Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

Good moaning.  A very nice young man from a healthcare company came yesterday afternoon and fitted Beth up with her machine. Thatvwentvwell and we managed to conduct the whole procedure in French, with one use of the magic book, aka dictionary.  Also Beth needed veryblittle translation help. Her French is really improving. I had to assist with getting the thing fitted  at bedtime. I will await a report when she arises.

A neighbour rang yesterday to say that either the mayor or one of her family have tested positive. We will await further developments.

 

I have to make a trip out today for essential  supplies, the vineyard/distillery needs to be visited, along with the builders merchants.

 

Mick, I hope you back improves and good wishes to all those suffering  from bust ovens.  

 

Regards to all from a sunny Charente.

 

Jamie

 

 

[polybear]

10 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

I made a daft bid on a Heljan model and I've only gone and won it(gulp), so SWMBO has sort accepted the fact Santa might have come early, but the real problem is it's.......................a deezul, one of those smelly oil burning rumbly things, no place for water.........or coal it seems, a type 26 whatever one of those is, I recognise it as BRCW.................will I need to repent or something like that?

 

No problem, just so long as it's green.  If it's blue (or even worse, some garish explosion in a paint factory colour scheme) then the only hope is a repaint....

 

9 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I suppose we could even make cakes in the combination microwave oven. 
Tony

 

Panic over....

 

9 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Perhaps leaving it on the front  lawn might make it disappear!
Tony

 

In Essex that shouldn't be a problem.  Might be fun running a book to see how quickly.  Put Bear down for "under 24 hours"

 

9 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

Snap, so has ours, tripped the breaker just as the dinner was finishing, 15 years plus old, so I guess not too bad, we will have to do the online order tomorrow. pah is I believe the appropriate expletive.

 

G'night all

 

The timing is fairly fortunate though, as many sellers have started the dreaded "black friday" early (AO being one, I believe)

 

7 hours ago, newbryford said:

Busy day at work, but:

Couldn't decide if it was funny or not when boss' car got a parking ticket.........

 

Funny, definitely funny.

 

In other news:

Bear had a bit of a lie in this morning.  I heard the neighbour scraping his windscreen at seven, which is the first time this winter I've heard it.  A real bonus of being retired - I'll not miss that game one bit.

In a bit of flaky groove at the moment - I tend to do a bit on the kitchen in the morning but afternoon progress is usually zilch, though I'm often researching etc. via Google.  Must get my little fluffy ar5e into gear otherwise I'll still be doing this next November.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Frosty here as well and a couple of working neighbours could be heard scraping ice off windscreens earlier.  I too am glad I don't have to do that now especially as in the few years before she retired I was up at 4.00am to take The Boss to work.  A dry morning is forecast with light rain this afternoon.

In normal times around here the metal fairies would have lifted stuff the same day.  You would see two or three trucks "patrolling" the neighbourhood each day but since March they seem to have virtually disappeared.

A few more decs went up yesterday with one final small push today and then all the empty boxes etc will need to be put back in the loft.

Before that I need to go for a walk to the baker for bread only.  I was going to get some cakes but The  Boss is a making another apple cake so that'll keep me going for a couple of days provided the PBDDs* work.  

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

*  PolyBear Detection Devices.

[AndrewC]

Moaning all from the boring borough. Crabtree is off this morning. 

 

It is Friday. Thank fork. Only 21 working days left in the year for me. 

 

And now a poem. 

Roses are red, toilets are white. Take Milk of Magnesia and you'll be on one all night. 

Amazing how one can remember useless crap like that from childhood but not what I did last week. D'oh. 

 

A tad frosty outside. The shed roof is white. This is a good thing as it shows the new insultation is doing what it is supposed to as the inside temp is about 10c at the moment. 

More Hermes woes. Turns out one package from the missing trio was marked as delayed but will be delivered yesterday. It wasn't. Seems as though all the tracking information on Hermes website has vanished apart from the orange "delayed" message. However, the original tracking from Hermes relayed via Post NL is still visible. There is definitely something hinky happening at the Dartford depot. 

 

Little else to report. Unlike Tony, I BBQ all year round in all sorts of weather. I believe they call it character building stupidity. Tomorrow will be a 10 hour low and slow pair of pork shoulders for pulling. (shred for those not familiar with pulled pork) 

 

enjoy the day. 

 

[TheQ]

It appears my earlier posting got lost out there somewhere.. so some of this is a repeat.

 

A very good night's sleep, of nearly seven hours with a few wake ups but I was comfortable so no need to roll over..

 

Ben then let me get nearly an hour more sleep on the sofa before demanding out..

 

it's somewhat frosty out there, so a heater will be required in the garage where first efforts will be keeping more of the heat in the workshop area. The keel will then have to be moved, I've decided that there is a better position for the radio.. if there is room.  This will need a slight change to the routing of the wiring.

 

Time to put on the padded insulated overalls.

[jonny777]

Frosty? There's a word we don't use very much in Somerset. It's cloudy and raining here - nothing unusual really. 

 

Did you know that approx 10 to the power 45 photons are emitted from the Sun every second? Some of them on their way to make contact with the rods and cones in the back of your eyes. 

 

Lockdown is certainly allowing me to learn about stuff. 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, no frost (except a bear of that name) here, it is10c and hissing down - bike club day so of course it is raining.

 

Best wishes to those with new developments and arrivals.  

 

MIck, somehow I thought the situation wouldn't have changed with the calls, it really was getting annoying.  It has been suggested we were the victim of our own success, usually managing such short delivery times but one would hope that our customers would understand the covid issues - some hope! 'Pah' !!  Still, no more, it was good while it lasted!

 

Diseasels are OK, provided they're not those horrid modern ones with scribble on the side.  Having looked after large diesel engines in my first career I have an affinity for them too, but I am a steam man at heart.

[AndyB]

Morning all

A frosty one here. 

Hoping to get the folding and gkuing bits of card project finished this weekend. 

Noticed that the local tip now recycles books.  So that's another category of stuff from the oaken talk home that can be dealt with.  

There's a final couple of categories to cope with.

 

First of all Dad's shed where there are tools and detritus going back to my grandfather's day. I've not been 8n the shed for some years now as it was too tricky to think about. 

 

Second a bureau full of personal papers, including everything from junior school reports that they kept to newspaper cuttings about my sibling. I'm guessing these will all end up archived chez moi. 

 

 

 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

I think we had a little overnight rain, as it’s damp outside but no puddles! It’s Friday so that means I’ll shortly be heading off to the butchers to collect the weekly meat rations and hopefully a pastie for dinner. Once I’ve packed away all the rations I’ll have a second muggertea before heading off to the Trafford Centre.

 

After dinner I’ll finish making the fruit tea loaf I left soaking overnight, that should the kitchen smell nice for a couple of hours! After that, there are no firm plans, probably reading or doing some research. 

 

The fireplace in last nights post is hopefully the last one I’ll ever need to do! I’ve stripped and either polished or painted all the fireplaces in the house and this one makes it 8! Yes that’s correct 8, one in each bedroom (4) one each in the living room, dining room and finally one in the big cellar room, that will need a little bit of work doing to it, thankfully not stripping. 

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

 

Brian

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, AndyB said:

Noticed that the local tip now recycles books.  So that's another category of stuff from the oaken talk home that can be dealt with.  

Think about local care homes if appropriate - there's a lot of bored people who have been through their libraries a number of times and may appreciate something new.

[Barry O]

post office visited. A lot quieter out and about today.

 

Her indoors has been attacking  the  hedge between us and next door as our next door neighbour moves out next week. Her indoors 1 Hedge 0.. she can g et vicious with a pair of hedge clippers!

 

Time for a mugadecaff methinks.....

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Up a bit late this morning, overslept a bit. The sore ankle kept me awake until I took a brace of co-codamols then I went out like a light. Good news is that the post has finally arrived, no nasty surprises and the only bumph was trying to get me to sign up for a mobile phone. I already have five mobile phones, thing is they are in the same condition as Monty Pythons parrot, dead! Thats because I used them so little so I've concluded that I don't need one. A visit to Tess Coes is in order otherwise I'm on a severe diet over the weekend. Last time I was there they had a special offer on their 'finest' mince tarts, they are really very good as those that I purchased early in the week have gone.

[southern42]

' morning all from red dragon land.

No sign of frost here: 10C.  It is, supposedly, drying up around lunch time with dark cloud still hanging around.  Since I will not be venturing out further than the recycle bins outside the front door this afternoon, no worries.

 

First sign of the *C* word arrived yesterday - a pair of (his n hers:) divine chocolate Advent Calendars:  dark for me, milk for him.  So, all set for December Day 1.

 

Lots of little jobs to get started/done so I had better get a move on.

 

Fitt  n  Elfie* working up to the big day...slowly, they tell me. 

Take care and play safe.

_________

Best wishes

Polly

 

* Was it me seeing things or the system gremlins that mixed up these little fellas, yesterday?

     

Edited November 20, 2020 by southern42

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

Think about local care homes if appropriate - there's a lot of bored people who have been through their libraries a number of times and may appreciate something new.

Also hospitals and churches as well. They will be glad of things like books for sales etc. Once we've all been vaccinated of course.

[New Haven Neil]

Still sipping down, but we put the world to rights at the club, so all is well.  Ish.

 

A little shopping done, moolah out of the pressybank, and that's me in for the day I think.  No incentive to go down to the garage when it is so miserable, it is quite windy now so heating it is a waste of fuel.  Its OK on a reasonably still day, I use a kerosene fired fan heater, works quite well and economical to run.  it also has built in CO detector etc so is safe, they use these in Japan a lot for domestic heating.  It is a Japanese product.

[tigerburnie]

Well what a morning, went to order a new oven, Currys site crashed(apparently due to demand for the new playstation(whatever one of those is), finally got it ordered, arrives next Tuesday, so a weekend with no grill or oven. Been sat in front of the fire toasting bagels for SWMBO lunch, took me right back to the 1950/1960's during the frequent power cuts when we made toast on the fire. Used to do jacket tatties in there too, might give that a go. Tonight's dinner will be something ending with a "ding".

Mr Bear the the BRCW is indeed of the green and small yellow bits variety, so can be weathered with some soot from an adjacent steam loco to make it look a proper job.

[Gwiwer]

14 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Milk of Magnesia (in a small blue bottle?) seemed to be in my parents medicine cabinet. I never knew it had laxative properties, I only recall my Mum suggesting it for indigestion.

Absolutely.  It was always produced by mother from the medicine cabinet if we complained of stomach aches as children.  Just as Vicks was always produced when we complained of stuffy noses.  I employed some of the latter last night to assist sleeping after a day of intense de-snottification and it seemed to do the trick.  

 

Should I tempt fate and discuss ovens?  Ours was replaced two years ago after the glass door shattered mid-roast.  Very fortunately it was the outer layer of glass which went not the inner meaning the roast was still enjoyable though took a little longer to cook than I had planned.  I turned the temperature down a bit just in case.  

 

The dribbly nose has abated significantly - not quite completely - and all seems to be well in that department.  I suspect it was an irritant of some kind rather than a common cold as I had not felt unwell at all.  Precautions taken were hourly temperature checks, regular taste checks and consuming copious amounts of water.  SWMBO offered me the precaution of a large kebab with chips, delivered to the door beautifully hot and fresh and enjoyed with a beer from the bedroom "cellar".  

 

Official paperworks were attended to yesterday to meet today's deadlines.  Today is therefore me-time until 17 o'clock when Friday Drinks will be declared.  I sall shee youZALL L8er   

 

[polybear]

5 hours ago, grandadbob said:

I was going to get some cakes but The  Boss is a making another apple cake so that'll keep me going for a couple of days provided the PBDDs* work.  

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

*  PolyBear Detection Devices.

 

Ahh yes, PBDD's....

Sometimes employed by skullduggerous individuals in the mistaken belief that they will deny poor Poly of his spoils.  Poly got wise to such dirty lowdown tricks many moons ago and developed PBDD Jamming Devices, which not only render such gadgets useless they also give those wielding them a severe case of the galloping trots.  Game on.

[Ian Abel]

POETS, again, works for me...

 

Yesterday the Long Island client confirmed their Financial Statement for October was correct/finalized, so they essentially seem to have gone and hidden in a bunker!

 

Nothing else happening here, the evening saw a very complicated (think 40+ people, many in an age demographic AND techo demographic that means they are clueless - but lovely people) Zoom attempt to get the choir together for a "party". Nice to see folks I've not seen for almost 9 months or more now. Heartwarming, but also sad as we all LOVE singing together and that's looking like we won't be together as a choir until mid-2021 at the earliest

 

Self-isolating means we've nothing planned for the weekend other than a couple of Zoom meetings with friends and family. Grocery delivery today between 2-4Pm, yay.

 

-2 first thing, +5 and overcast the forecast.

 

Hope the weekend starts well for everyone.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Ian Abel

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Very chilly in workshop garage, heater on,  so I set about filling gaps between the corrugated roof and the partition walls I've built. That foam I've been bring from work came in useful again, cut into triangles and squeezed into each ripple.

 

The pedestrian door to the outside world also had some gaps sealed by frame adjustment, there is more to do.

 

Any aircraft landing with no damage to aircraft or persons is a good one.. The same applies to getting a keel off of the bench..it wasn't elegant, nor as easy as I'd hoped. But it it was achieved without damage to me or anything else. The bench is now sighing in relief, having  unloaded it, the dip under the weight, it has slowly risen up ..

The keel is now standing up the right way on its own.

 

The rest of the bench was cleared, and the wall round the window boxed in. The area where the radio was fitted is now clear, it's an obvious place for wall storage, but it's a long reach, so what to put there?

 

The radio is now mounted on the shelf above the chair, , it required modification to one vertical of the shelving unit, by shifting just the top, to the right by 2 inches.

A double socket was inserted into the ring main at a suitable point for the radio. Reception isn't fabulous, but I noticed it's got a socket for a 300ohm aerial so one has been ordered.

 

Then  two cross beams were cut and fitted to the roof main beams for the future lifting point. Two small sections of ceiling  panel were fitted..

 

We have outside 4 failed tumble dryers or washing machines , awaiting end of covid, for me to take them and some batteries to the scrappy. A raptor  has decided it's a good place to sit and eat.....rats

It on its second one in three days.. we're happy for it to keep on eating..

 

 

 

 

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

Anyone else felt the cold today?

 

Been great catching up with everyone's lives - what a great way to see what others are doing.

 

Today has been fairly boring.  Waited around for work - it's the only problem with the late shift.  But I have a good few weeks ahead with work and I'm excited to start decorating for Christmas.

 

Anyone who puts decorations up in November...  I despair!

[simontaylor484]

Talking of stuff coming out of your Mums medicine cabinet reminds me of Savlon disinfectant that came out every time we had cut ourselves. It was worse than your injury if you fell over you got home it was a hot bath with that stuff in it jeez did it sting 

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Congratulations to Mick and the proud parents.

 

No frost here today and none forecast overnight so I doubt I shall hear the GD scraping her car windscreen just after 06.00 preparatory to setting off to work and i see that she has helped herself to one of the cans of de-icer that I keep kept in the hall ready for easy access when needed.  No need to bother with clearing the editor today but instead I can moan about the dumbcluck idle git of a milkman who decided the best place to leave our milk was in the middle of the drive just inside the gate.  Clearly he was too effin lazy to open the front gate and walk 25 feet to our front porch - I blieve herself has maf de hos management aware of her displeasure.

 

Talking of shifts I must admit to always being rather fond of late turns - morning free to do whatever without getting up too early and money saved because one could hardly go to the pub especially if your job didn't give you a chance to nip across the road for a swift half etc.  Early starts I have never liked one bit although at one stage when I was covering three jobs in the course of a rather long day it worked out that I was actually being paid night rate for lying in bed as the site of my Home Station required me to rise pretty early to catch an 05.15 ECS train to my first job of the day whereas said job was actually a brisk 10 minute walk from home so I didn't get up until after 06.00   I didn't mind nights either and definitely preferred them if I was working 12 hour shifts as they avoided the need to get up early.

 

I am commanded to createa fire in the wid burning stove so I had better head that way.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe.

[Mike Bellamy]

12 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

 

Talking of stuff coming out of your Mums medicine cabinet reminds me . . . . . . 

 

 

Trying to gargle with TCP for a sore throat . . . . . . 

.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The bright sunshine this morning has been replaced by wet and wind. Just as well that one of my neighbours was having his TV aerial replaced as I went out to Tess Coes. I decided to have a little flutter on the Euromillions, 116 of them tonight so fingers crossed. 

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Ahh yes, PBDD's....

Sometimes employed by skullduggerous individuals in the mistaken belief that they will deny poor Poly of his spoils.  Poly got wise to such dirty lowdown tricks many moons ago and developed PBDD Jamming Devices, which not only render such gadgets useless they also give those wielding them a severe case of the galloping trots.  Game on.

They are called jamming devices because they use jam. Not any old jam though, its the stickiest most glutinous jam that its possible to find. The idea is that it is concealed within a cake but in such a way that as soon as a bite is taken it squirts out in all directions together with other cake contents such as cream. It also sticks like sh!t to Polybear fur so that he twists himself into knots trying to lick it off. We now have to devise a similar deterrent to prevent hippo's from decimating cake supplies.