Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Apparently actor Michael Gambon has died. He was 82, which doesn't seem 'that old' to me.

Nowadays, 82 really isn’t that old.
 

My GP friend when he started his practice (so in the 80s) had one patient who was over 80, when he retired two years ago, he had about a dozen or more patients who were over 80. Some claim that “ 80 is the new 60“ and certainly for those of us born between 1946 and 1964  (the “baby boomers”) our generation’s life expectancy is the highest it has ever been in history (and this is across countries). why this is so is multifactorial; I believe that it is a combination of good childhood nutrition, early medical intervention, plus growing up in a society that still hadn’t become very sedentary*.
 

Unfortunately the data suggest that the generations coming after us will not have such a high lifespan expectation. Why this might be so is open to informed speculation. My money is on a combination of a sedentary lifestyle, and a poor diet that has a lot of industrially produced and ultra-processed food. Childhood obesity, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Type II diabetes) are on the upswing across the western world, and nowhere more so than in the US and the UK.

 

* plus, with the modernisation of industry across most countries, the body- destroying grindingly hard physical labour, which reduced entire generations ready for the scrap heap by the time they turned 60 also was replaced, or at least greatly aided by modern mechanisation as well as by better health and safety at work

[iL Dottore]

Birthday Greetings to Mrs Baz and Mrs GDB.

 

I will certainly raise “a wee dram“ or two tonight in memory of those Brains Trust members (and founder members, no less) that we lost this time last year.

 

Every Christmas I used to meet up with ChrisF and JohnDMJ in Brig and we would go on our yearly expedition to try and see this:

And every year there would be a reason why we couldn’t see the model railway (under construction, closed for holiday, no one to run it, et cetera, et cetera). And every year we would drown our disappointment with local ales, eat something terribly bad for us (such as schnitzel und pommes frites) and put the world to rights.

 

Even during the pandemic they were there, even though they weren’t there. And suddenly, a year ago, they weren’t there at all.

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon all,

 

It was morning when I started this post (as in about 10 o'clock...) but I got 'a little' sidetracked... 

 

Birthday greetings/best wishes to Baz's and GDB's lasses. I will not try singing, whether Happy Birthday or any other rhymes, otherwise (at best) pained looks may be encountered and allegations of cruel and unnatural punishment made, not to mention referrals to The Hague quoting breaches of the Geneva Convention... 

 

Thoughts of Andrew of the 'Boring Borough' too. 'Good Moaning' to you and +1 for the hope you are free of cockwombles and their ilk. 

 

On a happier note, 'tis a fine sunny day at the moment outside, though a tad breezy. Classic autumn walking weather. Sunshine and showers, sometimes even at the same moment... two rattles at the window while I've been typing this, both while there's sunlight in full illumination mode ... I can hear the army from Monty Python's Life of Brian now, "Make your mind up"! 

 

7 hours ago, polybear said:

... That does of course mean I've no excuses not to finally get my little furry ar5e in gear and hopefully fulfill a promise to a Certain Bunny.....

 

Thanks Bear, now delivered on promise, so it would be rude to ... 

 

 

Some food for thought this pm, some from Bear, some from the lawyers and some from others. Some 'chewing the cud' is due. Perhaps I should (temporarily at least?) be answering to the 'The Brown Cow'... 

[iL Dottore]

Time for an official “Swiss Quality“ bijou, handcrafted, rant-ette (well, two actually).

 

You may recall that at the beginning of August, we had a severe food moth infestation at Schloss iD. This resulted us binning a lot of foodstuffs and all the plastic containers that turned out to be neither airtight nor moth proof. With a significant number of containers to replace, I turned to Amazon for some affordable sets of Kilner style containers from various producers (selected according to available on site). One set of Kilner jars came so badly packed that a couple of the jars were smashed. I dutifully notified Amazon and a replacement was organised. I then got an email telling me to print out a label and send the “faulty item” back to them. I got onto the “Amazon chat“ helpdesk (by far, in my experience, one of the better parts of the Amazon empire) and I asked the rhetorical question “ Even if I hadn’t properly disposed of the broken glass, was it really a good idea to send broken glass through the post to be unpacked by some unsuspecting employee“. They rapidly saw my point of view and I had to send nothing back.

 

Fast forward to today and the replacement package arrives and again was very badly packed – although to be fair, each jar was wrapped in so much bubble wrap that it required a shipping box at least twice the size of one needed had the contents been packed properly. After being wrapped in a bunch of bubble wrap, things were just thrown in to the box higgledy-piggledy to take their chances in the post. Fortunately, nothing was broken. One would’ve thought a company that makes billions each year by shipping things to customers, would’ve sussed out by now, the safest and best way to pack glass items.

 

My second, Friday, “rant-ette” is again regarding something I bought on Amazon. I recently bought an inexpensive battery tester which was very nicely diet designed and worked perfectly well until one day it didn’t. I contacted Amazon and they promptly refunded my money and informed me that I didn’t need to send the item back. So, with nothing to lose (so to speak) I disassembled the item In my workshop. Unlike many inexpensive items, it was carefully put together, and therefore could be easily taken apart, and lo and behold I found that the problem was a broken wire, Despite having a very nicely made circuit board, the entire assembly was let down by the cheapest possible wires that you could imagine. I re-soldered the wire in place, today it stopped working again and this time, after dismantling the battery tester, I found that there are a couple of other wires that seem to be broken (most of the time it appears to be the very thin wire breaking at were it goes into the solder holding it to the circuit board). I will need to look through my workshop to see if I have some suitable sized wire; thicker and stronger than what they had installed, but not as thick as the stuff I usually use for my model railway.

 

I mean, the whole thing just seems totally absurd; in order to save what must be fractions of a penny on the wiring, they produce an item which fails and they either have to write off or replace it - negating any savings made by using poor quality wire. I suppose that they are counting on the fact that the majority of the people -faced with something costing less than £5 failing -  will not go through the rigmarole of asking for a replacement/getting their money back.

[The White Rabbit]

36 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Time for an official “Swiss Quality“ bijou, handcrafted, rant-ette (well, two actually). ... 

 

I mean, the whole thing just seems totally absurd; in order to save what must be fractions of a penny on the wiring, they produce an item which fails and they either have to write off or replace it - negating any savings made by using poor quality wire. ... 

 

This sounds to me as it falls under Oscar's comment about some [manufacturers] 'knowing the price of everything and value of nothing' category of rants. Sadly, a distressingly common problem and 'pah' and 'TCs' don't seem to quite cover it. 

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Someone on the radio suggested a fitting punishment (or at least a part of):

They have to plant 30,000 new trees.

Lots and lots of community service focused on tree planting might be very suitable in the case of a minor.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I mean, the whole thing just seems totally absurd; in order to save what must be fractions of a penny on the wiring,

Presuming the wires were copper, using a larger gauge wire, presumably the solution for a more reliable product, might have diminished their margins much more appreciably than you suggest - particularly for a product designed down to a price, rather than designed for reliability and a long lifespan.

 

Even if their margins weren't dramatically impacted on a per unit basis, one presumes that someone making supply chain decisions chose the cheaper option - presuming that they buy perhaps hundreds/thousands? of metres of the stuff at a time.

[DaveF]

I took the quiz and came out as a common earthworm.

 

Before I went for my walk I typed up my ideas for a website and how it should look.  I then had a nice walk though it was quite hard work walking against the wind - there were fewer people about then usual, even most of the dogs were walking rather than running once they were off their leads on the grass.

 

I came home just in time for coffee, then I had a phone call to let me know that this afternoon's meeting was off but I was also given some of the information I need.  Nothing is ever simple.

 

Then I received a phone call about my new car to let me know it really has arived at the dealer and it will be checked and cameras added, I should be able to collect it next week.  I also have the exact model description and registration number so I can sort out the insurance - a job for Monday.

 

As I had no early afternoon meeting I cooked lunch - just chicken with bacon and cheese, potatoes, carrots and sprouts (the latter frozen, boiled for just under 3 minutes), then plums and custard.  Once that had gone down a bit I cleaned the front door and frame inside and out and renewed some of the sealant.  It looks a great deal better.  As usual various neighbours passed by and stopped to chat so the job took quite a long time, I also helped another neighbour who was pruning a tree by steadying his ladder.

 

Since then I've had a cup of tea, watered the greenhouse and cleaned the bird bath and marked some of the programmes I want to watch and listen to next week in the Radio Times.

 

In a few minutes I'll get a cheese sandwich and a bit later watch the local news, it will be interesting to hear what is said about the tree.  After that I think I'll read and listen to music again - last night it was Tchaikovsky string quartets on CD which I enjoyed, it was a long time since I'd listened to them.

 

David

[Ian Abel]

POETS... very welcome given the busy work week.

 

Yesterday a very pleasant evening of happy-hour then choir rehearsal.

 

Today more working but will POETS.

Jemma is in England on a trip, unusual one, JFK to Heathrow, then tomorrow Gatwick to JFK. Her 767-400 isn't usually out of Gatwick.

As a result the crew are staying in Woking. I was born there, and pretty much the entirety of our local neighborhood is "at rest" at Woking Crematorium.

Jemma took the opportunity to visit, which was for me very special, as both my parents]her grandparents are there;

 

Trevor and Jemma with the flowers at the funeral for my mum 30 years ago

 

same location today, as she visits and pays her respects;

 

Later today the Mrs and I are out for dinner with friends.

 

Weekend has no plans - we all know how THAT goes!! 🤣🤣

 

Heavy rainstorm first thing, netted us about 1.6 inches of rain. 15c expecting 27c for the high and more rain later and overnight into tomorrow.

 

Hope the weekend starts well for everyone.

[The Lurker]

14 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Apparently actor Michael Gambon has died. He was 82, which doesn't seem 'that old' to me.

 

At this point the cast of Harry Potter movies could fill their own "In memoriam" awards show segment:

CNN: ‘Harry Potter’: Over two dozen actors have been lost from the film franchise

The list missed Rob Knox who played the boy who ate lots of pudding at Slughorn’s dinner party. Sadly he was murdered outside the pub next to Sidcup Station, defending his brother from a random stranger.

[The Lurker]

Happy Birthday to Mrs Baz and Mrs GDB.

 

and I am a Seven Spotted Ladybird 

[polybear]

Bear here......

 

I decided that I'd unpack and check the DPU I purchased off the 'bay recently - I'd been after one (Green, naturally - any other colour is just plain wrong) at the right price for a while now.

And......

.....there were loose bits in the packing 😱 - never a good sign.  And it wasn't. Bluddyrattin'piggin'turdycurses 

It looks like it's had a whack at one end - the shell is ok, but the bogie side frames plus a buffer beam are decidedly second hand.  Poo.

I've messaged the seller.....

 

Bear Gone.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Visited Tess Coes this afternoon and done a 'big shop' which means that I have enough food to last until Wednesday, except for bread and milk which I prefer fresh. No sign of any foxes in the garden yet but plenty running about the streets. All of them this years adolescents, sadly more than half of them don't usually survive the winter.

[Tim Dubya]

Re: Old/Young Age.

 

Mate of my dad's (my dad's 85) passed away recently, he'd been ill beforehand so went to the drs.

My dad went to visit him before he passed and Jack told him that the Dr said to him: "Mr Barrowell, you haven't been to see a GP or visit the practice since 1947!"

 

No idea how old Jack was (older than my dad, so I'd guess early 90's) but he had a long health life !

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Tim Dubya
Ciderjuice

[Tony_S]

24 minutes ago, Tim Dubya said:

you haven't been to see a GP or visit the practice since 1947!"

 

Aditi’s Dad took over a medical practice in Nottingham in the mid 1960s. The previous GP who had been there for,quite a while said there was one private patient. She was in her eighties and refused to have anything to do with the NHS. 

[Tony_S]

39 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

of them this years adolescents, sadly more than half of them don't usually survive the winter.

When I went out to put the bins out on Wednesday I noticed quite a large poo on the lawn. I checked the security camera (in case it was someone encouraging their dog to,use our lawn!) and the culprit was a fox, much bigger than usual and looking very well fed. Some of the ones round here look a bit scruffy but that one certainly didn’t. 
Tony

[Hroth]

Regarding the "Sycamore Stump" as it now appears to be being called...

 

The BBC are reporting that a man in his 60s is "now helping police with their enquiries"...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66966187

 

[Dave Hunt]

What a waste of half a day. The appointment I had this afternoon with a 'musculoskeletal practitioner' (I asked if that meant she was a physiotherapist but that got a frosty reception) didn't seem to me to achieve anything. I'm due to see a consultant next Thursday and I think that it would have been better to leave it until after that but who am I to argue? The only bright spot of the afternoon was that Jill came with me and on the way home we stopped at a decent transport caff where we had bacon butties and coffee.

 

Dave 

[New Haven Neil]

4 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

with a 'musculoskeletal practitioner'

 

We had one of those in the Podiatry department I managed, we were apparently the best fit of where to dump him place him as nobody seemed to know where he fitted best!  He was a keen young thing so was no bother to manage from an administrative point of view (I was an Administration Manager not a Clinical Manager), and seemed very good at his job.

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

Regarding the "Sycamore Stump" as it now appears to be being called...

 

The BBC are reporting that a man in his 60s is "now helping police with their enquiries"...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66966187

 

 

 Under one of the photo's it says ,  

 It is believed a chainsaw was used to fell the popular tree

 

 Well who'd have thought it .   🤨

[Tim Dubya]

4 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 Under one of the photo's it says ,  

 It is believed a chainsaw was used to fell the popular tree

 

 Well who'd have thought it .   🤨

 

They do, indeed, walk amongst us 🙄

[Hroth]

10 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 Under one of the photo's it says ,  

 It is believed a chainsaw was used to fell the popular tree

 

 Well who'd have thought it .   🤨

 

5 minutes ago, Tim Dubya said:

 

They do, indeed, walk amongst us 🙄

 

They're called trainee reporters*...

 

* Probably start out as bloggers

 

[polybear]

12 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 Under one of the photo's it says ,  

 It is believed a chainsaw was used to fell the popular tree

 

 Well who'd have thought it .   🤨

 

I reckon I could safely bet my Pension they didn't do it with a Junior Hacksaw or a Swiss Army Knife.

 

[pH]

22 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 Under one of the photo's it says ,  

 It is believed a chainsaw was used to fell the popular tree

 

 Well who'd have thought it .   🤨

Probably rules out beavers.

[Coombe Barton]

... Today – teaching – and I’m very, very glad it’s the weekend. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/09/29/data-divided-and-a-600-million-hs2-land-grab/