Early Risers.

[southern42]

' morning all from red dragon land.

Nice and quiet - just a gentle breeze, snippets of sunshine, no large raindrops slashing across the window.

Cold, mind - 9.8°C.

 

Feeling a lot better than I did yesterday so, hopefully, I will get some muddling done. More end of year festive season presents arriving, today, and some woolly socks for me. Also, some wrapping paper so I can start wrapping said presents!  And yes, I did get to see more snooker last night (snuggled up under a blanket). An interesting and enjoyable match between Selby and Higgins.

 

Time for a mudadecaf and try a toot on the flute.

Will have to catch up later. In the meantime, take care, be good, and enjoy what you can.

Polly

[grandadbob]

Looks like The Boss is in luck.  The rain stopped a couple of minutes after she left and we've now got some blue sky and sunshine appearing through the clouds.   If it stays like that for next hour or so there may be peace in our my time!  😂

[simontaylor484]

Morning all 

Sun is shining no kamikaze pigeons so far. 

 

The so called conspiracy theorists who deny acts of terror occoured should be renamed Nut Jobs.

 That bloke who has been stalking victims should be locked in a padded cell.

 

Not many ToT ers last night due to heavy rain. We leave a basket of sweets near the front door there were still some left but they had to be thrown away 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

In the 1970s I took  photos of a SNCF 141R by the docks at Harwich, when it came to the UK to be preserved and they are now on flickr.  I had an e mail from the current owners, the loco is now in Vallorbe, asking if they could use the photos on their website - so I said yes.

 

David

 

Ask for a full set of their Files in payment 😁

 

Bear here.....

Washing done.  Tick.  Post Office & Chemist visited.  Tick.  Bluddy great cardboard box that once housed a loft ladder disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.  Tick.

Paint Stripper?  Yes - it worked - and pretty well too; the wrinkled residue virtually fell off when confronted with a scraper, though one or two areas did need slightly more effort - but not unreasonably so.  I've just order a 5L container of the same stuff, plus 5L of the nasty stuff too.  That's another half a Deltic gone......

A larger area has been splurged with PS and covered with plastic - hopefully that will have worked it's magic by this evening; I think I'll leave this coat and not apply a second layer half-way thru' just to see what happens.

I had a call from one of the M.E. Group Buddies - he'd had a search of a scrapyard for a 400mm length of 20mm round steel bar for a certain Bear, sadly without joy ☹️.  So it looks like it'll be the 'bay; I messaged one seller to ask about a 400mm length (they list 330mm or 500mm) but as yet they still haven't replied 🤬

The conversation with Buddy then went onto matters that would no doubt be classified as non-PC, in particular the inappropriate sorry, very appropriate use of the word "invaded" 😉.  

Bear gone.

[grandadbob]

The rain held off and The Boss returned happy with dry hair and apparel so that is A Good Thing.  As it was sunny I decided to walk to the shop for our comestibles and had a small "accident" which resulted in mince pies and special offer brandy falling into the basket.  I have been admonished.  😉

Just had some good news, Gemma is coming home from Uni today for a reading week and will be visiting us in the next day or two.  Also had a text from Joe in Canada checking up on me as he'd heard of my minor problem last week.  My grandchildren still manage to brighten up my life.

 

[PupCam]

Morning  (Pre-munch) All!
 

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

The various government things will pay about 80% of the increase over the winter. 

 

Which actually means we'll all be paying for it in due course.      

It's just delaying the pain not removing it ......

 

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

I also asked to be put on their "Priority Services Register" as being 73 I am eligible (I have been for 8 years apparently).  I looked at my account online today and the changes show correctly.

 

Hmmm.  That means I'm too!   Eligible for the register not 73!     I'll have to look into that.

 

In Other News

 

More successful Beeza work yesterday, full update later 😀

 

In the meantime I'm off to Letchworth to visit Screwfix and Wickes for plumbing supplies.  

Deep joy!   🙄

 

TTFNQ

[BoD]

Afternoon all

 

Point rodding.

I may will be some time.

Thats all.

 

[Barry O]

@BoD  may the lu k be with you!

 

Unscheduled haircut about to commence .....

 

Baz

[Gwiwer]

8 hours ago, TheQ said:

Over time?

I joined the railways in 1982.  You worked an 8-hour shift with no overlap meaning there had to be give and take at the start and finish to ensure everyone was relieved and no post was unattended however briefly.  If your relief went sick and couldn't be covered you were expected to double through.  "Safety Critical" wasn't a term in use back then and a sixteen hour shift today would most certainly be frowned upon; in some cases it is no longer lawful.  Overtime was paid at the standard hourly rate but if you worked a rest day you were awarded a bit more.   It never seemed quite right but there has always been "The Right Way, The Wrong Way and The Rail Way".

 

Later on I was a coach and bus driver - an industry where flexibility is essential and there is no guarantee whatsoever of finishing at the rostered time.  Most shifts were timed to the limit of the driving hours laws and the weekly and fortnightly rest periods likewise.  There was a little slack with rest days but we were always under great pressure to work them.  So much so that I have had to refuse on occasions because to have worked the rest day would have "RTA'd myself" (put myself in breach of the Road Traffic Act - Driver's Hours Regulations" through working too many consecutive days.  You were paid from start of booked shift until the later of booked or actual sign off time which allowed for late running.  You could - subject to hours - be asked (i.e. required) to put in an extra trip or more before or after the rostered duty to cover absent colleagues.  All overtime was paid at the flat hourly rate although Sundays and Bank Holidays were paid throughout at an enhanced rate.  

 

In Australia, on both tramways and railways, matters were much the same.  Often under pressure to work rest days and expected to put in the extra hours when required to support the team effort.  The overall vibe, as is typical out there, was rather more casual and almost laid back at times.  Pay was at the hourly rate but that rate was enhanced for any "afternoon shift" (the entire shift was paid at the higher rate if it started after midday), and there were higher rates again for weekends and holidays.  Christmas Day - a major public holiday with most staff required to work - was paid at 2.5 times hourly base rate, or 2.5 times the afternoon shift rate for a later turn.  Nights were also paid at an enhanced rate.  

 

Currently there is, as ever, pressure to cover absent colleagues and the UK-wide staff shortage by working overtime and rest days.  It's still an hourly rate and I don't get any enhancements, as a part-timer, until I have worked 38 hours in a week.  As my normal week is 20 hours that would be a very rare event indeed.  Part-timers are also required to take public holidays as part of their paid annual leave allowance unless required to work whereas full-timers are paid at x2.5 hourly rate either as x1.5 "cash" and a "comp day" additional leave or, at their request, at the full x2.5 cash rate.  

 

It's been a varied ride over the years in terms of what I get for what I give.  I can't say I am entirely happy with the current arrangements but I am also at the stage of my career where I don't particularly need extra cash nor additional hours of work but will - on a few occasions of my choosing - help the team effort.  When the news media report "average rail worker's pay" they take account of drivers and senior managers who are ("at least in the former case) justifiably paid for very demanding jobs indeed.  Non-driving wages-grade staff are often paid at very little more than the national minimum wage and - in our case - are paid below the "London Living Wage" hourly rate.  Yes we do get travel concessions which are considered to be a part of our remuneration but these are no longer contractual as they were in BR days (and as they remain for the dwindling number of "Safeguarded Staff" whose service has been continuous since BR) and can be withdrawn at any time.  

 

And I'm back to the usual four-hour morning shift tomorrow after being rained upon, blown around and warmed by intervals of very un-Noverber-like sun today. 

 

Avagoodun.  

[Erichill16]

Another busy day with mil.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Rain-sunshine-rain-sunshine has been the weather today, now it's clouding over again. Arthur Itis got out of his cage a little while ago but the co-codamol is putting him back.

3 hours ago, PupCam said:

Hmmm.  That means I'm too!   Eligible for the register not 73!     I'll have to look into that.

 I didn't know that there was a Priority Service Register either. How do you get your name on it?

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Paint Stripper?  Yes - it worked - and pretty well too; the wrinkled residue virtually fell off when confronted with a scraper, though one or two areas did need slightly more effort - but not unreasonably so. 

What is the name of this wonderous stuff? I have a couple of chairs dating back to 1936 that are under umpteen coats of paint. They have an interesting history, they started out as church pews from St. Nicholas church in Elm Park which was consecrated in 1936. The church despite being less than twenty years old was replaced by a new church in the early 50's and the church authorities sold off some of the fittings including the pews which looked like ordinary dining chairs. At the time furniture was rationed and they were limited to two per person. However my dad and my grandparents all went and got a pair of chairs each giving us six in all. Some had a small plywood box on the back for a prayer book. Over the years they have disappeared and only two remain. I seem to recall that some houses very near the church were badly damaged in the Blitz and perhaps the church was also damaged hence it needed replacement.

[BoD]

3 hours ago, Barry O said:

@BoD  may the lu k be with you!

 

Unscheduled haircut about to commence .....

 

Baz

 

@Barry O may the luck be with you too!!!!

[polybear]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

What is the name of this wonderous stuff? I have a couple of chairs dating back to 1936 that are under umpteen coats of paint. 

 

This is the view that Bear was presented with before lifting the plastic bag this morning:

 

 

- and after a bit of not too strenuous scraping (the paint on the plaster came off very easily):

 

 

 

The stuff I used is this - which seems to be pretty paw-friendly

 

https://www.ktecproducts.co.uk/shop/paint-strippers/enviromose-pro-grade-paint-stripper/enviromose-pro-grade-paint-stripper-double-strength-formula-500ml

 

(They do a 500ml test bottle which I purchased - though it's an expensive way to buy it).

 

Given the choice I'd prefer to use this though:

 

https://www.ktecproducts.co.uk/shop/paint-strippers/paint-stripper-paramose-washable-thick/paramose-water-washable-paint-varnish-remover-5-litres-thick

 

- which is basically the same as how Nitromors used to be (i.e. most definitely NOT paw-friendly); I used modern Nitromors during the kitchen refurb on pipework and it was cr@p - I had some dregs of old Nitromors and that sorted the paint in minutes.  However, bearing in mind the size of the area I now have to be stripped (a staircase) and the fact that the fumes rise and will collect upstairs then using the second type is not the best idea - I'd have to do it in small areas and with a fan blowing downwards from the landing.  If you're doing chairs - which can easily be taken outside - then I'd go for the Nitromors type stuff unless you have particular health concerns.  Rumour has it that old Nitromors is pretty good at reducing certain whitemetal assemblies assembled with Araldite etc.  (Eeek!) into a kit of parts once again too.......

 

I'll be checking progress on the larger area of PS I applied at 8am today to see how well that's worked - today's test hasn't had a second application on top of the first like yesterday had.

The main thing to remember with the friendly type is it takes time - don't try and rush it, expecting it to work as quickly as old Nitromors used to.  

 

HTH

Bear.

Edited November 1, 2022 by polybear

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I think it is called “invisible”

[polybear]

27 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I think it is called “invisible”

 

Sorted - Bear posted it too soon so has been editing it.....

[Ozexpatriate]

It is time for me to tear the house apart.

 

This morning I noticed that I was out of a medication I take daily. I had dutifully collected the new prescription a few days ago. I know precisely where to find the paper bag and the leaflet that came home with it but cannot think what I did with the little pill jar. (It was not in it's proper place.)

 

Hopefully I will find it without too much aggravation. It will be in the last place I look.

 

EDIT: A quarter of an hour later.

 

And found in the *wrong* place but one where it would have been discovered during the course of the day.

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Rumour has it that old Nitromors is pretty good at reducing certain whitemetal assemblies assembled with Araldite etc.  (Eeek!) into a kit of parts once again too.......

 

 

 That deffo works , I did several 2nd hand kit purchases that way , use a plastic tub with

a tight lid , place item in tub , coat well with product , close lid and leave to percolate

for a couple of days , they just fall apart after that .

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

I'll be checking progress on the larger area of PS I applied at 8am today to see how well that's worked - today's test hasn't had a second application on top of the first like yesterday had.

 

 

...And here's the result of the second test:

 

 

However, whilst a quick scrape took the flaky bubbly stuff off with ease it did leave the vast majority of an underlying paint layer - it's possible that would scrape off fairly easily, but I'd like this to be nice n' easy and also to minimise risk of damage to the underlying wood due to hard scraping.  So I stopped and bunged a second coat over the top of the first (the instructions recommend this rather than scrape then reapply).

 

I'm resigned to the fact that the stair stringers won't ever look brilliant - they're a hundred years old and have had their fair share of whacks (young cubs sliding down the stairs on various improvised "sledges" probably didn't help....); after stripping the paint I'll have deep joy sanding n' filling to get them "as good as is reasonably possible" before re-painting.  I did do a lot of trawling the 'net to see if there was any magical way of easily covering the stringers but drew a blank unfortunately.  Turdycurses.

 

[monkeysarefun]

Overtime, I've always worked for Australian companies so maybe that's why I've never not had it. Time and a half for after hours, double time on weekends. The oil company I was at would pay overtime at time and a half when working back and if it was after 9pm they'd pay the $100 taxi fare home.

 

Even now as a contractor with a UK based defence company we've got overtime written in at the Australian rates. When the Queen was here a few years ago I had to spend the weekend at work in case something went wrong with the network. Nothing did but  I got 16 hours of double time catching up on "Breaking Bad".

 

Some of the multinationals try to bung on their dodgy employee relations tactics with their "you shouldn't expect overtime for getting the job done and you should love to work for nothing it shows commitment" or whatever, but it often costs them decent staff. One of my mates spent 4 years studying law and  got a corporate lawyer position with a big Swiss insurance company, after 12 months of them ripping him off he went and got a job with the Electricity commission in the control room monitoring and adjusting the states power load requirements. Gets paid the hours he works rather than getting paid for 40 while working 60, if he works 4 days on he gets 3 days off and with overtime and  shift allowances  he gets just under twice  the money that he got as  a corporate lawyer.

[polybear]

IIRC The Great Empire paid time and a quarter for O/T, rising to time and a third at weekends; travel time was flat rate.  I've a sneaky feeling that the O/T rate may have dropped to flat rate in the last few years (@PupCam ?) though.

As for Bear, well I'd get to work at 06-30, scoff a bowl of cereal + Tea whilst perusing the 'net - that would be paid as O/T until 07-30 if the Boss authorised it**.  From 07-30 until 08-00 it would be accrued as flexi credit (so over a month it'd be enough for a day off).  Once 08-00 (ish....😉) was reached then it was time to start looking busy....kinda.....).  Not very company spirited?  Well in later years there were several instances where I was sh@fted (very unfairly - my Boss was less than happy at what they'd done too) at Assessment Time, after which I decided that it was time to fight fire with fire; in reality they would screw older Employees in order to free up more funds to throw at the new starters.  Rant?  Oh yes, Solid Gold.

 

(** Bear sat next to The Boss....sorted 😉)

[simontaylor484]

Having worked in transport we never had  a finishing time it was when the job was done and the drivers knew what they were doing the next day. 12-14 hrs a day 5 days a week plus alternate Saturday morning.

When i worked for the council I didn't do overtime I figured I had done enough long hours in the past I just wanted to spend time with the wife and boys

[Coombe Barton]

... Spreadsheets, bl00dy great big ones ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/11/01/all-down-except-northern-ireland/

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

... Spreadsheets, bl00dy great big ones ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/11/01/all-down-except-northern-ireland/

You mention the Covid vaccination system possibly being capped. Or it might be that the take up of those eligible is very low. A couple of weeks ago one of the family medics said only 10% of the vaccination appointments they had available had been taken up.  Very low response from those in their 50s. It would seem very different compared with the situation when the first vaccines were available. 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Today's on-off-on-off rain gave Arthur Itis a field day today. Thanks @polybear for the info on the paint stripper so I'll be ordering some shortly, and clearing a bit of space in the garage to work on the chairs. Now to tackle Farcebook, be back later. 

[monkeysarefun]

three weeks til summer and its a maximum 19 degrees today in this sub-tropical paradise. Yesterdays Melbourne Cup Day  had a wind chill meaning the race was run in  5 degrees apparent temperature.  Forecasts for the next few days  mention "Antarctic winds" , "polar vortexes" and "unseasonal snow". 

 

All this cold wet  weather is making it annoyingly easy for the "Global Warming?! Ha! " clowns on Sky Australia to mock the science. 

Edited November 1, 2022 by monkeysarefun