Early Risers.

[Simon G]

3 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

When my Dad retired from the vicarage my parents moved into a flat. I did a fitted bedroom array built from flatpack parts supplied in those days by MFI. Fortunately my 9 year old son was still small enough to fit into the tight corners with a stubby screwdriver and was an excellent DIY assistant so he negotiated a piecework rate to put all of the screws in whilst I held the parts in place and made sure they were square. 

When the job was finished he worked out that he had put in 308 screws.

I was glad that I had purchased a cordless drill from Aldi a couple of years ago.  It is a 20 volt one and has more than enough power for the shed screws.  What really impressed me was that it lasted a full day of shed assembly on a single battery charge.  The battery finally gave out early yesterday morning and the spare was installed and completed the job.  As I have suffered from tennis elbow, the use of the drill as a screwdriver has saved me time and a lot of discomfort.

 

Seaweed was collected on the morning walk, then Mrs G told me that there was a lot of horse manure for collection the other side of the village, so I went a collected a large boot full of bags.  These have been emptied into my dumpy bag, which is now full, so if I get any more I will employ the second dumpy bag.

 

This afternoon will involve our Asda delivery, then some lawn mowing, blackcurrant picking, planting out of cabbage and broccoli plants, then hopefully a rest sitting in the sun!

[New Haven Neil]

A bright but windy day here, went out fora bike ride with the old farts motorcycle club, first venue was closed so we ended up going further than intended, but a good breakfast was had - no fried bread though.

 

Off to tidy the garden railway as we're having a guest for a steam-up tomorrow, you will have to imagine the images.....

[J. S. Bach]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 ...snip...  some fresh, unsalted, butter for the bread. ...snip...

iD

I read that as insulated! And, yes, I have had my morning wake-up beverage.

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Breakfast was a muffin with smoked back bacon, fried egg and cheese.

 

I got Bran Flakes.....

[Andrew P]

2 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Just back from the Trafford Centre, WHS didn't have a copy of RM aaargg.

I'll have to hope Sainsbury’s has one when I go on Monday. 

I'm told there is a rather good read in the August edition, but my complimentary one hasn't arrived yet. 

[J. S. Bach]

9 hours ago, chrisf said:

 ...snip... I suppose I could try to find a suitable CD player for the house. ...snip...

Chris

Here is one for you, it holds 400 CDs and can act as a master to another one for a total of 800 CDs:

Put it on random shuffle and you would never hear the end.

[polybear]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

However when I got back from the chippy two leaks had appeared onto the concrete base.   We are not happy bunnies. Photos were taken and I am off to Angouleme shortly (40 miles) to complain bitterly and see how good they are about warranties. 

 

 

This'll be where they claim that you must've damaged the liner when you fitted it.....

Has anyone else lost the "multiquote" option when replying to posts?  Mine seems to have gone walkies for some reason.....

Spent an exciting morning re-learning the joy of external rendering - the plinth on the conservatory wall had suffered over the years and needed attention.  Been meaning to do it for years, so it feels pretty good to have finally got it underway; scratch coat done and top coat hopefully tomorrow.  At least the weather is pretty good for such jobs

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

I got Bran Flakes.....

I had toast. But it was homemade (with bread machine) and made with whatever wholemeal flour we have this week, probably organic super strong free range that has been talked to by some royal personage as it grows. Butter was English, slightly salted. We use very little salt (never add it to potatoes) but I like slightly salted butter on toast. To be honest my favourite toasted bread is white bread but that is homemade too. When I was young the toast that my parents called French Toast was bread only toasted on one side. Not sure if this was a regional thing or just a family name. Our toaster is French. It has an audible tone when the the toast pops. I told Aditi before she first used it that it played the first few bars of the Marseillaise. She was disappointed when it just went “ping”.

Tony

[Coombe Barton]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

She was disappointed when it just went “ping”.

A colleague lawyer, who has left for more prestigious pastures, was microwaving something smelling quite exotic for lunch one day. The microwave gave its end of session signal and a very pleasant aroma came out when he opened the door. My comment:

 

"That was a very gourmet 'ping', Andrew."

[BoD]

Afternoon all

 

Hope all are well.  Good to see Robert posting.

 

And now - chicken wire, a pair of snips and a heavy duty staple/nail gun.  What could possibly go wrong.....

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Morning all,

 

Goodnight of sleep last night, interrupted by a cat wanting in another room. Breakfast today was bacon, beans on toast, and sautéed taters. These taters are a worthy addition, and shall be staying. What you guys call a “muggartea” was also imbibed at the same time, this is very rare, as I was traumatized by tea when I was about 7. I was told it was good for you when sick, but it always made more sick. 
 

Currently outside it looks ready to start chuckinitdern, but you never know here. Pizza will probably be imported onto this premises for lunch, which I haven’t had since I was last in Santa Fe, back in March. 

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

And now - chicken wire, a pair of snips and a heavy duty staple/nail gun.  What could possibly go wrong.....

Sounds a bit stronger than the face mask instructions we followed....

[J. S. Bach]

22 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Morning all,

Goodnight of sleep last night, interrupted by a cat wanting in another room. ...snip...

 

Cats are the rulers of the universe; or would be if they had opposable thumbs.

 Besides, friend Douglas, I have a bone to pick with you; when shopping this morning, I ended up buying some potatoes to smash (something that I have not done in years). I will have to consider what I want in them besides being lumpy. Anyway, thanks a lot!! Oh, and the other problem is what to do with the turnip; smash it and mix it with the taters or slice and eat it raw. Decisions, decisions.

Edit: the taters might just not make to the smasher, I also like raw potato. Most veggies are good raw.

Edited July 10, 2020 by J. S. Bach
To correct a grammatical error.

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

No doubt I will return later as I shall be off to be chiropracted in the near future.

 

Chrisf made a very interesting point which I suspect most of us have never even considered.  Part of attending anything is the planning which goes into making the arrangements, sorting teh travel plans and so on.  That in itse;lf can be quite a task and for some of us a very interesting and enjoyable one even if we might occasionally cuss and moan about it all.  for example all our trips on the briny need a bit of attention to what teh ship is actually doing as well as what we are told it is supposed to be doing plus the making of various travel plans to take account of where we might actually join instead of where we are told we should be joining.  All of this can of course be interesting and time occupyting/mind using in itself so can become something of our life and even more so if we he get out more.

 

So alas the disappointment quotient can be affected, and increased in two ways, if the event is cancelled because not only do we not attend something we were looking forward to but all our careful planning and studying of options is as nought - time has been wasted or thrown away.

 

TTFN and maybe later a photo of my lunch time bacon!!

[Coombe Barton]

An app has been launched to support local pubs instead of Wetherspoons

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/new-app-launched-help-drinkers-18567494?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar&fbclid=IwAR2rJOtj4NBOr-K7-nf9AXjcIaRWF8DipCoal2o1p0z2v6jVhbYswYnKyhw

[Chris116]

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

Here is one for you, it holds 400 CDs and can act as a master to another one for a total of 800 CDs:

Put it on random shuffle and you would never hear the end.

How many houses would I have to sell to buy one of those? Looks as though it could need at least one mortgage and possibly more!

[jamie92208]

Back from Angouleme, the pool place is replacing the liner without a quibble. It should be here next week.   SWMBO thinks we should have a completely new pool.  I don't want to spend two days taking down the current one and another two days building a new one.

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Something hot this way comes,  or will, shortly as SWMBO,  is cooking a something in the kitchen. 

 

To be followed by home made rhubarb crumble with rhubarb from the garden. 

 

I stopped off at TES and Co,  absolutely chaos,  crowded back to normal lost grockle filling mode,  plus the locals can't find anything either.  Temporary freezers and chillers all over the place. Few wearing masks.  One way system gone,  but 2metre spacing tapes have reappeared to the new layout. 

 

The road is still closed,,  though I can see they've replaced a drain cover,  it just needs the tarmac round the edges.  Cars driving all over the place confused by the signage,  there's one outside at the moment,  trying to do a multi point turn.. 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Good Daft-a-noon all.  Welcome to POETS Day.  That which cannot be celebrated in my line of work.  However it is preciously close to Beer o'clock and as soon as Dr. SWMBO is awake from her afternoon snooze we shall adjourn with suitable refreshments.  Crisps (potato and corn styles), pork scratchings and honey-roast cashews are available as mop-ups for the liquid refreshments.

 

It hasn't felt like a July day at all.  Distinctly cold first thing with an icy chill though it warmed slightly when the large glowing orb appeared above.  Ocado is due within the hour and must now be added to my list of "Unexpected Modelling Material Sources".  They haven't started selling the rolling stock (though they can offer paneer ) but have become a handy source of superglue which the corner shop doesn't stock and which avoids the need for a special trip to somewhere bigger for a single item.  

 

Friend in Australia has vented her feelings on matters Melburnian. Her eldest turns 21 tomorrow (or is 21 today for those reading this south of the Equator) and they had a huge "do" arranged secretly.  Food and drink was to be fully catered, the marquee was hired, the band was booked and all the suits and dresses arranged.  Then along comes a second lockdown and everything is off.  Poor girl can't even meet anyone from outside her own home, never mind have a "big day" for her 21st.  We think her boyfriend might have had another surprise too - involving a circular piece of metal with glittery bits attached .......  Aussie antisocial media posts are blaming the unauthorised extra-curricular activities of guards on duty at a quarantine location.  In truth this might in fact be not the second wave they are speaking of but a previously-suppressed first round of infection.  Either way the numbers are still very small.  

 

I should probably seek inspiration from the freezer if we are to eat later.  All the best.  Stay well.

 

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

...I recommend versions (more expensive) with an electric CD loading tray. I have a vertical loader I bought many years ago, but these days all I could find was horizontal tray loaders.

I did make the mistake of purchasing a very inexpensive one. It was junk and I was remiss in taking it back to the shop before their return policy expired....

Many years ago, I read a report about the manufacture of CD players. Apparently, there are only a few manufacturers of CD chassis. The difference between a cheap and nasty supermarket special CD player and a top-of-the-line brand name CD player is simply the quality of the materials used and the quality control standards employed.  A CD player chassis that would be rejected for use in the top-of-the-line model could be utilised for the cheap and nasty version, Which had/has much, much lower QC standards.

As with anything mechanical or electronic, you get what you pay for. I have found, over the years, that buying cheap is frequently a false economy.

7 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Deep Fried Onion Rings or raw seal blubber for brekkies?   Not a difficult decision for this Bear.....

Raw seal blubber on toast? Sounds like an Ursine friendly breakfast to me. 

6 hours ago, TheQ said:

...The council have closed off the road to the two villages including the one I live in....

Did they ask permission NO,

Did they even tell us about the road works  going to happen NO...

This sounds so very, very British. Clearly, by “the council“ you are not referring to the democratically elected minor politicians that theoretically make all the decisions, but the unaccountable and unnamed minions in the various departments that supposedly answer to your elected representatives. It seems to me, that many council departments in the UK are no longer hiring the best  and brightest to serve the people that - at least on paper – they are meant to serve.  There are a lot of frequently amusing (and sometimes horrifying) anecdotal reports in the tabloid newspapers of “council incompetence” (not to mention the “Rotten Boroughs” column in Private Eye). One of the reports which greatly amused me was was that of the council (i.e. the council employees) that painted no parking yellow stripes on both sides of a 4 foot wide alley (Presumably this alley appeared on the council maps as a “Road“ and thus got road markings regardless of whether these markings were appropriate or not)

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

... The best way to fry bread in beef dripping is to melt the dripping in the pan then drop a dollop of the jelly from the dripping into the pan and drop the bread in on top of it. I will not be responsible for keyboards covered in dribble.

Sir! You are grievously mistaken! As a gentleman, I will not comment beyond saying that perhaps you have been misled as to the best way of preparing fried bread by malicious individuals who do not have your well-being at heart. As any true connoisseur can inform you, bacon fat is the one and only, true and proper frying medium for a crispy and tasty slice of fried bread. 

4 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Breakfast was a muffin with smoked back bacon, fried egg and cheese. A bit like the ones that McD's do but both SWMBO and I thought was better. I had a mug of tea while she had a coffee. 

 

On the subject of music, I have nearly given up with CD's and have about eight playlists on Spotify.... 

Almost any menu item prepared by a fast food outlet can be duplicated and at the same time improved on by the home cook. Just using high-quality ingredients will completely transform the eating experience, add to that culinary competence and... well, the results will speak for themselves.

 

I am no fan of either Spotify or iTunes, call me an old-fashioned curmudgeon if you will, but when I buy something, I like to be able to hold it in my hand (OK, maybe not soup or a concert performance, but you get the general idea). If I spend time and money building up an eclectic collection of music, then I want to be able to pass on that collection to whomever I want when I die. Something, I understand, may or may not be possible with electronic downloads (IIRC there was legal case about this sort of thing involving iTunes some years ago, I’m not sure how it ended)

2 hours ago, Simon G said:

I was glad that I had purchased a cordless drill from Aldi a couple of years ago.  It is a 20 volt one and has more than enough power for the shed screws.  What really impressed me was that it lasted a full day of shed assembly on a single battery charge....

There was a lot of snobbism about Aldi (and later Lidl) when they came to Switzerland (and I think it was also the case when they entered the UK market), however our consumer report magazine - K-Tip -  frequently reports in objective testing that Aldi and Lidl products are in the top five products in the tested category, if not top of the class.

Their relatively inexpensive power tools are a good alternative to renting tools for a one-off project. Not only, it would seem, the costs are similar, but you also have the advantage of getting a piece of kit that has not suffered misuse in the hands of previous renters. Clearly, such tools aren’t designed for heavy, repeated use, but they are a great way to get to learn how to use a piece of kit. And you can always upgrade later.

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

I read that as insulated! And, yes, I have had my morning wake-up beverage.

Perhaps two or more morning wake-up beverages are needed?

42 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

...Breakfast today was bacon, beans on toast, and sautéed taters. These taters are a worthy addition, and shall be staying. ....Pizza will probably be imported onto this premises for lunch, which I haven’t had since I was last in Santa Fe, back in March. ...

It sounds to me, young fella me lad, that you are in urgent need of Gastronaut training.  Beans on toast and pizza are all very well and good and most enjoyable comfort food when you enter the waist expanded country of middle age. But for a young fellow, I sincerely believe that you should be out broadening your culinary horizons. There is a huge amount of really good “Ethnic“ food in the US (Indian, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Southern US, Tex-Mex, West Coast Fusion, Japanese and even French Haute Cuisine - amongst others)  much of which very accessible and very affordable. Go and explore the tables of the world, young man. You have the advantage of functioning taste buds and a high throughput metabolism (Note that I did not include “Italian food“ in that list. Having experienced “Italo American“ cuisine in New Jersey and elsewhere on the east coast, I can safely state that it is but a travesty of real Italian food and best avoided).

 

Finally, a word of caution about raw veggies. Potatoes should never be eaten raw (especially if green or budding) they contain solanine which leads to headaches, nausea and vomiting and other GI problems; end of season rhubarb - especially the leaves - contains high amounts of oxalic acid - which can lead to kidney stones, convulsions and coma; many legumes contain nasty alkaloids and other toxins (e.g. phytohaemagglutinin in raw kidney beans or hydrocyanic acid in raw lima beans). And there’s one vegetable, cassava, that is toxic unless prepared in a very, very specific way (I understand Manioc is similar). In regards to Cassava, I wonder how many unwanted elderly, slaves, prisoners of war, criminals and heretics were sent to meet their maker before the Brazilians (the plant originates from Brazil) figured how to prepare it.

 

I’m now off to a cooked meat dinner, have a great evening.

iD

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The Spitfire this morning is explained thus:- https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/full-spitfire-flypast-route-nhs-18573231

It was circling to the south when I first heard and saw it, the second time I heard and saw it it was flying right over Basildon Hospital which is only a quarter of a mile from my house. It flew over the hospital at the designated time, 10:20 and I presume the first fly by was to ensure he flew over the hospital at the right time. I have to disagree with Flavio, beef dripping jelly is the nectar of the gods especially as the medium for frying bread or spread on hot toast.

1 hour ago, BoD said:

Afternoon all

 

Hope all are well.  Good to see Robert posting.

 

And now - chicken wire, a pair of snips and a heavy duty staple/nail gun.  What could possibly go wrong.....

Should be OK as long as your name's not Bob.

[BoD]

2 hours ago, BoD said:

 

And now - chicken wire, a pair of snips and a heavy duty staple/nail gun.  What could possibly go wrong.....

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

Should be OK as long as your name's not Bob.

 

Quite successful... only a couple of extra bodily orifices created. 

[Barry O]

Talking of which anyone heard from GDB?

 

The term "muffin" to me is a Large Blueberry filled cake.. I take it the McD and others filled with bacon, egg etc are not also full of blueberry? Sounds more like a small stotty cake.. not quite a Leeds Cake (bread cake) or Barm, or Bap or...well any form of bread bun/cake...

 

Well done BoD does the blood match the carpet??

 

Baz

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Chris116 said:

How many houses would I have to sell to buy one of those? Looks as though it could need at least one mortgage and possibly more!

 

I think I've still got a 300 CD player that I have not used for about 15 years. You can have it for twenty quid but you'll have to come and pick it up.

[BoD]

21 minutes ago, Barry O said:

 

Well done BoD does the blood match the carpet??

 

Baz

The carpet is Royal Blue.

 

....... of course it matches.