The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

21 minutes ago, SM42 said:

The cupboard has no lights

I think I was asked to put some lighting in the airing cupboard in December 1990. It would be useful I suppose. My suggestion of a torch wasn’t what was wanted. Still haven’t done it. 

[SM42]

27 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I think I was asked to put some lighting in the airing cupboard in December 1990. It would be useful I suppose. My suggestion of a torch wasn’t what was wanted. Still haven’t done it. 

 

There was a  socket in there, I could have put an LED strip around the inside of the door  frame I suppose, but that socket is now gone and so is the chance to do so. 

 

We've managed without lights for 16 years, so we'll be OK I think.

 

Andy

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[rockershovel]

On 05/03/2024 at 22:17, skipepsi said:

A left leaning newspaper that is tax avoidant...

... and to a considerable extent subsidised by Auto Trader 

[Oldddudders]

5 hours ago, SM42 said:

The cupboard has no lights

I bought a very cheap LED battery light in Home Bargains that has a sensor, so is only on when the cupboard door is open. 

[Happy Hippo]

Our airing cupboard has many uses apart from airing clothes.  

 

I use it to prove bread, Nyda uses it to germinates plants, and we've even had chicken eggs in there when the bantam hen who had been sitting on them decided not to be broody anymore.

 

All eight eggs hatched and all the chicks survived, eventually moving on to new homes.

 

I sometimes wish I still kept bantams; Until I remember they can be quite labour intensive (especially when it's cold wet and dark outside🤣).

 

Fortunately, Morgan has a flock, so eggs are always forthcoming.

[Oldddudders]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I sometimes wish I still kept bantams; Until I remember they can be quite labour intensive (especially when it's cold wet and dark outside🤣).

Of course you do. They, like you, flourish in a muddy hollow, or at least seem to like creating one!

[TheQ]

Our airing cupboard used to sit between the kitchen ( down below) chimney breast and the corner of the house. The chimney was removed in 1980 and the cylinder side boarded up.

when the cylinder inside was removed when we went over to a combi boiler so I revived the cupboard.

It's some times missed for it's use. But the space is much better used in the room in which it resides, namely what is now the muddling room.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Of course you do. They, like you, flourish in a muddy hollow, or at least seem to like creating one!

As well as producing g copious amounts of solid emissions. 

 

Jamie

[rockershovel]

On 06/03/2024 at 05:37, jamie92208 said:

The shortage of shells for a convential war is nothing new. The UK found itself in the same position in 1915 and a prodigious effort was required to build up manufacturing and logistical capacity.  This even included Roro train ferries and their associated docks.  That was after nearly a century of small wars, though the Royal Navy had broadly been maintained.  Strangely enough there were the same arguments about the cost of a viable strategic deterrent. The deterrent in 1914 was the Grand Fleet and the concept of a fleet in being.  A large part of our industrial capacity and GDP was used to maintain that. Thus after Jutland the British capital ship losses were replaced in about a year, Germany never managed that and could only produce dreadnoughts at about 25% of the rate that the UK could. Nowadays it is of course the Ballistic missile boats. 

 

Jamie

 

On 06/03/2024 at 05:37, jamie92208 said:

The shortage of shells for a convential war is nothing new. The UK found itself in the same position in 1915 and a prodigious effort was required to build up manufacturing and logistical capacity.  This even included Roro train ferries and their associated docks.  That was after nearly a century of small wars, though the Royal Navy had broadly been maintained.  Strangely enough there were the same arguments about the cost of a viable strategic deterrent. The deterrent in 1914 was the Grand Fleet and the concept of a fleet in being.  A large part of our industrial capacity and GDP was used to maintain that. Thus after Jutland the British capital ship losses were replaced in about a year, Germany never managed that and could only produce dreadnoughts at about 25% of the rate that the UK could. Nowadays it is of course the Ballistic missile boats. 

 

Jamie

To be realistic about this, the Prussians had waged a series of short wars in Europe between 1860 and 1870, including a conclusive defeat of France within 6 weeks. They would also defeat France, together with the BEF within 6 weeks in 1940 using a largely horse-drawn army armed with rifles which (apart from its Armoured spear-heads and air support) was little different from 1914.

 

The planners of 1914 were working from experience. They had the example of the American Civil War, but those armies had single-shot muskets or rifles, no modern rifled artillery, no viable machine-guns (the Gatling gun found little use in its homeland, indeed apart from occasional use in colonial warfare it wasn't much use at all)

[rockershovel]

I see BA are making efforts to convince customers that they are investing in "improving the product".... Good luck with that!

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

 

To be realistic about this, the Prussians had waged a series of short wars in Europe between 1860 and 1870, including a conclusive defeat of France within 6 weeks. They would also defeat France, together with the BEF within 6 weeks in 1940 using a largely horse-drawn army armed with rifles which (apart from its Armoured spear-heads and air support) was little different from 1914.

 

The planners of 1914 were working from experience. They had the example of the American Civil War, but those armies had single-shot muskets or rifles, no modern rifled artillery, no viable machine-guns (the Gatling gun found little use in its homeland, indeed apart from occasional use in colonial warfare it wasn't much use at all)

 

The Spanish American War was the war the Gatling gun was mostly used. Most famously here.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Juan_Hill

 

 

Jason

[Tony_S]

8 hours ago, rockershovel said:

... and to a considerable extent subsidised by Auto Trader 

Considering that the newspaper sold Autotrader 10 years ago that would seem to be a very good deal. If I got income from something I sold 10 years ago I would be congratulating myself. To be honest I probably look at Autotrader’s website more now than the Guardian’s (I am not doing this “I know which paper without naming” malarkey. ) 

We had daily newspapers for years. Some timemduringnCovid we cancellled the daily delivery, as our newsagent off loaded it to a company based in Stoke on Trent. Their reviews were not encouraging. 
So since Covid travel restrictions ended the only hard copy news I have read has been in hotels and usually not in English. 

Edited March 7 by Tony_S

[SM42]

Well I'm at carpet laying stage. 

 

The underlay has been cut with holes for pipes. 

 

Just need to use that a a rough template for the carpet. 

 

9nly the door strip will grip it, the rest I'm relying on a tight ish fit and th fact that there will be no foot traffic. 

 

Work had not stopped as I havx , trip to the physio soon. 

 

Meanwhile the gulls outside are  laughing at me again. 

 

They're not endangered, they just count em at the coast

 

Andy

Edited March 7 by SM42

[Tony_S]

The Crimson Lake object has been delivered by the APC. The courier would have made @polybearvery happy. Handed the item to me after friendly greeting, checking my name, and asked if he could photograph the item while I held it. Then had a chat about the previous delivery where the person who took in the item wouldn’t give their name. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

They're not endangered, they just count em at the coast

When I was little there didn’t seem to be many gulls in the midlands. By the time I left home to go to university they were quite common. Even though we live in an estuary I think there may be a lot of gulls that don’t require webbed feet. The land fill site is popular with gulls.Not sure what will happen to all the gulls and foxes  when it is totally closed. 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

9nly the door strip will grip it, the rest I'm relying on a tight ish fit and th fact that there will be no foot traffic. 

A dab of Copydex can fix carpet quite well in low traffic areas .

Edited March 7 by Tony_S

[AndyID]

13 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

When I was little there didn’t seem to be many gulls in the midlands. By the time I left home to go to university they were quite common. Even though we live in an estuary I think there may be a lot of gulls that don’t require webbed feet. The land fill site is popular with gulls.Not sure what will happen to all the gulls and foxes  when it is totally closed. 

 

Far too many of the blighters here. The closest ocean water is 250 miles from here as the gull flies. They hang out at the landfill then congregate at the lake which they use as a toilet.

 

 

[AndyID]

23 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Dab of Copydex fix carpet quite well in low traffic areas .

 

Ah Copydex! Probably my dad's favorite adhesive. Does it still smell bludyorful?

 

[SM42]

35 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

A dab of Copydex can fix carpet quite well in low traffic areas .

 

It's a no traffic area. 

 

Once the shelves are back in, you won't be able to get in there. 

 

But tip duly noted for the future. 

 

Thanks 

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

45 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Ah Copydex! Probably my dad's favorite adhesive. Does it still smell bludyorful?

 

I think it does,but only when it is setting.  My sense of smell is a bit imprecise but it smells like dead fish to me. 
I find it difficult to distinguish between onions and whatever the smell added to our natural gas supply is. Sometimes I think fresh coffee is leaky gas too. Once I know what it is I am ok. 

[Hroth]

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

A dab of Copydex can fix carpet quite well in low traffic areas .

 

5 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Ah Copydex! Probably my dad's favorite adhesive. Does it still smell bludyorful?

 

 

And beloved of Blue Peter in the Singleton/Noakes/Purves days.  With a piece of paper glued* over the label to avoid advertising the stuff...

 

And always use "stickyback plastic", not Fablon!

 

Other favourite construction materials included cereal boxes with the logos obliterated, corrugated paper, Pilot and Swan Vestas match boxes, cotton reels and other bits and bobs.

 

I made a WW1 tank from two Pilot match boxes, two Swan match boxes, some pieces of card and corrugated paper for the tracks, decorated with poster paints...

 

* With Copydex?

Edited March 7 by Hroth
More thorts...

[Winslow Boy]

The Halycon of television viewing.

 

Where did it gone wrong!

 

Sorry just reminiscing.

[SM42]

Blood has been sacrificed to the god of work. 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

5 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Blood has been sacrificed to the god of work. 

 

Andy

I'm so glad about that,  it means I won't have to sacrifice any later when I use the circular saw to make some spacers.