Early Risers.

[zarniwhoop]

I looked out Wednesday night about 9pm, clear sky. Went out just before midnight (a bit early, I know), total cloud cover. This evening it's been cloudy. Still, I did get to see the perseids a few years ago, I expect they still look much the same.

[jjb1970]

One of the things I miss about being at sea is seeing the night sky, on a clear night in mid-ocean it can be like seeing the sky for the first time.

[Ozexpatriate]

18 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I also have regular calls with various other US based organizations and the convention is to take turns with the night slot, so everyone shares having an easy morning slot and a night time slot.

Much depends on the 'power dynamic'. If the call time is not equidistant from the most remote attendees, the one with the money/power gets the 'nice' slot - the client or the big boss, etc.

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear never knew that; I'll think hard before buying a Ford in the future.....

Don't buy a BMW then. Or a Mercedes. Or a Volkswagen. Or anything from any large German company that dates from before the war.

 

Some of them (like BMW and Mercedes) do address it on their corporate history pages. Others don't.

[monkeysarefun]

21 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Don't buy a BMW then. Or a Mercedes. Or a Volkswagen. Or anything from any large German company that dates from before the war.

 

Some of them (like BMW and Mercedes) do address it on their corporate history pages. Others don't.

 

 

 

 

Mazda,  Mitsubishi, Sapporo Brewery, Honda, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Kawasaki  and Nikon all used  Allied prisoners of war and Chinese as slave labour. 

 

POW's were bought from  the Japanese military and worked to death in factories and coal mines  owned by the Zaibatsu, basically family run  umbrella corporations who owned those companies among others.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

18 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Not just IBM, Henry Ford was an Anti-Semite ...

It's a long list. So was Charles Lindberg. HRH the Duke of Windsor and former Edward VIII said very nice things about Germany in the late 1930s. Many in Britain felt the same.

 

Ford was particularly unpleasant about it, publishing booklets on the subject.

 

Many industrialists were presented with the "Order of the German Eagle":

Quote

• Henry Ford was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle on his 75th birthday, 30 July 1938.
• Thomas J. Watson, chairman of IBM, 1937. Watson was also president of the International Chamber of Commerce in 1937; the medal was awarded while the ICC was meeting in Germany that year. He returned it to Hitler in 1940.
• Ernest G. Liebold, Henry Ford's private secretary*, was awarded Order of the German Eagle 1st Class in September 1938.
• Charles Lindbergh was awarded the Order of the German Eagle with Star on 19 October 1938.
• James Mooney, General Motors' chief executive for overseas operations, was awarded Order of the German Eagle 1st Class on 9 June 1938. 

* Heavily involved in the booklets.

 

Some of might be construed as currying favour with potential investors. Others were explicit rewards.

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[NGT6 1315]

Moaning awl.

 

Well, Elise and FiL have now caught COVID too. Me, well, I'm not feeling worse but not markedly better either, so I guess I'll better stay at home a couple more days.

 

Stay safe, folks...

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a calm and still Charente.  Good news at this end.  Beth has been trying to book an MRI scan on the shoulder that she dislocated, for some time. Yesterday she was rung and has got a slot in early January following a cancellation. That's a result after I made a phone call on Monday.  

 

This morning I will be cleaning the Volvo Inside and out as we are using it to go to the UK next week.  That will take me a while.  Other domestic engineering and if I'm lucky a bit of shed time.  Out for a meal with friends this evening. 

 

Ttfn. 

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, the rock is windy but dry, 9c OK for the time of year.

 

OF's breakfast will be smaller than usual as we're having a C*&^%$s dinner this evening, thankfully in our village pub (only two of us live in Andreas, the rest are from the Bright Lights of Ramsey) so we can walk there and back.  Not really our scene TBH but it will turn out to be OK, the grub is always good.  Wives and partners along too, that may cramp the style of one or two members.  It'll be interesting to observe from the view of the sober.

 

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Phone call received yesterday from eye clinic.."we have a cancellation. Can you come and have your eye laser treatment this Saturday morning instead of mid January?"  .. of course.. and why not!

 

ECG and ear lowering booked for next Monday..  all heading towards a good Christmas....

 

Meeting went well but.. another one today. PAH!

 

Spent some time yesterday applying paint to the sides of nickel silver strips plus plastic sleeping items..

 

Time to.. get up and scrape the muck off...

 

Stay safe! Positive thoughts to all who ail!

 

Baz

[roundhouse]

17 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Good moaning from a calm and still Charente.  Good news at this end.  Beth has been trying to book an MRI scan on the shoulder that she dislocated, for some time. Yesterday she was rung and has got a slot in early January following a cancellation. That's a result after I made a phone call on Monday.  

 

This morning I will be cleaning the Volvo Inside and out as we are using it to go to the UK next week.  That will take me a while.  Other domestic engineering and if I'm lucky a bit of shed time.  Out for a meal with friends this evening. 

 

Ttfn. 

 

Jamie

Each time that I clean our big car out I find bits of Woodland Scenics.

 

We will be in the UK next week. Our Cumbrian friends will be off to California for xmas. We were with them last year but unfortunately not this time. Maybe next year.

 

Already been in the shed this morning doing some glazing. Later, might be swapping some boards between the garage and the shed. One layout needs checking over before its first outing in six years as it will be heading to Bognor in January.

 

A day off beer today as tomorrow we have an xmas meal and Sunday we meet up with Mrs AndrewC and AndrewC's brother from Oregon. Last time we saw him was in Oregon some years ago.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

4.5 hours sleep, medium awake, 2 hours sleep, very short awake 2 hours sleep, a very much needed total, and not alcohol or pink pill assisted.

 Ben the hurry up Collie stayed in his pit till I moved. Then we had a good routine patrol, only interrupted by hoards of pink footed geese flying north so the tide but be going out.

 

Cold, dull grey out there, ground getting less soggy, no frost, feet warm in the new fleece lined boots.

 

I've accepted an invitation the works section Christmas dinner, this one you should pay for, but over the years it's been 50/50 that someone wangles money out of the company for it.

 

This house is on the site of the village pub, it was developed by a..... Garden nursery owner!! The number of houses in the parish are well down on what there must have been in the past. In medieval times there would have been over a hundred. The earliest detailed maps about of 1800, about 50, now less than 20,  10 were lost post WW2.

 

Plans for today,

Go to motorboat and top up batteries, check water levels in the bailed out bilges.

Hopefully carry on making like a ganger on the upstairs unmentionables.

 

Time for breaky.

 

 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dry start and some blue sky with a few clouds and there should be some bright spells today.  4°C rising to 9°C.

First task today is a visit to Asda as "we" forgot to order something from Sainsbury's. 

Nicki is visiting today after shopping in Sutton and apparently is leaving all their Christmas presents here as they haven't got any room at their place.  Erm, didn't think we had either,  I better build another room somewhere then.

I have got a small DIY job today, breakfast bar was removed to make it easier to get the furniture through the conservatory so I need to replace that.

Dreams:  I don't dream or rather don't remember them.  The Boss does and they often frighten her and I have to calm her down, most recently at 04.30 this morning.

Strange dreams:  I'm reminded of this song but there's fat chance of it ever happening.  I've got an old tape recording somewhere of me playing guitar and singing this with Nicki and Steve when they were quite young.  Only problem is I haven't got anything to play it back on any more.

 

 

Timetogettamoveon.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited December 15, 2023 by grandadbob

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning,

 

A bit of a worrying evening: Schotty was agitated and restless and barked at nothing; he didn’t seem stiff (which he is when his arthritis plays up) but he did demand a lot of attention, unusually. I suspect it might have been a combination of failing eyesight (he’s developing cataracts), incipient doggy dementia and discomfort from charging around in the afternoon. Fortunately, a dose of gabapentin seemed to do the trick.

 

Regarding frozen food, paradoxically much of the plain frozen vegetables are better than the “fresh” ones, namely because such frozen vegetables (the plain ones with nothing added) go from field, to processing (washing, sorting, blanching and freezing) to freezer cabinet incredibly, whereas many “fresh” vegetables have been stored in special warehouses for a while (read up on how long apples can be stored for before sale, quite illuminating). Obviously, if you have a “real” farmer’s market (it’s claimed that some “farmer’s markets” sell veg that comes from the same wholesalers who supply the supermarkets), then that’s ideal - although your choice will be limited to whatever is in season.

 

One complaint about farmer’s markets/farm shops is the prices - but that I think is because most people don’t realise how artificially low food prices are - due to supermarkets bulk buying from farmers at such low wholesale prices that farmers barely break even (and some even lose money if the supermarket changes the T&Cs of the contracts - which they do).

 

Off to house hunt this morning. Mrs iD has decided we need (must!?) move into a flat - something I regard with horror, but must accept, given that progressive arthrosis and steel knees means that the stairs are becoming problematic. The problem is finding a place with the right combination of space, amenities and location. Regarding the latter, Mrs iD wants to be “near things”, even though the post pandemic “everything online” world means proximity is no longer necessary…

 

Anyway, I may be some time….

[Gwiwer]

8 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

if you have a “real” farmer’s market (it’s claimed that some “farmer’s markets” sell veg that comes from the same wholesalers who supply the supermarkets), then that’s ideal - although your choice will be limited to whatever is in season.

Exactly our scenario. 
 

Bosavern Community Farm is on the edge of town. They have an on-site shop and also a stall at the Saturday WI market. You can get what’s in season. 
 

It’s good stuff and, bearing in mind our need to cut fossil fuel use, the food-miles are below 1.  Measured more in food-yards.  
 

They also sell their own honey and locally-baked bread so not much else is required on the fresh food side of things. 

[TheQ]

20 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Good Morning,

 

A bit of a worrying evening: Schotty was agitated and restless and barked at nothing; he didn’t seem stiff (which he is when his arthritis plays up) but he did demand a lot of attention, unusually. I suspect it might have been a combination of failing eyesight (he’s developing cataracts), incipient doggy dementia and discomfort from charging around in the afternoon. Fortunately, a dose of gabapentin seemed to do the trick.

 

Regarding frozen food, paradoxically much of the plain frozen vegetables are better than the “fresh” ones, namely because such frozen vegetables (the plain ones with nothing added) go from field, to processing (washing, sorting, blanching and freezing) to freezer cabinet incredibly, whereas many “fresh” vegetables have been stored in special warehouses for a while (read up on how long apples can be stored for before sale, quite illuminating). Obviously, if you have a “real” farmer’s market (it’s claimed that some “farmer’s markets” sell veg that comes from the same wholesalers who supply the supermarkets), then that’s ideal - although your choice will be limited to whatever is in season.

 

One complaint about farmer’s markets/farm shops is the prices - but that I think is because most people don’t realise how artificially low food prices are - due to supermarkets bulk buying from farmers at such low wholesale prices that farmers barely break even (and some even lose money if the supermarket changes the T&Cs of the contracts - which they do).

 

Off to house hunt this morning. Mrs iD has decided we need (must!?) move into a flat - something I regard with horror, but must accept, given that progressive arthrosis and steel knees means that the stairs are becoming problematic. The problem is finding a place with the right combination of space, amenities and location. Regarding the latter, Mrs iD wants to be “near things”, even though the post pandemic “everything online” world means proximity is no longer necessary…

 

Anyway, I may be some time….

Stairlift...

[Porkscratching]

10 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Stairlift...

We sorted my old Mum out with a stair lift chair thing and it was brilliant for her, much easier than the upheaval of moving ( and handy for ferrying heavy objects upstairs too ) 

[Hroth]

Last nights dream involved viewing unsuitable houses for sale and a Flemish Giant rabbit.  I woke up before matters were resolved...

 

Grey and dampish outside but calm.

According to the BBC weather app, it should be sunny!

Cross checking, the Met Office app reports cloudy all day...

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Hroth
weather update

[Porkscratching]

Had a very weird dream last night during part of which I was on a train, proper old one with real doors and drop lights, anyway I opened and looked out of said aperture only to see an old SR type Emu set in the adjacent platform which comprised several sections in BR blue/grey.. and the back end done in Maroon.!  What ever could have been going thru my mind?

Sitting opposite were two earnest spotter types in tweed jackets too, who immediately engaged ne in conversation.

I suppose it must relate to going to an exhibition last weekend and looking thru the various tat for sale or something, funny thing dreams... 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. And yet another good night last night without any interruptions from bladder control. Not much either from Arthur Itis either. I've had so much delivered lately that I am overwhelmed with cardboard boxes. I will be keeping the better ones for storage and flattening the rest and packing them into the largest box ready for the next recycling collection. Thats it for now, be back later.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is quite cloudy here but I think it is clearing very slowly. I plan to visit Mick the barber later and also collect some prescriptions on the way home. There will be a parcel arriving today.  We have a very elderly DAB radio in the kitchen and one of the channels Aditi likes is changing to DAB+ soon. I have fixed the existing radio (power socket, sticky buttons etc) but can’t do anything about transmission protocols. For some reason the FM signal that the station also broadcasts on is  inconsistent in the kitchen. The new radio is prettier so Aditi doesn’t mind replacing it too much. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, Porkscratching said:

Had a very weird dream last night during part of which I was on a train…

 What ever could have been going thru my mind?

 

AI analysis has recreated a possible scenario…

 

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

AI analysis has recreated a possible scenario…

 

 

They all remind me of Michael Foot. Scary!!!

 

[Porkscratching]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

AI analysis has recreated a possible scenario…

 

It was definitely one of those 2 on the end... 😁

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Another dull start to the day here, but at least it’s dry (for now). I’ll shortly set of for my walk to the butchers for the weekly meat rations and a pork pie for my dinner. Then WE are going to the Trafford Centre for a few more bits and pieces and last minute presents etc. This afternoon I’ll be baking a cake to take with us to James’s place on Sunday. Other than that it’s just the usual here. 
 

Back later m

 

Brian