Early Risers.

[simontaylor484]

It's raining here but the humidity has jumped up no sight or sound of thunderstorms yet though

[Ian Abel]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

 

Could any of our US correspondents on ER clarify why shipping from the US to Europe is so bloody expensive? It doesn’t seem to be that expensive to do it the other way round (Europe —-> US).

 

Let me know the approximate size/shape/weight and I'll check, presumably you'd want registered service? I'd be happy to help out, other ERs have done so for me in the 'reverse" direction 🙂

 

BIN day. All dutifully put out last evening and serviced quite early. Strangely there's be a far smaller/quieter parade ot trucks so far today!

 

Musically: Played bass guitar in my yoof, never continued with it. Have an "acceptable" vocal ability, as observed from my postings about the choir/schola I'm in.
Also play the piano, always wanted to and decided to at 50, the Mrs obtaining a piano for me from friends, then we purchased a baby grand. On "downsizing" the baby grand was a casualty and I've now got a fairly good/up-market electronic beastie. I confess to playing dropoing off as I'm spending much of the available free time trying to get/keep fit on my bike.

 

Little to report again from yesterday. just ongoing routine.

Weather remaining somewhat acceptable - we were able to have dinner on our sun porch last evening, the heat abating enough to make it pleasant again out there.

 

Today, 17 at BIN pickup, sunny, humidity rising again, high of 33 expected.

 

Onward.

[J. S. Bach]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the Baz's.

[45156]

Evening All

 

Well, yet again, mucho skipping and the usual apologies and greetings - Happy Anniversary Baz and Mrs.

 

Well today was paint the front door day - and then two items that I have had on Ebay for weeks went with a "best offer" so I had to pack a mobile phone and some wallpaper and take them to their various places of despatch - to find that the Post Office was closed due to staff shortage - ah well there's always tomorrow.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[iL Dottore]

I can see that @simontaylor484 is going to be putty in a certain little dog's paws...

That is one adorable little girl.

 

I'd steal her into the extended Wolfpack any day!

[chrisf]

Guess what?  Happy anniversary to Baz and Mrs Baz

 

Chris

[Coombe Barton]

... On this day in 1868 the first successful typewriter was patented. The typo was invented on 24th June 1868. ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/06/23/alarm-bells-should-be-sounding/

 

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Coombe Barton
There was a typo :)

[Ian Abel]

Whoops, forgot to say Happy Anniversary to Baz @Barry O and her indoors 🍾🍷

[Tony_S]

Evening all. 

We have been out all day so a belated happy anniversary greeting to Mr and Mrs O.

We went to Anglesey Abbey which is near Cambridge and Newmarket rather than Wales. We met some old friends who live near Grantham, so it was a good in between place. 

The threatened afternoon rain held off until we arrived home. 

Tony

[laurenceb]

Happy anniversary Mr & Mrs Baz

[Winslow Boy]

Well as promised and I believe requested by a follower of my ramblings, deluded fellow that he is, here is photo of D D - short for Devil Dog, or as her humannns have named her Ziggy Lou. 

 

At the time of the photo she was recieving feedback from 'her staff' hence the rather 'bored' expression.

 

 

[simontaylor484]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I can see that @simontaylor484 is going to be putty in a certain little dog's paws...

That is one adorable little girl.

 

I'd steal her into the extended Wolfpack any day!

Going to be?? It's already started and then there is belly rubbing services to provide to Rolo.

Pebbles and Rolo are both members of the Double Dachshund Security Force but would accept associate membership of the Wolfpack

[iL Dottore]

21 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

At the time of the photo she was recieving feedback from 'her staff' hence the rather 'bored' expression.

I get the impression, from having quite a few female canines amongst my doggy acquaintances, that they are a mixture of elegant sophistication (sometimes) and being permanently in a mid-adolescent mindset (mostly).

Amongst the many teenage behaviours you will see include 

• Selective hearing
• Coming “eventually” when called.
• Turning their sleeping quarters into a tip
• Turning their nose up against at healthy food (nutritionally balanced, Vet approved, dogfood) whilst scoffing down junk food (dog treats)

And whilst it is true that dogs don’t have smart phones (yet – although there are some dog friendly smart phone apps for various things), they do spend an inordinate time out on walks reading and writing their “wee mails”

 

But at least they’ll never run away with a tattooed ne’er-do-well from Croydon because you’ve taken away their TV privileges

 

[Ozexpatriate]

13 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Could any of our US correspondents on ER clarify why shipping from the US to Europe is so bloody expensive? It doesn’t seem to be that expensive to do it the other way round (Europe —-> US).

12 hours ago, Barry O said:

@iL Dottore  Postage to and from  the USA is not cheap. There are ways of dodging some of the costs as Another ER and I have in the past.

In my experience, parcel postage with Royal Mail to the US and USPS overseas package rates (mostly to Australia for me) are quite expensive. Rates can depend on size. I hit an inflexion point posting to my niece and nephew when a lightweight (but modestly large package) tripped a dimension threshold and the price when up dramatically.

 

I recall, many years ago, posting myself a box of durable goodies acquired during a trip to the UK, and being staggered by the postage.

 

Royal Mail is reaching the point where a mail-order retailer almost charges more for the postage than a 00 wagon (and that's with the current prices of such items).

 

2 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Let me know the approximate size/shape/weight and I'll check, presumably you'd want registered service? I'd be happy to help out, other ERs have done so for me in the 'reverse" direction 🙂

I imagine that very high volume vendors get special rates from USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Not long got back from a SEERS committee meeting. Next year is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the organisation. As far as we know there is no founding member still alive but some old photographs were passed around and we were asked to identify some of those in the photographs. I identified a couple of those present in a 1971 photograph, some hadn't changed much in fifty years apart from the wrinkles and grey hair.

[PhilJ W]

Just heard a few rumbles of thunder although the rain has stopped.

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Let me know the approximate size/shape/weight and I'll check, presumably you'd want registered service? I'd be happy to help out, other ERs have done so for me in the 'reverse" direction 🙂

Thanks for the offer of help, Ian.

 

Unfortunately, at the moment I have no idea as to size and weight (But I will see what I can find out and let you know). Presumably the outrageous shipping costs are due to the merchant charging for his time and the packing materials as well as the postage (though I have received parcels where the franked posted on the parcel and the quality of the packing [box and packing padding/protection] was but a fraction of what I was charged for for “postage and packing“)

 

I would assume, based on the fact that on many of my Amazon orders I don’t pay any shipping costs – even from things sent directly from China (where basically everything available on Amazon comes from nowadays), that once you become a suitably large user of postal/courier services – like UPS, you go to the post or courier and say we will pay you £X/year and you will ship anything we send you during that time. The shipping costs, presumably, are hidden within the pricing of the item being “sent free“

 

it would be logical to conclude that small and medium retailers don’t have that sort of negotiating power with postal services and courier services

[Ozexpatriate]

On reminisces by @monkeysarefun and @Gwiwer on Sydney suburban coaching stock:

 

I have a very limited experience of Sydney suburban stock, though did ride the electric stock in the early 1970s from the inner western suburbs. Regarding Brisbane suburban stock I have a depth of recollection, particularly during my University days which spanned three generations of stock.

 

I fondly remember the Evans (BU and BUV) suburban stock. These were Edwardian designs from 1910 and little changed through 1953. They operated in suburban service well into the 1980s. They were wooden, non-corridor, vacuum fitted stock, with chain and screw coupling and sprung buffers. Watching the coupling ripple from front to back on a starting train was always entertaining.

 

Early versions had toplights* and drop light windows and shades and originally were gaslit, though by the time I rode them lighting was provided by a DC generator and a battery box. A clunky relay would switch the lighting from generator** to battery and lights were noticeably dimmer on the batteries.

 

* Mostly plated over by the time I rode them.

** When the voltage dropped at low speed.

 

Inevitably the windows were mostly left open (necessary to open the door, since the only handle was on the outside) - and the interiors would be wet if there was any rain while the car was unoccupied. Opening the door was an artform - drop the window without losing your fingers, lean out of the window opening without being decapitated by station furniture like signal stanchions, turn the handle and hip-check the door to swing it open, then climb down***.

 

*** Until electrification, platforms (while still above ground level) were low level. 

 

They were utterly unsuited for people with mobility issues.

 

The seating (benches athwartships) were leather covered, sprung and horsehair stuffed and were bouncy and not uncomfortable. By the time I rode them most of the leather had been replaced by a more durable synthetic and were much less comfortable.

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[Coombe Barton]

Happy Anniversary to Baz and Mrs Baz

[Gwiwer]

17 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Happy Anniversary to Baz and Mrs Baz

Hear hear 

[Gwiwer]

A day which has been sunny, warm, wet, cool, sultry, sunny, fresh and then cloudy is finally ending with a last flourish of sunlight. 
 

If you were to rise very very early you might be able to witness a rare alignment of five planets, plus our moon, in the sky at around 4am. Any later and the dawning day will wash out the night sky. 
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61910977

 

And whilst on the subject of heavenly bodies let me leave you with this thought. 90%  of us will endure micro-organisms having sex on our faces as we sleep. 
 

"In the night, whilst we're in a deep sleep, they visit the pores to have sex and have babies," Dr Perotti says.

Yes, these creatures are using our pores like the Love Island hideaway. Nice.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-61894186 

And with that thought it’s Goodnight from Me and it’s Goodnight from Him. 

 

 

[BoD]

21 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Hear hear 

There, there.

[Barry O]

 Cricket was watched..  boy was it warm.a 5 minute rain shower meant taking to the covered stands.

 

Thanks for the congratulations on our anniversary. We seem to have enjoyed our anniversary..good!

 

Only fly in the ointment was a phone call from the pharmacist I talked to in February.  She will chase response from the diabetic action group... very late...and no I can't have my meds  hanged as my BMI is too low...yer wot. NICE gives the guidelines..even if its wrong..

 

I did say that I was appalled with the fact that she had rung me after the GP said all should be ok...and..she works 2 days a week in the surgery.. and is off for another 3 week holiday shortly... she has been busy with Covid work... fine but life is moving on... big problem to me is too many people looking at diabetes in isolation.. not holistically... too many fiefdoms I think

 

Baz

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

90%  of us will endure micro-organisms having sex on our faces as we sleep. 

As I understand it, much of the "dust" in our homes is formed of their corpses (exoskeletons I presume) along with our dead skin cells.