Early Risers.

[Gruffalo]

come back the good old days when I started to walk to school on my own after my first day at school (aged 4.5 years) i managed to get there and back without being knocked flat crossing 3 major roads and traversing some of the mean streets of my home pit village......

...and then I spent 26 hours at the coalface before walking 11 miles home (distorted from MPFC)!

Seriously, parents really will find every excuse to deliver their offspring by car rather than walk, or even do a car-share. Our village school holds a little under 150 "cherubs" and 70% of them come from outside our community yet many villagers - who complain about the traffic - still insist on dropping off their priceless one or two at the gates themselves, park without consideration and then proceed to hold a 20m conversation with the person they held two similar conversations the previous day.

[NGT6 1315]

I just read how a driver has been caught speeding at 261 kph in a 100 kph zone last Friday. Thankfully, he'll now be off the roads for three months and poorer by at least 600 €.

[Tony_S]

I wonder whether UK or German drivers are more aggressive. Can't see how anyone could beat what seems like the majority of contemporary German motorists, though!

I think German drivers have one noticeable tendency and that is to drive too fast when it is raining. Otherwise I'm quite happy to drive in Germany. I "know my place" and don't get in the way of big Mercedes doing a 100kph more than I am on the Autobahn. (I'm usually at the recommended speed.)

[Tony_S]

Completely a generation thing. Few folk had cars when I started skool in 1953, so, like you, I walked a mile to skool before my 5th birthday. Of course few perverts and abductors had cars, either, so the risk wasn't really recognised. That said, my mum deffo gave me stern lectures about not getting into cars with strangers.

I walked to all 3 of the infant schools I attended. Though sometimes I could get a bus back to my grandmother's house at the second school. My great fear wasn't traffic it was meeting a dog. People seemed to just let their dogs wander about in the 1950s. I was really scared of dogs and would cross a dual carriage way road to avoid one.

[Happy Hippo]

I walked to all 3 of the infant schools I attended. Though sometimes I could get a bus back to my grandmother's house at the second school. My great fear wasn't traffic it was meeting a dog. People seemed to just let their dogs wander about in the 1950s. I was really scared of dogs and would cross a dual carriage way road to avoid one.

I presume you didn't attend all three schools at the same time, otherwise the daily school assembly would have been interesting.

 

Regards

 

Richard

[Tony_S]

I presume you didn't attend all three schools at the same time, otherwise the daily school assembly would have been interesting.

 

Regards

 

Richard

I would have been tired too as one was in Clevedon (Somerset), the next was in Hall Green (Birmingham) and the last one in Shirley (Solihull). The junior school I went to was next door to our house. Assemblies didn't get interesting until I went to secondary school. Trying to keep a straight face while the head droned on was good practice for listening to management chats once I became a teacher.

[Donw]

I was able to walk to my first two schools but the secondary school was a different matter. The Local Authority deemed that only those who lived more than three miles from their could have free bus passes. However it may have been less than three miles for a crow but for me would involve swimming the Thames crossing both the Southern and Great Western railway lines to keep the distance below three miles. So it was the bus in the morning but I would walk home and spend the bus fare on sweets. It was no hardship as passing the GW goods sidings and the walking across the weir was reward enough.

Don

[Ashcombe]

Rather a late post for ER but we've been off line for a while and busy today.

 

This morning we visited a friend who broke her back in a skiing accident in France last month; she is doing well at home but has to wear a plastic corset for another six weeks.

 

Later we did the poster run for TOADS Theatre Company - replacing posters for the play which closed on Saturday with posters of the next one which opens on 1st June.

 

This evening was spent at the monthly gathering of the Red Hatters. (info on request)

 

As for the new icons - I initially thought I had a sudden influx of PM's then realised it was a list of who said what about which of my posts!!

 

Goodnight, all!

[NGT6 1315]

Mornin'...

 

Looking slightly less gloomy today than it did yesterday at this hour, but I guess it'll remain to be seen whether this'll hold. No idea what I'll be doing after work in any case, which will largely depend on how today's classes will be doing!

 

 

I think German drivers have one noticeable tendency and that is to drive too fast when it is raining.

 

That they do, but not just when it's raining. I once had an idiot tailgate me in deepest winter while it was snowing heavily and while there'd have been no safe way of doing more than about 30-40 kph.

[travelintrev]

Good morning one -n-all,  chaos still reigns supreme here!    Had a bad night sleep (I guess due to the old body clock not really having adjusted yet.  Though I always set my watch at the "local time at destination" as soon as I get on the plane.

 

So spent half an hour during the night (around 3am) working on one of the 1:24 kits I was given, (1941 pick up) 

 

Guess I'd better breakfast and get to work?  (R-o-R!)

 

Be good, 

Trev.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is a reasonable morning here - nothing special, but it is dry.  The forecast isn't too promising though.

 

Yes, German drivers do have a tendency to drive too fast in rain, and too fast in car parks.  Having said that, it isn't everybody.

 

Time for a cup of coffee, I think!

 

Have a good day everyone...

[grandadbob]

Good Morning ER land,

 

Dry but cloudy & 7^oC with lots of rain promised.

 

Yesterday's trip to the garden centre was fruitless (also plantless & shrubless) because "we" couldn't make up "our" mind. This means "we" are having  another think about it & will be returning in a few days. I suspect this will be timed to coincide with my back (which is still giving me grief) recovering so that I can then do it in again whilst complying with Management's requests instructions. I look forward to it. 

 

Today being Tuesday means that daughter & family will be here after work/school so there will be much noise & chaos here later. Now that I am looking forward to!      

 

Have a good day,

 

Bob. 

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Quite a pleasant morning so far though some rain is forecast for later.

I couldn't cope with the old strimmer so I thought I would visit what claimed to be a specialist lawnmower shop. I was given an informative lesson  to strimming methods but the salesman was convinced that I was just as likely to be frustrated by the mechanisms of the ones they had on sale. I said it was a pity that there wasn't an electric one with the cutting / line mechanism of the petrol ones. At this moment the manager entered and took over and identified a strimmer that seemed to do what I want. It does seem to work too! 

Tony

[Gruffalo]

Morning all.

Quite a pleasant morning so far though some rain is forecast for later.

I couldn't cope with the old strimmer so I thought I would visit what claimed to be a specialist lawnmower shop. I was given an informative lesson  to strimming methods but the salesman was convinced that I was just as likely to be frustrated by the mechanisms of the ones they had on sale. I said it was a pity that there wasn't an electric one with the cutting / line mechanism of the petrol ones. At this moment the manager entered and took over and identified a strimmer that seemed to do what I want. It does seem to work too! 

Tony

Make and model please Tony! I have a petrol one for the rough stuff but Madam Gruff does like to use an electric one on the lawn edges (so she can say that "she does more than enough"). We have an old Multi-trim and it is coming towards the end and this sounds it could be just what the doctor ordered.

[DonBradley]

All hail strimmers!

   I never owned one. Used a petrol driven rotary mower and a spade for edges.

   A South African "Weedeater" manufacturing Co were one of my clients on a Cobol system!.

  Happy Days!  I had to program on their system in their "Computer Department" occupied by their three female capture clerks who talked non-stop about their husbands sexual preferences etc. etc./

I quickly learned to shut out their voices. It wasn't as bad as offices where "pop" music was played all day. I found that harder to shut out.

 

Clear blue sky. Still cool at 22C

[Barry O]

Cool at 22C - I wish.. its cold and the sky is the colour of a New Zealand rugby shirt apart from one bit of blues sky with sun streaming through it!

 

Hope you all have a great day - off to dream about getting an "old" mini!

[Ashcombe]

Good morning, all!

 

Well, we had a severe weather warning in place for the SW but, either I've slept through whatever befell us in the night or it has skirted round us or been delayed! It's hard to believe we're only a month or so from the Solstice and we've hardly had anything to call summer yet. I really feel for those folk coming here on holiday - packing must be a nightmare and then the cold wind leads to people looking for indoor amusements to pursue.

 

I've received a last minute invitation to a Civic Lunch today (along with a few of the aforementioned Red Hatters) so that should be fun. Lately, I've spent too much time on duty type events so I'm making a determined effort to redress the balance in the next couple of weeks by pursuing more relaxing activities.

 

Hope you all have a good day.

[beast66606]

Morning all.

 

COBOL - I used to program "hush hush" (New klear) stuff in that Don.

 

A nice sunny journey to work this morning, but clouding over now and very heavy rain forecast for later.

 

The pheasant is still on her nest, we think she's getting near to hatching now and we've also discovered a thrush nest - I'll try and get a photo or two when the weather allows (it's too dull now, I need the sun out in the morning when I get here)

 

Have a good day all.

[Gruffalo]

Cool at 22C - I wish.. its cold and the sky is the colour of a New Zealand rugby shirt apart from one bit of blues sky with sun streaming through it!

 

Hope you all have a great day - off to dream about getting an "old" mini!

I feel the mini deserves shapely limbs and is spoilt by gargantuan thighs. Sadly there seem few wearers these days whose pins should be displayed, regardless of age! Bring on the GT40, another style icon designed by lechers once they had seen Mary Quant's fashion masterpiece!

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, there is some sun in evidence here, although it is still cold.  There was a humungous hail storm on the way home from work yesterday, really, May? Harumph.

 

Strimmers - we have an electric Black & Decker version bought at a garage sale 11 years ago, for a fiver.  It has never failed to feed cord, but it has an awful balance that plays havoc with my back - you just can't win!

[trisonic]

I had to put long pants back on yesterday (trousers to most of you) and today it's only 17C but Sunny. We've had cold winds from Canada since last Saturday (anyone read of that "Ice Tsunami" in Manitoba at the weekend).

So far this has been the coldest Spring for years and we've had no 90f days at all  (last year we had some in late March). Sorry I can't think in centigrade very well...

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyB]

Morning all, not quit so sunny here today in Hampshire; cloudy in fact.

Not much planned for today apart from shopping, lunch with an old colleague and some officey type stuff. 

Yesterday's product design work was a partial success. The plus side was that I didn't drill any holes in the dining room table. The downside was that the superglue I was using didn't bond the plastics I had been given. Drawing board, back to. May end up simply making a silicone mould and casting the parts in the end. 

 

Can't say we got on with strimmers and reverted to a push mower. The garden isn't that big and the exercise is quite good. We always take a bet on how long it will be between us mowing our lawn and the middle-aged lady who "loves gardens" but doesn't transfer this into "doing gardening" will take before she attacks her foot-high lawn. The amusing thing is that she seems to go through a new electric hover mower each year as the motors seem to fail. Maybe they aren't meant to hover quite that high.  

 

GB, the way to get a decision on planting is to load up a bag of gravel onto the trolley and say "This is for the spare bit of border where nothing seems to grow." Ok, the decision may be for you to sleep on the couch, but at least it's a decision!   

 

Anyway, toodle-pip for now. 

Andy

[Donw]

Rather late this morning not that I overslept but decided to take the dogs out before breakfast as they are promising a deluge soon. No doubt it will be a nice sunny day now.

Keep dry if you can.

Don

[AndyB]

I had to put long pants back on yesterday (trousers to most of you) and today it's only 17C but Sunny. We've had cold winds from Canada since last Saturday (anyone read of that "Ice Tsunami" in Manitoba at the weekend).

 

 

Best, Pete.

 

My daughter is learning about precise.

"My day was pants and I'm blaming the Canadians."    

Andy

[Tony_S]

Make and model please Tony! I have a petrol one for the rough stuff but Madam Gruff does like to use an electric one on the lawn edges (so she can say that "she does more than enough"). We have an old Multi-trim and it is coming towards the end and this sounds it could be just what the doctor ordered.

 

Stihl FSE60 Didn't pay the RRP though! Note the weight, it isn't anything as light as most electric models. I've ordered a shoulder strap (from Amazon). The strimmer strims well but I was quite aware I was doing it with something that weighs nearly 4 kg!

Tony