Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

10 minutes ago, PupCam said:

HP printers

Hopeless Packed-up 

[Erichill16]

At mil’s for an hour or so keeping  her company. Found myself watching this. 

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I didn't buy much at the toy fair this morning, just a few diecasts. A strange thing happened as I was driving home. I normally tune the radio into Radio 2, but as I left the venue I realised it was on Radio one and a quick look at the radio display confirmed that. I waited until I got home and then reset it. Thinking about it it's not the first time this has happened. The last time it happened was when I attended a previous toy fair at the same venue. I can think of a number of reasons for this, perhaps the venue is in a 'dead spot' and the radio seeks another station and re-tunes itself. Or the massive electrical distribution/substation just down the road affects the signal?

[DaveF]

More photos scanned.  Here are some from the distant past on Dad's side of the family.  The photos seem never ending.  I am very glad I have copies of the family tree!

 

George and Eliza my great great grandparents and their first son my great grandfather about 1876.  Back then small boys were usually dressed like this until they could cope with trousers for toilet purposes.

 

My great grandmother Sarah about 1874.

 

Sarah some years later.

 

My grandmother on the right and a friend in 1914.

 

David

Edited May 5 by DaveF
typo

[polybear]

51 minutes ago, PupCam said:

.......presumably reputable high street emporium (Tescos).   

 

Tescos?  Reputable??  🤣

 

51 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Oh no, I've just thought, the particular devices I was  thinking off were never integrated onto the Hunter so  Fly-Boy will have to use something a bit more modern. 

 

I know A Bear that might just've specialised in Trials & Aircraft Integration....😉

Let's see now - no bluddy documents, no design certification, no signatories to please, no GWSO......

Sounds like a fine plan to this Bear.

 

ION.....

 

Bear is fully wandered...

 

BG

 

Edited May 5 by polybear

[PhilJ W]

This mornings perambulations have taken their toll so a bit of eyelid inspection is called for.

[iL Dottore]

54 minutes ago, PupCam said:

 

…But you forget that both Poly and I still have contacts and can get them at "Mates Rates".      We also know an old Fly-Boy who, for a modest consideration I'm sure, would be prepared, nay positively enjoy, loosing a few off "for old times sake"….

The problem with “mates rates”  and “an old Fly-Boy who, for a modest consideration*…” is that without orders from a legitimate source, then they are nothing but “guns for hire” a.k.a. Mercenaries.

 

And the problem with mercenaries - as many commanders (and even Kings) have found out to their cost - is that they make themselves available to the highest bidder. It was not unknown for mercenaries fighting for one side (say “the Blues”) in the morning would be fighting for the other side (say “the Reds”) in the afternoon, because the Reds offered them much more money than the Blues. 
 

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of the “old money” fortunes around - now very respectable - came from an ancestor or two who managed to successfully switch sides a number of times during a long campaign.

The Swiss, who provided countless mercenaries to the European powers over the centuries have banned the Swiss from being mercenaries - with the exception of the Swiss Papal Guard (technically a mercenary unit) who must be Catholic, single males with Swiss citizenship who have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces and can obtain certificates of good conduct (they generally come from the Catholic Alpine Kantons).

 

According to my father, who researched the family history, I have a Condottiere** or two amongst my ancestors… 😁 (as well as some minor city-state princes, a wayward cleric or two, several farmers and at least one [suspected] assassin).
 

* I wonder if the “Fly Boy” in question would prefer to have a few tins of baked beans, some curly fries, some arduino electronics, a few hundred quid “under the table” and the full undivided attention of HMRC OR a few hundred thousand Swiss francs in a discreet numbered account located somewhere in Zūrich, Basel or Genève. No Questions Asked, No Questions Answered!

 

** Medieval Italian mercenaries.

[Tony_S]

56 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Thinking about it it's not the first time this has happened.

If you drive past the water tower where Vicarage Hill and Essex Way join, strange things happen to radios. It has a lot of aerials!

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

More photos scanned.  Here are some from the distant past on Dad's side of the family.  The photos seem never ending.  I am very glad I have copies of the family tree!

 

George and Eliza my great great grandparents and their first son my great grandfather about 1876.  Back then small boys were usually dreesed like this until they could cope with trousers for toilet purposes.

 

My great grandmother Sarah about 1874.

 

Sarah some years later.

 

My grandmother on the right and a friend in 1914.

 

David

 

I have several family albums of photos, many of which look exactly like your first photo.  None are named, and I have no idea who they are!

 

On the other hand, I have a photo of my maternal grandmother, aged 17, holding her baby sister, aged 17 weeks.  Nowadays, such a juxtaposition would be "Mother and child"....

 

[DaveF]

I've done enough scans for today, I started making mistakes in captioning them, always a sign I am a bit tired.  

 

It's been pleasantly mild all day so the heating has stayed off for the first time since last autumn, the thermostat is now set to its summer level so it only comes on in cold weather - i.e. most days at the moment!  

 

The chicken joint cooked well for lunch, it was tasty along with some sausages, stuffing and an assortment of vegetables and there is at least enough left for 2 more meals, probably 3.  It means that tomorrow can be a "no cook" day as I have some salad stuff to go with it. 

 

As tomorrow is a Bank Holiday I'll probably stay at home as if it is dry places will be busy - at least by Northumberland standards.  Those living in some other parts of the country might think of the number of people out visiting places tomorrow as about that of a cold Sunday in mid winter where they are, but up here it feels busy.

 

David

 

 

[DaveF]

5 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

I have several family albums of photos, many of which look exactly like your first photo.  None are named, and I have no idea who they are!

 

On the other hand, I have a photo of my maternal grandmother, aged 17, holding her baby sister, aged 17 weeks.  Nowadays, such a juxtaposition would be "Mother and child"....

 

 

I am very fortunate that both sides of the family almost always either wrote on the back of photos or on album pages so I can work out most of the people.  Also at least three relatives have been working on family trees on Dad's side of the family.  The copy I use is from my Great Aunt and goes back to about 1815, a cousin has got back to about 1750 but I haven't had a good look at it yet.  I also have a136 page A4 book on the family done by distant relatives in the UK and Australia which is supposed to go back to 1713 but have only read it and never really checked through the bits relevant to me.

 

On Mum's side there is less detail but she did most of the main members tree back to around the middle of the 19th century, one day I want to go further back , if I ever get time.  No one else is interested.

 

David

[New Haven Neil]

We don't need airborne weapons to wipe out furrin super criminals, we can just use Donk's super over-the-horizon supper-zapper weapon.  It certainly sorted out his mountain eyrie last time we used it.

 

 

ION

 

Archery was a bit odd, very busy, lot of new members getting in the way and generally being silly, poncing around with lots of high grade new gear and no idea how to actually shoot it - the leaders of the club had their hands full.  We shot off with some other regulars, and had a slifhtly truncated round (se above - blocking targets) Mrs NHN shot a blinder with highest score of the day, the really good guy was with us but off his game, he usually can win without trying too hard.

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Tescos?  Reputable??  🤣

 

 

You may have a point there ...

[Hroth]

9 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

We don't need airborne weapons to wipe out furrin super criminals, we can just use Donk's super over-the-horizon supper-zapper weapon.  It certainly sorted out his mountain eyrie last time we used it.

 

 

ION

 

Archery was a bit odd, very busy, lot of new members getting in the way and generally being silly, poncing around with lots of high grade new gear and no idea how to actually shoot it - the leaders of the club had their hands full.  We shot off with some other regulars, and had a slifhtly truncated round (se above - blocking targets) Mrs NHN shot a blinder with highest score of the day, the really good guy was with us but off his game, he usually can win without trying too hard.

 

"Up a bit, left a bit, left, left, left...  FIRE!!!" 

 

🤪

 

The Soviets thought Sputnik stopped working when its battery went flat.  WE know better....

 

Edited May 5 by Hroth

[Winslow Boy]

28 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

"Up a bit, left a bit, left, left, left...  FIRE!!!" 

 

🤪

 

The Soviets thought Sputnik stopped working when its battery went flat.  WE know better....

 

I must say that's very impressive for a cappuccino maker. Does Donk get you to add the ingredients or does the coastguard drop it in for him.

[Tony_S]

37 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Up a bit, left a bit, left, left, left...  FIRE!!!

It might have worked. I think I was told or read somewhere the (original) turning and pointing motors were Royal Navy surplus from gun turrets. 

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

It might have worked. I think I was told or read somewhere the (original) turning and pointing motors were Royal Navy surplus from gun turrets. 

 

Second-hand, from WWI battleships being broken up at the time: HMS Revenge and Royal Sovereign. 

[Hroth]

And the wheels/rails at the bottom had a railway origin...

 

[polybear]

Now that's spiteful:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68961875

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

Now that's spiteful:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68961875

 

However, the victim probably has some questions to answer.

[TheQ]

AAfternoon Awl,

Warm sunny day, I might be going a bit rusty brown..

 

Forecast notalota wind, and that's what we got for the first race, after that with the increasing heat inland, we got a increasing sea breeze. Unusually it's was mostly southerly. 

 

Race 1, course, 2p, Xp two laps..

So little wind the class before us was only a couple of hundred yards away when we started 5 minutes later.

I made the best start but was quickly overtaken and dropped to second.

When we reached the first bend we were tight up behind the previous fleet, the lead boat started over taking them and I started over taking my class leader. We drifted up to buoy 2 with BM on the inside for the mark I just had the over lap on our class leader, that was a 5 boat over lap with each outer boat being further forward.

So I turned inside with two boats just outside, the other 3 drifted further up river with the incoming tide.

 

Soon after tacking round, there was a temporary increase in wind and all the boat we'd just passed,  swept past .. then it dropped again and I followed them round the bend.

 

I chose to keep left out of the tide, several others went down the middle, BM overtook several boats, but then  we had to move out to pass the X buoy, BM slowed and on the way down to the finish line, all but one boat passed BM..

That actually didn't matter because. Both the rest of my fleet and the fleet that started 5 minutes ahead are meant to be 7 % faster.. BM was well and truly first on handicap. Race shortened by one lap due to the lack of wind.

 

Race 2, the prior fleet were at the first bend before we started..

Course, 2p, Xp, 1p, 5p..

 

Made a good start followed the leader all the way round the course, got an over lap a few times but never got past. 

Stayed close enough to win on handicap ..

 

Lunch time..

Race 3 and 4,  much the same but each one BM was further behind.

 

So  two handicap wins and two err somewheres.

 

 What I am pleased with was the way BM handled, the change of the mast angle has made her easier to helm, the alterations to BMs steering gear has reduced the effort needed. And... The boom doesn't hit my head any more..

 

Notes, 

Decided the seat needs more of a lean back, haven't worked out how to arrange that yet..

Measurements of the jib with the mast in this position have been taken , that with the previous measurements have confirmed the dimensions.. I'll start construction of the jib soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Coombe Barton]

... current week influenza seems to be predominant in those who are in education and work settings, while Covid is the opposite ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/05/05/virus-infections-by-age-and-actual-gardening/

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Found myself watching this. 

These are the classic Weird Al compositions, accompanied by piano accordion as original parodies of songs of the day like "My Bologna" (parody of My Sharona by the Knack). Songs like "Eat it" were a little later and came with a music video, as did "Like a Surgeon" because that had to be done in the 1980s.

 

I used to listen to the Dr. Demento Radio show - where Weird Al got his break. Weird Al and Tom Lehrer were regulars in his rotation.

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

You may have a point there ...

I remember the Tescos horse. 2012 IIRC

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, Hroth said:

On the other hand, I have a photo of my maternal grandmother, aged 17, holding her baby sister, aged 17 weeks.  Nowadays, such a juxtaposition would be "Mother and child"....

That certainly would have been the case then too.

 

It is not unusual even today to have more than a decade between siblings. It is quite common with remarriages.

 

EDIT:

 

An (in)famous political family in the US has 28 years between siblings.

 

Edited May 5 by Ozexpatriate
clarity and an addition