Early Risers.

[BoD]

Afternoon all

 

Feeling a bit low today.  No particular reason. Just lots of niggling little things.  Most recent blood tests weren't the best - mostly self inflicted.  At least I can do something about that and indeed started immediately after Xmas and new year which was one of the main culprits.  I must remember that being  a sensible diabetic is for life and not just when I want to be.  I get breathless very easily too - ECG and chest x-ray were ok  so I have been referred to a long covid clinic for that one.  However this means that instead of walking a couple or few miles each day I can barely manage a few hundred yards before I need to stop frequently.   I used to enjoy the walks so really miss that - and they also had the bonus of helping with the sugar levels.  Valerie's broken foot is  stopping us doing some of the things we would normally enjoy doing.  She doesn't really feel up to doing much or going out and I'm making sure that she rests it as much as possible. It goes without saying that I don't mind that and I did most of the cooking and big stuff anyway but it's all of the other little tasks which you don't really notice when they are shared.  

 

I think I need a little retail therapy, a new loco or book might help,  or I could work my way through my whisky collection - only 139 to do.  Don't worry I won't do that. Not in just one evening anyway. 

 

Sorry about that, just needed to offload a bit.

[jjb1970]

58 minutes ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

I'm not asking anyone to support Soviet/Russian state actions, just to understand why they might (either reasonably or unreasonably) fear certain things which they see as threats. And react accordingly. The English Channel/La Manche has always been something of a private moat for Britain against the tides of european events. Switzerland has the Alps. Japan also has a maritime 'buffer zone'. As Il D [almost] says, Russia has nothing ... For better or for worse, that's always going to affect a country's behaviour, both at an individual and state level.   

 

 

In life I find there are two axioms which are abused/ignored most of the time:

 

-In statistics, correlation is not causation; and

-to explain and try to understand is not to condone.

 

I think the second is rather pertinent in world affairs, and always has been. 

[New Haven Neil]

36 minutes ago, BoD said:

I must remember that being  a sensible diabetic is for life and not just when I want to be. 

 

Um, yes - my HbA1c has slipped considerably, but testing just after the holiday period was probably unfair.  Still in the green but much higher than usual.  Back, like you, to being strict with myself.

[New Haven Neil]

Mrs NHN reported traffic delays this morning getting to work, mountain road closed.

 

Oh yeah, it was frosty....surprise surprise.....#sigh.

 

[TheQ]

It was particularly unfair to me too, my normal diabetic test was before Christmas, instead they did the tests  last week..

 

Afternoon Awl,

Rudder assessed, decided the other side needed some filling too, so that's now setting by the fire.

 

Centre console,

1/3 of the inside glassfibred.

 

Bottom rudder bearing ,

Assessed. Realised the top hat bearing for the bottom only needed a tiny bit of fitting, the original tufnol tube was bonded in with a similar bonding agent to what I'm using today, so just a little needed chiseling/ grinding away. After a trial fit, the bearing was bonded in place, then a piece of wood used to prop up the boat and bearing.

 

Ben taken for long walk , but cut short he wanted home when some loud bangs occured.

 

Sail, 

Forestay extended, 

About a foot of sewing done over the joint.

 

Eyelid inspection required before trip to MRC tonight.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Done a bit of shopping this afternoon, that set the eczema off and Si Attica has jumped into the fray. Sadly that means that Longfield is a no-no this weekend.

2 hours ago, BoD said:

Afternoon all

 

Feeling a bit low today.  No particular reason. Just lots of niggling little things.  Most recent blood tests weren't the best - mostly self inflicted.  At least I can do something about that and indeed started immediately after Xmas and new year which was one of the main culprits.  I must remember that being  a sensible diabetic is for life and not just when I want to be.  I get breathless very easily too - ECG and chest x-ray were ok  so I have been referred to a long covid clinic for that one.  However this means that instead of walking a couple or few miles each day I can barely manage a few hundred yards before I need to stop frequently.   I used to enjoy the walks so really miss that - and they also had the bonus of helping with the sugar levels.  Valerie's broken foot is  stopping us doing some of the things we would normally enjoy doing.  She doesn't really feel up to doing much or going out and I'm making sure that she rests it as much as possible. It goes without saying that I don't mind that and I did most of the cooking and big stuff anyway but it's all of the other little tasks which you don't really notice when they are shared.  

 

I think I need a little retail therapy, a new loco or book might help,  or I could work my way through my whisky collection - only 139 to do.  Don't worry I won't do that. Not in just one evening anyway. 

 

Sorry about that, just needed to offload a bit.

I feel the same way but fortunately I have no problems in the chest department. Growing old is no fun but its better than the alternative.

[Mike Bellamy]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Mrs NHN reported traffic delays this morning getting to work, mountain road closed.

Oh yeah, it was frosty....surprise surprise.....#sigh.

 

Must have been a good driver as he/she missed the fence - and not a wall in sight this time . . . . . 

.

[Winslow Boy]

29 minutes ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

Must have been a good driver as he/she missed the fence - and not a wall in sight this time . . . . . 

.

 

Not a Mercedes driver you see. Takes a skilled driver, that's not a Mercedes driver by the way, to hit an unmoving object like a wall.

[PupCam]

Evening All!

 

10 hours ago, polybear said:

We need pictures......

 

Left =        What it should be (Original crankcase casting)

Middle =  What it is  (Replacement crankcase casting)

Right =     Block to "Make Good" (Match new to old)

 

 

The block will be Alutited AND bolted to the base casting so shouldn't get away! 🤞   There are some subtle angles and radii on the face of the block that mate with the casting.    The close up highlights the fact that Puppers' fitting skills are not perfect hence the Alutite.  

 

The strap that retains the magdyno (not an insignificant lump of equipment ) is retained by a bolt that screws into the horizontal tapped hole that is visible on the original casting.    On the replacement but earlier casting the strap was retained by a peg that screwed into the vertical tapped hole.   The block is not quite finished yet; the retaining hole is still a black felt pen mark not a tapped hole!   Also the tapped holes that will retain it to the casting have not yet been done either.

 

In other Beeza news;   The neighbour and I re-assembled and "trued" up the crankshaft today.    Two hours of fiddling about trying to clamp V blocks in the right position on the bed of his mill to provide a jig, an hour to "little by little" tighten up the bigend nuts and check and adjust the runout of one axle against the other.    The nuts are done up to the engineering torque of "F...... Tight" (100ftlbs +).       One of the new crankshaft bearings has been fitted in the case and the crankshaft runs nicely in that and the phosphor bronze plain bearing I turned up a few weeks ago.   That will need facing off at some point to set the correct end float of the crank.   

 

In other Astronomy News;  Puppers has found another stacking program for astro images.     This has been downloaded and is currently running on the Orion Nebula photographs of the other night for evaluation purposes.   It seems rather pernickety to set up but has the benefit that it is script driven.   Puppers experience is that script driven processing can be extremely powerful for little effort.      May I recommend Avisynth to anyone who does any video editing .....

 

Anyway, with all this array of different "technical stuff" it will be apparent that Puppers has learnt so much about so many things since he gave up wasting his time working for a living!

 

 

4 hours ago, polybear said:

In other news......

Bear has been A Naughty Bear - involving the spending of exactly one Deltic's worth of tokens on something that's green with small yellow ends; it won't be delivered until Q1 2024 though, but that's OK.  This'll be from "Batch 2" - which apparently has been slightly modified/improved from Batch One.  That's a result.  Incidentally, buying direct from the manufacturer means no postage costs.  Another Tick.

 

Just when Puppers thought his credit card was safe he spotted the notification of Batch 2 too.   Turdycurses!

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

 

[Barry O]

@BoD sorry to hear about you feeling unwell. Hopefully the medics can get it sorted.

 

@New Haven Neil.. pass on Happy Birthday wishes to your good lady please?

 

Baz

[Ozexpatriate]

11 hours ago, TheQ said:

Contrary to many people's beliefs after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, not all the Highlanders were hunted down and killed.  Several officers who were known about and a lot more men, mostly not known about until much later, chose to join the British Army. Many of the  men had not been " loyal to the cause" but had been loyal to their clan chiefs and there is evidence some were "strong armed" into joining the Jacobites.

About 900 were transported to the North American colonies. 

 

The 1746 Act of Proscription famously banned the wearing of "Highland dress", except (less famously) in the army. Two highland regiments (almost 1,500 men) were raised in 1757 to fight in the Seven Years War. The 77th Regiment, (Montgomery’s Highlanders) fought in the Battle of Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh) in 1758.

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

10 hours ago, Grizz said:

I trust that it wasn’t used in a film about tanks in the following paint scheme……as that might just probably be viewed as a tad insensitive in some [places]

Not as bad as "Erika"/"Heather". A harmless, yet somehow quite terrifying song about little flowers and girls back home.

 

(I'll let the curious find recordings online, today being International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it doesn't seem fit to link to them.)

 

Or the Panzerlied.

[Ozexpatriate]

I've had a toothache for a couple of days. Having recently had a root canal around three months ago, the symptoms felt similar yet I was hoping and wishing (to paraphrase the late Ms. Springfield) that it would go away. Eventually (including some exhortation from my cousin during our weekly video web-conference) I faced reality called the dentist. 

 

Being closed on Fridays, they kept the door open for me to rush in at 4:00pm on Thursday and after X-rays and examination (thump thump with metal rods, "does this hurt", freezy swabs "can you feel the cold" etc) I have an endodontist appointment for 7:30am on Tuesday and the prospect of charging several (many?) Deltics* worth in @polybear currency on my credit card.

 

* It seems to be a rather variable fungible quantity

 

The endodontist is very good and I am confident the procedure will go well, but really, I just did this. 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Erichill16]

11 hours ago, polybear said:

 

We need pictures......

 

 

Bear gone.

And of what Bear is up to at Engineering Night Class.

[Erichill16]

Saw this while out today, and thought about ERs!

[Tony_S]

I haven’t got excited about air fryers but I did get a bit obsessed about car tyres last week. I didn’t really have anyone I could bore with my new found knowledge. I did successfully sort out why my TPMS display was weird though. It isn’t now. I hadn’t driven fast enough since having my new tyres fitted. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

The PupCam BSA restoration was very impressive. I rebuilt a musical cake slice yesterday. Definitely not in the same league but my silver grey Milliput moulding was rather pleasing. Can’t see the join at all!

[Coombe Barton]

... The weekend is – yes, you’ve guessed it, marking. I’m afraid that some people are going to be deeply disappointed that they didn’t read what was required of them ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/covid-up-31-8-in-six-days-doubts-on-china-figures-and-a-look-at-costs/

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

Evening All!

 

 

Left =        What it should be (Original crankcase casting)

Middle =  What it is  (Replacement crankcase casting)

Right =     Block to "Make Good" (Match new to old)

 

 

The block will be Alutited AND bolted to the base casting so shouldn't get away! 🤞   There are some subtle angles and radii on the face of the block that mate with the casting.    The close up highlights the fact that Puppers' fitting skills are not perfect hence the Alutite.  

 

The strap that retains the magdyno (not an insignificant lump of equipment ) is retained by a bolt that screws into the horizontal tapped hole that is visible on the original casting.    On the replacement but earlier casting the strap was retained by a peg that screwed into the vertical tapped hole.   The block is not quite finished yet; the retaining hole is still a black felt pen mark not a tapped hole!   Also the tapped holes that will retain it to the casting have not yet been done either.

 

In other Beeza news;   The neighbour and I re-assembled and "trued" up the crankshaft today.    Two hours of fiddling about trying to clamp V blocks in the right position on the bed of his mill to provide a jig, an hour to "little by little" tighten up the bigend nuts and check and adjust the runout of one axle against the other.    The nuts are done up to the engineering torque of "F...... Tight" (100ftlbs +).       One of the new crankshaft bearings has been fitted in the case and the crankshaft runs nicely in that and the phosphor bronze plain bearing I turned up a few weeks ago.   That will need facing off at some point to set the correct end float of the crank.   

 

In other Astronomy News;  Puppers has found another stacking program for astro images.     This has been downloaded and is currently running on the Orion Nebula photographs of the other night for evaluation purposes.   It seems rather pernickety to set up but has the benefit that it is script driven.   Puppers experience is that script driven processing can be extremely powerful for little effort.      May I recommend Avisynth to anyone who does any video editing .....

 

Anyway, with all this array of different "technical stuff" it will be apparent that Puppers has learnt so much about so many things since he gave up wasting his time working for a living!

 

 

 

Just when Puppers thought his credit card was safe he spotted the notification of Batch 2 too.   Turdycurses!

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

 

 

I think I preferred it when you just posted the photos of the green spoldge.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Winslow Boy

[Erichill16]

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

 

The block will be Alutited ………

Alan

 

To us that are not of an engineering background, is that the same as being ‘Araldited’?

[monkeysarefun]

So the next time you drop that  tiny etched part onto the carpet under your chair somewhere, just think of these guys!

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

Saw this while out today, and thought about ERs!

Why would I get excited about frying air???

[Erichill16]

13 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Why would I get excited about frying air???

Don’t ask me, I haven’t got one!

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Been down to Newark to see mum today and take her out for lunch to a garden centre. 
Hovis really upset us with her behaviour whilst out so think it’s time to get some professional help.

Got an email from work informing me that we need to complete a survey for Office for National Statistics. Pah.

Goodnight.

 

[polybear]

54 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I have an endodontist appointment for 7:30am on Tuesday and the prospect of charging several (many?) Deltics* worth in @polybear currency on my credit card.

 

* It seems to be a rather variable fungible quantity

 

 

At current exchange rates:

One Deltic = £170GBP

A Noisy Deltic = £260 GBP

Lesser Deltics may have different exchange rates.......either more or less.....

 

51 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

And of what Bear is up to at Engineering Night Class.

 

Bear can do that........

 

Bear here.......

A trip into Beamland was avoided - I discovered a suitably long M6 Roofing Bolt that'll be ideal; I have a Toolmakers Clamp with a Screw that's Fu'barred and the Bolt will make a good starter for ten to make up a suitable replacement.  Tick

Then it was remove the mechanism off the KKKK (that's Kitchen Kitty Kat Klock) followed by a good search of the 'bay to identify a suitable replacement battery powered pendulum mechanism; the actual clock mechanism is a separate item and works ok so that'll be re-used.  In the end I did order one, but from the Big River instead cos' they can deliver a bit quicker - meanwhile Kitty is headless and the whole lot is laying in bits in the muddlin' toom.

 

Tomorrow sees the Plasterer coming to, er, plaster the boxed-in pipework in the hallway.  Hopefully.

 

Bear gone.