Early Risers.

[Erichill16]

Someone else suffering from insomnia!

3 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Many. See here. (Former colonies, as you might expect.)

 

[Ozexpatriate]

Just now, Erichill16 said:

Someone else suffering from insomnia!

Except that it is three o'clock in the afternoon. I am expecting a telephone call and had time to spare.

[PhilJ W]

5 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Many. See here. (Former colonies, as you might expect.)

 

4 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets:_British_and_related_types#/media/File%3ACountries_using_type_G_(British)_AC_power_plugs_and_sockets.png
More than you may expect. One night I couldn’t sleep so was wondering the vey same question so looked it up.

A few odd ones in there such as Cambodia.

[Erichill16]

6 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

A few odd ones in there such as Cambodia.

During another insomnia episode I learnt that the Euro was an official currency of Zimbabwe.

Really must try harder to get some sleep.(or join a pub quiz team)

Goodnight again.

Robert

[simontaylor484]

Zimbabwe under Mugabe had rampant inflation so much so shoppers had to run round shops infront of the person with the pricing gun. 

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well after today’s activities, that is another large item that no longer resides in the cellar. However, before I could move the drawer unit, I had to empty it, then modify it because years ago, (possibly 20 years ago) I fitted a small cupboard above the drawers, the cupboard was made up of offcuts of MDF etc and was only supposed to a temporary fix! Once that had been removed, I gave the carcass and drawers thorough clean as it had been partially submerged when we were flooded back in 2012. I did clean back then, but I thought that I might as well give it another clean whilst I have it in bits, before moving it to it to the shed. However, removing the cupboard meant that it no longer had a top, but I had an off cut of kitchen worktop which was just big enough, so that was trimmed to size ready for fitting permanent, once I had got it in place in the shed. 

 

After dinner I took the drawer carcass to the shed and put it into place, fitted the worktop and finally put back the drawers! I then gathered all my power tools and put them on the shelves in the shed, freeing up some space in the workshop. Finally I returned to the cellar and had swept the floor and cleaned down the trestle table, ready for when Charlie comes round tomorrow afternoon. There is only one large item to move, an old cupboard which will eventually go in the garden, once I’ve modified it. After that it is just a case of taking all the useful offcuts to the workshop, the rest will get chucked. I have a box that stuff destined for the tip goes and it is getting quite full, so I feel another tip run coming soon! It has probably been over 40 years since the cellar has been this clear! More to do tomorrow. 

[BSW01]

Here is my evidence. 

 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

going posh on frying pans

We seem to have quite a few makes. A couple of Circulon, a Le Creuset crepe pan and an omelette pan that I thought was Tefal but Aditi said isn’t, We have a sauté pan that is definitely Tefal. They are all non stick and have remained non stick. 

[laurenceb]

9998 here.

Night awl

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[brianusa]

If every post says good night, the magic number may show up soon!

   Brian.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare,

Another good night's sleep helped by a pink pill before hand, Ben the alarm clock Collie came up half an early to summon me I was still in bed!!! Most unusual..

 

Electric sockets , all I can say on Saudi is terrifying.. you can find any type of socket or plug wires in various ways. For our accomodation it was UK sockets wired in the American high power manner, at work it was all American. But if you wandered round shops anything could be hanging from the walls.

 

People saying UK sockets are over built I think are wrong having seen UK sockets and plugs fail , there could have been improvements to the original design. 

As it is MK are the brand to buy. Even though they are now made in China like everyone else's, they are still better quality. I did scientific tests as part of my degree, on socket and plug materials and cheap plugs are nowhere near as safe as a proper MK plug.

 

Time I moved to get ready for work..

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Good morning all. Rising early as always to greet Dawn and her chorus 

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Australian outlets (other than being switched per code and having angled prong receptacles) are little different structurally than US outlets (similarly sized conductors etc) yet are designed for 240V RMS. UK outlets and plugs are over designed.

 

7 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

…The Swiss have a three pin variant of the general european two pin plug which looks like a razor plug in the UK; the pin spacings are very slightly different. In Switzerland, what would occupy the space in the UK of a single mains outlet comprises three of their 3-pin sockets arranged as an equilateral triangle.

Ever since I moved away from the UK (decades ago) and lived in other countries using different electrical systems, I’ve always wondered why the UK system seems so unnecessarily complicated. And some of the UK requirements seem - after seeing what is done in mainland Europe - a little bit odd/unnecessary.  Take, for example, the prohibition against accessible light switches inside the bathroom (unless ceiling mounted and turned on and off by pulling a cord).  There is no such prohibition in Switzerland, yet you do not hear stories of the Swiss frying themselves in the bathroom after a particularly abundant shower or bath.
 

I wonder if the British approach to (at least domestic) electrical rules and regulations are down to the fact that Britain was one of the first countries to provide electricity to homes and it was very much “learning on the job“; and those countries that started providing electricity domestically at a later time point learned from what the pioneering Brits did right (and what they did wrong)?

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Plus, most of the flavor is in the fat; at least for me. I did not know (or maybe remember) about the feeling satiated sooner with the fat left on…

Obviously, fat should be properly cooked for it to be both edible and digestible, but you are quite right - a lot of the flavour of meat lies in the fat (which is why I despair of Swiss butchery as every single piece of meat is stripped of every single trace of fat and so ultra-lean that if you don’t know how to cook meat properly it ends up dry, leathery and tasteless.  As dinners with those friends who buy this completely denuded of fat meat have shown).

 

One final bit of trivia: when predators bring down their prey in the wild the first thing that gets eaten are all the fatty internal organs.

9 hours ago, Andrew P said:

…in and out before my allotted time.  (of the X Ray unit, not the nurse I hasten to add).

A missed opportunity??? 

9 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Baz, we can commiserate tomorrow. I have an appointment tomorrow. Apparently (per X-ray) I have developed a cavity under a 19 year-old crown and need a cracked filling replaced.

 

All very expensive. In the cleaning/examination/X-ray appointment last week I learned that the open marketplace dental insurance I have been paying for is not accepted by my dentist. Much physical and financial discomfort will be involved. At least modern dental anesthesia is much more effective than the bad old days.

 

8 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Work on a crown could possibly put you into the top charge band for NHS dentistry here in England. No idea about Wales or  Scotland. About £280.

I have been rather lucky with the bad luck I have had with two of my teeth. The first incident was when a granuloma developed under a perfectly sound tooth and had to be removed - which meant I lost a healthy tooth and, as a result, got fitted with a permanent bridge; The second was when a molar developed an abscess, again underneath the tooth and the resulting treatment and cleanup of the area meant that I ended up having a prosthesis implanted. The first tooth was sorted out about 30 years ago and the second tooth was replaced by the prothesis 25 years ago. The first operation cost me about SFr.4000 and the second about SFr.6000 (God knows what that is the equivalent to nowadays, but it will be a lot)  Both have performed flawlessly and have never needed any attention since they were first installed (beyond the usual yearly deep clean). However I paid out of my own pocket for both and although it was a good chunk of money I paid out, the longevity and the quality more than compensated for the temporary dent to my wallet.  Removing a few bob from one’s  wallet, I would argue, is infinitely preferable to removing a few teeth from one’s mouth!

My dentist, who I first went to for the preparation and installation of the prothesis over 25 years ago, still looks the same age as he did when we first met. And his enthusiasm for technology and being at the cutting edge of dental surgery has not diminished by one iota. When I recently had an ageing and cracked crown (installed in the US in the early 80s) replaced, he did a 3D scan of my upper and lower jaw to ensure that the crown would be made to fit perfectly. He also said, as we looked at the 3-D scans together, that he was looking forward to dental materials technology getting to the point where he could 3-D print a crown or a bridge using 3-D scanning as the starting point. As my dentist is younger than me, and seems to be in no hurry to retire, it looks that I will be saved from becoming edentulous for quite a few years yet.

 

And on that toothsome note I bid you a great Thursday.

 

iD

Edited July 15, 2021 by iL Dottore

[AndyB]

Morning all.

A brief post to note that it looks like a nice sunny day out there this morning.

Hoping to get tomorrow afternoon off to enjoy the sun and spend a bit of time in my garden. 

Andy

 

 

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all, from page 9998

 

I should know better than to compose a post in the reply box.  Once again my pearls of wisdom have disappeared into cyberspace and I have to remember them all over again.  Oh well, here goes.  My fridge freezer has three freezing compartments.  One has a drop down door which has broken.  I am dreading the experience of sourcing a replacement.  What are the odds that I will have to replace the fridge freezer?  The timing could not be worse given an impending holiday – not one involving quarantine, thank goodness.

 

I spent a happy hour or so yesterday viewing YouTube footage of beavers following the news that the pair in the Exmoor National Park have had a happy event.  Apparently the correct word for a baby beaver is a “kit”, which is an unfortunate term in this place.  Few could fail to be impressed by the civil engineering prowess of these remarkable animals and it is a travesty that they were driven to extinction in the UK some 400 years ago.  They appear to be much better at flood prevention than man and we would do well to remember that.  Oh, and they are cute as well.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris   

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from what could well become a sunny Charente.  We survived the quatorze drinkathon which was haeld indoors. 40 people out of a population of 60.  10 were Anglais, all but two of the residents, for which we were all grateful.  One large family were all in attendance presided over by Old Claude.  After the meal they started singing, acaapella and in harmony. Some jolly, some quite haunting, but brilliant to listen to.  3 generations, thoroughly enjoying themselves and entertaining us.  At about 5.30 we adjourned and then went to some new neighbours to continue, final stagger home was about 22.30.  All in all a good day. At one point the mayor, Cristelle, one of the aforesaid large family, came over to chst. She had helped during tbe driving licence saga and so the story of the speeding ticket was told. She thought it was hilarious. I obviously agreed, you wouldn't want to upset Madame Le Mayor.  

 

The rains seem to have paused so it is to be grass cutting today, then probably a bit of shed time.  

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

Mooring again, 

We could do with beavers on the broads to take down a few trees, though not to build dams across the rivers..

 

Cockwombles they're out and about this week,

Tuesday, NDR roundabout, left hand land turn left only, right hand lane marked straight on and right turn only .. So I pull up along side a car, me in the right hand lane .. What does the car in the left do/? yep turn right all the way round in the outermost lane. It was a good job I was also turning right or we'd have met at the straight on exit..

 

Later on the same trip, I'm on the right hand lane passing  a line of parked cars and vans... What pulls out from behind the transit van coming towards me? A motorised skate board complete with headlamps, he got a good blast of the horn from the landrover.. I definitely need a better horn for it though.

 

Yesterday at the five ways junction there are Islands between most lanes at this junction to guide cars in the right way. So what does the woman in the range rover do? go down the left hand side of an island which means for straight on, then turns right into the path of the two line of traffic to the right of the island, that means 3 lines of traffic into two spaces, and I'm waiting in the lane  facing them..  Somehow no one met in the middle.

 

This morning I pull up to a junction behind another car... There's nothing coming either way, it spends sometime looking left and right before deciding to pull out... Yep by this time a car had come down the main road with lights on, and that car had to brake heavily to avoid an accident..

 

[polybear]

7 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

In Switzerland, what would occupy the space in the UK of a single mains outlet comprises three of their 3-pin sockets arranged as an equilateral triangle.

 

Are the plugs still fitted with fuses as in the UK?  Or is the socket fitted with 3 individual fuses perhaps?

 

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Webinar was something of an eye opener and much time will have to be spent working out how many  extra hours have been spent working due to Covid. As it’s my business I don’t record my hours worked so it’s not going to be easy. One for tomorrow I think.

 

Bear recalls (IIRC) the wife of a Dales Sheep Farmer being interviewed on the radio some years back.  She'd calculated her husband's rate of pay at 7p an hour; after this was broadcast the next time he went to market he received several offers of jobs, all promising to double his rate of pay.....

 

7 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We seem to have quite a few makes. A couple of Circulon, a Le Creuset crepe pan and an omelette pan that I thought was Tefal but Aditi said isn’t, We have a sauté pan that is definitely Tefal. They are all non stick and have remained non stick. 

 

That's good to know, as Bear has just ordered a Tefal Frying Pan and is awaiting delivery.  I've just checked out the Le Crueset equivalent and it's the best part of four times the price.  Ouch.

Incidentally, the pan was purchased directly from Tefal; as a new customer they gave me a 25% discount off my first order if I registered with them - a good few quid was saved off the Amazon price as a result.

 

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Electric sockets , all I can say on Saudi is terrifying.. you can find any type of socket or plug wires in various ways. For our accomodation it was UK sockets wired in the American high power manner, at work it was all American. But if you wandered round shops anything could be hanging from the walls.

 

Bear worked in Bombay/Mumbai back in '98; bare wires into sockets & held in with matchsticks was the order of the day - and that was in the Flight Hangar...

 

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

As it is MK are the brand to buy. Even though they are now made in China like everyone else's, they are still better quality. I did scientific tests as part of my degree, on socket and plug materials and cheap plugs are nowhere near as safe as a proper MK plug.

 

 

That's good to know, as Bear has just used MK in the kitchen.

 

7 minutes ago, chrisf said:

My fridge freezer has three freezing compartments.  One has a drop down door which has broken.  I am dreading the experience of sourcing a replacement.  What are the odds that I will have to replace the fridge freezer? 

 

You should find a replacement with little difficulty, though often there can be a "HOW MUCH??" moment when you see the price, which then translates to a "BUT I CAN GET A COMPLETE NEW FRIDGE FOR £X".

Bear's new Miele Oven only came with one wire shelf, plus a tray style shelf.  I did ponder a second shelf, but when I discovered that such a device was the best part of 20% of the cost of a complete new oven this was quickly followed by a "You Can Poke Your Shelf You Robbin' 'Stewards" moment.

Besides, I soon discovered that non-genuine shelves to fit are all over the 'bay, albeit not with the super-duper keep-clean coating that the Miele version promises to have.  However, Bear's culinary adventures have yet to justify such a purchase.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

The sun is shining and the sky is blue.  A fine, dry and mainly sunny day is forecast.

One bin lorry has already disturbed the peace.   Not helped by having to struggle through a narrow gap where some pr#t  of a builder has parked his large van on the corner.  It took him several goes to get round.  Last person who parked there had the side of their car badly damaged by a lorry.    Yellow lines on all corners and bends are due to be painted in the next couple of months,  probably won't stop certain people though.

Two more bin lorries due and also Sainsbury's.  Interesting substitution from them  as our chosen loaf of bread is not available so they're send in 2 (the same size) of another brand.  

After our delivery the first task this morning will be  to take The Boss to Sainsbury's as "we" need to look for something that we couldn't order online.   I also need to get some petrol as the car is running on fumes and excitement at the moment.   Very unlike me to let it get so low.

Rugby watched last night and the Lions received a proper challenge and a wake up call.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

 

[Barry O]

Good morning ERs...

 

Herself is off to moreasons.. i have to make breakfast for a visitor.

 

My game tonight has been cancelked due to Covid.. one of the youngsters due to play was sent home from school yesterday..around here school clases are in tatters.. while numbers in hospital and on ventilators are steady the super spreaders are school ages..

 

Have avgood day!

Stay safe!

Baz

 

[polybear]

8 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

What is this country coming to?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/15595227/yob-flare-bum-strolled-into-wembley/

I hope Darwin’s principles come into effect.

Robert

 

A flare inserted properly should do the trick, after it'd been subjected to the business-end of a ram-rod of course....

 

7 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Later on the same trip, I'm on the right hand lane passing  a line of parked cars and vans... What pulls out from behind the transit van coming towards me? A motorised skate board complete with headlamps, he got a good blast of the horn from the landrover.. I definitely need a better horn for it though.

 

Or a decent set of Bull-bars on the front.  Someone my Boss knew had a railway sleeper on the front of his Landrover in place of a bumper.

 

In other news:

The G word today, to include hedge cutting and weeding; all assisted by buddy next door.  Not fun, but feels great when it's done.

Bear still hasn't ordered the Hob splashback yet - MUST do that today; favoured choices are as follows:

 

 

Or:

 

 

Or:

 

 

The last option (Venice) has a five week order time, whereas the first two are 7-14 days.  Decisions, decisions.  Any thoughts from the Wisdom of ER?  Worktops are basically black, with white units and pale blue walls, incidentally.

[Andrew P]

9 hours ago, leopardml2341 said:

 

Here's my evidence:

 

 

Android tablet.

Now ain't that weird! Are you from another planet that can be both in the future and today at the same time?

 

Answers on a jet stream please, Via Galactica.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Andrew P