then plums and custard for a late lunch.  In the afternoon I started to relax a bit and sorted out some photos to put on RMWeb in a few weeks time - I like to prepare the photos for my thread 4-5 weeks in advance.  I went out and bought a Radio Times as my subscription copy hasn't arrived in the post, if it doesn't come on Thursday it rarely arrives until the middle of the following week.  I had a look at the garden and picked a large bunch or chrysanthemums - I now have 4 vases full in the house and more to come.  Next I settled down in my chair and had a quick look at the new Saga magazine and some issues of the Swiss Railway Society's magazine and a book about coaches - I have rejoined the society after a few years lapse when I was busy looking after Mum.

 

In the evening I watched some of the old comedies on BBC4.  I wonder why I don't like many of the series produced from the mid 90s onwards, I much prefer ones from the 70s and 80s.  Perhaps I am getting old.  Ther was also a bit of music and some time reading the new Vera book.

 

More to follow later.....

 

David

[The White Rabbit]

12 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

I wonder why C & S as initials. Any clues? 

 

Reflecting on this later, I speculated it could be from 'Cruiser' (Cavalry/Medium tanks) and 'Screen' or 'Scout' tanks. Though I can't say I'm confident with that theory and wouldn't be surprised to be wrong.

 

I agree Bovington is well worth a visit, whether you're particularly interested in tanks or not. 

 

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Some interesting posts about the naming of military vehicles. From the lists provided one could almost believe that the MoD has a sense of humour and was - as they say - “extracting the urine”.

 

.... (I’d also like to hear your suggestions for military vehicle names)

 

Not [wheeled/tracked] vehicles but... over 20 years ago I wrote a piece on potential new weapons and their advantages/disadvantages. One section was on drones (now in mainstream use but at the time, still in their infancy). I suggested four main categories, reconnaissance, logistics, weapons platforms and what are now called 'suicide drones'. I made a case for these last as having various uses, either in kamikaze style swarm attacks where it would be too risky to send manned platforms in or as objects to draw an enemy's fire. These were provisionally called 'Hopes', after the volunteers who would lead an assault on an enemy fortress or stronghold ahead of the main wave of infantry. They were expected to suffer very high casualties (hence their full name, 'Forlorn Hopes') but by drawing fire they showed their colleagues an enemy's location and allow return and counterbattery fire to (hopefully!) suppress enemy fire on the main body. My theory was that using numerous low cost drones this way would force an enemy to either lose men and material in a blanket bombardment of the area or expend ordnance to shoot them down, disclosing at least some of their positions (which would then be targeted by other drones or artillery or manned aerial platforms). Well, I thought it was a cunning plan... 

 

 

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

At least it was only a scout car going round in circles.  HMS Warspite suffered from jammed rudders several times in her career.  Once was during the battle of jutland where she steamed in circles whilst Hipper's battlecruisers steamed past throwing 12 " bricks at her. She did survive though and got to the Tyne for repairs....

 

That was what finished Bismark, a torpedo hit near the rudders and at least one of them jamming. 

 

[jjb1970]

This is classic, I don't want any windfarms getting in the way of my coal mine🤣

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gas-crisis-forces-germany-to-flatten-wind-farm-for-coal-mine-wtnht87fj?shareToken=3b5298b0882dfb2c09f06dabf1966568

[southern42]

19 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

BIN day.

Somehow, we had rather a lot of ALL varieties of stuff that needs taking away. Anyway, did manage to get everything out to the appropriate spot and all gone already, except the recycle which is usually picked up later in the day.

 

Yesterday quiet as expected, today will be the same until this evening.

We're singing at the "All Souls memorial service". 7PM and it's in the Memorial Garden, so may be a wee bit chilly. Supposed to be about 11C by then, and we're standing out there about 30 minutes singing much of the time, before repairing inside to finish!

 

RANT:

So yesterday, took the current collection of dead batteries, including the "dangerous/damaged Li one" to the nearest recommended recycle site. Happens to be one of several stores (this is a Battery store) listed that handle recycling of batteries. Turns out they CHARGE for recycling, $2 a pound weight for alkaline and Li/phone batteries are a flat $15 a piece - bit rude since a replacement of the same battery is only $19!!

 

Had I bothered to go to the local government recycle center it'd have been free, but that's a 20+ minute drive away.

 

It doesn't bother me that "I" had to pay, can afford it, of course, but with everyone pushing to NOT have folks throw batteries in the garbage to eventually end up in a landfill, what about those that cannot afford the cost, locally, or the time/ability to travel to an out-of-the-way location that's free. Limited/low income folks are probably likely to simply chuck them in the trash.

Maybe there should be a small recovery charge in terms of a few cents/pennies per battery to cover the cost and help make the recycling better???

RANT OFF.

 

4C and overcast at BIN time, high supposed to reach 14C MAYBE.

 

Carry on.

 

 

When we had soft drinks in bottles, Tizer, for example, whether from a shop or the weekend delivery truck, there was a tariff added which you would claim back (6d.in old money per bottle, IIRC - cost of an ice-cream) on return of the empty bottles. Why not a similar system on recyclable batteries including suitable return points, a local store which sells them, for instance? Or is that too simple?

 

' morning all from red dragon land.

Sunny. Clear, if a bit hazy, blue sky, 11.2°C.

Indoors up a bit - 19.2°C - but I did have the oven on yesterday! <<For dinner not heating 😆>>

 

Late breakfast this morning as I was having my arm jabbed at 9.06, the third of three jabs. Warned I may feel unwell for a couple of days. <<Here we go again!>> Already had a quick toot on the flute before it sets in!  I shall mull over a bit of muddling and see how far I get...<<hmmmm?>>

In the meantime, I shall start thinking about the rest of my day <<oh, yeah?>> over a mugadecaf.

 

Take care, be good, be adventurous*...

*<<hmmmmmmm?>>

Polly

Edited October 28, 2022 by southern42

[PhilJ W]

Talking of armoured vehicles its remarkable that the Americans had no small armoured vehicles such as the bren gun carrier or the Dingo. Apart from a few that never got beyond the prototype stage the smallest American armoured vehicle was the M3 scout car. The M3 was too big and conspicuous to serve as a forward OP, a job where a bren carrier or Dingo was ideal. 

[jjb1970]

On stealthiness I find it amusing that submarines, which relied on stealth decades before anyone had ever heard of stealth, are growing to ridiculous sizes now. The missile boats and some of the Russian boats are pretty much as big as battleships. They'll end up getting to a point where it doesn't matter how quiet they are because they'll be so big nobody will miss them...... (exaggeration, but still.......).

[DaveF]

I've been out for my walk as the rain stopped, now I'm back home the sun has come out and I've had coffee.

 

So, about the less good bit of yesterday.

 

The phone message was from Betty, Mum's neighbour who rang to tell me a young man had been to do the gutter, looked at it, managed to mess up the previous repair and then said that he was uncertain about moving the pieces of gutter as they were old and might be brittle.  Unfortunately he said all this to the man who lives below Betty, who is nice but at the same time an absolute pain as he has to have everything done at once, by the book and no allowances for problems.  He also gets a bit upset and sharp.  Betty said that at 98 she cannot cope with him and she had had enough when he went to see her and told her about it!   So I drove down, had a look, talked to Betty and said I'd go round to the roof people - it's barely 300 yards away.  

 

So I went to their yard and spoke to the secretary, who I've not met before.  However, she knew me and exactly which flat I was talking about, as Betty is her Great Aunt.  She has made a note of the problem and it will be fixed, either by moving the gutter sections or replacing it which is fine by me.  She also made sure they know how to contact me.

 

I went back and told Betty who is perfectly happy.  Then I spoke to the man downstairs who wanted to know why someone hadn't come at once to look at it, the date and time it would be done and shouldn't I have got another firm in and so on.  Eventually I escaped.  After all a small gutter leak for a few days where it drips onto a porch roof will do no harm.  If he moans again I may just tell him to get it sorted out if he is so good at doing things and let me have the bill!!

 

Then I called at the estate agents to tell them that the For Sale/STC sign had nearly fallen over so could they sort it out before it falls on someone - very unlikely, but people do stupid things.  They mentioned that they had spoken to my solicitors and had also been told probate is not through yet.  Meanwhile the buyer seems happy to wait.  She said I should be thankful the buyer does not need a mortgage, they are now taking a very long time to come through slowing everything up in chains.

 

After that the day could only improve.

 

David

Edited October 28, 2022 by DaveF