Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[newbryford]

Big lie-in - done.

Bought some stuff on ebay - done.

Listed some stuff on ebay.

Sunday roast - done.

Superbowl LV - done.

 

A good day.

 

Off to bed - up in less than 5 hours.............

 

 

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

I think the issue with draconian measures is that will feed their paranoia but like you I do like the ‘Scandinavian initiative’, a sort of carrot rather than a stick.

Oh, absolutely! However, one could argue that as they are already paranoid about being controlled by whomever, then we should satisfy their fantasies and really give them something to be paranoid about.

The whole purpose of the exercise would not be to convince the diehard anti-vaxxers that they are wrong, but to stop them from spreading their poison to the undecided and the uncertain.

7 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

... and I'm not THAT stupid ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/02/07/a-year-since-a-dog/

Idiots will be idiots, no matter what. But what I really liked about your post was the tribute to your dog. It did bring a tear to my eye.  They may be gone, but they are never forgotten.

4 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

...I’m not sure I can convince cousin that what she is reading isnt scientifically based but if pushed I’ll bang my head against the brick wall...

Shouldn’t that be “I’ll bang her head against the brick wall?“ 

 

Some very intriguing posts about “mystery meat“ in ready-to-eat produce. Which makes me thankful that I rarely, if ever, eat ready made meals. To be honest, if I was desperately hungry I would eat one of the tins of dog food that I buy for the Wolfpack. The reason being, having researched how they make petfood (Lucy sometimes has a sensitive stomach, so we need to be careful about what goes into her meals), I have found that the quality control of the meat they use and the sort of meat they use to be better than what is permitted in human food (if you don’t believe me, just google what goes in to an allowed-for-humans “meat product“ I think you’ll be horrified).
 

Okay, petfood is mostly offal (and some of the types of offal used are rarely consumed nowadays by humans outside of a haggis or a traditional fagg0t), but it’s a mile away from the reclaimed meat that they blast off bones with high-pressure water jets for use in “meat products“. Having tried some of the Wolfpack's food, I do find that there are two drawbacks with them: firstly, they are not seasoned at all and secondly, they are sometimes gritty - presumably due to the bone meal added to the mix. There is one brand, however, that with a bit of judicious seasoning and a tiny bit of alcohol could pass for a human designated Pâté, so good is the base product.
 

Up early this morning, unfortunately due to pain in various bits of my slowly a decomposing corpus.. But now the Voltaren seems to be working so I will have me a bit of a snooze before getting ready to work.

 

Enjoy Monday

 

iD

[leopardml2341]

Awake at stupid o'clock (again) so cuppa time after 2hrs trying to go back to sleep.

 

I'm tired and somewhat dischuffed and I really feel like saying what I think about covidiots and vaccine deniers. However, discretion is the better part etc.

 

Hopefully I will manage a few more minutes shut eye before the 07:00 alarm call and the start of this week's circus.

 

Hope that today brings nice things for one and all.

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

There is snow, but only a dusting.  If it stays like that I shall be relatively happy, for I need to venture out later to fetch my meds and to buy my lottery tickets.  Something tells me that we have not seen the last of it, the something being the five day forecast on Radio 4 presented this morning by Nick Miller.

 

Thanks one and all for the birthday greetings for my aunts.  Having checked with cousin 88C yesterday I now know when their birthday actually is - Thursday 11th February.  It is a date that I have always had trouble in remembering.  It doesn't help that the dear ladies had a grand official 90th birthday at the end of March 2014 which does tend to stick in the mind.  I may have more to say on the day itself. 

 

The cluckbird was duly roasted yesterday.  Some of it was devoured and the rest dismantled prior to inclusion in future meals.  I happen to have a jar of rogan josh sauce which could come in handy.  I am no aficionado of curry as such, mostly due to cowardice.  Some curry houses are reputed to add spices with a shovel rather than the recommended pinch, which tells you how much I know.  After some timid experimentation over the years I have found that I can cope with korma but the higher octane stuff is a closed book and I am wary of subjecting my alimentary canal to it.  The downside is, of course, that I miss out on some social opportunities. There is probably a very simple solution.  Kill or cure, perhaps?

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Why does the back up battery in mains powered fire alarms always run out in the middle of the night? PAH!  New battery now fitted.

 

 

No point trying to convince coviduots.. but peryaps we just need to say.. when you catch it.. tough...but that is a simplistic view from and engineer. Proble,m is some people only hear what they want to hear .. the mantra is.." no vaccine means you will die a horrible death".. why should the NHS have to support these people?

 

In other news..it has snowed..well enough to cover the pavements to a depth of about one snowflake.

 

I have a trip to the opticians planned this morning (cornea thickness tests and to collect my new giglamps. A couple of Zoooooom meetings for later in the day.. but first.. a mugatea!!

Stay safe, try and grab Monday and get the best for you from it!

Positive thoughts to all ERs.

 

Baz

 

 

[Gwiwer]

[45568]

Another one for Chris F....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-08/sa-freeway-koala-rescue/13132506

 

Cheers from a cold wet WestOz,

Peter C.

[leopardml2341]

Mornin folks.

 

No more sleep achieved, beware world......

[jamie92208]

2 minutes ago, 45568 said:

Another one for Chris F....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-08/sa-freeway-koala-rescue/13132506

 

Cheers from a cold wet WestOz,

Peter C.

We need a cuteness icon.

 

Jamie

[AndyB]

Morning all.

Definitely a chilly day today. Too dark to determine if it snowed in the night.

 

Pasties. One of the best I've had used to come from a bakery not so far from my lab (circa 1990s). Short crust pastry, not the greasy puff pastry with an inch wide rim that seems to be the norm these days.

 

The worst was from a company professing to be a "real" pasty company purchased from what Rick would dsll the House of Fun. Biting into it I was greeted by a long, sinewy, chewy bit of lamb/grissel which refused to be divided into bite sized portions. The end result was an unsightly mess. Shudders.

 

And on that note....let the week commence. 

 

[AndyB]

13 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Vest and shorts? 

I thought it was Neil who was from the North East. 

[Grizz]

Woooooohoooooo........it’s snowed.....

 

.......sorry for that outburst. But it is finally cold and dry, not cold and wet. Might not sound like a great deal of difference but personally it can make the difference between where I can breathe properly or not. 
 

So it got below freezing last night in this part of East Sussex, so that the few flakes of snow ( not snow flakes....we’ve millions of them)..didn’t melt.

 

Nothing that the good old Land Rover Defender can’t deal with though, providing it decides I need to go out to work today. The few little flakes of snow that we have had are like dust, which reminds me of a year or two into my BR employment,  the infamous corporate suicide statement...”It the Wrong Sort of Snow”. Poor bloke I wonder if he ever lived it down? 
 

Out with the tamper today doing some S&C tamping, if the crew can get in. Will send a photo if I get a chance....or more importantly there is anything like a signal out in the boomdocks. 
 

Have a great day all......and remember “Let’s be careful out there”. 
 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a rock with no temperature.  Highly unusual to be so cold here, but it is dry.  If it does snow it'll 'stick' as us northern types say.  

 

Grizz, as I'm the wrong side of 60, no shorts here! (actually my legs are not shorts approved, too hairy!)  I do have a T shirt on though. Is there any other sort?  Retired office bod avoiding formal wear for the rest of my days.....

 

Not sure what today will bring, Mrs H deposited for her bus is about the excitement.  I do have to speak to my GP on the tellingbone for meds, face to face would be nicer as the current locum is rather easy on the eyes, and she is a most pleasant girl.  #sigh#

[Kelly]

Morning all. Hope everyone is well? if not, best wishes and speedy recoveries as appropriate.

 

This morning wasn't quite as cold as expected in Nuneaton when taking Richard to work at around 6am. However, by the time we got to Daventry, it was -1c and snowing fairly heavily (0c and no  sign of much snow in Nuneaton/past Coventry). Getting out of the car park at his work was 'fun', all I'll say is I was glad of the stability management at one point. Hopefully by the time I return this evening to collect him (assuming it doesn't snow here in the meantime of course) they'll have gritted the car park and DIRFT roads...

 

On the subject of Richard. Tomorrow was provisionally supposed to be his cataract surgery date, but I'm doubtful that'll happen as he was supposed to be told to go get a covid test 3 days prior when they've got a confirmed date. Of course, understandable that it isn't likely to happen what with the pressures  on the NHS, etc, but equally understandable how fed up he is not being able to see to do one of his favourite things - reading -, though he can at least see to watch TV, which is still an improvement over pre-retina surgery in August. Positives however small and all that.

 

Anyway, now to have a cuppa and some toast and look at doing a  bit more UPDate related DTP whilst I'm awake. Hope everyone's day proves to be a nice one.

[jamie92208]

HEALTH WARNING, VIEWERS OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION SHOULD LOOK AWAY NOW

 

Whilst sorting out some photos for another thread I came across this specimen.  What do you call a group of ER's.   For various reasons  a group of us met for lunch one day in the Princess of Shoreditch for a pub lunch.  For the newer members of ER's here's a picture of what, for some very obscure reason was called  "The Brains Trust"

From Left to right, Flavio (Il Dottore), Chrisf, John (Bok Stein), Yours truly, Bill (BBishop), Mike (The Stationmaster) and Ian (Roundhouse). The table decoration is a chimbley for Green Ayre that Flavio had built and brought over from Switzerland for me. The date was the 11th November 2016.

 

Jamie 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

We've had a very light dusting of snow which hasn't even fully covered the road but it looks icy.  Further snow flurries forecast and it's currently -2°C.

Certainly won't be going out today so nothing much doing apart from two Zoom meetings this afternoon and this evening with friends.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[polybear]

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Cousin, the COVID idiot has been doing her best. Her mum’s definitely not having the vaccine and I think mil has decided against it.

 

 

Bear admires your self restraint and calmness in the face of adversity.  Faced with a similar situation Bear would most definitely offend Cousin.  Should the worst happen to mil (and of course I hope it never does) then cousin will have something to think about...

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Shouldn’t that be “I’ll bang her head against the brick wall?“ 

 

 

It's white outside, though not nearly enough to build a Snow Bear

I feel a phone call to JL approaching rapidly (they open at 8) to report the missing cooker hood chimney; the box doesn't appear to have been opened and resealed at any time so the error must've most likely happened at the Neff factory.

Then it's filling walls (which is ok) but then of course Bear will then be faced with some sanding of filler no doubt (that's not ok).  Bear will try his very hardest to get the filler nice and smooth right at the outset.....

 

Bear is struggling with a problem.

After coving & painting the ceiling I'd ideally like to be priming, sealing & lining the walls (with Wallrock)  and painting them.  However.....

I can't have the primer-sealer & paper where wall tiles are to be fitted.....I can't fit the wall tiles until the worktops & upstands are fitted......which of course require the base unit cabinets to be fitted.....  Whilst I can have a pretty good idea where the tiles will go (and paper accordingly) it'll not be an exact science.  There are one or two areas that don't have tiles so can be papered, also some areas where the paper ends behind a wall cabinet can be done.  The idea of working on a step ladder above newly fitted (and expensive) cabinets and worktops to fit wallpaper doesn't fill me with glee.  Ponder mode engaged but struggling....

 

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple hare,

1 hours sleep, 2 hours awake, 3 hours asleep, wake with pain from right knee, pink pills taken, 1 hours semi dozing.. I',m Knackered..

 

Cold? too right is is.. Ben the playful Collie wanted to play games out there... No chance.. the wind has dropped to 47mph and it's still snowing.. -2C that's a combined "feels like" of -12C

 

Went to Land Rover 110 Not a Defender , to drive in to work... Click... yep and that was it.. I suspect the battery has decided it doesn't like the cold..

 

So the car was used to drive into work, no real problem, except the usual mix of exceedingly slow drivers in snow and the guided missiles at stupid speeds. As it was the journey in took an hour instead of forty minutes. The snow is 1/2 inch on the roads at home, to maybe 2 inches in Norwich. The big problem is the frozen puddles which are covering up to half the road under the snow, causing a sudden loss of traction..

 

The south of the county has more problems, the A47 being closed at Gorleston which will cause chaos..  One of the guys lives there, very near the closure, as his wife works at the James Paget Hospital.. I doubt we'll see him today..

 

The outer lab move today , that's their  storage area and possibly their desks, back to the section of building that has been re ceilinged. The section of 5 desks that I belong to , start moving tomorrow, by which time I hope to have finished this temperature meter.

We will be moving to the new area permanently, with the reduced number of Engineering staff.

When musical chairs have finished, another subsidiary is joining us on site, to fill the vacant space, they have two sites in the UK both over towards Hippoland. whether it is one or both sites heading this way I have no idea..

 

During the typing of this, 10 measurements have been taken in the last hour , another 34 till thie pre adjustment figures are completed..

 

Time to ... take another one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente where it is not raining for once.    A very good day was had yesterday, the cluck bird was roasted and accompanied by some nice veg. Our dinner guest had brought her two rescue dogs, Archie and Rosa with her and they were their usual delightful selves. She also brought a large trifle with her that was in danger of going off, at least that was our excuse for 2nd helpings.   She has been told that she can come for dinner again.   Of course with the 6pm curfew, evening meals are no longer possible with friends. After Tina and the dogs had gone the clearing up was done and then I had  a pleasant hour and a half in the shed. After that it was TV time.

 

Today I have the deep joy of the ironing to look forward to so may have to console myself with more shed time after that.

 

Kelly, I hope that Richard gets sorted soon, sight is a very important sense.

 

Richard, I wish you luck and patience with your cousin.   I better not say anything more on the subject.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[BoD]

Morning all

 

Snow here too. Not that much, but difficult to tell because of the wind.  In places there is barely a dusting but where it has blown to, it is deeper.

 

On Saturday evening one of the house circuit breakers tripped.  I checked to see if anything had ‘blown’ to cause it but there was nothing obvious.  Discovered that it was the cooker element when we went to cook Sunday dinner.  Pah! was not expressive enough.

 

Valerie is convinced that we should upgrade and buy a new oven. I am going to set about repairing it today although local sources of a replacement seem to be closed.

[Andrew P]

I was about to post that its just started to show a few flakes but nothing to lay even though the ground is dry.

 

But as I type this its started to come down in a meaningful quantity, and is being whipped around by a few gusts of wind. Oh well it may now lay.

 

 

[Andrew P]

I truly despair of Covidiots, and especially the ones that ended up getting a Mountain Rescuer seriously injured or PREACH their beliefs to the old and most vulnerable.

 

Monday morning Rant over, have a good day, one and all. 

[polybear]

42 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

 

 

 

Bear phoned JL at dead on 8am and got straight through to a Customer Services Adviser.  Twenty-five minutes - and 3 people later - they need to talk to Neff (who don't open until 9am) and get back to me.  All very helpful people though.