Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

I saw something I hadn't seen since the 70's this week. When I was a nipper there were still clothing manufacturers and shops which supplied trousers with the legs unhemmed. You bought them and then adjusted the length and had them hemmed. I hadn't seen trousers like that for decades but looking for new work trousers this week there were a couple of shops selling them that way then adjusting length for the customer. Thankfully they weren't lined, another throwback. I have a couple of very nice pairs of lined trousers but lining really isn't good in this climate. 

[Ozexpatriate]

16 hours ago, DaveF said:

I have the TV on vaguely watching the programme about D Day, it seems to be aimed at people who do not know much about it

Necessary I think.

 

Lest we forget.

 

I am not quite in my mid-70s, and don't personally know people who were there but I was raised on a diet of WW2 'history' in many forms most ERs are familiar with - movies, television documentaries (like "The World At War") Airfix kits, etc. It was pervasive and ubiquitous.

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

On returning to England due for demob in 1947 he was asked to stay on and offered a promotion but he declined as the job was to run a police unit in Palestine. He considered that the situation there was far worse than India.

Both got quite nasty for British troops. In India the worst violence was during partition - but I don't personally know how involved British soldiers were by that point.  Jerusalem was particularly bad for British soldiers in the Mandate during 1946.

 

The last British soldiers left India in February 1948 and Palestine in May 1948.

[jjb1970]

One of my uncles did his national service in Palestine. He rarely spoke about it (something characteristic of many former service people) but something I do remember is he had a rather different view of the Middle East than was typical and a very dim view of a couple of prime ministers of the country that was established after Britain withdrew.

[polybear]

8 hours ago, PupCam said:

Did I worry when the young, handsome, slender, racing snake physique and long flowing hair of my youth ......... 

 

Bear has known Puppers for, er, "rather a long time".

Obviously not long enough it seems as I'm struggling to recall just when this era actually was.....

Edited June 6 by polybear

[polybear]

11 hours ago, Grizz said:

Yeah but that is not the actual question that needs to be answered @polybear……the question is not whether you are open minded or not….

 

the question is….is your pillion companion “Open Minded????”

 

…now that IS the question…..😎😎😎

 

Love Grizz 

 

Well she seemed quite happy to be hangin' on to Bear's Furry Bits......😁

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

he had a rather different view of the Middle East than was typical

I'm not sure what is "typical" (and we needn't explore it) but the definition of patriot and insurgent* is very much a matter of one's frame of reference.

 

* To use the nicer term

 

An easy example is the revolutionary war in the North American colonies. Generally the labels applied are "patriots" and "loyalists" - which are at least both somewhat positive terms. Funnily enough the term "rebel" isn't used for those that succeeded and even "revolutionary" is rare.

 

"History" is always written by the winners. With time, nuance can appear.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

No cricket now until next Tuesday. Hopefully this means I can dry out and warm up!

 

I have some parcels to send so a gentle stroll to the post office then. Its all mynown time.

 

We are having a little trip next week so I may start packing.

 

Stay safe!

 

Baz

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Mainly blue sky with sunshine here which might not last as variable cloud and isolated showers are forecast.  11°C rising to 19°C.

Yesterday's BBQ was a success and the weather stayed kind to us.  Lots of eating, drinking and laughter, I succeeded in cooking stuff without crucifying it and The Boss made a very nice lemon meringue pie. 

The day was finished off nicely with a £30 lottery win.

Today's main task will be to clean the BBQ. 

One bin lorry now (over)due and Ocado should be here in an hour or so with everything we've ordered so The  Boss is already in hurry up mode.

Time for my Shredded Wheat.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Gwiwer]

Morning all. It appears to be Thursday. 
 

I’ll take a steady morning tidying up a few random bits before going on watch at midday. 
 

The seaweed-wranglers have arranged a nice day. Sunny, breezy, not overheated. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The sky is grey and the sun is shining, it seems a long time since I’ve written those words, this early in the day. Breakfast has been eaten and the kitchen has been vacated so that Sheila can get herself and her bag packed ready for her Zumba class. As usual, my chauffeuring services are required, but once back home, I’ll make myself a large muggertea and head downstairs to the cellar. The plan for today is to fit some Kadee coupling to a few wagons, so they can be used on my micro layout. The reason I’m not doing this in the workshop, is that Sheila has a package due, so doing this work in the cellar, means I’ll hear the doorbell (or knocker) if it goes, thus earning a few more brownie points. 
 

Back later 

 

Brian 

[iL Dottore]

Morning All,

 

Mrs iD is still at the Holiday Hovel with the Wolfpack, a bottle of 15yo Japanese single-malt whisky will appear on my doorstep today (a small gift to myself for my upcoming birthday) and I’m still on my diet ☹️ (at least until Saturday - when I have the day off from my diet to enjoy my birthday).

In anticipation of a (eventual) house move I have been “instructed” by Mrs iD to thin out my book, model and railway model collections (fortunately, so far, no mention has been made about my guitar collection). Which, I think that from one aspect is a bit rich as Mrs iD still has the receipts for things she purchased in the 1990s on file! So I am doing a spot of rationalisation in between working for money (a very popular activity, I am led to understand) and slowly building some kits amongst the current chaos of the workshop.

Anyway, it’s been quite a fascinating exercise: quite a few of my medical and scientific textbooks are destined for the recycling bin as they are really, really out of date; I look at some of the science-fiction and general fiction books that I have and I ask myself  “what did I ever see in that author?“ and I look at some of the books I have in my large cookbook collection and I ask myself “how on earth did I end up with the free promotional cookbook “The Joy of Spam”” and “why do I have a book on Greek cooking in the collection? I don’t even like Greek food”

 

When it comes to sorting through the model railway material (which I have been collecting for quite awhile) - It’s fascinating  to find that I have a Castle Class locomotive made (I think) by Hornby in the 1990s and I also have two Castle Class locomotive models made in the 2010s, it’s like comparing a Armstrong Whitworth Argosy with a Boeing 747-400. The basics are still the same, but boy has the technology marched on. This rationalisation is a cross between a voyage of discovery and an archaeological dig: as I am constantly being surprised to find what I actually do have in my assorted model railway stocks and some things – when unearthed – I don’t even remember acquiring!

 

Some lucky(?) chums have been fortunate beneficiaries of this clear-out.

 

One thing that has surprised me about this “rationalisation” of my collections and our household goods is how utterly and ruthlessly unsentimental I can be. Whilst Mrs iD looks at our furniture and says “I can’t get rid of that it is my favourite XXX”, I look at the same thing and say “it won’t serve any purpose in the new place, it goes!”

 

I am not quite down to “one in the wardrobe, one on the body and one in the wash” when it comes to my clothes, but that is the way it is heading. However, as I have a VERY finely and keenly honed sense of self-preservation, I have not made one single comment, observation or casual remark about Mrs iDs, extensive footwear and clothing warehouse stocks (it’s a bit more, nay, a lot more than a simple collection).

 

As we are both Jäger und Sammler rationalisation of our possessions may take some time….
 

Edited June 6 by iL Dottore
Spelling

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

it is sunny here, which is of course nice but I am having an eye test later that involves dilated pupils. 
Nothing else to report. 
Tony

[Winslow Boy]

20 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Morning all.

it is sunny here, which is of course nice but I am having an eye test later that involves dilated pupils. 
Nothing else to report. 
Tony

Relative of mine has been having his corneas replaced and boy has it been a battle.

 

It hasn't helped that he doesn't like being treated like a two year which unfortunately some of the medical staff treated him like.

 

So far as to say he was on the point of lodging a formal complaint but luckily, for the NHS that is, the consultant managed to talk him round. Part of the problem was 'box ticking' and getting the medico's to see the person rather than just the ailment.

 

Thankfully he's now on the downward slope having got new lenses for his glasses, so he's back driving which was sending him stir crazy having been unable to do since February.

[Hroth]

Its a cool but sunny day with a hint of a breeze.

 

I was standing in the shower, preparing for the day, when it struck me that I hadn't put the grey (recycling) bin out, and you can't trust the bin lorry to turn up at a reasonable time....

 

Cue rapid exit, dry off and throw clothes on so as not to frighten the neighbours, out and drag the bin to the curb.  Phew! Safe!  No-one elses bins have been emptied!

 

Of course, I needn't have hurried.  The bin lorry can be heard trundling about for at least half an hour, and it's not in evidence yet...

 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still got the pile of jeans to go in the wash but as I'm out this afternoon at a meeting they will have to wait. Also it is predicted to be dry and breezy tomorrow so better for drying. 

ION I'm addicted to Wordl, now that I've got the hang of it, it took only a few minutes to get today's word.

[roundhouse]

The only time that I touch the washing machine is to either install a new one or clean the filters. However recently I had to put mums washing machine on. My other half had to tell me what to do over the phone.

 

A very nice morning here so far. I spent an hour outside the shed putting edging on to a carry case that I am building for 1/72 scale Corvette. As it was before 8 am I had to drill and hammer quietly.

 

Now out and about with a Travel card. First stop Surbiton Spoons.

[Tony_S]

40 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

It hasn't helped that he doesn't like being treated like a two year which unfortunately some of the medical staff treated him like.

I am very fortunate that all the medical people I see now are really good but after a change of consultant some years ago I had one who was awful at  doctor to human verbal interactions. His team were not much better. Fortunately my GP suggested going somewhere else and all was fine again. To be honest some of the medical relatives treat us as if we are simple minded at times., including statements like “we are doctors,we make all the decisions” concerning elderly relatives. This was after Aditi merely asked a question about an elderly relatives treatment.  There are other medical relatives  who are lovely though. 

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

spent an hour outside the shed putting edging on to a carry case that I am building for 1/72 scale Corvette.

My 1/32 version from a couple of years ago.

[Tony_S]

And a red one…

[PupCam]

Morning!

 

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear has known Puppers for, er, "rather a long time".

Obviously not long enough it seems as I'm struggling to recall just when this era actually was.....

 

It was when Bear was still in "Short Fur" and Puppers was only just out of "Short Trousers"

 

30 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still got the pile of jeans to go in the wash but as I'm out this afternoon at a meeting they will have to wait. Also it is predicted to be dry and breezy tomorrow so better for drying. 

ION I'm addicted to Wordl, now that I've got the hang of it, it took only a few minutes to get today's word.

 

Did it in 2 yesterday using one of my newer starter words (max number of vowels and common consonants).      I can't recall now if I've ever managed a "Oner" and I'm not registering an account so I don't get to see the stats now but sobeit.

 

ION

 

We were scheduled to have a power cut this morning.  Some follow-up work to the recent pole replacement activities.    I happened to notice that there was a man in a cherry picker adjacent to the top of the new pole as I looked out the bedroom window.    He had a pair of very thick gloves and a giant pair of wire cutters.    The nice shiny new tails they put up the new pole have been severed to isolate the overhead lines.     I think I mentioned before, our feed is taken from the underground cable immediately before it goes up the pole so no power cut for us today - Yippee!

 

This afternoon sees a hospital consultation for an ongoing and currently rather too active condition that I'd like very much to see the back of 'cos it blxxdy hurts!    I've also got to contact the GPs (Deep Joy) to find out if a promised referral which may or may not have any relevance to the issue  has actually happened.      Getting old and worn out is no walk-in-the-park is it?   Mind you, much better than the alternative and as Mother says "You're a long time dead"!

 

TTFN

 

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

6 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Morning!

Did it in 2 yesterday using one of my newer starter words (max number of vowels and common consonants).      I can't recall now if I've ever managed a "Oner" and I'm not registering an account so I don't get to see the stats now but sobeit.

I've got Wordl in two three times so far. For the last one I used a starter word (STARE) and it came up the same first four letters, there was only two possibilities and I picked the correct one (stark).

[Erichill16]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

cookbook “The Joy of Spam”” 
 

Ooooooh! 
Yes please!

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I ask myself “how on earth did I end up with the free promotional cookbook “The Joy of Spam””

 

Put it on ebay, there's no competition at present...

 

9 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Ooooooh! 
Yes please!

 

Bluddy Vikings.....

🤪

 

[BoD]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

There are other medical relatives  who are lovely though. 

My brother-in-law who was a G.P. was one of the nicest people I have ever met.  I would say that, but that was also the opinion of anyone else who ever met him, including all of his patients.  Sadly though he was taken by cancer well before his time.

 

His daughter who normally works in a hospital in Newcastle was in Athens last week presenting a report to a conference of plastic surgeons from across Europe. Not bad for someone whose 30th birthday is this month.  We are all proud but he would have been particularly so.