Early Risers.

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

The trouble with traditional Sunday lunch is that it seems to take all day to make it, eat it and clear up after it.  This is, of course, a mis-perception.  Serious preparation did not start until after 11 am and I had finished eating in time to watch “Carry On Up the Khyber” on ITV3.  For my money that was the most satirical of all the Carry Ons.  The British Raj had been ripe for treatment for years and it was done so well.  I am not at all sure that anyone in the cast is still alive but all are fondly recalled.  For the record, lunch was roast chicken with roast potatoes, minus roast parsnips because I forgot all about them.  It was washed down with an indifferent chardonnay because I could not find hock or riesling.  Remind me not to go to that supermarket again.  Much later, the carcase was dismantled, a strangely satisfying process.

 

If it is not too hot outside today, there may be g*rd*n*ng.  I doubt that I have the stamina to keep it up for more than half an hour but it has to be done sometime and the relative emptiness of the green bin is a good incentive to fill it again.  The task is bound to be punctuated by a cuppa or two.

 

Matters arising: JohnDMJ, call me obtuse if you will but I do not understand what you are getting at, apart from me!  I am always on the lookout for new and exciting music and the absence of Sidmouth festival this year will impede that process.  5C, I look forward to our meeting, be it again or for the first time.  As I do not use Twitter I would prefer my name not to be prefixed by ‘@’.  Tony S, you have explained well enough how Amazon get involved with eBay for me not to need to ask Harry.  I think he deserves a weekend off without anyone reminding him of how he earns his not inconsiderable salary!

 

“It will always be OK to not be OK” was said by Prince William in the trailer for his latest mental health documentary, to be screened on BBC1 after the eight o’clock clap on Thursday.  I plan to watch.  The words deserve to be recalled and repeated.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[pH]

6 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Tunnels under the Clyde? Yes, there were two but there were actually four if you include the subway.

Well, if you count the separate vehicle bores and the pedestrian tunnel of the Whiteinch Tunnel, there are six.
 

Walking through either of the pedestrian tunnels is/was a weird experience.

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

True, but I am a big fan of heated (defogging), electric mirrors. Heated seats are nice too.

 

The cost of electronic systems (including software) for ADAS, infotainment etc, is quickly surpassing everything else in a modern vehicle.

 

It wasn't always the case but now, unless you are talking about ridiculously exotic vehicles, there's virtually nothing to differentiate vehicles based on mechanical features. The manufacturers have been forced to use software (and a lot of marketing) to maintain some degree of differentiation.

 

There was a similar situation in the US  (now long gone) when GM tried to persuade buyers a Buick was worth more than a Chevrolet (it wasn't) or Ford tried to persuade people a Mercury was worth more than a Ford (it wasn't either). (Also Hillman v Singer)

 

I have a "basic" diesel Ram 1500. It lacks features like a lot of chrome, leather and heated seats (which I've had on other vehicles) but I don't miss any of them

 

Of course none of the above applies to my Fiat Spider.

[polybear]

5 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Likewise. It was 5/- a gallon then.

 

There was one gent who only ever put one gallon in his Morris Minor.

 

Many moons ago when I was a Milk Boy on the local Express Dairies Milk Round we had a customer who's bill was always £1.29 1/2; these were in the days when that sum would get you a pint a day for a week, delivered....

He'd always pay £1-30, and shout "h'penny change" at us whilst doing so.  So off back to the Milk Float to see the milkman for the change.  Norman the milkie would shout in a loud voice "H'penny change?"  I'd reply (loudly) "Yeah, h'penny change".  It's amazing just how long he could be kept waiting at the doorstep waiting for his h'penny.  Especially in winter, with his front door open and all the heat flooding out.

We had another customer called "GB", short for GrumpyBollox....

Norman the milkie taught me a lot, absoloutely none of which was politically correct.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Re the quiz, many are ignoring, despite Stationmaster's advice, the verb tenses in the question. So Bristol and Glasgow have had two, but not at the same time. While Exeter has only ever had one.

I am not familiar with the history of Glasgow airports, and I don't count Prestwick (only a Ryanair passenger would). Bristol has had two public airports, Whitchurch and Lulsgate.

Edit: As per someone else's post, Prestwick is still officially Glasgow's second airport So airports is not the right answer.

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Joseph_Pestell

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente.  It's sunny outside again. 

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Last week, the US CDC recently said that the the primary mode of CoViD-19 transmission is direct from person to person. They have also said they believe ~35% of infections are asymptomatic.

 

The news media widely interpreted this to mean that there was less risk of transmission from surfaces. The CDC responded by editing their website to note that transmission from surfaces may still be possible, but "this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads". (I'm certainly not recommending you change your sanitation practices.)

 

The most dangerous activity appears to be public singing. A Skagit County, Washington choir experienced the infection of 87% of their members, originating with one infected singer. With the projection of the voice during singing, I suspect even the 2m guidelines are insufficient. As church groups (and certain politicians) continue to agitate for church services, one hopes that singing by the participants is discouraged, along with insisting on masks and 2m distancing for the time being.

 

The same transmission within a choir happened in Bradford before the main outbreak and is now being studied.  Apparently the husband of one of them came home from a business trip to China in January and a large proportion of the choir went down with severe flu like symptoms.  

 

Anyway in a short while I'm off back to the swimming pool emporium with the trailer attached to the car to buy a new one.   I am quite pleased with my re-purposing of the old structure.

Here it is when it was still up.

And here are the 4 new compost bins.

I just have to sort out making the bottom panels into opening trap doors. And this lovely Hoopoe was digging for food outside the kitchen yesterday morning.

We thin they re nesting in the Mairie garden next door. I could her their distinctive call when I was dismantling the pool.

And nearly forgot, belated birthday greeting to Dr Station Cat, who I did one meet at a small model railway show.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

[AndyID]

22 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Re the quiz, many are ignoring, despite Stationmaster's advice, the verb tenses in the question. So Bristol and Glasgow have had two, but not at the same time. While Exeter has only ever had one.

 

 

Let us hope, for Stationmaster's sake, it wasn't a trick question.

[AndyID]

5 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Anyway in a short while I'm off back to the swimming pool emporium with the trailer attached to the car to buy a new one. 

 

According to something I was just reading a decent size in-ground pool in the US will run you around $75,000 at the moment. The house we bought in Arizona (in 1983) came with a good sized pool but I seem to remember we only paid $84,000 for the whole shooting match

[AndyB]

Morning all.

And in a packed program today I've some gardening to do, spaghetti to cook and play with my train set. The former will involve plenty of watering. The pasta plenty of garlic. And the latter plenty of patience as I've a baseboard to build. 

 

I note also that a trout farm we frequent has recently reopened. This suggests a mid summer jaunt to stand for several hours by a large pond whilst a fish decides it's tired of life and swims over to my hook. I lack the talent to place the hook close to said fish and save it the journey! 

 

I note the media coverage of people flocking to Southend's beaches. My childhood recollections are of very occasional trips to the beach on one of the Corporation's open-topped, cream-coloured double-deckers. When it's on your doorstep do we ever really use these amenities? I suspect the A13 and A127 may have been quite busy!

 

 

[roundhouse]

1 hour ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Re the quiz, many are ignoring, despite Stationmaster's advice, the verb tenses in the question. So Bristol and Glasgow have had two, but not at the same time. While Exeter has only ever had one.

I am not familiar with the history of Glasgow airports, and I don't count Prestwick (only a Ryanair passenger would). Bristol has had two public airports, Whitchurch and Lulsgate.

Edit: As per someone else's post, Prestwick is still officially Glasgow's second airport So airports is not the right answer.

 

Yes its the tenses that SM has used thats throwing me.

 

Morning all. Still very wound up after the 5pm briefing yesterday and must keep away from todays and the news in general. I see major issues with people not following the 'rules' from now on. Fingers crossed that it doesnt lead to a spike in infections. Some great altered images onl ine but cant post htem here as they would be too political. You can now even buy a mug with the quote supposedly from the civil service that keeps being taken down on twitter. I owuld get one but our cupboards are already overlaoded with mugs that dont get used.

 

A long time friend and rmwebber dropped some paints and modelling items round last night and we had a good chat moan about it all , socially distanced out side on the pavement / drive. Good to see him for the first time in over two months and both looking forward to when we can socially distance in a pub together but he will have to cycle whilst the bus is supposedly out of bounds.

 

We did finish the evening on Pilgrim Saracen, a very nice dark brew collected from our local brewery on Saturday in our 2ltr glass growler, very much an Amercian style but obtained form Windsor and Eton brewery a few years ago. When we take it for fills at breweries they often comment on how good it is as they did yet again at Pilgrim. It has a wide neck which makes it much easier for them to fill and being glass the beer keeps much better. The ale went down well with the thinly sliced steaks that we cooked on our new charcoal table top barbeque which is ready to start cooking 5 minutes after lighting so its very handy for just the two of us with the small amount of meat that we eat. I do like the bigger traditional one that we have but its so much hassle to get set up so only worth it if theres a group of you.

 

Shed time today as other half now has blisters on her feet after two days of long walks.

Edited May 25, 2020 by roundhouse

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Sunny morning and the winds have abated.

 

Simon G going out late at night does seem to be a great idea for anyone "shielding". I hope it raises your fitness levels!

 

Her indoors is off out today. She has a lot of items to drop off at Dr Eldest Herbert's flat as it is his birthday. He is busy marking dissertations which has made him realiae that not having them on sheets of paper but only on a screen makes the task more difficult. She won't go into his flat ..mind you after Cummingsgate why should she worry? Could it be that she understands why she needs to social distane for the sake of all people? 

 

On my list today is washing hanging out and retrieving, checking a faulty light fitting, cutting some hedge (found somewhere in the plastic bags to store the clippings) and...finish the pease pudding.

 

BoD I hope things are OK?

Positive thoughts to all ERs.

 

Time to squeeze Monday to achieve all of my house tasks and leave time for muddling.

 

Baz

Edited May 25, 2020 by Barry O

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Agreed. Glasgow has two art galleries, but I doubt if that's it either. There were the two uni's for a while but there have been more that that for quite a while. Bridges over the Clyde to station termini? There were two but that's a bit too obscure, even for Mr S. Tunnels under the Clyde? Yes, there were two but there were actually four if you include the subway. Railway Termini? Two at the moment but there were at least three or four.

 

I hope this doesn't turn out to be the number of chippies in 1897.

Actually, to save further speculation, it's the number of approved muddy hollows in each location.

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

 

 

Anyway in a short while I'm off back to the swimming pool emporium with the trailer attached to the car to buy a new one.   I am quite pleased with my re-purposing of the old structure.

Here it is when it was still up.

 

I'm glad to see the shed is being maintained to the high standards expected by the Directors of the Midland Railway company.

 

 

[Chris116]

3 hours ago, chrisf said:

  It was washed down with an indifferent chardonnay because I could not find hock or riesling.  Remind me not to go to that supermarket again.  

Don’t go to that supermarket again! 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The sun is shining and the wind has now gone, so shortly I’ll make a start on repainting the fan light over the front door, the front door frame. I was hoping to do this last year after finishing the door, but after getting the dates for Sheila’s first eye op, other more pressing jobs took precedence. 

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

[JohnDMJ]

 

 

8 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Which reminds me of a phrase I use to motivate those around me.

 

"How can I soar with eagles - when I work with turkeys.................."

 

 

 

 

Aptly sums up many of my previous jobs!

 

3 hours ago, chrisf said:

Greetings one and all

 

Matters arising: JohnDMJ, call me obtuse if you will but I do not understand what you are getting at, apart from me! 

 

Chris

 

Your presumed target is correct; nostalgia ain't what it used to be! Keep the kennel firmly locked and look to the future. "Yesterday's Gone, Yesterday's Gone"!

 

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Anyway in a short while I'm off back to the swimming pool emporium with the trailer attached to the car to buy a new one.   I am quite pleased with my re-purposing of the old structure.

Here it is when it was still up.

 

Jamie

 

 

I shudder to think how many of those watering cans will be needed to fill the pool!!

 

[Dave Hunt]

48 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I'm glad to see the shed is being maintained to the high standards expected by the Directors of the Midland Railway company.

 

 

 

Remember the location - it's more likely to be maintained to Midi standards.

 

Not much to report except that it's sunny in North Hipposhire and all evidence of Muddy hollows has disappeared.

 

Dave

[Simon G]

Morning all,

Coll breezy and dull here so far, although we are forecast plenty of sun later, but a maximum temperature of only 13 degrees according to the BBC website.  The actual temperature is usually higher than on the website, but will still be way less than places further south and east.

 

Some gardening is planned for today.  My rows of peas need some weeding, and more beetroot seeds are to be planted, as there is absolutely nothing showing from the first two rows planted a few weeks back.  Grass cutting then planned for this afternoon.

[Happy Hippo]

3 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Remember the location - it's more likely to be maintained to Midi standards.

 

Not much to report except that it's sunny in North Hipposhire and all evidence of Muddy hollows has disappeared.

 

Dave

Thank you for your swift and erudite response.

 

French pronunciation and spelling was not my strong point whilst as school

[AndyB]

I've just GDB'd my thumb with a flat head screwdriver. Not seen a gouge like that since I last drove a pitching wedge into the ground. Ouch.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Actually, to save further speculation, it's the number of approved muddy hollows in each location.

I previously mentioned unicorn sanctuaries but I am pleased to have my error corrected.

Mike’s puzzle is like those questions on “Round Britain Quiz” where the answer turns out to be something like Jacobean bobbins.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Bright and sunny this morning, its hard to believe its a bank holiday. 

4 hours ago, pH said:

I know that, but they have both been known as Glasgow (*****) Airport. Actually, I will now argue against my own answer and mention Glasgow (Prestwick) Airport.

Luton and Southend designate themselves as 'London' airports. 

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Actually, to save further speculation, it's the number of approved muddy hollows in each location.

Approved by whom?

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all.

 

And a sunny one it is.  her ladyship has stated that later today she wishes be chauffeured around the countryside 'to get her out of the house' - we will remain in car and not join the crowds, unless i despatch her into Tesco for a 'paper.

 

Now to remind you (as if you need it  ) of the question -  'Glasgow has had one twice, Bristol has had one twice, but Exeter has only had one once.  What is it?'  There is nothing I can see in there to imply anything about the time at which 'it' did or didn't happen - simply a statement in respect of each name (therein might lie a potential clue).   KZ had got very much on the right sort of track with reference to two separate things in his first response to the question.  I can confirm that it has nothing at all to do with railways or airports in any way shape or form (Note *) and it might pay to think in what wider or other context the names of the places might be used.  There is no trick to the question the information in respect of each place name is a simple statement of fact but do note the tenses in both the statements of fact and the question and don't forget that 'has had' can have a number of meanings.

The Note * -  I'll say that before anybody does come up with that answer although in that context Exeter has more than one anyway.

 

Looks like it might be a good listener question to submit to 'Round Britain Quiz'.  I have a suspicion who might be the first to get the answer but I shall wait and see. 

 

In the meanwhile enjoy your day and stay safe (without frying your brain)

Edited May 25, 2020 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

49 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I previously mentioned unicorn sanctuaries but I am pleased to have my error corrected.

Mike’s puzzle is like those questions on “Round Britain Quiz” where the answer turns out to be something like Jacobean bobbins.

Your post was up before mine but you will see you have definitely got a realistic reference to the form of the question. (alas 'jacobean bobbins', while an absolutely spiffing answer, is incorrect).

 

PS If you know what to look for the information needed to answer the question can be easily found on the 'net

Edited May 25, 2020 by The Stationmaster
Add PS

[PhilJ W]

Breaking news, Brian May (of Queen) has been rushed to hospital following a heart attack.