Early Risers.

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

The RMWeb software caught up with me today, as I have been using an ad blocker, and rather than try to circumvent this, and as I do like and use the site, the £12 charge for a year's pleasure is a small price to pay, and I am now a RMWeb premium member.

 

It has been chuckinitdarn here today, and I got soaked walking from the car park to Greggs, and on to Oxfam this morning, then again when I walked back to the car park.  Also had to visit the builder's merchant to buy some rock salt, as we haven't yet got any - they only had six bags, so I bought two.  When I got in, 30747 had already lit the fire, and the house was toasty warm - bliss.

 

Sadly, our coal merchant has sold out of coal, and won't be getting any more, due to its scarcity, and also its price - we got the last three 20kg bags last week.  We should have enough to get us through to the spring.  We only use it to supplement the 2 cubic metres of logs that we got earlier this year - and since then, they too have gone up, even though there is a vast quantity of fallen ash around.  We will have to use the smokeless stuff from now on.

 

Skipping has taken place, due to more serious issues hogging the laptop - so generic greetings are on offer, and also an apology.

 

This rather large sampler dated 1828 turned up in a charity shop - 30747 went into raptures, as it was VERY wrongly priced, and we brought it back from Shrewsbury to the Park and RIde on the bus.  The book on the mantle is a wooden dummy, which a very gifted woodworker made for us.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[TheQ]

Try https://www.coals2u.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4OybBhCzARIsAIcfn9kEBseEo3W-oBPFE9i45HkSSVwVh4bxMLSAho9S5izZdvgW8iU-mdoaAozGEALw_wcB

They've been trying to flog us extra coal for ages.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

I see the England Prima-Donnas, sorry, Footie Team decided not to wear pretty arm bands for fear of getting a yellow card,

I only just found out a week ago that we were even in it. Its a bit like us being in Eurovision, just seems weird.  I guess maybe someone somewhere is interested in getting up at stupid hours to watch these things.

[Ozexpatriate]

25 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I only just found out a week ago that we were even in it. Its a bit like us being in Eurovision, just seems weird.  I guess maybe someone somewhere is interested in getting up at stupid hours to watch these things.

Australia plays France tomorrow at the very civilized hour of 11:00am for me. The USA is playing Wales currently (11:11am).

[45156]

31 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Try https://www.coals2u.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4OybBhCzARIsAIcfn9kEBseEo3W-oBPFE9i45HkSSVwVh4bxMLSAho9S5izZdvgW8iU-mdoaAozGEALw_wcB

They've been trying to flog us extra coal for ages.

OMG - that's expensive - just under 3x what I paid which was £6.70 for 20 kg - this stuff is £19.40 for 25 kg.

 

Can't get used to the fact that our Drs are open 12 hours a day, and do a lot of their callbacks after 6 - 30747 just got a call back from her Dr to respond to her request for a consult that she made at about 3 this afternoon.

[monkeysarefun]

5 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Can't get used to the fact that our Drs are open 12 hours a day, and do a lot of their callbacks after 6 - 30747 just got a call back from her Dr to respond to her request for a consult that she made at about 3 this afternoon.

 

 

Even we - 

 

 

Have managed this.....

 

https://www.hotdoc.com.au/

 

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Will avoid Black Friday, unless I find something online, the shops are always stupid, and I've NEVER undertaken to subject myself to that idiocy.

I don't really think it's nearly so much of a "thing" these days - for a number of reasons.

 

Most of the box marts that had "Black Friday" sales started offering "Black Friday" pricing at the beginning of November. Post-pandemic staffing shortages, ongoing supply chain related shortages* and inflation-impacted costs/pricing are all factors. Many of the big chains are no longer "asking" employees to work the holiday. Pre-pandemic, many of them would actually start their "Black Friday" sales on Thursday evening.

 

* Really more of a reduced abundance, but also fewer selections.

 

I'm sure it will still be busy.

 

"Cyber Monday" is essentially extinct. It became a thing in the days of dial-up because people only had strong internet access at work and would make online purchases when they returned to the office after the long weekend. These days people purchase with their telephones - from anywhere, anytime.

 

A large toy retailer offered their "Black Friday" deals to people in their loyalty programme over the recent weekend.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

27 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Can't get used to the fact that our Drs are open 12 hours a day, and do a lot of their callbacks after 6

I am used to my pharmacy being open seven days a week - until 9:00pm on weeknights, closing early on the weekend (5:00pm or 6:00pm). 

 

These hours are still posted on their website, but there is a paper printout on the wall noting that the the pharmacy will be closed over the weekend*. I've never seen this before. I asked the tech whether this was related to staffing shortages or cut backs on staff hours. She tactfully replied "a bit of column A and column B". 

 

* The rest of the store remains open. (Besides the over-the-counter things you would expect to find in a pharmacy, they also sell beer, wine, soda, milk and a small selection of shelf-stable groceries.)

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Australia plays France tomorrow

What?!  But we only just finished beating them at a World Cup last week. Why won't they stay beaten? They are like zombies, or maybe Glenn Close in that movie where she boils the bunny.

[Coombe Barton]

... I believe that the government is trying to sweep Covid into the “Oh, is it still there?” category ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/11/21/fluctuating/

[polybear]

 

3 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

.......or maybe Glenn Close in that movie where she boils the bunny.

 

That's done it.... @The White Rabbit has only just managed to recover from that and you've gone and resurrected it all over again.....

 

Bear here.....

Surfin' the 'net, freshly wallowed (ok, showered) and currently snuggled under the cuddly blanket.  Tomorrow's fun includes doing a load of washing (hooray for these clever auto washin' machine thingies - Bear can easily remember when Momma Bear did the washing using a Hoover Twin Tub; mind you they were dead easy to fix when they went wrong) followed by yet more wall filling.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My second bread pudding has turned out a disaster. I know what I did wrong, I forgot to drain out the bread properly making it a bit wet. Otherwise it's not too bad if you don't mind eating it with a spoon. More rain this evening has bought Arthur Itis out with his rain dance, Nurofen has been taken and is taking effect.

[Tony_S]

14 minutes ago, polybear said:

mind you they were dead easy to fix when they went wrong)

I recall being asked as a teenager to sort out some problem with the Hoovermatic to save Dad having to fix it when he got home. Mum and Dad bought it in the 1950s. I can remember when they went to buy it in Bristol. The lady demonstrating asked Dad to walk on a towel to make it mucky. Odd how some things remain so clearly in memory. 

[polybear]

21 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My second bread pudding has turned out a disaster. I know what I did wrong, I forgot to drain out the bread properly making it a bit wet. Otherwise it's not too bad if you don't mind eating it with a spoon. 

 

Bung custard on top - it'll be just fine.

[jamie92208]

40 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I recall being asked as a teenager to sort out some problem with the Hoovermatic to save Dad having to fix it when he got home. Mum and Dad bought it in the 1950s. I can remember when they went to buy it in Bristol. The lady demonstrating asked Dad to walk on a towel to make it mucky. Odd how some things remain so clearly in memory. 

I was given an old Hoover keymatic in 1976 when I had just moved into my first house and was skint. I started going srong a coupke of years later. The only way I could keep it going was to hang a mole wrench off the clutch at the back of the drum. It was fine as ,ong as I remembered  to clear any milk bottle tops from the sink that I put the drain hose in. If I didn't the top would act as  plug and I would have a flooded kitchen.. However the first nightvI met my future in laws, I was being inspected and the question of what assets I had was explored. Having a house was a plus. No car, phone or TV were minuses. So I said, I do have a washer even if It only works with a mole wrench hanging on it.  Beth asked " What's a mole wrench".  Bessie my late MiL came out with the immortal phrase, in her best Lady Bracknell voice' "An ironmongers daughter who doesn't know what a mole wrench is". This has become a family legend.

 

Jamie

Edited November 21, 2022 by jamie92208

[Gwiwer]

Evening all. 
 

A very different afternoon here. An hour spent wandering around inside Battersea Power Station - opened just last week - wherein around ⅓ of the retail units are currently open. Most of the rest have boards over the windows promising “Coming in 2023”. 
 

All very high-end fashion, accessory and sports stores plus a couple (so far) of restaurants. I looked at Gordon Ramsay’s menu and to misquote from The Blues Brothers “The soup is ******* £10”. Steak main?  £70. All sides extra. Pass. There’s a Pret à Manger and a couple of coffee-and-donut vans too. 
 

And then it was up the chimney 😲

 

Airline-style check-in (you’re only admitted within a few minutes of your booked time) and you can take nothing up except a small bag and a phone. Not even a bottle of water. 
 

Fascinating interactive displays to start and then it’s into the first lift. That takes you to “Level 12” which is inside the top of the brick chimney base. From here you climb 36 spiral stairs inside the actual chimney before joining the glass lift for the ride to - and just out of - the top.  Each group is 12-16 people and you get 7 minutes at the top. That, allowing for transit time up and down inside the chimney, means there’s a  group every 10 minutes.   It didn’t feel at all crowded. But it was booked out with no on-the-day tickets left. 
 

I was unlucky with the weather but it could have been worse. At least the cloud base lifted; the tops had been in cloud earlier. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the ride to the top click here because we can’t upload videos direct. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClO7UM3AQJ1/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

Would I go again?  You bet. Hopefully in better weather. 
 

Oh - and there’s ice-skating outside. 
 

 

Here’s the “good weather” version.  Taken with me in front of a green screen plus the official photo grafted on. 
 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Gwiwer

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Again another day away from the ERs but I do notice the return is Simon.

Usual kind of a day here, mil, Sydney, Fox Valley, nephews toad in the hole etc and of course Hovis. 

Did  manage to send  off a couple of emails but didn’t get to see any of the football. 
It’s a good job we’ve got a big bed as SWMBO and myself are sharing it with a pair fury creatures, one of whom is making a right old smell. I don’t think Hovis is used to toad in the hole!

Until tomorrow, goodnight 

Robert

[Ozexpatriate]

25 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

An hour spent wandering around inside Battersea Power Station

Fascinating. Thank you Rick.

 

A decommissioned hydroelectric power station at Niagara Falls (on the Canadian side) has been opened for tours. Not nearly as posh as the new Battersea, but the attraction is that the old water outflow tunnel now has a viewing platform at the bottom of the falls - reputedly a great view of the falls and not as wet as the people in the tour boats.

 

CNN: A huge tunnel has opened below Niagara Falls

 

The opposite of the Battersea view - looking up instead of looking down!

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[andyram]

Evening all. I hope you are well. Life has caught up these last two days so I have not had chance to catch up. I am, however,  seeking advice. A good friend of mine is a small business owner. She manages her own beauty salon in a rented property. The property adjoins another unit, owned by the same landlord. This has opened as a restaurant about a year ago. It appears my friend’s water meter is situated before the split into each property so she has being paying for both properties water usage. The landlord has so far refused to do anything despite her with holding part of her rent.

 

Does anybody have any advice. I know the stress of the situation is making her ill.

[PhilJ W]

21 minutes ago, andyram said:

Evening all. I hope you are well. Life has caught up these last two days so I have not had chance to catch up. I am, however,  seeking advice. A good friend of mine is a small business owner. She manages her own beauty salon in a rented property. The property adjoins another unit, owned by the same landlord. This has opened as a restaurant about a year ago. It appears my friend’s water meter is situated before the split into each property so she has being paying for both properties water usage. The landlord has so far refused to do anything despite her with holding part of her rent.

 

Does anybody have any advice. I know the stress of the situation is making her ill.

Hasn't she contacted the water company? Once they are aware of the problem they should do something about it.

[PhilJ W]

59 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Evening all. 
 

A very different afternoon here. An hour spent wandering around inside Battersea Power Station - opened just last week - wherein around ⅓ of the retail units are currently open. Most of the rest have boards over the windows promising “Coming in 2023”. 
 

All very high-end fashion, accessory and sports stores plus a couple (so far) of restaurants. I looked at Gordon Ramsay’s menu and to misquote from The Blues Brothers “The soup is ******* £10”. Steak main?  £70. All sides extra. Pass. There’s a Pret à Manger and a couple of coffee-and-donut vans too. 
 

And then it was up the chimney 😲

 

Airline-style check-in (you’re only admitted within a few minutes of your booked time) and you can take nothing up except a small bag and a phone. Not even a bottle of water. 
 

Fascinating interactive displays to start and then it’s into the first lift. That takes you to “Level 12” which is inside the top of the brick chimney base. From here you climb 36 spiral stairs inside the actual chimney before joining the glass lift for the ride to - and just out of - the top.  Each group is 12-16 people and you get 7 minutes at the top. That, allowing for transit time up and down inside the chimney, means there’s a  group every 10 minutes.   It didn’t feel at all crowded. But it was booked out with no on-the-day tickets left. 
 

I was unlucky with the weather but it could have been worse. At least the cloud base lifted; the tops had been in cloud earlier. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the ride to the top click here because we can’t upload videos direct. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClO7UM3AQJ1/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

Would I go again?  You bet. Hopefully in better weather. 
 

Oh - and there’s ice-skating outside. 
 

 

Here’s the “good weather” version.  Taken with me in front of a green screen plus the official photo grafted on. 
 

I didn't realise just how huge the place was. As a matter of interest what are they going to use the other three chimneys for?

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well, what a fun packed day we’ve had! We were at the eye hospital for almost 4 hours, mostly sat around spent waiting, but that’s par for the course really and we expected this, luckily I was prepared and had taken a book to read! Although, we did manage to get back home before dinner, which we didn’t expect, we were both half expecting to have to buy dinner whilst we were there, but hoping not to! We were very lucky with the weather too, it was dull but dry whilst we were there, but the rain started as we were driving home, it’s only just stopped!

 

After dinner I completed the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, something I normally do in the morning. I was expecting Sainsbury’s to be very busy, but it was practically empty! I was only out an hour and that included a visit to the pharmacy to drop off both mine and Sheila’s prescriptions. 

 

Sheila had a very thorough examination and the good news is that Sheila’s eye condition FCED (Fuchs Corneal Endothelial Dystrophy) isn’t as bad as first thought. Apparently, the main reason for her worsening eyesight, (she’s practically blind in her right eye) is down to the growth of a thin membrane behind her new lens’s. This is apparently quite common and has nothing to do with her recent cataract surgery or her diabetes, it’s just one of those things. Thankfully there is a relatively easy fix with the use of laser surgery. She has now been referred to the Corneal department and she has been marked down as urgent. The bad news is that there is quite a backlog (what a surprise) so it may be a while before the treatment is carried out. This new diagnosis has left Sheila rather upbeat, as she didn’t fancy a cornea transplant, which is the usual cure for FCED and would also require a donor. The laser treatment is non invasive and takes only about 5 minutes per eye and both can be done together and once done, she should see an immediate improvement. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by BSW01

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[jjb1970]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I’ve just received a lengthy eMail from the company organising my trip to Japan. Knowing I would like to have a comfortable railway journey between places I’ll be visiting, they suggested the following:

 

With overnight accommodation:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima/en/

https://www.twilightexpress-mizukaze.jp/en/ 

https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/  (although you can’t just turn up and buy a ticket - you have to enter a lottery and - if your number is drawn - be ready to fork out immediately to secure your ticket)

 

Without overnight accommodation

https://www.jreast.co.jp/saphir/en/

https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/booking/pdf/00_363_201016.pdf

 

Mind you a bog standard Shinkansen is a pretty decent way to travel:

https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/shinkansen-train-types#N700_N700A_series

The interesting thing is that both JR and BR were privatised (JR in 1987 and BR in 1994 - 1997). In japan the privatised railways came up with this to attract passengers https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/shinkansen-gran-class In Britain you got this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51302755

 

What on earth were the politicians and DfT thinking of.

 

I think there are societal issues, at the risk of falling into cheap stereotypes I find that Japanese people and businesses are much more interested in quality and service, and there is an attention to detail in what they do which is unusual in most places. The thing that has always impressed me is that they combine very attentive service without being ostentatious or fussy, there is a polished efficiency to it.

And as others have hinted, the railways benefit greatly from the passengers. When I used to commute between Milton Keynes and Euston the early morning departures to London were generally very clean and well presented, later in the day they filled up with abandoned free papers, coffee cups, crisp packets and worse and became steadily dirtier despite the effort of the cleaning teams trying to keep on top of it. For most Japanese people the thought of leaving a mess on a train would be completely alien and the reason the trains remain immaculate through the day is that people keep them that way.