Early Risers.

[Hroth]

Sounds like Australia had a narrow escape from having to speak French!

 

[Ozexpatriate]

18 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Sounds like Australia had a narrow escape from having to speak French!

One could imagine a counterfactual history where there was no First Fleet and a French Department of l'Australie- which during the second world war became Vichy ally of Imperial Japan.

 

Without Australian troops in Malaysia, Singapore would have fallen even sooner, and the strategic location of l'Australie, freeing up Japanese resources to take Ceylon and invade British India from Burma, also denying a strategic base of operations for the US in the Pacific War.

 

Of course the French would be shocked by the accent used in the argot of l'Australie - even worse than Québécois.

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

One could imagine a counterfactual history where there was no First Fleet

or a Dutch fleet perhaps?

[Ozexpatriate]

Just now, Tony_S said:

or a Dutch fleet perhaps?

No they had plenty of opportunity and were never very interested.

 

They had multiple colonies in the area, founding Batavia in 1619. Their fetish for canals made sure that they were constantly afflicted by tropical diseases there.  They were overstretched just maintaining the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) and their high water mark ended in the 17th century - largely as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

 

They had sailed around most of the Australian coastline long before Cook arrived in 1770. Tasman's voyages were in 1642/3 and 1644.

 

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

No they had plenty of opportunity and were never very interested.

 

They had multiple colonies in the area, founding Batavia in 1619. Their fetish for canals made sure that they were constantly afflicted by tropical diseases there.  They were overstretched just maintaining the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) and their high water mark ended in the 17th century - largely as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

 

They had sailed around most of the Australian coastline long before Cook arrived in 1770. Tasman's voyages were in 1642/3 and 1644.

 

It would have been interesting to have a whole continent speaking Dutch!

[pH]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Looks like a brawl with a ball.

 

While it was written about the predecessor of association football, this sixteenth century poem seems quite prophetic about Aussie Rules:
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bewties_Of_The_Fute-ball

[monkeysarefun]

The oldest  surviving European building in Australia  is a small fort built by Dutch survivors of the Batavia shipwreck and subsequent massacre in 1629, on a small barren island off the coast of WA.

 

 

 

Ever since reading "The Island OF Angry Ghosts" as a school text, I've always thought the  Batavia story would make a compelling,  - if  somewhat bloodthirsty -  movie or mini-series.

 

https://museum.wa.gov.au/research/research-areas/maritime-archaeology/batavia-cape-inscription/batavia

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

largely as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

In 1667 the Dutch fleet sailed up the Thames and attacked the Royal Navy in the Medway. The town I live in was also bombarded, allegedly by mistake thinking it was Tilbury. Later on that century, Dutch engineers were busily building sea defences and drains round here. By 1689 a Dutchman was King of England,Scotland and Ireland. 

[Ozexpatriate]

11 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

In 1667 the Dutch fleet sailed up the Thames and attacked the Royal Navy in the Medway.

The second Anglo-Dutch war (which encompasses the Raid on the Medway) was pre-empted by the capture by the Duke of York and Albany* of New Amsterdam and Fort Orange (now New York and Albany) in 1664.

 

* The future James II.

 

The Dutch would recapture it but later trade it for Willoughbyland (the English colony in South America, aka Suriname) presuming that tropical agriculture would be more profitable than what would become NYC.

 

11 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

By 1689 a Dutchman was King of England, Scotland and Ireland. 

A Dutchman yes, but also the grandson of one Stuart King and nephew of two others. One of the legacies of the T&Cs* of the Glorious Revolution is the gun problem in the US.

 

* The 1689 English Bill of Rights.

 

Much of British imperialism (and by consequence the US) stems from this period. The impact on world history of these times is greatly overlooked.

 

[zarniwhoop]

13 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Sheesh, you go out of your way to be nice to @polybear and that's the way he repays you.....

 

Still, revenge is a dish best served cold...

 

So as the Bear forgets that both iD and Captain Cynical have friends in very high places...

 

If @iL Dottore has friends there, they would not be able to organise the proverbial in a brewery, so @polybear would have no worries. Dream on, with whatever work supplies you have been testing. 😄

[Barry O]

Driver to NEC .. fine apart from some interesting cross winds..

 

Hall 5 is a big space...

 

Security let me in..  table's were placed in the desired locations.. then..Disaster... major snafu by external highways meant it took 1.75 hours to cover.. 9 miles.

Hotel room is fine.. now time to have a sleep!

 

Baz

[figworthy]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I've noticed.....

 

With every LDC ?

 

Adrian

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

As I predicted this morning, Charlie was a no show this afternoon, apparently he had a humongous hangover! Anyway, I managed to complete the painting of clouds in the cellar, although I may add a few highlights to a few clouds in the future. The next task now will be to start laying the laminate flooring! Which I’m hoping to start next week. 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[iL Dottore]

RE WARLEY MEET UP:

The ‘Spoons outside Hall 5 at 14:00 (Saturday and Sunday)

I’ll be recognisable from my Interpol Pictures (and a blue bag)

iD

[polybear]

37 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

RE WARLEY MEET UP:

The ‘Spoons outside Hall 5 at 14:00 (Saturday and Sunday)

I’ll be recognisable from my Interpol Pictures (and a blue bag)

iD

 

Following iD's run-in with a Certain Bear I thought a picture might help......

 

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning to one and all.  

 

First task was to get a Dr's appointment for Beth.  Tick

 

Then ring the makers of her diabetics meter to get a replacement. Tick

 

Then the ironing.  Tick

 

After lunch two tip runs, one for us and another for a good friend.   Tick. 

 

Lastly take Beth to the Doctors and chemist's tick. 

 

This morning she seems to be a little better but still wheezing badly, and her voice is still missing in action, double tick. 

 

A day in the shed beckons.  Shutter making then perhaps unmentionables. 

 

Jamie

Edited November 24, 2023 by jamie92208

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

I spent yesterday "doing the theory" - many mysteries no longer are.  Big Tick.  So today it's the practical....I still have to fink up the idea though - and make it fit.....

 

I also spoke with the rather nice NNN next door for ten minutes yesterday - our eyes met over green wheelie bins......   Mahoosive Tick.....

 

I never did get round to unboxing & testing something green yesterday - I was too busy doin' my school work.  Maybe today.....

 

As for last night, well Bear did get to sleep rather quickly.......but........

 

 

I nearly gave up soon after 4am but hung in there and did get some more snooze until that b1tch Alexa decided to screw it all up again when the clock struck six.  Poo.

 

BG

[iL Dottore]

39 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Following iD's run-in with a Certain Bear I thought a picture might help......

 

 

 

 

Well, that's Bear off the invitations....

[Winslow Boy]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, that's Bear off the invitations....

You mean he was actually on the list!

[Gwiwer]

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Of course the French would be shocked by the accent used in the argot of l'Australie - even worse than Québécois.

Mon Dieu

 

Le mateship et le bonzer weekend avec le bbq et plusiers Sheilas sont uniquement Aussie 

[monkeysarefun]

Mords-toi les fesses, espèce de drongo enflammé.

 

Hmm doesnt have the same ring.

Edited November 24, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

2 hours sleep, heard Ben wander around, came down stairs to find him asleep.

Other than a few wake up and turn rounds he slept for the night. I had about 5 hours intermittent sleep.

He got up when I did, and we had a short patrol. He cut it short and as we got back to the house there was horizontal rain.

 

Ben's had his morning pill and is currently staggering around as he fights sleep.

 

I'll be putting my boots on shortly to go and unload the car.

I have about 1/2 hours work on the windward northern side of the house. So it will be thermal overalls time..

 

The rain has stopped.

Time for overalls hat gloves etc.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Not a bad night last night, only one call out by bladder control. I didn't go to bed until one this morning as I was catching up on RMweb and Farcebook so I'm feeling a bit tired so I'll be doing some eyelid inspection soon.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, the rock is a cool and windy 7c, with not a lot more promised. 

 

Currently dry, but not for long I suspect, so the OF's is a car job, out to the Old Guardhouse in Jurby.  It's the old airfield guardhouse, now a cafe run by the folk that have the motor museum next door - which is well worth a visit if you're ever here, if a bit expensive.  Good value though, it is huge.

 

Had to hit the Big Pills (script level co-codamol and ibuprofen) last night, my hips were going crazy, but I'm a lot better this morning thankfully.  Bl**dy winter, pah.

 

The rest of the day post-OF's brunch is running about getting various things (more of those pills for one) and domestic duties.  Izzit Black Friday?  As I have been getting 'Black Friday Deals' for about a month on line, it's hard to tell.  Lot of Christmas trees appearing now, hells bells its still November.