Early Risers.

[pH]

Some pictures from recent walks in local woods and round a nearby lake:

 

 

 

 

 

That last one is of the floor of the lake, taken through about two feet of crystal-clear water.

[jjb1970]

I just visited the local market, there was a strange atmosphere, a palpable sense of fear and conversation had taken an eschatological turn. I wondered why, when I saw a sign that made the blood run cold as if the heart had been gripped by an icy claw........ it appears there may be a bike thief in Nanyang🤪 I have volunteered for the local vigilante group. (On a more serious note, the Police actually would take a report of a bike theft seriously, the way they treat shop lifting here would probably end up in court as a civil rights case if British authorities tried it.)

 

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

Up at sillyo'clock (0506) - only it didn't feel quite as silly as usual, so that's a Tick.  Getting even part-way thru' the ten o'clock news last night was a real struggle, which was somewhat strange; it felt more like 11:15 pm that the 10:15 pm it actually was.  Can't imagine why.

And then what happens?  Bear couldn't get into snoozybearland.  TC's.

Compulsory missions for today include a mission to get more milk etc. at some point; apart from that it's play time for Bear.

I realised late last night (whilst not being able to get into snoozybearland....) that a certain straight length of nickel silver that's currently soldered to numerous copper rivet heads should've had brass bits to slide on 😉 at certain locations - only it hasn't.  Big Turdycurses.  So it looks like Bear is in for a de-soldering then re-soldering session today; at least I have the brass slidey bits in stock, so I'll have a Tick for that bit.

 

Later.....

Oh poo....I forgot to press the "send" button.....so......

 

I've already been to the Co-op and got the milk and sorted the slidey bits (which went more smoothly than I'd expected).  That's a Tick.

 

Oh look, din dins time rapidly approaching.....

 

BG

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

I just visited the local market, there was a strange atmosphere, a palpable sense of fear and conversation had taken an eschatological turn. I wondered why, when I saw a sign that made the blood run cold as if the heart had been gripped by an icy claw........ it appears there may be a bike thief in Nanyang🤪 I have volunteered for the local vigilante group. (On a more serious note, the Police actually would take a report of a bike theft seriously, the way they treat shop lifting here would probably end up in court as a civil rights case if British authorities tried it.)

 

 

 

Its the exact  opposite here, all these  D1ckhead bike hire companies sprung/sprang/springed  up a few years ago with cheap Chinese bikes for hire. People just hired them then dumped them wherever once they'd finished with them cos the geniuses who started the companies didn't do the extended thinking required to come up with the realisation that once someone has paid for the bike hire, they  would just dump the bike, there is no "dock" to return the bike to here, you are just meant to let the  cheap-ar5e f***wits know where you left it, and apparently   "In the Yarra*!" is a valid response.

 

 

But 10/10 for dumper creativity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* The Yarra is a river in Melbourne, Victoria -  famous here as the river that runs upside down, ie the riverbed is on top:

 

 

Compare that with the panoramic  jewel-like blue  that is  Sydney Harbour....

 

Edited October 30, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[polybear]

5 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Morning, from the glue factory.

 

@iL Dottore has just been mentioning difficulty in obtaining quality glue.  Just thought I'd mention that....

 

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

We have always adopted the “change the clocks and change the batteries” approach which ensures that the toast alarms are always using reasonably fresh batteries. 
 

The Hill of Strawberries CO monitor was different. It was a “tamper-evident” model which required a small tool to break into without actually breaking the device. It started to beep intermittently and the battery warning lamp (the yellow one) blinked. We had to get Dan Dan the Gas-fitter Man to change the battery!  

 

Bear's CO Alarm was fitted with a 10-year battery.  So what did the b'sterds do when the clock struck ten?  Yup, they stopped it working, despite the fact that it was (a) working quite happily, and (b) there was no "low battery" warning.  T0ssers.

 

As for smoke alarms, well the vast majority are fitted with 10 year batteries; very few actually reach that milestone though, but the company are very good in sending out free replacements.  Those that do reach the 10 year life keep working quite happily afterwards.

[polybear]

A purely hypothetical question......

 

Would a Mini Pizza (just for argument's sake let's assume Pepperoni) with new potatoes & mint sauce and peas be considered "weird"?

Just askin' for a friend you understand.....

[PupCam]

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

A purely hypothetical question......

 

Would a Mini Pizza (just for argument's sake let's assume Pepperoni) with new potatoes & mint sauce and peas be considered "weird"?

Just askin' for a friend you understand.....

 

Yes.  Next ....

[Gwiwer]

Anyone stealing bicycles commits an offence, surely? 

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

A purely hypothetical question......

 

Would a Mini Pizza (just for argument's sake let's assume Pepperoni) with new potatoes & mint sauce and peas be considered "weird"?

Just askin' for a friend you understand.....

 

No. Different - definitely. Unconventional - undoubtedly. But I wouldn't class it as 'weird'. Unless of course the new pots etc. were extra toppings? And I think even then any doubts would be culinary rather than based on your ... ah ... friend's ... choices. 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2023 by The White Rabbit
IT glitch, arrrgh

[southern42]

Very sorry to hear your news @Dave Hunt.

Very sorry to learn the family member's canine injury. Hope it heals ok @BSW01.

Belated birthday wishes @jamie92208.

 

' morning afternoon* all from red dragon land.

 

Forgot about one of our clocks - the one on the bedroom radio which I forgot is manual. Thinking it was a bit dark to be 07:30, I checked my 'phone and it was only 06:30! <<poop!>> I snoozed for another hour and cancelled the 'phone's alarm a few minutes before it went off, then gave myself another 10 minutes before getting up!

 

Time to drag myself off the chair and sort out some chores. Done.✔️

 

* Later...

Sun and showers, though the pine cone pundits stated, quite clearly: "Dry." So no G word. Poop!

Munching over lunchtime toastie so not going anywhere for a bit, so if I remember to post this, now, I'll be able to do some more catch up on here.

 

Take care. Be good. Try and...er...remember...

Polly

 

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Anyone stealing bicycles commits an offence, surely? 

Perhaps,a distinction between criminal and felony or some other distinction. 

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

A purely hypothetical question......

 

Would a Mini Pizza (just for argument's sake let's assume Pepperoni) with new potatoes & mint sauce and peas be considered "weird"?

Just askin' for a friend you understand.....

 

You do have some weird friends....  🤔

 

You should suggest to your friend that they stick to the curley fries with pizza and get some lamb chops if they fancy new pots, peas and mint sauce....  😉

[Hroth]

 

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

* The Yarra is a river in Melbourne, Victoria -  famous here as the river that runs upside down, ie the riverbed is on top:

 

 

It bears a remarkable similarity to the River Ankh as it passes through Ankh-Morpork...

https://wiki.lspace.org/Ankh_(river)

 

 

 

[TheQ]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Was he stabbed using a squirrel or stabbed because he had a squirrel?  
 

And was it a squirrel or a “skwerl”?  
 

Welcome to Moan-day where these and other fundamental questions shall be addressed by that most erudite and knowledgable bunch of folks known as the Early Risers.
 

 

As long as the Squirrel wasn't a Gwiwer..

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl.

Hour into Norwich... Delayed by a yacht!!! Complete with police car , motor cycle outriders, a very large low loader and a following transit with orange flashers on the roof.

 

Hmm longhoughton on escape to the country. House £650,000,  complete with ex RAF Boulmer married quarters the other side of a fence. Been in several of those MQs..

 

1 hour at halfrauds getting tyres changed, car drives much better even when the old tyres were at the correct pressure. I suspect the tyres were well and truly knackered.

 

4 hours traipsing round town.. 4 books secondhand on parallel bits of metal. 

Reading Cadfael beggars at the Abby walls, Norwich today beggars sat leaning on the perimeter wall of St Stephen' s church... Nothing changes.

 

15 minutes at an orange shed 15M of damp proof membrane for £57, or 25M for £66! That'll be the 25M then.

40 minutes to drive back..

30minute walk with Ben , he cut it short for some reason.

 

At the start of the walk a exec jet flew over exceedingly low, had it not been directly over head I'd have easily read it's number.

 

I'm m knackered no MRC accounts for me today.

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by TheQ

[jjb1970]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Anyone stealing bicycles commits an offence, surely? 

 

When it comes to Singaporean people and the English language it's best to just accept things are what they are......it's English,  just not as we know it🤣

The first rule is that if it's possible to get away with using a single word then use a single word. Hence the famous Singaporean 'can' and 'correct '. Then there's all the borrowed words like 'shiok' (good). 

The one I avoid is 'lah', which is added to words for emphasis, such as ' can lah'.I don't want to sounds like one of those non-British people that thinks the done thing is to use the word bl**dy in conversation and end up sounding like complete tools because they don't get when it would be used.

[grandadbob]

Happy Anniversary to Brian and Sheila.

 

I see you're going for a "ruby" tonight but I would have thought for a 45th anniversary you'd be looking for a sapphire however the nearest place to you that I could come up with was this:

 

https://www.sapphiretakeaway.com/   😁

 

Hope you have a great night out. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by grandadbob

[polybear]

1 hour ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

No. Different - definitely. Unconventional - undoubtedly. But I wouldn't class it as 'weird'. Unless of course the new pots etc. were extra toppings? And I think even then any doubts would be culinary rather than based on your ... ah ... friend's ... choices. 

 

Ah...er.......

It's quite, er, possible, now that a large batch of new pots have been cooked and are now officially designated as "left overs" then, er, some "may" appear as toppings on the next (proper) pizza......

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I just visited the local market, there was a strange atmosphere, a palpable sense of fear and conversation had taken an eschatological turn. I wondered why, when I saw a sign that made the blood run cold as if the heart had been gripped by an icy claw........ it appears there may be a bike thief in Nanyang🤪 I have volunteered for the local vigilante group. (On a more serious note, the Police actually would take a report of a bike theft seriously, the way they treat shop lifting here would probably end up in court as a civil rights case if British authorities tried it.)

 

When I was community constable for our village someone half inched my personal bike from outside the Chinese takeaway.  I found it 10 minutes later.  Nothing officially happened to the perpetrator but it never happened again. 

 

Jamie

[polybear]

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #1........

 

Bear's Car Insurance renewal (AA) arrived....

Last Year:  £240

This Year:  £415....🤬

Now as I'd already played Bullsh1t Bingo on the comparison sites I knew I could get a better deal.....but then I discovered that the promised prices had now jumped upwards cos' I'd done them a week ago.  B'sterds B'STERDS.

 

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #2.........

 

So I phoned the AA to point out that, unless they were prepared to Tango somewhat, I'd be foxtrotting off elsewhere.

So we start "confirming details"......

.....during which I reminded them that some silly c0w drove into the ar5e end of Mickey back in April (I'd made sure to advise the AA claims dept., but pointed out that it was just to cover my ar5e in case of any funny games from the 3rd party and no, I wasn't in any way, shape or form claiming off my own policy cos' the 3rd party insurers had already put their paws up).

 

At which point it all starts going south.....

"Ah, but that was the claims dept. you were advising - and we're the renewals dept. and we don't know anything about it, so we'll have to re-quote you until we get proof that it wasn't your fault".....at which point the renewal quote jumped to the wrong side of SIX HUNDRED QUID....🤬🤬🤬

 

So Bear has emailed in proof, in the hope that they're quick about it and get their act together; meanwhile the comparison site quotes might (= will) continue to head northwards.  B'STERDS #2.

 

So why don't I just tell the AA to p0ke it and renew now with one of the comparison site companies?  Well those quotes are based on a specific NCB - which they'll want proof of....and that comes from the AA, who now know (twice, in fact) that Mickey was shunted back in April.

 

I'm off to cry....I see Deltics rapidly disappearing....

 

[polybear]

29 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

When I was community constable for our village someone half inched my personal bike from outside the Chinese takeaway.  I found it 10 minutes later.  Nothing officially happened to the perpetrator but it never happened again. 

 

Jamie

 

And unofficially?

 

[grandadbob]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #1........

 

Bear's Car Insurance renewal (AA) arrived....

Last Year:  £240

This Year:  £415....🤬

 

 Oh  CARP and double CARP.  My Car Insurance is due for renewal in December, I'm also with the AA and already paying over £400!  Looks like I'll be comparing Meerkats.

[tigerburnie]

49 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Ah...er.......

It's quite, er, possible, now that a large batch of new pots have been cooked and are now officially designated as "left overs" then, er, some "may" appear as toppings on the next (proper) pizza......

Slice the tatties and fry them, delicious, especially if cooked in the pan with some bacon

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I insure with Swintons and never have had any problems, even when someone pulled out and scraped the side of my car. I also have NCB protection as there's a lot of uninsured drivers out there. I knew a chap who was a very senior person at Norwich Union (now Aviva) who told me that the insurance business is not there for the customers benefit.

[DaveF]

While I had coffee I watched Homes under the Hammer which kept me sitting quietly for a while,  Then I saw an odd looking notification on my phone, it didn't appear as a text or an email so I assume it was spam - about a payment due shortly so it got deleted unopened.  Meanwhile I shall keep an eye on my accounts.

 

After lunch I sorted out what I thought was the rubbish in the garage, it all went in the bin along with a few other bits and pieces, it only took about half an hour.  

 

Then I decided to have a quick look in a nearby shop followed by a trip to the Quayside and the beach.  Some photos may appear here later when I have sorted them out.

 

I found out how to change the time on the car's clock. You press menu on the big screen, then clock, then select Daylight Saving Time on/off.  So that was easy.

 

I have to say that I am happy about going back to GMT, I rather like the long evenings in cold weather, as I don't feel guilty doing "indoor" activities and with the curtains closed the house always feels cosy.

 

David