Early Risers.

[TheQ]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I am most disappointed by these photos. Where’s Ben The Border Collie? His fan club wants more than the occasional glimpse and passing reference....

 

iD

Ben was doing the sensible thing and lying down in front of the Landrover hiding from the sun.  From that point he can also watch anyone passing the front gate,  and the back door to watch if SWMBO comes out. 

 

Cutting the asbestos cement roof went well but it ate jigsaw saw blades,  the remains have been broken up and are double bagged awaiting disposal.

 

The roof was fixed down and flashing tape used to seal the join to the roof. Very sticky in this heat

 

At this point dripping in sweat, I returned to the house,  changed overalls because of the asbestos and everything else because it was dripping wet. A thorough wash including hair was had. 

 

After a Muggacoffee,  I went out and sealed the vertical joins,. But it's oppressively hot and humid out there it feels thundery I was sweating very quickly.  So for the moment I've retired to the house where it's a mere 24C.

But before I did I got Ben to visit the shed. I don't think he was impressed. 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by TheQ

[polybear]

 

1 hour ago, tetsudofan said:

 

 

Seeing your marmite collection reminds me of one of my hobbies of the past.... collecting soap from the many hotels I've stayed in:

 

 

A close-up shows that there was a good geographical spread of hotels:

 

 

 Only collected soap from hotels that I actually stayed in. Suppose if there was another pandemic and soap disappeared from the shelves I wouldn't have a problem.

 

Another "hobby" was collecting small match boxes even though I did not smoke - I'll find the box one day.

 

Keith

 

A favourite of mine is the little jars of jam at brekkies - full, half-full or empty.  The jars have numerous uses for certain hobbies

[Coombe Barton]

The day has started with an analytical "AARRRGGGHHHH! and is continuing in the same vein.

Sorting out other people's cock-ups.

[Barry O]

only an analytical "AARRRGGGHHHH!".. humph..somewhere in my work room is a very, very small grubscrew.....from a gearbox... I see you "AARRRGGGHHHH!" and raise it to "Rude word, rude world, AARRRGGGHHHH!...

 

baz

[Coombe Barton]

18 minutes ago, Barry O said:

I see you "AARRRGGGHHHH!" and raise it to "Rude word, rude world, AARRRGGGHHHH!...

that was the polite version for publication on the forum.

Here, I've already passed yours, many times.

[Happy Hippo]

5 hours ago, Barry O said:

I see Captain Toms money has started to go the the hospital charities. Great! ((Philjw.. he isn't  addressed as Colonel Sir..he is still ranked as Captain and he hasn't been officially knighted yet.)

I blame ignorance and the  press in particular because if we really get into the technicalities of rank etiquette for retired military officers, then Tom Moore should not be referred to by his rank at all, because that is a privilege granted to officers of field rank and above. (Lt Cdr/Maj/Sqn Ldr).

 

You will note the seniority of the services, Navy/Army/Air Force.  Any tri-service establishment being known as a Sh!t sandwich due to the brown job always being in the middle!

 

I believe the habit of calling all retired officers by their former rank started when the then husband of the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips, left the army.  The press took it upon themselves to continue to call him by his former rank, despite mutterings from the likes of Debrett's.

 

The habit has continued to this day.

 

Matters can then get confusing as Tom Moore has been awarded the rank of Honorary Colonel to the Army Foundation College.

 

That is not his rank, but an honorific title, so if he were invited to the AFC, then he would be referred to as Colonel, but only for the duration of his visit.  (There is a specific format for writing such an invitation, but I can't remember what it is. Perhaps Dave Hunt still has his copy of JSP101).

 

Any other unit writing to him, unless it related directly to the AFC, should write to Mr T Moore, although it is possible due to his widespread fame that he might be referred to as Capt (retd) T Moore, although it would be techincally incorrect.

 

Of course nothing is ever cut and dried and there are also the cases of Officers who are promoted to a higher rank on their retirement.  This is quite a rare occurrence now, but were more common during the last century.

 

In such cases, the individual is referred to by his retired rank. The distinction is shown only when formally writing to such an individual.

 

Where the individual retires in his serving rank then one would write to, say, Maj(retd) A B'stard.  Had he been promoted from Captain to Major on retirement than the title changes to Maj A B'stard (retd).  note the subtle placement of the (retd). For those thinking that this is a ploy to get a higher pension, it's not.  One has to have a minimum of two yearsof active service in the rank to qualify for such.

 

More fun is when you have a Peer or a Knight  who serves.

 

We had a subaltern who was a Peer of the Realm, and quite senior officers used to get their knickers in a twist when they had to speak to him.  And could he wind them up! That made him very popular with the troops!

 

I once worked for a General who had been knighted, and depending who you, were depended on how you spoke to him.  Officers on his staff referred to him as Sir xxx, the rest of the Headquarters called him either General, or Sir depending on the circumstances.

 

I just kept well out of his way.  Especially as he knew it was I who had glued a pound coin to the HQ building steps and videoed him trying to pick it up.

[Tony_S]

It didn’t thunder or rain here. Aditi had to use a large umbrella to shelter from the sun while she built a structure from canes and string for beans to climb up. One courgette has been transferred to the soil from a pot too. Another one will make a similar journey soon. I wasn’t much help as I was mainly asleep while all this took place. I didn’t feel well today but once the medication kicked in and I had more sleep I now feel fine. The consultant did say I really need to be on more medication subject to blood tests.  I notice that tests are available for booking on Canvey Island again  so perhaps I will hear soon. 
There have been less flights in and out of Southend recently. There have been various strange aircraft visiting for training. However since Southend became more of a passenger terminal we get less noise. There were always lots of little private planes and microlights  passing over. 
Tony

 

[Kingzance]

Having read the contribution from Hipposhire regarding legal extortion practitioners the legal profession, may I ask / warn fellow ERs in England and Wales about a blatant scam they are now operating in respect of house purchases: 

 

Consider the not uncommon scenario where a seller agrees a price via an agent for the purchase of the seller’s property and solicitors / conveyancers are instructed. After due process, the purchaser’s legal practitioners find that they can recommend that their clients can proceed with their intended purchase and a date is agreed for the part of this known as “exchange of contracts”. Please be aware that the (dis)honourable band of legal practitioners now instigate a scam wherein the seller has to cough up a further amount to purchase an insurance via a once only premium “to indemnify the purchaser against any hidden covenants”.

 

So the scammers, acting in what is an accepted manner, then place a request for such cover with their mates in that specialist insurance sector. The supposed policy is then implied to be in place to protect the purchaser. I wondered if this was solely in the case of our recent property sale but now I hear from another couple who were selling the house belonging to one of their deceased parents that the same scam has been perpetrated on them. In our case, we had lived in the same property for 31 years and absolutely no one ever challenged us or required access for any purpose. Our solicitor even said that this cover was not necessary. Arguing that with the legal profession Representing the purchasers was fruitless, arguing that their searches had revealed nothing was equally fruitless. In the end, I split the fee 50:50 with the purchaser but the bad taste this created in my mind still lingers. The friends’ sale was equally jeopardised by them challenging the fraudsters legal profession that this was simply legalised extortion.
 

So house sellers beware, to paraphrase something currently “be aware, Britain needs more wares”, stay safe and, if being ripped off by this legalised scam in particular, stay sane!

[tetsudofan]

Had a pleasant surprise this morning, my monthly pharmacy prescription was delivered by a ppe-equipped guy from EDF.

 

Normally I request my prescription on EMI-access (as I did on Monday) and collect the prescription the following week from the local branch of Lloyds Pharmacy with is adjacent to the doctor's surgery. As I'm only a five minute walk away from the surgery/pharmacy I have no problem collecting the prescription in person. Only problem is nowadays I might have to wait up to 30 minutes to get into the pharmacy.

 

I phoned the pharmacy this morning to thank them for having delivered the prescription and, after getting over the shock over having someone call them to say thankyou, they explained that they had been authorised to work with EDF and will be delivering future prescriptions for the length of the duration. 

 

Regarding Marmite etc. I'm definitely into Marmite (especially with dripping on toast) , detest peanut butter but can eat peanuts although prefer cashew nuts.

 

Week or so ago  there was talk about the AK47. This is the only weapon that I have held and fired:

 

 

The picture was taken at the Saigon Police Firing Range back in 1968/69 when I was taken there by a couple of American guys in CDF (Community Development Foundation) but rumoured to be part of the CIA.

 

The only other time I handled a firearm was during the Red Guard riots in 1967 in Hong Kong when, as a member of the Marine Division of the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police (before they became the Royal HKAP), we were mobilised one day when there was trouble on the border. Think that we were the only division of the HKAP that were not normally armed but in this case we were given a handgun and 5 bullets. Not having had much training in firearms the handgun went in one pocket and the bullets went in the other pocket.

 

The Red Guard riots were the cause of me being moved from Hong Kong as when we were mobilised I was spending more time marine policing (despite not being able to swim!) than banking. The only way to get me out of the HKAP was to transfer me out of Hong Kong and bring in a replacement.... so they transferred me to Saigon where I arrived just after the Tet Offensive.  Interesting times!!

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

33 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

We had a subaltern who was a Peer of the Realm, and quite senior officers used to get their knickers in a twist when they had to speak to him.  And could he wind them up! That made him very popular with the troops!

One of relations of a brother in law was the headteacher of a primary school where most of the pupils were from the nearby army barracks. The army assigned him an equivalent rank for protocol purposes. He was mildly amused by this having had a very non military background. 
My father having claimed that he had successfully avoided being promoted too much during his time in the army observed that some civilian organisations were very status conscious. He and a colleague had to go down for an urgent meeting at London Transport (this must have been 1960s) and when they arrived they were very amused that protocol required Dads colleague who was a director of the firm was entitled to use superior bathroom facilities. 
Tony

[MichaelE]

9 minutes ago, tetsudofan said:

Had a pleasant surprise this morning, my monthly pharmacy prescription was delivered by a ppe-equipped guy from EDF.

 

Normally I request my prescription on EMI-access (as I did on Monday) and collect the prescription the following week from the local branch of Lloyds Pharmacy with is adjacent to the doctor's surgery. As I'm only a five minute walk away from the surgery/pharmacy I have no problem collecting the prescription in person. Only problem is nowadays I might have to wait up to 30 minutes to get into the pharmacy.

 

I phoned the pharmacy this morning to thank them for having delivered the prescription and, after getting over the shock over having someone call them to say thankyou, they explained that they had been authorised to work with EDF and will be delivering future prescriptions for the length of the duration. 

 

Regarding Marmite etc. I'm definitely into Marmite (especially with dripping on toast) , detest peanut butter but can eat peanuts although prefer cashew nuts.

 

Week or so ago  there was talk about the AK47. This is the only weapon that I have held and fired:

 

 

The picture was taken at the Saigon Police Firing Range back in 1968/69 when I was taken there by a couple of American guys in CDF (Community Development Foundation) but rumoured to be part of the CIA.

 

The only other time I handled a firearm was during the Red Guard riots in 1967 in Hong Kong when, as a member of the Marine Division of the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police (before they became the Royal HKAP), we were mobilised one day when there was trouble on the border. Think that we were the only division of the HKAP that were not normally armed but in this case we were given a handgun and 5 bullets. Not having had much training in firearms the handgun went in one pocket and the bullets went in the other pocket.

 

The Red Guard riots were the cause of me being moved from Hong Kong as when we were mobilised I was spending more time marine policing (despite not being able to swim!) than banking. The only way to get me out of the HKAP was to transfer me out of Hong Kong and bring in a replacement.... so they transferred me to Saigon where I arrived just after the Tet Offensive.  Interesting times!!

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

 

That looks like an M-14 Scout but with most of the stock cut away into a pistol grip.

 

 

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

No time for trains today (although I did graphite some of the rails).

 

It's a other warm one. Combined with a RD means I could finish off the seating area. Still much to do but a sleepy baby means tools down.

 

 

Phew!

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, MichaelE said:

 

That looks like an M-14 Scout but with most of the stock cut away into a pistol grip.

 

 

 

I think the one on the ground might be an AK 47 with no magazine. 
When my brother was working in Lahore he couldn’t go out and had to sit on the floor of his hotel room due to fighting between two militia factions. One had  Russian weapons and the other lot had American weaponry . 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Tony_S

[bbishop]

Spending the day at LAS.  The good news is that I am very up to date with RMWeb! 

Bill

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Reading that makes me think of Kiplings poem called, IIRC, Tommy. The woman who is complaining will no doubt support our brave boys and girls when they are bombing ISIS but isn't prepared to allow them to learn their basic flying skills in safety.  The basic training for the French Armee de L'Air is donevout of Cognac about 30 miles away. They apparently have a rotas as to where they fly so we seem to get them about once a week.  At the monent they are almost the only planes we get apart from one or two high flying jets a day.

 

Jamie

Tommy by Rudyard Kipling

I WENT into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, " We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, go away " ;
But it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, wait outside ";
But it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap.
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, 'ow's yer soul? "
But it's " Thin red line of 'eroes " when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes, " when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! "
But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
 

3 hours ago, tetsudofan said:

Seeing your marmite collection reminds me of one of my hobbies of the past.... collecting soap from the many hotels I've stayed in...

Snap

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

...If snip charged snip and immediately pleads guilty, then the max sentence is halved due to the rules laid down in the sentencing guidelines,

Which clown came up with that? Surely any reduction of sentencing (or increase for that matter) should be at the discretion of the presiding judge after a review of all the evidence.

No wonder much of the public have little faith in the police, judiciary and legal profession.

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

....But before I did I got Ben to visit the shed. I don't think he was impressed.

and it looks like he's "grumpy with it" as well.

But he's a handsome looking lad! (and has similar markings to my Schotty).

 

I have now sold off 4 guitars and made payment to the Swiss HIWATT importer, so in a few days I'll take delivery of this little toy:

 

Mrs iD was most scathing (even though the purchase was cost negative after the guitar sale), but former colleague of mine, a friend and a semi-professional guitarist said I got a real bargain!  The only downside being how little I got for the guitars I sold off.

 

Anyway, off to kill things on the PlayStation.

 

Enjoy the rest of the day!

 

iD

 

[AndrewC]

Afternoon all. The predicted rain has failed to appear. I may have to do the Canadian Rain Dance. (wash the car) The twatwaffle of a project mangler imploded in this morning's meeting. He sounded like a poorly maintained motor boat, but but but but..... Sorry mate but leave approved above your head and you failed to book my time properly in the system. Ain't karma a bitch. If he wants to try to get it cancelled now, he needs approval and the policy is "IF" and that is a bloody big if, I agree to release my time it has to be compensated by an equal number of TOIL days that would come out of his budget. So if he begs my 2 days of leave next week become 4 days down the road. 

 

We had the Old Bill at the door a couple of hours ago. Looks like the council have finally acted on the builders living in the garage next door illegally. They wanted a chat about any problems or other issues. They had a good look around over the fence, then a long chat with the builders. That would have been interesting as none of them know a bloody word of English. Turns out the council have ordered their eviction and this was the half way to "auf wiedersen pet" inspection. Nice enough chaps though. 

[MichaelE]

It has been raining here for the last five days. It has finally stopped for at least a little while so I'm going to try and cut the grass. It still hasn't dried out, but is drier than yesterday so I'm going to give it a go.

 

After that I hope to finish my 2+ meters of rock wall with a grey wash under the RhB line.

 

And then tip back a few Bitburgers this afternoon. 

 

Vacation never lasts long enough. I consider it practise for my retirement in a few years.

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

 

We had the Old Bill at the door a couple of hours ago.

The police helicopter was flying about near our house yesterday. I think they may have called in reinforcements as an Apache helicopter just flew over heading north. 

[Simon G]

We had a very small amount of rain overnight, as the ground was wet when we got up.  Despite the heatwave almost everywhere in the UK, we didn’t reach 20 degrees yesterday, but it was warm in the sun.  Today is slightly cooler than yesterday,  and I have been outside doing various tasks.  The cold frame is finally finished, with glass installed.  I used an old double glazing unit, so I have a double glazed cold frame.  On the downside, it makes opening it rather heavy, and I expect Mrs G to have some words on that!
 

The weeds in the lawn are taking hold, so some time next week, I will give it the first treatment of lawn weedkiller this year.    It will require a second treatment later on, as despite what “it says on the tin”, one treatment never kills off the broad leaved weeds.  Some weed killing has been done, as I did treat the Mare’s Tail with glyphosate yesterday, but have since found more sprouting.

 

The postie has brought me a package of the items required to complete my layout control panel, so that could get done over the next few days when we have a gale forecast.

[chrisf]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Tommy by Rudyard Kipling

I WENT into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, " We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, go away " ;
But it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, wait outside ";
But it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap.
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, 'ow's yer soul? "
But it's " Thin red line of 'eroes " when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes, " when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! "
But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
 

iD

 

 

Thank you, Flavio.  That poem and the other Barrack Room Ballads was set to music by the late and sadly missed Peter Bellamy.  He had a prolonged battle with Kipling's estate whose trustees were not at all keen on the idea.  There are those who believe, me included, that Kipling intended them to be sung.

 

Chris

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Haven't managed to backread at all, and also had to skip a few pages again.  Generic greetings are, of course, on offer to all ERs.

 

Not a lot to report here, but the hills do appear to be getting a bit less steep.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Chris116]

The forecast promised a thunderstorm and rain so as usual it has been hot, sunny and cloud free. I stopped bothering with weather forecasts when Mr Fish said there would not be a hurricane and I woke up the next morning to lots of trees lying down! Best way of knowing the weather is to look out the window and if you need to know the temperature open the door and stand outside for a short time. 

 

SWMBO had her walk, longer than yesterday but again it was the heat and not her replacement hip that caused her to get a lift in her wheelchair back home with me pushing. 

 

Grilled bacon and scrambled egg was enjoyed for breakfast and I have some chicken breasts to cook for our evening meal. She has an iced coffee and I have a cold milk to drink at present. 

[Tony_S]

Another cultural evening beckons. Last night it was “Nora” a ballet based on Ibsen Dolls House characters with music by Philip Glass. I have never knowingly seen or read any Ibsen and haven’t heard anything by Philip Glass before. 
Tonight will be “Streetcar Named Desire” with Gillian Anderson.  I have see a film version of that but the film is older than I am. 
Tony

[grandadbob]

'Tis bleddy hot here.

Some time spent in The Shed and I've started unpacking some of the locos  that have been in storage for several months.  Still got a lot more to do though.

Car was serviced and everything OK and on picking it up found they'd cleaned it inside and out and all touchable surfaces like steering wheel, gear lever, radio, switches, door handles and key sanitised.  No charge either, well not quite as I pay a monthly service charge but a least I didn't have to fork out anything today.

Tonight there will be clapping followed by  a socially distant (over the fence) drink or three with our next door neighbours as it's Ali's birthday.  In normal times there would have been a party at the weekend.

Soon be time for a beer.  Very soon!  Like now!  

Edited May 21, 2020 by grandadbob

[tetsudofan]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I think the one on the ground might be an AK 47 with no magazine. 
 

 

OK, that's possible, we did change around equipment. What I do remember is that I was most accurate with the AK47

 

Keith