Early Risers.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[BokStein]

Good (I think) Evening all!

 

Just dropped by for another quick scan; picked up these:

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Enlighten me, Good Sir. What is this “fish and chips” you rhapsodise about? Is it the fabled pieces of sea creature covered in a paste of flour, water and egg and thrown into vats of boiling “dripping” together with chunks of edible tuber?

 

The idea of Fish in batter; interesting. IIRC, this came about as a means of protecting the fish whilst it steamed in an otherwise hostile environment (such as hot oil); the batter was discarded.

 

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

If it’s anything like around here the number will actually rise. 
 

We hopped from Tier 2 to Tier 4 with just a few hours in Tier 3 between. 
 

As more folk learn of places “still open” when their local is closed so more road traffic has been evident. 
 

 

Sompting treacle mine, near Worthing in West Sussex, has yet to receive a mention. I believe it came to a sticky end following an underground explosion. 

 

Sompting Treacle Mine - that wouldn't be anything to do with the Brown and Stickwell Industrial 009 layout that could often (used to) be seen at various exhibitions (whatever they were!)

 

45 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

In engineering the problem is not a ‘live’ problem

 

Isn't it? There are Engineering problems and engineering problems!

Edited December 30, 2020 by BokStein

[Tony_S]

37 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Evening All,

I got my fish and chips today, no gravy though. 
Swmbo watches a few of the cookery programmes on tv and I hear the phrase  ‘fusion foods’ and I wonder is fish and chips with curry source is the  original’fusion food’? To me it’s a waste of f and c, what do you lot think?
Ill leave you to ponder that and I’ll bid you all goodnight.

Robert 

I just like fish and chips, preferably battered cod or haddock. I even try to resist peas (although I do like peas). Fusion food in this house is our joke name for various leftovers served together as a snack. My favourite accompaniment to chips is egg, or ham and egg. Surprisingly chips with gravy and cheese as served in Quebec ( also Alberta ) is rather tasty. I haven’t had chips with curry sauce. Matthew once said he was going to take us to the top Tripadvisor rated food restaurant in Utrecht. Turned out to be a chip automat.

 

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[monkeysarefun]

This morning, local Woolies, can I claim my prize?

[Erichill16]

Can’t sleep and forget to say as you may recall MY team won away yesterday  at Rotherham Utd and they play at the New York Stadium. Apparently the area of Rotherham  that the stadium was built on was know as New York. 
Just for your information.

. 
 

[Winslow Boy]

If I remember my history correctly, New York started life as New Amsterdam as it was a dutch trading post.

 

I may be wrong, which is known, but I think the change occurred prior to the orange one taking office, so say early 1600's.

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Farcebook is playing silly bu@@ers tonight, two speeds, dead slow and stop.

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

The so called  influencers should be lined up against a wall and machine gunned

 

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Really?  I can understand perhaps having their access to social media limited but I really don’t think we are in “death squad” territory. 

Just isolate them then make sure that they are infected, and add the anti-vaxxers to the mix. 

[andyram]

Evening all and hope you are still staying safe in this mad world. So the inevitable has happened and Tier 4 has reached us. Inevitable - yes, understandable - almost certainly with the rising cases. Acceptable - I suppose so. Frustrating - completely. 
 

 Today has been a mix of emotions. There has been the tension throughout the day awaiting Matt Hancock’s address, almost like the pupil awaiting a meeting with the head teacher (or me as teacher with a certain head a couple of years ago). Then there was the resignation when the inevitable was confirmed, followed by anger, frustration and upset. I admit another kind of tear has been shed. Once again I am now forced to keep the doors of the shop shut for an indefinite period. Once again I have to hope that online sales will improve and carry me through this difficult period. Once again I will await news of any compensation and hope it is fairer  than the November pittance. I know there are many others out there facing the same. There is little we can do other than hope and pray it all turns out ok. I hang on to the fact that I got through the Spring lockdown, and emerged from it stronger. Then survived the November and followed it with the best December ever. Now that progress is threatened again with a further period of closure. It is soul destroying and does not help the fight with the black dog. 

 

 On the positive front, we do have news of the vaccine although I am fairly sure this morning’s news was carefully planned to soften the blow of what was to come later - I hear the vaccine was actually passed safe on Monday!

 

 Tomorrow I will head to the shop to collect a few bits and pieces and tidy up some loose ends. I believe I can still offer click and collect as well as deliveries and mail order etc so I will prepare for that and hope the orders come in.

 

 There is also a video promotion to do for the front page of the website and YouTube channel. Keeping busy will help and I hope I will be busy.

 

Stay safe 

 

Andy

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The fog finally disappeared about 2 o’clock this afternoon, only for it to return about 7 o’clock this evening. The temperature never really got much higher, reaching the heady heights of 2C mid afternoon, then dropping again after the sun disappeared below the horizon. 

 

On my way to the butchers this morning I bumped into (not literally you understand) an old school mate. I honestly can’t remember when I last saw him, must be well over 30 years, but he hadn’t changed a great deal. We chatted for a few minutes about life, retirement etc, then we went on our separate ways, him for his flu jab, me to the butchers, but it was nice to catch up. 

 

There was a small queue at the butchers, but it didn’t take long for me to get inside. Unfortunately there were no pasties, so I had to settle for one of there ‘Gold Medal’ winning pork pies instead, ooh it’s a hard life sometimes. Upon my return, the rations were duly put in the fridge and I set of for the Trafford Centre, high wasn’t as busy as it could have been, but the roads around there were very busy. Not that I’m complaining, I was still able to get the shopping done and get back home in under an hour. 

 

The afternoon was spent reading the latest copy of BRM, which dropped on the doormat yesterday. There then followed a short spell of eyelid inspection. 

 

After tea I under took the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, thankfully full panic buying mode hasn’t set in yet, but I suspect under the present circumstances that that could change at any minute. There were quite a few not wearing masks in the shop today! A couple walked in as I was leaving and passed a security guard on the door, to my surprise, neither were challenged, unless someone enforces the rules, it seems to me to be a complete waste of time!

 

As of a few minutes ago, we here in Manchester are now in tier 4, not unexpected giving the way things are going at the moment. I don’t think it will change the way Sheila or I go about things, as we have stayed home (apart from doctors appointments etc) for most of the last 10 months or so and will remain doing so until the situation improves. Although, given the way the powers that be are handling the situation, this may be quite some time I fear. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

See scientists look at things in shades of grey.. Engineers think in true black and true white.. no shades.... so if they make a decision...well they do tend to stick to it...

Baz

 

 

Unless they were working on the ENS project where a number of the engineers involved usually made a decision to be indecisive and it took the PBO to sort out some of the current draw problems.  

 

Mind you when they did make some decisions - like the bloke who ordered a current monitoring device for most of the 'hotel' electrics which would start the load shedding process every time it detected a break in the receipt of electrical energy to the coaching stock.  He very carefully selected one that would shout down totally after it had detected 40 power supply interruptions and then wait for 30 minutes or so before it reset itself and started counting again.  But  what the clever engineer who specified that piece of kit didn't bother to check was the number of 3rd rail gaps that were long enough to interrupt the supply (and therefore cause a shutdown) on the c.1 hour journey between Waterloo and Dollands Moor - there were 69 of them on which a Class 92 would be gapped.

 

(PBO = Poor Bl**dy Operator)

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[Winslow Boy]

I have a far simpler solution to the problem of sorting out the ,genuinely poorly from the 'I know best & deniers brigade'. Any infected person requiring treatment has to fill in a thirty two page questionnaire detailing who they have been mixing with, where they have been, how to lift weights, ethenicity and diverisity etc and finally produce their passport. Anybody who is over 90 will be exempt. If it turns out they have left a tier four area to go on holiday they will be charged the cost of treatment. Anybody who refuses or can't pay will be forced to work for free- preferably looking after patients. Any politicians will of course be denied treatment.

[Gwiwer]

I can understand Andyram’s predicament and frustrations. 
 

My sister is a SENTA (Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant) meaning she works very closely - of necessity sat at the shoulders of - some very “difficult” children indeed. Making a little light of it she describes her job as “arguing with pubescents for a pittance”.  
 

She has no idea whether she is re-starting work on Monday and if not then when.  Her children are highly dependent upon consistent levels of support and do not take change in their stride lef alone zero-notice changes. She lost one once who took her life following a timetable change. 
 

It is people like these - and in his own career people like Andy - who are falling between the cracks with no means of support. Or at best too little too late. 
 

Former Neighbour (Upstairs) is in her NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) year and is back from her mother’s later today. That is a tier 2-4 trip but essential for work. She was set to start on Monday and only learned from a BBC article late this evening that her school may not now open until the 18th. May not. That isn’t good enough.  She needs to know if she has work. And she needs to totally recast her lesson plans if some children start on the 4th and others the 18th. How on earth is anyone supposed to work like that?  
 

So I continue to have empathy with those who are utterly frustrated with everything, those who feel they have been kicked - as the Australian vernacular has it - from a***hole to breakfast-time, those who are just going to do their thing regardless and those who drive a fairly modest distance for a walk in the Brecon Beacons only to find themselves on the wrong end of the Welsh National Reception Committee heddau / police - not everyone knows the Brecon Beacons are in Wales and for some Wales, if they even think about it at all, is just another part of England.  
 

 We have all had more than enough of this.  It has affected every one of us and very few have benefitted. I don’t condone wanton law-breaking but I do understand the boiling over of tension, frustration and anger.  And of the attitude of “so what - let them catch me” displayed callously by a tiny minority. 
 

Would it be disingenuous to suggest letting the virus play natural-selection with the worst offenders?  
 

G’night all. As PC Dixon once used to reassuringly say. 

[Erichill16]

29 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

If I remember my history correctly, New York started life as New Amsterdam as it was a dutch trading post.

 

I may be wrong, which is known, but I think the change occurred prior to the orange one taking office, so say early 1600's.

 

Holland America (Cruise line) have a ship  with a name that translates to ‘New Amsterdam’

Just for your information.

[The Lurker]

35 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

If I remember my history correctly, New York started life as New Amsterdam as it was a dutch trading post.

 

I may be wrong, which is known, but I think the change occurred prior to the orange one taking office, so say early 1600's.

 

I think we swapped it for Moluccas , home of the nutmeg, which was incredibly valuable at the time. cf “Nathanael’s Nutmeg “ by Giles Milton for more accurate details.

[The Lurker]

10 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

 

 

Would it be disingenuous to suggest letting the virus play natural-selection with the worst offenders?

If only they were the ones who would pay...

[The Lurker]

Night all

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

Morning all!

 

Up early as I had a rather rough night (and no, boys and girls, not because I had been drinking to excess. Sadly).

Fusion cuisine? Can be very good and can be utterly appalling, It all depends on the skill and knowledge of the cook/chef. If they know what they are doing and understand how the ingredients were originally used, then you can end up with an amazing new dish. But if they don’t, and there seems to be far too many of those nowadays, you have people mixing together ingredients from all over the place Just for the sake of being “clever”. Fusion cuisine, I would also argue, is not the same as mixing up together leftovers (a.k.a. “empty fridge syndrome“).

 

With this pandemic, I think that the problem the UK (and certainly the US) is facing is not only the inconsistency and incompetent leadership by their politicians, but also the fact that whatever regulations are put in place are just not enforced in many instances. The countries that have had a lot of success in dealing with the coronavirus are countries that have not been reticent about putting in place clear regulations and enforcing them. Humans being humans, I can’t see the Taiwanese, the Vietnamese, the Australians or the New Zealanders being any less frustrated, unhappy, bored and worried because of the lockdown than the British or the Americans. But they do manage to do what, in the long term, is the best thing to do for themselves and their society. An earlier poster, I forget who, mentioned going to the shops and the security guard letting an unmasked couple enter the supermarket unchallenged. Elsewhere this would not have happened and had the couple remonstrated and refused to comply with the mask order, a friendly and informative session with the police would have quickly ensued. 
 

But what to do with a persistent and recalcitrant offenders and scofflaws?  Whilst terminal punitive force has a certain appeal to it, it is of course not really appropriate (except, I would argue, perhaps in the cases of those who know they have the virus and deliberately break quarantine). And then it came to me. I remember reading in the science fiction novel  “World War Z“ that because humanity had been reduced to very few individuals, neither resources nor personnel were available to imprison offenders. What they did was to put offenders in the stocks and very publicly <name and shame>. An approach, using perhaps social media instead of physical stocks, that could quite possibly be an effective deterrent. Or perhaps not, given that in the UK there would be a significant enough percentage of people who would love to be “named and shamed“ for the notoriety that it would bring them (much like in certain circles an ASBO is seen as a medal of honour).

 

Today is the last day of 2020, let’s hope 2021 is going to be somewhat better.

Edited December 31, 2020 by iL Dottore
Typo

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, inner temple hare.

Down to 6 hours solid sleep mostly because it took a long time to get to sleep in the first place.

 

Just what is the discrimination against Over Wallop, why didn't they get a mention?

Used to live just north of them thar Wallops, I can remember going to an Army air display at Middle Wallop back in the days of the Bell 47 Sioux helicopter..

 

During my waking hours at stupid oclock I wander around the news channels including RT, one thing at the moment is their prominence  given to anti vaxers, no maskers, chip in the vaccine nutters, I suspect such idiots don't get air time in Russia..

 

On other channels it's been reported several times by foreign correspondents talking about their countries ( including the USA and several places in Europe) is that their technical abilities, in analysis of Covid mutations is way behind that of the UK.. So variations we may find first, may not actually be generated here here first.

 

Ben the sleeping Collie appears to be having a lie in. No sign of him wanting me to get up yet.

 

Plans for today, more keel sanding, more shelving.

 

Until brown eyes has other ideas ..

 

Time to doze..

 

 

 

 

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

I have never been so glad to see the back of an old year.  2020 has been an unmitigated disaster and has not left us in a good place to start 2021.  It will take more than rewarding Lewis Hamilton with a knighthood and making Sheila Hancock a Dame to restore flagging spirits, however worthy those accolades are.  The prospect of mass vaccination has taken a welcome step closer but it is not a magic wand and will take time to implement.  Those who make policy in many areas give the distinct impression of doing so on the hoof and uncertainty is the order of the day.  Already I look back nostalgically on the days when I was able to make plans with some expectation that they would be brought to fruition.  What happened to my long weekend in Dublin was enough to cure me of optimism for the foreseeable future.

 

Amid all the gloom there are some good bits.  Yesterday evening the local HMRS area group took to Zoom for an informal gathering.  After several days of crossing and recrossing the line between solitude and loneliness it was so good to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices for an hour and a half.  Good as this is, gathering together in person is so much better.  Earlier in the day I had spent some time looking at a possible rail-based holiday.  It can only be a feasibility study but so far so good.  Today I will brave the rigours of Tier 4 in an attempt to buy the latest Radio Times and post a letter while I am at it.  The supermarket can wait a couple of days and I shall just have to take a chance that the locusts do not get there first.  Tonight I will not bother to see in the New Year, for it will come anyway.  Instead, I shall crawl under the duvet, turn out the light and tell 2020 to get lost - though probably not in those exact words.

 

Happy New Year

 

Chris

[TheQ]

7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Can’t sleep and forget to say as you may recall MY team won away yesterday  at Rotherham Utd and they play at the New York Stadium. Apparently the area of Rotherham  that the stadium was built on was know as New York. 
Just for your information.

. 
 

That's because the former foundry on that site made many of the fire hydrants around New York..

I can remember the old works being knocked down and the new Stadium being built. Intermittently that is, I was with SWMBO visiting her relatives in the area.