Early Risers.

[emt_911]

Morning all. Another grey start to the day but a bit warmer than last night.

 

A quick trawl round the RM world before packing up and heading to Derbyshire. First though, another coffee.

 

Have a good day everyone.

[trisonic]

Bad employment news from ER. I wish you all the best, of course......

 

 

How Seurat became simultaneously a Post Impressionist and a Surrealist:

 

 

Personally I think that a print combining one of my favorite paintings with one of my favorite movies would look good in my office/studio.

 

Horrorshow, my droogs.

 

 

Best, Pete.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Quite sunny here. I haven't been outside yet so I can't comment on how warm it is. Aditi is making a cake. It is for her mother's birthday. We are going over to Enfield and there will be a meal at a restaurant and then back to MiL's for tea and cake. Afterwards Aditi and I will help MiL prepare for her visitors,from the USA who will be arriving on Wednesday.

While mention was made of Wapiti dropped bombs on the NW Frontier reminded me that Aditi's Dad had spent much of his childhood in that region. India then included what is now Pakistan. FiL's father was a civil engineer and was involved in irrigation and dam building all over that area. They always lived in protected compounds and travelled with police escorts.

I have a very nice photo of some Wapiti droppings if anyone is interested...

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.  Like other villages, the sun is here.  Mostly.  Rained some here too yesterday, the day was OK until lunchtime, then went off a bit.  Artisan ice cream was had at Laxey after lunch - in the rain.

 

Ah, redundancy.  I was made redundant from the Merch by a telex that didn't even say so - it said basically 'these 5 officers are going home next port, to be replaced by.....'  As I wasn't due off for another month, the question was asked of the Chief if he had sacked me for reasons unknown - no - so a response was sent basically saying - why?  Reply was - 'these 5 officers redundant'

 

It was at that point we realised the 5 replacements had all been 'busted' a rank or two, and as I was second from the bottom in such grading, off I went.  Gibraltar has therefore never been a favourite place of mine!  The cheeky thing was we had put into Gib for emergency engine repairs (no, not sabotage!) and they asked the 2 of us who were engineer officers to go back on board to help!  Right, sure.....let me think about that for a second....NO! 

 

It was an awful feeling though, as we had no inkling the company was in difficulties at that point.  They went from 26 ships to 3.....  Thus began a chain of events and very varied jobs that ended me up here!

Edited April 15, 2017 by New Haven Neil

[andyram]

Morning all. Firstly I would like to send my best wishes to Michael following his employment news. I do hope you find a new job very soon.

Since I last posted things have been fairly relaxed. We had an enjoyable meal out with the inlaws at the Indian resturant. Sarah and Amber then headed off to her mum's to stay over prior to yesterday's Nottingham Forest match. She arrived back in a less than positive mood after their defeat pulled them closer to the relegation zone.

In the intervening time I caught up on one or two jobs around the house. The shopping was done, the dishwashing backlog completed and the recycled tackled. I ventured out to post out some Avon books to potential new customers and got soaked in a sudden heavy rain shower. I also completed the last of the marking from last half term. This seemed to take longer than normal. Of course, Sarah in her mood, managed to focus on all of the jobs I had not completed. Sometimes you just can't please some people!

No plans for today yet. Whatever you do have a good one.

[lightengine]

I have just woken and cannot figure what a VP is apart from video producer and voice protocol, neither of which seem relevant. I do hope that things improve Michael.

Edited April 15, 2017 by lightengine

[Oldddudders]

American companies are awash with Vice Presidents, each responsible for one of finance, marketing, production, whatever. As noted, their status is a little less secure than the title suggests.

[Ashcombe]

I have just woken and cannot figure what a VP is apart from video producer and voice protocol, neither of which seem relevant. I do hope that things improve Michael.

Vice President?

[Gwiwer]

Morning all.

 

While you slept (or tried to) I was busy with the floor sander.  Two rooms and a hallway now await dust settlement, for which we are advised to wait 2 - 3 days, and then the application of clear low-sheen varnish to match the rest of the house.  

 

A noisy, dirty and tiring job but one which produces results which make the effort worthwhile.

 

I have rewarded myself with BBQ sausages, jacket potato and some foliage washed down with a nice Margaret River Cab-Sauv.

 

Best wishes all.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Gwiwer

[lightengine]

Bad employment news from ER. I wish you all the best, of course......

 

 

How Seurat became simultaneously a Post Impressionist and a Surrealist:

 

bEXJoVZ.jpg

 

Personally I think that a print combining one of my favorite paintings with one of my favorite movies would look good in my office/studio.

 

Horrorshow, my droogs.

 

 

Best, Pete.

Some ultra violence on a sunny afternoon

[lightengine]

Vice President?

Never had a VP in my life so far. Am I missing anything? Had a CEO that liked to play with peoples jobs.

[Ashcombe]

American companies are awash with Vice Presidents, each responsible for one of finance, marketing, production, whatever. As noted, their status is a little less secure than the title suggests.

  

Vice President?

For the avoidance of doubt, we are still speaking! In fact, we're sharing hot cross buns with our coffee!

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Quite bright here so there must be sun shining behind all that thin cloud cover - we even have rain forecast for tomorrow so the Head Gardener is a very cheery bunny.

 

Commiserations to Michael,and what a right crock of sh*t to be employed by.   Sometimes we don't realise quite how fortunate we are to live in a country with reasonable employment laws or in my own case to have worked in an industry with a proper mechanism for such events and where I was either redundant or 'ceased to be an occupant of a minuted post' on more than a handful occasions in the space of 34 years (I think it was 8 in total) with the essential difference being that each time you knew it was coming long before you got the official letter.  Anybody who makes folk redundant or, even worse, sacks them by such cowardly behaviour as a phone call, text, or email - especially without warning - deserves to be pegged out in a  very hot desert with more than their four limbs staked out at maximum stretch - utterly despicable and clearly not capable of managing their way out of a paper bag let alone being fit to manage anything more complex than said paper bag.

 

Right rant over; but I am truly disgusted by such behaviour - sorry but that's it, just another form of workplace bullying by total inadequates.

 

So on that bright note I'll wish  all a good day and may those going to York racecourse have an enjoyable day at the non-racing event.

[Horsetan]

Unfortunately it's generally the inadequates who get promoted beyond their competence.

[Gwiwer]

Unfortunately it's generally the inadequates who get promoted beyond their competence.

 

Yes.  The Peter Principle.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

 

Vice President?  President of vice perhaps? President of the vice? Person in a suit with two jaws that can get a grip on things?

 

I reckon the first more often than not

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Any further work on my shed is on hold for the time being. I now have the most painful backache but despite that I managed to get a few hours sleep last night. Michael, my condolences, thats a very shabby way to treat employees, I hope you can take them to the cleaners.

[bbishop]

Morning all.

 

I had the misfortune, many years ago, to work for a "Double Peter".  So incompetent at a job that they promoted her out of it. 

 

Have a good day.

 

Bill

[lightengine]

For insomniacs. This is where we live. Can you find it on Google Earth?

 

Home.jpg

Is it a shallow water lake?

[Gwiwer]

 

 

Ave Caesar. Imperator Rex and all that malarky.

What a disgraceful way to manage what is always a difficult situation.  Not better than being dismissed by email which has been the fate of a small number of colleagues here.  

 

Not that we can rest on any laurels as the Gummint is intent on scrapping penalty rates for weekend and public holiday working and insisting that everyone be paid the same rate no matter when they are at work.  Quite apart from the fact that many in certain industries (catering, hospitality and transport among them) rely on penalty rates to keep a roof over their heads this is likely to guarantee a shortage of willing hands to work weekends / nights / public holidays in the future.  For employees it's a severe kick in the loinal region.  For employers it's a mixed blessing as they are not necessarily obliged to pay staff (for example) double time on Sundays but may find that fewer staff are prepared to work / more call in sick if offered just the basic hourly rate.

 

And for the record - and because it is about to change - this is where we have called home these past 14 years:

 

The cream coloured tin roof stands out from above.  Penhayle Bay has lived alongside the NW-SE wall and the polycarbonate roof above it can just be made out.

 

We're not so far from the beach and the calm, shallow waters of Port Philip Bay.  Hardly a surf beach but there's around 30 miles like this all perfectly safe for shallow bathing and popular with the personal watercraft fraternity.

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

I hadn't imagined the suburbs to look so built-up, given the amount of space available in Oz.

 

Chateau NHN doesn't take much finding on Googwebmap, the garden railway is easy to spot!  Thankfully burglary crime here is almost nil.  There was one late last year, but they knew who it was anyway.....small place.  #slam of cell door#  Sentencing here is rather more punative than the UK, although whether that is a good thing or not is yet to be proved. Drug offences more than just a little blow for personal needs = jail, no argument.  2 years usually.  This means the street proce for drugs is high, so the Sc...Liverpudlians come over to make a quick buck.  Except there's dogs on the ferry.....

 

Douglas is less pleasant in that respect but noting like UK standards, however there was a spree a year gone Christmas, visitors from across I believe.  By the time plod worked it out (27 burglaries IIRC) they had done a flit.  Cards duly marked if they attempt to return though.

[Gwiwer]

 

 

I hadn't imagined the suburbs to look so built-up, given the amount of space available in Oz.

Space is relative.  There's generally very generous space per house compared with British housing and most homes are free-standing (detached) on their own block of land.  If you superimposed somewhere like Manchester onto the same photo there would be less green and a lot more homes for the same area. And with many of those homes joined to their neighbours in terraces, high rise or at least as semi-detached houses.

[BoD]

For insomniacs. This is where we live. Can you find it on Google Earth?

 

Home.jpg

Pacific Northwest?

[New Haven Neil]

Space is relative.  There's generally very generous space per house compared with British housing and most homes are free-standing (detached) on their own block of land.  If you superimposed somewhere like Manchester onto the same photo there would be less green and a lot more homes for the same area. And with many of those homes joined to their neighbours in terraces, high rise or at least as semi-detached houses.

Living on the edge of a small village on Fraggle Rock for 15 years has altered my perceptions I suppose.  I still didn't expect it to look so...hmmm....familiar somehow.  I've been to Kiwi three times and in the so much less populous country there seemed a lot of space in comparison.  ON second thoughts, Auckland is much the same.....didn't stay there though!

[Barry O]

Woke up late due to:

Strongarm.....the Cameron's variety

And whisky....the single malt variety.

 

Walked to Boggle Hole and back, a prawn salad sandwich for lunch maybe some eye lid inspection required?

 

I have had 4 requests to umpire games today ..bit late to ask but nice to be asked.

 

Enjoy today!

Baz

[grandadbob]

As suspected The Boss went into the bathroom after handing me the new shower curtains to fit,  then she proceeded to hang some new towels, move some shower gels etc around and place a bathmat. Following these exertions she stood back and said admiringly "That looks nice, we've made a really good job of that."  

 

I'm off to sit in the corner of a darkened room somewhere.