Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Did some one call? 

Sorry about his thumb he's useless about taking pictures,  I spent a good part of the day sitting outside the boat tent,  supervising.

 

First he made a lot of noise sanding some clear stuff he keeps applying to the boat. 

The he covered that up with plastic and tape. 

At that point he got some smelly blue stuff in a tin and started painting that on,  he wasn't happy as it showed the cockpit edges need more sanding,  I wasn't happy with the smell and retreated further away. 

Then he got another tin of smelly stuff, white this time and put a very thin priming coat on around the hull edges. 

 

The one he calls SWMBO then took me for a long walk,  while he mowed the grass,  I'd have preferred to chase the black round things in the corners of the mower. 

 

Time I went to sleep. In the doorway.. 

Edited August 9, 2020 by TheQ

[southern42]

Wishing a Happy Anniversary to Mr and Mrs  Hunt.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

 

Polly

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from the fold in the hill which is gently sizzling in the sun; the lawn has gone very brown after a bit of footie on it last weekend; we haven’t watered it.

 

today I have taken the old goals which were rusted through to the top along with an old and non-working printer and cooked lemon and thyme chicken with various salad items.

 

now I am hiding from the sun. 
 

I have another couple of days off as I need a break from WFH. Mrs Lurker has decreed that we should take the opportunity to visit places that are relatively empty in case they close for good; so tomorrow we are going to the London Eye, which is a fully face covered experience but which won’t be obscured by mist ; we went for Younger Lurker’s birthday in December a couple of years ago and saw nowt!

 

mind you his elder brother was very keen on it when he was little and used to look for it when we went into town on the train. We decided to take him on it on his 3rd birthday; it went well until he got bored halfway round; “can we get off now?” he asked in a very loud voice!

 

gave a good day all and happy anniversary to the Hunts.

[The Johnster]

Greetings adoring populace from Johnster’s patio, safely beneath the parasol in the shade going through the postings on the eye of the phone phone.  Squeeze is generating pleasing domestic bliss kitchen noises and Ryanair Gran Canaria - Birmingham rumbled overhead about 5 minutes ago. It’s about as quiet as it gets in the backyards of the mean inner city streets, and The Johnster (for it is he), is in his happy place. 
 

We might fire up the chimanea fire basket later, after the sun goes down for that dung beetle to return it to the bit of sky over Risca, but the poor old thing’s on it’s way out; the bottom is about to burn through.  Intention is to replace it with a recycled washing machine drum.  

[iL Dottore]

52 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Did some one call? 

 

That is one handsome beastie and even if I had not known he was a pure bred border collie, you can tell by the intense stare, the body ready to leap into action and that “smile”

Looking at Ben face on and then looking at Schotty face on, whilst they both appear very similar, Schotty certainly has more of a “Labrador head” - especially in the ears. Schotty’s muzzle is black and, given his age, is now turning a distinguished “salt and pepper”

[Northroader]

Fancy doubting his existence, really...

[simontaylor484]

What a lovely looking dog 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Are my feeling towards those who messed with the water in this house we bought from New 

 

What a mistake 

 

 

I've long held the view that, were I ever to buy a new-build house, I'd wait until it was 5 or 10 years old before buying.  Let someone else "run it in" before me.....

 

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

Oh and I despair of Currys as well, as I bought a JVC telly there last week - only to discover that the brand has been taken over by DSG (ie Dixons Group, owner of Currys) and the quality has really gone downhill - I used to own some JVC kit which was decent, but the current offerings are pretty carp.  The sound was so poor (rattling and distorting) that we ordered a different make, and have just packed the old new one into its box and taken  it back for a refund. 

 

Were you successful with the refund?  Curry's have been known to have short arms and deep pockets whenever you mention the "R" word to them.

 

In other news, I heard today that the Sea Fury at Duxford nows looks very second-hand after a crash a few days ago:

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/plane-crash-duxford-sea-fury-18717041

There's video of the wreckage on youtube, and also of the take-off beforehand.  They'll need a lot of araldite to fix that mess.  Fortunately no serious injuries.

[simontaylor484]

I think some what you could call proprietary brands arent the same as they used to be such as Ever Ready batteries and Beldray ironing boards

[Tony_S]

View from the patio.

Very popular with bees this year. 

[BokStein]

OK,

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

That is one handsome beastie and even if I had not known he was a pure bred border collie, you can tell by the intense stare, the body ready to leap into action and that “smile”

Looking at Ben face on and then looking at Schotty face on, whilst they both appear very similar, Schotty certainly has more of a “Labrador head” - especially in the ears. Schotty’s muzzle is black and, given his age, is now turning a distinguished “salt and pepper”

 

Now hows about a piccy of the infamous wolf pack?

[iL Dottore]

16 minutes ago, BokStein said:

...Now hows about a piccy of the infamous wolf pack?

Your wish is my command. From left to right: Schotty, Frida (playdate and founding member of the BDWBA [Bad Dogs With Bad Attitudes ] posse) and Lucy

Although they don’t really play with each other, they play alongside each other and they enjoy each other’s company. Frida is the youngest and can be quite boisterous. Once, when Lucy was lying sunbathing, she bounced over to try and get Lucy to play. Lucy just gave her a cold, aristocratic, stare and raised her lip above one canine incisor as though to say “don’t even think of it“. Frida made a hasty retreat.

Like Mrs iD, Lucy is adept in getting her own way...

Edited August 9, 2020 by iL Dottore

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

I think some what you could call proprietary brands arent the same as they used to be such as Ever Ready batteries and Beldray ironing boards

I suspect that there are number of reasons for this. Firstly because people want items relatively cheaply, cost savings to maintain company profits are usually made with the materials; secondly, with people being exhorted to buy the latest and newest whatever every couple of years, items – even from many proprietary brands - no longer are necessarily designed to last; finally, and perhaps most importantly, many of the chemicals, manufacturing processes and materials that were once used are now no longer permitted for various reasons (environmental, health and safety, toxicity)

Edited August 9, 2020 by iL Dottore

[J. S. Bach]

19 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Today, I.e., Sunday, is our 51st anniversary  ...snip...

Dave

A belated happy one to you.

 

And in other news, we had an earthquake here this morning at 0807; the epicenter was about 150 miles north of here in Sparta, NC. It was rated at 5.1. Note that I did not feel anything but others at church did but reported no damage to their property.

 

[simontaylor484]

Some more.lovely looking dogs there Il dottore 

 

 

[Coombe Barton]

All these pics of dogs make me realise how much I want another.

 

But not yet - I'll have to retire first

[laurenceb]

Ben is indeed a bonny dog

50 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Your wish is my command. From left to right: Schotty, Frida (playdate and founding member of the BDWBA [Bad Dogs With Bad Attitudes ] posse) and Lucy

Although they don’t really play with each other, they play alongside each other and they enjoy each other’s company. Frida is the youngest and can be quite boisterous. Once, when Lucy was lying sunbathing, she bounced over to try and get Lucy to play. Lucy just gave her a cold, aristocratic, stare and raised her lip above one canine incisor as though to say “don’t even think of it“. Frida made a hasty retreat.

Like Mrs iD, Lucy is adept in getting her own way...

Lucy wearing her Lady Muck face

[Tony_S]

27 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

Ben is indeed a bonny dog

Lucy wearing her Lady Muck face

“Who does she think she is, Lady Muck?” Is a phrase I recall my mother using. Is it still used?

[Gwiwer]

21 hours ago, laurenceb said:

If you want to test your sense of humour, try swapping your mouse keys round

 

There is an internet meme which might or might not have any basis in fact which has it that an older customer purchased their first computer and discovered the letters were randomly distributed across the keyboard.  They spent some time arranging them from A to Z in order but had to send the whole thing back because they couldn't make it work and every word was spelled wrongly.  

 

There is another meme which has that story modified to the customer calling the support helpline.  Upon describing the problem it was the helpline operator who then advised the customer to switch everything off, unplug the computer and have it sent back.  "Why?" asks the customer " - is it that serious?".  "Oh yes" says the operator "It's an ID 10 T error.  I'm afraid if you get one of those you are not capable of operating this machine safely".

 

 

To business.  A belated Happy Anniversary to Mr and Mrs H.  I hope the weekend has treated us all well or well enough.  It has been hot here by local standards; it has even been hot by Australian standards where that definition is usually applied to anything over 35C.  Heathrow recorded 36.7C and we recorded much the same being barely a social distance away.  In short our activities have been somewhat curtailed by the desire to remain as comfortable as we can.  Gardens still need watering however though the weeding has to wait for cooler weather.  Birds have been fed and watered and bees also have their water dish topped up twice daily in these conditions.  Bees (and other insects) need water.  It's easy to leave a shallow dish on a ledge - or in our case the brick wall - with a pebble in the middle allowing them to land and drink safely.  

 

In other news SWMBO has muddled on through the heat with varying degrees of anxiety.  We have arranged for my sister and BiL to visit in September which nominally will be an outside event but if it's wet we may be obliged to adjourn indoors.  If that happens SWMBO may - just possibly may - agree to us sitting inside.  She isn't comfortable about it but it's also another month away and things still seem to be heading in the right direction around here.  

 

Former Neighbour (Upstairs) has cancelled three tea-and-chat dates.  She seems to be suffering from heat and anxiety herself.  Despite being a big fan of some hot places she does suffer heat-induced migraines and going by her brief comments tonight she currently has the second in as many weeks.  She is off back to mother's in Dorset in a few days until mid-September when she is due to re-start her teaching career up here after an enforced interval.  

 

New Neighbours (Various) are a-coming and going with the hot weather meaning we see much more of them than we might otherwise.  In every sense.  Not just because we sit outside on the lawns but because most people of most ages around here are cheerfully displaying their summer bodies.  Brief greetings and sometimes longer conversations are certainly helping to distinguish between those who might become friends and those who prefer to keep themselves to themselves.  

 

The weekend has come and has nearly gone.  I have time for a quick shower before attempting to sleep.  I managed to do that last night with the fan on full despite the noise that makes.  And I have freshly-laundered pillows.  It's not many weekends in London where you can launder decent (i.e. not foam-filled) pillows and get them dry outside the same day.  

 

Sleep well one and all.  I'll pop in tomorrow.  

 

 

 

 

[laurenceb]

Not heard it for years. We had a cross collie who would look down her nose at you, so we started callong it herlady muck face

[Barry O]

Garage has been "cleared"up.. Piles of items (mainly cardboard and wood) which are no longer required have been made.

 

Two tent like structures have been checked.. all parts are still in the storage bags - cricket equipment (junior) has been collected by youngest Herbert for use with the Juniors at his club.

 

I use " for plumbing "engineers" as most of them are really technicians not engineers.  The one who came back today had forgotten to tighten the fitting last week,  Plastic water piping has been in use for ages. It is quicker to install and costs a lot less than copper plus the use of blowlamps does cause Elf and Safety issues.

 

Time for a quick breeze around the rest of RMWeb.

 

Baz

[iL Dottore]

41 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

Ben is indeed a bonny dog

Lucy wearing her Lady Muck face

Wrong, wrong, wrong....

Lucy is actually wearing her Dowager Duchess of Grantham (as portrayed by Maggie Smith in the TV series) expression, as if to say “is that bought marmalade?”

No dog can do aristocratic disdain and dismissal like Lucy 

Edited August 9, 2020 by iL Dottore

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. No afternoon from Estuary-Land, I was sat in my chair when eyelids demanded inspection, when I woke up Arthur Itis gave me a kicking. A brace of codeine and an application of voltarol gel is sorting him out. Mention of our furry friends bought to mind this local news report:-

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-08-09/cyclist-finds-three-abandoned-puppies-left-in-cardboard-box-in-essex?fbclid=IwAR3ognyVGRiQtzFDyldOlcmtpLHD077yULb1c7JGrtKIshky9S-nyOv0zA4

It makes harrowing reading and it appears that they have been smuggled in to the UK, I hope that they recover and no doubt a suitable loving home will be found for them.

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

View from the patio.

Very popular with bees this year. 

 

View from my patio earlier today...

 

 

 

[Coombe Barton]

23 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Plastic water piping has been in use for ages. It is quicker to install and costs a lot less than copper plus the use of blowlamps does cause Elf and Safety issues.

Not as durable, though.