Early Risers.

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Glad things appear ok so far with TonyS and thought for Simon and his family.

Not much to report here except that Sydney and the nephews are here for a sleepover so that put an end to any thought of watching the ‘Filth and the Fury.’
Late getting up then a trip to fox valley for some essentials and after dinner a few hours on the books. Not much done since then but a call to a computer system supplier was made as new computers will be needed when we move. Hate talking to computer sales people as my knowledge is very poor, they could sell me a real turkey,
Can’t be bothered with rant, maybe tomorrow, so goodnight for now,

Robert.

 

[brianusa]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Far better than Port-au-Prince, on the other end of the island, these days.

 

There's a blizzard warning in Hawaii! Apparently more snow has fallen there this season than in Denver, Colorado. We need some snow here too.

 

Lovely day here. Chilly but bright sunshine so far. Out walking mid-morning, it was about 9°C cooler than at the same time yesterday

 

Am finding the news a little depressing today. Between Ukraine, the Taiwan Strait, and SARS-CoV-2-omicron, even before school shootings and the trajectory of US domestic politics it all feels a little overwhelming today. Perhaps I need to stick my fingers in my ears and go "la la la" for a while or reread Douglas Adams. That has always helped.

 

Big college football game this evening for the University of Oregon, and the local (English) football team plays in the MLS western conference final tomorrow. If they win they will host the MLS cup match at home. Those should prove distracting for a while.

 

EDIT:

I should add, all this nothing compared with dealing with serious health issues for oneself or loved ones.

 

The same old news items are repeated constantly until they become background noise. Covid doesn't bother me unduly,  The Russians have been blustering ever since WW2 and even though they occupied Crimea, nobody seemed concerned - except perhaps the Crimeans!  China blusters as well,  but they know only too well what even a few well placed rockets can do!  N. Korea just blusters! Anyway even if something dreadful occurs, you can't do anything about it.  If one does'nt get you, the other one will!

   Brian

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Thankfully, the rain held off this morning when I walked to the butchers, however, during that walk, I bumped into a couple of old drinking buddies, one on the way there and one on the way home. Consequently, 2 long (ish) chats ensued as I hadn’t seen one for at least 15 years. Once home, Sheila said she was just about to send out the search party as I’d been so long! 

 

When I went to the Trafford Centre this morning, I had company, Sheila decided that she wanted to come along as well, so we ended up being there a lot longer than if I’d gone on my own! Mask wearing was approximately 70%, with the below 30 age group being the most prominent ones that wasn’t wearing one. FFS, what planet are they from?  

 

After tea we settled down and watched a film we recorded a couple of weeks ago, the film was ‘3 Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri’ and very good it was too, the acting was superb. 

 

PS. I forgot to add that I probably won’t get much chance to look in tomorrow until the evening, as we have Ava coming round for the day. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by BSW01

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

... they know only too well what even a few well placed rockets can do!

They do indeed - hence their practicing on US carrier shaped targets in the desert, and constructing nearly undetectable, very high-speed delivery systems.

 

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

Anyway even if something dreadful occurs, you can't do anything about it.

True enough.

[PhilJ W]

[Two_sugars]

Booster received . . .feels a bit bruised, but nowt else negative . . .

 

Goodnight all . . .Sleep well.

 

John

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

….But I had no idea a SFr was now worth north of £80.

Bluidy autocorrect  

After reading your informative post Z, I only just noticed the superfluous full stop, making SFr 99.0 into SFr 0.99 (I wish 1 CHF was worth North of £80!).

 

Your point about the various shapes of the SG body over the years is a good one. For me one of the important parts of the build will be turning the headstock into a proper “open book“ headstock as anything else on a SG (or a Les Paul) just looks wrong. Once that is modified, I may/may not do anything else to the body.

 

I’ve seen a number of “how to build“ videos for this particular guitar kit on YouTube, and it looks pretty straightforward. The real challenge will be to get a decent finish. Right now, I’m not sure if I’m going to paint it, varnish it or stain it. As the kit is so cheap, I can use it to play around with changing pick ups, adding a Bigsby, changing the pots, etc. and if it totally goes pear-shaped, then it’s not a real Gibson SG that I will have bu99ured up.

 

it will be a fun winter project, although the biggest difficulty facing me is the ejection of Mrs ID from my workshop which she has currently taken over for her “crafts“ (And very nice Christmas arrangements they are indeed. But by God, she leaves a mess behind - even worse than my mess!)

Edited December 4, 2021 by iL Dottore
Typo

[pH]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Oh good.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59523682

 

"After being informed of the incident, Mrs Crumbley texted her son: "LOL I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught."

Just to be clear, in case people don’t read the linked article, the “incident” referred to was the teen searching on his phone at school for ammunition for the gun, not the actual shooting. Still bad enough, though!

[Ozexpatriate]

Long days for delivery couriers this time of year. I had a notification that a FedEx Ground delivery was on the truck at 8:24am this morning at a distribution centre less than 2 miles away as the crow flies. It was delivered at 6:31pm.

[TheQ]

I noticed that deliveries for Amazon are now up to 10pm, round here they used to be up to 7pm.

The solar panel and wire ordered yesterday should arrive today.

 

Mooring Awl , Inner Temple Hare.

4.75 hours sleep so far, bin awake for nearly 2 hours, can't sleep, though I'll try again shortly.. now I've ejected one of Ben's toys off of the sofa.

 

One week today and we should get our next installment of bill gates tracker chips. I notice the local vaccination centres have put out notices no appointment no vaccination. People are turning up and getting angry they can't get in without an appointment.

 

Plans for today. 

Shelf building...

 

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

Good morning all,

Like @TheQ up very early due to intermittent insomnia – not helped by Lucy bouncing on my chest demanding to be let out (she was duly released into the garden where she relieved herself with what I imagine was a great sigh of relief such was the length of her squat).

 

After a bit of a bizarre week (thanks to Moderna vaccination number three) today will be one of minimal activity. The only things I have planned are to make a boiled fruit cake and to make a curried pumpkin soup.

 

And whilst on the topic of food and cooking, I recently discovered the joys of home-made shortcrust pastry, made with a food processor. It really couldn’t be any simpler: two parts flour to one part fat (usually butter, but you can use lard or a mixture) and a pinch of salt, whizz these in the food processor until they become like breadcrumbs and add enough ice cold water to bring it together; turn it out, knead it gently until it becomes a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for half an hour or longer to rest, roll out and use.

 

So, having mastered this pastry I have been turning out various pies over the last week or so: chicken mushroom and bacon, steak and kidney, rabbit and bacon. Tomorrow, I will try adding some sugar to the shortcrust pastry mix and start making sweet pies: apple and mixed berries to start off with I think. I’ll also start thinking about how to make an “all day breakfast” pie (sausage, bacon, egg, black pudding, mushrooms).

 

Of course, all the pies I make are double-crust pies, cos any pie that just has a pastry lid ain’t a pie - it’s a stew with pretensions.

 

Enjoy the weekend.

[chrisf]

Greetings

 

Today I have lots of medication to collect from the pharmacy.  While I am there I must remember to ask about Covid testing kits, for I shall need one before I go to Somerset for the festive season.  Infectious enthusiasm is one thing: infectious people is quite another.   Tonight I will be at The Stables with a mate to enjoy Cara Dillon in concert and to book tickets for some forthcoming gigs.  The build-up to the festive season is in progress and cards from other people have begun to arrive.  The annual ritual of hunt the blu tack has taken place.  It entails wondering where I put the part used pack, buying a new one and finding the old one, in that order.  I use incoming cards as decorations, arranged in a random mosaic pattern on the wall.  The only drawback is that sometimes the paint comes away with the blu tack when the cards are taken down at or near Twelfth Night.

 

Ho ho ho

 

Chris

 

  

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Wonder how her indoors got on last night waving her arms around at 15 recorder players? I await her text...

 

I have to visit Casvegas today to have a xatch up with my Regional Scorer Tutor. I have a fair bit to go through after an hour talking to the Regional ECB rep yesterday. 

 

I might have to decide what to have for my tea tonight. I bought some fiery Jack sausages yesterday so it could be sausageeggnchips or maybe a toad in the hole. Decisions, decisions....

 

Try to enjoy your day today, stay safe!

 

Baz

[TheQ]

Chris if it's lateral flow test kits you want, they are free from here..

https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

 

Like Il Dottore I've just been summoned outside by Ben you've had enough sleep Collie who decided my 1/2 hours more was enough.

Very misty , damp and cold out there, now wrapped up on the sofa, trying to get warm again..

[jamie92208]

Good morning from a rather wet and windy place.  Thoughts withbSimon re his missus.  I hope that the boys are OK.

 

I had a good day yesterday. An hour spent deep in the French tax website paid off and we are now €400 better off next year due to sime changes in the tax d'habitation.  Then after lunch theclady from SPANC arrived, on time, competent and attractive.  We have now got permission to install our fosse septique.  That will be a job in February we think.  I then booked ,my booster.

 

After tea I spent an hour in the shed scanning odd slides that I found during the tidy up of the store room in the shed.  Some nice pictures emerged, including one of a class 40.  

 

This morning we will be talking to Emily and her mums.  4 Guinea Fowl then need to be picked up from the farm.  Oven ready thank goodness. Then it's out to lunch at a friend's  before coming back to pick up a takeaway  Christmas meal from the Mairie. If it's as good as last years we will enjoy it.  Not a lot else to do.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

8 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Mask wearing was approximately 70%, with the below 30 age group being the most prominent ones that wasn’t wearing one. FFS, what planet are they from?  

 

 

From the planet "We won't be effin' told what to do"......

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I’ll also start thinking about how to make an “all day breakfast” pie (sausage, bacon, egg, black pudding, mushrooms).

 

 

Don't forget the beans......

 

In other news......

Bear has located the ideal location to spend Chrimbo:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/gallery/inside-mince-pie-factory-making-22353850

Who'd have ever thought that Barnsley would be the centre of the Universe?

 

......and Bear has scribbled his "I'd like one one these please Santa" notes and posted it off:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/2022-bsa-gold-star-650-revealed-ahead-of-motorcycle-live-debut/ar-AARreya?ocid=msedgntp

 

And finally......

What not to try on the way to the shops:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10270883/Truck-drags-car-sideways-Chicago-highway-desperate-driver-waves-frantically-help.html?ci=S3vPo7XhpH&cri=wvvJSv1-GL&si=11786209&xi=83e9409b-0e88-4f53-9198-a5fd8ca6a112&ai=10270883

 

Right, where's the pipe wrench - Bear has another day of plumbing ahead...... 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Only just woke up at eight  but had a good nights sleep but still yawning. Thats because of staying up to finish the Carl Hiaasen novel. I hope @iL Dottore enjoys his books as much as I do.

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Long days for delivery couriers this time of year. I had a notification that a FedEx Ground delivery was on the truck at 8:24am this morning at a distribution centre less than 2 miles away as the crow flies. It was delivered at 6:31pm.

Thats the problem with living close to the depot. Your delivery will either be on the way out or on return to the depot.

Edited December 4, 2021 by PhilJ W

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

…Don't forget the beans......

I haven’t forgotten the beans, in fact I have very carefully remembered to omit the beans from any such “all day breakfast“ pie.

 

Apart from the fact that tinned baked beans are (IMHO) the frog spawn of the devil, the real and serious objection to putting them in a pie is that as an ingredient they are far too wet.

Therefore the pie, which is intended to be eaten either hot or cold, would be far too soggy to be eaten cold (and not too appetising to eat hot either, thanks to those repellent legumes )

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

It was raining about 6.00am but we now have quite a lot of blue sky.  Sunny spells forecast for a while followed by showers, possibly heavy and with hail.  

Rugby watched and enjoyed last night with more to come as usual today and tomorrow.  My weekends are soooo predictable. 

I have been instructed to get out of the house and go and do "something, anything,"  in The Shed this morning.  This may have something to do with a couple of birthday present boxes containing muddling stuff that are now apparently "cluttering up the house."  It's probably best for my continued wellbeing and the wish to be fed occasionally that I comply.  

I usually make my own shortcrust pastry but for the recent batch of mince pies I used ready rolled.  Both I and The Boss have decided that the stuff I make is better.  Very similar method to Flavio I use 200g plain flour, 70g butter 30g lard and for sweet pastry add 60g caster sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Don't add salt as I use salted butter.  Don't use a processor but do it with my fingertips.  It's only in the past couple of years that I seem to be able to get good results this way.  Still can't make it as good as my Mum did though.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited December 4, 2021 by grandadbob

[New Haven Neil]

eeueew, chucking it down, howling wind, UK cut off once again.

 

And I have to go shopping with Mrs NHN.

 

PAH!

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

From the planet "We won't be effin' told what to do"......

Absolutely. Same around the House of Fun where wearing anything at all remains at about 60-70%, wearing it correctly at around 30-40% and the “Invincible Generation” continue to flout the requirements openly and - if challenged - disrespectfully. 
 

London Underground has issued a few fines but as before everywhere else is expected to be self-enforcing. There are no resources to police this thing. 
 

“Reasons” given for non-compliance include:- 

“I’m a Muslim - I’m exempt”

”No-one told me”

”I’m on a phone call”

”No speak English”

”Look at my skin bro …. “ (followed by an obscenely racist comment and a suggestion of what the speaker might do to the enforcing officer’s mother’s rear-passage)

 

How are we to drive this ruddivirus out of town when these attitudes are embedded and effectively go unchallenged?