Early Risers.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, brianusa said:

So which is it?  To wear or not to wear, having been SI for more than two weeks now, we have all heard the pros and cons.  I wouldn't know where to get the masks as evidently they are in short supply and more useful to first responders anyway.

Brian, it should always have been "wear" (while in public) but officialdom did not want people hoarding the medical grade PPE or even the construction grade N95 respirators.

 

Ideally non-healthcare/first responders should not be using up medical grade PPE but other masks. You do not need to wear them at home (unless tending someone who is COVID-19 positive).

 

If someone in your household can sew, there are plenty of patterns available online with many YouTube tutorials. Even CNN got into the act by providing a basic pattern and instructions. If not you might be able to source non-medical grade masks on websites like etsy.com.

 

I don't have one either. Nor have I been able to source the disinfecting wipes I prefer.

 

4 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

... wearing them (so long as NOT using those more suited to medical staff and hording them inappropriately) is better than NOT wearing them, IMHO.

Agreed. This should have been the message from the beginning, but clearly the decision was that the public could not be trusted. Panic purchase of toilet paper demonstrates the accuracy of this assessment.

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[TheQ]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Would a high-gloss varnish not be effective? (Or perhaps it is polyurethane varnish to which you refer?)

 

Yep, it is high gloss polyurethane varnish,  I have a 2.5 litre can,  mostly unused, left over from a previous project... 

[roundhouse]

5 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Better yet, remove the battery if you can.

Unfortunately most modern phones you cant but I did put it in flight mode which in theory stops any transmission.

 

Morning all. Slept well to start with but been awake since 01.30. Might go up the shed for a while and power up the new high level test track that I wired up yesterday afternoon after safely getting home without any questioning.  Made it to the only pub in the area that is still open, just take home beer , so a four pint container of Pilgrim Brewery Surrey ale from the cask obtained and went down well in the afternoon.

Long queues for Sainsburys, Boots the chemist, M & S food hall etc but fine in Poundland and local corner shops where we managed to find eggs which we have not been able to get in Sainsburys for many weeks but might just be bad timing. Our local corner shop doenst sell eggs but does have milk and frozen foods plus is a sub post office so my first resin castings of a couple of Lynton & Barnstaple railway small structures posted to a fellow rmwebber.

 

Looking forward to another sunny day in the garden with both TV screens in the shed (linked to old / cheap PC's) showing live railcams with Santa Fe junction, Kansas City and Elkhart Indiana been current favourite ones. Much better than having the news on these days.

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

When I got out of bed yesterday morning I felt distinctly wobbly and there were a few more aches and pains than usual.  I took the line of least resistance and went back to bed.  This is not like me at all and I hope to be back on something nearer full power in a day or two.  I have plenty to read but slumber returned swiftly and unproductively.  Breakfast was at 5 pm and comprised the soft option of porridge with a banana.  I forced myself downstairs to watch Casualty, Gavin & Stacey and Outnumbered.  There was no hardship involved in not watching Mrs Brown's Boys and I returned to bed.  This morning I discovered that I had left the lounge light on all night. Oh dear.

 

No more to say except best wishes to all

 

Chris

[jamie92208]

Morning all.  It could be another nice day.  Not sure what the day will bring but I'm sure we will make the most of it.  Our local market is to re open today but as we don't need anything we aren't going though we would normally support it.  Hopefully  some shed time will take place.  

 

Chris I hope you feel better today.  Good wishes to all and not to forget sundry.

 

Jamie

[polybear]

8 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Ah, true, but how would the compression be attained without cranking the engine?

 

I recall an incident many years ago (around 1986/87) of something that happened at work.

The site I worked on was very large; one of the employees (driving a diesel minibus?) found it wouldn't start - the starter had jammed, which had happened before; the person was due to retire the following day.

Anyway, he got out and tried the usual fix it trick of rocking it back and forth whilst in gear.  Anyway, the engine fired - crushing him up against my friend's Citroen CX.  Not sure of the outcome, but he was badly hurt; security took the Citroen away to be washed as it was sprayed with blood... 

[45156]

Morning All

 

Internet still very slow this morning, so I may have to report a fault - that should be fun - slow internet = unable to get BT website to work = long wait in a queue for a call to be answered.  Perhaps I'll wait until tomorrow to see whether this gets fixed.

 

Meantime, generic greetings are on offer.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

[Barry O]

Stewart, this site was very slow last night but other bits of the internet were very varied. Could be a more basic problem other than BT. The internet may be speedier today due to the weather.

Baz

[TheQ]

Mooring awl,  inner Temple Hare, 

 

A poor  nights sleep , less than 4 hours followed by intermittent dozing on the sofa.  Couldn't get comfortable.  Good for my back, was bad for my neck, or the other way round.. 

 

Ben the desperate Collie wanted out 15 minutes early, he was in a hurry, he dashed down the garden to leave a huge pile... 

 

SWMBO discovered her art paper and mount board stocks are getting damp.  Not enough air circulation I think.  Modifications to the storage area, in the form of battens to allow air beneath, are the first task today. 

 

After that Ivy clearance in the sun,  it's cloudless, windless,  and a touch chilly out there at the moment.

 

During the long partial doze,  I realized that part of the scenic work I've done on the board still resident at the MRC  is wrong, it has a minor effect on one of the boards in the MhRC which I'll correct today.  But the major surgery to the other boards will have to wait. 

 

I have banana porridge lava cooling till safe to eat..

 

After that a Muggacoffee

Then

Time to search through the wood stocks for suitable battens.. 

 

 

 

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Very bright and sunny here this am. Great! Means I have to do some gardening...bad!!

 

There is an advert for the charity Shelter on TV at the moment. Does anyone else think the presenter is scary (he never blinks and is stairing just over your right shoulder)?

 

Didn't sleep well at all yet feel refreshed..what's that all about then?

Chris, like all ERs please look after yourself.

 

Positive thoughts to all ERs especially those that ail!

 

Now, be off with you and make best use of Sunday!

Baz

[bbishop]

Off to the coalface.  Bill

[5 C]

Morning awl,

 

This week has been a little less frantic on the work front but still busy. The virtual town hall went almost without incident, only a minor technical hitch towards the end which wasn't insurmountable. I've been asked to "host" a departmental town hall next week. People seem to think I'm some kind of expert on Zoom but the reality is I'm learning (and making it up!) as I go along. Either way, I'm glad to still be in employment, with news this week of former colleagues being furloughed until the end of May.

 

On Tuesday I dragged my rather basic and ancient mountain bike from the back of the garage, pumped up the tyres, waved some GT85 around (promptly breaking the nozzle when I tried to put the cap on ) and set off for a lockdown compliant exercise ride. Much more enjoyable than the running I have been doing, particularly with less traffic around. Thursday I managed an "On Demand" BodyCombat class in my living room. Not quite as much fun as being down the gym with friends but it did the trick and I'm starting to find an exercise routine I like.

 

After returning yesterday from another bike ride, I was at a loss of what to eat. All the talk of macaroni cheese on this thread got me thinking. It was always a favourite of mine but I haven't made it for years. The recipe I used from a rather ancient cookbook didn't scale down successfully to single portion size, so it had dropped off my food radar. A hunt round t'internet produced a range of suitable single portion recipes but perhaps unsurprisingly, they were from American websites with their rather strange units of measurement (how big is a cup anyway?). Not wanting a translation exercise, a bit more searching turned up a UK recipe and very nice it was too.

 

Today I have to risk a supermarket trip and looking out at the front lawn, I really need to clean the windows...

 

Regards to awl.

[BoD]

Morning all.

 

I fancy a cooked breakfast.  I think a bacon sarnie will have to do.

 
One of my daily walking routes takes me to the seaside and back. Over  the past couple of weeks there has only been a handful of us out doing the same thing. Yesterday was grey and still a bit chilly but today looks like being sunny and warmer so I wonder if numbers out will increase.  If people are walking in ones or twos then fine, but if they are obviously there for social/recreational get togethers then that would be rather silly of them.*

 

 Perhaps I will choose one of my other routes today.

 

Stay safe and well.

 

 

 

* assuming that the modelling and advice is correct of course.

 

 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Sunny start and a fine and warm day is forecast.

I had a much better night's sleep due mainly I think to the very large dose of medicinal Remy Martin that I took before going to bed.

Feeling fresh and ready for anything this morning. The Boss must be a lot better as she brought me up a muggatea earlier and is offering to cook me breakfast.  

We'll be having a Facetime birthday drink with Nicki later as it's her 48th birthday.  We're also intending to have a BBQ although it will only be a small affair with the two of us but our friends next door are having one too so we can at least chat at a distance over the fence.

Not heard anything about our neighbour the other side who was taken to hospital as I haven't seen her daughter although it looks like she's been going to work at her normal time so would assume that her problem is not Covid related.  Mind you I learnt a long time ago that I shouldn't assume anything.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited April 5, 2020 by grandadbob

[PeterBB]

15 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

The weird thing is that I simply cannot handle the texture. 

 

Totally agree that texture is very important and is a cause of other eating difficulties e.g. like skin etc 'connective tissue' being among them  

Edited April 5, 2020 by PeterBB

[Barry O]

4 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

Totally agree that texture is very important and is a cause of other eating difficulties e.g. like skin etc 'connective tissue' being among them  

 

Yes, a colleague of mine would eat minced beef but not "solid" meat as he couldn't stand the texture. 

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It looks like a nice sunny morning here. Forecast is for it to get pleasantly warm too. I suspect we may sit around in the garden later. 
Tony
 

 

[Happy Hippo]

11 hours ago, BoD said:

I don’t mind google knowing where I am.

It’s the wife finding out that worries me.

I use a VPN, Google thinks I'm in Bangladesh!

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, bbishop said:

Off to the coalface.  Bill

A day in the minor injuries clinic?

 

Keep safe Bill.

[PeterBB]

Been informed that one of my former college team members, a great guy and former dog-handler, has become a Covid-19 victim.

[AndrewC]

Good moaning all. Feeling a bit better but still quite achy and tired. Only seem to cough in the morning and my chest isn’t as tight. SWMBO still has a rather nasty cough though. Today is day 22 of isolation. 

 

We are going through lump wood and propane at a fairly hefty rate. Update that, out of propane now. Will have to see if our classic ironmonger is still open for deliveries. Friday was wings, burgers last night, just finished BBQ breakfast, and baby back ribs tonight. We spent a good part of the day in the garden enjoying the sun, a few beers, and getting a things tidied up. FiL’s birthday yesterday. 80 minute FaceTime call. They are really glad they didn’t sell their house and move to more “senior” living last autumn. They’ve got loads of space even though the garden is still snowed under and the lake is frozen. He’s just finished prostate cancer treatment so is on the stupidly high vulnerability register. 

 

Mac & cheese can be a beautiful thing, or it can be like eating plastic covered in wallpaper paste. Not to brag but I quite like the recipe I use for the sauce. A lot nicer than just a béchamel with some shredded cheddar added. I also tend to add left over pulled pork just before baking.

 

Time for more coffee and then some cat-6 wiring to the shed from the kitchen.

 

Enjoy the day. Stay safe.  

[Tony_S]

30 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I use a VPN, Google thinks I'm in Bangladesh!

They want you to think that they think you are in Bangladesh but really...

[Gwiwer]

Good morning all. And a good morning it is with the heater on in the sky and the Hill of Strawberries waking to a beautiful Spring day. 
 

A day which began with a bleary-eyed trip to the bathroom during which I discovered Catty McCatface had relieved both ends of his alimentary canal onto the hallway carpet  

 

Luckily the bleary eyes spotted the problem before the feet made contact ..... 

 

Former Neighbour (Upstairs) and I troubled the electrons late last night. She seems ok but would rather be in her own place up here than on the sofa at her mum’s in Dorset. 
 

Every day I make the effort to contact three friends just for a chat. Sometimes I get a reply - sometimes not. But the thought is there. 
 

SWMBO is performing needlepoint whilst “watching” some sort of vampire show on the ID10T tube. My tasks for the day are to provide food and drink, pat the cat and prepare the uniform. Winter’s anorak has been washed and will go away; the jacket will emerge from its dry-cleaning wrap and a short-sleeve shirt might even be called for. 
 

But ne’er cast a clout til May be out. It’s good weather this week.  After that who knows? 
 

Stay well. Seize the fish 

[jamie92208]

57 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

Been informed that one of my former college team members, a great guy and former dog-handler, has become a Covid-19 victim.

Sadly I think we are all going to be touched before this is over. A former Superintendent  and all round good guy (there were a few at that grade) died a few days ago from the dreaded lurgi.  

 

Jamie

[Coombe Barton]

522 error last night
 

... data downloads.

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/contemplating-the-tasks/