Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I've been looking further into 3D pens. All the ones I've seen so far use plastic filaments as a medium, no resin involved. I'm trying to find out if there are any special nozzles for them as most of them have nozzles like an oversize ball point pen.

[New Haven Neil]

4 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

My mother managed to set a few things on fire that she had forgotten she had placed on top of the eye level grill. Damp towels or cloths usually. Mist impressive was the portable TV radio that my brother had given her. I wasn’t there but it was apparently quite spectacular. 

 

Seeing the result of putting a plastic electric jug kettle put on an electric cooker ring because the element had gone and nursey wanted her midnight brew was also quite spectacular.  Full ward evacuation etc, ward manager was not impressed. Lot of smoke damage, mostly because a towel had been draped over the top of the door to stop the closer slamming it shut and waking up the night staff patients. The clean patch it left was a give away, Fire Brigade spotted it in seconds.  I did the disciplinary back in my HR days!

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Mrs NHN being told yesterday by the tax office that her tax free lump sum wasn't tax free.

Here I am sure it is 25% of the pension amount can be taken tax free. Is it all tax free in the IoM?

[New Haven Neil]

11 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Here I am sure it is 25% of the pension amount can be taken tax free. Is it all tax free in the IoM?

 

All the lump sum is tax free, subject to a total of something just over a £million (we wish...). The pension itself is taxed as per normal.  Same applies in the UK I believe, as per UK Civil Service Pensions website, given similar 'constraints'.

[jjb1970]

I keep getting letters from my UK bank asking me to confirm where I am tax resident. I don't mind them asking the question as it's a perfectly reasonable one, and wouldn't mind being asked to confirm it annually but I get loads of letters. Every time I call them and get an apologetic 'oh, just ignore it' type response. I wouldn't care but the account in question has a few hundred quid I can use for tube fares, buying sandwiches etc when I visit England, I had to move all our savings etc to the Isle of Man because of all the hoo hah about tax, money laundering etc. It really annoyed me, my situation is hardly unusual, there must be literally millions of UK nationals living and either working or retired overseas yet the default position seems to be that such people are tax evading systers unless proven otherwise.

[New Haven Neil]

Just now, jjb1970 said:

I keep getting letters from my UK bank asking me to confirm where I am tax resident. I don't mind them asking the question as it's a perfectly reasonable one, and wouldn't mind being asked to confirm it annually but I get loads of letters. Every time I call them and get an apologetic 'oh, just ignore it' type response. I wouldn't care but the account in question has a few hundred quid I can use for tube fares, buying sandwiches etc when I visit England, I had to move all our savings etc to the Isle of Man because of all the hoo hah about tax, money laundering etc. It really annoyed me, my situation is hardly unusual, there must be literally millions of UK nationals living and either working or retired overseas yet the default position seems to be that such people are tax evading systers unless proven otherwise.

 

Some what ironic, as IoM Banks etc actually provide more information to IR than UK ones!

[jjb1970]

1 minute ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Some what ironic, as IoM Banks etc actually provide more information to IR than UK ones!

 

The IoM Bank is great, it's the UK one which is a pain. I decided to leave a small amount in a current account  (zero interest) to cover small incidentals when I am in England and it turned into the account from he'll.

[Tony_S]

2 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

It really annoyed me, my situation is hardly unusual, there must be literally millions of UK nationals living and either working or retired overseas yet the default position seems to be that such people are tax evading systers unless proven otherwise.

Aditi’s income comes from the state pension and her Teachers Pension. She had such a  difficult time last last year answering all kinds of intrusive questions from a high street bank to prove she wasn’t money laundering. She has been a British citizen for over 50 years and has only ever been resident for tax here. 

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, petethemole said:

Marketed as "convenient" IIRC. So you could get hot fat in your eye without bending over.

 

But you get a crick in your back with a low-level grill!

 

Must admit, I preferred the high/eye level grill.

 

1 hour ago, Grizz said:

Wow….your use of the term ‘Eye Level Grill’ caused an image of cheese on toast under an eye level grill to flash into my head as soon as I read it. 
 

Mmmmmmmmm cheeeeeese on toast…..

 

 

I was pondering what to have this evening.  Scrambled eggs was a firm favourite, but cheese on toast is now coming up on the rail...

 

[PhilJ W]

20 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Here I am sure it is 25% of the pension amount can be taken tax free. Is it all tax free in the IoM?

To clarify it, it is 25% of your total pension pot that is tax free if you care to take it as a lump sum.

[Tony_S]

14 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

account from he'll.

Aditi’s Mum had a similar situation in India. She had a small current account there, and a secure box where she kept some documents. On her last visit to India she thought it likely she wouldn’t return so decided to close the account after emptying the box. It got really complicated as they said she needed her son’s  (joint account holder) signature to close the account. Until that happened they would charge her rent for the box and deduct the fee from the account. She pointed out that the account held nothing. Aditi’s brother sent a letter saying it was ok to close the account but the Delhi bank said it needed to be witnessed by a Magistrate. Aditi’s brother in Kettering said that wasn’t going to happen. The bank kept writing to Aditi’s Mum in Enfield insisting on the fee being paid. Eventually they wrote and  said as the fee hadn’t been paid they would cut the lock off the box and sell the contents to cover the fee and close the account. Which is what she had asked for a year before. 

Edited January 30 by Tony_S

[TheQ]

Still not sure about my second pension, not heard back since the last phone call to correct their inability to read their own forms.

 

Afternoon Awl,

Moved various bits of equipment, various people moved stuff not according to the plans, and thwasen said my drawing wasn't right the equipment wouldn't fit....

After putting stuff where it should be, it fitted!!

 

Had time left over so fitted the top caps to 3 HF200s which have the arms to fit the aeriasl on to. Then a little titivating with a mini file to said assemblies.

Brought back a photo with broken glass in frame , will replace the glass with plastic.

 

Was getting a a email from the company offering £10 if I gave them  a 5* review about this tablet, can't do that as Amazon haven't posted it yet.

 

Now they are offering £15 .. this for the review of  a £94 item!! Not sure how they are going to pay it, they certainly won't get any bank details from me!!!..

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

To clarify it, it is 25% of your total pension pot that is tax free if you care to take it as a lump sum.

That is what I meant but should have added pot.

Aditi has an AVC “pot” too in addition to the normal Teachers Pension. She hasn’t touched that yet but could take 25% of that tax free too. She has a few years still to decide what to do with it. 

[Grizz]

45 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

As for Grizz's Tuesdays - NHS Outpatients was like that every day. Every. Frickin. Day.  Hence not being the manager of one anymore.  Once I found the door I ran. Far.

We are escapees. 
 

Did you find that you survived and coped, despite the system and not because of it? 
 

We at the sharp end of the job faced an extremely zealous, fanatically politised organisation, increasingly lead by proffesional managers. That is to say managers who haven’t progressed up through the ranks. I am totally convinced that towards the end they were covertly recruited for their political beliefs rather than their ability to manage a safety critical railway.
 

Worst still they learnt how to manage a railway from a book, which is ideologically perfect, until it doesn’t function exactly as the book tells you. Then in the blink of an eye these folks  had nothing to fall back on, which is why they surrounded themselves with people of exactly the same type. If you looked closely they usually last in a role for around 18 months to 2 years tops, then they got promoted or ‘quickly moved’. 
 

The most frightening part is this is the norm…..the experienced managers, who rose through the ranks are all but gone. 
 

Still we are out and it is now someone else’s issue. I can’t worry about it anymore. 
 

As I mentioned before I still hate Tuesdays, I don’t suppose that will change any time soon. 
 

Relax and enjoy your life Neil, you have earned it mate. 

[TheQ]

Oh I meant to say, in my research on 3D pens, they all seem to have a 0.7mm nozzle. The difference between pens seems to be..

Steps of 3 or up to 8 speeds or fully variable. Controlling...

A single or double drum drive.

With removable for cleaning or not nozzles.

1.75mm feed stock or 3mm..

 

[New Haven Neil]

48 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

To clarify it, it is 25% of your total pension pot that is tax free if you care to take it as a lump sum.

 

It's 40% here, or a set figure, which I can't now find!

 

Edit:- The Civil Serpent scheme only allows 30%.

Edited January 30 by New Haven Neil

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Was getting a a email from the company offering £10 if I gave them  a 5* review about this tablet, can't do that as Amazon haven't posted it yet.

Now they are offering £15 .. this for the review of  a £94 item!! Not sure how they are going to pay it, they certainly won't get any bank details from me!!!..

You have obviously realised that that is a scam. Amazon seems to be a favourite with scammers for some reason. I avoid dealing with Amazon for other reasons.

[Ian Abel]

Chooseday!

 

Yesterday was quiet, both work and post-work.

I did manage a 45-minute tough ride on my NordicTrack bike - 11 miles and 3,500ft climb in Thailand, a little more than I planned on <ouch> 😵

 

Today much of the same, there's no particular "day" that I dislike, all pretty much of a sameness, especially the work days.

 

Notified yesterday that the new roof for the rental house is now scheduled for Feb. 7th!!!

Expecting 10c/50f PLUS days around then so the roof will be way ahead of schedule. The need some 5c-10c days for the asphalt shingles to set properly.

 

Consistent with the above roofing report, today was +1c first thing, mostly cloudy, high of 6c expected. This is way above norms for this time of year.

 

Onward.

[Hroth]

4 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

I was pondering what to have this evening.  Scrambled eggs was a firm favourite, but cheese on toast is now coming up on the rail...

 

 

Now, a rank outsider, Baked Potato with Baked Beans is making a good showing!

 

This is beginning to sound like

 

And here comes the winner!!!

 

 

Baked spud'n'beanz...

 

Weather forecast for tonight:  Windy!

 

Edited January 30 by Hroth
Wot I 'ad in the end

[DaveF]

I went out as planned this morning and called at Lidl for a loaf.  I came home with a car boot full of a mix of food and things I "need".  I also had a walk in the park and a look at the beach and sea.  The waves were not very big but there were a few surfers about, some of them knew what they were doing.  When I got home I tried to get into my house but three neighbours came past and they all wanted to chat so that was about half an hour passed very pleasantly.

 

After a prolonged coffee break while I read part of a book I sorted out the morning's photos before lunch.  This afternoon I've captioned anther batch of Swiss photos, "wasted" some time looking at websites of things I might one day want to buy and done some gardening.  A Clematis tangutica and the dogwood have been pruned, a bit early but otherwise they might not get done before the new growth starts.

 

There was time before my cup of tea to ring the local Coop funeral parlour about pre paid funerals, I'll get a call back in the next couple of days to discuss it and can then decide exactly what I will do.  It has been on my "to do" list for a few months and now seems like as good a time as any to sort it out.

 

I think that's all todays jobs done so now I can relax, get tea and either read or watch TV, once again that will include Maigret in French.

 

 

In the park

 

Tree in the park

 

War memorial, old lighthouse and wind turbine from the park.

 

Beach and sea

 

Dog walker

 

David

[Grizz]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

 

Was getting a a email from the company offering £10 if I gave them  a 5* review about this tablet, can't do that as Amazon haven't posted it yet.

 

Now they are offering £15 .. this for the review of  a £94 item!! Not sure how they are going to pay it, they certainly won't get any bank details from me!!!..

 

 

 

Q at this rate mate if you hang on long enough they will be paying you to take it for free.😂

[PhilJ W]

My waste bin (landfill) wasn't collected last Thursday so I reported it. I had an automatic e-mail in reply saying it would be collected within three days. I received another e-mail early this afternoon saying it had been collected so I went out and checked, and it hadn't. I've been on to my local councillor and he is now chasing the cleansing manager. I very much doubt that this will be dealt with today but hopefully it will be dealt with in the morning.

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I was speaking to my friend this morning. He is in pieces as he will have to take the family's pet dog in to be put down. The dog is a female terrier/chihuahua cross more than sixteen years old. Of late she has become incontinent and suffering from arthritis so that she can hardly move. The vet recommended it a week ago as she was suffering but my friend was very reluctant up until now.

End-of-life is often a heart-breaking situation, both with pets and relatives.

 

A long time ago, Mrs iD and I decided that last and biggest gift we could give Schotty (now pushing 13) and Lucy (now pushing 15) is to "let them go" when they are suffering and there are no treatments that will help. Our vet will let us know when it's time and we will euthanise both of them at home - surrounded by familiar things and with the people they love and trust.

 

Until then, as long as they are happy and pain-free as can be given the infirmity of age, we'll manage the deafness, blindness, doggy dementia and the occasional incontinence - it's the least we can do for a lifetime of faithful companionship (not that Lucy and Schotty are anywhere near decrepitude, Lucy is a Little deaf and Schotty a little stiff, but are in incredibly good nick for their age [so says our vet]).

 

I wish we could give that gift of release to humans. I think that the Swiss have the right idea with Dignitas - stringent checks before being admitted to the programme and then it's up to the person who is dying (or who is enduring - in some cases literally - a living death) to take that final step.

[Coombe Barton]

... I’ve realised that in answering questions from students via email, a lot of the answers start “As I said in the lecture …” ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/01/30/covid-enquiry-no-scottish-major-meeting-minutes-long-answers-and-being-told-to-keep-it-brief-and-ducks-on-the-millpond/

[jamie92208]

The day has got better as it went along.  The supermarket was raided then I was instructed as to how to use the new self service gas bottle dispensing system. My instructor was a pleasant expat called Suzanne.  I asked if her parents were fans of The Hollies, no Leonard Cohen was the reply.  She's going home to research the Hollies song. 

 

Then I got home and the post delivered the fourth comic, ©Chrisf, in as many days. Plenty of good read g to do.  How does issue 999 of Trains come 3 days after issue 1000.  Then some time in the shed carpenter ing on the shutters.  Beth has gone out to the Ballet with a friend so I am in charge of the remote. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

 

PS, I forgot Sundry.