Early Risers.

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

You can seriously go off people….. 😆

 

I was perusing the ‘papers when I came across this restaurant (sort of) review and immediately thought of @chrisf (a Wetherspoons devotee) and @polybear https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/dec/06/which-bit-of-the-turkey-is-this-supposed-to-be-i-ate-12-christmas-dinners-in-12-days-here-are-the-best-and-worst. I’m not sure what to make of the review - a warning perhaps?
 

 

Day 1 is appalling, Day 5 looks like a tram smash (Cynical Bear suspects it only got 5/5 cos' he'd be in deep sh1t if he gave his Mum any less), Day 6 is downright theft.  As for Day 12 - thirty five quid for THAT???

 

Bear doesn't scoff Turkey (or Chicken) - for traditional Chrimbo din dins it'll be a couple of Snaggers with the works instead; the usual weapon is a very special home-built Pizza + extras though.  Why not?

 

Bear here....

Dunno about today yet - could be some H/S/L (I have some filler to sand) or maybe a bit of shed time as I have a job requiring the use of the big pillar drill.  We'll see.

 

In other news......

In Oz the Judges do this (if only our own had the b@lls to do the same):
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/05/wherever-you-stand-on-violet-coco-her-jailing-raises-the-stakes-for-climate-protest

"On Friday, magistrate Allison Hawkins sentenced her to 15 months in jail, with a non-parole period of eight months. Coco’s lawyer indicated there would be an appeal, and made a routine application for bail. Coco’s mother offered $10,000 surety. Hawkins refused bail."

 

Meanwhile, our lot do this:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/rogue-rolex-dealer-clocked-trying-to-buy-stolen-32-000-watch-in-sainsbury-s-car-park/ar-AA14XUJF?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a84cd60e79d849e0af7177a73eb6750b

"All three defendants, of Newport, Gwent were spared jail.

Gibson was given a two-year suspended sentence and 200 hours unpaid work.

Smith was given a community order and 180 hours unpaid work and Morris was told to complete a ‘thinking skills’ programme."

FFS.

And what the F. is a "thinking skills" programme (and is the scrote concerned actually equipped to think?).

Perhaps they'd like to consider HOW the watch was stolen in the first place - whilst not so "bad" if it was a new one out of a warehouse etc, it might be from a Burglary or Robbery - which is much, much worse.

I wonder how much it has actually cost the Taxpayer for all the Police, CPS, Court time etc. in achieving 380 hours of unpaid work?  No doubt the provision of a "thinking skills" programme will cost the taxpayer as well (yet if you get nicked for speeding and go on a speed awareness course then you have to pay for that yourself).  And that, fellow ER'ers, is a solid gold Rant.

No wonder the country is full of scrotes.

 

 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Thoughts with chrisf,  hope he's OK.

A dull start to the day here but it should stay dry with some sunny spells.  Currently 2°C, might reach 5°C.

Visit to dentist yesterday went off OK and all is in order.  

It seems that my services are not required by Management for anything today so after breakfast I'm going to The Shed for a bit of "me" time.  

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by grandadbob

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, le Rock is chilly, 2c, dry and bright.  Less bright indoors, miserable night.

 

JJB is spot on, the Manx have a real skill to moan and nit-pick, mostly because life here is very good indeed, and there is very little to complain about, so they make the most of what they have!  Many folk here have never been off-island, or only for holidays or shopping visits etc, so they really have no idea of the big world issues elsewhere.  Tiny matters assume huge 'importance' here.

 

Me, having escaped certain death when a young man (I was supposed to be on the 'Derbyshire' when she sunk with the loss of all hands) and losing a close friend to natural causes at a youngish age, tend to have a less critical view of the world, and just get on with it.

 

Allowing Winslow Boy his rant, but volunteering at Grumble Groudle Glen was actually a well run and enjoyable experience, I miss it terribly - even the mundane tasks.

 

But then I also go to do this....😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

36 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Morning, le Rock is chilly, 2c, dry and bright.  Less bright indoors, miserable night.

 

JJB is spot on, the Manx have a real skill to moan and nit-pick, mostly because life here is very good indeed, and there is very little to complain about, so they make the most of what they have!  Many folk here have never been off-island, or only for holidays or shopping visits etc, so they really have no idea of the big world issues elsewhere.  Tiny matters assume huge 'importance' here.

 

Me, having escaped certain death when a young man (I was supposed to be on the 'Derbyshire' when she sunk with the loss of all hands) and losing a close friend to natural causes at a youngish age, tend to have a less critical view of the world, and just get on with it.

 

Allowing Winslow Boy his rant, but volunteering at Grumble Groudle Glen was actually a well run and enjoyable experience, I miss it terribly - even the mundane tasks.

 

But then I also go to do this....😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horses for courses Young Man. Horses for courses. Having been paid to manage volunteers I know if you do it properly is contact the volunteers, put together interesting work programs, organise social events etc it is b....y hard work. That's why I get annoyed other words are available when I see it done cackhanded. There is nothing quite like working with a group of people who want to be doing the job instead of just binding the time, doing as little as possible and then going for a brew to gossip.

[45156]

19 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Blimey, a decent locksmith - that's a right result.  So many of them seem to milk it for every last gronkit.

You said it, Bear.  When we moved, we needed the garage door sorted as the key had been lost - rang a locksmith, and gave him the date - and he said "just ring on the day, and I'll be there".  So we rang, and he turned up and said it would be cheaper to change the handle than to make a key.  Half an hour, there was a knock on the door, and it was done - and a bill for £189 - £79 for the handle - they cost about £25, and the rest for labour and emergency call out - I was so dumfounded that I paid without demurral.  What a try on.

 

We since found out that he was not local, even though he had a local phone no - it just diverted to his mobile, but came from Bridgnorth.  A bit nore research, and we have found a proper local locksmith, who spent hours sorting out our front door, and charged £135 for the whole job incuding an insurance standard 5 lever mortice.  When we wanted  the euro cylinder in the back door changed, guess who we chose, and he charged us £75.

 

Morning All

 

Been absent for various reasons - not least due to a major broadband fault which left us with no internet, and no on demand TV for hours yesterday.  Generic greetings, and a cheery Crismas song from Josh Turner and Alison Young  - I thought it was a 1940s song that I'd never heard, but actually Alison wrote it - see what you think.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by 45156

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. And a cold Estuary=Land it is and whats more its going to be even colder over the next few days and even snow predicted for Friday. I'm with @iL Dottore with regard to turkey, even 'fresh free range turkey' is like eating greasy cardboard. I can remember when even chicken was a luxury meat (60+ years ago) and we only had it for Christmas. Then turkey became (and still is) the usual Christmas fare but that degenerated after they started breeding the unnatural monstrosities we have today. I went on to salmon for Christmas dinner but now even that is factory farmed. So this years Christmas dinner will be venison steak, culled from wild herds.

[PhilJ W]

List of Royal Mail strike days in December.

Friday 9 December

Sunday 11 December

Wednesday 14 December

Thursday 15 December

Friday 23 December

Saturday 24 December

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

A cold and frosty start to the day herein the northwest corner of England, where it’s currently-2C. This morning I will continue to put all the boxes of stuff back into the underfloor storage area. The boxes in question all contain items that will eventually find their way onto my layout. So, these are being stored together so they can be easily accessed by the hatchway in the big cellar room. I just need to sort out in which order to place them. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[southern42]

' morning all from red dragon land.

Overcast 3.2C

 

Still some editing tools missing from the menubar. Is it just me?

<<Yup! It's me.>>

I have just discovered, by playing about with some of the keyboard keys connected with something else, that it is all to do with:-

Da dah...

Making the webpage larger/smaller (keys: command +/-)

[on my MacBook, anyway.]

Glad that's sorted!

 

Off to start the rest of the day, now. Yesterday, I got a third of the way through the C cards so the plan is to do the rest of the ones-to-be-posted, today. The final batch will be hand delivered. Other than that it will be a few odd jobs and a toot-on-the-flute.

 

Take care. Be good. May things go your way.

Polly

[Barry O]

Blood.. donated

Blood pressure up.. not unexpected as I have a lot 9n my m8nd at the moment.  

 

Awaiting our  visitors.

 

Time for a quick decaff methinks

 

@Winslow Boy..ihave a lot ofvolunteers who I try to support. Sometimes they can be really painful but It's part of a volunteer role I enjoy..

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Horses for courses Young Man. Horses for courses. Having been paid to manage volunteers I know if you do it properly is contact the volunteers, put together interesting work programs, organise social events etc it is b....y hard work. That's why I get annoyed other words are available when I see it done cackhanded. There is nothing quite like working with a group of people who want to be doing the job instead of just binding the time, doing as little as possible and then going for a brew to gossip.

I think that the Open University Business school have a special modulevin their MBA for managi g volunteers if youbwant yo take it.  Yes managing volunteers is far harder than paid staff as they all have the whop gsnd. They can just not turn up.    When I was co-opted to manage the horse tram rebuild 8 peopke wt the meeting said they would come. Only 5 turned up.  We also decided to only do 1 day per week so that the project was sustainable.  That did work.  As for me. I tried my best to have a plan for each work day and to have all the necessary tools and mater so that the propke coming were able to play their part.  This meant that on a Thursday I was usually orcering materials ready for the following week, then on a Tuesday did the rou ds of the various worshops to collect the widgets that were ready for our Wednesday work day.  

 

I did sonetimes help out at a charity that Beth volunteered for. However, after too many wasted days spent hanging arou d waiting for clear instructions, I stopped helping.  The volunteer's most valuable contribution  is time, and should not be wasted.

 

Jamie

[southern42]

45 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

List of Royal Mail strike days in December.

Friday 9 December

Sunday 11 December

Wednesday 14 December

Thursday 15 December

Friday 23 December

Saturday 24 December

 

A long time ago, I applied for and got an interview for a job in the Post Office. I turned it down - unsociable hours (no buses into town that early in the morning) and I did not really fancy the job when it was all explained, and I definitely did not want to be Postman Pattie, either, especially in a mountainous and rough weather area like ours. Bookshop and library were much more up my street.  I am grateful for our posties and, over the years, they have mostly been friendly, helpful and cheerful so I hope these strikes or outcomes do not cause them any hardship.

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

List of Royal Mail strike days in December.

Friday 9 December

Sunday 11 December

Wednesday 14 December

Thursday 15 December

Friday 23 December

Saturday 24 December

Meanwhile the private companies are reducing the Royal Mails customer base.. turkeys and Christmas come to mind

 

Baz

[DaveF]

 

It's quite cold again today, 1C but no frost on the ground and it is brightish, no showers yet.

 

Yesterday started well with the groceries coming just within the time slot.  Then I received a What's App message and a text asking me to provide some more information about an insulation grant I'd applied for.  The only problem was that I haven't applied for one (I did my walls and loft many years ago) and the messages were not addressed to me.  When I investigated the source of the messages they were from a  real company and they had records for the person named.  It appears that they wrote down the wrong mobile number, so there will be someone somewhere in the north east wiondering why she hasn't heard about her application.  I hope they have her address so they can write to her.  Meanwhile I have blocked their number while they sort it out.

 

After that I got on with what I had planned to do which was to write the rest of the Christmas cards.  That was completed in the late morning, I used up my stock of "old" stamps and only needed one of my swopped out replacements.  I decided to go to the post office and buy stamps for the overseas cards rather than print the postage off from the web.  The post office was empty so it only took a couple of minutes, the pillar box was also empty to so all the ordinary cards went in easily.  I just have the very local ones to deliver by hand later in the month left to do.

 

Then I went to the beach and had a walk along the promenade, heavy rain started just as I got back into the car.

 

In the afternoon I went to check the flat and found a letter addressed to the "new occupier" from Northumbrian Water so things are moving.  I checked the meter readings and will do final ones on Thursday.  Next I walked across the road to church to see the Christmas Tree Festival.  I'll put some photos of it on here later on when I have sorted them out.

 

On the way home I did a bit of shopping and then watched a bit of football while I had tea, then listened to Radio Eviva again from Switzerland and started the next Poldark novel.

 

David

Edited December 7, 2022 by DaveF
Grammar needed correcting

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

List of Royal Mail strike days in December.

Friday 9 December

Sunday 11 December

Wednesday 14 December

Thursday 15 December

Friday 23 December

Saturday 24 December

Without getting political, but what I think does need to be pointed out is that nowadays, when compared to the 60s, 70s or even the 80s, a lot of people do have alternatives to the Royal Mail and to public transport, Even if that alternative is taken up reluctantly and between gritted teeth.

 

Thus I doubt that the “movers and shakers” - ones who potentially could influence the politicians - will be in any way inconvenienced, just the poor and the vulnerable…

Edited December 7, 2022 by iL Dottore

[TheQ]

I have 100% sympathy with the posties and 100% sympathy with the Post Office management.

Since postal particularly parcel services were opened to all, RM cannot win, they are fighting a loosing battle against Ups /fedex/evri/dhl / and anyone else who has a poorly paid staff working stupid hours and schedules.

RM management can only try to cut costs, and that's mostly wages.. So the Posties lose out.

[Tony_S]

Last year Royal Mail had some interesting results. 

“The Royal Mail share price is rising fast after delivering strong results last week. It's returning £400 million to investors in dividends and share buybacks.”

They also,reduced their debt from about one billion Pounds to about half that 
This caused shares to rise. Now that appears to have started a round of disputes where staff would like a share too and management want to increase profits. The share price has fallen considerably. I looked at the earnings for agency workers doing postal delivery work and they seemed to about half that of a permanent postie. Some even said “must have own van”. 
Tony

Edited December 7, 2022 by Tony_S
Can’t spell my own name!

[Phil Parker]

14 minutes ago, TheQ said:

RM management can only try to cut costs, and that's mostly wages.. So the Posties lose out.

 

They could cut dividends. It's odd that a business whose boss keeps moaning that they are losing a million pounds a day, seems to be able to find the cash for shareholders. In my simple way, i assumed that dividends were paid when a company made money, not when it is (apprenetly) heamouraging it at a terrific rate. I suspect the posties are looking at this generous handout, and thinking, "Why can't I have a little bit of that?"

[New Haven Neil]

I'm very glad we're not still in business - a post strike at our busiest time of year would have been a nightmare. We kind of made a rod for our own backs by our next-day delivery success, although we never promised this. 

 

Whenever it didn't happen we used to get an awful lot of calls asking where their latest toy was.  It not being our fault was never an excuse apparently!  Every parcel that left our premises was recorded, so we knew exactly what had left us, again this wasn't 'proof' to some folk.  The parcels always used to turn up, over a year we lost maybe two or three completely, from many thousand sent out.  

 

Using couriers from here is not an option, cost about four times IoM Post/RM rates, and we used to get a great deal from IoM Post as one of their best customers.

 

One nice tale - from way back when we used to send overseas, was an Accucraft live steam loco lost on its way to Australia.  Had to send a replacement.  Oof.  A YEAR later, it turned up, and the guy was so honest he gave it to a friend who paid us in full for it!  There is hope for humanity after all.

[Gwiwer]

13 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Kiama is a top spot

 

13 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

We got as far as Bateman's Bay on a big road trip

There are some cracking spots along that coast.  Port Kembla is not one of them 😂

 

Kiama is however.  And so would Bateman's Bay have been had we not had the reception we did.  We drove the long way around via Mallacoota (another top spot) staying in Bemm River on the way out when SWMBO had a conference in Eurobodalla.  They put us in a hotel in Bateman's Bay.  The Kia Rio wasn't very old at the time and this was its first really big road trip.  Around 2000kms round trip from Melbourne.  

 

We paused at Bega for cheese.  Anyone who knows, knows.  We admired magnificent scenery much of the way.  We even took the old road from Bemm River to Cann River which is a rough 4WD track through a lot of bush.  The 2WD Rio coped superbly.  And we passed countless hundreds of kangas lining the route none of which chose to hop out in front of us as they are wont to do and which usually leads to the car and the roo both being written off.  

 

And then there was Bateman's Bay.  The car, of course, carried a Victorian registration.  We pulled into the hotel car park and were spat at by locals.  Not, perhaps, representative of the entire population but they clearly took exception to "Mexicans" being in "Their" town.  Late in the day I was verbally abused by different locals when trying to shop in the supermarket; the gist was much the same in that we were not local and not wanted here.  There was intimidation but no actual threat.  That persisted at times across the three days we were there.  

 

The hotel was basic, cold and damp.  It was also self-catering due to being off-season.  The best meal we had was that provided by the conference organisers on the final day.  

 

As I was not involved in the conference I was able to explore a bit further and drove up to Nowra.  From here I caught the train to Sydney along a line which I had mostly travelled before but never south of Wollongong.  I was relieved to find the car still in the car park upon my return and noted that the good folk of Nowra and Bomaderry were far more pleasant than those a bit farther south.  It's a lovely ride in parts too.  Right beside the sea and then twisting and turning through the hills.  I recalled my first visit to the area as we passed through Waterfall; I had been in Sydney when the dreadful accident occurred there; my planned trip south had to be deferred by a couple of days until the line reopened.  

 

That was when I discovered how grotty Port Kembla is.  It's a steel-making town in the middle of some lovely coastal scenery and backed by the Illawarra Escarpment.  Because coal came down the escarpment to fire the blast furnaces and the finished produce could be exported by sea.  Geographically a great location.  Aesthetically a major blot on the landscape.  And, at the time, busy with interesting objects which used steel rails for guidance and which carried numbers worth collecting .....  

 

I'll have to dig out some photos.  

 

 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Phil Parker said:

 

They could cut dividends. It's odd that a business whose boss keeps moaning that they are losing a million pounds a day, seems to be able to find the cash for shareholders. In my simple way, i assumed that dividends were paid when a company made money, not when it is (apprenetly) heamouraging it at a terrific rate. I suspect the posties are looking at this generous handout, and thinking, "Why can't I have a little bit of that?"

 

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

I'm very glad we're not still in business - a post strike at our busiest time of year would have been a nightmare. We kind of made a rod for our own backs by our next-day delivery success, although we never promised this. 

 

Whenever it didn't happen we used to get an awful lot of calls asking where their latest toy was.  It not being our fault was never an excuse apparently!  Every parcel that left our premises was recorded, so we knew exactly what had left us, again this wasn't 'proof' to some folk.  The parcels always used to turn up, over a year we lost maybe two or three completely, from many thousand sent out.  

 

Using couriers from here is not an option, cost about four times IoM Post/RM rates, and we used to get a great deal from IoM Post as one of their best customers.

 

One nice tale - from way back when we used to send overseas, was an Accucraft live steam loco lost on its way to Australia.  Had to send a replacement.  Oof.  A YEAR later, it turned up, and the guy was so honest he gave it to a friend who paid us in full for it!  There is hope for humanity after all.

The problem with RM is that they are still obliged to cover the whole of the country and at the same price whether you are posting a parcel to the next town or the Outer Hebrides. Their competitors have no such obligation so can pick and choose where they operate (see NHN's comments above). An interesting parallel with the 'Common carrier' obligation that British Railways were saddled with. 

[Gwiwer]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

List of Royal Mail strike days in December.

Friday 9 December

Sunday 11 December

Wednesday 14 December

Thursday 15 December

Friday 23 December

Saturday 24 December

"Last Posting Days" have been brought forward accordingly by around a week.  

 

In other news a colleague at the House of Fun has applied for a position based at the Hill of Strawberries and, if successful, would be looking to move into the area.  As we have a number of vacant units in the block right now, all of which are newly-renovated and refitted, I have put him in touch with our agent.  Time will tell what happens there.  

 

Friday sees our annual singing-out-of-tune festival around the village Christmas Tree.  That was "planted" yesterday by the council who also applied some pretty illuminations.  The local brass band always turn out to give some frosty-fingered oom-pah to the event.  The seaweed-wranglers are offering a hefty -5C for the event 🥶 which is not conducive to a good rousing chorus nor to hitting the right notes on your blowing device.  But hey - there's mulled wine and mince pies on offer too.  Last year we were mullers-in-chief but haven't been approached this year.  Yet.  There's still time.  

[DaveF]

 

Earlier today I mentioned the Christmas Tree Festival at church - St Cuthberts, Blyth on Plessey Road, below are a few photos of it.

 

It is an annual event, the trees are provided and decorated by local businesses and organisations and there is a small prize for the one judged best from the votes of visitors.  It does get quite a lot of people to visit the church, especially as there are concert by various local choral/operatic societies or a brass band most evenings .  It runs from Monday to Saturday, 10a.m. to 9p.m. (4p.m.Sat).   Then the trees will stay in the church until after Christmas.  Another attraction is that the heating is on.

 

During some days entertainment is being provided by a real wind up gramophone playing old 78 r,p,.m. records.

 

There is also tea and coffee with biscuits and cakes and various craft items for sale. 

 

 

View from rear of church

 

 

Part of south side

 

 

Another Part of south side

 

Tree by the Friends of Ridley Park.  Bill and Ben the flower pot men live in the park now.  In the summer they spend a lot of time outdoors by the pavilion.  It's a long time since they were on children's TV!

 

 

Bill and Ben on top of the tree

 

Tree by the altar (it is on wheels for services)

 

 

David

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by DaveF

[Coombe Barton]

... antibiotic supply - I tend to believe the people on the ground ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/12/07/sounds-of-the-season-2022-23-11-quite-markedly-up/

[45156]

Back again.

 

Had to buy a new outdoor tap cover, as the one we brought with us has disappeared into the abyss which masquerades as our garage.  As was the car cover, which I think we will be needing over the next few days.  Tap cover was not too difficult and was got for a few quid locally, and we will need something, as it appears that there is no stopcock or other isolation on the tap, and the feed pipe goes under the dowstairs loo window. but doesn't come through to the inside - it probably goes down the cavity wall.

 

Car cover was more of an issue, and I know we found it in the summer, and 30747 and I both said "we must remember where it has been put, we'll need it in winter" - so up to the garage, couldn't find it - asked 30747 and she said "we put it somewhere saf but I can't remember where".  Turned the garage upside down, and finally looked inside the water butt which we can't get in at the back due to the location of the down pipes - and then I remembered that this was the "somewhere safe" - still it's found now.

 

We appear to be watching another formulaic Christmas movie - the formula is, as far as I can tell vary the scenario to suit the producer's whim - then

Girl meets boy (variation on whether a stranger or a previous boyfriend)

GIrl and boy fall in love

Mid film row between boy and girl

Row resolved and boy and girl live happily ever after

 

Never mind, the broadband is working, AFAIK, and we can binge watch the Traitors off the iPlayer once the film is over.