Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. No evidence of the scrote today. hopefully perhaps he's had an accident.  All I've done today is an eyelid inspection that took longer than expected. Time to put the dinner on, be back later.

[polybear]

This make for interesting (and somewhat scary) reading:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54793726

 

In other news:

My buddy Rupert turns 100 today (wonder if he got a telegram?):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-54280708

- and I wonder if he'll send me a bit of cake??

 

A fairly relaxed day today: cleaning up the conservatory, bonding the broken bits of render back into their respective holes around the window reveal (which will make life, and the outcome, a lot easier/better) plus a visit from Nurse Covid for yet another doorstep test (the first to tell me that the swab goes up both 'ooter 'oles, not just the one that all previous tests have been performed with - and seemed to work ok too).

 

Success in cancelling the RAC membership though they did talk me into staying "in" for a fiver, for which I get a few benefits including free recovery to a place of my choosing up to 150 miles in the event of an accident.

 

Tomorrow sees washing day and more of the window.  Hmmm....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

I seem to recall not really liking Rupert Bear stories when I was young. Though I didn’t like Thomas the Tank Engine either. 

[Andrew P]

I have to admit, we didn't do the doorstep, but watched it on TV as always, not the same without the the Veterans, but well put together.

 

We've just put = That's 70's Music channel on as it's started again outside.

 

Stay safe all.

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

I really don't want to poop on anyone's fun but fireworks really aren't that exciting.

 

I'm surprised in the last 20 years, they seem to have evolved 0 paces forward.  If they did something more exciting than just bang with some colour, great!  But most seem to do just that.  The most exciting ones have no bang but release some little lights that then whizz off for a few seconds, then fizzle out.

 

I'll be glad when this weekend is over as nobody should be using them then until New Year.

[Tony_S]

14 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

 

I'll be glad when this weekend is over as nobody should be using them then until New Year.

Diwali next weekend. Depends how many Indians live near you. Interestingly in India the government has been discouraging Diwali fireworks for a couple of years due to them affecting air quality. Laser light shows are preferred.  

[The Stationmaster]

31 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

I really don't want to poop on anyone's fun but fireworks really aren't that exciting.

 

I'm surprised in the last 20 years, they seem to have evolved 0 paces forward.  If they did something more exciting than just bang with some colour, great!  But most seem to do just that.  The most exciting ones have no bang but release some little lights that then whizz off for a few seconds, then fizzle out.

 

I'll be glad when this weekend is over as nobody should be using them then until New Year.

Regrettably that is not the case. There is nothing to prevent fireworks being set off on any day of the year although at most times of the year it is only possible to buy them from licensed shops.

 

The only restriction that exists nationally is that it is not permitted to set off fireworks between 23.00 and 07.00 except on Bonfire Night when they may be set off until midnight and on New Year's Eve, Diwali, and Chinese New Year when they may be set off until 01.00.  Local authorities may however apply more stringent restrictions if they wish.  There is also a strict limitation of the dates on which shops - other than those specially licensed to sell fireworks - are permitted to sell fireworks.

 

If I had money to burn and an an ti-social inclination a car journey of c.7 miles would bring me to a shop where I can buy fireworks on any day of the year on which they are opne.

[monkeysarefun]

29 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Regrettably that is not the case. There is nothing to prevent fireworks being set off on any day of the year although at most times of the year it is only possible to buy them from licensed shops.

 

They've been banned here since the '80's except for the Northern Territory.

 

No one misses them except a nutjob senator a couple of years ago who wanted to get them legalised again based on the fact that no other country bans them or something.

 

Got absolutely no support, I think as a country we've well and truly moved on from needing to let natures simpler folk in our society have access  to  small explosives that scare the dogs.

Edited November 8, 2020 by monkeysarefun

[New Haven Neil]

There were very little firework issues here this year, hardly heard any.  Not sure why that is, but there you go.

 

I can't really think of one outstanding thing as a childhood favourite, perhaps my maternal grandmother's sponge pudding, she was pretty good at baking.

 

Today was certainly driech, hardly got light, mizzly foggy dampness nearly all day.  So a lunch out, a little shopping (#sigh#) and a visit to friend Jayne to provide some support - the cottage next door to hers has been bought for development, turns out it is a knock down and build new (MUCH bigger) job, fair enough as it is derelict and not really viable to rebuild.  The builder wants her on-board for the plans so is offering to rebuild her garage/workshop as a sweetener.  So an informal site meeting - went well.  New occupant is to be a rather famous bike racer, no issue for Jayne as a bike racing fanatic - all well for once.

[The White Rabbit]

My interest in fireworks has certainly declined over time but even when I was a youngster, I was much more interested in the coloured lights than the bangs. Nowadays, I'll happily join in with the comments about reenactments of the Somme and do feel sorry for the wildlife and pets. I think round here, it's been noisier than usual this year, presumably as all the organised shows were cancelled and people are holding sessions at home. 

 

A very misty, murky sort of day, we could barely see more than a quarter of a mile. Finished off a new bedside table, this will give more space and hopefully reduce the risk of items being knocked off in the middle of the night. (BTW, anyone wanting a card table (the old bedside table) in reasonable condition, PM me...). By the time that was done, no time for the G word. Now, just catching up on the virtual ex posts and wincing at the thought of the Monday morning paperwork. I keep thinking I should extract the old digit and do something about selling some of the contents of the store cupboard, whether it's the old business' scenery bits or some of my old Brio and children's books. But there always seems something more urgent cropping up. Roundtuits... 

 

I saw the Poppy Appeal people in the local supermarket when on the resupply run, hope they did well, it must be difficult for them. I tend to be very selective in whose tin I'll put money in but am happy to make an exception for them. 

 

And finally, I don't know if Yorkshire mice have different tastes to those round the Stationmaster, but when we had a mouse problem a little while ago, ours had a particular penchant for peanuts (for the bird feeders) and we used a few for bait to considerable effect. 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

The only restriction that exists nationally .....

And the one prohibiting the use of maritime or other emergency flares in lieu of fireworks.  Yet this does not stop this kind of thing and every year false alarms are raised by the use of flares.

 

It seemed to be "the thing" in Australia - where fireworks are banned yet everyone seems able to get them - to let off all your old flares at midnight to celebrate the new year and allegedly because they carry 31st December as their expiry date.  Official displays aside there never seemed to be any shortage of fireworks from mid-November through to Chinese New Year around Melbourne.  The major nuisance was Christmas and CNY though plenty were to be seen and heard on NYE.  November 5th isn't a thing there.  Some ex-pat Brits took the tradition with them but it doesn't have any relevance to Australia and is seldom marked other than by those ex-pats and their descendants.  

 

The weekend is almost over.  Another long boring and sometimes, frankly, quite tiresome slog of nothing much. It is that which drives despair and depression, loneliness and worse in some folk especially throughout this virus thing and it is symptoms of those problems which we all need to be alert to in support of others and to keep a check of ourselves.  It has become harder through the year to get any replies from friends whether by phone, email or antisocial media channels.  No doubt they all have their own baggage to attend to.  But any trouble shared can be a trouble halved and despite not being in tip-top shape myself I am always willing to listen, share and be a friend.  For a long time now those messages of friendship seem to have fallen into a deeper and deeper void and are not being returned.  It does make me wonder why.  

 

Stay well, one and all, and this pestiference will pass.  

[PeterBB]

Seems to be that by the time of day one remembers that you were going to ring X,Y or Z it is too late in the evening to do so ... anyway that is my excuse and it has happened this evening as I spent too long on the virtual model railway show.  That in itself was very good and informative.

 

[simontaylor484]

The dreaded mist has lifted a little, cant see the usual distance from the window even the block of flats in the town centre has vanished for now but i can see the railway line

[BoD]

3 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

I'm surprised in the last 20 years, they seem to have evolved 0 paces forward. 

But the evolution up to that point was amazing.

 

Mrs BoD and I were just talking about fireworks of our youth.  

The most spectacular was the Roman Candle which hurled coloured things, Ooh, I don’t know, maybe 8 ft in the air.    Rockets?  Huh. Fired  from a milk bottle they fizzed up and then..... did nothing.  None of these spectacular bursts of today.   The star of the show?  The Catherine wheel, which no-one ever, ever, actually got to work. Nailed to a post so tightly it couldn’t rotate so it just spluttered around for a few seconds.  

As for health and safety, pah.  Bangers, no display at all just noise. We once , somehow, got some French bangers, they actually looked like the sticks of dynamite in all those westerns.  Incredibly loud too compared to the English ones.  London lights?  Coloured matches - either red or green I believe, but at least you could light them,  stick them in your bicycle pump and send them higher than a Roman Candle could.  And the most lethal of the lot - the jumping jack.  Hours of fun could be had sticking one of those under Grannie’s skirts.

 

And then one year someone bought a Starbomb.  It actually had a plastic spike on the bottom to be stuck in the ground, sent burning iron filings in the air for a few seconds and sent a ball up as high as the house which went bang louder than the French bangers.  Things were never the same again. 

 

In the Scouts we went to the local woods for a ‘wide game’  where you were actually encouraged to throw fireworks at each other.  
 

They are certainly more spectacular now. But more enjoyable?

Edited November 8, 2020 by BoD

[AndyB]

21 hours ago, polybear said:

 

The Beary angle:

1, Will you enjoy the job, even if you do get increased aggro?

2. How many years will you have to put up with the aggro in order to earn an earlier retirement?  Is it worth it?

3. Will the domestic authorities allow you to reliably bank the spoils of war in order to earn early parole?

4. Can you cope with the increased aggro without ill-effect?

Decisions, decisions....

 

All good questions. Thanks for getting me thinking. The health and aggro one is very much on my mind.

 

Other considerations being that my current contract is likely to end in the summer with no guarantee of extension. So kind of weighing up whether to jump ship now if there's a good opportunity available. 

 

There's also a major public service element to this opportunity which can't be neglected.  

 

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

First, I believe it’s Douglas’s birthday (Florence loco works), so Happy Birthday to him.

Thanks for all your support and thoughts over the last couple of day.

Been miserable here weather wise, just damp and foggy rather than cold. We took Mil out for a walk for a couple of hours and took a pick nick with us. Later SWMBO made some cards with Mil why I carried out an eyelid inspection and when we returned home I completed the VAT return and prepared the books to take to the accountants. I was considering some shed time but couldn’t really decide what to do so just did a bit,  and I mean a bit of tidying up.

As for tomorrow, I don’t know but at some point we’ll be taking Mil to pick up Harry’s possessions.

Goodnight,

Robert

[simontaylor484]

Having been a Council Employee there is definatley something about serving the  public especially when they can see you making a difference in our case cleaning the streets. I used to get a lot of job satisfaction picking 6 or 7 bin liners full of litter from a street and looking back up and seeing what difference you had made. I had previously been a transport manager and although i got nearly double the pay of the Council job there was nothing like the same level of job satisfaction 

Edited November 8, 2020 by simontaylor484
Spelling

[brianusa]

Another glorious Autumn day here in GH but very cold with a North wind which makes it worse.  At least there has been good news about grumpy trumpy; remember him, he who thought he might rule the world with his autocratic dictator buddies.  How are the mighty(?) fallen?  A kinder, gentler few years are hopefully in store for the world and who knows, the promised vaccine may appear.  And then what would that world talk about?   The possibility of a black female president of the Good 'ole US of A in 2024

    Brian.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

And the one prohibiting the use of maritime or other emergency flares in lieu of fireworks.  Yet this does not stop this kind of thing and every year false alarms are raised by the use of flares.

 

It seemed to be "the thing" in Australia - where fireworks are banned yet everyone seems able to get them - to let off all your old flares at midnight to celebrate the new year and allegedly because they carry 31st December as their expiry date. 

 

 

I recall a feature on Southern TV maybe 15-20 years ago now: a Boat Chandler was concerned that there were no regulations (apart from being an adult) regarding the sale or training for maritime distress flares.  So he decided to have a video made regarding their safe use.  The particular flare being used was of the type that fires up into the air.  Whilst demonstrating this and being filmed the (faulty) flare blew backwards out of the lower end of the flare body...and into his abdomen, where it carried on burning....

It was a long time ago now, but from memory the guy (he survived, incredibly) was in ICU for 6-9 months, and as you can imagine rather the worse for it afterwards.  They showed the film on TV, stopping it just before the flare hit him.  Bl00dy dangerous things when they go wrong.

 

[Coombe Barton]

... and space appearing ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/11/08/two-minutes-on-the-doorstep/

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[Tony_S]

11 minutes ago, polybear said:

Whilst demonstrating this

When I was at school a few demonstrations went wrong. The engineering teacher was showing what could happen if you didn’t fix the vice in place on a pillar drill when his forearm got slashed with much blood. Saved by technician. All the vaguely sporty teachers were on a mountain leaders course in Wales being shown how to use an ice axe to slow a descent when the instructor stabbed himself in the thigh. This time it was the engineering teacher who did the saving (he and his technician were in the TA) 

Our chemistry teacher once knocked over a hydrogen cylinder that started leaking.  Silly thing was the hydrogen cylinder was in an upturned stool and the nitrogen cylinder was in a proper stand. 
When I first started teaching the head of science seemed amused that I was following safety rules. He was a “bangs and stinks” type of chemistry teacher. 

Tony

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, BoD said:

But the evolution up to that point was amazing.

 

Mrs BoD and I were just talking about fireworks of our youth.  

The most spectacular was the Roman Candle which hurled coloured things, Ooh, I don’t know, maybe 8 ft in the air.    Rockets?  Huh. Fired  from a milk bottle they fizzed up and then..... did nothing.  None of these spectacular bursts of today.   The star of the show?  The Catherine wheel, which no-one ever, ever, actually got to work. Nailed to a post so tightly it couldn’t rotate so it just spluttered around for a few seconds.  

As for health and safety, pah.  Bangers, no display at all just noise. We once , somehow, got some French bangers, they actually looked like the sticks of dynamite in all those westerns.  Incredibly loud too compared to the English ones.  London lights?  Coloured matches - either red or green I believe, but at least you could light them,  stick them in your bicycle pump and send them higher than a Roman Candle could.  And the most lethal of the lot - the jumping jack.  Hours of fun could be had sticking one of those under Grannie’s skirts.

 

And then one year someone bought a Starbomb.  It actually had a plastic spike on the bottom to be stuck in the ground, sent burning iron filings in the air for a few seconds and sent a ball up as high as the house which went bang louder than the French bangers.  Things were never the same again. 

 

In the Scouts we went to the local woods for a ‘wide game’  where you were actually encouraged to throw fireworks at each other.  
 

They are certainly more spectacular now. But more enjoyable?

 

Picture this..

 

Saturday morning in the early 1970s. Having queued and paid to get in we are in the Empress Cinema Horden for Saturday morning films..the lights dim and .. BANG! A lit banger is rolled off the balcony.. cue chaos as the usherette appears with her flash lamp.. "Another one of those and...." BANG! ... usherette leaps into the air.. grabs the nearest urchin..and proceeds to rrag them to the exit.. my god, we knew how to have fun back then!!

 

Baz

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all