Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, le Rock is once again wet, 8c isn't bad though.

 

Mrs H off getting Pilated, NHN doing domestic duties, then we'll take the camper out for a run to keep the batteries charged.

 

My back is a little better today, which has become a signal to my hip to misbehave.  I'm getting to dislike middle age, but the alternative isn't good either.  The Consultant-ess gave the hip a good tweaking on Tuesday so its likely still fallout from that. Pah.

 

Now, what's up with our Bear? Newell post fallen over?  Dropped tin of paint on stairs? LDC world shortage?  Baked bean pizza burnt?

[45156]

15 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Happy Anniversary to Stewart and Mrs. Stewart. (Elaine perchance?)  Hope you've had a great day.

Not too hard to guess - Ian (olddudders of this parish) had a colleague of the same name, and who had a picture of the loco on the wall near her desk.

[DaveF]

It's mild but wet here on the Northumberland coast this morning so my walk has been postponed until it is a bit drier - hopefully this afternoon.

 

As I mentioned before all the Christmas decorations went away yesterday, this morning I found a packet of Christmas cards still lying under some papers on my desk, so they will have to be found a home sometime today.  After that some plants were moved around, two Christmas Cacti which had finished flowering went into the garage and one came into the house, its buds will open over the weekend.

 

Later in the morning I had a quick walk before a nice simple salad lunch which used up some ham.  Time then passed enjoyably while I watched the first episode of the new series of Father Brown.  Afterwards I went outside have a look at the front garden and pick up a piece of paper which the wind had blown onto a lavender plant, while I was outside two neighbours came out and asked if I was OK as they hadn't seen me for a couple of days.  I realised that I have been going out for my walks at a slightly different time and had only been out in my car while they were out.  We all look out for each other which is very reassuring.

 

In the afternoon I had a good look round the house to start to plan how to move things round and what to get rid of so it will be less cluttered.  It will be a long term project.  In the end I hope to have very little in the loft so a lot will have to go as there may come a time when I will find it too difficult to go up and down the loft ladder, I want to have things sorted out long before then.

 

After tea I was ready to sit down, I ended up wathcing another "Stars in der Manege" (circus ring) on German TV, once again some of the singers and presenters taking part were very good.   One young woman, a singer, was particularly good working with a team of acrobats,  That was followed by Death in Paradise, predictable but relaxing.

 

David

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Good moaning from a place that's still dark.  A good day was had yesterday .  Off to Poitiers first and mostvof the afternoon  was spent trainspotting.  Then to Niort to pick up our friend. Back home then a relaxing evening. Not a bad day at all.

 

This morning we will be talking to young Emily as usual, after that I have no idea what the day will bring but iy may involve moving some pictures around.  Not a lot else to report.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

You have me intrigued Young Man. When you say pictures do you mean photons or really flesh & blood pictures?

 

 

[iL Dottore]

56 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Now, what's up with our Bear? Newell post fallen over?  Dropped tin of paint on stairs? LDC world shortage?  Baked bean pizza burnt?

Could be one of a multitude of things, Neil. Based on his past postings It is likely to involve one or more of the following:

• it cost too much
• It didn’t work
• It broke on first use
• The wrong thing was delivered
• it went wrong
• the price went up
• it wasn’t available as advertised
• The Bear messed up/messed it up

That probably covers 95% of Beary mishaps

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well I won’t be doing anything outside today, as it’s absolutely chuckinitdarn. So, once Ava and I have finished making the fruit tea loaf and it’s been put in the oven, we’ll be finding something to do inside for the rest of the day. I’m not exactly sure what that will be, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian 

[monkeysarefun]

6 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Could be one of a multitude of things, Neil. Based on his past postings It is likely to involve one or more of the following:

• it cost too much
• It didn’t work
• It broke on first use
• The wrong thing was delivered
• it went wrong
• the price went up
• it wasn’t available as advertised
• The Bear messed up/messed it up

That probably covers 95% of Beary mishaps

I'm starting to wonder if my Christmas present turned up there yet.

(Actually I sent 2 just in case one got lost.)

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land.  Not much from Arthur Itis this morning but the eczema is on fire again and I'm looking at treatments. I've tried a few and some have relieved it somewhat. I now avoid spicy foods as they make it worse.

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I see what you describe in your whole post. Since you are a Premium member, if you go to the very bottom of the page you should be able to set the "theme" back to "Premium". That should fix it - according to this linked post.

 

Scrolling to (almost) the bottom of the page (under the 'popular posts') I see two blank panels - like these on the right, below:

In the "test theme" the panel on the bottom right gets filled with advertising. It seems to be a work in progress.

 

The forum software is not designed to accommodate the advertising being forced into it. (Square peg + round hole comes to mind.)

 

EDIT

Later I saw that panel occupied by an Amazon ad that quickly disappeared.

 

I have done that and it has made a difference.

[jamie92208]

26 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

You have me intrigued Young Man. When you say pictures do you mean photons or really flesh & blood pictures?

 

 

Real printed photos in frames and even an original watercolour.  A new frame for photos of Emily has been dug out of the shed. I was tasked with putting it up.  2 problems.

 

1, others have to be moved to make room

2. Part of the frame was broken.

 

I'm involved in sorting both.  No 1 needs me to drill holes and insert rawlplus and fixings.  2 was easy. I removed the broken fixings then drilled and tapped the frame 8BA.  Bolts inserted and trimmed to length.  Job sorted.  Now coffee and gallette des Rois time.

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

I notice that the notifications have reverted to the coloured lettering on a black bar when I selected Premium.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is raining here.

We were up early this morning. Did our bit for the defence of the realm. Our neighbour’s grandson is off to Purbright on Sunday to begin 14 weeks of basic training. His mum is going to drop him off but as it is her Dad’s 80th birthday today  she decided to travel via Essex yesterday. They brought some washing with them and our neighbour’s washing machine spin cycle couldn’t cope with some of the soon to be soldier’s clothes so  our washing machine was made use of. Also we have volunteered to dog sit tonight. We get to have Peaches the Chihuahua visiting. Last time she stayed she was very easy to look after.

Tony

Edited January 7, 2023 by Tony_S

[grandadbob]

Rain has rained...and still is therefore no walking has been done.

Bin men have been.

Shed visited, new toy added to others on the layout and played with and a plan for future tasks has been started.

Pleasant surprise of the day is that Nicki, Abbie and Gemma have invited themselves to lunch.  Nicki's house is on the market and the estate agent is dealing with a couple of viewings this afternoon so they wanted to get out of the way.

Edited January 7, 2023 by grandadbob

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon all,

 

Much rain was dropped this morning. Even the puddles now have puddles. Just as it was time to start lunch, things brightened and a great expanse of blue sky appeared. And now we're back to grey cloud, with some more wet stuff due shortly. It's been quiet so far - if you ignore the drumming of the monsoon on windows and roof - with little happening. Highlights include the sale and wrapping of four unmentionable items, the making of half a pint of onion gravy, watching the resident blue-tit on the nuts and posting a joke elsewhere on RMW. Another day in the fast lane. 

 

I confess to being slightly perturbed by Bear's Arrgh's. Is CC up to his diabolical tricks again? And do 'we' now have a breeding pair of 'them' courtesy of monkeysarefun's thoughtfulness? There may indeed be a rush to escape the UK. My own thoughts on such a move were prompted by various state actions and decisions and things which are better left unsaid in this forum. I find the wildlife and geography quite acceptable and are things I would probably miss if I do go into exile. But Britain with poisonous spiders, great whites and malaria? Suddenly Rick's house looks worthy of consideration! 

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Not a lot to report here at the mo - well if you forget an inability to get onto the internet this morning.  Seems that again, Windoze decided to ignore the instruction to update after five tomorrow night.  The internet icon was showing no connection, and none available - so not finding the router (again) - amd when I shut the laptop down, it would only do so after the update run - so I let it run, and went out for our usual Saturday mooch of Ludlow's charity shops - got a strange warning from the car that I had to check the ns running light - checked and it was out - as was the os - called the garage and arranged for the car to be checked on Monday - then while driving back from Craven Arms, the warning light wasn't lit - got home to find that the running lights were actually now on - and the garage was shut as they only open on Saturday til noon.  No answering machine was coming on when I rang.  And the laptop had actually updated - moral seems to be to let windoze update when it wants to, and not to delay.

 

Oh, and five bags of logs moved, and three split - all are now in the log store and the shed, and that will mean that we don't need to walk to the garage - we think that the amount of logs left should just get us by unless we get another cold snap. 

 

And finally - a new musical duo is formalised - this was filmed at Robin Hood's Bay when they were over here mid last year.

 

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all,

 

Heavy showers here with sunny bits in between.  A beautiful rainbow was sighted over the Hill of Strawberries as we returned from a short shopping trip.  I'll let you know the result when the lottery is drawn!  

 

New bookcase arrived, was built and placed this morning.  This required a small cut-out in its back-panel to access the power points but will prove a boost to the library and workspace by allowing some de-cluttering.  

 

The newest attraction locally seems to the The Teddington Hole.  A sink-hole has appeared closing the Lower Teddington Road which is a major through route.  There are alternatives but most are narrow residential roads which have become choked with traffic.  I noted parking restriction cones and signs along some today but with residents still parking in their prepaid spots anyway.  

 

More muddling is required.  Dr. SWMBO returns to work next week meaning I can extract the new project board and make mess cut and fix the multi-level boards.  

 

I am assured that the high winds experienced here of late are probably the result of eating some toasted broad beans.  We'll see.  The beans were OK actually.  

 

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

The heavy rain seems to have moved around us so far, only had a couple of light showers.

 

Gripper rods didn't like leaving their place of repose for the last 42 years... Yep Axminster carpets made by Crossley, who went bust in 1982. This house was rebuilt in 1980, so that gives a very narrow window of carpet installation. The carpet was still in good condition so it show quality carpets last. Unfortunately cheap carpets sell so that's why Crossley went bust.

PS yes I did up look up Crossley..

 

One oddity, the Newel post at the foot of the stairs does not sit on the floor planking... It goes through the floor to I guess to one of the crossbeams.

We've cut a section of the carpet out, and laid it as a mat in Ben's favourite hallway place.

Ben was very unhappy at us removing the carpet, and kept lying in the way.

 

First door fitted to book shelf cupboard, the second is now in a horizontal position while the glue sets on the next section of calendar.

 

The second side of the centre console, has had its reinforcement glued on and is now on the workbench under weights.

 

 

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Now, what's up with our Bear? Newell post fallen over?  Dropped tin of paint on stairs? LDC world shortage?  Baked bean pizza burnt?

 

Didn't he mention something about jetting-off to Switzerland to visit a certain Bearnina?

 

[polybear]

Bear here........

 

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Episode Three.

 

Episode Four - The Grand Finale - to follow shortly.  Bear needs Toast & Cake (oodles of.....) first.....

 

Bear gone..........

[Coombe Barton]

... The more I see or hear of politicians the less I’m comfortable thinking that someone voted them in ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/01/07/quite-strongly-downward-for-covid/

[New Haven Neil]

IT fun n games I hear for our tame bear.  Totally sympathise, I hate the *&^%$£g things.

 

Worse still, we need to buy a new one....the old desktop is becoming overwhelmed by things it can't cope with, well it is ancient.  Mrs NHN still wants a keyboard for when she WFH, but I was thinking a good lappy would allow her to work at the desk and/or her comfy chair.  So maybe one with a nice clicky keyboard, or one that can still be linked to a remote proper keyboard.  No doubt this will cost many Deltics.

 

This will then mean dealing with 9 year olds in a PC shop who have ten times the IT knowledge we do and can't come down to our level of ignorance. #sigh#

[polybear]

Bear here........

 

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......

Episode Four - The Grand Finale.

 

Episodes 1 - 4 will be available shortly via Bearplayer.....

 

Bear gone..........

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Blowing a hooly outside at the moment and it sounds as if someone is throwing gravel at the windows. Went down to Tess Coes earlier. They had venison steaks, honey roast parsnips and peas/runner beans all at reduced price. All going in the slow cooker first thing in the morning and thats the next couple or three dinners sorted. Not much on the box this evening but I've got some crosswords to catch up on.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Apropos nothing on here, but I saw this article on the BBC, which struck a chord and is perhaps pertinent for those booking their summer get-aways (or perhaps more appropriately for those whose off-spring are planning gap year travels).

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64187351

 

In a past life I worked as a claims assessor for a travel insurer. Most claims were pretty trivial (to the insurer, not to the claimant) and was dealt with more or less upon receipt. However there were those cases which could be more complex and have unfortunate outcomes.

 

Sadly, this poor chap and his family have come to grief on quite a common exclusion clause.

 

The 30-day clause (31 in this case) is pretty standard. It separates standard multi-trip insurance from more specialist policies. It is designed so that you do not use your travel insurance to live abroad, or work on secondment etc. Horses for courses. Note that this clause often applies to household insurance as well - you cannot leave your house unattended for more than 30 days on many standard policies (you can, of course get that extended, but the insure has to know and the inevitable premium has to be paid).

 

It tends to emblazoned across the key facts of a policy (material clauses such as this are not allowed to be hidden away in reams of small-print, this is down to the Treating Customers Fairly initiative).

 

If ever there is a lesson in actually reading the documentation supporting your insurance policy, this is it.

 

Sadly, I have known of some extreme cases where the results have been catastrophic. One case, someone with a heart problems did not declare this to the insurance company (not the one I worked for I should add). They were in the US and had a massive heart attack, incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in medial bills. A cursory check of their medical records, based on reports from the US physicians easily uncovered this extensive and pertinent history. It was not covered and the patient had an enormous medical bill to pay themselves. 

 

Not saying this is the case here, but skimping on travel insurance cover can have disastrous results.

 

Worth noting as well, 'free' policies (or policies provided as part of a deal) with your bank/credit card etc tend to be the most basic (low benefits, higher excess). Some have a sneaky little clause which excludes all travel booked prior to inception of the policy, or booked over a year in advance (which inevitably is prior to the inception). In short, many are not worth the paper they are written on I'm afraid... Far better to get the right policy for your travels.

 

[PhilJ W]

Weird, Early Risers has disappeared from my home page.

[polybear]

25 minutes ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

Apropos nothing on here, but I saw this article on the BBC, which struck a chord and is perhaps pertinent for those booking their summer get-aways (or perhaps more appropriately for those whose off-spring are planning gap year travels).

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64187351

 

 

Beary thoughts n' all that for the guy concerned, but if This Bear had a LDC for every time I've read of someone coming a cropper in Thailand on a moped etc. I'd be A Very Happy Bear.  Let me guess - no crash helmet, trainers or flip flops, shorts and (if he's a safety conscious type) maybe a T-shirt as well.

Many either don't bother with insurance at all - or get the cheapest they can (= more beer money); as for reading the T's & C's........

And when it all goes pear-shaped they resort to crowd-funding for others to pick up the Tab.