Ozexpatriate Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 (edited) 17 minutes ago, iL Dottore said: I think a VW campervan does not quite have the level of comfort and facilities that I would regard as the bare minimum…. Definitely not. VW vans are for 20-somethings. There are many custom 'luxury' equipped vans (smaller than the full-sized campervans but with larger interior space* than a VW van) - #VANLIFE on "the insta" is probably full of them. From a comfort/facilities standpoint, there's no substitute for larger vehicles. * Like a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. 17 minutes ago, iL Dottore said: One thing I read about the so-called “grey nomads“ (or whatever they are now called in the US) is that to have that lifestyle is incredibly tax efficient. You have a base camp (for want of a better term) in a county of a state that is known for its low taxes and and a minimal official curiosity into people’s finances you base yourself in that county and from there you travel all over the country. A tax 'haven' is not a requirement. Many of them have no fixed address. The #VANLIFE lifestyle with freelance remote computer-based workers is very oversold. The traditional use of such conveyances as holidaymaking for a change of pace, rather than a residence, is, I think, much more satisfying. Edited August 16 by Ozexpatriate 8 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Actual, old-school VW vans are really terrible. A former colleague is a big fan. He enjoys repairing it constantly to be able to drive it at all. They are dreadfully underpowered uphill, very susceptible to crosswinds with their thin tyres, and the old air-cooled engines overheat on a moderately warm day. In the climate and terrain here you end up driving up hill at 30 mph and then having to pull-over to let the engine cool down. 10 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Good moaning from a sunny Charente. I can hear an SPT on the loose so better get a move on. She is going canoeing on the Charente today with her mums. I suspect that I will be allocated various tasks. We are off out for a meal tonight. It should be a good day. Jamie 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post TheQ Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 16 Mooring Awl, 1.5 hours sleep, 2.5 hours sleep, medium awake, rain started at 02:48, 2.5 hours sleep. A good night for me My favourite if we got a motor home. Something like this. As it is, we're unlikely to get one, we have talked of another caravan , but the last one we had was destroyed internally by rats who ate through an inch of insulation, 3/4 inch of ply floor, then the lino and carpet before destroying much of the soft furnishings. If we got one I'd have to armour plate the underside. We also used to go camping at one time, but getting off low beds, and packing away soggy tents definitely does not appeal anymore. As for scooter things being carried by motorhomes, if powered they are illegal in the UK, I nearly hit one the other night, two on board, no lights in the very dark, the people on board wearing black / dark colours... Time to go get breaky, it's museum day. 13 2 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted August 16 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16 (edited) 14 minutes ago, TheQ said: Mooring Awl, 1.5 hours sleep, 2.5 hours sleep, medium awake, rain started at 02:48, 2.5 hours sleep. A good night for me My favourite if we got a motor home. Something like this. As it is, we're unlikely to get one, we have talked of another caravan , but the last one we had was destroyed internally by rats who ate through an inch of insulation, 3/4 inch of ply floor, then the lino and carpet before destroying much of the soft furnishings. If we got one I'd have to armour plate the underside. We also used to go camping at one time, but getting off low beds, and packing away soggy tents definitely does not appeal anymore. As for scooter things being carried by motorhomes, if powered they are illegal in the UK, I nearly hit one the other night, two on board, no lights in the very dark, the people on board wearing black / dark colours... Time to go get breaky, it's museum day. Richard Hammond "did" something like that, very badly, on Top Gear years ago, but that one is done properly! Interesting colour scheme, but how about a traditional green or blue cab and front end, with the van portion in cream, with perhaps the cab colour carried along the sides at the top of the cab doors level? Dead trad! Just looked again. Its a fairly high step up into the van, it might be a good idea to have a vertical handrail to the right of the door... Edited August 16 by Hroth Another thort. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 9 hours ago, Coombe Barton said: Still raining. The met office estimate of 10% chance of precipitation is happening, I realised long ago that the Met Office are Grand Masters in the art of using "get out clauses"; I don't ever recall them saying the chance will be 0%..... 9 hours ago, Tony_S said: I was very pleased , then as I descended from the ladder so did a lump of ceiling that had been weakened by the leak. It is a swirly Artex finish so I can patch it and hope it doesn’t show! If it looks horrible I will have a word with one of our builder neighbours. After Bear had the Conservatory hard-roofed I had to find an Artexer to repair & match the existing wall finish (damaged due to leakage - which was a major factor in fitting a hard roof in the first place). At that point I discovered just how few Artexers there are now - there are plenty of people advertising their services in skimming over the top though. I did find one in the end - he didn't come cheap (especially as he did it in a very easy (and short) morning) but the end result was perfect. 9 hours ago, BSW01 said: Good evening everyone The rain fell all day, it’s only just stopped, so I’m glad I moved the wash stand to the cellar yesterday, so I could paint indoors. I managed to get a lot more done on the wash stand than I expected to do. The main parts are now finished, all that’s left to do is paint the rear of the splash back, as obviously, I couldn’t paint both sides a he same time and give the top and shelf a second coat of clear wax. Bear uses a DIY version of Paint Points (aka Drawing Pins): https://www.axminstertools.com/ujk-technology-paint-points-105085?utm_source=tag&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=2266&tagrid=65944526&glCountry=GB They have the added advantage of helping to prevent warpage of timber etc. sometimes caused by painting only one side. 9 hours ago, PhilJ W said: Firstly Channel 5 about traffic police catching scrotes .... Closely followed by the Courts issuing derisory sentences - or that much over-used statement "Released Under Investigation" 2 hours ago, iL Dottore said: The concept of what I can call “minimal use“ can be illustrated by looking at how clothes are constructed. With bespoke or upmarket clothes, there is (or should be), some cloth (0.5 - 1cm) on either side of the inside of a seam – this allows the garment to be let out at a later date. With very inexpensive clothes, there is essentially no cloth on either side of a seam, making it impossible to let out. This may not seem a big issue, but if you are producing hundreds of thousands of – say – shirts then, a few square centimetres of cloth saved on each shirt by not having generous seams adds up to a lot of cloth (ergo £££) saved. Though the costs of having a garment professionally adjusted would often exceed their value anyway (unless it's a Saville Row Suit, of course....). 6 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 17 minutes ago, TheQ said: As for scooter things being carried by motorhomes, if powered they are illegal in the UK, I nearly hit one the other night, two on board, no lights in the very dark, the people on board wearing black / dark colours... Bear's use of the term Scooter meant proper Scooters (with i.c. engines) rather than those fire-starting leccy thingies. 8 minutes ago, Hroth said: Interesting colour scheme, but how about a traditional green or blue cab and front end, with the van portion in cream, with perhaps the cab colour carried along the sides at the top of the cab doors level? Dead trad! How about Blood n' Custard? 10 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted August 16 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16 3 minutes ago, TheQ said: Almost there, the white is too glaring and the hinge level on the van would be an ideal level for the top of the lower green band! The trailer is a good idea too, all the additional junk could be stored there until needed, and the accomodation ready for use whenever you pull up, either for a cuppa en-route or for the evening. In addition, its good for marking your pitch on site when you go off gallivanting for the day. 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted August 16 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16 5 minutes ago, polybear said: How about Blood n' Custard? Something only a transition era railway enthusiast would appreciate... 11 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Ey up! Early start as some muppet had ordered a taxi for the airport at 04:30 and given then her indoors mobile number.. PAH!.. I hope the plane wasn't too late for them.. Off to Baildon later to help with setting up the EM Gauge Exhibition.. that will be me weathering items all weekend then.. Stay safe! Baz 3 1 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Bear here..... No W/H today..... I just managed to score an appointment via Checkpoint Charlene - sort of.... I actually remembered at 08:10 that I needed to call, but still got thru' ok. #Miracle No. 1 However...(isn't there always?) I've got fobbed off with a call-back appointment later today from their Pharmacist (I thought that might happen) 😠; I did politely point out that "in this instance I thought a Doc might be more appropriate" (it is) but was told if that turned out to be the case then the Pharmacist would sort a call from a Doc. As to whether that would happen today remains to be seen, of course..... Today's fun includes reading the G&L Meters and feeding in the results, along with testing two new choo choo's on a length of parallel N.S. Rails. Apart from that it's MIUABGAD. ION..... I can only think that he has a very, very good point (I'd be wanting a couple of 0's on the end): "These include additional payments for those subjected to “unethical research”. This includes an extra £15,000 for those who went to Treloar’s boarding school in Hampshire where children were given higher-risk treatments in order to further medical research. Richard Warwick, who has haemophilia and went on to develop hepatitis B and c and HIV after he was given blood products to treat his clotting disorder while he was at the school for disabled children between 1976 and 1982, described the sum as “derogatory and insulting”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze51g6x7k1o And finally..... After drafting a response to a question regarding Harry (currently on the 'Bay - but not for much longer) a certain Tw@t didn't even have the courtesy to respond. One question was regarding Service History - reading between the lines it seems he's expecting a full Dealer service history....on a 39 y.o. 'sickle..... Yeah, right....like I'm really gonna get Harry out of the shed every 12 months and fork out hundreds to a Dealer for a service, despite it having done diddly squat miles since the last one...... And finally finally..... Bear has discovered that my Surname (not thru' choice - I wish now that I'd changed it long ago....I really, really don't want B'sterd Bear's name....) is....wait for it........ Gender Neutral........😱 I wonder if I can claim any sort of allowance for that? Time to wriggle.... BG 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Oh yes.... I see that some of Baz's @Barry O's handiwork has been put to work upsetting Poo Tin. I guess Baz is now on some Kremlin hit list now....... 🤣 1 1 1 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Morning, sunny! 16c, windy as usual. Our camper is a medium wheelbase Ducato factory high top, fits in a car parking space (just), and costs the same as a car on the ferry - this is a major issue for us as it gets expensive (more expensive... :-( ) very quickly. We originally were tent campers, then moved to a trailer tent in our 40's due to creaking bones starting, then found the trailer to be an encumbrance as we had to go back to fetch it when we wanted to move on from wherever we got to. It also cost a lot on the ferry due to the additional length - see above. The camper fulfils our needs better than a caravan would, and in fact caravans were banned from Fraggle Rock until recently, due to them being a liability on many of our roads. As it is you need to arrange to bring them still so numbers can be controlled - the channel islands are the same, for campervans too in their case. Horses for courses. 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 18 minutes ago, polybear said: Oh yes.... I see that some of Baz's @Barry O's handiwork has been put to work upsetting Poo Tin. I guess Baz is now on some Kremlin hit list now....... 🤣 Already was on it... can't say why though.. Baz 5 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 19 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said: Morning, sunny! 16c, windy as usual. Our camper is a medium wheelbase Ducato factory high top, fits in a car parking space (just), and costs the same as a car on the ferry - this is a major issue for us as it gets expensive (more expensive... :-( ) very quickly. We originally were tent campers, then moved to a trailer tent in our 40's due to creaking bones starting, then found the trailer to be an encumbrance as we had to go back to fetch it when we wanted to move on from wherever we got to. It also cost a lot on the ferry due to the additional length - see above. The camper fulfils our needs better than a caravan would, and in fact caravans were banned from Fraggle Rock until recently, due to them being a liability on many of our roads. As it is you need to arrange to bring them still so numbers can be controlled - the channel islands are the same, for campervans too in their case. Horses for courses. I spy a Donk and a Debs.... Baz 9 4 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted August 16 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16 Another fine bright morning but quite cool, 8°C overnight. The wicker chair mentioned yesterday will remain in the bedroom, the spare chair from the kitchen table which had found a home next to it is now in the office/spare/railway room as I have realised it is an ideal height for sitting on to see model things go by at the right height. I am going to have a look at an old swivel chair which I use at the modelling table and may get rid of it as it feels a bit unstable, then the spare chair can be used for both purposes. I also started to throw out some old clothes yesterday evening, while going through a drawer I found some brand new polo shirts which had got under other things and then been forgotten. They had been there since just before Covid! They are now being worn so more old things can go. Also yesterday evening I "played" with the living room TV as it said it had an update to do. Then I looked at the various apps and found that which apps I can see depends on which route I take to look at them, especially the everyday UK catch up services. I still have a PVR which I sometimes use to record things as it can be easier than trying to find things on catchup - and now and then things just are not available to watch later on some channels. Now I have a Sony android based TV downstairs and a TCL Fire based one upstairs it is easy to forget how to find things. Sony android is apparently not quite android as they have their own things in as well. I need to sort out more photos for on here and flickr which takes time so I shall not go out far today. I will have a quick walk and possibly a coffee somewhere though. David 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 4 hours ago, iL Dottore said: On the the subject of RVs and motorhomes, Mrs iD has been toying with the idea of getting one – probably an ageing (2nd hand) VW campervan – to go bombing around Europe with the dogs and, occasionally, a husband. Whilst, in principle, I am not against such an amusing little diversion, I think a VW campervan does not quite have the level of comfort and facilities that I would regard as the bare minimum…. About ten years ago I was seriously considering a motor caravan. It was near to me (Hadleigh) and cheap and ready to drive away. It was an A reg Bedford CF with an Autosleeper body. I was considering such a vehicle for weekend breaks to visit preserved railways and exhibitions more than a days journey from home. Unfortunately I was beaten to it by another buyer. Here is an identical vehicle currently on E-bay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286013142990 The one I nearly bought was in far better condition. 1 2 2 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 Morning all from Estuary-Land. Will have to wait in this morning for a call from my GP with regard to my dodgy knee. I'm pretty sure he will suggest a replacement but when (if) that happens is anybody's guess. In the meantime I hope to get a green card. The rain last night triggered off Arthur Itis and I was unable to get to sleep until the early hours. 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Hroth Posted August 16 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16 At one time my parents had a Dormobile bodied Bedford CA* which was quite comfy, but not quite suited to a family of five, so it went about with a trailer containing a tent, a toilet tent and so on. Again the tentage was good for reserving the pitch at campsites, while we went off on adventures during the day. The trailer was also useful because if it were a wet holiday, the tents could be loosely bundled into it and taken home for drying on a more auspicious day! * Bedford CA vans, the vans with the most rattley front doors ever! Also, prior to the Dormobile, they had a CA Crewbus which was crudely converted into a campervan, this was painted in a twotone colour scheme and so we called it the "ice cream van"... 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 4 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said: Definitely not. VW vans are for 20-somethings. There are many custom 'luxury' equipped vans (smaller than the full-sized campervans but with larger interior space* than a VW van) - #VANLIFE on "the insta" is probably full of them. From a comfort/facilities standpoint, there's no substitute for larger vehicles. And yet silly prices are being asked for and paid for VW campers, I wouldn't have one if you paid me. I hired one one year (a bay window) and it was terrible. Changing gear was like stirring cold porridge and being an all steel body and in September the condensation was horrendous. With all the extra gear fitted the performance was abysmal, on narrow country roads you soon acquired a tailback of cars. 13 2 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 16 (edited) Just got the call from my GP. My knee problem is osteoarthritis and he is referring me to an orthopedic surgeon. Basically the knee is knackered, the cartilage has gone and its bone grinding on bone. Considering the NHS waiting lists I might consider going private. I'm not sure if the NHS are as free with the drugs as in other countries but if they are I will take @iL Dottore's advice and 'enjoy' the trip. Edited August 16 by PhilJ W 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post polybear Posted August 16 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted August 16 1 hour ago, PhilJ W said: Morning all from Estuary-Land. Will have to wait in this morning for a call from my GP with regard to my dodgy knee. I'm pretty sure he will suggest a replacement but when (if) that happens is anybody's guess. In the meantime I hope to get a green card. The rain last night triggered off Arthur Itis and I was unable to get to sleep until the early hours. Green Card?? 4 minutes ago, PhilJ W said: Just got the call from my GP. My knee problem is osteoarthritis and he is referring me to an orthopedic surgeon. Basically the knee is knackered, the cartilage has gone and its bone grinding on bone. Considering the NHS waiting lists I might consider going private. We can do it!! We have: A Doc on the Team A Chimpy for 3d Printing, er, useful bits A Hippo experienced in Anaesthetics (ok, so he'll sit on yer chest) A Druggie for, er, useful gloop. A wide selection of useful tools n' stuff (Big 'ammers, Scalpels, drills, lathes, superglue.....) A Bear in the kitchen knocking up the most magnificent yummy scoff Plus, er, lots of other "hangers on" ready to do useful stuff as required** The Cost? Cake, oodles of..... **But if you think Bear's gonna go wiping yer Bum then think again, bucko...... 4 1 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 11 minutes ago, PhilJ W said: Just got the call from my GP. My knee problem is osteoarthritis and he is referring me to an orthopedic surgeon. Basically the knee is knackered, the cartilage has gone and its bone grinding on bone. Considering the NHS waiting lists I might consider going private. I'm not sure if the NHS are as free with the drugs as in other countries but if they are I will take @iL Dottore's advice and 'enjoy' the trip. Good Luck Phil. I was in the same situation about 20 years ago, aggressive osteoarthritis with "bone on bone" on the right knee and damn near the same on the left. I had bilateral prostheses (fitted simultaneously) which meant about 2-3 weeks in hospital then another 2-3 weeks in "rehab", followed by physical therapy for a year or so. The prostheses have made a significant difference. To illustrate: just before going into surgery I had a "morale boosting" trip to London. During which I walked up to Greenwich Observatory via the Prime Meridian Walk. By the time I got to the observatory, my joints felt like someone was inserting large red-hot knitting needles into my knees and and an arthritic snail could have lapped me. About 6 or 7 months later, post surgery, I returned and did the same walk - this time zipping up it at a decent pace and with no pain at all. It's no panacea, depending upon how bad the damage is to the knee joint you will end up with some limitations of range of motion, flexion and (possibly adduction), due to how the geometry of the joint is affected (which in turn has a knock on effect elsewhere). One thing you must insist on, no matter where you have your surgery, is pain medication "on demand". Studies have shown that by letting patients decide when to take their pain medication, it results in less pain for the patient, less narcotic and other analgesic use, and improved pain management overall (obviously, any "on demand" pain management protocol will have safeguards in place to prevent overdose/toxicity). Another important thing, post op, is to ambulate (get out of bed and move around) as soon as possible. Current thinking is the day of, or the day immediately after surgery for first ambulation (hip replacement patients are often ambulated the evening of their morning surgery). It will hurt like b*****y the first week or so. But that too passes. One last point, you will have to relearn to do certain things. For me, one of the happiest days of my life was when I could - post knee prosthesis surgery - put my socks on all by myself... 12 1 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 (edited) 30 minutes ago, polybear said: We can do it!! We have: A Doc on the Team A Chimpy for 3d Printing, er, useful bits A Hippo experienced in Anaesthetics (ok, so he'll sit on yer chest) A Druggie for, er, useful gloop. A wide selection of useful tools n' stuff (Big 'ammers, Scalpels, drills, lathes, superglue.....) A Bear in the kitchen knocking up the most magnificent yummy scoff Plus, er, lots of other "hangers on" ready to do useful stuff as required** The Cost? Cake, oodles of..... **But if you think Bear's gonna go wiping yer Bum then think again, bucko...... Errr... Weeell, I suppose we could do it, assuming that Phil is happy to have his legs end in some wheels (flanged, rubber tyred, spoked or solid - we can offer a choice), I can't see the team mastering the intricacies of ceramic on metal knee implants any time soon, so we'd have to improvise.... p.s. regarding "yummy scoff", you do realise that - post surgery - Phil will automatically be placed on a physician approved diet regimen..... Edited August 16 by iL Dottore typo 4 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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