Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

It really is a magnificent bit of modelling

And Mr. Stewart no doubt has the budget to support it!  

 

If I had half his talent for making money with my voice I'd be twice as well off 🤣

[polybear]

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

@polybear Please Bear can I borrow some Turdycurses?   

 

For a fellow sufferer?  Absolutely - fill yer boots.  Can I borrow some of your cake in return?  Just askin' for a friend.....

 

39 minutes ago, PhilH said:

......I invested a lot of money in one of these new generation mattresses. What a difference, I’d go as far as to say night and day. Back pain, unless I do something stupid, is almost a distant memory now, so for me it has been a totally worthwhile investment.

 

 

Would that be a Memory Foam Jobbie by any chance?

Incidentally, and on a totally different subject, ISTR (unless I'm totally mistaken - which is highly likely) that you'd laid your paws on a live steam loco (kit?) to build.  Am I right, and did you ever start it/finish it?

 

In totally other news....

Bear had a Pizza n' chips for din dins....

Bear's Tip of the Day:  Remember to remove the cardboard base from the Pizza before bungin' it in the oven.  Oops.  Well it didn't catch fire and it tasted ok as well, so panic over.

[PhilH]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

 

Would that be a Memory Foam Jobbie by any chance?

Incidentally, and on a totally different subject, ISTR (unless I'm totally mistaken - which is highly likely) that you'd laid your paws on a live steam loco (kit?) to build.  Am I right, and did you ever start it/finish it?

Don’t know if they’re memory foam or not, think there’s all sorts goes into them. The one I have is an Emma Premium.

 

As far as the 5”gauge Merchant Navy kit went I soon realised it was w-a-y above my pay grade so swapped it for a 1 1/2” scale Allchin TE in need of a repaint and some tlc, although it is basically sound with a good boiler and mechanically very well made. I’ll get a roundtuit one day.

Edited March 30, 2023 by PhilH

[Winslow Boy]

I'm totally p£&£#d off at the moment. Why I hear you cry- don't all shout at once. Well as you'll all sitting comfortably I shall explain.

 

Here goes, I recently received notification that one of my financial investments was maturing and the financial institution that it was with wanted to know what I wanted to do. So having decided that I didn't want to keep it with them I have been trying to get my money back. Good I do it not on your nelly. Despite calls, emails, chat boxing would they let me have it back. Nope, Narda, Neit, Nein.

 

What is with companies. Why is it they deliberately make things difficult.

 

Any so if here about a spate of bank robberies in the north west don't let own that you might know who it is 

[polybear]

10 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

I'm totally p£&£#d off at the moment. Why I hear you cry- don't all shout at once. Well as you'll all sitting comfortably I shall explain.

 

Here goes, I recently received notification that one of my financial investments was maturing and the financial institution that it was with wanted to know what I wanted to do. So having decided that I didn't want to keep it with them I have been trying to get my money back. Good I do it not on your nelly. Despite calls, emails, chat boxing would they let me have it back. Nope, Narda, Neit, Nein.

 

What is with companies. Why is it they deliberately make things difficult.

 

Any so if here about a spate of bank robberies in the north west don't let own that you might know who it is 

 

Have they given a reason why?  Ask for a copy of their Formal Complaints Procedure - and if that doesn't focus their attention then casually mention the Financial Services Ombudsman.  That'll focus their attention.

Edited March 30, 2023 by polybear

[skipepsi]

16 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

I'm totally p£&£#d off at the moment. Why I hear you cry- don't all shout at once. Well as you'll all sitting comfortably I shall explain.

 

Here goes, I recently received notification that one of my financial investments was maturing and the financial institution that it was with wanted to know what I wanted to do. So having decided that I didn't want to keep it with them I have been trying to get my money back. Good I do it not on your nelly. Despite calls, emails, chat boxing would they let me have it back. Nope, Narda, Neit, Nein.

 

What is with companies. Why is it they deliberately make things difficult.

 

Any so if here about a spate of bank robberies in the north west don't let own that you might know who it is 

Quite a contrast with the two pensions I cashed in both Aviva and Prudential couldn't wait to get shut of me and my money... The company cannot hang on to your cash and force you to take what they offer. What he said.

Edited March 30, 2023 by skipepsi
Bears faster typing speed.

[polybear]

12 minutes ago, skipepsi said:

Quite a contrast with the two pensions I cashed in both Aviva and Prudential couldn't wait to get shut of me and my money... The company cannot hang on to your cash and force you to take what they offer. What he said.

 

And if it's a Private Pension (I suspect it's not in this case) you most definitely don't have to accept the offer they give - there is the "Open Market Option"** where you can get a much better deal from other companies - I helped a friend do this and it can be very worthwhile.

HOWEVER anyone looking into this needs to take care as there are crooks (literally) out there.

 

p.s. Bear isn't a Financial Adviser.....

 

**An 'Open Market Option' is the term used to describe the choice you have to buy an annuity or one of the other types of retirement income products from another company that is not your current pension provider.

 

[TheQ]

Jim Bacon the retired TV weather man ( and a proper meteorologist) is also a railway modeller.

I was standing next to him watching a layout at the Norwich show , when a train came into the cassette fiddle yard..

Only the cassette wasn't there.. and the hall has a hard tiled floor..

 

The company that provided the investments that was originally to pay off this house. They tried very hard to get me to re invest the excess with them....

 

Ivory bashers no problems, just a wash and brush up of the teeth.

 

The shopping in a cheap shop became 1/2 a Deltics worth, mind you that was helped with 10 cans of doom bar, and 18 cans of cider..

 

On return Ben asked for his medium walk, during which we saw a flutterby, a bumble bee, and A N other bee.

[Tony_S]

I went for a hearing test today. I have been aware for a while that all is not well with my hearing, especially higher frequencies. Aditi accompanied me as they like to use listening to a familiar voice for some tests. However we didn’t get much further than the fact finding questions as my right ear had impacted wax that needs clearing before any other tests. So I have started the procedure (left a message on an answerphone) to get that seen too.  I am not even bothering to try and get it cleaned by the NHS, there is no service available locally. 

[polybear]

38 minutes ago, TheQ said:

The company that provided the investments that was originally to pay off this house. They tried very hard to get me to re invest the excess with them....

 

 

When a Buddy over the road was seeing an Adviser from the Pension Company he was with, the Adviser told him "the open market option wasn't available for the type of personal pension he had".  Lyin' B'sterd 🤬 - and Buddy fell for it.  The Adviser was only interested in getting his commission on the pension.

[jjb1970]

On pensions the Singaporean system is much better. Here they have a government investment fund and special retirement savings accounts for private retirement investments. The SRS is just a type of bank account, you can just leave your money in the bank or invest it but it is under your control and at retirement it's up to you what to do with it. Payments into an SRS account are deducted from tax the same as UK pensions. It avoids that whole entanglement with pension companies and the issue with annuities being such poor value. One of the few positive opinions I have of recent governments is the pension reforms to give people more choices and avoid being locked into annuities.

[southern42]

In photographing the daffodils on Sunday,

 

but only after I had taken this photo, did I spot this furry little fella.⬇️

12:40:47

I neither saw it fly down or fly off, just millimetring itself, dead slowly, from flower head to leaf and from leaf to leaf, before I went for lunch. When I returned, it was back on the flower head - Did it millimetre its way back there  on foot or did it fly onto it while my back was turned?

 

So, here is Creepy Crawly in action slow mode. 

12:41:03

 

12:41:49

 

Climbing up the leaf

12:45:17

 

Now at the top of the leaf

12:46:05

 

Onto the next leaf

12:46:22

 

Clinging onto both leaves for dear life

12:48:09

 

Phew! Made it! Now, the race to the top...

12:50:57

 

Coming through!

12:51:52

 

Dun-it!

12:59:33

 

An hour and a quarter later... back on the head of flowers

14:14:48

 

I would be delighted to know what sort of bee it is, and what the shrub is called (a Pieris Japonica?)*, if anyone can tell me. 

 

* Whatever it is, the bees sure love it.

 

Polly

 

[grandadbob]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

I think that GDB and I should start a club for railway modellers with bad backs. Actually, although the sciatic pain and general lower back pain can be debilitating, the real pain in the ar$e is that it interferes with modelling activities, particularly anything like working on layout scenery that involves bending forward. This morning I've been largely confined to an armchair with the application of hot water bottles and consumption of codeine but it is starting to ease and I'm hoping that we can go to visit a friend who has terminal mesothelioma this afternoon.

 

 Totally agree Dave and armchair, pills and hot water bottle all in action here but then your final few words about your friend put my problems into perspective.

 

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

For a fellow sufferer?  Absolutely - fill yer boots.  Can I borrow some of your cake in return?  Just askin' for a friend.....

 

Are these to your taste?

 

 

 

Mind you the kettle is on and The Boss has just asked if I'd like tea and cake so it looks like I'll have to taste them for you and let you know if they're any good.....sorry.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by grandadbob

[grandadbob]

Postman has been with two letters, one good and the other a bill.  

The bill is the expected Council Tax missive which confirms that I have to pay them 1.47 Deltics a month for the next 10 months.  Oh joy.

Good one is the result of my recent diabetic retinopathy test which shows no signs of diabetic eye disease.

...time for cake!

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from an LBG where the sun is shining between the grey clouds. 

 

I am still full of cold and have a barking cough and I can hear crackling in my chest when I breathe deeply.

 

I tried a kill or cure curry last night - the local fave, Curry Mahal, has changed hands and enhanced its menu. The food was good, the staff were friendly and they gave us a free drink at the end. But it has not done the cold any good!

 

The pre-curry beer started with an IPA that didn't advertise it was hazy so I thought it was off  and it wasn't that great. It was followed by a Thornbridge Porter which was nice!

 

Fortunately work has been reasonably quiet today (apart from when I cough).

 

 

[Gwiwer]

25 minutes ago, southern42 said:

I would be delighted to know what sort of bee it is,

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee Bombus terrestris

Edited March 30, 2023 by Gwiwer

[grandadbob]

@polybear  Yep, tasted OK to me ! 😋

 

[woodenhead]

Discovered that fake Marmite spreads better than the branded stuff.

 

During Covid Marmite struggled to supply any product as it depended on the UK breweries to supply waste product to turn into delicous yeast extract.  But it was always difficult to spread until they invented the runnier squeezable product that was great for sandwiches.

 

You cannot get the squeezable version any more, still on the website but not supplied and calls from fans of the product are falling on deaf ears.  The non squeezable product seems even more difficult to spread now and I am not sure if that is a knock on from Covid or simply how the product has always been.

 

However, revalation today, got myself an Aldi Mighty Yeast - tastes just as good and it spreads like chocolate spread - yes.

 

Happy bunny today

[New Haven Neil]

Had a run out with my pal around various DIY/Trade stores, just to keep him company he was bored with his own company.

 

Daffs here are just about over now, I was taken to task yesterday by one of our USA correspondents for p!ssing him off with the photos I posted of ours several weeks ago - he still has many inches of snow never mind daffs.

 

Oops sounds like the boss is home.....

[The Lurker]

I have never had too much problem spreading marmite on my toast. Maybe I like it thick, hence need quite a lot of marmite....personal fave is the chilli marmite although Ocado had run out the other week

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, grandadbob said:

 Totally agree Dave and armchair, pills and hot water bottle all in action here but then your final few words about your friend put my problems into perspective.

Totally agree.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Its taken me most of the day to have a bath due to the arthritis/sciatica. I consider myself fortunate despite the painful joints that there is no sign of cancer. I received a bowel cancer test kit a couple of weeks ago and the other day I received a letter giving me the all clear. Now for another muggatee.

[petethemole]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Remember to remove the cardboard base from the Pizza before bungin' it in the oven.  Oops.  Well it didn't catch fire and it tasted ok as well, so panic over.

So you ate the cardboard?

[Erichill16]

2 hours ago, grandadbob said:

@polybear  Yep, tasted OK to me ! 😋

 

Do you think it might be prudent to try another, just in case?

[Ian Abel]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Daffs here are just about over now, I was taken to task yesterday by one of our USA correspondents for p!ssing him off with the photos I posted of ours several weeks ago - he still has many inches of snow never mind daffs.

Daffs in MinneSNOWta...

With A LOT of luck the area shown MAY produce daffs in 3-4 weeks, we live in hope! 😒🤪

 

BIN day.

 

Yesterday quiet with little to comment on/report.

Today, BINs out early (well last night in the s00ding cold -12c!!) and serviced quite quickly this week.

 

Later, choir rehearsal, will doubtless be a LONG ONE, as we prep for two Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, and two Easter Sunday calls for the choir!

Hopefully we will be released in time for a post-rehearsal happy hour.

 

-10c tracking down the newspaper, ZERO the forecast high with rain turning to snow later... oh YIPEE!!!! <insert MANY expletives>

 

Tally ho.