Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Just before as I was getting ready to head off to the surgery the heavens open up and we had a very heavy downpour of rain. It as so bad, I even contemplated going in the car. But the 4am suddenly stopped and the sun came out, so I put on my jacket and left. I got to the surgery 10 minutes early, so I sat and did a sudoku. I was seen pretty much on time and before I had my injection, the nurse took my blood pressure, it was 110/60 which, for someone of my age (67) is very good apparently.

 

Once home, I made a muggertea and then headed off to the workshop, the rain put paid to any outside work, so I continued working on the inspection pits. I soldered the last 4 pieces of rail together and then fitted it to the pit. These rails are code 75 flat bottomed, but the layout will use code 75 bullhead rail, so I then filed down the end of each rail of all the inspection pits, so that they will fit and connect to bullhead rail. However, the storage area of my layout will use code 100 flat bottom rail and I still had 8 pieces of code 75 flat bottom rail that hadn’t been used, so I decided to make up some transition pieces to join up all the different types together. 

 

Below is a photo showing the end result. The first 2 sleepers on left are the code 75 bullhead rail, where as the last 3 sleepers on the right are code 100 flat bottom rail.

 

Below is a photo showing 3 inspection pits, top showing the ends modified to fit bullhead sleepers, centre with rails inserted and bottom painted and weathered.

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by BSW01

[BSW01]

Baz, hope all goes well with your missus. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[jjb1970]

My thoughts and prayers are with Baz and Mrs Baz, best wishes for a positive outcome and the hospital getting its act together!

[jjb1970]

8 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I wonder how they survived until the British and French governments forced the Chinese to allow merchants to trade opium. 

 

I don't think people in Europe and the US really know how perceptions towards our countries are still influenced by history in much of the world. 

 

The opium wars are largely unknown on our side of the world, few ask the question how European countries ended up with concessions in China. 

 

That is played up by the CPC and there's no doubt a degree of chipp-ishness is a result of propagandizing but it goes much deeper than that and people in  Taiwan, Hong Kong and Anglo-Chinese tend to share much of the resentment from how China was treated in the 19th and 20th centuries. And that's before considering the trauma of the war with Japan which was a vicious war with similar barbarity to what was seen in Eastern Europe in WW2 (people are much less open about Mao's excesses and the cultural revolution for obvious reasons). And these views are very similar to how attitudes have been influenced by those eras in much of Asia, Africa and what is now called the global South.

 

We can't change history,  nor does history excuse the inexcusable in contemporary politics but it is helpful to try and study the past and understand how it still influences the modern world.

[BR60103]

This was finally carpet scrubbing day as we got a round tuit.  I spent most of the morning pushing the device back and forth and running downstairs to deal with the dirty water and filling up new clean hot water. The device is an upright and looks like a set of tanks on a vacuum cleaner -- and made by Hoover.

SWMBO saw how much work this entails and this afternoon we took the device to Goodwill.  At least I had all the extra bits and the instruction book.

Later our newspaper deliverer called.  He is looking for extra work cleaning.

I received a note from the bookstore that a book I ordered is in.  Actually two notes as I seem to have ordered it twice.

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by BR60103

[Ozexpatriate]

16 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Our meter is still read by a meter reader on a regular basis.

It depends on the meter. The electricity meter has it's own private RF network with which it 'phones home. The water meter is read by a human on a motor scooter. I have never even inspected the gas meter, but assume it has a remote transmit function of some kind. They are all located outdoors.

 

16 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

The philosophy here seems to be to maintain a lot of what might be derided as low value jobs which can easily be automated or abolished as deliberate policy to support societal cohesion and provide opportunities to those less well positioned to get more demanding jobs.

Until a couple of weeks ago it was (mostly) illegal to pump your own gas/petrol in Oregon - largely for the employment reason. 

[monkeysarefun]

22 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

The water meter is read by a human on a motor scooter.

 

 

 

(That reminds me to leave the side gate unlocked tomorrow so the electricity meter reader bloke can get in.....)

[Ozexpatriate]

35 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I don't think people in Europe and the US really know how perceptions towards our countries are still influenced by history in much of the world. 

It is largely because whatever little history might be taught is permeated with the us=good / them=questionable mindset.

 

Without being (too) political, there is a movement in the US to ban anything that might make students who are of European descent "feel bad" about the facts of US history. The people who support this movement often refer to those who support teaching actual history with terms like "woke" and "snowflakes".

[Gwiwer]

Best wishes to Baz and his good lady 

[iL Dottore]

My best wishes to Mrs Baz for a speedy resolution and successful treatment.
 

A 30cm x 20cm mass is not good news at all, no matter what the aetiology. I do hope Baz made a typo in his post and the mass is actually 30mm x 20mm - (which is concerning enough)

Edited August 31, 2023 by iL Dottore

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

It is largely because whatever little history might be taught is permeated with the us=good / them=questionable mindset.

 

Without being (too) political, there is a movement in the US to ban anything that might make students who are of European descent "feel bad" about the facts of US history. The people who support this movement often refer to those who support teaching actual history with terms like "woke" and "snowflakes".

It seems that we have nutters on both sides of the fence.
 

Why, for heaven’s sake, should I be made to feel guilty because my Roman ancestors crucified criminals (often on the flimsiest of evidence) and - when on the warpath - committed genocide/war crimes (not infrequently when a hamlet or village resisted the Romans and refused to surrender, the Romans stormed the place, killed everyone - men, women, children - looted the place, burnt it to the ground and scattered the ground with salt)?

 

Equally, what’s the point of pretending that the Romans were basically good chaps that occasionally (and regretfully) had to execute some really bad people and… well, sometimes in war some bad things happen?

 

I fail to see the point of being either morally indignant or defensive about historical events. Should we not just present the facts (all of the facts, not just those convenient to a narrative) and ask the important question: what, if anything, associated with that historical event has modern parallels or equivalents and what can we do - if anything - to avoid repeating history.

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

It depends on the meter. The electricity meter has it's own private RF network with which it 'phones home. The water meter is read by a human on a motor scooter. I have never even inspected the gas meter, but assume it has a remote transmit function of some kind. They are all located outdoors.

 

Until a couple of weeks ago it was (mostly) illegal to pump your own gas/petrol in Oregon - largely for the employment reason. 

 

For my sins I (used to) know all about remote meter reading when I worked for this outfit but that was last century. Our electricity utility co-op does a "drive by" remote read once a month. Just got the bill for last month - $75

 

Don't forget New Jersey. You can't pump your own petrol their either, or could not until recently anyway. We lived there for a while. Our daughter who still lives there might have mentioned the rules have changed a bit.

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Without being (too) political, there is a movement in the US to ban anything that might make students who are of European descent "feel bad" about the facts of US history. The people who support this movement often refer to those who support teaching actual history with terms like "woke" and "snowflakes".

Or just remove ALL information!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/29/houston-school-district-libraries-book

[BoD]

Thoughts are with Mrs Baz and Baz.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Thoughts are with Baz and Hilary.

Dull and dry start but rain is due later this morning.  A cool 12°C now and it might get up to 19°C.

After the new plant was plonked yesterday some weeding was done until The Back let me know enough was enough.  I spent some time in The Shed until The Body decided to call it a day.

One bin lorry today and that arrived at 06.30 and our usual friendly guy put the bins back tidily.  Sainsbury's have told us we're getting all our order today, quite a large one this week as The Boss is assisting with another bit of catering at the weekend....as am I as I've been asked to bake a cake.

Providing the rain doesn't arrive early we may go for a walk/hobble after breakfast and then I will visit The Shed for a bit more plonking and muddling.

Later this afternoon I have a doctor's appointment to discuss recent blood tests and my hernia.  

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by grandadbob

[iL Dottore]

30 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Or just remove ALL information!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/29/houston-school-district-libraries-book

Cretinous!
 

Perhaps it has escaped people’s notice that ALL authoritarian regimes - on their way to bona-fide or de-facto dictatorship - limit access to, ban and burn books?
 

Furthermore, it is one of humanity’s idiosyncrasies that - often - the best way to get people really curious / interested in “X” is to censor, ban or prohibit “X”

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by iL Dottore
Added missing text

[PhilJ W]

Messy, but looks like fun.

 

Look out for the (Brit?) in the Union Jack T-shirt.

[polybear]

9 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Had a look for the Superdooperbluemoon this evening, but it was just a patch of luminous cloud.  So I "saw" it, sort of...

 

 

Bear saw it - twice, in fact.  It looked a lot smaller than the piccies on the telly suggested**

And then I recalled that blokes were first sent to walk on it 54 years ago - it'd be difficult enough now, let alone then.  How they managed to pull it off/get away with it will be one of Bear's Great Mysteries.

 

**Not unlike the piccy on a cake or pizza box - you know the ones, those where you open it up and immediately think "I've been robbed - B'sterds".

 

5 hours ago, BR60103 said:

This was finally carpet scrubbing day as we got a round tuit.  I spent most of the morning pushing the device back and forth and running downstairs to deal with the dirty water and filling up new clean hot water. The device is an upright and looks like a set of tanks on a vacuum cleaner -- and made by Hoover.

SWMBO saw how much work this entails and this afternoon we took the device to Goodwill. 

 

It does of course extend the life of a carpet "somewhat" - and reasonable ones don't come cheap (plus they're a right pain cos' the room needs to be largely empty when fitting).  Extending the life is also much "greener".

 

48 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Or just remove ALL information!

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/29/houston-school-district-libraries-book

 

I guess they'll argue that much, if not all information is more easily available (and quicker) via the 'net now.

 

Bear here.....

Today?

Deep clean the Bear Pit......

 

BG

[polybear]

10 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Messy, but looks like fun.

 

Look out for the (Brit?) in the Union Jack T-shirt.

 

What a waste of Tommy Sauce.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

So far we’ve not had any rain yet, but that could change at any moment. Here in England’s northwest corner, it is dull, cloudy, but with the sun occasionally making a showing and the temperature is currently 11C. Sheila is busy in the kitchen getting herself ready for her Zumba class, so I’m in the dining room, keeping out of the way. Once I’ve dropped her off at the church hall, I’ll call into the pharmacy and collect her prescription, then it’s back home, make a muggertea and then head off outside to ( fingers crossed) attempt to paint the sanded and unpainted workshop window! 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl 

4.5 hours sleep 2 hours sleep not too bad 

Ben the  urgently asking for patrol Collie, took me for a stroll. He got within 20 ft of a deer before noticing it. There were several deer around, I suppose we are an attractive patch of greenery in a bare yellow harvested field.

Very heavy dew out there almost 100% Blue welkin, except for a small band of cloud to the north.

 

13:00 I have an appointment to go collect the missing key..

 

Other plans for today,

Get old wooden mast out and cut off the bottom 42inches, return the top of the mast and the gaff to the shed.

The bottom 42 inches will become the new mast step.

Cut back some brambles. 

Draw up cutting plan for new unmentionable.

 

Time to go get mast, extension cable and saw.

 

 

[Erichill16]

Morning All,

Hoping for speedy and successful outcome for Mrs O.

All the best.

Robert

[DaveF]

A very quick visit as I am just off to church.

 

I had a rotten night's sleep as I seem to have "withdrawal" symptoms from stopping my antihistamines, I also itch - common issue after cetirizine.  It happens some years - I may change to a different one next year.

 

It's fine but very cool.  I've just sent an e consult note to the surgery as I still have a cough and feel tired, I expect I'll just be reasured that it is the after effects of the infection together with the antihistamine cessation.

 

The rest of the day will be spent quietly and hopefully will include a nap.

 

David

Edited August 31, 2023 by DaveF