Early Risers.

[The White Rabbit]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

... Ship models are B O R I N G!  Craftsmanship and the appreciation of the beauty of Naval (ship) architecture is just so yesterday

 

Not for me they're not... from triremes to tankers, ships are one of my interests. I'm not as knowledgeable as many but can still appreciate good modelling. Craftsmanship may not be 'kool' with today's 'yoof' (though I think quite a few of the youth do still admire it) but I know of plenty of people who do appreciate it, whether in the form of a car (racing or road), ship, aircraft - railway vehicles and stations of course - or houses, churches, bridges, items of furniture... 

 

I suspect the problem is the 'wrong' people have charge of too many of the media's microphones and too much attention is given to them by decision makers. 

[iL Dottore]

8 minutes ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

Not for me they're not... from triremes to tankers, ships are one of my interests. I'm not as knowledgeable as many but can still appreciate good modelling. Craftsmanship may not be 'kool' with today's 'yoof' (though I think quite a few of the youth do still admire it) but I know of plenty of people who do appreciate it, whether in the form of a car (racing or road), ship, aircraft - railway vehicles and stations of course - or houses, churches, bridges, items of furniture... 

 

I suspect the problem is the 'wrong' people have charge of too many of the media's microphones and too much attention is given to them by decision makers. 

I also find ship models (of all kinds) endlessly fascinating. As are fine models of many other subjects. I am also extremely envious of those who have the skills to make such fine things - I certainly don't ( I wish I could though).

 

The highlighted text is a critical observation: too much of Britain's cultural infrastructure has been taken over by people exhibiting a certain group think that permeates everything they do and they tend to favour an ideological approach over a didactic approach (unkind people sometimes refer to this approach as The Message!).

 

The problem is, as I see it, is that by doing what they do to the museums, they are achieving the exact opposite of what they set out to do....

[New Haven Neil]

3 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

One of the nice side benefits of my job is I get to admire some lovely ship model collections in shipping company offices.

 

Indeed, in Bibby's offices there were many 'builder's models' on display, as well as a nameplate from the eponymous 35020.  However one model was quietly removed - no need for you to guess which one.

 

It made a trip to 'The Office' more bearable, as in general being called there wasn't for fun.  One visit was, as it turned out, a fishing expedition as to the behaviour of a certain 4 ring engineer, we were seen as individuals but after 'interview' all found ourselves together in a waiting area 'round the back'.  The person we were being asked about no longer worked for the company very shortly afterwards.....well we got a free lunch out of it, Sir Derek's wallet took a bashing for the first time in living memory!

[jjb1970]

When I worked at 71 Fenchuch St, the LR offices, they had some wonderful French PoW models of Napoleon's ships of the line. Genuine PoW models are rare and extremely valuable. They had a large scale (1 scale?) model of a high speed EMU in Virgin Trains livery of a design which was a mystery. There was no info on it and nobody knew anything about it, I assume it was either a losing proposal for the Pendolino order, or possibly an alternative industrial design considered by Alstom and Virgin.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Barry O said:

I note that some of the Ireland team actually reside in Northern Ireland.. strange.. but then most IOC members represent some interesting places..

Hardly strange by Olympic standards. The "Swedish" gold medalist in pole vaulting was born in and grew up in Louisiana. Like his parents he attended LSU (Louisiana State University). His mother is Swedish and by IOC rules that's sufficient for him to represent Sweden.

 

It's pretty common for people to represent a country that is not where they are from or currently live.

 

And that doesn't count all the athletes who come to the US on sports scholarships. During a recent women's basketball match two former teammates from the University of Oregon played each other - one on the German team and one on the US team. They are both WNBA players and live in the US.

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

it is both covered in pop-up adverts and paywalled. 

That's annoying. It's not paywalled here (I don't think NBC charge for any content) - I suspect it is blocked because NBC is the Olympics broadcaster in the US and their Olympics content may not be viewable somewhere where there is a different broadcaster.

 

The pop-ups were annoying. You didn't miss that much.

[TheQ]

It's got very dark with rumbles from Thor. We are about to disappear under yellows and reds on the radar.

Meanwhile the man from the house of strong ladies is stuck at 7 stops to go, and the timeline has changed to " still arriving by 10pm" which suggests the vans broke....

[PupCam]

Afternoon!

 

The location of the fault has been isolated by digging up my drive (where it wasn't) to cut my cable and confirm that the fault was under the pavement (where it is).   They've now dug up the pavement to find and fix the fault ......    

I've just had a text for the power network operator saying there's going to be an unplanned, emergency power cut in our postcode area due to emergency repair works.     Should I be embarrassed that I'll be the only one WITH power in the road if and when it happens?    "No mate, you can't borrow my generator"    🤣

 

TTFN

[Hroth]

20 minutes ago, TheQ said:

It's got very dark with rumbles from Thor. We are about to disappear under yellows and reds on the radar.

Meanwhile the man from the house of strong ladies is stuck at 7 stops to go, and the timeline has changed to " still arriving by 10pm" which suggests the vans broke....

 

Perhaps its one of those electric vans and they've run out of juice?

 

[DaveF]

I decided to stay mostly at home today.  I gave the extra box of grapes to a neighbour and froze the spare pieces of chicken so I won't need to order chicken for at least a month.  I drove to the big beach car park and found a space, it would have been quicker if there hadn't been someone who just stopped in the middle of the roadway hoping someone would move so he could park his car close to a coffee shop - in the end he parked his old non electric car in a car charging space.  I assume he was not disabled as he drove past a disabled space.  There was plenty of space at the far end where I parked and I had my usual walk along the promenade.  There beach was busy, there were over 100 people on it.

 

I was home for coffee and spent some time catching up on the Olympics and reading a book.   I measured the letter box and looked up prices, being  a uPVC door it comes as a unit.  Then I had a good look at mine and in particular at the corrosion on the fixing bolts and decided I did not want to attempt the job.  I rang the local double glazing firm who do a lot of repairs, they will send someone to look at it and give me a price at 09.00 tomorrow.  They have done both repairs and replaced my back garage door and window in the past so I know they will do a good job.

 

The afternoon has passed quietly but busily, I sorted out more things in the garage and tidied the front garden, the wheelie bin is nearly full again.  I also cleaned the outside doors along with the inside of the frames and did a temporary fix on the letter box cover plate using some epoxy so it will open but not fall off until before a new one is installed.  

 

I've read the posts about model ships.  I have a friend who lives in Toulon (he is French) who builds model ships of the Napoleonic wars era from scratch.   Until rcently he also used to repair and refurbish models for museums - he has given it up now as he decided it was time to retire.  I met him through sailing when we were teenagers.

 

David

Edited August 6 by DaveF

[TheQ]

Bin chuckinitdarn since the last report.

The van has moved much closer, still saying 7 stops away. Appears to be in the middle of a field now.

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Had I ever had an account with the platform formerly known as Twitter I should have terminated it today for sure.  Nuff said.  

I have an account with them, but not for much longer.

4 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Its the bozo in charge again...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ydddy3qzgo

 

He's very matey with the orange one.

[PhilJ W]

No comment necessary.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Still warm and muggy here, we could do with some rain to clear the air. According to the weather reports it could hit 30C next week although 'They're not certain'.

[pH]

7 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I am loathe to visit the transport museum in Glasgow as I have such golden memories of the Clyde room that I worry about how I would feel if I go back and find it has been 'improved'.

Similarly, the display in the transport museum was a disappointment after the whole gallery previously on display in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery.

[pH]

We arrived back home from a trip to downtown Vancouver last Friday and our son pointed out that we had a nail/screw in a front tire. I phoned the local tire shop that we use. With a long weekend coming up, they were trying to clear out the jobs they already had booked, and the earliest time they could offer was 10 AM Tuesday (today). So the car was only used twice over the weekend, for very short local trips. I checked the pressure in the tire a few times, and it wasn’t losing air.

 

I took the car in this morning. Five minutes after they took it into the bays, the manager came in to the waiting area and said “You’re good to go”. It had been a grub screw, just caught in the tread - it hadn’t broken the carcass of the tire. No charge. 

[Sidecar Racer]

8 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

 today Toyah Willcox*...

* Hands up those who remember "Sheep Farming in Barnet"...

 

 

 If you like Toyah then might I suggest visiting Youtube and searching Toyah and Roberts

Sunday Lunch .  Let me know how many of the songs you remember after watching.   😎

Edited August 6 by Sidecar Racer

[Gwiwer]

A beautiful day here. Warm sun without the wretched humidity. Enough cloud about to stave off its worst effects whilst not lowering the temperature noticeably.  And a light breeze. 
 

It has been in my diary for weeks as a walking day. I had planned a day out covering some 15 miles on foot along the coast. Asthma had other ideas. 
 

I woke feeling “chesty” and tried to ease out of that through medication, gentle exercise and relaxation. It wasn’t going to play nice today. I took the morning off from walking with the exception of the three minutes it takes to the shop and back. And the ten or so inside it.
 

After lunch I looked at a much shorter walk. Bus to Sennen and walk the four miles back. The tracker showed the bus was a half-hour late but aside from that embuggerance I set off still feeling less than 100%.
 

The bus turned up almost full. The “high season” hourly service on the Lands End Coaster is sometimes not enough. People on my journey commented that they had been left behind by the two previous trips.  
 

A packed Sennen Cove looked as summery as it could be but leaving that behind I was almost alone along the coastal path. One or two dog-walkers came past. No hikers. The gable of Aire Point was scrambled over revealing two totally-revealed revellers on the rocks at the water’s edge. A good remote spot to be “one with nature” and such things don’t bother me at all.
 

On past Nanjulian by which time I was feeling it in the chest and that was feeding down to tiring legs. I turned inland before Cot Valley and took a path I have not previously used  to Letcha then picking up the lane into town which passes the cottage. 
 

We enjoyed pizza for tea. With parmesan and truffle skin-on fries ( @iL Dottore take note) which were quite good. 
 

And I noticed that even at 6.30 in the evening the Coaster bus was still carrying a full load back towards Sennen. 

The new gate has been painted, delivered and fitted. We are, once more, a gated community at the Distant (Signal) West. 

 

 

 

[Hroth]

57 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 If you like Toyah then might I suggest visiting Youtube and searching Toyah and Roberts

Sunday Lunch .  Let me know how many of the songs you remember after watching.   😎

 

I've seen a number of them before

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eq1t01DSDeo&pp=ygUWdG95YWggYW5kIHJvYmVydCBmcmlwcA%3D%3D

 

She's still got a good pair of lungs on her!

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Not had any dinner yet as I'm not feeling very hungry. Lunch was a couple of sausage rolls and a small punnet of raspberries that were eaten as they were starting to turn to mush despite being kept in the fridge and the best before date being tomorrow. Now off to tackle Farcebook.

[PupCam]

This afternoon was spent completing another health questionnaire for the study I'm involved in.    I think I have one more to do now and that will be in 25 weeks time.

 

We have power!    Well to be entirely accurate power returned around 6:0pm.      The "Re-reinstatement Team" will be back tomorrow 🤞 to fill the two holes and "Make Good" the pavement and our drive and remove the now silent generator.   Oh yes, and re-open the road much to the delight of my fellow residents - Whoops.

 

As I needed to get the monthly meds order in early today for logistical reasons and, as I was up quite late last night, I thought hang-it I'll wait to the clock strikes midnight and order them at five past midnight.    The trouble was as usual that when I finally did get into bed I couldn't get to sleep - Pah!   When I finally did my sleep was often disturbed.  Please @polybear tell me I've not polluted you with the lurgy🤞
🤞
 

So it's an early night tonight for Puppers.

 

Night All.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 6 by PupCam

[Barry O]

Wot a day!

GP  dermatspecialist checked out my foot..  fine... then she covered my last medical review.. told me I am pre diabetic..so Baz left the Marie Celeste on a high!

 

Trip to wroxeter went well. Their umpire was poorly so I umpred 88.5 overs from the bowlers end..now very tired as it was a great game.

 

Time  for bed!

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

... What caught my eye first was this Austin Ten. The reason it caught my eye is that I’d never seen one in the flesh. Dad had one before World War II and I have a photo of him, mum, his brother and brother’s wife somewhere in Kent in the summer of 1938. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/08/06/postcards-from-the-periphery-2024-10/

[TheQ]

5 hours ago, DaveF said:

 

 

I've read the posts about model ships.  I have a friend who lives in Toulon (he is French) who builds model ships of the Napoleonic wars era from scratch.   Until rcently he also used to repair and refurbish models for museums - he has given it up now as he decided it was time to retire.  I met him through sailing when we were teenagers.

 

David

To be accurate he'd need to model the boats out of Toulon , with extra ventilation in the hull  courtesy of that nice Norfolk  boy Mr Nelson

 

Gwiwer, I take it the bathers were not of interest as there's no photo😏 

 

5 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Perhaps its one of those electric vans and they've run out of juice?

 

It certainly wasn't one of their grey vans that turned up, it was a small white one, no doubt rapidly hired in.

 

Since the pill ration issued lasts 28 days, but they are now insisting on 7 days notice, many people were short of pills this month, so for next month only they are going to issue 28 days of pills after 21 days which means I have to put the prescription in in 14 days. Got that? Good...

 

On the way to the mrc, they were spreading O der de cowshed on the fields around us, and there's a lot more to spread...

On the way back from the mrc on the grass by the crossroads was a Japanese 4x4 double cab pickup..

Both rear wheels at 45 degrees to the vertical, bottom outwards...  Who's been overloading their truck then?

 

MRC went well, too well, I ran out of materials because the rest of what I Need is in its tub sitting on an unmentionable at home.

 

Muggachoccy gone,

Goodnight Awl.

 

[polybear]

15 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I can see the value of an unboxing video as the first part in describing how a certain model was built – especially if the video is edited after the entire model is constructed and the unboxing contains useful nuggets of information like "Puppers Models has released two versions of the 1/24 Scale CCI GmbH 'corporate security Huey gunship: the basic PB-line model and the deluxe iD-line which also includes some nice etched brass and turned metal components, but costs twice the price" 

 

Ah yes, but the PB-line model does everything that the iD-line version does, only better**

 

**A bit like iD's kitchen gadgets - no fancy bells n' whistles that are of no use to man nor Bear, unlike those from the likes of Currys etc.

 

15 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Building something like HMS victory was definitely not on the cards – I'm far too old to learn how to make such complex rigging

 

Sounds to me like iD should consider a Corel's Victory kit.......

 

11 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Going to Morvah Pasty day today = not difficult to guess what's on the lunch menu.

 

Cake?

 

8 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

I think we should all read 1984 again...

 

Again?  Not read it the first time yet.....

(nor likely to)

 

5 hours ago, PupCam said:

Afternoon!

 

The location of the fault has been isolated by digging up my drive....

 

 

Ouch.  Let's hope they re-instate the block paving properly.....

 

4 hours ago, DaveF said:

.... it would have been quicker if there hadn't been someone who just stopped in the middle of the roadway hoping someone would move so he could park his car close to a coffee shop - in the end he parked his old non electric car in a car charging space.  I assume he was not disabled as he drove past a disabled space. 

 

A certain Safety Officer (note to Puppers:  Yes, THAT one....) played that game at his local Tesco - he blocked the car park with his car so he could wait for a space near the entrance to the store.  A friend's wife was behind him - she knew who he was, but not vice-versa.  Anyway, a car in the queue got p1ssed off at this so blasted his horn.

Our dynamic S.O. stormed out of his car and went up to buddy's wife's car and banged on the window....

She nonchalantly wound her window down and said "Yes?"

 

"DON'T YOU BEEP YOUR HORN AT ME!!" he stormed.

 

She replied "My horn doesn't go beep, it goes barp - try the f*****g car behind!!"

 

He looks up, sees the car behind is being driven by a Gorilla, goes back and shifts his car......

 

🤣

 

25 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Please @polybear tell me I've not polluted you with the lurgy🤞

 

Don't worry Puppers, if I get it you'll know about it......🤣

 

ION.....

 

An excellent day out with a buddy at Duxford - he'd arranged a private tour of the Military Vehicle Restoration Workshops and then the exhibits; all done by someone who knows his stuff and could tell us some excellent facts not normally known - I have some piccies and will post more tomorrow.  Well worth a visit - but don't leave it too long because the Dynamic Management at the IWM have decided to get rid of the building and the exhibits (some will be retained and somehow re-distributed around the site) by 1st June next year.  T0ssers doesn't even come close.....

 

BG