Early Risers.

[skipepsi]

1 minute ago, Coombe Barton said:

Start of meteorological autumn.

Warning - the weather's been practicing for a couple of weeks.

Do you think it will remember kids back to school time for a heatwave?

[pH]

59 minutes ago, AndrewC said:

 Which leads me to remember just how expensive long distance calling used to be. $2.50cad per minute to the UK.

That was the rate when we first arrived in Canada in 1982. No way could we afford regular phone calls to parents in the UK at those prices, so instead we made and mailed cassette tapes. My parents sent similar tapes to us, usually just recording over the tapes we used, but my mother-in-law sent back very few. After MiL died, my wife and I spent some time in Scotland clearing out her flat and getting it ready for sale. We found a box full of the tapes we’d sent her over several years. It was a weird experience to listen to those tapes, some of them 30 years old by then, containing things like our impressions of a new country and the voices of our three kids (none of them older than 5 when we arrived) talking to their gran.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Well if it wasn’t you at the Brains Trust, it was someone who was as damn near identical as makes no difference.

Are you sure you don’t have a doppelgänger? A leftover, perhaps, from your days working with the “secret squirrels“?
 

Now that is a frightening  thought of me having a doppelganger.

 

Jamie

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Bright and sunny this morning and very little if any wind. So no excuses for not doing some of the G word. As its predicted to be dry I'll zap some more weeds and once they're dead it will be time to mow the grass, still waiting for it to set seed to cover some of the bald patches. Thats it for now, be back later.

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, Barry O said:

 

Yes Robert, autumn is showing its hand already. Our heating was determined to fire up yesterday but i have it switched off.

 

Baz

I think you've been living in Yorkshire for a bit too long.

[simontaylor484]

11 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

2 x no.  Take heed of the tense

Air raids

[PhilJ W]

Any more news of Dave yet?

[jamie92208]

As to Mike's infernal question, is the answer that they have all had Royal Navy vessels named after them.

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

Thanks Jamie.

To answer the poser about round and oblong bales of straw. In the field behind my parents house they usef to do the rectangular bales the rest the round bales. We asked the farmer why the answer somebody fron the Carlisle area wanted to buy some straw and they wanted rectangular bales.

 

 

[J. S. Bach]

3 hours ago, pH said:

 ...snip... We found a box full of the tapes we’d sent her over several years. It was a weird experience to listen to those tapes, some of them 30 years old by then, containing things like our impressions of a new country and the voices of our three kids (none of them older than 5 when we arrived) talking to their gran.

I hope that you kept them, maybe digitized them, too.

[BokStein]

9 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Thanks Jamie.

To answer the poser about round and oblong bales of straw. In the field behind my parents house they usef to do the rectangular bales the rest the round bales. We asked the farmer why the answer somebody fron the Carlisle area wanted to buy some straw and they wanted rectangular bales.

 

 

 

The rectangular bales have often been used in the construction of houses for insulation, I believe!

[Gwiwer]

Greetings all.  Welcome to Tuesday.  Lunchtime Upon the Hill of Strawberries where we have been able to enjoy the feast out on the terrace.

 

A very cool start to the day had me wondering if there was a frost as I opened the door and saw "white" grass.  It was just a heavy dew but I made a hasty retreat to add a layer before departing for the train.  

 

I have my invitation to enjoy a company flu shot.  The date is when we are away in Cornwall for our silver wedding so I shall make alternative arrangements.  They want us to pre-book this year as they are anticipating higher than usual uptake of the offer.  I wonder if they could manage to slip a few mils of Corona vaccine into the phial at the same time.  Or have I been reading too many of Trumps suggestions?  

 

A good morning was had in the warming sun whilst training a recent recruit.  I received some very favourable feedback which I understand may be placed on my personal file as a warning to others 

 

The afternoon looks to be under-busy once again with SWMBO at her desk and the Domestic Engineering up to date.  I may yet get the magazine article written which I have been reminded is still awaited.  

 

Best wishes to one and all and particularly to DH.  

[TheQ]

In my mention of Straw bales, the oddity

1 These are Huge straw bales requiring a fork lift to move them, not the size for house building,

2 These have been placed on a concrete pan in a field, not anywhere you'd use them. 

3 The farm this year has only produced round bales (and has done for some time)

4 The Farm that uses the pan has plenty of space nearer the farm.

  

[BoD]

At a fund raising barn dance in a local farmer’s ...er... barn a colleague, somewhat the worse for wear, was heard to exclaim “isn’t this nice, all sitting here on our stray balls”.

[tigerburnie]

Afternoon all, we awoke to some pleasant weather and decided on a trip to the Glen, of course by the time we had driven up there the cloud was thickening, however we had a picnic sat in the car on a full car park, a short walk by the river was just what we needed. As has been stated Autumn is definitely starting , though no sign nor sound of the Red Deer rut yet, so not quite what we call proper Autumn yet. A bit of the "G" word has also taken place, just tidying up a bit as stuff comes to the end of the season, we leave stuff for the wildlife, but some tidying is required as well.

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

The drying-out machine is now going full belt, the plumber is here attending to something else and I see that somebody has 'done a Kingzance' (we miss him) in terms of taking a potential step towards answering the  question. (I could, were I so inclined, now offer the clue 'sixth' - assuming you include those which were cancelled or renamed).  Now think about the tense of the question.

 

Anyway back to drying out - the two chaps turned up a couple of hours back and spent lots of time explring with damp  meters and measuring room sizes (laser pointer to measure and then it feeding the result direct into a laptop 'puter).  We would seem to have some walls 99% damp for the bottom course or two so the drying out device wiill now be drawing moisture out of just about anything and the damp levels will be rechecked in a week from now, then after another week, and another week ... ad infinitum until the damp meter readings are acceptable.   After that 'restoration 'work can begin - thus far that looks to be mainly limited to skirting boards, we hope (including the recently repainted kitchen of course, grr).  but looking on the briught side the machine pumps out warm air so the heating can be turned off should it get a bit autumnally nippy

 

Plumber is back trying to sort why we have lost pressure on the balanced cold side of things - first item on his list has just been ruled out and he is moving on to the second one - seemingly completely unconnected with any recent work on the system (so far).

 

Weather has been good so far and one cat seem quite happy with all the drying out racket of the water gollapping machine and a large diameter fan.

 

Have a good day folks and stay safe

[BokStein]

 

 

 

32 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Afternoon all,

 

The drying-out machine is now going full belt, the plumber is here attending to something else and I see that somebody has 'done a Kingzance' (we miss him) in terms of taking a potential step towards answering the  question. (I could, were I so inclined, now offer the clue 'sixth' - assuming you include those which were cancelled or renamed).  Now think about the tense of the question.

 

 

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

As to Mike's infernal question, is the answer that they have all had Royal Navy vessels named after them.

 

Jamie

So, Mike, is Jamie92208's answer correct or ignored?

[Coombe Barton]

G word. Here it's cutting the front lawn. Haven't been able to do it since before I went away because of wetness, and it's garden waste collection tomorrow. The boys are out, along with 2 very large bags of shredding.

Now knackered.

[simontaylor484]

I have just been outside in the garden with Swmbo planning the next steps of the garden. Whats getting a big chop back and the like.

Looks like a bit of the g word once the little terrors return to school 

[The White Rabbit]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I think you've been living in Yorkshire for a bit too long.

 

Is that possible? 

 

 

A left-field (but serious) question:

 

Is anyone aware of an address/procedure for paying cheques into an account with the Halifax bank if you're not able to visit a branch (due to shielding) or don't have Internet banking? I had a look on their website a few days ago but couldn't see anything. Tried ringing them to ask but got interrupted after ten minutes on hold, haven't been inclined to repeat the attempt. 

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

I'm going home !!!!! After being told at about 2 o'clock that my scan had been "overlooked" ( for three bl**dy days!!??!) and it would probably now be tomorrow before it could be fitted in I turned into a 6ft 3in, 15 stone, incandescent ball of anger and said that whatever they thought I was leaving today. Guess what? I had the scan about an hour ago and am now just waiting for medication to be delivered and a doctor to sign the release before getting Jill to pick me up. They've now got another half hour to come up with the release form before I tell them to post it on and walk out.

 

Cheers all

 

A much happier Dave than of late.

 

[simontaylor484]

Good news there Dave 

[Chris116]

Great news Dave.

[The Stationmaster]

33 minutes ago, BokStein said:

 

 

 

 

So, Mike, is Jamie92208's answer correct or ignored?

As I said  'a potential step towards answering the question' (i.e it is not the answer).  

Plus this  hint - 'I could, were I so inclined, now offer the clue 'sixth' - assuming you include those which were cancelled or renamed'.  And the reminder to think about  think about the tense of the question.

 

Excellent news to hear that our very own aviator (retd.) is moving towards release - hopefully rapidly and without the need to use the Aden cannon which by now has probably been smuggled in to him.  Although I suppose those who 'overlooked' the scan might be considered to be reasonable targets.

[Andrew P]

Welcome back to normality Dave, .....em,    well no, ER actually.