Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

5 hours solid sleep the about an hour in various bits.

 

Ben the I want out Collie has taken me on patrol, heavy dew, clear blue skies, light breeze.

 

Plans for today,

first battling with BT email system to stop double security access every time I want to access an email.

Some more checking of our show accounts.

Then I might wave the angle grinder at the pig sty wall.

 

Time to get the details of stopping BTs stupidity .

Edited June 14, 2023 by TheQ

[grandadbob]

Good morning all, 

Blue skies, sunshine and it's very warm already and will get hotter, up to 29°C possibly.

Restless night due to the heat and having to get up a couple of times, possibly because of my beer intake last night.  A splendid evening was had and even improved for the last hour when Joe made it after work.

My parcel from the Widnes emporium never arrived, it's coming from them via Amazon Shipping which I've not used before...and probably won't again.  Tale of its journey so far:

Monday, 12 June

16:19

Package picked up

17:03

Package arrived at the carrier facility
Chester, UK

19:31

Package has left the carrier facility
Chester, UK

21:43

Package arrived at the carrier facility
Saint Helens, Merseyside, UK

Tuesday, 13 June

19:31

Package has left the carrier facility
Saint Helens, Merseyside, UK

Wednesday, 14 June

02:20

Package arrived at the carrier facility
MILTON KEYNES, Buckinghamshire, UK

03:44

Package has left the carrier facility
MILTON KEYNES, Buckinghamshire, UK

07:18

Package arrived at the carrier facility
CROYDON, London, UK

 

Hopefully it should get here today but next time I think I'll pay the extra three pound note coins and get them to send it via DPD.

 

The Boss has just asked my intentions for today....er I think I'm waiting in for a parcel!

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited June 14, 2023 by grandadbob

[BoD]

Interesting photographs, Rick.

That mine complex looks quite extensive.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Another bright and sunny start to the day here in the northwest corner of England, where the temperature is currently 18C. My first task is to glue the 3 new pieces that I cut for the workshop door and then leave them to set. After dinner, I’ll trim them to size so that the door will close properly when I rehang the door. Whilst the glue is setting the plan is to have a good look at a location for a sump pump and exactly what will be needed to fit one. 
 

I forgot to mention last night, that I went out again to Sainsbury’s to finish off the shopping from Monday night, which had been cut short due to the shop flooding. Whilst doing so, I bumped into an old work colleague, whom I’d not seen for almost 20 years. He and I ended up chatting for probably around 30 minutes, it was nice to catch up with him, he is one of life’s ‘nice’ guys. 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[TheSignalEngineer]

19 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

The problem wasn't so much leaking walls, it was that the vaults were below the water table.

Plenty of fun with that as the indusrial scene changed. There were several major private boreholes including Ansells brewery and the railway. The GWR had one at Hockley which fed all of their sites through Snow Hill, Moor Street and Bordesley to Tyseley shed. The LNWR had a ring main witb a borehole at Perry Barr which fed everything on the two routes from there to New Street including Aston and Monument Lane goods and loco sheds, Vauxhall, Monument Lane and Winson Green carriage sidings and Curzon Street  goods yard as well as smaller sites. It had a second feed at one time by the Queens Hotel according to my grandad. When steam ended and other railway sites were put onto the city. supplies  the water table in Birmingham rose by at least a foot, flooding the basements of many properties.

The LNWR one gave me a bit of fun a few years later. During a project meeting for some track renewals at New Street the civil engineer produced a preliminary survey plan including trial hole findings. There had been some concern as over the years a number of instances of running sand had been found in the station area. All test holes seemed OK except for one. Not sand but a metallic sound when an obstruction was hit. The PM asked me if I had any ideas as my ancestors and I had been continuously involved in the place for over 100 years. I made three suggestions, one being the LNWR water main but my memory was of that being about 15ft to the north. A second was that it could be part of the frame supports for No.5 box as the track there wasn't put in until the box was demolished in 1966. Now for the Wild Card. The original box was replaced after taking a direct hit during the blitz. My grandad was sheltering in Suffolk Street tunnel at the time and he told me that when they came out there were a couple of UXBs found by the box. There are some gaps in the crater pattern, I hope they found all of the ones that didn't go off. Fortunately the second suggestion was the right one.

Edited June 14, 2023 by TheSignalEngineer

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Temperature indoors was 27C. again last night and again I slept well. I will have completed 75 laps of the sun in just over 3 weeks time so I'm getting my funeral arrangements sorted out. Keeping  it simple, just a cremation and a simple ceremony when my ashes are scattered. I hope that I've got a few more years yet before that happens.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, scorchio again.

 

Currently on hold with HMRC NI......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[grandadbob]

Yippee!  My parcel is on the move and has departed Croydon and is scheduled to be here between 12.30 and 2.30. It is possible that I will be visiting The Shed to wave a soldering iron about after lunch.....as long as it's not too hot down there.

[DaveF]

 

After breakfast I had a look at the garden spray chrysanthemums in their small pots and decided that planting them out really couldn't be delayed any longer as they are growing quickly.  The whole job didn't take too long, I was finished by just after 10.00.  Then I gave them a good watering, in a week or two they will need staking.

 

I spent the rest of the morning sorting out the remaining photos from yesterday, a few are below showing part of my journey and Cragside yesterday.  I have put the details in the captions.

 

Forestburn Ford This is the third ford along the road, the water level is low just now as it is so dry.  The road steepens considerably just round the corner, it is usually impossible in icy weather.  The gradient behind me is also steep.

 

Rothbury on a fairly busy day.  The shops are just behind me.

 

Gragside formal garden looking south.  The road is the "main road" heading south.

 

Cragside clocktower.  This was featured recently in a TV programme about the National Trust.

 

 

Cragside, view from the formal garden over part of Rothbury to the Simonsides.

 

Cragside a small part of the formal garden.

 

Hopfully some more later.

 

David

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

Skipping has occurred due to a surfiet of eBay - but it has to be said that I have over 2000 reasons for being there more than here.

 

Both 30747 and I went to our lady fangmeister today - wow - both came away with a treatment plan, and 40 minute appointments next month - but luckily it is still NHS treatment, so not going to cost an arm and a leg.

 

Not a lot more to report - just going to prepare us both a G&T - we have both decided that on a hot day it is a very refreshing drink.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

The BT battle commenced with, .... You have had two many attempts at log in, try again in 20 minutes

25 minutes later... You have had two many attempts at log in, try again in 20 minutes.

Hmm since I hadn't tried to log in, what was causing it?

Went round house, two laptops, two phones, two tablets, one main PC, made sure they were all switched off...

30 minutes later switched on , immediately tried too access bt email web site, got in.

Went to allow the above without 2 level security, found it was possible to turn it off entirely, did so.

 

Then went to a lap top, got in, changed email setting , it loaded up the email back log.

Then loaded club show spread sheet immediately spotted the problem, = Sum(19G:49G) was producing the wrong result,  replaced it with = (19G+29G+39G+49G) that worked , sums now correct.

 

Took Ben for his long walk, the long route has changed, but only in a vertical direction!!

Another section has had its pot holes filled and one of those was over a foot deep.

Then further out into the marshes, a front loader was dumping a mixture of gravel, soil and brick rubble, then a bulldozer was leveling and compacting it to a dept of over a foot.!!

This is probably the biggest work done on those tracks since they were built, and they are probably Saxon / Danelaw period tracks. It must be costing the farmer a fair amount, which makes me wonder what the benefit is to him.

 

Only one laptop left to update the settings on now..

 

Drove the little red car round the garden. Getting batteries charged, and with a little constant light braking while driving, cleaned up brakes.

 

An eyelid inspection is required..

[iL Dottore]

Some time ago, I had posted on this thread that whilst doing some research for my holiday in Japan, I stumbled on something called “ポリベア 失われた日本の時代” “Poribea ushinawareta Nihon no jidai” (polybear the lost Japanese years)

Now The Bear strenuously denied it (well, he would, wouldn’t he?). So imagine my surprise when I found this documentary evidence of @polybear’s time in Japan:

Not only was he being paid big bucks to flog Nikka whiskey to the Japanese (the Japanese love what they call “Kawai” [cute]), but according to my impeccable Japanese sources, he was also paid in kind and was so badly behaved that he was kicked out of the country and now is Ursus Non Grata with the Japanese government. 

 

[iL Dottore]

@polybearmay think he’d starve in Japan, but I think otherwise: the Japanese are very serious about cake:

o

but given these cakes, in terms of price, are on the order of Mercedes versus Lada, perhaps the bear will go hungry after all!

 

[froobyone]

So jealous of anyone heading to Japan.

I was lucky enough to work there in 2019 and it forever changed me. My best description is, it was like going back in time to the future. Back in time because the society still has respect and thoughtfulness and the future because I don't think there is anything you can't buy from a vending machine!

One word of caution. Don't ask the man who bows at all the buses as they leave the airport for help just as a bus leaves, or he'll look at you in a way that makes you feel like you're in a episode of Tenko!

I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Daniel

[iL Dottore]

28 minutes ago, froobyone said:

So jealous of anyone heading to Japan.

I was lucky enough to work there in 2019 and it forever changed me. My best description is, it was like going back in time to the future. Back in time because the society still has respect and thoughtfulness and the future because I don't think there is anything you can't buy from a vending machine!

One word of caution. Don't ask the man who bows at all the buses as they leave the airport for help just as a bus leaves, or he'll look at you in a way that makes you feel like you're in a episode of Tenko!

I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Daniel

And what is really amazing is how clean Japan is: streets, railway stations, even railway tracks (yes the tracks ate spotless). And all this, without many rubbish bins around (you might find one or two at the railway station, or next to a Conbini [or convenience store] and that’s about it).

 

The Japanese take the rubbish home with them for proper disposal; littering, and just throwing things away onto the ground, are Just Not Done!

Edited June 14, 2023 by iL Dottore
Typo

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Not feeling as hot as yesterday, perhaps because of the lesser humidity. Now I have to visit Tess Coes for a few essentials, be back later.

[jjb1970]

I bet you haven't noticed much graffiti in Japan....... Once of the things that now strikes me whenever I visit Europe or the US is the prevalence of graffiti. Once you get used to not seeing it, it sticks out like the eye sore it is. I know there are lovely murals in some places that are art, but most graffiti is just vandalism.

[grandadbob]

Parcel arrived intact at 14.00 but as I suspected The Shed is a bit too hot for me at the moment so trackwork has been postponed until tomorrow.   Nottalot being done but it's now time for tea  and cake.  (M & S "Connie the Caterpillar not LDC). 😁

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by grandadbob

[tigerburnie]

Made some sugar free ice lollies today, that is the sum total of my exertions, I might try eating one in a bit if I can find some energy, this heat is not something we are accustomed to in coastal NE Scotland lol.

[BoD]

Well, I have finally done it.

What? I hear you ask, whilst you bate your breath.

Much to my surprise, whilst looking after our grandson today, I was persuaded to enter a McDonald’s.  Not only enter but I was also press ganged into paying for and consuming food therein.  
 

I suppose I must, grudgingly, give credit to the person with the business acumen to think… ‘I know, I can make a fortune by getting people to queue for lukewarm crap, make them eat it off a tray or the table and then , just to rub it in, I will get them clear up afterwards too’.  Kudos.

 

[woodenhead]

14 minutes ago, BoD said:

Well, I have finally done it.

What? I hear you ask, whilst you bate your breath.

Much to my surprise, whilst looking after our grandson today, I was persuaded to enter a McDonald’s.  Not only enter but I was also press ganged into paying for and consuming food therein.  
 

I suppose I must, grudgingly, give credit to the person with the business acumen to think… ‘I know, I can make a fortune by getting people to queue for lukewarm crap, make them eat it off a tray or the table and then , just to rub it in, I will get them clear up afterwards too’.  Kudos.

 

Clearly you've not stepped into a Five Guys or Tim Hortons - same idea but actually expensive rather than feeling expensive.  For the money McDonalds (and Burger King) are good value.

[Pacific231G]

19 minutes ago, BoD said:

Well, I have finally done it.

What? I hear you ask, whilst you bate your breath.

Much to my surprise, whilst looking after our grandson today, I was persuaded to enter a McDonald’s.  Not only enter but I was also press ganged into paying for and consuming food therein.  
 

I suppose I must, grudgingly, give credit to the person with the business acumen to think… ‘I know, I can make a fortune by getting people to queue for lukewarm crap, make them eat it off a tray or the table and then , just to rub it in, I will get them clear up afterwards too’.  Kudos.

 

I am ashamed to admit that I once had a McDonalds in France ☹️

The friend I was travelling with had felt unwell that morning (hangover!) which lasted through the normal French restaurant lunchtimes (I had breakfasted so wasn't starving) but she felt better by about 2PM and we happened to see a large McD near Mantes so she begged me to stop there. The quality of the beef was rather better than in the UK and the bun was less sweetened but it seemed odd to find 25cl bottles of wine on the menu.

I later discovered though that  there are more McDonald's outlets per million people in France than in Britain so yah boo sucks to French food snobbery. 

 

Does anyone else remember when "American Hamburger" restaurants were popular in Britain (or at least in London). They weren't fast food joints- more like steakhouses but with burgers rather than steak and were licensed. They were far more upmarket than McD or BurgerKing which hadn't really reached these shores yet but, when I first visited North America I was surprised to find that such restaurants were almost unknown there though and burgers were very much fast food.

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Pacific231G

[Winslow Boy]

17 minutes ago, BoD said:

Well, I have finally done it.

What? I hear you ask, whilst you bate your breath.

Much to my surprise, whilst looking after our grandson today, I was persuaded to enter a McDonald’s.  Not only enter but I was also press ganged into paying for and consuming food therein.  
 

I suppose I must, grudgingly, give credit to the person with the business acumen to think… ‘I know, I can make a fortune by getting people to queue for lukewarm crap, make them eat it off a tray or the table and then , just to rub it in, I will get them clear up afterwards too’.  Kudos.

 

 

I can go one better than that. Fancy getting all the mayor's of the London boroughs to attend a launch of London in bloom in full regalia and not closing the branches just cording off an area within the establishment. Now that's got to be £&+(£@_&-+ for business.

[DaveF]

This afternoon i have been to a meeting about church web sites and the churches together organisation in the town.  I have managed not to get volunteered for anything but I gather I was one of the few people there who really understood what was being discussed.  I think it may be interesting when they get down what needs doing in practical terms to achieve what they want.

 

To be honest it's a long time in IT terms since I've done web design so I am going to try to stay out of it as I no longer know exactly how to do some things.

 

I am now going to have tea and then spend some time watering plants and possibly dead heading, it's not too hot here, just pleasant.

 

A few more photos below at Cragside with the rhododendrons and a view from up on Alnwick Moor.

 

Cragside looking across Nellys Moss Lake.  The lakes were made to provide water to generate electricity - Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit with hydroelectricity.  The generator was first installed in 1870, in 1880 incandescent lamps were installed, before that in 1878 there had been an arc lamp in the picture gallery.  Electricity was also used for other purposes on the estate..

 

Cragside looking along Nellys Moss Lake

 

 

Cragside Nellys Moss lake from the south

 

Boathouse on Nellys Moss north lake at Cragside

 

The view from Alnwick Moor

 

From Alnwick Moor looking to the Cheviot, using a zoom lens .

 

Edlingham viaduct and castle from Alnwick Moor.

 

David

[grandadbob]

Still very warm here, 28°C in the conservatory with doors and windows open and a bit of a breeze blowing through.  The sun is in front of the house so the back garden is now almost all in shade thanks to our neighbour's loft extensions.  In about an hour I will haul out the hose and give the flower beds a soaking.   Might also soak my insides with a cool beer shortly.