Early Risers.

[PupCam]

My dilemma has been resolved.  After a few days away it's more than cold enough inside the house and that's with the heating on so I won't be going outside tonight!

 

Night Awl!

 

[Gwiwer]

A foray to the local House of Falling-Down Waters tonight for dinner with friends required a significant amount of work first to de-ice the Little Red Driving Box.  Around 5mm of frost was persuaded from those windows which were essential to have cleared for safe driving.  Significant icy condensation was finally blown from the inside of the windscreen.  The nearside door window remains frozen closed for now.  Both external mirrors remain covered in ice but were useable in conjunction with the clear internal one and cleared rear screen.  The exercise had to be repeated before the return trip but, having cleared the worst earlier, it took less time.  

 

A reasonable pub meal was enjoyed and an hour or so of chat afterwards before the need to consider sleep became more urgent than further conversation.  We shall re-convene in the new year.  

 

It is now a brisk -4C outside; tiny crystals of frozen airborne moisture are dancing in any light-source before alighting on solid objects as frost.  Quite pretty, actually. 

[Tony_S]

48 minutes ago, PupCam said:

My dilemma has been resolved.  After a few days away it's more than cold enough inside the house and that's with the heating on so I won't be going outside tonight!

 

Night Awl!

 

I think I was a bit overcome by the heat when we returned home tonight. We have been out all day at Waddesdon Manor which is the home the Rothschild family built in Victorian times. National Trust members get reduced rate on entry to the house and Christmas exhibition. It was handy as a place to meet my cousin and her husband. We had a a nice day and although it was at most 1C, it was dry and sunny. My plan not to get cold did make use of layers comprising Merino wool, cotton and polyester with my coat as well. I did take my coat off when we got home but probably had too many layers for a pleasantly warm house. 
Tony

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, BoD said:

I see that Andy Y has posted a banner message apologising for cryptocurrency adverts. All I get is a big advert for the Manchester Christmas model railway exhibitions.

I get the crypto video (after the first post on a page) but am able to scroll away from it. Any floating players appear with 'close player' buttons, so navigation and content viewing is adequate.

[Ozexpatriate]

Interesting to see the cold, often clear, weather in the UK today.  Today is slightly less cold and was rainy early, but the cool air is penetrating and damp. We might see 7°C. More rain is forecast for tomorrow and Saturday and we're still in a rainfall deficit so it is welcome.

 

There is forecast to be plenty of snow above 2,500'.

 

Now it is time to check the mailbox.

 

Earlier I heard what sounded like something falling with a muffled thump followed by an electronic beep. I couldn't think of anything electronic that would likely have thrown itself from a shelf and checked every room. At one point I caught a glimpse of the mail carrier's van in the road and the penny dropped. He had delivered a package and zapped it with his hand-held scanner.

[Winslow Boy]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I have a number of little coaching tips and tools up my sleeves.  One is to remember that we are only as good as our last interaction with a customer.  Another is to accept responsibility even when things are not your fault; if the customer is inconvenienced and especially if they wish to complain it is YOU - the one they are talking to - who must accept the blame on behalf of whoever might actually be responsible.  Taking ownership, it's called.  It comes from the first chapter in the Book of Excellence.  

 

I also coach the "Three E's" when inducting new staff;

Employment starts with an E; if you wish to stay employed then remember to 

- Exceed

- Expectations

- Everyday

 

Excellent. A man after my own heart.

 

No point trying to solve an issue if you don't understand it. Used to say to my peeps listen to whats being said no matter what you think about it listen. Especially relevant when speaking to the bereaved.

 

The other thing that's important is keeping people informed. Even if it's not good news. Better they hear it from you, rather than find out themselves. Anyway that's me done off to bed.

[PupCam]

I nipped into the conservatory and there staring down at me was Jupiter.      I couldn't resist pointing the out-of-collimation, hard to focus, looking through the double glazed window (never do that ....) scope at it quickly.

 

A very poor photograph but as you can clearly see, all four of the Galilean moons (Jupiter's largest, it has 80 moons!) are out to play this evening.

 

 

Definitely off to bed now!

[polybear]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I have a number of little coaching tips and tools up my sleeves.  One is to remember that we are only as good as our last interaction with a customer.  Another is to accept responsibility even when things are not your fault; if the customer is inconvenienced and especially if they wish to complain it is YOU - the one they are talking to - who must accept the blame on behalf of whoever might actually be responsible.  Taking ownership, it's called.  It comes from the first chapter in the Book of Excellence.  

 

I also coach the "Three E's" when inducting new staff;

Employment starts with an E; if you wish to stay employed then remember to 

- Exceed

- Expectations

- Everyday

 

Can't we have a fourth "E"?

Eliminate

- reserved for those Tw@ts who are basically just a total waste of good Oxygen; I'm sure you come across numerous candidates at regular intervals.....

 

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

My dilemma has been resolved.  After a few days away it's more than cold enough inside the house and that's with the heating on so I won't be going outside tonight!

 

Night Awl!

 

 

Heating?  HEATING??  What are you - Puppers or Mouse??  🤣

 

Bear here......

Yet more fun at the M.E. Group; Bear spent the evening playing with the bluddy great Milling Machine - and all without loss of blood or bvggering anything up - I even managed to get everything done that I wanted to.  Unheard of.

 

In other news.....

It seems that "Justice has been done" for Harry Dunn at long last.  Really?  I can't see a certain US Citizen being too concerned about the sentence somehow - most definitely not her finest hour.  Nor the U.S. Government's, for that matter.

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land.  The new item that arrived this morning passed its test run with flying colours. It ran in both directions like a sewing machine, very pleased. Not bothered by the Bitcoin ad, just switched the ad blocker on. Thats it for now, be back later. 

[PhilJ W]

21 minutes ago, polybear said:

Can't we have a fourth "E"?

Eliminate

- reserved for those Tw@ts who are basically just a total waste of good Oxygen; I'm sure you come across numerous candidates at regular intervals.....

Or Exterminate, now where did those Daleks go.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well I’ve had another busy day here at BSW towers. The first job I tackled was cleaning my leather hat, something I’ve been meaning to do since we were last at Chatsworth House, as it got very wet. It didn’t take as long as I’d expected it to and looks a whole better now! I then checked the contents of a box of stuff that Sheila had ordered, to ensure everything was there. 

 

Then, I made myself a muggertea and headed downstairs to,the cellar. Now that the underfloor storage area is finally finished, I’ve been able to move the 6 lengths of skirting boards and 5 lengths of architrave from where they have been stored at the side of the cellar stairs, for about the last 14 months or so. 

 

After dinner Charlie turned up and after a quick chat with his nana, we both headed of to the workshop were we spent the afternoon. He continued on his figure and I carried on with the DH Tiger Moth. The top wing set was finally glued onto the model and I began attaching the etched rigging. I’ve never rigged a biplane before and I bought the kit specific etched set from eBay. I must say that the rigging was very accurate, but extremely fiddly to fit, but it does look good. 

 

Below is a photo of SOME of my stock boxes, all neatly labelled so I know what’s inside them! 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

It seems that "Justice has been done" for Harry Dunn at long last.  Really?  I can't see a certain US Citizen being too concerned about the sentence somehow - most definitely not her finest hour.  Nor the U.S. Government's, for that matter.

 

 

I doubt very much that the eventual outcome would have been much different for anyone who was used to driving on the right but the intervening shenanigans were not good at all.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

19 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

…Anyway we are still waiting for the tyres.  Yesterday's  excuse was that either the delivery lorry or it's driver had broken down...

Pah!

M’sieur Rosbif you are too impatient. Ça arrivera, quand ça arrivera. N'est-ce pas?
 

Have a cognac, smoke a Gitanes or a Caporal, open a bottle of wine (or two), have a decent lunch, enjoy a cognac, philosophically contemplate the universe, refresh the cognac.

 

Life’s far too short to worry about when some tyres will arrive. Just suivez le courant, as the Amis would say.

 

Have another cognac…

[iL Dottore]

11 hours ago, BoD said:

 I heard on the QT from someone quite high up that the next big thing is going to be gold or silver foil wrapped chocolate coins.  I have great faith in their opinion and so have moved all my savings into these.  You heard it here first but I would act quickly if I were you.

Gold and Silver Chocolate Coins? Nah, they’re a mug’s game, mate.
 

What you need is to invest in Stollen or Panettone (Plum Puddings used to be a good investment - a bit dodgy now).

 

Mind you, I wouldn’t put money in confectionery if I were you. Apart from being very risky for the small investor (it can turn into a Bear Market very quickly), you can’t make much profit from - say - just a few LDC or a bag of Chocolate Coins. You need to think warehouse sized investments…

 

Whisky on the other hand, is a much better investment for the small investor. One of my clients invested in a single bottle of Isle of Man whisky back in 2018 and has just sold it to a Saudi collector for 30’000 times the original bottle price.

 

If you’re interested, I have some bottles of whisky you could invest in which are guaranteed money makers…

 

A Chancer 

Investment Fund Manager

Spiv and Wideboy Hedgefunds

City of London

Edited December 9, 2022 by iL Dottore

[jamie92208]

7 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

I doubt very much that the eventual outcome would have been much different for anyone who was used to driving on the right but the intervening shenanigans were not good at all.

I actually watched a video on YouTube  of the sentencing speech and think that things are as good as they are ever going to get.  However there should have been at least one co defendant in the dock in the UK. Namely the spineless sh1t of a politician who allowed her to go back to the US.  That person should go down for a good long time for malfeasance  in public office.  Whether it was the then Home Secretary  or the PM who made the final decision I don't know. But it wouldn't have been a civil servant.

 

Anyway good moaning from a very cool Charente.   I have a job to do this morning.  Boarding up a window in the shed.  The culprit, a flying rat (Pigeon) As I walked up to put the hens away last night I heard the sound of a bird inside the shed, no problem I thought just the black redstarts.  Coming back the noise was still there but louder than normal. Sure enough I could see said pigeon fluttering by a window above a set of racking.  It was too big to fit in my usual capture device of a plastic seive so I threw a dust sheet over where it was. A stepladder was then found and when I Inspected the area the rat had flown leaving a few bits of down behind. Where had it gone; through a hole about 9" diameter in the window. The glass was all over the top shelf.  There mut have been some existing crack in the glass.  I think that the pigeon was the youngster thst has recently  fledged.  

 

Anyway I glued a piece of cardboard over the hole with Sans Piercé (no more nails) and left it for the night. I have no intention of freezing to death replacing the glass today so my first job after breakfast will be to sort out a suitable board and then bolt it in place.  

 

As to the tyres, still no messages but rest assured I'm not losing my cool over it.  

 

Jamie

Edited December 9, 2022 by jamie92208

[New Haven Neil]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

One of my clients invested in a single bottle of Isle of Man whisky back in 2018 and has just sold it to a Saudi collector for 30’000 times the original bottle price.

 

Typo?  Wrong Rock? The only whisky/whiskey from here I'm aware of is foul!  Kella Distillery.  They have now moved on to 'Bifrost' whatever that is.  IIRC the 'whisky' had to be renamed 'Manx Spirit'.  Or was that the white version.  Surprised, anyway, if it is really Manx whisky.

 

In other news, 2c this morning after a chilly night, dry and still once more.  The bike will not be getting disturbed from its slumber for the club breakfast for sure.

[AndyID]

33 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I actually watched a video on YouTube  of the sentencing speech and think that things are as good as they are ever going to get.  However there should have been at least one co defendant in the dock in the UK. Namely the spineless sh1t of a politician who allowed her to go back to the US.  That person should go down for a good long time for malfeasance  in public office.  Whether it was the then Home Secretary  or the PM who made the final decision I don't know. But it wouldn't have been a civil servant.

 

Indeed, but consider the alternative. A despot holds an athlete hostage for a minor crime that is not a crime anywhere else. Where is the outrage for that? It's easy to take pot-shots at the US (probably because most of them are deserved) while a certain person is determined to subjugate  most, if not all, of Europe. Europe really needs to get a grip.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Off to Manchester land later after coll3cting my prescriptions... Will need a large sack for those.

 

Special relationships are supposedly two way.. our with the US is definitely biased one way and always will be..

 

Currently the moon is shining brightly and it looks somewhat chilly outside. My mugatea needs to be drunk so TTFN.

 

Baz

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl 

4.5 hours sleep, followed by intermittent dozing.  Undercarriage quite painful during the night, most joints, no apparent reason why...

 

Ben the I want out Collie summoned me , to go outside. Grass semi crunchy, car and land rover are ice cubes, naa snaa. He enjoyed a full patrol as I hid behind trees out of the wind.

I'm now wrapped up in a sleeping bag on the sofa.

 

Carrying cannabis oil is an offence in many countries, in the UK, it's an offence unless the active component is so low it's all but useless. If you went to say Saudi it would be classed as a drug and every arrival form you fill in is over stamped "Death to all drug traffickers".

 

Plans for today,

 

I bought some ply on the way home yesterday, this is to act as a backing board for a large calendar bought a few days ago. The calendar is 48 inches by 36 inches approx.

One problem, there is a light switch, at one end of where it will hang on the front of a set of book shelves..

Still puzzling on that one.

 

Once the workshop is warm enough I will do some final sanding of the rudder and the first bit of fibreglassing.

 

But first,

Time to go warm up some bacon....

[polybear]

7 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Then, I made myself a muggertea and headed downstairs to,the cellar. Now that the underfloor storage area is finally finished, I’ve been able to move the 6 lengths of skirting boards and 5 lengths of architrave from where they have been stored at the side of the cellar stairs, for about the last 14 months or so. 

 

 

 

Bear did have numerous lengths of Picture Rail on the stairs, now that the Great H/S/L Refurb is underway they're currently cluttering up the muddlin' room; the Conservatory is itself cluttered up with newly acquired Architrave and Skirting for the H/S/L.......☹️ 

 

33 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Indeed, but consider the alternative. A despot holds an athlete hostage for a minor crime that is not a crime anywhere else. Where is the outrage for that? It's easy to take pot-shots at the US (probably because most of them are deserved) while a certain person is determined to subjugate  most, if not all, of Europe. Europe really needs to get a grip.

 

BBC News is currently reporting that the US Gov are currently taking Flak due to their latest Bozo decision - others are seeing it as a green light for other Countries to arrest people on trumped up charges with the aim of securing the release of some scrote being held by the U.S.

 

4 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Carrying cannabis oil is an offence in many countries, in the UK, it's an offence unless the active component is so low it's all but useless. If you went to say Saudi it would be classed as a drug and every arrival form you fill in is over stamped "Death to all drug traffickers".

 

 

Bear once arrived in Kuwait (which has a downer on Alcohol, like many middle eastern counties) and then realised I had a bottle of Hand Sanitiser in my pocket - containing Alcohol.....

 

Bear here.....

MIUABGAD; the "MIU" bit will be done indoors methinks.

Bear gone.

[iL Dottore]

47 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Typo?  Wrong Rock? The only whisky/whiskey from here I'm aware of is foul!  Kella Distillery. 

The choice of the IoM was for comic improbability*  I didn’t even know the IoM had a distillery - good, bad or indifferent.

 

Anyway, I don’t think the wine and whisky collectors have drinkability in mind when they fork out £££££££££ on a bottle - just its rarity and price (and investment potential)

 

* I was going to put Essex Whisky - but thought that even more improbable than an IoM whisky**

** kinda looses comic effect if it has to be explained

[AndyID]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

BBC News is currently reporting that the US Gov are currently taking Flak due to their latest Bozo decision

 

Who is this "Bozo" of whom you speak?

 

What's YOUR point exactly , or are you only interested in scoring points for some idiotic reason?