Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Sailing sailed...

 

On the way to  the SC the radio, which lives in an overhead cubby hole, decided to launch itself out, luckily all the leads unplugged themselves and the radio landed on a pile of ropes left over from last week's rigging out.

 

 Went to set off on the river, and the rear slider fitted under the boom holding the mainsheet launched itself into the river. Luckily there is a spare, but with out tools I couldn't use that, so bodged some dyneema on to do the job.

Sailed up to the broad, to find on the way in very gentle winds the gooseneck had broken.. more bodging with dyneema.

 

The wind was south easterly very light and variable for the first race, light and variable for the second race, and reasonable and variable for the third race.

 

The courses today were a capital M, starting at the bottom right hand leg, into the wind then after the M sailing across the bottom from leg to leg of the M.

The reason was it was south easterly is across the narrow width of the broad.

 

Race 1,

Started well , to windward of the other boats, caught up the back end of the previous fleet within 200 yards, they started 3 minutes ahead of us. Reached buoy Y   first, but the others blocked the wind from behind on the leg down to X, came out last. After that it was follow the leader for the three laps, kept up well with the other boats, gaining on the windward legs, loosing out on the run and the long broad reach across the bottom.

 

Race 2

Missed the start by 15 seconds,  I'm too used to 5 minute intervals between races.

Follow the leader all the way. The following fleet caught up with BM, one tried to overtake to windward. That didn't work, BM is definitely pointing up well.

 

Race 3,

Hit the start near perfectly, was in the lead for a large part of the first leg, but was just beaten to buoy Y, by 1 boat.

Held second until the end of the M, but across the bottom of the M, the 20% longer waterline length of the other boats paid off.  Two more laps of follow the leader, but I kept them with in distance, pretty sure BM won that one on handicap.

 

Got back to the club to find an unopened can of diet fizzy still on the table where I'd left it, lots of people inc children around too.

 

New gooseneck ordered. Deltic -£90, ouch.

Need to get some tell tails for the mainsail.

Need to add a couple of inches to the bottom of the jib wire. Just to lift it up a little, because the jib club occasionally hits the tabernacle.. another dyneema bodge will sort that one.

 

I need an eyelid inspection.

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Happy birthday to Mike!

@Mike BellamyWot ‘e sed - with knobs on!🎂👍

Edited April 9, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Mike Bellamy]

Thank you all for the Birthday wishes. it's been an interesting weekend with eldest son and husband staying with us. They have a small and rather old motorhome so we took them to the local dealer (Don Amott) to have a look around and they're now think of upgrading to something more modern - could be an expensive visit. We all went out to lunch today and soon after they left, middle son and 7 year old grandson arrived with an Easter Egg for me. Jacob claimed he sixty but he did admit that most of these were very small ones !

 

However what made it interesting was what happened early Saturday evening when I was called at around 6.40pm by a club member who was in the clubroom with a colleague working on improvements to the N gauge layout. After hearing a noise outside, one went outside to see what was going on and they then locked themselves in as there were a couple of youths outside who were banging on the outer metal door, the inner wooden door, the windows and the end 'fire door'. This then escalated to them shouting that they were going to break in and they later got around the end of the building and onto the roof. This had been going on for some time and they called me for assistance.

 

I said I would be there in about 10/15 minutes and that in the meantime they should ring the Police. They also rang another member who lived locally who then also rang the Police but I don't know which call went through first.

 

There was an immediate response as when I arrived, there was already a Police car in the car park and the two officers had disappeared in pursuit of the offenders. I went to the door and after identifying myself the door was unlocked but this was difficult at first as there was a lot of broken glass in the entrance as at least one beer bottle had been smashed against the door. Another Police car arrived with four officers and one offender as they had called for backup. Soon after a third car arrived and later a Police van - so in total their response was eight officers and four vehicles.

 

A lady who lived nearby had taken some photos which were shared with the Police and so they had a description of the second person they were looking for who was later apprehended and brought back to the clubroom as his coat had been left behind - a Police Officer went over the fence into the space behind the building to recover it for him !!

 

Full details were taken from the two members there and the lady with the photos. I also contacted the Community Centre manager next door about their CCTV which might have shown the offenders depending on their location. In addition, the Centre Caretaker had been there and also witnessed some of what was happening. When I asked the Police about them wanting the CCTV, the offender in the back of the car looked rather shocked that we might have some for their actions on film - we have been asked to retain the video in case of need.

 

We were told that the first offender who had been taken to the Police Station earlier had later been taken home to his parents and so we assume he was under age. The fate of the second offender is currently unknown. I returned home about 8.30pm and the others were happy to remain and continue with their work. they regularly attend on a Saturday evening and let others know that they are going to be there.

 

People walking by were asking what was going on as they had never seen so many Police and heard sirens in what is normally a very quite residential suburb of the City. Top marks to Derbyshire Constabulary.

.

[pH]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

Went to set off on the river, and the rear slider fitted under the boom holding the mainsheet launched itself into the river. Luckily there is a spare, but with out tools I couldn't use that, so bodged some dyneema on to do the job.

Sailed up to the broad, to find on the way in very gentle winds the gooseneck had broken.. more bodging with dyneema.

I have to ask - in an earlier life, were you Stanley Unwin?

[TheQ]

1 minute ago, pH said:

I have to ask - in an earlier life, were you Stanley Unwin?

It's prefectally understandafoble, when you larant the wordibles

[PupCam]

Evening All!
 

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Woteesed.  With LDC.  

 

Yes, happy birthday @Mike Bellamy
 

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

It's a slightly alarming thought that in three weeks I can apply for, and in five weeks receive, my own bus pass.  That, I suspect, means I could call myself "old".  Which I shall refuse to do.  

Me too and similarish timescales.   I can’t remember the last time I went on a bus!

 

in Other News

 

After much gudgeon pin retaining clip wrangling  the piston is attached to the conrod on the little Beeza.   The barrel / head joint has been lapped (there is no head gasket) and the piston rings have been fitted to the piston so the barrel and head are ready to be fitted properly 😀

 

A walk was walked and on our return we bumped into some old neighbours.  We were invited in for coffee and a catch-up.   Mr Ex-neighbour mentioned he’d recently inherited a load of old Cine films which he wanted to transfer to PC but he’d been somewhat shocked by the cost of commercial services.   I mentioned that a good while ago I’d converted my old Cine projector into a telecine machine to do just that.   Did he want me to have a go …… Does a Poly s…. in the woods?    I came away with a sample film.   Now to get the Heath Robinson machine back into action.

 

TTFNQ

[zarniwhoop]

Just catching up, so belated congratulations to @Mike Bellamyand happy celebratory eating / drinking / whatever.

[BSW01]

Happy birthday Mike 

[Coombe Barton]

... Camera on back and tripod stowed, looked for some spring. There was some but not a lot and the light was rapidly becoming carp (anag). ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/04/09/zoe-resumed-downward-trend-and-a-government-pause/

[PeterBB]

12 hours ago, Mike Bellamy said:

 

Sorry Peter, I haven't a clue about that although I do recall that a cricket match at Buxton had to be abandoned in the 1970 (?) in June because of snow.

 

I never have been able to remember dates except for today 9th April as it's my birthday and next year will be three score years and ten . . . .  Also have to remember a date in February (not the 14th !) which was our wedding day 45 years ago and SWMBO's 20th birthday - at least they are both on the same day . . . . ! !

.

Happy birthday Mike.

Yes, it could well have been the 70s as it was with ex.  Thanks for the reply.

 

Came across 1975 as the year while working through the posts above as the likely year, also seems that you had fun and games at the clubhouse.

Edited April 9, 2023 by PeterBB
Read more pages of blogs.

[Hroth]

30 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

... Camera on back and tripod stowed, looked for some spring. There was some but not a lot and the light was rapidly becoming carp (anag). ...
 

 

Sounds like the magazine for coarse anglers. Thats carp too...

 

[Gwiwer]

5 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Around here the bus pass wielders are known as the Twirlies. "Am I too early?", they ask as they climb aboard around 9:30am. Some drivers wave them through without getting them to tap their cards on the machine. Others tell them to wait in the wind and rain for the next bus.  I supose it all depends on how many twirlies are at a stop, and how close to 9:30 it is...

 

Some wait at the stop for a few minutes until it IS 9:30 then let them on en masse!

 

 

Widely known as "Twirlies" as you say but in London known as "Wombles" derived from the song Underground, Overground, Wombling free.

 

The 09.30 threshold creates a post-peak wave as business abruptly picks up again after those who must pay fares have come and gone and those entitled to free travel then all rush to crowd the first service to arrive at their stop (be it bus stop, tram stop, tube or railway station) after the appointed moment.  For reasons I have yet to understand that coincides with the buggy-rush.  

 

At precisely 09.30 it seems that every buggy-pushing adult must also barge their way onto the system as though they have a right to be on that same first service.  They then complain that there aren't enough (trains, buses, whatever) and / or that they're too crowded ..... just wait ten or twenty minutes and even out the loadings.  Those double in-line buggies are the worst; one child in front of another and almost twice the normal length.  They are far bigger than the maximum size a bus is required to accept yet they still try to squeeze aboard blocking gangways and doors as they do so.  

 

There was once an evening peak time restriction as well but it became unenforceable.  If you were aboard at 4pm you could remain aboard even if your journey lasted a couple of hours right through the peak time.  But if you got off, misjudged the time or simply couldn't travel any earlier you couldn't (re-)board until after 7pm.  London buses often get "turned"; due to late running they are regularly turned back short of the destination they show on the front in order to run the next trip on or closer to right time from the turning point.  There were howls of complaints - even threats of legal action - that legitimate free-riders boarding before 4pm were being turfed off half-way along a route when a bus was turned and told to wait for the next one.  That's what always happens (though ideally the "next one" is visibly right behind and the transfer is arranged between the drivers or via an inspector) but the changeover point was reached after 4pm so they were being asked to pay to complete their journey.  There were also complaints that traffic delays and service cancellations made it impossible to be certain of boarding by 4pm.  That, to me, is the luck of the draw but in some cases you could wait an hour having arrived at a stop at say 3.15 for a bus supposed to come every 10 minutes.  It was always worse after school time which is, guess what, between 3 and 4pm.  

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The sun was shining and the sky was blue when I got up this morning. But as is usual for a Sunday, before getting up, we had a lie in and breakfast in bed. Then I went straight outside to clean the car, something I’ve probably not done since last April, although it was cleaned and valeted last August when the car was serviced and MOTed. Despite the rain washing quite a bit of the much off, it was very dirty, but not anymore! After dinner I cleaned the inside and gave the seats a good clean, this is much easier when they’re leather. 

 

Earlier this evening, I spoke to my brother in Canada, we didn’t speak last month as he and his wife were on holiday in Portugal, so we had quite a bit of catching up to do. We also discussed our maternal great grandfather, who was Portuguese. Vickie did quite a bit of on-line digging a few years ago and sent me a copy of what she found. So, I turned on the computer and sent my brother a copy and then spent about 30 minutes discussing the contents. Unfortunately, Vickie could only go back as far as 1856, but it’s all very interesting nonetheless. 

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

I can’t remember the last time I went on a bus!

The gaining of a bus pass is a rite of passage.  There is no obligation to use it.  In far too many areas there is no way to use it because Omnibus frequentus is extinct.  Large areas of many a county now record few if any sightings.  The concept of all going to market on the weekly village bus has gone the way of many things.  Not just the bus but the market too in many cases.  

 

Ironically there are more cuts across Surrey next week just a little too soon for me to have a free ride on them one last time.  But thanks to the government's intervention I can at least pay no more than £2 per trip.  Which, for the Basingstoke to Haslemere run at least, seems reasonable value for money.  

[Hroth]

My municipality issues passes when the 60th birthday has been achieved, valid for local buses, trains and ferries. I've used my pass several times over the past year, mainly when I've taken the car to be serviced, mot'd and so on.  In a couple of months I become eligible for the national pass, though I don't anticipate it affecting my usage.

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Hroth
line hiccup...

[Ozexpatriate]

In the last couple of days, this happened at the high school:

As you can see, today is wet and the blooms are a bit bedraggled. It supposed to get even wetter.

 

Hopefully the blooms will survive a few days of rain. It would be nice to see them in sunshine. I avoid the high school when students are present - as is appropriate. I'm not sure whether they will be there by next weekend - when 'normal' temperatures are forecast (at last).

[Winslow Boy]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Needs a good layer of roofing felt and tar on it......

 

 

@iL Dottore has gone too far this time.......

Curly Fries are the Food of Gods (well, Bears at least).

 

Bear here.....

I'll leave fellow ER'ers to guess what Bear will be doing today.  It shouldn't be hard.

 

In other news.....

Keep an eye out for Gary the Gorilla; those who nicked him are obviously less than bright cos' they didn't even think of covering him with a Tarpaulin - or even better using a van.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/huge-8ft-gorilla-stolen-from-garden-centre-spotted-on-motorway-in-pickup-truck/ar-AA19CmvX?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=784c3a2f35d6464fba917a608fd4977f&ei=56

 

BG

 

 

So how's the ukulele playing going Bear?

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. The aches and pains from this mornings exertions have disappeared and it looks as if I will get a good nights sleep. Not done a lot this evening except watch telly and do sudoku.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Johnster]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Widely known as "Twirlies" as you say but in London known as "Wombles" derived from the song Underground, Overground, Wombling free.

 

The 09.30 threshold creates a post-peak wave as business abruptly picks up again after those who must pay fares have come and gone and those entitled to free travel then all rush to crowd the first service to arrive at their stop (be it bus stop, tram stop, tube or railway station) after the appointed moment.  For reasons I have yet to understand that coincides with the buggy-rush.  

 

At precisely 09.30 it seems that every buggy-pushing adult must also barge their way onto the system as though they have a right to be on that same first service.  They then complain that there aren't enough (trains, buses, whatever) and / or that they're too crowded ..... just wait ten or twenty minutes and even out the loadings.  Those double in-line buggies are the worst; one child in front of another and almost twice the normal length.  They are far bigger than the maximum size a bus is required to accept yet they still try to squeeze aboard blocking gangways and doors as they do so.  

 

There was once an evening peak time restriction as well but it became unenforceable.  If you were aboard at 4pm you could remain aboard even if your journey lasted a couple of hours right through the peak time.  But if you got off, misjudged the time or simply couldn't travel any earlier you couldn't (re-)board until after 7pm.  London buses often get "turned"; due to late running they are regularly turned back short of the destination they show on the front in order to run the next trip on or closer to right time from the turning point.  There were howls of complaints - even threats of legal action - that legitimate free-riders boarding before 4pm were being turfed off half-way along a route when a bus was turned and told to wait for the next one.  That's what always happens (though ideally the "next one" is visibly right behind and the transfer is arranged between the drivers or via an inspector) but the changeover point was reached after 4pm so they were being asked to pay to complete their journey.  There were also complaints that traffic delays and service cancellations made it impossible to be certain of boarding by 4pm.  That, to me, is the luck of the draw but in some cases you could wait an hour having arrived at a stop at say 3.15 for a bus supposed to come every 10 minutes.  It was always worse after school time which is, guess what, between 3 and 4pm.  

 

None of this nonsense in Wales, a bus pass is a bus pass, thank you Welsh Assembly Government (they also give you free prescriptions and a pretty good cream tea in the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay), valid at any time a bus is running and on any bus, whenever you get on it.   Welsh buses will pick up mumsnbuggies any time as well, even turfing off standing passengers from the buggyspaces for them, so long as there are not mumsnbuggies already occupying the mumsnbuggy spaces.

 

There are anomalies, though, as they only apply to buses, and if the route is considered to be a coach route, you have to pay.  It is impractical to attempt to travel between Cardiff and Swansea (the two largest cities in Wales and 35 miles apart) using a bus pass, as there is no 'bus' service between Bridgend (actually the Porthcawl turnoff from the A48 at Laleston, but no coach stops there) and Port Talbot, though there are several coach routes.  It is, apparently, possible to route via Aberdare, but then you have to change at Neath, and I am not so dedicated to getting to Swansea for nothing as to attempt this, Salubrious Passage or not!

 

I have never really understood the distinction between bus and coach services.  It seems not to be the type of vehicle used, as the Cardiff-Hereford service can be used with a bus pass and uses a vehicle which I would call a coach and not a bus, as at one time did the Cardiff-Porthcawl, but that is now distincly a bus, albeit a rather smart and comfortable one.  It isn't the places where the vehicle stops, either, as some buses are restricted-stop and some coaches can be request-stopped.  I think there may be restrictions on standing passengers on coaches.

Edited April 9, 2023 by The Johnster

[monkeysarefun]

5 hours ago, The Johnster said:

None of this nonsense in Wales, a bus pass is a bus pass, thank you Welsh Assembly Government

NSW senior card holders pay a maximum of £1.30 equivalent for all travel all day on trains, buses and Sydney ferries within the area spanning Sydney,  North to Newcastle ( not your Newcastle), south to Wollongong and west to the Blue Mountains.  My dad goes on regular tight-ar5e harbour tours where he gets the bus and train into the city, cruises Sydney Harbour to Manly, then a cruise back across the harbour  to Watsons Bay for lunch, followed by more harbour cruising, then the train and bus home, all for .£1.30 ( plus lunch).  

 

He also gets   an allowance of  4 free trips (4 one-way  or 2 returns) to anywhere within NSW per year. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente.  A good day was had yesterday and a friend came over for dinner.  Today we are apparently going tbe planting potatoes.  My task wil be to set uan automatic watering system aftetwards. 

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Omnibus frequentus is not extinct here, it has never existed, this road of over 2.5 miles long has never had such a thing, it's almost certainly never had any service at all ever. So it's a mile to mile and a half either way to a bus stop and then 3 to 4  hours to Norwich just 20 miles away with practically no way to get back the same day.

You have to be 66 to get a pass here and I'm not quite there yet and SWMBO won't be there for two years, at the moment it's cheaper to park in anywhere we visit, than use a park and ride let alone any longer journey.

Even if we both had passes two * park and ride discount tickets is most of 3 hours parking so there would be hardly any benefit.

 

Mooring Awl,

4.5 hours sleep, long awake, 2 hours sleep, not too bad.

Just to be different left knee and right elbow and wrist aren't happy. The opposite sides to normal.

 

Ben the meteorologist Collie has just hidden in his cage, having already peered out of the the window I suspect dull grey and threatening is about to become, dull grey and soggy.

 

Plans for today,

When it's not raining, check oil, tyre pressures etc on the car, ready for tomorrows journey to Harrogate and back.

Other than that sit around in the mobile home.with SWMBO's brother and wife.

[polybear]

10 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

So how's the ukulele playing going Bear?

 

Sweet.  I've even started giving lessons - it's a tough job, but some Bear's gotta do it......

 

 

Bear here.....

A danglin' day yesterday - and another today; I'm rather hoping (and will be somewhat disappointed) if today isn't the last day of danglin';  there will be a small and easy amount to do at a later date - the triangular shaped wall on the LHS of the staircase beneath the Banisters, which have yet to be painted cos' that'll be done after the scary wall has been painted - might sound weird but it reduces the risk of marking the fresh paintwork on the Banisters.

 

Bear's Tip for the Day (and it very nearly was.....):

When using a four-legged step stool on the landing it does help if all four legs are actually in contact with the landing.....having one of them floating in mid-air and overhanging the top step tends to have an undesirable tendency to bring forward the wash day.

Ask Bear how he knows....

 

BG

Edited April 10, 2023 by polybear