Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

It’s a bit dull at the moment and there’s also a strong breeze, but the sun is trying to breakthrough the clouds, so we might get a bit of sunshine later. There’s no Zumba class for Sheila today, her tutor is on holiday, so she’s going to get the ironing done. So, this means that once again, I’m on door answering duties, so for most of the morning I’m going to potter about in the cellar. I’ve got tickets to print out for the flower show at Tatton Park next month, so that’ll get done first, then a few small jobs that I’ve been putting off for a day like this. Hopefully, after dinner I’ll get an hour or so in the workshop. 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[monkeysarefun]

We've been having incredibly clear skies here lately, even for winter.  The Sydney skyline is 56km away but it was clear enough to make out the colours and details of the individual buildings.

 

The bunch at the left is the Barangaroo development at Darling Harbour. In the centre is the MLC centre and the pointy thing is the Sydney Eye Tower.

 

I used to be able to see the arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge but the Barangaroo development gets in the way now.

 

 

[Gwiwer]

11 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Stripping to the buff on the doorstep might disconcert the neighbours....

 

Let me try that with the next political campaigners or Jehovah’s Witnesses* to call. 
 

I could even ask them to speak the naked truth 

 

* Other similar callers may be available. We get the JWs because they have a “centre” not far away. 

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is quite warm here but not particularly sunny yet. I will be driving over to Enfield with Aditi to visit her Mum. 
I have already been out and had a look at Aditi’s car after the AA technician repaired it yesterday. He had replenished the coolant but I topped it up to just below the “max” line where it had been. The fan seems to work perfectly but the only way without taking it for a long run to heat up to,test is by switching the air con on and off. It comes on, it goes off. The fault yesterday was corrosion on the connectors to the fan motor. It seems fine now and the temperature gauge stayed in the middle all the way home for Aditi yesterday evening. She just wants a chauffeur today. Apparently a chauffeur was originally a servant who warmed up a family carriage. Aditi’s car was rather hot yesterday. 
We are hoping MiL will be improving today. She has been on her antibiotics for a couple of days now. 
Tony

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Apparently a chauffeur was originally a servant who warmed up a family carriage

From the French verb chauffeur : to heat 

[PhilJ W]

45 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

All this talk about UPF and cooking from basic ingredients compels me to issue a stern statement that there's no excuse for not cooking properly. Every night I return from the office and home cooked food of a most excellent standard appears on the table. And with zero effort on my part. Tonight is aubergine fried with chillies and beef rendang. Frankly, if I can do it, there's no excuse, come on people, let's get it together, let my example inspire y'all!💪

One evening you're going to come home and find @iL Dottore waiting on the doorstep asking "What's For Dinner?".😁

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. BIN day today, I only had the recycling bags and the food waste to put out this morning and a bit later when I checked the recycling bags had been not only emptied but placed on the doorstep saving me the task of collecting them from the kerbside. The food waste had also been emptied, not sure when as the bin wagon is electric and therefore silent.

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Well you can't have it both ways. What do you prefer sneeze free sleep or twitching curtains.

Just as long as there’s no screams of terror or howls of laughter…

 

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

All this talk about UPF and cooking from basic ingredients compels me to issue a stern statement that there's no excuse for not cooking properly. Every night I return from the office and home cooked food of a most excellent standard appears on the table. And with zero effort on my part. Tonight is aubergine fried with chillies and beef rendang. Frankly, if I can do it, there's no excuse, come on people, let's get it together, let my example inspire y'all!💪

 

C’mon, own up now….you’ve been “got at” by iD haven’t you?  What did he do - get his mate CC to send a few heavies round?

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

All this talk about UPF and cooking from basic ingredients compels me to issue a stern statement that there's no excuse for not cooking properly. Every night I return from the office and home cooked food of a most excellent standard appears on the table. And with zero effort on my part. Tonight is aubergine fried with chillies and beef rendang. Frankly, if I can do it, there's no excuse, come on people, let's get it together, let my example inspire y'all!💪

Does Mrs jjb1970 fancy an all expenses covered trip to Switzerland (first class on SQ, of course) to do the catering for Captain Cynical’s next modest soirée? 

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Wot no beans or curly fries. The Bear will be most disappointed.

Tragic, isn’t it. Poor PB will go hungry, but (also) on the positive side 🤣there’s more for me and other cognoscenti of great food…

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

One evening you're going to come home and find @iL Dottore waiting on the doorstep asking "What's For Dinner?".😁

It almost happened. I had planned to stop over in Singapore for few days - either on my way to or on my way back from Japan this year - but due to an impending house move, I had to scale back on my Japan trip - which meant removing some excursions from my itinerary. Disappointing, but as this was an instruction from upon high, mandatory

 

Still, @jjb1970 has a standing invitation to join up for beer ‘n’ things whenever he’s in Switzerland.

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

We've been having incredibly clear skies here lately, even for winter.  The Sydney skyline is 56km away but it was clear enough to make out the colours and details of the individual buildings.

 

The bunch at the left is the Barangaroo development at Darling Harbour. In the centre is the MLC centre and the pointy thing is the Sydney Eye Tower.

 

I used to be able to see the arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge but the Barangaroo development gets in the way now.

 

 

That's progress for you I'm afraid young Chimpy. I suspect they said much the same when Christopher Wren built his hideous monstrosity now look at it. Just give it a few years and I'm certain it'll grow on you.

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Let me try that with the next political campaigners or Jehovah’s Witnesses* to call. 
 

I could even ask them to speak the naked truth 

 

* Other similar callers may be available. We get the JWs because they have a “centre” not far away. 

There's twitching of the net curtains and then there's some things you need to pull the veil over.

[TheQ]

The recommended method of not seeing such disclosures in the 1883 guidebook to the Norfolk broads is a barrel full of dust shot..

 

Afternoon awl,

Took unit of unmentionables to the MRC, using reserve reserve route.

Line of cars coming towards me, so I stop at a gateway, one vehicle pulls into gateway, I pull forward he can pass behind trailer, when gone i reverse second vehicle pulls, into gate way, I pull forward, he can pass behind trailer, I reverse then the next car pulls into gateway, but the following idiot tries to follow him, err nowhere to go...

Chaos ensues until the second one gets the message reversing back forcing the ones behind them to go back..

 

Only took 1/2 hour to swap units over, then did some building painting, 304mm to the foot that is..

Then looked at lining up units of unmentionables...

Ok how do 3 sets of parallel bits of metal not align when they did before, when you line one set up the others are an increasing space apart, sideways that is.

it looks one of the boards has expanded by a couple of mm... We'll see how it is tomorrow night when they've both had the same temperature for 30 hours.

 

Returning unit of unmentionables is now parked  in shed . Very hot and sweaty out there..

 

 

 

 

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Just as long as there’s no screams of terror or howls of laughter…

 

Or someones called 999 and there's several police cars and an ambulance outside wanting to secure you and get you assessed prior to sectioning you....

 

[PupCam]

Afternoon

 

On 26/06/2024 at 12:55, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Welcome to the Dorset Riviera...

Last night was really hot and sticky.

 

As it was in the Puppershire Riviera

 

17 hours ago, Tony_S said:

 She has a urine infection which can have strange effects in the elderly, it is difficult to kniw whether it  is that or her dementia causing her to be the way she is.

 

When the late senior Puppers was in and out of hospital 20 years ago we used to inform the staff that he had a urine infection regularly.   We knew this because he was talking absolute nonsense.  The staff always asked how we could possibly know  but we had to insist.  We explained that  he was talking nonsense ... (and every time we were correct)

 

16 hours ago, polybear said:

On the subject of Hay Fever, I read an article just a few days ago where a Doc recommended that sufferers should ensure they wash their face & hair every night before bed.  Why?  So pollen doesn’t spread onto the pillow and then get breathed in etc.

 

You mean you don't as a matter of course anyway?     My, my, standards in the general population are obviously slipping.    It's a shower for Puppers every night before he tucks up in bed!

 

17 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

... Truth, it seems, had taken a forced holiday, along with its friends ethics and morals.  ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/06/26/more-testimony-that-speaks-volumes-resit-support/

 

It beggars belief doesn't it.   I was at the local hospital this morning and the nurse was having trouble with "the computer system".   I must say that the thought that the NHS system might be a Fujitsui product did cross my mind but then I realised that the NHS system is bound to be "robust" and without fault ....

 

8 hours ago, polybear said:

Perhaps they're finally starting to realise that the recent price hikes are costing them customers.

 

Absolutely no chance at all in that!  

 

A cynical Puppers might suggest that such things are only likely to occur IF  the policy holder is proactive and ALWAYS  requests a quote 23 days prior to the expiry of the current policy.     It always amuses me that they now always state (because they have to by law AFAIK) that ".... you've been with us some time and you may be able to get a cheaper quote elsewhere".  I think they should also be obliged to add something along the lines of "because we always jack the price up a significant wedge for all those suckers who CBA to check and shop around"

 

7 hours ago, grandadbob said:

A little bit of good news is that I've won £30 on the lottery. 

 

I'm sure you reported winning £30 only a couple of weeks ago.  Seems like pretty good returns to me unless GB is sinking an awfully large amount of the folding stuff in to his gambling pot each week.  Is there something Bob wants to tell the support group?

 

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

Or someones called 999 and there's several police cars and an ambulance outside wanting to secure you and get you assessed prior to sectioning you....

 

Only if there's a mobile signal (or was that a different discussion)

 

ION

 

Relatively quiet day yesterday catching up with one bunch of friends in the afternoon and another bunch of friends in the evening via a thrash over to Husborne Crawley on the Yamaha to the Velocette Owners Club shiny bike night.   My mate won first prize in the non-Velo competition with his Series D Vincent Black Shadow (way too many Deltics for a Puppers plus the fact that Puppers could neither start it or hold it up!)

 

I spent the morning in one of the Walk-In Centres at the local hospital.  I mentioned sometime ago that I'd been doing the NHS again.   I can't remember how much or little I've mentioned of that particular activity but long story short one option was to walk-in in the absence of an appointment.   Well, I could stand it no longer so I walked in.  What I hadn't appreciated was that I was waiting for an appointment to be triaged.  Silly old me, I was thinking I was waiting for an appointment to actually be seen by a doctor/consultant!   Anyway, it was worth the trip and the not very long wait as I've now been triaged and have an appointment for next week.    Busy week next week, I've got 3 different appointments at the hospital, still variety and all that is the spice of illness life.

 

Right, I think I'm off to fiddle with the Beeza's gear change linkage.

 

TTFN

 

 

Edited Thursday at 14:08 by PupCam

[TheQ]

It clouded over and the wind has changed to a cooler northwesterly, so I took Ben for a walk, he again stopped at the gate the be put on a lead.

On the first section he did his border Collie pull, then on the lane after a hundred yards, he hid close up behind me, and stayed that way for most of the lane.

Near the bottom he went out in front of me.

I asked him which way did he want to go and after a look each way he chose the long route and was soon pulling again. So I let him go off the lead and he led the way over the next couple of miles till we were home.

 

He has an appointment with the vets soon, as he needs a review before his next batch of pills.

 

I'm now heading for all long soak in the bath, cos i's all hot and horrible.

 

Oh I is on the pill, they've just arrived, ascend plus pills that is, so tomorrow I've got to remember to take the pills with water wait half an hour then have normal pills with breakfast.

Edited Thursday at 14:32 by TheQ

[Hroth]

I thought it was supposed to be cooler today?

 

Only I've just noticed that another bauble has descended* on the thermometer, leaving the last one bobbing uncertainly at the top.

 

Its not sunny out, but there must be a hot breeze ore something...

 

* That makes it at least approximately 24C indoors!

 

Edited Thursday at 14:32 by Hroth
typo

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, Hroth said:

* That makes it at least approximately 24C indoors!

Perhaps it's humid?

 

24°C is pleasant. It's precisely where I set the thermostat for my air conditioning during days I am home. It is a bit warm for comfortable sleeping.

[Ozexpatriate]

The CNN Travel section is happy to trot out stories of the "top ten most *whatever* cities".

 

Today it was most liveable.

 

CNN: The world’s most liveable cities for 2024

 

2024’s Global Liveability Index: The top 10

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

3. Zurich, Switzerland

4. Melbourne, Australia

5. Calgary, Canada

5. Geneva, Switzerland

7. Sydney, Australia

7. Vancouver, Canada

9. Osaka, Japan

9. Auckland, New Zealand

 

This list struck me as interesting. A couple of weeks ago it was:

 

Top 10 “impossibly unaffordable” cities

1. Hong Kong

2. Sydney

3. Vancouver

4. San Jose

5. Los Angeles

6. Honolulu

7. Melbourne

8. San Francisco/Adelaide

9. San Diego

10. Toronto

 

The world’s 10 most expensive cities for 2023

1. Zurich and Singapore (tie)

3. New York and Geneva (tie)

5. Hong Kong 

6. Los Angeles 

7. Paris

8. Tel Aviv and Copenhagen (tie)

10. San Francisco 

 

Understanding that correlation is not causation, I would suggest that factors that make cities rank highly on the "liveability" scale can also make them unaffordable/expensive. Nice to be high on livability and not cost. Not so nice to be high on the expensive list and not on the liveability list.

 

Edited Thursday at 14:50 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

MiL’s flat was a bit warm when we arrived. The Velux window in the lounge seems to either require me or her Russian carer to open. The French doors to the terrace were “stuck”. I opened the Velux and repaired the French door lock. Anyone going out on to the terrace without a key could have got stuck there.  Apparently other visitors have been squirting WD40 to reduce the door mechanism sticking rather than tightening up the very loose screw on the  latch.

Edited Thursday at 14:56 by Tony_S

[polybear]

The depths to which some plod are prepared to descend knows no bounds it seems….

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm52nm52kdno

 

[Hroth]

Wow!

 

A THIRD electoral communication* arrived this afternoon, this time from Reform UK**. 

 

I'll give it a read, but its pretty much a wasted effort as I completed my postal vote on Tuesday and posted it back on Wednesday.  The candidates agents must know when the postal voting packs will be going out for their constituency, so sending leaflets out should be achieved before that date.

 

The Reform UK candidate looks like a Monty Python civil servant...

 

* The other two were from the previous incumbent and arrived well in time last week.

** Just glanced through it, the candidate makes a strong pitch for standing up for the constituency, but makes no mention of the policies of his Monster Raving Looney "leader"...

 

Edited Thursday at 15:35 by Hroth
update

[TheQ]

Not all running incumbents are so prompt I received one from him today.

In the last few days I've received paper from all candidates, the first time ever, normally its only the orange team who bother. I suspect the orange team have had their fingers smacked, their last missive was a Fake local newspaper.. this time similar print but without the fake newspaper title.

Edited Thursday at 15:46 by TheQ

[DaveF]

I survived church, all went well.   On the way home I stopped at the beach and had a walk on the prom to have alook at further renovation work being done on wooden seating areas.  Apparently the local lifeguards have been evicted from their building at the beach as the new leisure operators wanted them to share their working space and make them pay for storing their equipment. The leisure operator seems to think that they can easily find a new lifeguard organisation to take over checking on the beach.

 

I got home nicely in time to cook some lunch - just Hunter's chicken with veg and potatoes and the some stewed plums.  The plums managed to boil over in the microwave but only onto the glass plate so for once it was easy to clean upo.

 

Much of the afternoon has been spent cleaning out the boiler cupboard, a lot of cleaning and first aid stuff gets put in there.  I went through the use by dates on everything and have thrown out the worst - one roll of sticking plaster was "use by 12/07".    Until today I didn't know plasters had a use by date, though I do notice from time to time that some don't stick as well as they might.  A lot of the stuff had come home in boxes from Mum's and had been dumped there to sort out "one day".  That day has now come for a lot of things.

 

I have found 2 spare shower curtains and a number of new tea towels which will be useful.

 

The wind has gradually got stronger, I've just had to shut the greenhouse door as one plant had ended up on the floor - fortunately undamaged.  A couple of shrubs will need tidying up when the wind drops as they have some broken small branches.

 

No plans yet for this evening beyond tea, probably reading and puzzle sunless something taked my fanch when I lok at the Radio Times after tea.

 

It's about 20°C outside and 25°C inside.  I prefer the house to be below 23°C.

 

David

[polybear]

1 hour ago, DaveF said:

 

Much of the afternoon has been spent cleaning out the boiler cupboard, a lot of cleaning and first aid stuff gets put in there.  I went through the use by dates on everything and have thrown out the worst - one roll of sticking plaster was "use by 12/07".    Until today I didn't know plasters had a use by date, though I do notice from time to time that some don't stick as well as they might. 

 

Is it warm in the boiler cupboard?  That could affect shelf 

Iife.

[DaveF]

19 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Is it warm in the boiler cupboard?  That could affect shelf 

Iife.

 

That's a very good point, I hadn't thought of it.  It never gets very hot in there but it is never cold either.

 

The plan is for them to have a new home - where I can more easily get at them.  "All" I have to do is move some other things first.

 

David