Early Risers.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Just had 'phone call from hospital. I managed to initially cut them off; I always seem to press wrong button on mobile and do that to callers. Fortunately they rang straight back. They want me in for a blood test. So I'll just finish my coffee. One of my daughters said she'll give me a lift - she used to work in that hosp so knows where to go.

See you later...

[Two_sugars]

Morning all . . . .

 

Weather . . .PHILPHY!!! Just phaphin' .PHILPHY!!! . . .as in "As not gannin oot in that!!

 

I think I'll be making a beef casserole for tea.

 

Walking? I used to walk a lot until old joints started to complain. Especially in the cold and damp.

 

ION  I applied for my new driving licence online yesterday as this one runs out in December . . . Three years since I last had to apply . . .Doesn't time fly when your having  fun.

 

Have a good day, everyone. Keep warm and dry . . . 

 

Keep smiling

 

 

John

[Coombe Barton]

54 minutes ago, Two_sugars said:

I applied for my new driving licence online yesterday as this one runs out in December . . . Three years since I last had to apply . . .Doesn't time fly when your having  fun.

Got mine back in just under a couple of weeks

[Andy Hayter]

3 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

In the twilight zone between waking and actually getting up, is a good time to think. This morning I thought about chocolate.

So why do so many begin products with the letter "M"? Is it because they want to imply there is a milk content, or is it just random?

Mars / Milky Way / Milky Bar / Marathon / Munchies / Maltesers / Milk Tray / Milky Stars...

 

 

My guess is that the psychologists have got there because these are all products that are so "Mmmmmmmmm"

 

ION

In the clouds today.  Visibility has been down to less than 50m.  I say in the clouds rather than fog because at the same time is is persisting it down and there is a fairly brisk wind.

A good day for muddling projects.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Blood test done. Only two in the queue before me at Poole Hosp, and missed the heavy rain showers walking to/from the car.

[The Lurker]

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Hurricane Helene is about to hit Florida tomorrow as a Category 4 (Saffir-Simpson Scale**) storm. It is a Category 1 storm now - about to go Category 2.  This didn't use to happen. Big storms formed but they didn't intensify rapidly like they do now.

 

*

 

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing".

You may find that the people of Florida would disagree with your second statement  when the Hurricane hits. 

[PhilJ W]

Bus hijacking.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/25/us/la-metro-bus-highjacking-person-killed/index.html

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Two of the parcels I was expecting arrived this morning, the third is due tomorrow. Early dinner today as I'm out to SEERS this evening and I want to get there early. Dinners ready so BBL.

[Tony_S]

Aditi was going to drive over to Enfield early this morning but guess what, the Essex anti-clockwise M25 was closed to a 2 lorry and van incident. The timing for the alternative  suggestion via the North Circular was in my opinion incredibly optimistic. I said Imdruve over as the Evoque had a sat nav that responds quite rapidly to traffic changes. The route was via lanes on the Essex side of the M25, via Old MacDonalds Farm. With the rain lashing down the animals would be going glug, glug , glug today. Lorries coming the other way down narrow roads caused some interesting driving. It was particularly interesting seeing cars following a big lorry being nervous about going through the same gap.

My car has genuine mud all over the near side . Must be sticky mud, splashing through the flooded road (only a couple of inches!) didn’t shift it. 

[Coombe Barton]

... I did make a comment once about nouvelle cuisine, that is was like being offered chocolate covered roasted garlic on a leaf of wilted Romaine lettuce surrounded by raspberry coulis. The comment, in a pub restaurant, did not go down well. Ate there, but never again. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/09/26/postcards-from-home-2024-29/

 

[BoD]

27 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

... I did make a comment once about nouvelle cuisine, that is was like being offered chocolate covered roasted garlic on a leaf of wilted Romaine lettuce surrounded by raspberry coulis. The comment, in a pub restaurant, did not go down well. Ate there, but never again. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/09/26/postcards-from-home-2024-29/

 

 

Are they still collecting and recording data?

Are people still testing when they have symptoms or just getting on with things?

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Mars / Milky Way / Milky Bar / Marathon / Munchies / Maltesers / Milk Tray / Milky Stars...

And in the US, "M & Ms".

 

Some of those are not coincidences - the Mars Family.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Didn't see you in the consulting room when my doctor was advising me.

Didn't mean to offend John. It worked for me - after decades of being far too sedentary. Doesn't mean it works for you. I was not instructing you.

[polybear]

19 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

Are they still collecting and recording data?

Are people still testing when they have symptoms or just getting on with things?

Bear was a part of the ONS routine testing programme….they shut it down a while back…..

[Two_sugars]

3 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

And in the US, "M & Ms".

 

Some of those are not coincidences - the Mars Family.

Hmm .. . .used to be TREETS in UK . . . .But changed under Merkin ownership as did Marathon  to SNICKERS.

 

I still buy and use Covid tests when I feel the need.  Flu jab booked for 10th Oct . . . .They've run out of latest Covid jab.

 

Still persisting down . . . not naice. 

 

Tea is on.

 

John

 

 

[DaveF]

It has stayed dull and rainy, the temperature has stayed at 10°C as well.  As I expected it was fairly cold in church, a sweater and my alb kept me warm enough.  A hot coffee and chocolate biscuits were very welcome afterwards.  On the way home I called at the cash machine, as so often happens here I was able to park on the road opposite it, it is outside the post office.

 

The rest of the morning was spent sorting out the various displays on the camera and getting the basic settings as I like them.  This afternoon that continued with interruptions as friends decided that a dull damp day was a good time to ring for a chat ratrher than go outdoors to do anything.

 

I took a few photos in the garden with the new camera during a dry interval.  It was too windy really but the shots in the greenhouse are acceptable, especially when I think how little light there is.

 

I also decided that I need a spare battery for the camera so that should come tomorrow.

 

A couple of photos in the greenhouse, it was even duller than it looks.

 

Pelargonium - geranium

 

Tomatoes - will they ever ripen?

 

David

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all. 
 

Slightly under the weather here. Not referring to being beneath unfeasible amounts of rain but just a shade or two off colour. More water and a couple of Panadols are sorting me out. 
 

Three watches this week on account of a shortage of able volunteers. It’s less busy now without the yachts, wind-surfers and other small craft but still a steady stream of hikers coming through who are normally invited in to see what we do. 
 

Primary school. The first I walked to. Passing the fish market every day so growing up accustomed to the stink of freshly-gutted fish, the swill-down with hoses (which was just washed into the street in those days) and the noise of the ice factory. I could get the bus home if I chose to and sometimes rode through to the end of the route down in Mousehole with friends. Before walking the mile and a half home!! 
 

The second I walked to.  Both walks were around a half-mile.  Easy. There was never a family car. The concept of being driven to school didn’t even arise. We had some children from remote farms and more distant villages but they came in by bus. 
 

Simples. 

[TheQ]

Thor is busy bashing his anvil...

Where...?

Back in Norfolk..

 

Central Scotland to Penrith, drizzle,  occasional rain.

Penrith to Wetherby , where did the world go, torrential rain, very hard work driving.

Wetherby to Lincoln, improving till at Lincoln it was sunny with scattered clouds..

Stayed that way till we got home and Thor came for a visit.

 

Ton of junk mail waiting for us when we got home, one piece for importance, SWMBO'S company pension is organised, don't know how much yet, that'll be another letter 1 month before it's due...

I need my paper work from them so I can claim.

 

House thermostat was sayin house is at 17C when we arrived, which is pretty good considering I turned the thermostat down to 10 C when we left. Thermostat put to 19C, will be returned to 17.5 Later. 

.

 

Grass needs a mow..

 

Time to order stuff I thought of while we're were away..

 

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

Evening All,

 

LUCY UPDATE: my beloved little dog is doing well, though still underweight. Faecal testing revealed no nasties in her faeces, so it was likely to have been a bout of IBS (yes, dogs can get IBS). My biggest problem with Lucy at present is that of getting medication into her. There’s something about Novalgin that Lucy can (quite literally) sniff out and she has become adept at spitting it out - even if buried deep in sausage!  Solutions are being sought.

 

SCHLOSS iD Mk 2: We are now starting the renovation and the first task the renovation company will undertake is to test for asbestos (the house was built in 1969). Thank goodness I have not yet retired, numerous (full-size) Deltics need to spent on luxuries like modern plumbing, a modern electrical plant, state of the art kitchen, Grumpy Old Git friendly bathrooms, etc. etc. I may find myself having to drink non-vintage Champagne and Whisky! Gasp! Shock! Horror!

 

JAPAN UPDATE. I’m waiting to hear from @railsquid and have already bought my ticket to the railway museum in Saitama. I shall report back on how it compares with the NRM at York. Some “hard class” travel is anticipated as I am going Gran Class on the Hayabusa Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hokkaido. I may even create a blog - if so I’ll post a link.

 

WORK N STUFF I have been busy clearing my desk in preparation for a 3 week break, so I haven’t been doing much cooking lately, just the occasional bratwurst and a mixed salad. Tonight it will be the simplest of dishes: Fettucine Alfredo - the original version (just fettucine, abundant butter and parmesan).

 

Well, time to get back to work: just two more teleconferences before my holiday starts…..

[BoD]

22 minutes ago, DaveF said:

Tomatoes - will they ever ripen?

Do you, or does anyone you know, make green tomato chutney?

 

My mum used to and it was rather good. Everyone wanted a jar. Unfortunately I never got a copy of her recipe.

[Hroth]

30 minutes ago, BoD said:

Do you, or does anyone you know, make green tomato chutney?

 

My mum used to and it was rather good. Everyone wanted a jar. Unfortunately I never got a copy of her recipe.

 

Heres one to try out...

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/green-tomato-chutney

 

But tonight I'm having fissionchipz for tea, but no mushypeas...

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Hroth
a fodderthought...

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, BoD said:

 

Are they still collecting and recording data?

Are people still testing when they have symptoms or just getting on with things?

Are they still collecting and recording data? Yes, but mainly in hospitals or at GPs - see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season

 

Are people still testing when they have symptoms or just getting on with things? As self tests are not free now and there is no compulsion to isolate, it's eft to people's common sense. And we know how effective that is.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Two_sugars said:

I still buy and use Covid tests when I feel the need.  Flu jab booked for 10th Oct . . . .They've run out of latest Covid jab.

 

 

Bear also buys tests - they'd be "not cheap" for those living on the breadline and I very much suspect they'd not bother.  My +ve WooFlu Test was done as a precaution (because of the Hospice work) and I didn't expect for one moment it'd be +ve; I just didn't feel ill enough for it to be that....

 

I also have a Flu Jab booked in Oct; following a discussion today I'm hoping I might be able to get a freebie C-19 Jab (Hospice Work) but that's still TBC.  A private jab is about ninety quid the last time I looked.

 

14 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Are they still collecting and recording data? Yes, but mainly in hospitals or at GPs - see https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season

 

 

When Bear had the Wooflu I just "got on with it"** - as a consequence the Doc didn't know about it.  I suspect that is a common situation so if anything the current figures are probably far worse than they realise.

 

**I've not seen any requirement to inform the Doc etc. of a +ve test.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Tonight it will be the simplest of dishes: Fettucine Alfredo - the original version (just fettucine, abundant butter and parmesan).

 

 

Tinned Parmesan?

🤣

[Ian Abel]

BIN day.

All BINs successfully processed, and the parade of BIN trucks appears to be over.

 

Yesterday evening was a delight. The restaurant served up particularly edible fish tacos made with grilled Mahi on soft tortillas. The house Pinot Grigio was palatable and the company and conversation excellent. Weather was a delight, especially helpful since 80% of the seating is outdoors to take advantage of the park location.

 

Today, Mrs and Jemma are off to raid Costco later, I'll probably have the company of Whitney while they're gone.

 

Later, choir rehearsal. They started last week, but even with the expected "perfect planning" a couple of months ago, our Troll expedition managed to fall on the first rehearsal of the season. Apparently, according to my pal and our dinner companion last night, I was offered up as a strong contestant for "choir party planner", seemingly everyone thought this a good call since I was in absentia!!!! 😲

 

Of course, given it's rehearsal time, this means a pre-rehearsal resurgence of the "happy hour gathering". Looking forward to it, and meeting our new choir director.

 

Lovely sunny BIN time at 12c, heading for 27c for the high.

 

Carry on...

Edited 5 hours ago by Ian Abel