PhilJ W

http://www.metro.co.uk/2020/01/03/hippo-takes-bath-family-pool-leaves-behind-100kg-poo-11996292/

Peeing in the pool is bad enough but 100kg. of poo is overding it a bit.

Further to my comments on early retirement. If like my pension scheme they offer a variable lump sum, the larger the lump sum meaning a slightly reduced pension. Whether you would want to do so depends upon your personal circumstances. I opted for the largest lump sum as that enabled me to clear the mortgage and credit cards and be debt free, another benefit of early retirement and some more fewer outgoings to go on the 'better off' calculation. Also the lump sum is tax free.

Any illustrations of the model in the new liveries yet?

IIRC its one of the earlier ones. The photographs of the actual one show it to have the open cab.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I didn't sleep well last night, not from the usual things such as Arthur Itis but because of the eczema decided to try to drive me mad by itching. After countless applications of moisturiser I was able to beat it into submission and get some sleep. My advice is to go for retirement ASAP. I took early retirement nearly twelve years ago when I was 59 and I realised that I would be no worse off by doing so. Working in the payroll department and with an estimate of what I will receive as pension I calculated it thus. The pension would be a little under half pay but there would be no deductions for NI and pension. Tax would still be payable depending on the pension paid but a lot less than half of what you would be paying if you carried on working. I also deducted the costs of travelling to and from work although I travelled by car which in my circumstances was the cheapest it was also the most difficult to compute, though in the end it turned out that I had underestimated it. My calculation showed that I would be slightly better off if I retired and that is how it worked out.

Goodnight all.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. There are very good reasons for human beings occupying 'dangerous' regions. The first were probably the Egyptians who occupied the *Lower Nile. The annual Nile floods could cause a lot of devastation yet the advantages outweighed the disadvantages with the annual delivery of new fertile mud. The same applies to volcanic regions, volcanic ash is also very fertile. (*It is 'Lower' though on most maps it is above the 'Upper Nile'.) Very sorry to hear of your friend Dave but that brings to mind a former colleague who also had liver cancer and was given a similar life expectancy. In her case the surgeons removed most of her liver and packed her off to the hospice. But she didn't die! It turned out that the tiny piece of her liver that remained was not cancerous and had regrown. She went on to live into her 80's becoming a major fundraiser for the hospice. Not much more news of my brother except that he is progressing well which is good news.

Could not 'Pilot Lounge' just be a name for the facility not intended exclusively for pilots. Perhaps there's also a Captains Lounge or a Navigators Lounge nearby?

The speed limiters are not as accurate as they could be. I have driven a couple of minibuses fitted with a limiter, supposedly set at 100kph. One was nowhere near that speed before it kicked in and the other didn't kick in until nearly 110kph. There are also other factors such as tyre wear that can also affect the speed. Its not unknown for some transport operators to fit a set of worn (but just legal) tyres to a lorry going to have the limiter adjusted then swapping them for a brand new set. The extra centimetre or so of diameter increases the gear ratio and hence the speed of the vehicle.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. My sister phoned when I was out this afternoon. My brother has just come round after his op but is still going to be in the ICU for a while yet. I had moss growing on a few cars I have had, Fords in particular. The favourite spot was the felt like substance used for the guides for the winding windows. My current car has no moss growing on it despite being parked next to the front path that is covered in it.

Code 100 rail doesn't quite cut the mustard, should have used code 75.

100kph is 62mph, 56 is 90kph.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Yesterdays sunshine has disappeared but its predicted to stay dry. No more news of my brother but I'll give my niece and my sister a call this evening to get up to date. Tea is now required, be back later.

Goodnight all.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis is nagging again but a brace of co-codamal are beginning to keep him quiet. Very sorry to hear of your friend Rick, one can only hope that other friends and relatives are safe.

Instead of severely pruning trashing the berry bearing shrubs alongside my house last summer the local council mearly gave them a trim and a Mohican haircut. The result was a mass of berries that has attracted a lot of the smaller birds such as tits and sparrows. The shrubs being dense and thorny now also had a few nests last year. There has also been a pair of corvids around, not sure as to whether they are crows or ravens as they were to far away.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. No news of my brother but I will not be talking to my niece until later this evening. My nephew said he spoke to him this morning so I will have to check to see if I can call him. If he is able to talk to people its a good sign as he wasn't expected to be able to do so for a few days yet. Time now for a muggatee, be back later.

Straying into adult territory now?

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Had a visitation from the bin wagons this morning with their usual dawn chorus. Including the lesser spotted glass and bottle wagon which was in full voice as it is it's first visit since the festivities. It was the first to arrive at just before 07:30, no need for alarm clocks this morning. Welcome back Chris, Christmas in Germany is quite a celebration but it is many years since I spent a Christmas there. Breaking news, the M1 will be closed for the rest of the day J11-J13 due to a serious accident. Thats it for now, be back later.

Goodnight all.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis seems to want to play this evening. Not only his usual plaything my hip but my knees as well. A couple of Ibuforen before I go to bed should sort things out.

My loft ladder is also by Telesteps and I agree they are very good. The problem in my case is the loft access is restricted and not possible to enlarge due to the proximity of the chimney stack.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. My brothers op went well with no complications even though it took seven hours in all, two more than expected. He'll be out for the count now for a few days as they will not bring him round for about five or six days. Its going to be a long slow road to recovery but he should get there eventually. Took the young mans scooter back for replacement this afternoon, the replacement seems to be in order. As I mentioned some time ago I was considering a hybrid or all electric car. Its unlikely that I will be able to afford one but if I could I would fancy one of these (minibus version) But at sixty grand a pop for the basic van its a bit pricey.

Looks as if there was a fault with the crossing. The lights could be seen to go green for about a second and then went back to flashing red.