Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

After writing  yesterday's blog, felt a lot more satisfied that I have for a long time, prepared a load of veg for the freezer, did a couple of loads of washing, wrote some more on the books, had a good night's sleep and up on time for a Sunday.

Just hope that the feeling will continue.

Face it, I have to get on with stuff.

[PeterBB]

12 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

Do you mean Sumblers? Very good they are too, and all sorts of unusual game meats are available from them. Although (allegedly) they did get told-off for selling squirrel meat that wasn't correctly labelled. The label should have said "Warning, this product may contain nuts".

Rabbit was always our Saturday dinner.  During the rugby season it was come home from school at noon, eat and go back for rugby therefore missed if it was an away game.  I remember it fondly with lentils  and barley and, for those of you who know, edible.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.

 

Very still, overcast and autumnal feeling here this morning, the sycamore leaves are a foot deep in the garden with another zillion to go. Hateful trees, not autumn colours in them, they go from green to brown and ruin the veg beds! And....they are all we have on our boundary.  There is one ash next door but that looks like it has die-back, it may or may not survive.

 

Mrs NHN is off to archery at 11, there is dissent in the club after the 3D competition win was given to the guy using a compound bow, which should not be in the same class as the traditional recurve bare bow virtually everyone else shoots with - the compound is a more accurate weapon that is modern in concept and should not really be in the same competition unless it is declared as 'open'.  It wasn't.  One other guy has a modern recurve with sights etc that would be illegal in the class too, he is going to use that next time they shoot at the 3D course and see what is said!   Regardless, Debs was chuffed to have a personal best last Sunday and beat Lesley the world champion, who presumably was having an off day!  She came home with 'best lady' trophy too, but there's only 4 women shooting so not a huge field to beat.

 

OK, off to find something constructive to do, other than picking up leaves with the Stihl vacuum.  Until they leaves have all fallen its a waste of time but Debs likes the garden to be kept tidy - I don't do tidy.....bad at it.

[Simon G]

Morning all,

Yesterday's lawn mowing took rather longer than planned, as my venerable lawn mower decided to fall to bits half way through!  A couple of bolts had worked loose, then came out, so the fuel tank/airfilter/carburettor assembly almost fell off.  The bolts werent located despite a good search, so other bolts were found to secure the assembly back again, and the job was finished.  As the metal deck is also rusted through is a couple of places, I think that a new mower is called for.  The old one has done pretty well as I reckon it is over 30 years old.

 

Calm cold and dull here so far today.  Despite this, some outside tasks may be attempted.

[tigerburnie]

1 hour ago, PeterBB said:

Rabbit was always our Saturday dinner.  During the rugby season it was come home from school at noon, eat and go back for rugby therefore missed if it was an away game.  I remember it fondly with lentils  and barley and, for those of you who know, edible.

I used to shoot rabbits for a couple of farmers on a Sunday morning when I wasn't fishing, on the way home, passing a house the elderly occupants asked what I'd got, "Rabbits"..................."ooh we used to love a Rabbit" came the reply. So I handed one over, they insisted on a payment, so I said 10 pence to pay for the cartridge, I soon found a queue of pensioners lining up on Sunday mornings after that, they had to have their fur coats still on as apparently during the war some spivs used to sell cats to folks telling them they were Rabbits, that's why to this day I still find old fashioned game dealers selling rabbit carcasses with the head still on them.

[iL Dottore]

On 17/10/2020 at 08:52, polybear said:

.....I'll swear that most domestic kit is designed by a bunch of inbred twats whose primary mission is "to make it nigh on impossible to take this thing to bits...

I have mixed feelings about this statement, Herr Bär. I certainly agree that this is a deliberate design feature, although I think it is “six of one and half a dozen of the other” when it comes to the rationale for this approach. On one hand, it does prevent electrically and mechanically competent individuals from repairing something that is eminently repairable with the provision of a new part; but on the other hand, it does prevent incompetent, moronic and brainless cockwombles from getting into the guts of what could be potentially dangerous machinery. Presumably, company lawyers (many of whom who appear to think that  “erring on the side of caution“ is an act of reckless bravado) have instructed their engineering teams to prevent people from getting inside whatever item they are producing. I suppose much of their time is spent considering the possibility of seeing headlines such as “mother of three electrocuted by toaster“ when some foolish person uses a metal handled knife to unscrew the bottom of a plugged in toaster....

But whatever the reason, the end result is more things prematurely destined for the scrapheap, more arguably unnecessary utilisation of resources and, of course, more sales.

 

You know, it doesn’t seem all that long ago when anyone with a decent tool kit could repair most anything in the house, in the garden and on their chosen method of private vehicular transportation...

If this trend of replace instead of repair continues, I wonder how long it will be before a new generation of railway modellers will be binning their layouts and buying new ones because the old layout has suffered a points failure?

 

Or am I being unduly and excessively cynical and pessimistic?

[grandadbob]

No lawn mowing required here these days,  just a sweep up or hoover!  However I'm not even doing that at the moment as I think a few leaves strewn across the artificial grass make it look more natural.  

Edited October 18, 2020 by grandadbob

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

 

How will Brits living in France manage health needs once EHIC cards *may* no longer be valid?  Will insurance be necessary, or paying tax in France perhaps?

Health insurance over here is obligatory if you want to be a resident.  It's separate  from the EH1C scheme and has survived the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

 

In essence the French state reclaims pensioners health care costs from the UK where many of us still pay tax as some of us are classed as Government pensioners. We don't pay the French equivalent of National Insurance, called social charges. Those below state pension age have to pay Social charges for life.

 

The bottom line is that we are fully covered and get excellent care. Almost 100% Of health costs are either paid by the state or come back via the top up insurance.  Everyone going to access health care has to produce ID and proof of Insurance or pay up there and then.  A GP visit costs €25. However drug prices are very low.

 

Jamie

 

PS, just seen your remark about paying tax in France. We have become French taxpayers and this years demand was zero as my Police pension is taxed in the UK and they give me a credit for that coupled with the lack of social charges we are beter off.

Edited October 18, 2020 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I will be attempting to find a parking place in town today. The shops I want to visit are close together but the nearest car park is now part of a building site. I only support local charities, the local hospice and the Herts & Essex air ambulance, any others such as the PDSA get donations other than cash. Time for another muggatee, be back later.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Chrisf's mention of begging letters from charities brings to mind a potentially serious trap which can exist with such things.  While I very rarely receive such letters Mrs Stationmaster - who is in control of our charitable donations which means they all carry her name - receives numerous such missives.  They seem to invariably not only include a letter bearing her name and address but also come with some sort of bank authorisation form which you might simply chuck in the recycling but here be very careful.  Increasingly charities are also preprinting the name and address on the donation authorisation form and if you simply drop in the recycling it makes you an easy target for identity theft.  So either shred all the begging stuff or carefully check every everything  for names and addresses and shred or otherwise destroy them (I don't even put the torn up pieces in the recycling).

 

As for repairable I agree absolutely with Flavio but alas such is the fear of corporate lawyers and others that ease of access to anything electrical will lead to idiots getting into it and then taking them to court as a consequence of their self-inflicted injuries that we are stuck with the nanny approach.  

 

The nanny approach might also be what some apply to mitigating the transmission of the Covid contagion but here we face what has become a significant Catch 22 situation.  There is what amounts to some very simple rules/guidance to mitigate the spread and to be honest I don't really think they are a massive inconvenience for many people but countless people have consistently ignored them with the result that infection has spread.  if people won't obey simple rules then it is, i think, inevitably going to result in stricter procedures to reduce the spread and try to keep the hospitals functioning if not just save lives.  In the final five days of last week over 1,000 people were admitted to hospitals in north west England as a consequence of Covid infection.  In the same period that was almost 20 times the number admitted to hospitals in London for a similar reason and nearly 40 times the number in south west England.  Looking at in raw figures suggests that the situation in the northwest, including Manchester, is indeed serious and if people won't follow the simple rules what is the alternative way of protecting hospitals if nothing else?  Covid deaths are, fortunately, a small percentage of those infected but what is now called Long Covid is affecting in excess of 10% of those who have had the disease and survived - and it can last for months placing further demands on the NHS. 

 

anyway back to earth and today the management hopes to finish 'tidying the greenhouse while I am placed in charge of cleaning the vacuum of the ground floor.  fortunatelu y dust circulation caused by the drying out machinery has now ceased but I'm sure I'll be kept busy.

 

Have a good day everybody and stay safe. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by The Stationmaster

[BoD]

57 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

 

You know, it doesn’t seem all that long ago when anyone with a decent tool kit could repair most anything in the house, in the garden and on their chosen method of private vehicular transportation...

 

I refer the honourable gentleman to a previous reply made elsewhere ......

 

[Barry O]

I still have a Ford "take you car completely apart" spanner....

 

Baz

[grandadbob]

As a regular supporter of some charities I must admit I do get peed off with the additional begging letters from those same charities asking me to commit to direct debits etc.  I will donate when I want to and am able to and not when they want me to.  As Mike suggests I always shred these letters.

[Coombe Barton]

I shred everything with a name and address on as well.

Who knows what any codes mean

[BoD]

Why, with two weeks still to go to Halloween, are some people already decorating gardens, windows and doors?  
Come to think about why do people do Halloween decorations, fullstop.

 

Bah, humbug.

[Barry O]

and why pumpkins.. what is wrong with a Turnip Lantern.. Jack shine the Maggie!

 

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, Barry O said:

and why pumpkins.. what is wrong with a Turnip Lantern.. Jack shine the Maggie!

 

 

Baz

As a child in Somerset we had a hollowed out mangel (local cattle food I think)  with a candle in it. Not sure if it was for Halloween or Bonfire Night. I don’t ever recall any celebration of Halloween after we returned to live in the Midlands. It suddenly seemed to happen in the late 70s or early 80s as an outbreak of minor threatening behaviour. 

[BokStein]

8 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I don’t ever recall any celebration of Halloween after we returned to live in the Midlands. It suddenly seemed to happen in the late 70s or early 80s as an outbreak of minor threatening behaviour. 

 

And whilst on the subject of new "traditions", I'd never heard of the school prom more than 20 years ago?

[Tony_S]

26 minutes ago, BokStein said:

 

And whilst on the subject of new "traditions", I'd never heard of the school prom more than 20 years ago?

Or graduation ceremony from nursery. At secondary school it was something like "don't come back after your last exam".

[Coombe Barton]

28 minutes ago, BokStein said:

 

And whilst on the subject of new "traditions", I'd never heard of the school prom more than 20 years ago?

... which now means profits for boutiques, suit hire, florists, limo hire ...

 

... who's driving this?

[Rugd1022]

This just in from RugD1022 Towers.... William in the foreground and his younger sibling Tommy.... ''please sir, can we have some more...?''

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Simon G said:

Morning all,

Yesterday's lawn mowing took rather longer than planned, as my venerable lawn mower decided to fall to bits half way through!  A couple of bolts had worked loose, then came out, so the fuel tank/airfilter/carburettor assembly almost fell off.  The bolts werent located despite a good search, so other bolts were found to secure the assembly back again, and the job was finished.  As the metal deck is also rusted through is a couple of places, I think that a new mower is called for.  The old one has done pretty well as I reckon it is over 30 years old.

 

Calm cold and dull here so far today.  Despite this, some outside tasks may be attempted.

 

Is the metal deck available as a spare, or could it be repaired?  You may find that modern lawnmowers aren't what they used to be.....

 

2 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

I used to shoot rabbits for a couple of farmers on a Sunday morning when I wasn't fishing, on the way home, passing a house the elderly occupants asked what I'd got, "Rabbits"..................."ooh we used to love a Rabbit" came the reply. So I handed one over, they insisted on a payment, so I said 10 pence to pay for the cartridge, I soon found a queue of pensioners lining up on Sunday mornings after that, they had to have their fur coats still on as apparently during the war some spivs used to sell cats to folks telling them they were Rabbits, that's why to this day I still find old fashioned game dealers selling rabbit carcasses with the head still on them.

 

Where's Thumper......

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I have mixed feelings about this statement, Herr Bär. I certainly agree that this is a deliberate design feature, although I think it is “six of one and half a dozen of the other” when it comes to the rationale for this approach. On one hand, it does prevent electrically and mechanically competent individuals from repairing something that is eminently repairable with the provision of a new part; but on the other hand, it does prevent incompetent, moronic and brainless cockwombles from getting into the guts of what could be potentially dangerous machinery. Presumably, company lawyers (many of whom who appear to think that  “erring on the side of caution“ is an act of reckless bravado) have instructed their engineering teams to prevent people from getting inside whatever item they are producing. I suppose much of their time is spent considering the possibility of seeing headlines such as “mother of three electrocuted by toaster“ when some foolish person uses a metal handled knife to unscrew the bottom of a plugged in toaster....

But whatever the reason, the end result is more things prematurely destined for the scrapheap, more arguably unnecessary utilisation of resources and, of course, more sales.

 

You know, it doesn’t seem all that long ago when anyone with a decent tool kit could repair most anything in the house, in the garden and on their chosen method of private vehicular transportation...

If this trend of replace instead of repair continues, I wonder how long it will be before a new generation of railway modellers will be binning their layouts and buying new ones because the old layout has suffered a points failure?

 

Or am I being unduly and excessively cynical and pessimistic?

 

Very true, although I'm sure that those initial ten pages relating to safety that the instructions for every domestic appliance appears to have nowadays must surely cover the corporate ar5ses sufficiently?  Right down to putting those little plastic mouldings which cover those ever so sharp  three pins on domestic mains plugs....I wonder how many of those in landfill?  I wonder how long before car manufacturers make it impossible for owners to change car wheels in the event of a puncture - they've made it pretty pointless for many cars, since the boot is no longer capable of carrying a spare.....

 

One of the most thought provoking things I've heard in recent weeks came from David Attenborough:

The "one thing" everyone can do to help save the planet is "don't waste anything, don't waste electricity, don't waste food, don't waste power". 

Maybe the world will start learning to stop chucking easily repairable items into landfill, or wasting energy recycling them.

A certain Bear did try munching the cardboard packaging from Mr. Kipling Bakewell Tarts recently, in the hope that the very nice photo on the Box might just taste cake-like.  Sadly it was a step too far.

 

[Two_sugars]

My Granddaughter left school this year and her prom was cancelled because of yerknahwatt. . . She didn't care about the dress she didn't get . . .but . . . . "ah still want the

white "DOCS" (Martens). . . . 

 

There again. . . in the few weeks since she started College  there has been a more confident young lady . . .O.K. . she has dyed her hair (4? times) and had a couple of piercings  but she still like a day with me and not because I take my wallet . . .

 

What's driving the Prom thing? . . . Nowt but Profit . . .and copying the Merkins

 

Have a gud Sunday . . 

 

John

[45156]

5 hours ago, Andrew P said:

Don't forget the Big Cars, and expense accounts for the top people Chris.I

I worked for a provider of financial services to charities for about four years, back in the late 1980s and early 1990's.  I was quite senior there, and my clients included many, many major charities, as well as a lot more small ones.  As part of my work, I had access to the salary rolls of these organisations, from CEO downwards, and even back then, some of the salaries were absolutely ludicrous, and I was sworn to secrecy about them at the time by the operation that I worked for.  However, when I questioned this with my own boss, he replied that these were the sort of incomes which they could expect in industry or commerce, and therefore the charities had to offer similar figures and packages to "attract the right people" to head their operations.  I did (and do) wonder whether they were actually successful in their recruitment as I had to meet a number of these CEOs, and in many cases, I was pretty far from being impressed by them, and one or two were pretty nasty pieces of work, who were probably safer as far as their own tenure was concerned than they would have been in comparable roles outside of the sector.

 

Anyway, afternoon all,

 

First off, thanks for allowing me to moan about how I was feeling - I did appeciate the supportive reactions - and at least I now know that I live in a very high risk area - but I do wonder how this will affect me as I am already doing social distancing, hand washing, sanitizing, mask, and all the other acts bidden as a result of "the virus" - I don't visit the pub, making do instead with a bottle of cider or two, and a single malt (Islay normally) at home.  We live in a village where there have only been a handful of cases, so the very high risk - I doubt it will make a lot of difference. 

 

Many posts have not been read or rated, but the usual generic greetings are on offer to all fellow ERs.

 

Fodder run completed early, as I am visiting the dump tomorrow - no appointment needed any longer, just arrive and queue.  Also I need to get some coal while I still can - our coal merchant reminds me every time I visit that it will no longer be available after next May.  However, when I last visited, he didn't have any of the size that I require in stock, as his supplier hadn't delivered it, and it would be in on Friday.  Luckily the dump and the coal yard are very near each other.  I also need to visit Argos, which thankfully has now re-opened inside Sainsbury's (surprise) as out CD casette player, which we use most evenings, has died after only six months, and Amazon have been asked to send returns packaging and label - and as the return "window" was over, I found navigation of their website to be very very difficult.  Well they make the paying easy, so why should we expect anything else once they've got your cash.

 

Back sometime next week (perhaps tomorrow after the errands).

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

Rugby tickets
Lions v Springboks
2nd test 31 July 2021 Cape Town
This may be of interest to you. A friend of mine has two tickets in a corporate box for Lions v SA. He paid £300 each, but he didn't realise when he bought them that it was going to be the same day as his Covid postponed wedding. If you are interested, he is looking for someone to take his place.
It's at Pontypridd Registry Office, at 4.30pm. The bride's name is Megan, she's 5'4", about 8 stone, quite pretty, has her own income and is a really good cook.