Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

43 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

Before the dreaded B election, I made the point on another forum, which allowed political discussion, that people should be prepared to accept the result and not try to overturn by calling foul. That was mainly because that bloke who's popped up again in reform was already calling foul. I was probably feeding off Alec Salmond's "neverendum" statements for Scotland.

 

So the next morning I was kind of hoisted by my own petard. 

 

The democratic will of the people spoke. I wish it hadn't but here we are!

 

My sentiments exactly. One of the dangers facing us is the concept that we will only accept electroral outcomes we agree with. A functioning democratic process demands that we accept the outcomes of elections. We don't have to like or agree ith them, and if we're really annoyed then start working on ways to get a different result next time but once people start ignoring election results because they don't like them then the whole system will break down.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Up a bit earlier today as I have a 9 o’clock appointment with the lovely Anna, my dental hygienist. This is the only time I leave home WITHOUT having eaten my breakfast, I’ll eat that when I get back. After that, it’s a day pottering about, mainly in the cellar, as my package from Sheffield is due today, but as yet I’ve not been given a time. Sheila is having her hair done this morning, so I’ll need to be at hand for the door until at least dinner, so a full day of pottering is the most likely outcome. 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[DaveF]

An early start on this very grey and humid morning, everything feels damp.  Asda delivered the groceries right at the start of the time slot.  Having ordered a small pack of strawberries and some other fruit I now have two very large packs so some will be donated to neighbours.  I will be trying lactose free milk and oat "milk" over the next few days to see what they are like, along with lactose free yoghurt.  I hope my gut returns to normal soon.

 

Yesterday evening I cleared out some more old papers I don't need, while doing so I found another album of old photos.  Fortunately this time they were mine so they have been put on a shelf where sometime I can go through them.  I think they were originally printed as a reference set for making some models together with a few of the garden to make a record at some point in time.  I feel no urgency to deal with them.

 

This morning I think I will get the family photos put on memory cards, the covering letters written and the while lot posted.  I will feel very pleased when it is done, they are beginning to feel like a millstone round my neck.

 

The item which came from Sheffield yesterday has been tested, when electricity was applied it moved, it now needs the detailing bits adding, couplings and lamps, then it can start to earn its living.

 

David

[BSW01]

Now back from the dental hygienist and given a clean bill of health, in fact, an issue highlighted by my dentist 3 months ago has now been resolved, so it’s just a case of carry on doing what I’m doing. I’ve just had notification that my package is on its way. Breakfast has now been consumed and one large muggertea finished. So I'm now about to make myself a muggertea to take downstairs and await it’s arrival. 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

 

My sentiments exactly. One of the dangers facing us is the concept that we will only accept electroral outcomes we agree with. A functioning democratic process demands that we accept the outcomes of elections. We don't have to like or agree ith them, and if we're really annoyed then start working on ways to get a different result next time but once people start ignoring election results because they don't like them then the whole system will break down.

As Trump did and caused chaos. I wonder if he'd dare pull the same stunt again if he loses by a similar narrow margin. The big difference is that now he cannot claim presidential immunity so would he dare.

[Coombe Barton]

Been to see sister Drac - now awaiting the first exam board which is online

Sunny earlier, greyed over now - later I will be mowing the lawn as it's garden waste tomorrow.

Exciting, innit?

[TheQ]

" Web u numbers make the wedge too "  that bit I've highlighted  I didn't type, I've no idea where it came from, it just appeared at the head of this text after I'd typed the rest..

 

The Landrover is very close to  240,000 miles she's 40 years old in November. Of that in my 20 years ownership is  she's done less than 100,000 miles. Now she does about 50 miles a week.  She had a soft front left tyre yesterday, I'll have to watch that..

 

Mooring Awl, 

Not sure how much sleep I had, thought it wouldn't be long before swmbo arrived in bed , turned over and she was already there., 4 hours after that, woke up had a thought about boats and upcoming work and brain wouldn't let go. Since then I've had maybe another hours dozing..

 

Ben the attentive Collie is by my side waiting for a bit of bacon. We've been out on a sunny warm patrol though with a heavy dew.

Hmm having had a bit of bacon he's now giving SWMBO a cuddle..

 

Feeling a bit rough, so not sure what I'll do after this muggacoffee..

There's more hedging to chop, a lawnmower to fit a new spark plug to and try.

Then there are various bits of wood to chop up into future parts for the motorboat, if nothing else to make more room in the landrover.

 

Yesterday a credit card sized, err.. card arrived, for my medical trial

Crash!!!!

A mirror which has hung above the fireplace for 24 years ( except for the odd removal and clean) just fell off... No one near it.

3ft 6 inches wide by 2ft 6 inches tall it was. Ripped the mountings off the back it did.

Glass everywhere, Ben had to be held on the sofa while the mess was cleared up, he wanted to investigate once he'd got over the shock. Luckily the floor has mats on it to stop Ben slipping when he charges around.

Rolled up the glass in the mats, emptied into the bin.. shaken out. Now each will get a wash as well. 

It was lucky at least one of us was here, and it was easier with two of us for the clear up.

 

The mirror was to bounce light around the living room as it's north facing, it also helped make the room look bigger.

 

Where was I?

 

Oh yes the medical card, I'm to carry that around in my wallet once the trial starts, which is imminent. It's got my name and trial ID on the front, and full contact details for the department of Oxford University that is carrying out the trial on the back.

 

Now having muggacoffee number 2 after the previous excitement. Ben's gone back to sleep.

 

Time to sup

[BoD]

Morning all 

 

It is dull and grey up here somewhere in the top right hand corner of England.

 

In line with what appears to be the phrase 'de jour' can I just state that any future modelling projects I may have, have been fully costed.

Of course you and I, being fellow muddlers,  know that this means **** all.

 

Any resemblance to real life situations is purely coincidental.

Edited June 18 by BoD

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Blue welkin this morning as far as I can see but cloud promised for later. According to weather predictions summer will arrive next week but how long it will stay is anybody's guess. 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

An early start on this very grey and humid morning, everything feels damp.  Asda delivered the groceries right at the start of the time slot.  Having ordered a small pack of strawberries and some other fruit I now have two very large packs so some will be donated to neighbours.  I will be trying lactose free milk and oat "milk" over the next few days to see what they are like, along with lactose free yoghurt.  I hope my gut returns to normal soon.

 

 

Another volunteer I met a week or so ago is down for gall bladder removal; the list of foods he can't eat is horrific - forget eating out, that's for sure.

 

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

As Trump did and caused chaos. I wonder if he'd dare pull the same stunt again if he loses by a similar narrow margin. The big difference is that now he cannot claim presidential immunity so would he dare.

 

He's dumb enough to try.

 

ION....

 

Mickey is gleaming once more - that's a Tick.  And yes, it does feel rather good.

 

And finally.....

 

More calls/emails/texts regarding the repair to Mickey; I was under the impression they were going to give Bear a selection of "approved" Bodyshops to choose from, but no - they've allocated the job to one already.  I'm looking at that at the moment....

 

BG

[jjb1970]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

As Trump did and caused chaos. I wonder if he'd dare pull the same stunt again if he loses by a similar narrow margin. The big difference is that now he cannot claim presidential immunity so would he dare.

 

I find it genuinely worrying. I have colleagues who work with US representatives and senators and if they are in a polite mood they describe the current state of US politics as dysfunctional. The US is a particularly visible and extreme example of a political system which is suffering serious problems but if I look at much of Europe (UK included) things may not be quite as bad as the US but they're not especially great and alternative parties across the continent seem to be seeing growing support largely because of declining confidence in the traditional political establishment. Even countries we tend to think of as 'sober' and 'sensible' such as Germany or liberal and tolerant such as the Netherlands and Sweden are seeing a similar crisis of confidence in politics.

[tigerburnie]

The RAF seem busy today at least four jet fighters just gone over our village, normally we might see that number in a week going to or from Lossiemouth.

Been out playing with my new action camera just up the coast from us.

 

[Hroth]

Any idea what the signal flag being flown by the lighthouse sculpture means?  Its not a recognisable maritime signal flag!

 

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

They gave Winston the "order of the boot"* in 1945 - only to elect him (for the first time) in 1951.

 

* His oblique reference to receiving the Order of the Garter for services rendered after losing his first election as PM.

 

Voters are fickle. And fractious.

Indeed. One Labour MP (after being voted out) was caught remarking “the voters have spoken - the b******s”

 

But what are the alternatives to democracy? I think that few would want a theocracy (as much as some religious groups wish it were so) - I don’t think many Brits would take kindly to being told what to do and what not to do according to a very narrow, and highly selective, interpretation of just one of the very many “holy books”.

 

A benign dictatorship, whereby one individual, enlightened, wise and benevolent, has absolute power and uses it for the betterment of the citizens is a nice tidy option. But even if there IS such an individual, what about his or her successors? The likelihood of having two enlightened, wise and benevolent individuals in a row is highly unlikely.

 

Which brings me to authoritarianism and dictatorships (and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference). These can be very successful, certainly in the short term. Authoritarianism/dictatorships work best when you have a well defined out-group - preferably one that is already on the margins of society - upon which to dump the ills of society. And once you have a significant part of the population saying things like “iL Generalissimo iD sometimes goes a bit too far, but he does have the right idea about baked bean eaters“ you know your strategy has worked,  The alternative successful dictatorship strategy is to have a dictatorship that is so brutal and repressive that there actually is no opposition of even minimal capability to the supreme ruler (e.g North Korea). Many authoritarian regimes in the Middle East are much closer to the North Korean ideal than they would prefer to admit.

 

i’m not sure whether Census Democracy is a good idea or not. On paper, restricting the vote and participation in the process of democracy to a selected part of the nation’s population that meet certain criteria, has potential for a well functioning state. If this Census Democracy is along the lines of an Athenian democracy, the right to vote and participate in the democratic process will be restricted to those who have invested into the well-being of the state: by being property owners, by having served the country in the military (or similar) being of sound mind and of good moral character. One of the positive aspects of this sort of democracy is that really excessive spending plans – often voted for in western democracies because in the eyes of many “somebody else is paying“.  And one of the negative aspects of such a democracy is that it can cultivate an “we’re in it for ourselves “and “jobbies for the boys“ mentality. It is also has the drawback of excluding from the democratic process a lot of potential talent.

No, we’re stuck with democracy from universal suffrage, and as long as we keep to the written (and unwritten) rules, we’ll muddle along fairly successfully.

[polybear]

10 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

A benign dictatorship, whereby one individual, enlightened, wise and benevolent, has absolute power and uses it for the betterment of the citizens is a nice tidy option. But even if there IS such an individual, what about his or her successors? 

 

You called?

[southern42]

' afternoon all from red dragon land.

Overcast. 11.2C.  So much for that!

 

Still coughing...

 

ION

TOTF🎶 went amazingly well this morning - yesterday, was one of those "I ought to give up!" days of poor co-ordination. Not only did the first two lines go well when played separately, but they went together well afterwards, despite laboured breathing and having to stop to clear nose and throat every so often. So, onwards, onwards...

 

Time to get lunch...

Take care. Be good. Keep going.

[The Lurker]

38 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Indeed. One Labour MP (after being voted out) was caught remarking “the voters have spoken - the b******s”

 

But what are the alternatives to democracy? I think that few would want a theocracy (as much as some religious groups wish it were so) - I don’t think many Brits would take kindly to being told what to do and what not to do according to a very narrow, and highly selective, interpretation of just one of the very many “holy books”.

 

A benign dictatorship, whereby one individual, enlightened, wise and benevolent, has absolute power and uses it for the betterment of the citizens is a nice tidy option. But even if there IS such an individual, what about his or her successors? The likelihood of having two enlightened, wise and benevolent individuals in a row is highly unlikely.

 

Which brings me to authoritarianism and dictatorships (and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference). These can be very successful, certainly in the short term. Authoritarianism/dictatorships work best when you have a well defined out-group - preferably one that is already on the margins of society - upon which to dump the ills of society. And once you have a significant part of the population saying things like “iL Generalissimo iD sometimes goes a bit too far, but he does have the right idea about baked bean eaters“ you know your strategy has worked,  The alternative successful dictatorship strategy is to have a dictatorship that is so brutal and repressive that there actually is no opposition of even minimal capability to the supreme ruler (e.g North Korea). Many authoritarian regimes in the Middle East are much closer to the North Korean ideal than they would prefer to admit.

 

i’m not sure whether Census Democracy is a good idea or not. On paper, restricting the vote and participation in the process of democracy to a selected part of the nation’s population that meet certain criteria, has potential for a well functioning state. If this Census Democracy is along the lines of an Athenian democracy, the right to vote and participate in the democratic process will be restricted to those who have invested into the well-being of the state: by being property owners, by having served the country in the military (or similar) being of sound mind and of good moral character. One of the positive aspects of this sort of democracy is that really excessive spending plans – often voted for in western democracies because in the eyes of many “somebody else is paying“.  And one of the negative aspects of such a democracy is that it can cultivate an “we’re in it for ourselves “and “jobbies for the boys“ mentality. It is also has the drawback of excluding from the democratic process a lot of potential talent.

No, we’re stuck with democracy from universal suffrage, and as long as we keep to the written (and unwritten) rules, we’ll muddle along fairly successfully.

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

 

a certain Mr Churchill, quoting someone (nobody knows who).

[tigerburnie]

2 hours ago, Hroth said:

Any idea what the signal flag being flown by the lighthouse sculpture means?  Its not a recognisable maritime signal flag!

 

Support for Ukraine is my guess.

[tigerburnie]

A low flying Chinook just gone over, I'm guessing the marines are training from RM Condor in Arbroath.

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

You called?

You are Kim Jong Bear and I claim my rightful share of The Worker's Paradise

[TheQ]

Started chopping up wood for the boat...

Swmbo appeared washing machine making beeping noises and showing E18.

 

E18 is blocked filter, 

Emptied filter,

Reset machine,

E18 after a few minutes..

Nothing in filter not even water..

Prodding up tube to filter brought out Ben, well lots of his fur anyway..

Reset machine

After a few minutes E18.

Got more Ben out.

Reset machine, after a few minutes E18.

 

Looked up internet..

Bosch home site useless, if you've cleaned the filter then call them out... No chance..

 

Found a few words, "put filter back on, make water tight, blow in drain tube..."

Blew in drain tube , some resistance then bubbling. 

Sealed drain tube , opened filter, water and large amounts of Ben came out.

Shut filter reset machine, machine ran till emptied...

Ben's mat now in drier.

Machine on rinse with nothing in it..

 

Happisburgh on "escape to the country" at the moment, I can see Happisburgh from this seat, well the lighthouse and church anyway

 

[Hroth]

27 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

You are Kim Jong Bear and I claim my rightful share of The Worker's Paradise

 

Good lord!

 

The Apparatchicks ALL look like Chalky, the schoolteacher in Giles cartoons...

 

 

Spooky!!!

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, southern42 said:

' afternoon all from red dragon land.

Overcast. 11.2C.  So much for that!

 

Still coughing...

 

ION

TOTF🎶 went amazingly well this morning - yesterday, was one of those "I ought to give up!" days of poor co-ordination. Not only did the first two lines go well when played separately, but they went together well afterwards, despite laboured breathing and having to stop to clear nose and throat every so often. So, onwards, onwards...

 

Time to get lunch...

Take care. Be good. Keep going.

 

Have you got an Airbrush Compressor?  Hook the flute up to that - then all you'd have to do is wiggle yer paws....

 

6 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Started chopping up wood for the boat...

Swmbo appeared washing machine making beeping noises and showing E18.

 

E18 is blocked filter, 

Emptied filter,

Reset machine,

E18 after a few minutes..

Nothing in filter not even water..

Prodding up tube to filter brought out Ben, well lots of his fur anyway..

Reset machine

After a few minutes E18.

Got more Ben out.

Reset machine, after a few minutes E18.

 

Looked up internet..

Bosch home site useless, if you've cleaned the filter then call them out... No chance..

 

Found a few words, "put filter back on, make water tight, blow in drain tube..."

Blew in drain tube , some resistance then bubbling. 

Sealed drain tube , opened filter, water and large amounts of Ben came out.

Shut filter reset machine, machine ran till emptied...

Ben's mat now in drier.

Machine on rinse with nothing in it..

 

Happisburgh on "escape to the country" at the moment, I can see Happisburgh from this seat, well the lighthouse and church anyway

 

 

Wouldn't washing Ben in the Bath be kinder?

[polybear]

Bear here....

 

Well it seems that whoever it was at the Insurance Repair Agents who told Bear that I could choose one of their authorised repair agents was givin' me duff gen.....

 

I can select my own Bodyshop of course - but then it becomes "somewhat more complicated" and I won't have any comeback against the Insurer if I have problems.

 

So I've just had a journey over to the Bodyshop (not far away) so their Chief Fixer could take a ganders at the damage and take a few photos; it seems that "they know all about MG Body Panel availability" (or lack of....) and they'll call me when they've got (hopefully all) the bits - there's always that risk that they discover extra busted bits as they take Mickey to bits.  Still, it'll be Mr. B'sterds insurance company that gets the bill for the hire car, not this Bear 🤣

 

ION.....

 

This is in the news - it seems that CC's Minions have been busy earning yet more Deltics for their esteemed Leader:

 

"Zurich’s cantonal police stopped four UK nationals who were speeding on a Swiss motorway in their sports cars.

The police received several calls from other motorists saying  that four sports car were driving “at extremely high speeds” on the A1 motorway in the direction of Bern.

Police patrol units intercepted the offenders, who turned out to be tourists from the UK, near the municipality of Würenlos.

They were reportedly driving at over 200 km/h, which is 80 km/h over the posted speed limit.

The speeders, aged between 25 and 50, were arrested and their vehicles confiscated.

“After being questioned by the police, the four men were handed over to the public prosecutor's office,” Zurich police said in a press release. 

They are now awaiting sentencing and to find out how much they will have to pay to get their vehicles back and whether they will actually be allowed to drive them home.

What kind of penalties await the speeders?

According to the Swiss Road Traffic Act, driving at 200 km/h in a 120-km/h zone (the usual speed limit on the country’s motorways) is considered a serious infraction, which can result in license revocation, though this applies to residents of Switzerland only.

However, motorists caught  ‘seriously’ speeding on Swiss roads will be slapped with a fine of at least several hundred francs (and in many cases even more), in addition to court fees. The fine can also be converted into a jail sentence, if offenders can't, or choose not to, pay.

The four men will eventually return to the UK (though, unlike their driving, Swiss justice system moves slowly), but consequences for those residing in Switzerland can be even more dire"

 

BG

 

[iL Dottore]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

This is in the news - it seems that CC's Minions have been busy earning yet more Deltics for their esteemed Leader:

 

"Zurich’s cantonal police stopped four UK nationals who were speeding on a Swiss motorway in their sports cars.

The police received several calls from other motorists saying  that four sports car were driving “at extremely high speeds” on the A1 motorway in the direction of Bern.

Police patrol units intercepted the offenders, who turned out to be tourists from the UK, near the municipality of Würenlos.

They were reportedly driving at over 200 km/h, which is 80 km/h over the posted speed limit.

The speeders, aged between 25 and 50, were arrested and their vehicles confiscated.

“After being questioned by the police, the four men were handed over to the public prosecutor's office,” Zurich police said in a press release. 

They are now awaiting sentencing and to find out how much they will have to pay to get their vehicles back and whether they will actually be allowed to drive them home.

What kind of penalties await the speeders?

According to the Swiss Road Traffic Act, driving at 200 km/h in a 120-km/h zone (the usual speed limit on the country’s motorways) is considered a serious infraction, which can result in license revocation, though this applies to residents of Switzerland only.

However, motorists caught  ‘seriously’ speeding on Swiss roads will be slapped with a fine of at least several hundred francs (and in many cases even more), in addition to court fees. The fine can also be converted into a jail sentence, if offenders can't, or choose not to, pay.

The four men will eventually return to the UK (though, unlike their driving, Swiss justice system moves slowly), but consequences for those residing in Switzerland can be even more dire"

 

BG

 

The Swiss don't muck about when it comes to speeding tickets (especially if the speeding can be construed as reckless, as in this case)....

 

In 2010, a Swedish driver, 37, was fined a whopping 1.08 million Swiss francs (£957,000 / $1.2 million) in what is believed to be the largest speeding fine in the world. The Swedish driver, whose Mercedes had a disconnected speedometer, was caught doing 125mph in a 20mph zone.  The man's Mercedes SLS AMG was impounded along with his driving licence after he was caught in Switzerland racing between Bern and Lausanne.

 

Like Finland, Switzerland calculates the level of the fine according to a person's income.

 

A bit more robust than £100 and 3 penalty points....

 

Matching fine to income could become a nice little earner for the UK government (especially if the offending vehicle - if caught doing over a set amount - is impounded, confiscated and then sold at auction [or sold back to the owner at a hefty mark-up])

 

Certain London boroughs would make a fortune....