Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

Felicitations de La Belle France á Dom, Elise et Livia. I hope that Anneka likes her new sister when she meets her.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

Just a quick visit as today is Jill's birthday so I am chief cook, bottle washer and everything else so opportunities for visiting ERs have been pretty much non existent. 

 

Cheers All

 

Dave

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Congratulations Dom, Hope that mum and baby are well. Nearly finished the book that I found yesterday, interesting story with a twist at the end but still not at the end yet. Now back to the reading.

[jonny777]

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

And whilst we are dwelling in the east for a moment or two, let’s not forget the chic, celebrity adored, bathing resorts of Clacton, Southend and Canvey Island.

 

 

They are not a patch on Mablethorpe, Sutton On Sea, and Ingoldmells. 

 

If the wind is in the right direction the sewage treatment plant at Butlins can be detected miles away, even with a malfunctioning nose.  And don't forget the flies on a hot day. Usually the dead ones wash up in a black line with the incoming tide. 

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Afternoon Awl, 

Christmas happened, the house of strong ladies delivered, and for a change, it was a lady and British...

Rechargable Batteries for the PMR radios, 50 angle grinder cutting disks, a replacement CD for one that went missing between warehouse and delivery depot last week, and...some glue ..

 

I was just arriving back from the Big walk, as instructed by Ben the I want a walk Collie.,

Yesterday 1 daffodil was thinking about opening, today about 50 or 10% of the growing wild total en-route. Also flowering, wild primroses, and celandine. The farmers ditches are now well down on water levels, there are big piles of dredgings along the main dykes, I bet he wishes he'd had that done before this years heavy rain.. it will be tested heavily this week looking at the forecast.

 

Today however we set off with 100% cloud and returned with 100% blue skies..

 

Last week's 160  £200 fines seem to have paid off , yesterday just one car, today 1 other a 4x4 new ish Audi first registered in Wales.

 

Today's work,

One unit of shelving installed,  more bits made, and painted for the next section. But I'm out of MDF, so that's a landy trip tomorrow, later in the week the forecast is too wet and windy.

 

Trailer, 3/4 of the undersides and side, of the rear 2/3 is now wife brushed, and painted with zinc paint.

Next week fit the new axle, and then wire brush and zinc the front 1/3 .

 

Time to finish this glass of red, inspect eyelids. , Then a long soak in the bath.

 

 

By gum young man your missis must be very flexible to be brushed. Is she available for hire? - socially distanced of course.

[pH]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

Can you bathe in LDC? 

If Roger Daltrey can bathe in baked beans, I’m sure a Bear can bathe in LDC.
 

https://www.discusscooking.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10317&d=1300811171

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Congratulations Dom, Hope that mum and baby are well. Nearly finished the book that I found yesterday, interesting story with a twist at the end but still not at the end yet. Now back to the reading.

I don't know what happened to this post, I thought I'd posted it a couple of hours ago.

Edited March 7, 2021 by PhilJ W

[BoD]

Congratultions Dom, Elise and all the family.

[The Stationmaster]

Evening all,

 

Congratulations to Dom and elise - hope mother and baby are doing well.  Happy birthday to Dave H's Jill.

 

Today the G word str as I volunteered to give the front hedge an encounter with the hedgecutter.   Quite a job as I left it late last year due to the smaller birds enjoying it shelter and thought I'd better get in now before they start taking advantage of it once again for various activities.  A reasonable result was achieved hopefully in a manner which will cause it to grow out in the right places as i applied a tip given some weeks back on GQT (Gardeners' Question Time) - time and regrowth will tell.

[pH]

3 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

I did know one family with a Manx cat, it was much more part of the family than the stereotypical aloof cat and behaved more like a dog, even to the extent of going on holiday with them..... 

Funny you should say that. Yesterday afternoon, our doorbell rang and I opened the door to neighbours from a couple of doors up the road (suitably distanced) with their white poodle on a leash, and a large black cat lying down on the driveway. After we’d finished our talk (they’re organizing a petition about a really dumb traffic diversion scheme just introduced in the neighbourhood) and they turned and left, the cat got up and followed them down the drive. I’ve seen the cat around here often, but I didn’t know it was theirs.

[brianusa]

5 hours ago, TheQ said:

Last week's 160  £200 fines seem to have paid off , yesterday just one car, today 1 other a 4x4 new ish Audi first registered in Wales.

 

How lucky can you get!  You couldn't get away with that over here: infringing on one rights, freedom of travel, etc.  Probably the fine would be disputed and upheld which would be the end of it!  Guns may even be drawn

     Brian.

[BoD]

2 hours ago, BlackRat said:

Jabs booked.......apparently now they are jabbing anyone over the age of 56......... who knew?

 

Our son-in-law has just been called for his.  He is in his thirties and wasn't sure why he has.  He phoned the surgery to check that there hasn't been a mistake and they told him he was on the at risk list.  He wasn't aware that he was and queried it.  They investigated and rang back to explain. He has a genetic disease, I can't remember its name, but it means that he is prone to growing additional bones in strange places.  It can be quite painful as you might imagine and he was undergoing treatment.  The treatment was postponed because of Covid and they gave him some medication for the time being.  This medication affects his immune system which explains why he is on the at risk list.  He was not told and did not know about this (I suppose he should have read the leaflet).  I guess this explains why he was affected by Covid much worse than the rest of us were too.

 

In other news:

 

Regarding pensions, having retired early I am wondering whether or not to buy extra years of National Insurance contribution. I have more than 35yrs worth but because I was part of a pension scheme with  part opt out I will have a reduced state pension.  I need to enquire if the figures mentioned above (£795 or whatever for about £5 a week) are the same for those who have opted out.

 

Cracked the basics of Arduino programming and really enjoying it.  Just finished programming a servo operated semaphore signal with bounce. Next will be a basic Theremin

 

 

[pH]

9 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

... as Bear described we can top up the UK one, it costs us a lot less per year than the figure he quoted though, presumably due to being offshore?

Yes, the buyback rates are much cheaper from ‘overseas’. My wife and I each bought back quite a few years of UK pension, given that our UK pensions were going to be frozen at the amount they would be when we first took them. The payback time on each year’s contribution was about 18 months, so it was pretty much a no-brainer.

 

Incidentally (and I hope this won’t be thought ‘political’) it appears that this subject of frozen UK pensions may be raised in any discussions between Canada and the UK on a post-Brexit trade deal. 

[brianusa]

9 minutes ago, pH said:

Incidentally (and I hope this won’t be thought ‘political’) it appears that this subject of frozen UK pensions may be raised in any discussions between Canada and the UK on a post-Brexit trade deal

From the US, it seems we've been getting small increases in our UK pensions and we'll soon get our $1400 for nothing, courtesy of Good Old Joe!  Every little bit helps!

      Brian.

Edited March 7, 2021 by brianusa
+

[pH]

1 minute ago, brianusa said:

From the US, it seems we've been getting small increases in our UK pensions. Every little bit helps!

      Brian.

Brian, UK pensions are indexed in the US at the same rate as in the UK. They are not indexed in Canada (or Australia, or New Zealand, or various other - mostly Commonwealth - countries).

[polybear]

6 minutes ago, brianusa said:

From the US, it seems we've been getting small increases in our UK pensions and we'll soon get our $1400 for nothing, courtesy of Good Old Joe!  Every little bit helps!

      Brian.

 

Perhaps supporters of The Orange One will be turning such tokens down, for fear of compromising their principles.  Thought not.....

 

Bear had a fairly unproductive day - a bit more painting done (part of the door frame, also the washing machine supply pipe) and tomorrow should see them finished.  Also the verticals marked in the correct places (hopefully!) for applying the lining paper, courtesy of a plumb bob & line.  Apart from that, not a great deal.  Must get my little furry ar5e moving tomorrow - clock's ticking....

 

In other news:

Bear noted with interest that Gwyneth Paltrow has kindly shared her undoubted expertise and wisdom regarding the treatment of Long Covid, apparently being a sufferer.  Such treatment involves the use of various obscure and expensive alternative remedies; fortunately her very own website and company just happens to sell them.  How thoughtful

[pH]

Woodpecker family members are out in (relative) force around here. I haven’t seen any for months.  But in the last week, in walks in the woods behind our house, we’ve seen three pileated woodpeckers and heard a couple of flickers. Then, this morning, there was a pair of pileateds checking out the trees and utility poles on the front street, and a flicker perched on the power lines. I tried to photograph the birds we saw in the woods, but my phone camera didn’t produce good enough pictures. I’ll have to take a ‘proper’ camera on our next walk, in the hope we see some more.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

Such treatment involves the use of various obscure and expensive alternative remedies; fortunately her very own website and company just happens to sell them.

Hopefully no "scented" candles are recommended as therapeutic.

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, BlackRat said:

.apparently now they are jabbing anyone over the age of 56......... who knew?

It was formally announced by the NHS today but it has been possible to book based on DoB for the past couple of days.  The same thing happened to me; when the age group was 65+ I couldn't book the nit reduced to 64+ and for a time I still couldn't book.  It still said 64+ a week later but allowed me to book with the second jab after my 64th birthday.  Two days later they formally opened up to 63+ which is me but I had already got in.

 

As predicted a quiet day was had Upon the Hill of Strawberries with a cluckbird sacrificed to soak up the Chardonnay.  The uniform has been pressed.  The boots are polished to parade-ground shine and I await what ever the morning cares to throw at me.  

 

For now it is time to get the head down because it will be alarmed and leaping off its pillow at Sparrowfart and into what is predicted to be precisely 0C of chill.  

 

Sleep well.  Stay safe.  

 

 

[Andrew P]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Just a quick visit as today is Jill's birthday so I am chief cook, bottle washer and everything else so opportunities for visiting ERs have been pretty much non existent. 

 

Cheers All

 

Dave

Happy Birthday to Jill, mate.

[NGT6 1315]

Just a catchy song I happened upon...

 

 

[trisonic]

8 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

At the age of 12, I couldn’t wait to leave Gidea Park and travel to, what was for me at that time,  sophisticated Bologna. When I left (in 1968) Gidea Park, like Hornchurch and Brentwood (to name but three) were still firmly rooted in the late 50s.

 

 

iD

I grew up in Shenfield. Moved when I was five from Islington. I missed my Nana dangling me over a bridge to watch Mallard go past. It must have been a busy engine as it always passed by when we were there. Instead I grew to love Britannia.

Actually Shenfield and Brentwood were pretty hip in the sixties. We had three places for  bands. I particularly remember seeing Spooky Tooth in the hall used by the Ursuline High School for girls. The girls were the best looking in the area. That was just before Spooky released their first album - I was impressed by them. The Gun - were the loudest! The Small Faces the most expensive at 15 bob! 

In Chelmsford I saw Fleetwood Mac jamming with The Nashville Teens (Fleet wood Mac were supposed to be playing a gig in Witham)... John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers were always at the Corn Exchange. Best band in Chelmsford were Focus, great fun.  I had to drive to Epping to see Free at a Pub and got soaked by Paul Kossoff's sweat - he was a very sweaty kid. This was just before "Alright Now" was released and they played two different versions of it;  all four of them squashed together on an 8 foot square stage.  Best gig ever, what a band!  Plus I could be in London in 25 minutes on the train.  Three quarters of our school were in London (although I had left by then and was working with one of my musical heroes) to see Blind Faith. Pete.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Tony_S]

28 minutes ago, trisonic said:

the Ursuline High School for girls. The girls were the best looking in the area.

When Aditi returned to work after maternity leave we almost bankrupted ourselves employing a nanny. Her family owned a coach business in Southend and while she had been otherwise not working had been a chaperone on the coaches returning some of the young ladies from The Ursuline to their homes elsewhere at the end of the school day.  Their behaviour was so bad the drivers refused to take them any more  unless there was a nun riding shotgun. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Tony_S

[Simon G]

May I add my congratulations to Dom and Elise.  We are now just about 3 weeks away from becoming grandparents for the first time.  When we will get to see the grandchild is another matter though.

 

Today Mrs G got her jab, although it involved a 90 mile round trip to get it.  As she hadn’t been contacted by the GP surgery, we got her appointment at the nearest mass Vaccination centre, which was in Ulverston in the south of the county.  It was just as well we allowed plenty of time to get there, as there was a road closure, with a diversion which sent us down a rutted pot-holed farm track which was ludicrous.  If they had erected closure notices 2 miles earlier, we could have diverted via a road with actual tarmac!!  Then we seemed to get held up by horse boxes, tractors etc.  The vaccination centre was at the Sports Club for GlaxoSmithKline, which was a trip down memory lane for me as I worked at their Ulverston site for 4 years, just over 40 years ago.  Most of the buildings I had worked in are now demolished, with onLy one recognisable building still on the site.  We then went for a short walk alongside the Ulverston Canal, on a path which I had never used all those years ago.

 

On our return journey, we saw a “convoy” of at least 12 motor bikers out for their “essential” Sunday afternoon outing.  I know we are coming to the end of lockdown, but this was a complete joke!  Despite all the hassle getting there and back, it was rather nice just to get away for half a day.  Being nice and sunny certainly helped.