Early Risers.

[grandadbob]

I is a Happy Bobby!  The Shed was visited earlier, the soldering iron was heated up and nothing was melted apart from some solder.  The wire was re-attached and I'm pleased to report that my Golden Plover is flying again.  Also managed to get another four reluctant toys running smoothly.

Time for lunch now and then rugby kicking off at 15.30.

[Tony_S]

44 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

Also managed to get another four reluctant toys running smoothly.

 

Lendons of Cardiff have the x7219 chassis block for the Royal Scot advertised still. You would need to transfer every bit of your first loco purchase but it might run again?

[grandadbob]

Thanks Tony but I think with my normal general ham fistedness with these things that might be a chassis block too far.  I’m almost certain to have bits left over if I tried that! 😀

Edited May 13, 2023 by grandadbob

[PupCam]

Afternoon All!

 

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

While they are common, not all vehicles here are trucks or SUVs. Marketshare numbers can mislead because they reflect new sales and do not reflect the existing vehicles on the road.

 

Irrespective of any statistics, the blxxdy things* are far too prevalent around here as determined by the Mk 1 eyeball and often, for no good reason other than to inflate egos and compensate for perceived lack of dimension in the groinage department.   Around here most of them seem to be driven by complete idiots who believe that they automatically have the right of way even though the Highway Code would contradict that view .   That might be a Rantette I suppose.

 

* Other views may be available although may not be correct

 

5 hours ago, Barry O said:

To kill a hilux.. Park in muddy hollow. Drive over it with a Challenger 2 .. 72 tons of vehicle sitting on the UTE does strange things to it!

 

We preferred to "throw" something relatively small (compared with a Challenger 2) at them at very, very high speed.  Seemed to work well.

 

In Other News

 

A phone call to a purveyor of electronic DCC decoders boards was made to pay for a recent decoder upgrade.  It really was excellent service I only posted it on Thursday afternoon, they must have received it yesterday  and I received a call around noon to say it was all done!    As I was otherwise engaged in a hostelry at the time I didn't feel that that was an appropriate place to read out my card details so I did it this morning.   Three cheers for the coast 😉

 

The postie delivered a small parcel this morning.   It contained some sound absorbing exhaust wadding/blanket.   A layer of which has been wrapped around the inner baffle of the little Beeza's Brooklands Can exhaust and held in place with stainless steel locking wire.  A further amount has been inserted into the empty volume of the can.     It seems to have taken the edge off the sound so hopefully my ears will stop bleeding!   Only a run past horses around the lanes will tell if it's made a really useful difference.   Not that most of the horse riders will appreciate my efforts anyway ........

 

We are shortly to visit friends for the purpose of raising money charity and stuffing our faces although not necessarily in that order 😀

 

 

TTFNQ

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon all,

 

It's been a cloudy morning here but an hour ago the sun came out and is in full swing, upsetting Uncle Mort. The garden looks good for it though. I do wonder if it's my eyes - whether the health issues I've been grumbling about lately are affecting them as well - but the colours seem particularly strong this year. I know memory can be deceptive but it seems they are more vibrant than I recall for the last few years. 

 

Sounds like it's not just me getting upset or cross with those people associated with Margate. I have been watching the way they do business for some years, including when I was running one of those shops which would give the awl apoplexy. Here is not the appropriate place to go into details but I am rather uncomfortable with many actions/decisions taken. At the risk of sounding like our recently departed HM, I do not approve - nor am I amused. 

 

The second answer to 'who do you associate with Margate?' would, for me - and I suspect quite a few others, be the 'Jolly Boys outing' from Fools and Horses. The posts of the 'Brains Trust' meetings remind me of our own (pre-Covid) works outings. If things had worked out better, I wouldn't have minded trying to set up a 'Northern Branch' but I'm in no position to offer hospitality when I don't know if I can deliver on promises or not. And I suspect I would struggle to find a guest speaker on the same level as CC... In any event, I would have to resort to Belgian chocolates rather than Swiss. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to appreciate the differences, though when fed some samples of Belgian premium choccies as part of a sales pitch, must admit they tasted rather nice. 

 

On the food theme, I saw an item recently which may interest @polybear - https://www.forces.net/ukraine/ukrainian-soldier-enjoys-pizza-destroyed-russian-tank - cue all sorts of comments along the lines of [hats off to the delivery people]. And in the Guardian this am, for those aficionados of bread pudding: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/may/13/breakfasts-from-around-the-world-recipes-udon-strata-chilaquiles-yotam-ottolenghi - one breakfast themed bread pudding. At the risk of provoking il D's culinary wrath, I had a bash at cheese and baked bean pasties yesterday, turned out well if I do claim so myself. More flavoursome cold than hot IMHO. Raid warnings of Bears passed to our triple A batteries... 

 

Outside, the birds continue to do their thing. We have seen more of the sparrows recently, while preparing lunch, I saw them having mixed baths in one of the larger birdbaths. They have also been nibbling the nuts which were formerly the exclusive province of the bluetits. The level in the feeder is visibly sinking faster than usual. The other day I cleaned out and refilled the largest bath and within a couple of minutes, the resident blackbird was splashing about in it. I fear another episode of 'Memoirs of a bath attendant' is looming... 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by The White Rabbit
wrong preposition - as opposed to a wrong proposition...

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Will have to pay Tess Coes a visit this afternoon and stock up. I just realised that I'm out of washing tabs.

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I have finally found a shop in Singapore that sells something useful, though I can't help thinking it is yet another sign of the deep malaise which has afflicted Britain that I have to come to SE Asia to get a BoJo doll.

 

 

Now where did I put those pins and does anyone know some voodoo chants? 

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

Sorry - been on holiday for a few days, but I don't announce this any longer.

 

Leaving soon to get Lily out of kennels.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Tony_S]

I have just paid the vehicle tax for both our cars. The bit of the DVLA that takes payment always works efficiently.  My car is now old enough to be rated just on emissions rather than its original list price  value. The next thing due is insurance for my car. It has been a bit cheaper for the last two years, I wonder what will happen this year. 

[iL Dottore]

Grrr! Now in Greenwich and The Queen’s House is closed - due to “private function” (I wonder how much that costs?)

 

I also visited the National Maritime Museum (although Saturday probably isn’t the best day - wot wif loads of screamin kids and all dat).

 

I was pleased to note that, compared with my previous visit, a lot more of the museum’s artefacts, paintings an beautiful ship models were on display (and displayed well). However, all the labels to the displays were really dumbed down (and some were just plain wrong) with some totally inappropriate PC (or “wokery” if you are being caustic and unkind) - such as the label referring to the number of people crewing a warship in Nelson’s time (silly me, thinking that Nelson had his ships manned by sailors)

 

I was particularly annoyed by a special about “connections to the sea” (or some such) that failed to mention the Dutch, the French, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Venetians and Genoese or even the British (which, uninformed numbskull that I am, I had thought were great seafaring nations and nation states…)

 

Well, I shan’t loose any sleep over it, I’ll be dead soon and no longer bothered…

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Deep market visited,

Good show, didn't spend much, won't go again..

Not the shows fault, but the hours of driving verses to the size of show don't add up.

 

It took 2 3/4 hours to drive the 88 miles to get there, about the same to get back. that's an average of just 32mph...

 

The school they use is definitely to the latest pc standards. Toilets with floor to ceiling doors, but no outer doors, in fact not a lot of wall on the entrance side. Dance studios. Various " uplifting" messages on walls, Various 1 in 100,000 jobs they " could achieve" .

 

Just as I get back to our area, a scorpion tank was trundling along the road, last night a scimitar APC was in Tesco's car park. I had a chat to the owner, he is OC of a Royal Marine cadet unit, and the APC is his personal vehicle. The marine cadets are camping in a field by a village I go through to the MRC.

 

 

[DaveF]

I can stop now for a bit, I think.  This morning the laptop I keep in the living rom for e mails, streaming photos, videos and other things to TV or speakers suddenly decided it had no sound output or input devices.  However, it could stream both to a google nest and TV with sound.  Before I went out I spent a while investigating and downloaded the latest drivers from the Intel website but still no joy.  I simply got a message that audio devices were not connected.  When I bought the laptop for Mum a couple of years ago I took out service cover with Currys - I know it isn't cheap but it can be useful.  As an aside when I was working all our IT support staff had them for their own laptops.  Having tried that I went out.

 

After lunch I rang Currys, within a couple of minutes was speaking to Jamal who was very helpful.  He did what I had done but managed to find one extra update for the graphics card.  Still no sound so he deleted the sound device then updated the software, now it works.  It took him just under an hour.  If it happens again I now know what to do, providing I can remember. It did help having been an IT person at the end of my working life, but things have moved on a lot in the 9 years since I gave up my part time work as an IT consultant.  I am not sure why but the sound quality seems better than before, though that could be subjective.

 

The morning outing was to the "Holy Weeds Spring Fair" at church, actually in the church hall.  The Holy Weeds are a group of people who look after the churchyard, both the graves and the garden and make a good job of it. There was the usual coffee, raffle, tombola, plant stall and bring and buy.  I could have bought some books but have no space and don't presently need many plants - in fact I nearly took some spare ones of mine but had disposed of them to neighbours in the past couple of days.  The Holy Weeds provided entertainment by singing a selection of gardening shanties.  You may not have heard of such things but they exist now even if they didn't before.

 

On the bring and buy stall I found a paperweight to add to the collection.  It is not a "special" one, but is nice to lok at, probably made in China as it is not marked on the base.  They wanted far too little for it so they got a donation as well.  I had a nice coffee, didn't win anything on the raffle and as usual didn't try the tombola - knowing my luck I'd win a bottle of mineral water.  The lady sitting next to me won washing up liquid!

 

I then went to the beach and had a walk in the sunshine before coming home via the local Tesco Express for a few bits and pieces.  This afternoon after getting the laptop dealt with I worked on a model and then had a cup of tea and read a magazine.  Next will be "proper" tea and some relaxation.  I don't know what if anything I will watch yet - I received some more Swiss cab ride DVDs in today's post.

 

David

[polybear]

6 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

How the *&^% do people not murder children more often?  I need ear plugs and a temper moderator, my tongue is getting bitten a lot.

 

 

Lock 'em in the Garage and let them amuse themselves....

 

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I have finally found a shop in Singapore that sells something useful, though I can't help thinking it is yet another sign of the deep malaise which has afflicted Britain that I have to come to SE Asia to get a BoJo doll.

 

 

 

Looks far too smart - and about 80Ibs too slim...

 

Bear here.....

More architrave today - slow work because of the uneven walls and the need to scribe one of the verticals to an adjacent wall.  Task "ongoing" - with much still to do.....

 

I did have a bit of a result - a snipe bid on the 'bay was successful, and at a nice bit under the max price I bid.  Tick

BG

Edited May 13, 2023 by polybear

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, PupCam said:

Irrespective of any statistics, the blxxdy things* are far too prevalent around here as determined by the Mk 1 eyeball and often, for no good reason other than to inflate egos and compensate for perceived lack of dimension in the groinage department.

One useful thing with all the Mondeos and similar sized BMW saloons is that if one leaves a roadside parking space I can definitely get in, as my baby Range Rover is so much shorter. Same width over the mirrors as a Ford Focus too. It is taller though. 

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

Lock 'em in the Garage and let them amuse themselves....

I didn’t lock  them in but when the nieces last came they did enjoy a visit to the garage. They didn’t seem too interested in the trains but they loved the Scalextric. The younger one aged six soon got the car lapping nicely. 

[jamie92208]

Some pages ago there was talk about authors who used language well. Can nominate a certain Winston Spencer Churchill.  His prose is very descriptive.  I offer one paragraph from vol1 of his history of WW2, The Gathering Storm. 

 

"Thereafter mighty forces were adrift, the void was open, and into that void after a pause there strode a maniac of ferocious genius, the repository and expression of the most virulent hatreds that have ever corroded the human breast - Corporal Hitler." 

 

Jamie

Edited May 13, 2023 by jamie92208

[Ozexpatriate]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

second tier chocolatiers for the tourist trade

Like the ubiquitous, (perhaps soon to be) no longer made in Switzerland, Toblerone?

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Accuracy

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

I would have to resort to Belgian chocolates rather than Swiss. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to appreciate the differences, though when fed some samples of Belgian premium choccies as part of a sales pitch, must admit they tasted rather nice. 

I may have mentioned it before but the freshness of chocolates not made to be shelf stable makes a world of difference. Many years ago, a colleague brought a box of fresh chocolates back from a chocolaterie in Paris for everyone in the office to share.

 

Presumably with my colleagues "watching their figures" it sat there and try as I might I couldn't keep away from it. It was night and day from so-called premium chocolate (even from Swiss and Belgian) brands that are designed to be shelf-stable.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

I had a bash at cheese and baked bean pasties yesterday, turned out well if I do claim so myself. More flavoursome cold than hot IMHO.

Very similar to the toasted, (sealed) sandwiches we would make with a campfire pie iron* - two slices of bread, butter (on the outside), baked beans on the inside. Nice when warm.

 

Cold sounds revolting though.

 

* Electric models are available.

[PeterBB]

23 hours ago, grandadbob said:

The thing about these 20mph zones  is that they are supposed, I believe,  to be traffic "calming" measures primarily to reduce accidents.  All well and good and I applaud anything (within reason) that helps to reduce accidents but I have found around here that the queue of drivers behind someone religiously 🤪 keeping to the limit is often anything but calm! 

Unfortunately so but there seems to be a state of over 20mph fines lately so perhaps it is best to stick to it, difficult though it may be.  The treality is that it is difficult and not necessarily environmental friendly as you normally need to be in a lower gear.

 

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

as you normally need to be in a lower gear.

 

That is one of the advantages of modern automatic gearboxes. Mine is a nine speed box so you should always be in the right gear for your road speed. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Tony_S

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Nelson had his ships manned by sailors

Which were collectively called the "crew" even in Nelson's time.

 

"Sailor" is not considered a gender specific term - and nor were many of the terms for nautical roles including the warrant officers - bosun*, coxswain*, carpenter, gunner, their mates, etc. The only real exceptions I can think of are Midshipman and cabin boy. Arguably "sailing master" is gendered but only to pedants.

 

There isn't (to the best of my knowledge) a colloquial version of "sailess" (as opposed to sailor).

 

On the other hand, Army terms were mostly gendered - infantryman, rifleman, artilleryman, cavalryman etc, though not grenadier or guard.

 

* swain comes from old Norse for "lad" but these origins are lost in time. 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Can nominate a certain Winston Spencer Churchill. 

A man of many parts, good and bad, but did express himself very well.

[iL Dottore]

43 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Like the ubiquitous, no longer made in Switzerland, Toblerone?

Not sure about that, but perhaps yes. I do see Toblerone in the (non-tourist) shops, but the amount available (in terms of display space) is but a fraction of that dedicated to Lindt, Caillier and to other Swiss chocolate makers (including the shop’s own house brands)

 

Of course the premiere Swiss chocolate, the Rolls Royce of deliciousness is Sprüngli. All their products are still handmade and use high-quality ingredients and this is reflected in the price. For example a box of 16 Grand Cru dark chocolates will set you back £34. And the chocolates you buy in their shops are meant to be eaten within a day or so of purchase (not that they ever last that long)

Edited May 13, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, iL Dottore said:

Not sure about that, but perhaps yes.

I may have jumped the gun. I remember reading a news item suggesting that the "Swiss Made" mark was to be denied to Toblerone by whatever Swiss authorities authorize it.

 

Wikipedia

Quote

Producer Mondelez planned to start additional limited production from the end of 2023 in a Slovak factory (known formerly as Figaro) in Bratislava. Swiss rules introduced in 2017 mandate that indicators of Swiss provenance such as packaging stating "Swiss" and showing images typical of Switzerland may not be used, so the bars will be labelled "created in Switzerland", and the image of the Swiss Matterhorn will be replaced by a "modernised and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic".