Early Risers.

[newbryford]

10 hours ago, BR60103 said:

I thought the whole idea of golf was for everybody to end up within 4" of each other.

 

 

 

But not quite at the same time.

 

I always pull my ball out of the hole before someone else putts their ball in...…...

[newbryford]

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Morning all;,

 

Bin day here too but the binmen haven't bin yet - probably overwhelmed with extra recycling (it's that week) from all the parcels folk are receiving.

 

I must admit to being a bit confused about how social distancing works in golf.  As all the players are aiming to get their balls into the same holes surely there is a risk of cross infection should you feel in the hole to make sure you've achieved your aim and also to extract your ball.  Do you know how many other golfers have put their fingers in that hole - of course you don't.  Could be even worse if you're playing away for home of course as you have even less idea about whose fingers have been in the hole.  Or do golfers wear some sort of protection when they get to the holes?

 

With that thoiught I wish you all an enjoyable day and please stay safe - especially if putting your fingers in a strange hole

 

EA time.....

 

I usually just reach into the hole and extract my ball with a finger and thumb - trying not to touch the sides.. ( I have fairly small hands, so this is easy to do)

[BoD]

16 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

……... And obviously no customary handshake after the round.

 

15 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

I always make sure my balls are clean......

 

 

The answer seems obvious then.  No need for the customary handshake or this new fangled touching elbows thing .....

….just touch balls at the end of your round.

[AndrewC]

The Izaak Walton Hotel in Montana has an O scale model of the Empire Builder that runs around the walls of the restaurant. It is set to a timer mechanism and starts on the hour with a hoot, then runs around for a couple of minutes. 

[J. S. Bach]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

 ...snip...  We usually keep them for the neighbours to take to Wales when they visit their family. ...snip... Tony

Why? Don't they get regular newspaper delivery in Wales?

[Tony_S]

10 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Why? Don't they get regular newspaper delivery in Wales?

Bedding material. 

[Gwiwer]

17 hours ago, newbryford said:

"keep dogs on lead" signs.

 

Don't they know lead is poisonous?

 

Hump Day.  It started cold and has become warm but not sunny.  The First Waitrose Grand Prix of the Borisocene was tackled and was not enjoyed.  The queue went around the block.  There were arguments among those queueing over how far 2m was (many were more like 5m apart) and there was obvious frustration at waiting.  At the head of the queue was a thoroughly disinterested person ("Partner" as Waitrose now like to call them) nodding people in without making eye contact.  I waited about 25 minutes.  

 

There was no sanitising of trolleys or baskets.  There was no public sanitising point at all.  There was no marking of distance and, thankfully, no one-way system which simply would not work given the geography of our somewhat oddly-shaped store.  There were a few empty shelves but by and large everything missing could be reasonably substituted except for fresh herbs - the dry herb shelves were also empty of anything commonly used.  There were p.a. announcements urging us to hurry up and allow others in which only served to drive the frustration among some shoppers.  And there was no attempt at the impossible - namely 2m separation while trying to access shelves and pass each other in the aisles.  There was informal spacing at the tills but no taped separators.  

 

That task should not be required again until the end of the month.  

 

SWMBO commences her furlough in around five minutes and somewhat earlier than planned (it was to be Tuesday) because she has simply run out of work she can do from home.  We shall mark that small fact by enjoying a Corona each outside on the lawn.  Conversing loudly with neighbours so as to be heard at the required distance.  

 

Best wishes to all.  Stay well.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Gwiwer
Correcting the auto-corrupt changes

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day...

 

Nothing to report overall - walk with Whitney resulted in her rolling in "something" before we had a chance to stop her, result was she had to have a bath, which she hates  but a nice fresh smelling doggie now

 

No real chance to get a decent shot of the moon, but here's what I managed, at least it's something to report ;

 

Nothing planned for today - so far the Mrs and I have managed to avoid murdering each other, and we're considering that a win

 

9 and cloudy expected to reach 12... and remain cloudy <yawn>

 

Stay safe.

[BoD]

9 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Bedding material. 

Stops the sheep droppings getting all over the bed linen.

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl,  this week our bin men are changing from Keir to Serco. A company not renown for good pay or service. I expect chaos.. 

 

This morning,

first, work, which was  going through all 1085 lines of the data file . Most with 6 numbers per line adjusting so each had the correct number of significant digits. I found a couple of very minor discrepancies  in the original cert which will be corrected... That took 2.5 hours.

 

I got the keel out and started sanding... Disaster, the filler hadn't set in some areas,  it must have been below the minimum setting temperatures.  So I put the keel out in the sun. 

 

So I've assembled a board,  roughly  4ft by 2ft that will carry another board that slides sideways, that will. Have multiple parallel bits of metal on it. I've just mounted some foam on the main board as the base for the scenic section that will hide all transgressions. 

 

Then I returned to the keel, it had set by now,  so I sanded that,  before filling the bits I'd damaged being soft. 

 

Then to the MhRC,  another disaster the extra warmth of the weather had set the varnish too quickly leaving bubbles in the surface.  I've put another thinned coat on it I'll see if it hides the bubbles which I've burst.. 

After that it was back to carving a Celtic cross in 2mm scale. 

 

And now.. Can see what it is yet? 

 

 

[pH]

By our usual relaxed, retired-persons standards, we were up before the sparrows had even eaten the beans this morning to attend the old peoples' hour at the local Safeway. Quite a few people wearing masks (which is new), careful distancing being well observed, and a new one-way system to deal with. No garlic, perogies or the 'regular' brands of a couple of other things, but overall well-stocked. We did notice that there was no yeast available - our decision to buy 'just the small jar' three weeks ago may turn out to have been a mistake.

[southern42]

' afternoon all.

Sunny and warm.

15 min stationary bike ride undertaken in garden.

Pot plants and plants recently re-planted are watered, dandelions deadheaded and a bit of weeding done.

M*d*ll*ing project tests carried out and posted on GWRd.  I really appreciate having the time, though the reason for it is not good but we have to try and make the best of things when we can and take the opportunities as they come along.

 

Fitt and Elfie  doing their best.

Take care, everyone, and keep safe.

_________

Best wishes

Polly

 

[tetsudofan]

37 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

 

The First Waitrose Grand Prix of the Borisocene was tackled and was not enjoyed.  The queue went around the block.  There were arguments among those queueing over how far 2m was (many were more like 5m apart) and there was obvious frustration at waiting.  At the head of the queue was a thoroughly disinterested person ("Partner" as Waitrose now like to call them) nodding people in without making eye contact.  I waited about 25 minutes.  

 

There was no sanitising of trolleys or baskets.  There was no public sanitising point at all.  There was no marking of distance and, thankfully, no one-way system which simply would not work given the geography of our somewhat oddly-shaped store.  There were a few empty shelves but by and large everything missing could be reasonably substituted except for fresh herbs - the dry herb shelves were also empty of anything commonly used.  There were p.a. announcements urging us to hurry up and allow others in which only served to drive the frustration among some shoppers.  And there was no attempt at the impossible - namely 2m separation while trying to access shelves and pass each other in the aisles.  There was informal spacing at the tills but no taped separators.  

 

 

 

 

 

Most surprised to read about what you say about your visit to your local Waitrose, I thought they had a reputation of being at the top of the lot.

 

My visit to my local (but out-of-town) branch of Sainsburys this morning was completely different. It was 7:45am when I joined the back of the "wrinklies" queue and was in the store by 8:25am (the store having opened at 8:00am. The queue was very orderly, everybody keeping the correct distance apart. Plenty of eye-contact with the guys on the door ..... but had to careful as one of them was a ghurka. 

 

Once in the store it was a shoppers bliss. Most of the shelves were full but still no tins of baked beans and sausages (no problem as still got 6 tins in the cupboard) and plenty of space between customers whilst navigating the isles. 

 

There were no p.a. announcements to get us to hurry up, just regular announcements about the items that were freely available having been removed from the maximum number purchase list. 

 

Check -out was a doddle, was the only customer in the queue, Each till now has a safety screen. Every other till is in operation so plenty of spacing between each active till.

 

All-in-all the total time taken for my visit was not much longer than my regular shopping trip in normal times but, once in the store, was much more enjoyable than my "normal" shops. Even managed to get a large refill of Round-Up which reminds me it's time to get back to the garden...….

 

Keith

[Tony_S]

57 minutes ago, TheQ said:

 

And now.. Can see what it is yet? 

 

 

HMS Polyphemus?

Edited April 8, 2020 by Tony_S
Edit

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Don't they know lead is poisonous?

 

 

[Northroader]

Nah, it’s an inkle loom, any fule  can see that, just needs the collie treadmill added on.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Northroader

[TheQ]

25 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

HMS Polyphemus?

Close, you've got the beak right... 

 

[Barry O]

Ian A, her indoors likes doing jig saw puzzles. Latest offerings

 

 

It didn't take her long.  But the next one was a "reet pain"

 

 

It looked nice when finished though. Now in the "recycle to the next door neighbour" pile.

Baz

[AndyID]

19 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

Nice, warm environments, such as an unventilated location, incubate and spread viruses!

 

 

Viruses don't really incubate. They can only replicate by taking over cells in their "host". But improving the air quality in a home might help our immune systems.

[Tony_S]

Aditi thought she would send our nieces jigsaw puzzles instead of Easter eggs this year. Then she realised that jigsaw puzzles seemed to be as rare as toilet rolls recently. However she found a 1000 piece Disney princess one on Amazon to send. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

37 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Close, you've got the beak right... 

 

It could take your eye out if you weren’t careful. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, BoD said:

Stops the sheep droppings getting all over the bed linen.

Floors. Neighbours granddaughter often bottle raises orphaned lambs. They have dogs and also look after rescue kittens so paper is always appreciated. Also useful for starting the open fires. 

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

I must admit to being a bit confused about how social distancing works in golf.  As all the players are aiming to get their balls into the same holes surely there is a risk of cross infection should you feel in the hole to make sure you've achieved your aim and also to extract your ball.

Modified rules are in place on Portland City golf courses. A collar has been installed around the flag stick, slightly larger than the hole. It counts as a hole out if you hit the collar.

 

I also found the following modifications for other local courses:

Quote

Glendoveer has lifted its cups above the hole, so a successful putt hits the lip and stays on the green. Gresham Golf Course has inserted a foam pad in each of its cups, so the ball can easily be plucked out, and Eagle Crest is asking players to simply hit close to the cup and award 'gimmes'.

 

From the city parks website:

 

COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES

For the health of visitors and staff alike, please follow these guidelines at all Portland Parks Golf courses:

1. Keep at least 6 feet away from others at all times.
   • Please maintain 6 feet of social distance - while waiting in line, in the parking lot, at the driving range, and on the golf course. To avoid waiting at golf course, call ahead or get a tee time or reserve a golf cart online.
2. Golf carts are for single riders only.
   • One person per cart. Any golfer in breach of single rider guidelines will forfeit use of golf cart with no refund.
3. At the driving range.
   • Follow directions given by staff.
4. On the golf course
   • Please allow 6 feet of distance from others at all times.
   • Refrain from touching flag sticks.
   • Wash your hands after using the restroom.
5. Food and beverages are available for takeout only.
   • Limited menu selections available. Ask staff for details. 
   • Per OLCC regulations:
   • No alcohol is available for purchase until further notice.
   • Bringing alcohol onto the property is prohibited.
6. Merchandise
   • Please do not touch items prior to purchase.

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

 

 

7 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Can anybody here recommend a competent energy supplier?

 

 

Another vote for Ovo here. Went back to them after changing last year to Eon because they were cheaper. Then when it came to renewal  Eon insisted that I HAD to have a Smart meter "because it's the law.". I told him he was a prat and that it wasn't and returned to Ovo who will ask if you want a Smart meter but don't insist on it. Always found them good to deal with and I don't envisage changing again for a long time.

 

In other news I have spent 5 hours in the garden painting The Shed. Half way round so far and completely knackered. Then watched the Downing Street press conference for about 30 minutes but gave up after shouting abuse at one or two of the "journalists" and their stupid repetitive questions. Not going to bother anymore.

News from  next door is that our neighbour does not have Covid 19 but does have pneumonia so will be in hospital for a few days yet. I suppose you could say that is just about good news. Apparently another neighbour at the end of the road has died but we're not sure yet who (could be one of two) and what she died of although she was at home at the time.

Across the road a total prat is moving tomorrow and today has seen a succession of cars and vans pulling up and taking stuff away, Didn't seem to be much social distancing there but the bloke is an ar$ehole so good riddance ( Although his wife and kids are smashing) This means that after the main prat moved away last year the road is currently pratless as far as I can tell.

Tonight's meal was a steak pie that came with our meat pack and very nice it was too although far too much for us. Looks like we'll be having it again tomorrow.

Black Label Shiraz again tonight and I think I'll have another glass.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Weird, I posted about 40 minutes ago and my post has disappeared?