Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl, 

 Another 25ish kg of lead melted into the mould,  it's about an inch and a half from the top now. 

 

Outside our back door is a small bird box,  studiously ignored by our feathered friends for some years. This year Mr and Mrs Blue tit moved in,  they have successfully bred 5 chicks. As Ben and me went out one tried it's first flight out, I carefully shepherded  it into the undergrowth after a soft crash landing.   SWMBO has taken pictures of the others,  I'll try to get them to post,  but it's camera to main PC to NAS drive to this machine. 

 

It's warm out there,  I spent some time sat in the sun trying to repair one of those expanding garden hoses,  trying to fix the connectors on after a cut and shut is difficult.  These hoses are light weight and convenient but very fragile,  we won't be buying one again. 

 

Once out, Ben the good boy Collie,  was running free when he suddenly decided to go to the side of the green lane and sit down.  I hadn't noticed the two horses and riders coming up behind us.  He sat quietly as they went past .. 

 

The main meal has been eaten

time to contemplate my eyelids.. 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Well the garden shed is well and truly knackered. Its doubtful that much if anything can be recovered. As I removed a storage box it revealed a great big hole at the back of the shed. The reason for it is that a pile of sand was left up against the back of the shed. I assume that it must have been left by the fence installers who fitted a new fence about 3 years ago to the property at the bottom of the garden about a foot behind the shed, Not only has it allowed the damp to penetrate the shed but its stopped the concrete slab the shed stands on from draining properly and the rear two thirds of the shed floor are also rotten, its like walking on an air bed. Luckily the tools were stored in the part of the shed that remained dry.

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

And later than WW1.

i remember the fuss when the sailing club demolished the barge.

https://beyondcanvey.wordpress.com/historic-locations/canvey-island/the-second-world-war/the-concrete-barge-1940s/

 

Tony

You will be pleased to learn that the Dunkirk veteran is now at Mangapps being restored.

[AndyID]

16 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

You mention a Fiat Spyder, unlike many of my generation, Italian sports cars and “supercars” never “clicked” with me, 

 

This one is probably more Japanese than Italian. It's an Italian body design with Fiat engine and transmission on a Mazda "chassis". Made on the same production line as the Mazda Miata in Hiroshima.

 

EDIT: Added pic. That's MrsID peaking out from behind the wheel. Naturally I'd be wearing the obligatory Harris Tweed bunnet and sports-jacket. (I always think Jackie Stewart's attire is a tad ostentatious.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by AndyID
added pic

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

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

 

it's a knockout

 

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

... the shed was bought second hand and is obviously of GWR heritage.

I see no evidence of multiple coats of "light stone" applied over the years.

 

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Concrete rafts do not float well.

Assuredly they do, not only on water as others have noted, but exceptionally well on dirt, even better on a nice base of gravel and sand. It will require a substantial amount of engineering. unreinforced and on an imperfectly leveled (or over time subsiding) footing they can and will crack. This will still keep out the burrowing mammalian critters but might be unwelcome. Happily there are no tree roots in the vicinity either.

[jamie92208]

It's going to be12cms thick with steel mesh reinforcement.   A lot of it will becover the existing base which is limestone chippings, now well compacted. We'll have to be careful where the new sub base starts. The builder who is due to replace our roof next week is starting Friday and hopes to have it done in 2 days.  It should be hardened by thd time the pool is ready for collection.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Pease pudding  food of the gods

 

 

Eaten cold spread in a butter3D sliced stotty with ham and pickled red cabbage ...

Yummy

Can also be eaten in bacon sarnies, beef sarnies, chicken sarnies...or 9n it's own as like a northeastern hummus...heaven forbid!

 

Baz

 

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

There is also another consideration when looking at surface contamination by viruses: which is how long the virus remains active (the correct terminology is, I am led to understand, is that a virus is inactivated, not killed [not really being a living organism, being, as they are, on the border between chemistry and life]).

The surprising longevity of viable SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces like plastic and non-cuprous metals (which I believe was measured in the range of 48 - 72 hours) was what drove extensive messaging around the importance of sanitizing surfaces with the possibility that surface transmission was a significant vector.

 

What is interesting about the CDC announcement was that empirically most transmission is not from surfaces. Either people are doing a remarkable job with all the disinfecting agents that disappeared from the supermarkets before I was able to purchase them or, despite the measurements, it suggests that the viral load from surface transmission is much less than direct person to person droplet transmission and that viral load might be significant in terms of infection, rather than exposure.

 

Of course this doesn't change the notion that it's a good idea to sanitize high-touch surfaces (like food preparation, door handles, etc.)

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[PhilJ W]

My original computer has gone on strike, its just 'frozen'. Just as well I've got this back up.

[AndyB]

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

They actually built concrete barges during WW1.   They did work brtter than lead balloons.

 

Jamie

 

This reminds me. I was chatting to one of the Profs at the National Composites Centre near Brizzle a few years ago and he mentioned a challenge to students in his department....

https://www.bristolmedia.co.uk/news/2062/the-uks-first-successful-lead-balloon

[J. S. Bach]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 ...snip...The next time we meet, instead enjoying a companionable pint of “Old Scruttock’s Badger Testicles”  ...snip... Enjoy Monday!

Now, that one really did cause me to "laugh out loud" and is the reason for the "Smiley face" rating.

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Now, that one really did cause me to "laugh out loud" and is the reason for the "Smiley face" rating.

My son said that if you ordered pints of “Old Badgers bits” (made up name) ale in Leicester pubs you never got “carded” but studenty types ordering Stella or Strongbow always did. 

 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Pease pudding  food of the gods

 

 

Eaten cold spread in a butter3D sliced stotty with ham and pickled red cabbage ...

Yummy

Can also be eaten in bacon sarnies, beef sarnies, chicken sarnies...or 9n it's own as like a northeastern hummus...heaven forbid!

 

Baz

 

My brother and I were not normally allowed to refuse the food we were given but I do remember a very brave request not to have pease pudding ever again, certainly not the canned variety my mother purchased. Looked like lard and grey pea shapes before it was heated. Smelled vile. 
Tony

[roundhouse]

I remember taking a few friends to a Firkin pub in Manchester and when the friend buying the beers asked me I told him ....... Magical Mystical Mild (cant remember the first bit as it was so long ago) and he refused thinking that I was winding him until I pointed to the handpump.

 

I am glad to report that there were no incidents on the garden railway after running trains ocnituously since around 11am till a few minutes ago. Hopefully the same tomorrow once I have cut our and next doors lawn.

 

No beer today so tomorrow may be time to open one of the mini kegs

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Pease pudding  food of the gods

 

 

Eaten cold spread in a butter3D sliced stotty with ham and pickled red cabbage ...

Yummy

Can also be eaten in bacon sarnies, beef sarnies, chicken sarnies...or 9n it's own as like a northeastern hummus...heaven forbid!

 

Baz

 

 

Maybe your old friend would like some too .

 

 

[Tony_S]

42 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

remember taking a few friends to a Firkin pub in Manchester and when the friend buying the beers asked me I told him ....... Magical Mystical Mild (cant remember the first bit as it was so long ago) and he refused thinking that I was winding him until I pointed to the handpump.

I remember a similar incident at Sheerness when I was a student. Two friends had quite a “discussion” about whether or not a lolly gobble choc bomb was a real product available from the ice cream van or just a wind up.

[TheQ]

Windboats marine https://www.windboats.co.uk/ on the Norfolk broads, were at one time, famous for building concrete yachts and motor cruisers. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/concrete-boat .

you really don't want to run into one in a modern fibreglass yacht.. 

It's still done by amateur boat builders who want a big yacht.. 

 

I used to live in a poured concrete house , that floated on a hollow concrete foundation raft.  Admittedly it was floating in peat.. 

There is a "Grand designs" program on someone who built a floating concrete foundation for a house on a island in the Thames

[pH]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Concrete rafts do not float well.

Actually, they do! There are several floating bridges made of concrete pontoons in and around Seattle. For example:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evergreen_Point_Floating_Bridge

 

(Edit to add- here’s an article on the longest floating bridges in the world. Most of them are built using concrete pontoons:

https://www.enr.com/articles/44013-the-10-longest-floating-bridges-in-the-world

 

But things can go wrong:

https://youtu.be/gm0YQ3vuyyY  )

Edited May 25, 2020 by pH

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, roundhouse said:

I remember taking a few friends to a Firkin pub in Manchester

I wish the firkin pubs would re-open!!!   And the coffee-shops.  Even a take-away would be welcome right now.  

 

Shop, but not cafe, re-opening put back two weeks apparently to allow them to get the requirements into place; some around here have been working towards 1st June and were ready to go but have at very short notice been obliged to defer.  Staff recalled from furlough cannot be re-furloughed for just two weeks so will end up unpaid if the shops don't or cannot stump up.  I make no other comment.   

 

Full summer uniform is ready to go in the morning; we have no idea how busy the House of Fun might be nor whether there will be any attempt to limit the numbers travelling.  It has already been said that to limit numbers is to potentially delay or refuse travel to those very people who use trains as their only viable means of getting to critical employment.  We shall see.  There is a growing sense emerging of "emergency over" even though it isn't.  Whether that be driven by boredom, frustration, the low transmission rate and hospital-bed occupancy now in almost all of London or just a simple desire to return to normal - who knows.  Probably a bit of everything.  The next test comes a week today when schools resume for three younger year-groups.  Not many of those use the train but school buses will be required once again.  I may learn more through the week from my sister (not in London but expecting to be back in the classroom next Monday) and from Former Neighbour (Upstairs) who is due back to resume as a Year 1 supply teacher.  

 

Tis time for a farewell-to-the-day muggertee before hitting the snooze button.  Having woken everyone else up by snoring outside earlier I am now not tired at all!  Ah well.  Best wishes to all - sleep well when you can.  

[brianusa]

16 hours 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.

 

Electronics do seem to be the least reliable items in cars.  The radio, and auto CD player in the boot, of my '95 Lincoln were early casualties although I 'm not a fan of noise on the go.  Both were changed for a replacement CD/radio if only to switch the power aerial up and down although the old O/E sounded better.  Otherwise the car continues to go well getting on for the first 100K!

OTOH, my wife's Acura has so many gadgets, neither of us have plumbed the depths of what they all do.  In the good old days, one could buy a car either loaded or stripped depending on the needs of the buyer.  Not these days; the manufacturers like to load them up to make the most money and rely on smart sales people to unload them on the unwary!  For some reason, I notice the salesladies are usually most attractive

     Brian.

[Coombe Barton]

Iolanthe, 1882, relevant

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/summers-back/

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[AndyID]

14 minutes ago, brianusa said:

 

Electronics do seem to be the least reliable items in cars.  

 

Cars create a really "hostile environment" for anything electronic. Enormous swings in temperature and humidity coupled with plenty of shock and vibration plus many sources of electromagnetic and RF interference. I'm surprised most of it works as well as it does

[brianusa]

14 hours ago, AndyB said:

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 built.

 

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!

 

 

 

My packed programme consisted of replacing the smoke defectors which have started to beep!  The other night it started just around midnight, so wasn't really in the mood.  Climbing step ladders is not so easy these days but in the broad light of day, isn't so daunting.

It appears that on both sided of the pond, the response to social distancing, etc, is the same; nobody seems to care, although it is said that its the main way to defeat the virus.  To those of us who heed the advice and stay home, shall we eventually emerge covid free while others succumb in their need to "get out of the house" too early?  Or will it just go on taking the most vulnerable on the way, as it is right now.

    Brian.

[laurenceb]

Night awl