Early Risers.

[DaveF]

I said earlier that I "got busy".  It started after breakfast when I investigated why an old Vax in the garage didn't always work - it turned out to have an intermittent power cable problem.  In other words pull on the power cable and it stops, let go and it works.  It wasn't worth trying to fix so decided to take it to the tip.  I loaded up the car with quite a lot of treasures junk, including a big heavy plant tub.  The journey there was uneventful as usual, taking just over 10 minutes and when I arrived there were three other cars so parking was easy.  A young woman who works there had a look at what I was getting rid of to make sure I used the right skips saw the large tub and said it looked heavy so she would deal with it for me - it made me think I must look old.   Although pots and tubs go in the DIY skip there is no charge for them, unlike household DIY stuff.

 

On the way home I decided I wanted a quick walk so detoured by about half a mile to the nature reserve where once again there were only three other cars parked and had a walk.  There were a lot of orchids, I think thousands rather than hundreds, a couple of photos below.  I find them hard to identify as they interbreed a lot so there are many intermediate forms.  I spent about 20 minutes there.  Even when I was a biology student I could never identify orchids very well - nor could the lecturers.

 

Then instead of turning round to come home I continued on the road past Seaton Delaval Hall (National Trust), getting to the entrance about 5 minutes after it opened so went for another walk and took more photos there.  The rhododendrons and azaleas were in flower, as was the laburnum walk.  More photos below.  By now it was coffee time and it was just warm enough to enjoy coffee and a cheese scone outdoors listening to the birds.

 

Back home I did more garage tidying, there is now enough space to bring down most of the things currently in the loft I want to keep and need to get at easily which will save having to go up and down the loft ladder which doesn't get any easier as the years pass.

 

Then it was lunch - scrambled eggs followed by sorting out the photos.  As I hadn't really expected to go anywhere today I only had my phone with me, I am always surprised how well the photos come out.

 

Common spotted orchid

 

Northern marsh orchid

 

Seaton Delaval Hall foxgloves and rhododendron

 

Seaton Delaval Hall azalea

 

Seaton Delaval Hall laburnum walk

 

Seaton Delaval Hall rhododendron

 

Seaton Delaval Hall gardens

 

David

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Despite the sunshine the hay fever means I have to stay indoors, not that that is too much of a bind as the house is quite cool indoors. There's plenty to do and a couple of Model Railway magazines are to be read.

[PhilJ W]

14 minutes ago, DaveF said:

I said earlier that I "got busy".  It started after breakfast when I investigated why an old Vax in the garage didn't always work - it turned out to have an intermittent power cable problem.  In other words pull on the power cable and it stops, let go and it works.  It wasn't worth trying to fix so decided to take it to the tip.  I loaded up the car with quite a lot of treasures junk, including a big heavy plant tub.  The journey there was uneventful as usual, taking just over 10 minutes and when I arrived there were three other cars so parking was easy.  A young woman who works there had a look at what I was getting rid of to make sure I used the right skips saw the large tub and said it looked heavy so she would deal with it for me - it made me think I must look old.   Although pots and tubs go in the DIY skip there is no charge for them, unlike household DIY stuff.

 

On the way home I decided I wanted a quick walk so detoured by about half a mile to the nature reserve where once again there were only three other cars parked and had a walk.  There were a lot of orchids, I think thousands rather than hundreds, a couple of photos below.  I find them hard to identify as they interbreed a lot so there are many intermediate forms.  I spent about 20 minutes there.  Even when I was a biology student I could never identify orchids very well - nor could the lecturers.

 

Then instead of turning round to come home I continued on the road past Seaton Delaval Hall (National Trust), getting to the entrance about 5 minutes after it opened so went for another walk and took more photos there.  The rhododendrons and azaleas were in flower, as was the laburnum walk.  More photos below.  By now it was coffee time and it was just warm enough to enjoy coffee and a cheese scone outdoors listening to the birds.

 

Back home I did more garage tidying, there is now enough space to bring down most of the things currently in the loft I want to keep and need to get at easily which will save having to go up and down the loft ladder which doesn't get any easier as the years pass.

 

Then it was lunch - scrambled eggs followed by sorting out the photos.  As I hadn't really expected to go anywhere today I only had my phone with me, I am always surprised how well the photos come out.

 

Common spotted orchid

 

Northern marsh orchid

 

Seaton Delaval Hall foxgloves and rhododendron

 

Seaton Delaval Hall azalea

 

Seaton Delaval Hall laburnum walk

 

Seaton Delaval Hall rhododendron

 

Seaton Delaval Hall gardens

 

David

What are those purple flowering plants either side of the laburnum walk?

[polybear]

39 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I will clean the car soon and make sure I put my UK sticker on. 
I know I don’t need breathalysers for France now. I have all the yellow vests and warning triangle as before. Has anything else changed. 

 

Worth looking at the RAC website - here's one:

 

Clean air sticker: You need a Crit'Air sticker displayed on your car when travelling to certain cities. It costs £3.60 and drivers face an on-the-spot fine of almost £120 if they don’t have one.

 

23 minutes ago, DaveF said:

I said earlier that I "got busy".  It started after breakfast when I investigated why an old Vax in the garage didn't always work - it turned out to have an intermittent power cable problem.  In other words pull on the power cable and it stops, let go and it works.  It wasn't worth trying to fix so decided to take it to the tip. 

 

I suspect too late now, but I've fixed several hoovers like that by chopping the last 3" of mains cable off just before the plug** then re-wiring it - if the cable is pulled & flexed a lot where it goes into the plug you can get an intermittent contact.

 

(**Unplugging it first is a good scheme......)

 

23 minutes ago, DaveF said:

Although pots and tubs go in the DIY skip there is no charge for them, unlike household DIY stuff.

 

 

Do they charge for dumping stuff in the DIY skip then?

 

19 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Despite the sunshine the hay fever means I have to stay indoors, 

 

Would wearing an N95 dust mask (as per Covid) help at all?

[iL Dottore]

Going back to the cost of eating out.
 

After posting I thought that perhaps because the Thai Restaurant was so highly recommended it was so expensive and maybe we were there on an off night so the food didn’t match the price. OK, so what about our usual sort of “almost” indulgence (pizza, salad and beer)?

 

I looked for a pizzeria with an online menu. Found one, which looked pretty “average” (not posh, not el cheapo), so i totted up the costs of our usual:

 

Mrs iD

Pizza Fiorentina: SFr 18.50

Mixed Salad: SFr 9.50

Lager (3dL) SFr 4.20

Espresso SFr 4.50

iD

Pizza Diavolo: SFr 20:50

Mixed Salad: SFr 9.50

Schneider Hefenweissbier Original (5dL) SFr 7.50

Espresso SFr 4.50

 
For a Total of SFr 64.10 - so about £65 quid for two….

 

Bottom line: the pandemic really has pushed up the price of eating out…

 

Ironically, perhaps, on Wednesday I’ll be eating in a Michelin starred Ramen Restaurant in Tokyo - spending a whopping ¥1200/bowl (so about £7 for a Michelin starred lunch)

[DaveF]

45 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

What are those purple flowering plants either side of the laburnum walk?

 

Alliums (onion family).

 

36 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I suspect too late now, but I've fixed several hoovers like that by chopping the last 3" of mains cable off just before the plug** then re-wiring it - if the cable is pulled & flexed a lot where it goes into the plug you can get an intermittent contact.

 

(**Unplugging it first is a good scheme......)

 

 

Do they charge for dumping stuff in the DIY skip then?

 

Sadly the cable was loose at the vacuum end not the plug end.

 

Yes they do charge for DIY waste.   

From Northumberland County Council web site:

"What are the charges?

Bag*/Sheet**/ Equivalent £2.75

A fully loaded vehicle of loose material will be charged a maximum as follows:

Standard car / hatchback £16.50

Trailer less than 5 ft £27.50

Estate/ Small van/ 4x4/Pickup £27.50

Trailer longer than 5ft £55 plus £11 per foot and less than 9ft 10in foot over 5ft to a max £110 for 9ft - 9ft 10 trailer

Transit van £110

If your vehicle is not mentioned here, the equivalent category will be chosen. • Please don’t empty your vehicle until payment has been made. • Charges are non-negotiable and the decision of the Site Manager will be final. • On arrival the site attendant will inspect the items you want to tip, and advise you of the charge and take the payment. • Charges will be based on a bag*, sheet**, bag equivalent, fully loaded vehicle or 1/4 , ½, or ¾ loaded vehicle. • There are bag equivalents for loose materials, which will be determined by the Site Attendant."

 

David

[AndyID]

Some interesting news items in the US today 😀

[polybear]

24 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Going back to the cost of eating out.
 

After posting I thought that perhaps because the Thai Restaurant was so highly recommended it was so expensive and maybe we were there on an off night so the food didn’t match the price. OK, so what about our usual sort of “almost” indulgence (pizza, salad and beer)?

 

I looked for a pizzeria with an online menu. Found one, which looked pretty “average” (not posh, not el cheapo), so i totted up the costs of our usual:

 

Mrs iD

Pizza Fiorentina: SFr 18.50

Mixed Salad: SFr 9.50

Lager (3dL) SFr 4.20

Espresso SFr 4.50

iD

Pizza Diavolo: SFr 20:50

Mixed Salad: SFr 9.50

Schneider Hefenweissbier Original (5dL) SFr 7.50

Espresso SFr 4.50

 
For a Total of SFr 64.10 - so about £65 quid for two….

 

Bottom line: the pandemic really has pushed up the price of eating out…

 

Ironically, perhaps, on Wednesday I’ll be eating in a Michelin starred Ramen Restaurant in Tokyo - spending a whopping ¥1200/bowl (so about £7 for a Michelin starred lunch)

 

Firstly, Alexa tells me that SFr 64 is actually £56, so not quite as bad.  And iD's sumz are a bit off cos I make the total SFr 78.7 (£69.33).

 

As a comparison, Bear will be visiting the usual Muddle Engineer's haunt for Lunch next week (a nice Foodie Pub) where it's quite likely I'll be having:

 

Gammon & Pineapple, Egg, Chips, Peas, Onion Rings £13.95

Peppercorn Sauce £1.75

Signature Side Salad £3.25  (Er, no I won't - but I've added it in as a fair comparison) 

Pint of Lemonade & Blackcurrant £3.00 (??)

An Espresso is £2.45 (but not for this Bear......)

 

- so £24.40, meaning a meal for two would be around the fifty quid mark, so not a million miles of iD's din dins.

 

However, eighteen quid for a Pizza Diavolo would make this Bear wince** - but after checking out the Pizza prices on Pizza Hut it seems some of them are not that far away.

 

(** I don't buy Pizza in a UK Restaurant now that I've stopped work - and in those days the Firm was paying anyway so didn't much care what they cost; I can only go by Venice Pizza prices and I don't recall spending that amount).

 

12 minutes ago, DaveF said:

Yes they do charge for DIY waste.   

From Northumberland County Council web site:

"What are the charges?

Bag*/Sheet**/ Equivalent £2.75

A fully loaded vehicle of loose material will be charged a maximum as follows:

Standard car / hatchback £16.50

Trailer less than 5 ft £27.50

Estate/ Small van/ 4x4/Pickup £27.50

Trailer longer than 5ft £55 plus £11 per foot and less than 9ft 10in foot over 5ft to a max £110 for 9ft - 9ft 10 trailer

Transit van £110

 

 

Ouch.  Is there much of a problem with fly tipping in the area?

[polybear]

Just now, AndyID said:

Some interesting news items in the US today 😀

 

Couldn't have happened to a nicer Guy.  Always thought he was a Commie Spy.......🤣

Things could get interesting.

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

What are those purple flowering plants either side of the laburnum walk?

 

Look like one of the Alliums. There are quite a few varieties so its difficult to say which one I'm afraid.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Winslow Boy
Beaten to it

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Sounds like they could have made a sharp exit around 1746.

Perhaps they were transported?

 

Online references are more fragmentary than cohesive, but some (1745) Jacobites were transported to the North American colonies - though not in large numbers.

 

Others were sent to Caribbean colonies.

 

Many of the references are like this one:

Quote

Overall, the best estimates indicate Scottish courts transported somewhere between seven- and eight-hundred Scots out of Britain to North America up until 1775.

 

There is evidence of earlier transportation (after the Jacobite rising of 1715) as well.

 

EDIT:

Of course larger numbers were (semi)-voluntary immigrants. This article is interesting but the top line number of 145,000 feels large to me, though other published sources do estimate 150,000*.

Quote

Many of the Scots who had taken part in the Jacobite Rebellion were pardoned on condition that they would leave the realm - by 1749 more than a thousand had accepted this condition, and of those many found homes in the upper Cape Fear River area of North Carolina.

 

* Without distinction between free/indentured/transported

 

It makes me wonder just how many of them might have accepted the conditions of indentures to pay for their passage.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Clarifications / additions

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

I investigated why an old Vax in the garage didn't always work

I'm guessing this is not a computer made by DEC in the 1980s.

 

You needed much more than a power cable to make them run. The 11/780 where I worked needed it's own chiller and a gaseous fire suppression system - just in case.

[DaveF]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

Ouch.  Is there much of a problem with fly tipping in the area?

 

No, I think the rules are applied quite sensibly and most people seem to get a local firm in to do jobs who use a skip.  Some DIYers also use skips.

 

DIY waste is just soil, rubble, laminate flooring, window panes, bathroom and kitchen fittings, tiles, slates, plasterboard, slabs and garden sheds.  Most Wood, hard plastics and metals can just go into the relevant skips if not from businesses.

 

David

[DaveF]

2 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I'm guessing this is not a computer made by DEC in the 1980s.

 

You needed much more than a power cable to make them run. The 11/780 where I worked needed it's own chiller and a gaseous fire suppression system - just in case.

 

Nothing so exotic.  Vax here in the UK is a vacuum cleaner brand, so just an ordinary 13A supply.

 

David

[polybear]

Bear here.....

The next stage of the College project has been planned (a clamp to secure the Saw Table to a bench) - and suitable items that'll also be required have been identified on the 'bay and will be ordered shortly.

 

Then the Sainsbugs Driver appeared as promised with Bear's order - whilst it makes a lot of sense from an environmental point of view to deliver everything loose rather than in bags it don't 'arf make delivery a right PITA, being presented with numerous crates on the doorstep and having to unload them into the hallway and onto the lower stairs.  All seemed fine except for the so-called Baking Potatoes (bought loose in order to save a poly bag) - some of them were certainly no bigger than a Snooker Ball at best; I discovered later that I could've binned them back to the driver but didn't know that at the time - still, since the whole lot came to 38p I reckon I can cope with the disappointment.....😄

 

BG

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, DaveF said:

Vax here in the UK is a vacuum cleaner brand

Thanks Dave. I assumed it was a vacuum cleaner, but I didn't know it was a brand.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

Some interesting news items in the US today 😀

Have you reading up on the White House visit by the UK PM Andy? Predictably, POTUS couldn't get the pronunciation of his name right.

 

Or mourning the passing of former presidential candidate* Pat Robertson?

 

* Amongst other things.

 

Or perhaps this "travel" article:

CNN: British food: 20 best dishes

 

I'm kidding of course. There literally appears to be one story right now. Even Ukraine and the wildfire smoke is 'below the fold'.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Added the link to "The strange foods that British people actually eat"

[pH]

57 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Couldn't have happened to a nicer Guy.  Always thought he was a Commie Spy.......🤣

Things could get interesting.

‘Interesting’ could turn out to have several meanings in this context, not all of them necessarily desirable.

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I'm guessing this is not a computer made by DEC in the 1980s.

 

You needed much more than a power cable to make them run. The 11/780 where I worked needed it's own chiller and a gaseous fire suppression system - just in case.

 

Some years before that I was writing code for a very much smaller machine dubbed Brand-X that I built from PDP-16 bits. The best thing is I was actually being paid to do it (although not very much). 😀

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We will heading south and easterly next week . So I have been sorting out all the documents we need. Of course the ones I couldn’t find were where I thought they were but on my initial search I had missed them. We haven’t needed all the documents and travel insurance policies for a few years now. I will clean the car soon and make sure I put my UK sticker on. 
I know I don’t need breathalysers for France now. I have all the yellow vests and warning triangle as before. Has anything else changed. The travel info about taking your own dairy or meat snack seems to have become “don’t” , though bananas are permitted it would seem.  Has anyone actually had their sandwich confiscated?
One piece of info would be helpful. Do most parking payment devices still take cash? Will any accept a debit card? 
On one of the weekend days we are in France we may drive to Switzerland  to meet our Nephew and his partner who live in Zurich. We will choose somewhere between where we are and there. 
Tony

You seem to have got everything Tony I've not researched the critair sticker  though.  Yes parking meter do take coins but many of them also do contact less and or chip and pin.  I think that the same is trues for motorway tolls but I'm not sure as we have a transponder and pay by direct debit. That even worked in Antwerp for a tunnel toll. 

 

Bon voyage. 

 

Jamie

[Ozexpatriate]

I can't get the hang of today being Friday. For some reason I keep thinking it is Saturday, even though I know it is not.

 

We've had more than three weeks of bone dry (and mostly warmer than average) weather and grass pollen counts were very high. Late last night some debris clouds from mountain thunderstorms brought raindrops, though according to the late night weather forecast, most of them were evaporating before reaching the ground. Day broke to light rain. It is pleasantly cool, which is a welcome change, and everything looks damp and green.

 

I needed a rain jacket for my walk today for the first time in what felt like many weeks.

 

Warmer, dry weather is forecast to return for the weekend.

[Ian Abel]

POETS... very late check-in.

 

Yesterday busy at work quiet otherwise.

Today much of the same. Rather a lot of tedious ongoing work on reports.

 

Weekend is variably busy.

Tomorrow morning been requested to help Trevor install a new thermostat, then late afternoon we're off to a back-yard party with some friends.

Sunday, will be woken early (5:30am) as Jemma will be dropping off Whitney and off for a six day trip.

 

Other than that, probably some to-do items and maybe a nap if we're lucky! 🤪

 

Weather 16c partly sunny first thing, 28c the expected high, night-time thunderstorms possible.

 

Have a good start to the weekend.

 

[Coombe Barton]

... On vaccinations (from yesterday), that’s an estimated 1.15 million (or more) unboosted free roaming 75 year olds ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/06/09/zoe-data-back-and-up-and-a-delusional-departed/ 

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, AndyID said:

Some interesting news items in the US today 😀

But HILLARY had emails on the WRONG server!

 

Lock her up.

Edited June 9, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Or perhaps this "travel" article:

CNN: British food: 20 best dishes

 

Seems remarkably accurate:

 

"Jellied Eels:

Imagine the biggest slug you’ve ever seen. Then imagine eating it."

 

(And no, Bear never has - or ever, EVER will.  Period.  I'll give up LDC first.)

 

In other news......

Bojo has thrown in the towel - expect him down the Dole Office on Monday.

 

And finally.....

A Guy in the audience on (I think) Question Time last night said that the last person in The Big House with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes 🤣.  Seems about right.

 

BG

Edited June 9, 2023 by polybear