Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

6 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

If you are worried about money avoid the Tenshodo shop in Ginza like the plague......I have never been to a model train shop quite like it, the evergreen department is remarkable. KTM, another purveyor of high end brass, have some lovely shops too.

I am not worried about money (my travel budget for this trip is very, very  generous) but I know what you mean.
 

I have also visited the Tenshodo shop in the Ginza and was strong willed enough to “only” come away with an N Gauge Tokyo suburban line EMU (this was more than 15 years ago and back then the quality of Japanese N Gauge was way beyond that of anything the British manufacturers were producing at the time).

 

I only hope that when I visit the Tenshodo shop during my stay that they don’t have any N Gauge models of those amazing tourist trains such as the 

Train Suite Shiki-Shima,  Twilight Express Mizukaze or Cruise Train Seven Stars in Kyushu. The temptation would be too much to resist.

 

However, as I will be travelling part of the way from Tokyo to Osaka on the Saphir Odoriko luxury train, I will probably be ”forced” to acquire the Kato N Gauge model as a souvenir*

 

I might even have to buy a third suitcase…

 

* given that I suffer terribly from GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), it is likely that I might end up collecting N Gauge models**of all those wonderful, specially designed, Japanese EMUs

 

**Anyone want a cellar full of OO gauge GWR rolling stock and other modelling sundries?

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I would definitely avoid Tam Tam or Popendetta in Akihabara then. A really good selection of wares are available for the discerning modeller .. 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Eventually after winding my way through miles of white emulsion find gloss colours, not many of, no big tins unless white. Select two tins , £21 for 750ml.. that's heading for boat paint prices..

I have white undercoat at home so that'll reduce the use of the expensive stuff..

 

 

Bear uses The Paint Shed:

 

https://www.thepaintshed.com/crown-trade-gloss-all-colours

 

(Other flavours are available)

£16/L, or £33 for 2.5L; use code DFUK5 for 5% off.

Delivery is six quid under £50, or free above that.  (Was) Very fast delivery - though thanks to Chrimbo and RM that may well be a bit slower at present.

I used them several times for paint for The Great Kitchen & Lounge Refurbs; proper trade paint too - not DIY Shed stuff.

No Traffic Lights, either.....

 

40 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I wouldn’t call a bag of McCain oven chips “posh“, “adequately edible“ is perhaps a better description. 

 

Compared to Co-op Crinkle Cut Chips they're posh 🤣.  They're also available without resorting to the Bearmobile and suffering Supermarkets, which is most definitely a very big plus....

 

40 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I was enjoying things like spaghetti alla carbonara long before it became fashionable in the UK (and, no, my mother didn’t use cream in the sauce).

 

Wot, No Cream??? 😱

[DaveF]

This morning once again dawned bright and dry.  The day is proceeding roughly as planned.

 

Yesterday as well as giving the kitchen a good clean the kitchen and bathroom floors benefited from a more thorough than usual clean.  I had a good look at the condition of the vinyl flooring as it is over sixteen years old now, it should be good for some time to come - I hope.  After that I visited the cemetery to check Mum and Dad's grave and to make sure it is tidy.  The soil is still settling a bit so the headstone has not been put back yet, I think it will be late January or early February.  The funeral people have confirmed it is ready with the additional engraving for Mum.

 

After that I crossed the road and had a walk on the promenade, the air was lovely and fresh - another way of saying quite cold.  As usual at this time of year there weren't many people about, it was very peaceful.  Later on I swopped round some houseplants to bring some more in from the garage which are about to flower and putting ones which are over away for the winter.

Items in the post reminded me that it is time to start thinking about car insurance, when I get a quote from the present company I will start looking, it isn't due until late January.

 

I checked that I have all the things I am likely to need over Christmas, I am hoping not to go to any shops for some time.  As I have an appointment with my GP early tomorrow morning I can always call at the shops if I think of anything else.

 

I seem to be feeling very tired - I think I am relaxing a bit after the last few months, once again I fell asleep while reading during the afternoon.  Once I woke up the rest of day was pleasant, with a mix of music and TV.  The music was "Christmassy", mainly classical.  

 

At the moment I am listening to some traditional Swiss music on Radio Eviva online.  It isn't all yodelling!

 

David

 

 

 

[Barry O]

Been to the Marie Celeste.. only two other "patients" were there. Busy days(!) 

 

All things in consideration Sister Drac 2 was very pleased with me...just keep losing Wight and keep the blood sugars down.

 

Blood Pressure checked using a pump, an arm band and a stethoscope. Was ok... 135/65..

 

Good to hear that you are still progressing @Kelly.. I did see you whoosh past my demo table at Warley on a speedingmobility scooter. 

 

Baz

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Insofar as Chrimbo decorations are concerned, Bear Towers has been adorned with:

 

 

Ten minutes to set up, ten minutes to take down and pack away.  Result.... 

 

 

If that was [edible] cake, that would be most impressive. I feel a challenge coming on ... 

 

Which prompts a memory...  A few years ago, I posted pictures of a cake one of our volunteer's wives had made for a significant birthday of his - can't link to the post as the pics were lost in the great wipe-out but I've found them again: 

 

 

 

 

Motorbikes, dogs or musical instruments themed cakes/edible decorations anyone? 

 

[New Haven Neil]

3 hours ago, Barry O said:

Sand Dancers are a breed apart.. just ask our Fraggle Rock correspondent @New Haven Neil..

 

Baz

 

Oh indeed, but as an outcast from said town, I like to wrap up warm!

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon all. I got lucky the other day and stayed dry. I missed a few posts earlier, either the site or my machine was having a little wobble and wouldn't let me view or rate a few of the most recent posts. It seems to be behaving again now. 

 

It's been a quiet week, something I have always been happy with but especially at the moment with not firing on all cylinders. There are some more garden birds about at the moment, so I've been watching them instead of the kites. I do find it calming to watch the blue-tits and robin on the peanuts, scoffing away. They seem to have gone elsewhere now but for a few days when it was very cold, we had a lot of seagulls in the area. There are a few squirrels about today, one of which seemed very used to human proximity, let me get very close and reacted when I stopped to have a few words. Cocked its head and looked at me at all the right times and waited until I'd finished before scampering off. 🤔 .... 

 

 

[Kelly]

39 minutes ago, Barry O said:

 

Good to hear that you are still progressing @Kelly.. I did see you whoosh past my demo table at Warley on a speedingmobility scooter. 

 

Baz

 

Barry,

 

There is a whole tale about the mobility scooter. Mine decided to pack up on the Saturday, despite new, freshly charged batteries. So had to hire one on the Sunday and could only hire a wheelchair on the Saturday, so didn't get around the show much.

 

It's unlikely I'll be able to afford to replace the scooter of my own, so I will probably have to look into weekend hiring I think for shows next year.

 

Kelly

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

I would definitely avoid Tam Tam or Popendetta in Akihabara then. A really good selection of wares are available for the discerning modeller .. 

Curse You, Sirrah and your temptations🤣

 

Will the torture never end?😢

 

(now on the list of places to visit - thank you 👍🏽)

[BoD]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Been to the Marie Celeste.. only two other "patients" were there. Busy days(!) 

 

I had an appointment to see a GP yesterday, There were 22 people waiting when I got there with a steady stream of comings and goings whilst I waited for my go.

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all. 
 

A bullet was bitten today after 48 hours or so of having urgent and continuous urges to visit the lavatory.  No pain but increasingly inconvenient both overnight and at the House of Fun. 
 

The pharmacist - who happens to be a friend - advised me he couldn’t offer me over-the-counter antibiotics due to my age so I rang the surgery. I spoke with one of Sir Jerry’s dragons who was nicer than usual and arranged for a GP to call me. 
 

Not half an hour later I took the call and was on my way in to see Sir Jerry in person in order to provide a specimen. Sir Jerry has appointed a new person at the desk - a very pleasant and personable young chap. The deal was done and - without waiting in what was in any case an empty waiting room - I headed for home. 
 

Before reaching home I had a call back from the GP advising me that a prescription was already awaiting collection at the pharmacy. And so it was. 
 

I am now the proud owner of a packet of black and yellow capsules which should relieve the symptoms “by Christmas”. 
 

Whilst at the pharmacy I collected another box of test kits of which the first one used strongly suggests I remain free from Wuhan Woohaa. Just the UTI for Christmas, then. And service from the NHS that I really couldn’t fault. 
 

 

 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, DaveF said:

Items in the post reminded me that it is time to start thinking about car insurance, when I get a quote from the present company I will start looking, it isn't due until late January.

 

From the MSE (Martin Lewis) Website:

 

Your renewal notice from your insurer will show the new price for next year (and the price you paid last year). It's usually sent around 28 days before your current policy ends. If you do nothing, it'll usually automatically renew at that new price, so always have your renewal date in your diary to take action. 

The cheapest time to get quotes is 23 days ahead of your renewal date – cover becomes more expensive the closer you get

Our analysis of over 70 million quotes from February 2020 to February 2021 from the four biggest comparison sites – Compare The Market, Confused.com, Gocompare and MoneySupermarket – showed a policy costs an average of £1,198 a year on renewal day. But 23 days earlier the average is just £694 a year, a MASSIVE £504 difference.

In general, the closer to your renewal date you get quotes, the more of a risk you're deemed to be (we've heard that it can show insurers you're a bit disorganised). But getting quotes too early, for example, 28+ days out, can also push the average price up – likely as fewer insurers will provide quotes that early. 

 

2 hours ago, Kelly said:

It's unlikely I'll be able to afford to replace the scooter of my own, so I will probably have to look into weekend hiring I think for shows next year.

 

Kelly

 

A new one needed - or just** new batteries?

 

**Says a Bear who hasn't a clue about how much such batteries cost......

 

Bear here......

This afternoon's fun has included a visit to Beamland to rescue a Thermostatic Head for a radiator valve - a friend has a busted one (meaning the rad is working flat out) and fitting a new head is a 2 minute job; changing a complete valve - somewhat more than that.....

Then it was time to wield Mickey the Miele - H/S/L plus Lounge/Kitchen/Bathroom sorted.  Tick.

And that's as good as it's got.  Whoopie Doo.

[polybear]

Oh yes....

It seems that Prince Andy has been replaced as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards by.....Camilla.  Now that really is a kick in the nutz.

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

The cheapest time to get quotes is 23 days ahead of your renewal date

Don’t forget to negotiate. 
 

A quote of, let’s say, £317 can sometimes be “talked down” a little. Many insurers allow their call-centre or over-the-counter agents a little wriggle room. 
 

I find that after a couple of years loyalty a positive outcome can sometimes be obtained by calling your insurer to “discuss” the quote. They really really want to keep your business almost every time. It’s good for their business and it’s good for the agent’s stats. 
 

So: “Hello - I’d like to renew with you as I have cost you nothing in the past year. Your quote of £317 is attractive but I have a near-exact match of cover offered by a competitor for £296. Can you match that?” 
 

You don’t have any such quote, of course, and a wily call-centre agent may guess as much. But they don’t know. And they want your business. Sometimes they’ll match or even under-cut your “quote”. Sometimes they’ll drop their price a bit. Sometimes they cannot or will not budge at which point you can opt to shop around before renewing. 
 

Chances are you’ll get your £317 renewal for around 5% less than their first quote. 
 

Food for thought?  
 

After 45 years of incident-free motoring and driving a small urban runabout these days clocking barely 2000 miles a year I press my case for minimal cost. Before extras are considered I’m paying a little over £100 fully comp.  
 

Extras are sometimes cheaper as standalones too.  I have a separate Green Flag membership because it’s cheaper than adding it to the motor policy.  

[Claude_Dreyfus]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Curse You, Sirrah and your temptations🤣

 

Will the torture never end?😢

 

(now on the list of places to visit - thank you 👍🏽)

As you may well know, there are lots of those sorts of places. Even department stores have model railway sections...some pretty big. There are so many fascinating places to see and things to do there, last time we were there (2019) we spent a happy few hours in Saitama City (a few miles north of Tokyo) going around the bonsai museums and nurseries. Saitama City also has a railway museum.

 

If you like a bit of sport and culture, then I can really recommend the sumo wrestling. Tricky to get tickets, but well worth it (both Mrs Dreyfus and I are sumo fans) if there is a tournament on.

 

Oh yes, and for something really off-beam, there is the Parasite Museum in Meguro. Fascinating in a rather ghoulish way!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meguro_Parasitological_Museum

Edited December 22, 2022 by Claude_Dreyfus

[TheQ]

Evening Awl,

That paint supplier looks interesting, I've added it to favourites.

 

The meal was good as was the company, we were about 40% retired.

The meal was subsidised too. As one of the guys had a 40 year with anniversary allowance from the company to use. A £300 divided by 15 attendees subsidy.

 

On return. Weather, dreich, very dreich.

Drove up to the roundabout junction for the NDR, technically it's 70mph through the 3 lane roundabout on the NDR though you'd have to be daft to try it.  Anyway a black people carrier came from the right and stopped right in front of me  in the middle lane, clouds of steam from under the bonnet. Cars are having to weave round the broken car.

I was glad to get out of there, someone is not going to see it in time and there's going to be a big accident.

 

Ben is not a happy chappy, especially as we've removed his food to give his stomach time to recover..

He's asleep in his bed.

 

Sleep, that seems like a good idea.

 

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

15 minutes ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

As you may well know, there are lots of those sorts of places. Even department stores have model railway sections...some pretty big. There are so many fascinating places to see and things to do there, last time we were there (2019) we spent a happy few hours in Saitama City (a few miles north of Tokyo) going around the bonsai museums and nurseries. Saitama City also has a railway museum.

 

If you like a bit of sport and culture, then I can really recommend the sumo wrestling. Tricky to get tickets, but well worth it (both Mrs Dreyfus and I are sumo fans) if there is a tournament on.

 

Oh yes, and for something really off-beam, there is the Parasite Museum in Meguro. Fascinating in a rather ghoulish way!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meguro_Parasitological_Museum

Saitama City is an excellent suggestion, thank you Claude. Whilst I will have pretty full schedule, I do have a few days “at liberty” during my Tokyo stays - so that’s one excursion sorted.

 

I too love Sumo (I regularly watch the Honbasho highlights on NHK). Unfortunately, my trip is sandwiched between the May Honbasho in Tokyo and the July Honbasho in Nagoya, so I’ll miss those. But I do have a visit to a training session at a Sumo Stable whilst I’m in Tokyo.

 

On other matters cultural, as someone who has dabbled (occasionally professionally) in theatre, i enjoy all kinds of plays so I hope to get to a Kabuki performance (I’m not sure about Noh theatre), but theatre schedules only are released about 3 months in advance, so I’ll sort that out later.

 

The parasitological museum seems entertaining, but it’d be a bit of a “busman’s holiday”

[Coombe Barton]

... winding down to Christmas ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/12/22/sounds-of-the-season-2022-23-26-current-hospitalisation-figures/ 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Coombe Barton
It's settling out to annoy me

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And service from the NHS that I really couldn’t fault. 

 

Had a cool experience Tuesday evening. During the day at work I decided I needed to see a doctor after work. Most medical centres close to my home shut at 6 so I didn't think I could make it there in time but found one just down the road from work that did walk-ins and shuts at 10pm.

I dropped in there and at the entrance was a QR code to download their app. Once downloaded you do all the registering on that, fill in all the standard questions etc, then choose the service you want (they have GP's,  a dental surgery, pharmacy, physiotherapists, pathology and Xray in the centre so you pick from a drop down list.) The app has a virtual waiting room which tells you where you are in the queue. It told me I was 8th - with 3 doctors on I figured I could nip across  the carpark to Bunnings and browse around rather than sit in the waiting room. Kept an eye on the app until it told me I was  number 2 then dashed back and 2 minutes later I was in. Absolutely zero contact with reception staff etc, and again it was all free because they bulk-bill.

Edited December 22, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

Steady sort of day here.  A bit of domestic stuff undertaken along with some "money laundering" and adjustments to some financial accounts.

After that I started on the major task of the day and rearranged the "wine cellar" (aka the stair cupboard).  Due to my extra purchases yesterday there wasn't a lot of room so I hooked most of it out and started again.  It is chock full but I now know where everything is and the most important stuff is within easy reach.

This afternoon I spent some time watching repeats of "All Creatures Great & Small."  The rest of the series has been recorded for another time.

Tonight it was S & M (no not that) the edible type accompanied by OG and a very passable Malbec.  A second glass has been poured and I'm about to listen to some music whilst The Boss is watching soap carp.

Cheers. 🍷🍷

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by grandadbob

[Tony_S]

I was due for my diabetic review yesterday. However it was combined with a medication review and was carried out by the practice pharmacist. It was really good. We got the blood and urine results out of the way, then I had my blood pressure and various pulses taken. There was the foot inspection. Everything was fine. Then the heart medication and IBD medication blood results were discussed. Stopping one medication as it doesn’t seem necessary any more. Then he said that people with diabetes and heart conditions benefit from a different diabetic medication and did I want to try it. I decided not yet as everything seems to be working nicely but it is nice to know there are other alternatives if anything changes. 
Tony

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

The northern American weather has reached the news over here.

Hope you'll all be OK

I am glad to be on the periphery of this system where it is presently about -5°C and cloudy but dry.  Snow followed by sleet, then freezing rain is still forecast for the evening and into Friday.

 

I did go out for my walk today, but only for about 40 minutes instead of the usual hour. It felt more strenuous in the cold and I cut it short.

 

Cable television of local broadcast stations was out for an hour or so for some unexplained reason, but no interruptions (so far) to other services. The power outage during our February 2021 ice storm makes me a little more aware of how disruptive infrastructure outages can be. I wouldn't want to be a line serviceperson - particularly on days like today. 

[Ian Abel]

Very late today.. Long Island client in full panic mode hoping to get all the updates/changes they need before they buqqer off tomorrow for 4+ days.

Twas BIN day and dragging them out last night before the snow was plowed was a real treat/challenge!!

 

Yesterday, fine snow all day, and through the late evening, seems like 6-8 inches final for the day. SoDDing cold also.

The evening dinner with our Indian neighbors was delightful, and every dish was "not spicy" according to the lady chef. Even so a couple of them were definitely at least what I'd classify as "medium spicy" when we order out!

I don't recall any of names the dishes other than Palak paneer and we also had some very nice home-made roti and a beet raita.

Spoke to Jemma today, on her 48-hour layover in Athens, sounds like fun. She flies back tomorrow to JFK then to Chicago to be with Brendan and his parents over Christmas.

 

Mrs off to have an afternoon get together with some friends, I'll hold down the fort...

Still fighting with a very sore throat, so will be giving choir rehearsal a pass, and that may also mean I'll be out of commission for the Christmas services, we'll see.

 

White Christmas...uh, YEAH I THINK SO!!!

 

-25c getting the newspaper, bright sun but at that temperature no-one cares.

Sun all day today may reach a balmy -19c for a high, but still at 21c at noon so I doubt it!!! 🤯

 

Onward.

 

[polybear]

25 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I dropped in there and at the entrance was a QR code to download their app. Once downloaded you do all the registering on that, fill in all the standard questions etc, then choose the service you want (they have GP's,  a dental surgery, pharmacy, physiotherapists, pathology and Xray in the centre so you pick from a drop down list.) The app has a virtual waiting room which tells you where you are in the queue. 

 

Bear can sense a Puppers @PupCam Rant approaching........😱

 

Bear here.....

This evening's fun included assembling the Mitre Saw Stand I purchased a few days ago (on special offer at £39-99) and seems pretty good.  Oh, hang on - I'VE JUST THIS MOMENT DISCOVERED THAT THE B'STERDS HAVE NOW PUT IT ON SPECIAL SPECIAL OFFER AT £29-99 🤬🤬 RATTIN' PIGGIN' TURDYCURSES.  Yep, Rant.