Early Risers.

[Grizz]

Morning All

 

Feel a bit tired this morning. Slept as well as can be expected. Still this mornings Mocca delivery duties have been discharged, so I’m in Mrs Grizz’s good books…..so far.

 

Muddle flyover / bridge building went reasonably well yesterday, although I still have the ends to connect up and then the deck to manufacture. But I’m quite pleased with it. Didn’t get a completely uninterrupted day off. I’ll have to start designing the plain line track and S&C units I need.

 

Today I’ve reluctantly agreed to assist in digging out a rotten tree root. I don’t yet know how big or if it is somewhere that I can get the Landy close to. Because if it is….it’s gonna get pulled out of the ground. Don’t want to be out all day doing this as it is a precious day off. 
 

Have a great day all.

 

ATB Grizz
 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Grizz
Grandma

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Woken up by some very noisy locals (people not birds) so was a very early Er today.

 

The vegimite, cheese and lamb sausages are not normal.. in fact, just plain wrong to my taste  each to their own as they say.

 

I need to get myself into gear as more walking about is required..

 

Stay safe!

 

Baz

Edited January 28, 2023 by Barry O

[jjb1970]

14 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Re the Australian lost radioactive source…why hasn’t someone driven the route with a geigercounter in order to locate/recover said item…if it is that potent? I’d be keeping one eye on an attempt to supply such lethal stuff for nefarious purposes, if it can’t be found.

 

BeRTIe

 

Radioactive materials are kept in shielded containers, if the source has escaped that containment it really is a severe problem but that really shouldn't happen except under controlled conditions at the point of use. If still in the shielded container there will be a minimal increase in activity. And even if unshielded you have to get quite near the source to detect it, it's like a needle in a haystack, though it'll have to be done.

 

I've no idea what has been lost in Australia, but industrial radiography sources are designed with special couplings and shutters so the source can only be wound out when properly assembled. Unfortunately the things still drop off at the point of exposure some times and retrieving them is a bit of a nightmare. 

 

In developed countries they're extremely tightly controlled but there are some real horror stories from less developed countries sadly.

[polybear]

7 hours ago, The Lurker said:

Never had a pork and marmite sausage although I can imagine they would be rather good. At the moment I am partial to chilli marmite with peanut butter on toast for breakfast.

 

Bear purchased some Lidl rip-off Marmite recently - early days but so far it seems to be exactly the same as the real deal, only quite a bit cheaper.

 

9 hours ago, PupCam said:

I bought my last lot from Permagrit tools, if you've not discovered Permagrit tools you've missed out particularly for woodworking they are fantastic - usual disclaimers just a satisfied customer.   Alutite is not on their website but you can phone them up to order it.

 

https://www.permagrit.com/

 

 

Bear suspects this is the same stuff:

 

https://www.frost.co.uk/lumiweld-kit-10-rods/

 

31 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Re the Australian lost radioactive source…why hasn’t someone driven the route with a geigercounter in order to locate/recover said item…if it is that potent? I’d be keeping one eye on an attempt to supply such lethal stuff for nefarious purposes, if it can’t be found.

 

BeRTIe

 

It amazes me that if it's so dangerous then why didn't they take more care in transporting it?

 

Bear here......

Awake at half five so nottalottachance of getting back to sleep again, so up at silly o'clock.  Now to do a few final prep bits before the Plasterer arrives.  Hopefully.

 

In other news.....

Well done Amazon....not.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64397651

 

"James Jackson, RSPCA head of corporate partnerships, said it was "disappointed" by the closure of AmazonSmile, through which it has raised £430,000 since 2017."

 

T0ssers.

Yep, Rant.

Bear gone.

Edited January 28, 2023 by polybear

[Grizz]

Hopefully the radioactive stuff has been lost somewhere really really remote.
 

Remote enough that any dodgy gits who might want to get their nasty little hands on it, but who shouldn't ever have this type of material, either can’t be a7sed to waste time finding it. Or that by going to look for it that are going stick out like a sore thumbs. 
 

 

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning All,

8 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

 

 

Just came back from the shops where I saw these for you.

 

 

 

One question, Chimpey - why?

 

7 hours ago, figworthy said:

 

If things are quite when I pop in tomorrow, I might mention them.  With a foot note that should such abominations appear, my custom may go elsewhere.

 

Adrian

Well said Sir!

When it comes to Soss I am very much a traditionalist.

Now, I am by no means adverse to interesting sausages - I enjoy seeking out and trying the local soss whenever I’m in “foreign parts” (there is a fish sausage I’d like to try - a sort of French version of Kamaboko), but some of the British butchers’ “novel” creations leave me wondering “what on earth were they thinking”

 

And don’t get me started on the abominations that are “vegetarian/vegan” sausages.…

5 hours ago, pH said:

Can you see a syringe here?

Eugenia Place, Vancouver.

 

I definitely can.

I wonder what other buildings by this architect look like? Enema bags? Bed pans? Hæmostats?

Medical equipment themed buildings could become a chi-chi new architectural trend!

10 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Good moaning from a place that is still 160 km from an Ikea, thank goodness. 

Are you a man or mouse, Jamie? It’s only a Swedish lifestyle department store, not a PCP crazed, AK-47 toting maniac. Why such reticence?

What is about Ikea that strikes fear and loathing into most ER and TNM posters? ‘tis nothing more than a place to buy household accoutrements. Could it be that the brave and upright citizens of ER fear the “S” word*

 

* “shopping” - there, I’ve said the unsayable…

[Grizz]

Ok I am putting this out there about Aldi…

 

We…….no…no…wait strike that, ….in the interests of complete and utter honesty…..ok…start again..

 

Mrs Grizz regularly shops for our household at Aldi….

 

There I’ve said. Judge us if you must. But I like the place. Or more accurately she does. And by default so do we. 
 

We….no …..no …sorry….she also regularly shops at Tescan’t and Waitroads, very occasionally Sainberrys and Asad. The last two being further away.
 

I’ve shopped.. and at this point I do mean ‘I have shopped’, at Aldi in Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. All of those stores have been great. Often a pleasant surprise that I have been able to find regular things that I can find in the Deep South of East Sussex. But also local foods and drinks that are specific to that country. Flipping Great. 
 

Right….time to dismount the high horse and put away the soap box. 
 

Time for some grilled pig products and chicken ovulation accompaniments…😋

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

….and on a personal note:

 

My recent trip to London, and being lead astray by the assorted old lags known as the “Brains Trust”, resulted in a 4kg weight gain ☹️

 

For my big Japanese adventure in June I am determined to be mentally fit, physically fit and morally fit (well, OK, perhaps not the last one), so it was back on the straight and narrow (back on the diet and a newly reactivated gym membership) and the first faltering steps towards progress have happened - last week I lost 2.1kg 😁  And my ageing brains has started to acquire a little language as well.

 

I conclude that one of the great tragedies of my life is that whilst my brain was designed and built by the clever people who brought us the Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine, my body was designed and built by the people who gave us the Austin Allegro (or the Reliant Robin for that matter). An apt comparison as my body is badly designed, has poor performance (despite being overpowered by an aero engine quality brain) is horribly unreliable and spare parts are impossible to find.

 

As Woody Allen is reputed to have said “my biggest regret in life is that I wasn’t somebody else”

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by iL Dottore
Typo

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, BR traction instructor said:

Re the Australian lost radioactive source…why hasn’t someone driven the route with a geigercounter in order to locate/recover said item…if it is that potent? I’d be keeping one eye on an attempt to supply such lethal stuff for nefarious purposes, if it can’t be found.

 

BeRTIe

The length of the stretch of highway it got lost on is the same distance as London to Prague, plus it's about 45 degrees.

[Gwiwer]

54 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

As Woody Allen is reputed to have said “my biggest regret in life is that I wasn’t somebody else”

Whilst in some respects there have been times when I could have wished for that and regretted actions, omissions or the path I was on I have learned a few things from this life 

 

Graciously accept what you have;

The grass is not always greener elsewhere;

The rose-tinted spectacles lie;

Aim for more but accept less if that is what comes;

Influence change where you can and accept what you cannot change for what it is. 
 

Good morning all. The new fridge - freezer is due tomorrow to replace the expired freezer - deep freezer which has lost control of its temperatures. Today’s kwest is to deliver Dr. SWMBO to a Habitats & Heritage training day and collect her from it later. In the interval there is some woodwork scheduled for muddling reasons. 
 

Stay safe. 

[BR traction instructor]

Having spent six years cruising the rivers, canals & tidal stretches of the inland waterway network/Norfolk Broads on a narrowboat I gained a healthy respect for those navigating estuarine and coastal waters. I took this pic of the Solway firth at Silloth yesterday, one of the lowest tides that I’ve seen here thus far…all of this hidden as the water level rises…

 

BeRTIe

Edited January 28, 2023 by BR traction instructor

[New Haven Neil]

3 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

 

For anyone interested in that dreadful period (and I think everyone should have an awareness of what happened) I'd recommend Raul Hilberg's seminal work 'The Destruction of the European Jews'. It's a heavyweight tome in three volumes, but very readable, and is all the more powerful in my view for maintaining a dispassionate style. 

 

I'm a day late, but I usually post this as a reminder, by our dear friend Becky Odessa.  It is so incredibly moving.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by New Haven Neil

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

 

Radioactive materials are kept in shielded containers, if the source has escaped that containment it really is a severe problem but that really shouldn't happen except under controlled conditions at the point of use. If still in the shielded container there will be a minimal increase in activity. And even if unshielded you have to get quite near the source to detect it, it's like a needle in a haystack, though it'll have to be done.

 

I've no idea what has been lost in Australia, but industrial radiography sources are designed with special couplings and shutters so the source can only be wound out when properly assembled. Unfortunately the things still drop off at the point of exposure some times and retrieving them is a bit of a nightmare. 

 

In developed countries they're extremely tightly controlled but there are some real horror stories from less developed countries sadly.

 

I seem to recall, memory is a bit hazy these days so apologies if some of the details wrong, of an abandoned hospital in Brazil/Argentina where x ray equipment was left and some scrotes broke in to steal valuables etc and ended up with radiation poisoning. I think the hospitals director/head? got arrested.

[New Haven Neil]

On a lighter note, the rock is 7c this morning, drizzly, and not really very exciting at all.  No Ikea, although we are apparently off to the delights of Stinky Douglas (copyright friend Kel) after Mrs NHN is Pilated, with a friend for a forced shopping trip then a Chinese in the un-salubrious cafe the local Chinese go to.  Formica tables, superb grub, cheap.

 

I have watched a few mini-documentaries on Yoo Toob by 'Plainly Difficult' about lost radioactive 'orphan' sources from medical machines, some terrifying stuff in there.  Not just radioactivity disasters, but all sorts of 'accidents'..

[New Haven Neil]

6 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

I seem to recall, memory is a bit hazy these days so apologies if some of the details wrong, of an abandoned hospital in Brazil/Argentina where x ray equipment was left and some scrotes broke in to steal valuables etc and ended up with radiation poisoning. I think the hospitals director/head? got arrested.

 

Yes, that's one he has done I think.

[Barry O]

When they shut the local cancer hospital in cookridge Leeds they forgot to remove the cobalt sources.. once the local rag found out various heads on sticks were requested..  and claimed.

 

Baz

[BR traction instructor]

15 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

On a lighter note, the rock is 7c this morning, drizzly, and not really very exciting at all.  No Ikea, although we are apparently off to the delights of Stinky Douglas (copyright friend Kel) after Mrs NHN is Pilated, with a friend for a forced shopping trip then a Chinese in the un-salubrious cafe the local Chinese go to.  Formica tables, superb grub, cheap.

 

I have watched a few mini-documentaries on Yoo Toob by 'Plainly Difficult' about lost radioactive 'orphan' sources from medical machines, some terrifying stuff in there.  Not just radioactivity disasters, but all sorts of 'accidents'..

 

Your rock isn’t visible from Silloth this miserable morning Neil but on bright, clear days the sixty mile distance betwixt isn’t a barrier to seeing the isle.

 

BeRTIe

Edited January 28, 2023 by BR traction instructor

[jjb1970]

14 minutes ago, Barry O said:

When they shut the local cancer hospital in cookridge Leeds they forgot to remove the cobalt sources.. once the local rag found out various heads on sticks were requested..  and claimed.

 

Baz

 

As I remember it that was the most serious incident by a long way when I worked at Sellafield, yet media attention was limited. There was also a major issue with the transit container meaning if there's be a RTA the consequences could have been dreadful.

[New Haven Neil]

4 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

 

Your rock isn’t visible from Silloth this miserable morning Neil but on bright, clear days the sixty mile distance betwixt isn’t a barrier to seeing the isle.

 

BeRTIe

 

Indeed, we were in Laxey yesterday afternoon, the Cumbrian hills were very clear.  Just mizzle today!

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. A bad night last night, the eczema was on fire but eventually cooled down only for Arthur Itis to jump in so a couple of hours sleep at best. Going back for some eyelid inspection soon.

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Whilst in some respects there have been times when I could have wished for that and regretted actions, omissions or the path I was on I have learned a few things from this life 

 

Graciously accept what you have;

The grass is not always greener elsewhere;

The rose-tinted spectacles lie;

Aim for more but accept less if that is what comes;

Influence change where you can and accept what you cannot change for what it is.

Oh, I am more than happy with my lot, Rick. But sometimes I do like to be ironic/facetious/"dificult"/enigmatic/sardonic/cynical/provocative for comic effect. 😁 I am certainly no Prometheus, challenging the Gods and the Fates (especially not Lachesis or Atropos).

 

I just always liked the Woody Allen quote and found it self-deprecating and amusing, but the quote that does best describe me is from the cartoon character Popeye The Sailor Man "I yam what I yam an' tha's all I yam"!

 

But looking back - there are only about three things that I really wish had worked out differently and in 66.5 years of dissolute living that ain't bad.

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by iL Dottore
Forgot word

[Dave Hunt]

All this erudite philosophy on a Saturday morning is making my head hurt.

 

Dave

[iL Dottore]

Just now, Dave Hunt said:

All this erudite philosophy on a Saturday morning is making my head hurt.

 

Dave

Take two aspirin and call me in the morning...

[pH]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Influence change where you can and accept what you cannot change for what it is. 

As in the ‘Serenity prayer’:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

 

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 
courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, BR traction instructor said:

Having spent six years cruising the rivers, canals & tidal stretches of the inland waterway network/Norfolk Broads on a narrowboat I gained a healthy respect for those navigating estuarine and coastal waters. I took this pic of the Solway firth at Silloth yesterday, one of the lowest tides that I’ve seen here thus far…all of this hidden as the water level rises…

 

BeRTIe

Is it still possible to see any remains of the Solway viaduct a bit further east towards my birthplace.

 

Jamie