Early Risers.

[polybear]

7 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Spent a Deltic on football tickets yesterday and now trying to  spend another Deltic on coach travel.Called 17 times and keep getting cut off. 
pah AND turdycurses

 

Two Deltics...for watching a game of kickball?? 😲

[The Lurker]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Two Deltics...for watching a game of kickball?? 😲

When watching your team is like watching Brazil, especially at Wembley, it starts to make sense.

 

I won't tell you how much our tickets for the Grand Prix at Silverstone have cost me but it was more than that, each

[TheQ]

Discovered there are two standby modes on the Humax, the low power one (0.4W) switches off the feed through. The high power one does allow the feed through at the expense of a 19W power consumption...

That's 19Wx 24x365 or 166kw in a year. At the current price 166.6*34p = £56.65 a year for having the privilege of having the feed through switched on.... 

 

RF TV splitter ? £2.79... ordered..

 

[jamie92208]

Good afternoon from the Charente.  Shopping done and Archie walked.  It' fascinating how the crops are chani g every day. In 2 days one barley field has gone to pale yellow from pale green.  The maize seems to be getting taller by the minute and some sunflowers are growing well.

 

3 hours later I'm back  from Supervising  a friend's pool being de winterised. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

[The White Rabbit]

14 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Salad often accompanies dishes such as quiche, pies, pizza, fried chicken, steak  and so on as a way to feel less guilty about not having something vegetable-centric. It is often not eaten but just serves as fancy garnish.

 

"Four And Twenty",  a pie company here recognised this and came up with the Magic Salad Plate.

 

I managed to get one 

 

 

and it is invaluable when having a BBQ or a pie and saves having all those green things in the fridge that usually go off just before you need them.

 

In fact when I buy them I just put them straight into the compost to save time.  

 

Cunning! Does anyone export them to the UK? 

 

I did have a snap of an aussie's ideal salad - but can't find it now, pah. It was a similar philosophy to that plate. We don't have a lot of salad but do like a small one with some things. Growing our own does mean we can have portion sizes to suit us and don't waste much. And food inches rather than food miles! 

 

7 hours ago, polybear said:

... Bear would swap the leek for onion.

Oh, hang on - I already do.....

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/chilled/chef-select-cheese-and-onion-quiche/p5108 ....

 

8 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

What “culinary principles”?

 

That’s a pretty good recipe there, my dear lagomorph. Were I to do the recipe I’d probably tinker a bit with the filling but otherwise follow your steps pretty much verbatim (making allowances, of course, for the vagaries of my kitchen).

 

Tom Kerridge, who has two Michelin stars and a number of very, very good (and expensive) restaurants is on record saying that he uses good quality “shortcuts“ when cooking at home (stockpots, high quality pastry etc.). And if it is good enough for Tom Kerridge, then it is good enough for me....

 

... Re. triple cooked chips - delicious but time consuming and require quite a few tries to get right.

 

Thanks. I think recipes are made to be tinkered with. I have heard that many professional chefs rarely do any dish exactly the same twice. And that they experiment a lot before settling on a recipe which they use in a restaurant or publish in a cookbook or have TV film it - I think that might have been an 'admission' from Rick Stein in one of his programmes. I've experimented with various quiches and - as folk can see from the somewhat imprecise - I prefer the term 'flexible' - quantities quoted, can adapt it to suit tastes. Or what's in the fridge! 

 

Yes, I've seen some of Tom Kerridge's TV and been inspired by him several times.  

 

Re Bear's onions, I've tried both them and shallots, not with bad results but I prefer leeks. Personal taste. 

 

Things obviously are rather uncertain at the moment but I did hope that when I gave up full time work I'd spend more time cooking. Triple cooked chips are on the 'round tuit' list. If I get there, I may ask for your advice on a 'starting point' recipe. 

 

 

Partly changing the subject, on the issue of space, I recall one summer when I spent a lot of time in the catering section of a steam railway. May I offer an alternative definition of 'teamwork'? Three people working behind an RMB buffet counter! We spent an hour bouncing off each other but worked it out and by mid-morning got pretty slick. That was a special event, most of the time it was a solo manning. Then that coach had to come out of traffic and we were given a BSOT. Hmmm. (If anyone doesn't know these old Mark One coaches, let's just say the catering section makes the driving compartment at the 'small' end of a class 153 DMU look spacious. Most people have larger airing cupboards). I got used to it, though was glad I didn't have to prepare any food. Even using an RMB would be a good example of the benefits of using pre-packed/sliced/peeled ingredients. 

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

 

 More fig tree area cleared, discussions followed on what to to do with the area.

The concrete path leads from the house twenty foot down the garden.

The last 6 ft has the concrete cap over one of the wells to its left.

The decision is the area between well and house will also be slabbed / concreted..

The comfrey in that area will be moved to a low raised bed in front of the gas tank.

The concrete well cap will be broken up ( that'll be fun) and the well wall restored to a reasonable height. Rooves, winding handles etc have yet to be discussed.

 

I'm considering how to:

"frame" the area,

hide the gas tank,

Add some built in seating..,

all low maintenance of course.

 

Ben taken for a long walk he stopped and sat down twice on the way back, black coats, sunshine and old age are getting to him.

 

Chilli con carne now slowly bubbling

 

Time to go for a stir..

 

Oh a step forward has occurred, the spare bed room which became the art room was of course hers. The other spare bedroom/ former library, which is becoming the computer room was "ours".. but SWMBO said today "your room".. so small things that run on parallel bits of metal might be admitted soon...

[Erichill16]

4 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Spent a Deltic on football tickets yesterday and now trying to  spend another Deltic on coach travel.Called 17 times and keep getting cut off. 
pah AND turdycurses

Spent 1hour 26 minutes on hold and………

 

 

then got cut off. Double pah and turdycurses. 
 

Been down to stadium expecting a right old queue to find no queue  at, all result. 
 

So happy I bought this, he’s Toby Tyke, tickets in hand paw!

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Erichill16
Soelling

[polybear]

1 hour ago, The White Rabbit said:

Things obviously are rather uncertain at the moment but I did hope that when I gave up full time work I'd spend more time cooking. Triple cooked chips are on the 'round tuit' list. If I get there, I may ask for your advice on a 'starting point' recipe. 

 

 

Bottom shelf - middle shelf - top shelf....

Wasted, this Bear....should've been a Chef....

[polybear]

Bear here....

A quick raid down the Co-op - milk n' all that....

I was rather pleased to see that Bear's very favourite Pizza's were part of a special deal - two of 'em plus a Tub of Ben n' Jerry's Ice Cream.  Yahoooooooo........

.....but......

...they had the Pizza's but no Ice Cream - and none "out back" either 🤬 Rattin' Piggin' Turdycurses.  Of course the computerised system can't cope if it doesn't scan all items in the deal - it'll just charge the normal price for those items instead.  Poo.

 

In other news....

I've just checked on the Gov Website to check that the pension top-up I made some weeks ago has had the desired effect - it has; Bear is now maxed-out on my old-age pension - it's as good as it can ever be.  All I need now is:

• For the Gov to keep the rules unchanged until I retire - no shifting the goal posts.
• Not to drop down dead before I can claim it.....

In other, other news.....

The Orange One's gob has got him into trouble yet again:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65678968

Hope she wins.  Again.....🤣

 

How to upset SWMBO:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/travel/woman-urged-to-divorce-her-husband-who-ditched-her-for-first-class-flight/ar-AA1bwDUa?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=fabe1dd04d7a4c21889c9a7965e82b24&ei=27

 

BG

[Coombe Barton]

... I’m now getting targeted, online and by post, by companies selling mobility scooters. Oh, and funeral plans ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/05/23/still-wobbling-up-slightly-and-the-enquiry/

[DaveF]

This morning I tidied up the front garden, including dead heading hundreds of grape hyacinths to try to stop them spreading any more - probably a forlorn hope.  I bent and reached to get at some under a rose bush, standing up was suddenly painful.  I think (hope) all I've done is pulled a muscle.  I can still sit comfortably, and standing is becoming less painful as the day wears on.  I won't write about walking except to say that I can.

 

I decided that it was then time for an extended coffee break.  Later on I planted out the sweet peas and sunflowers, I made sure I knelt down and didn't bend or stretch much.  I think the sweet peas will be OK, I have my doubts about the sunflowers, some years they grow well here but other years they don't grow at all.  Last year mine did well, next door's did not.

 

By the time that was done it was time for lunch and a sit down with a book - I am re-reading A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.  When I first read it I had never visited Provence, reading it this time it makes more sense having been visited the area while staying with French friends in Toulon some years ago.

 

During the afternoon I made a quick visit to Homebase for a couple of things, coming back I wondered why there was so much traffic then I remembered that one of the only 2 north south roads in town is still closed - until mid June.  I should have chosen a better time.  Back at home I've moved some things round in the greenhouse and watered  them.

 

Next on the list is a simple tea of chicken and cheese on French bread followed by an evening of TV and reading. I must check where Mr Portillo is in his programme this evening on BBC2.   I had an e mail today that I shall shortly be receiving another free book as someone has used some of my photos again, it is something to look forward to.

 

David

[monkeysarefun]

7 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

 

if there's one thing life has taught me (and there probably isn't) it is never to question the excellentness of meat pies in Australia, 

 

 

Too bloody right mate! Ya cant beat a good old Aussie rat coffin!

[Ian Abel]

Chewsday, and late reporting...

 

Yesterday and today a variety of work/report updating.

 

Yesterday a RETURN to COSTCO as the Mrs has now decided on the Air Fryer/Toaster Oven she wants, AT COSTCO - but, but, but, we were just there!!!!

Wasn't too bad, actually got out without decided that humanity was completely crazy and all the crazies were with us, jury out on that.

 

Not much else for later today, probably staying INSIDE, air quality heading into the sh!!ter again, and I can already feel it.

 

16c first thing, partly sunny, light breeze CARP air quality. 27c the expected high.

 

Onward <kof> <kof> <wheeze>

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

... if there's one thing life has taught me (and there probably isn't) it is never to question the excellentness of meat pies in Australia

*Most* of us won't mind if you pick on "Four n' Twenty". (Deep down we know they are industrial food simulacra.) Criticizing the 'local' pie shop however is another matter entirely.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

I did have a snap of an aussie's ideal salad

There was a Foster's "How to Speak Australian" commercial years ago (plenty on YouTube, but not the one I want) where there is a big steak on a grill with the voiceover:

 

"Steak!"

 

Followed by a sprig of parsley dropped on it, with the voiceover:

 

"Salad!"

 

I'm wondering if that is the one?

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

Onward <kof> <kof> <wheeze>

Hopefully you still have some surplus pandemic respirator masks. They won't help your eyes or the smell but should cut down the larger particulates.

[PupCam]

Evening All!

 

On 21/05/2023 at 14:42, PhilJ W said:

@polybear at work?

 

On 21/05/2023 at 18:42, The Johnster said:

 Brace yourself, Rodney. 

 

Ah! So I wasn't the only one to immediately think of Del and Rodders when I saw that!

 

On 22/05/2023 at 00:40, monkeysarefun said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65631168

 

Well that doesn't bode well for the future!    On the other hand, the customer service couldn't get any worse in my experience

 

On 22/05/2023 at 09:54, jjb1970 said:

 

I find this one difficult. I agree with the basic premise and that euthanasia is kinder in many cases, however I also worry about the potential for such laws to be abused and lead to some rather dark places. And trying to draft laws that properly address problem cases whilst still being workable is notoriously difficult.

 

Just because something is difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be done .......

 

In this case in carefully defined and controlled circumstances it is right and in fact I believe it to be criminal to withhold such a facility in the appropriate circumstances.

 

 

On 22/05/2023 at 16:08, BoD said:

Afternoon all.  
 

Our car is ten year old now and is due its (probably expensive) MOT soon.  We decided to bite the bullet and replace it.  Chose a new car this afternoon.  Cost more than we paid for the bloomin’ house.

 

Just need to go and sort insurance and do a bank transfer.  I may be some time.

 

Both Monty and Poppy (the little red driving box) are back from the garage and in the case of Monty complete with a new MoT.      

 

That's two and a half noisy Deltics I'll not be seeing now!    

 

Having said that; Monty is ~18 years old, has done nearly 200k miles and still has it's original engine, gearbox, clutch and exhaust.   That fact, particularly relating to those last two items, I think is remarkable.     It cost ~ £6K when I bought it as a low mileage 3 year old so that actually represents cheap motoring.       Obviously consumables such as tyres, brake pads, plugs etc have been consumed but then they don't really figure in the equation as they would be consumed whatever the vehicle new or old.     As the "carbon cost" of its manufacture was spent many years ago the longer it isn't replaced by a newly manufactured vehicle the better for the planet (if not the car manufacturer's bank account) and that more than outweighs the "less than optimum" emissions it produces by virtue of its age and technology.      Oh yes, don't anyone hold your breath waiting for Puppers   to buy a (battery) electric car.   It won't be happening .......     Just my little contribution to saving the world's Lithium resources and the country's over-worked and increasingly well hammered national grid.   

 

On 22/05/2023 at 17:03, DaveF said:

I didn't mention this earlier but my TV has a new "game".  Now and then it switches on at around 4.45 a.m.  Having looked at the Sony web site and various forums (fora?) it seems to be a problem with android TVs from time to time.  There are a lot of suggestions of how to stop it, the main ones being to make sure the batteries in the remote are OK so they do not provide spurious signals when no one is about and to check the settings of auto on and off and updates.  It can also happen if other devices can turn the TV on, such as things connected to HDMI sockets and devices which can cast to the set.

 

I am slowly working my way through the possibilities but I am also going to make sure that I set the sound to "Mute"  and set the volume to 0 when I switch it off so if it does come on at night it doesn't wake me.  

 

At the moment I suspect either the talktalk youview box which can behave oddly at times or the cast settings in Chrome, a couple of times I have found that Cast to TV is on when I have not told it to do anything.  The wonders of modern technology.  What actually surprises me is how many prople have the problem yet there seems to be no real solution - except to unplug the set.

 

How about the mains switch on the wall?

 

2 hours ago, polybear said:

I've just checked on the Gov Website to check that the pension top-up I made some weeks ago has had the desired effect - it has; Bear is now maxed-out on my old-age pension - it's as good as it can ever be.  All I need now is:

• For the Gov to keep the rules unchanged until I retire - no shifting the goal posts.
• Not to drop down dead before I can claim it.....

 

If only Puppers hadn't been discriminated against by HMG hecould have logged on to the "Portal" to check his too.     Computer says "No".     HMG says "No".

 

In Other News

 

Puppers has been busy lately.   

 

I've fixed the loose cush-drive nut on the Beeza with the help of a nice man on EBay selling me some of the castellated lock washers.     Bit of a so and so to do as there isn't a lot of washer protruding above the slot into which it must be deformed and both the slot and the washer are hidden from view by the big chunky cush-drive spring!     Still, got there in the end.    While the chaincase is open I'm going to make a stand-off to support a couple of seals around the foot peg mounting.   Hopefully this will result in the eradication of one of the numerous oil leaks.  I know it's an old British bike but its calling card is rather embarrassing at the moment.

 

Another circuit of our nearest star may have been completed.    I'm hoping there will be many more to come!

 

Puppers and Mrs P visited the "Vintage Rally" at Woodford near Northampton.    We thought it was a traction engine rally but it turned out that it sort of had everything you would expect at a steam rally apart from the (fullsize) steam engines.        Nevertheless it was a pleasant if slightly chilly way to spend an afternoon and also an opportunity to catch up with a friend who was displaying his apparently traditional  but actually relatively high tech barrel organ.      Exhibits included a fine array of classic vehicles including a few bikes.  

 

Bear says he's been "Danglin' on a paint brush" over the weekend but this photograph would tend to suggest he's being economical with the truth (perhaps a job in politics is in the offing?) and that he was actually out and about in one of Micky's mates .......

 

 

 

We've been out visiting relies and old family friends today.     I see the roads in Beds and Bucks are still in appalling condition despite even more Pop-Up road works in the most inconvenient places with the most ill considered and implement "Traffic Management Schemes" (I think they are called).

 

Further Pampas wrestling has occurred including some  root extraction.     We are definitely approaching the finish line at long last.       Also in the garden;  the Wisteria is looking and smelling particularly good at the moment

 

 

TTFNQ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by PupCam

[BoD]

Evening all

 

Spent today babysitting/childminding the grandson.  He was dropped off a seven and left shortly after six.  Many games played, many cars pushed (he’s not quite ready for trains although he likes watching me play with brio stuff), books read and we spent the last half hour jumping on and off the back door step.

 

He helped me water the containers, he has his own mini version of my watering can, but would only lightly sprinkle each plant and then go back and deluge his favourite. Every time - so some rescue operation for that particular  container may be necessary.

 

Same  again tomorrow.

 

Knackered.

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

How can you tell when a reporter didn't do well with science subjects at school:

 

This article:

CNN: New York City is sinking due to its million-plus buildings, study says

 

Which includes the following:

Quote

This gradual process could spell trouble for a city around which the sea level has been rising more than twice as fast as the global rate — and is projected to rise between 8 inches and 30 inches by 2050.

...

[buildings] weighed about 1.68 trillion pounds (762 billion kilograms) — equivalent to roughly 1.9 million fully loaded Boeing 747-400s.

...

the city is sinking: “The average is about 1 to 2 millimeters a year, with some areas of greater subsidence that are up to about 4½ millimeters a year,” Parsons said.

What a hodgepodge of units! The final reference is a direct quote so I am obliged to let  4½ pass (rather than 4.5mm).

 

But pounds and kg?  When the perfectly useful tons and tonnes are right there. Of course using tons requires the distinction between US (short) tons and Imperial (long) tons. But surely 762Mt is clearer, even if spelled out as 762 megatonnes / 840 million (US) tons?

 

Who can readily conceive the mass of a fully loaded 747-400? (Given this is NYC, surely garbage trucks or subway trains would be a better comparison if such junk comparisons are to be used?)

 

The reader is left to do the arithmetic on inches in 27 years of sea level rise versus mm per year of subsidence.

 

At the fastest rates of: 30" / 27 years (28mm / year) means sea level rise is >6X the fastest subsidence rate of 4.5mm / year at an annual, combined, relative sea-level rise of <33 mm.

 

The article makes the claim:

Quote

A September 2022 study found that 44 of the 48 most populous coastal cities have areas that are sinking faster than sea levels are rising.

Which isn't supported by the data in the article - at least for NYC, which may or may not be in the study - I'm not paying for a subscription to find out.

 

EDIT: The article was filed under the SPACE+SCIENCE banner

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land (belated). Late due to putting the washing on the drying racks. It used to take an hour at most but now takes at least twice as long. Now to sit down and watch TV. 

[BoD]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

surely 762Mt is clearer, even if spelled out as 762 megatonnes

How many people though, only relate megatonnes/tons to the ‘size’ of nuclear explosions.

Edited May 23, 2023 by BoD

[Ozexpatriate]

11 minutes ago, BoD said:

How many people though, only relate megatonnes/tons to the ‘size’ of nuclear explosions.

It would still have been written out as 840 million (US) tons, (which is far more sensible than 1.68 trillion pounds). That doesn't have the megatonne implication - which, here, would have been reported as "762 million Metric tons" anyway - again superior to 762 billion kilograms.

 

As much as the use of foot-pound furlongs per fortnight annoys me, I'm OK with them being properly used in US reporting.

 

There are subcultures that use mixed units* ( 4mm per foot comes to mind) but generally it's far better to avoid combinations, unless metric and imperial units are used for all quantities.

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Sidecar Racer]

6 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

I did have a snap of an aussie's ideal salad - but can't find it now, pah. It was a similar philosophy to that plate.

 

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There was a Foster's "How to Speak Australian" commercial years ago (plenty on YouTube, but not the one I want) where there is a big steak on a grill with the voiceover:

 

"Steak!"

 

Followed by a sprig of parsley dropped on it, with the voiceover:

 

"Salad!"

 

I'm wondering if that is the one?

 

 

 

[BoD]

11 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

foot-pound furlongs per fortnight

i used to have a car like that too.

[The Johnster]

13 minutes ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, ridiculously so...