Early Risers.

[polybear]

Bear here.....

Awake since silly o'clock (04.30), eventually giving up about an hour later and climbed out of the Beary Pit.

Today sees Mickey being washed, then it'll be MIUABGAD - which may well involve some leccy work in the H/S/L (fitting some of the new switches and sockets) as well as planning what sizes of beading I need and how best to fit them; I'll also start pondering (and perhaps cutting) the skirting and dado rail for the Landing - fortunately these are all straight runs so it should merely be a case of cutting to the correct length, though in Bear Castle very little is ever actually straight n' square so I've a sneaky feeling it won't be quite as easy as that.

BG.

[jamie92208]

10 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

I am VERY trying ...

According to a person not too far away, I'm also very trying. 

 

Good moaning from a sunny Charente.  The market was visited yesterday and in the afternoon the ironing was done to the sounds of both sides of Revolver and side 1 of Yellow Submarine.  I just had to hear George Harrison superb guitar riff on Hey Bulldog.  

 

This morning it's the French class and at present there are no plans for this afternoon. 

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Good luck @Erichill16!

 

Oh dear! A local team has been relegated.. how sad.. not!

 

Not sure if I want to go and watch youngest Herbert play this afternoon at the local Pudsey cricket Derby. Problem being I would spend my time observing the umpires..

 

We are off to Derbyshire tomorrow for an overb60s game. The home county can't provide teas (enquiries are being made about how nuch funding  they receive from their county cricket board. A long way to go for zero food...

 

Paintwork completed y3sterday 4 nice maroon coloured boxes to carry things which run on parallel straps of nickel silver. Next up.. fixing electronic based controllers for aforementioned items which run on parallel straps of nickel silver.

 

Time for my mugatea then breakfast.

 

Enjoy your day!

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Another do s0d all day beckons, same as many of late. There is a bit of washing to put on the driers and if the weather reports are anything to go by some of the washing can go outside. Time to get things moving, be back later.

[polybear]

Bear here....

Mickey shines again.  Tick.

I tested the new car wash brush for the first time:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385420951491

Early impressions are that it'll excellent - Mickey washed in around 45 minutes, which is pretty good going for this Bear (it was a basic wash, not including door/bonnet/hatchback shuts etc.).  Now to see just how quick the Sh1tehawks cover it in cr@p again....🤬

Right, H/S/L work beckons....

BG

[DaveF]

 

I was an early riser but I decided to get on with things first thing as I needed to go out shopping.

 

The shopping was for a bag of compost so I could finish planting a few plants in tubs, somehow I've come back withmore plants, I think they must have climbed into the trolley while my back was turned.  I also had a nice walk along the river towards the top end of the harbour and saw a couple of offshore support ships.

 

Next is coffee then the garden.

 

David

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Like yesterday, I came straight outside to carry on with the workshop repairs. The west wall has been sanded and I'm currently sat on the bench under the workshop window having a well earned muggertea. Time to get back to work, back later. 

 

Brian 

[Erichill16]

14 minutes ago, BSW01 said: I'm currently sat on the bench. 

I’m currently sat on the bench….

Brian 

Im currently sat on a bus stuck in traffic.

[TheQ]

I'm sat in a chair downloading ms office, as the dvd supplied failed....

Tis windy outside mostly grey but the sun has come out.

 

[Erichill16]

Still stuck and are further away from the stadium then when i last posted.

[TheQ]

Download complete, I'm informed there is a task to do outside..

I may be sometime.

 

[Tony_S]

26 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Still stuck and are further away from the stadium then when i last posted.

Are you there yet?
I just looked at the traffic map on Google and it does look busy! I also looked at the traffic heading into Southend. That looks really bad too. It will get worse if the sun comes out as promised later. We aren’t going to the seaside today, Aditi is gardening and I have been asked to put up a new blind in the bathroom. I need to go,and find the correct bits for drilling into tiles. Unfortunately I know where they are so no excuses.

[TheQ]

The task is to remove a wall, it's the last bit of an old pig sty. About 10ft by 5ft tall.

Its removal will create two vehicle sized parking spaces, though likely to be used for the box trailer and boat trailer.

Working my way from its former gate post, the top three layers are comparatively modern post 1840 bricks, but as I've gone down the wall, they are now wider and thinner.

They appear to be held together by habit. The lime mortar has given up all grip and seems to have a very high sand content.

 

I've stopped for the day, as the jungle needs cutting down further along the wall.

 

The refreshments and front door monies have been totalled up. The secondhand stall will be done tomorrow, looks good so far, but I haven't got the refreshment costs.

 

The battle with ms office has been completed, the supplier ended up issuing a new key. 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

The task is to remove a wall, it's the last bit of an old pig sty. About 10ft by 5ft tall.

Working my way from its former gate post, the top three layers are comparatively modern post 1840 bricks, but as I've gone down the wall, they are now wider and thinner.

They appear to be held together by habit. The lime mortar has given up all grip and seems to have a very high sand content.

 

Sounds like the bricks may be well worth saving, either for using or selling.

[TheQ]

I suspect they'll match the well I'm going to rebuild, so they may get used in the visible part of the well, along with the sunburst tile/ bricks I've found.

[DaveF]

It's been another fine sunny day and just warm enough not to need a jacket when walking outdoors.  The wind is off the sea again.

 

I had my coffee as I said I would in my previous post, then I caught up with e mails and looked at a video in which someone has incorporated some of my photos, with permission.  I also started a crossword.  After my usual salad lunch I went in the garden for a while and did odds and ends, including watering the new plants, they will go in the tubs tomorrow once they are used to being outside in the fresh air.  The plants I have planted out recently also needed a drink.

 

I've sorted through the ornamanents in the house, both mine and the ones from Mum's last year and have put some away in a box, for now it is in the loft along with others while I decide which to keep, which to sell (if I can find a buyer) and which to give to a charity shop.  The rooms look somewhat better though I think that more will go in due course.  I also at long last sorted through a pile of cards which have been sent to me in the last 12 months for sympathy, birthday and Christmas.  I had put them on top of some books and forgotten about them - I suppose that says something about how often I look at some books on the bottom shelf of bookcases.

 

Then it was time for a cuppa and to water the greenhouse plants.  In a day or two some plants will need moving round to make sure they all have enough space, the tomatoes in particular are growing very quickly.

 

Later on I may watch a bit of TV and read again - I like peaceful evenings.

 

David

[The Lurker]

Commiserations to Erichill.

 

it’s gutting to lose the playoff final. Been there, done that…

[Erichill16]

Excellent atmosphere but in the end only the result matter and my lucky underpants have let me down. Just hope I'm not involved in an accident on the way home!

Going to be long journey home as the De-da’s will be going the same way.

Que Sera Sera as the song goes.

[Coombe Barton]

... Today moving stuff round in home to make room ... not all that successfully ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/05/29/down-more-and-was-the-appointment-too-good/

[Erichill16]

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Are you there yet?
 

We got parked up at 1:15 (5 hours after leaving Barnsley) so had chance to lubricate the tonsils and voice box before ko. Seem to have lost my voice, swbo will be pleased.

Still trying to get out of the wembly part of the smoke. Its going to be a really really late night!

The Red  Army in full voice.

Got a rather pleasing video as well. 

[polybear]

Bear here.....

An afternoon of leccy work in on the Landing - it's amazing just how much difference the fitting of new switches & sockets can make, along with baseplates.  I've also pondered the requirements for various timber moulding profiles that'll be needed to finish off the architrave installations, as well as some pvc trunking to hide the main leccy cables from the meter (on the outside wall) to the Consumer Unit. - a shopping list now exists.

 

In other news....

Spurred on by recent posts (from @iL Dottore, @Gwiwer and others) featuring various gastronomic exploits I decided that it was time that Bear raised the stakes somewhat.  So here's today's offering:

 

 

lt starts off as a Goodfellas Stonebaked Thin Garlic Bread (Pizza)** which is then spread with Tomato Puree, topped with half a tin of chopped Tomatoes then grated Mozzarella Cheese.  Then there's some sliced onion, pieces of Gorgonzola Cheese and an egg in the middle.  Finish off with some Chilli Oil then cook for about 15 minutes in a fan oven at 190C; the curly fries (190C for about 22m) go on after the pizza is cooked.

Downsides?  It never seems to last long enough.....

Oh yes, and there's a choccy bikky chaser to follow.

 

(** Not a normal "buy" but occasionally appears as a part of a Co-op Freezer Special - a Pizza, Garlic Bread, Wedges, Onion Rings & tub of ice cream for six quid - which is a result).

 

Michelin Stars here I come.......

[Tony_S]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

the curly fries

I have had all kinds of oven chips but I don’t honestly ever recall having a curly fry. Apart from the shape do they have any other special characteristics?

[polybear]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I have had all kinds of oven chips but I don’t honestly ever recall having a curly fry. Apart from the shape do they have any other special characteristics?

 

Yumminess....

[Ozexpatriate]

17 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I don’t honestly ever recall having a curly fry. Apart from the shape do they have any other special characteristics?

As they are thinner than 'traditional' British chips they are usually crispier.

 

The basic forms here:

• Steak fries (thick cut, think British chips)
• Curly fries
• Waffle cut fries
• Matchstick / frites (think fast food with a Scottish name)
• Tater tots (left overs from the processing plant formed, approximately, into little cylinders - don't knock them 'til you've tried them)
• Nasty extruded crinkle 'cut'
• Kettle chips (thick crisps)*

 

* Not oven chips

 

There are probably more.

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Erichill16]

Nearly home, well we’re on the M1, in a queue .