Early Risers.

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup - no time for a proper catch up. It is sunny here - the earlier grey having melted away.

 

Younger Lurker realised he'd forgotten to pack his Latin exercise book in his bag today, but didn't think to check until we were in the car. He said he "furious" with himself, which is a terribly un-2021 thing for a schoolboy to say!

 

I was thinking to myself that I don't remember forgetting books like that; but then I had a desk that I kept books in, taking out only those that I needed for the next 2/3 lessons before the next break or for my homework. They don't have that sort of facility anymore, nor a cloakroom to put coats and bags, nor do they shower after games - strange the things that have changed.

 

Time for a bit more work*...enjoy your day

 

* but not until i see whether Jamie has posted anymore of his French holiday snaps

 

[TheQ]

I was trying to think what emoji to put up for the Bears Post  I think it calls for     ???

 

Afternoon awl, Both major systems are on cross check, but the first of the week is, not fully up to date.. The boss is going to have to play with it again next week.. So this is a temporary check to prove it's OK with the old calibration figures while he works out what wrong with his new system.

 

It's been beautiful blue Sky out there all day so far, against the constant drizzle of yesterday..

 

 I've spent more hours looking at rudder shapes and reports about the shapes. The conclusion is.... there's not a lot I can do.

 

Mostly to draft limitations on the Norfolk Broads, I just can't fit in a nice long aerofoil of either Spitfire shape (which is 5 times as long as broad), or a more modern design.

So it's got to be a straight fin 1 foot wide by 2ft 6inches deep, with if I can model it correctly within the limitations the boat has, a Kucheman tip. Mr Kucheman did a lot of development work on the VC 10 wings and eventually Concordes..

 

I have to visit the big Tes and Coes on the way home for Unobtainium supplies, not in our normal small version.. A major case of rat running through the estates of outer Norwich, will be required, as there is some road works causing jams back though a major roundabout causing chaos.

 

 

[Barry O]

Been busy today.. drove to the Clubrooms to check them over. An interesting conversation was had with the owner and the "handy man" about a leak in the roof.. right over the mains fuse box(!).

 

I then called in at the Morreasons  fuel station to get some petrol for the lawnmower. I used the petrol to get the lawnmower to return to life and cut the lawns in celebration (the front one is, at last, drying out thanks to the neighbours upstream draining the water into their new brick and concrete areas.

 

Then herself was allowed to use a pair of very sharp scissors to remove some of the weight from my head.. My ears are now visible again!

 

Having read a few of the magazines recently the description as "comics" sits well.. there are a few people who really do think a lot of themselves...and the technical journals are now full of "re-inventing the wheel as it makes us look good" articles..Pah!

 

Baz

 

[Compound2632]

27 minutes ago, Barry O said:

...and the technical journals are now full of "re-inventing the wheel as it makes us look good" articles..Pah!

 

Remember, do, that younger readers weren't there when the wheel was first invented.

[Barry O]

45 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Remember, do, that younger readers weren't there when the wheel was first invented.

Unfortunately some of it shows that the younger readers are also the younger "experts" who spout absolulte utter carp and don't bother to check things out using something other than wikkedpeddia!

 

The quality of research has fallen through the floor....

Baz

Edited March 19, 2021 by Barry O

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis is misbehaving even though its not his kind of weather. Nurofen has been deployed and after a mug or two of tea its eyelid inspection time.

Edited March 19, 2021 by PhilJ W
Fat finger syndrome

[BSW01]

2 hours ago, The Lurker said:

do you have a go at the "elvish" characters devised by Tolkien for his Sindarin etc?

I don't know what it looks like, as I've never seen it, or read the books. 

[The Lurker]

6 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

I don't know what it looks like, as I've never seen it, or read the books. 

Maybe not - but Ozexpatriate is a big Tolkien fan if I am not mistaken

 

I copied this from a google search of "Elvish writing"

 

 

Now you know what you're missing.....or not

 

It strikes me as something that is made for calligraphy, with the added bonus that there is no-one to tell you that you've done it wrong!

Edited March 19, 2021 by The Lurker

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Somewhat late so i've obviously been extremely busy doing nothing - apart from having to explain various factors of railway operation and single lines elsewhere on this august wenbsite.  Weather is again 50 shades of but little precipitation today - so far.

 

Sorry Chris F but I burst out laughing  at your quote from the 'Steam World' article - maybe it was written before Tilehurst  (my former local station as it happens) opened in 1882 (well taht's what Wiki quotes as the date - I wonder).  Alas 'Steam World' underwent an editorial process change some years back when its practice of having articles peer reviewed was ended - that used to be a fascinating process and if you'd seen some of the stuff I was sent for review you'd realise that the error you have picked up pales into insignificance  against some of teh stuff that hed been submitted for publication.  Quite how somebody can write an article about a railway route without even checking the mileages and timetabled running times let alone the gradients remains beyind my imagination.  

 

However of them all there is a certain model railway mag which I obviously won't name (but there is a similarly named company in the model railway business)  which has a long history of producing incredibly erroneous captions to many of the pictures it publishes of the real railway.  I bought a copy recently - for the first time in a couple of years - and it still lives up to its past reputation.  One of its most amusing howlers was picture very obviously of Tramway Junction in Gloucester which was captioned as Slough - with upper quadrant signals     By the way lest their reputation cast doubt on my own knowledge I hasten to add that there are no errors in a certain recent video

 

Enjoy the rest of teh day and stay safe.  Great to hear that a couple of important vaccinations are now scheduled in France.

[pH]

3 hours ago, The Lurker said:

I was thinking to myself that I don't remember forgetting books like that; but then I had a desk that I kept books in, taking out only those that I needed for the next 2/3 lessons before the next break or for my homework. They don't have that sort of facility anymore, nor a cloakroom to put coats and bags, nor do they shower after games - strange the things that have changed.

You had a desk? We would have loved a desk! We had to cope in the same way as Younger Lurker - pack everything we needed for the day from home. The standard schoolbag was a wartime gas mask bag. There was quite a bit of room in it, so it was sometimes possible to pack everything you were going to need for the week into it on a Monday morning, though that could lead to a lopsided walk.

 

The only time I remember the showers in the changing rooms being used was if someone had gone down heavily on the crushed ash football pitch. They would be given a bar of carbolic soap and a scrubbing brush and pointed at the cold water showers. I still have small bits of the pitch in my left knee.

 

We did have a cloakroom, though.

[Barry O]

Once in the 6th Form  at our school we were given a locker. We added a lock of choice and that took a load of weight out of our haversacks. It also meant that items like Rugby boots, Running gear etc could also bee hidden away  until required for our sporting activities.

 

Our shower room was tiny but well used as it had lots of hot water and we were allowed to sing songs which some would be very upset by nowadays.

 

At our local Rugby Club we were allowed to make use of the Pit Baths for showering purposes.. even better as the water was warm, the rooms were warm and clean.. luxury.

 

It was only at University that I came across the communal bath. Once 11 muddy players had entered the waters there was no chance of getting clean.. so a shower would be taken post the bath (with obligatory rugby song singing).

 

Poached Salmon for tea.. time to go and get it ready for cooking.

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, The Lurker said:

 

Time for a bit more work*...enjoy your day

 

* but not until i see whether Jamie has posted anymore of his French holiday snaps

 

I sincerely  hope that my later posting today hasn't meant you having to work longer hours. Rest assured there is now a fresh batch of holiday snaps to peruse. 

 

Jamie

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, pH said:

I played soccer with a group of guys originally from all five continents (seven if you count South America and Oceania as distinct continents). The common language is English, dialect profanity.

In many of the 'rec' league soccer matches I see in the parks locally, the lingua franca seems to be Spanish. I do have a friend who plays (or did play) on a rec league, but his would be in English.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, The Lurker said:

do you have a go at the "elvish" characters devised by Tolkien for his Sindarin etc?

Yes. The bottom illustration here is Tengwar in a Sindarin mode. The example is quite old. I would render the "ri" differently if I did it now - like this:

 

3 hours ago, The Lurker said:

It strikes me as something that is made for calligraphy, with the added bonus that there is no-one to tell you that you've done it wrong!

True, on both counts.

 

The "rules" are complex and a simple letter substitution cipher is impossible. It is strictly phonetic - which is not obvious for people accustomed to English spellings. Then there are multiple modifiers including two in the illustration - like the 'hook' that drops down (a following 's') and the two dots below (a following 'y' / 'i').

 

The frontpiece to the volumes of "The Lord of the Rings" has examples in Sindarin mode and the frontpiece to "The Silmarillion" is in Quenya mode. Along with LOTR Appendix E, they are very illustrative.

 

A great deal of calligraphic latitude is possible. The ring inscription (as published) uses much taller (and Italicized) characters than illustrated in the frontpiece or Appendix E.

 

3 hours ago, The Lurker said:

I copied this from a google search of "Elvish writing"

That is a Quenya mode (following vowels). In Sindarin mode the vowels precede the character that carries them.

 

The rabbit hole can be pretty deep with eccentric Oxford professors who invent languages for their own amusement.

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[Gwiwer]

4 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Remember, do, that younger readers weren't there when the wheel was first invented.

And that the Marketing Department is still trying to figure out what colour it should be. 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

 

Poached Salmon for tea.. time to go and get it ready for cooking.

Did they tell you salmon-poaching is unlawful?

[simontaylor484]

My wife refers to my magazines as "comics"

 

Research too many these days rely on Wikipedia and it alone. 

Some dont even cross reference facts.

 

I consider my self well read one book i couldn't get on with was the Hobbit i struggled to get out of the first chapter.

Although i have had a couple of pints in tge Eagle and Child in Oxford where Tolkien and C S Lewis used to frequent. 

[Ozexpatriate]

3 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

one book i couldn't get on with was the Hobbit i struggled to get out of the first chapter

Horses for courses there. At 13 or so I couldn't put it down and finished it in one session on the first night when school term ended. The next day I was knocking on the door of the friend from whom I borrowed it so I could read 'The Lord of the Rings'.

[pH]

7 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I consider my self well read one book i couldn't get on with was the Hobbit i struggled to get out of the first chapter. 

I’m glad I’m not the only one!

[jamie92208]

24 minutes ago, pH said:

I’m glad I’m not the only one!

I resisted reading Tolkein because of the way people were gushing about it. Then I read The Hobbitt and finally LOTR and couldn't put it down. Not much sleep for about 3 nights.

 

Jamie

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Busy day again sorting things for the new extension again slow progress and consequently I’ve been unable to keep with the happenings in ER land.

Sinusitis a bit better but balance getting worse. No adverse effects from vaccine but decided to take an ibuprofen for the sinusitis which was a mistake. Unfortunately I’ve developed an allergy to it and ended up with an itchy scalp, swollen lips and an irritated eye so an antihistamine was taken shortly afterwards. 
Another early night is in order.

Goodnight,

Robert

 

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.

 

A question for those interested, or knowledgeable about garden birds.  There's an awful lot of them here, and they're full of it currently, but there is a call I haven't knowingly heard before, and I can't see which bird is making it as there are so many.  I can only describe it as sounding like a 2 year old child going down a slide - WHEEeeeee' !!  Quite loud and repeated every 10 seconds or so.  A lovely sound, I would like to know what bird it is.  Any ideas?  I'm a townie and no nothing of such things, but Mrs NHN is a farm gurl, but she doesn't know what it is.

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Not done a lot today except hunting down some connectors to enable connecting the two halves of the layout together. The ones I had thought were right turned out not to be so but now I've found some by Tamiya intended for R/C models that come complete with wires attached. They have been ordered and should be with me by early next week. Now its time to put the kettle on, be back later.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Horses for courses there. At 13 or so I couldn't put it down and finished it in one session on the first night when school term ended. The next day I was knocking on the door of the friend from whom I borrowed it so I could read 'The Lord of the Rings'.

My sister has been a fast reader though seldom picks up a book these days.  She polished off The Hobbit in not much more than an afternoon followed by the LOTR trilogy through the weekend start to finish.  Her skills (which include retention of what she reads at that speed) didn't get shared with me.  I find that looking at a page of print sends me into a doze and makes reading anything quite a time-consuming chore.  I also end up re-reading the bit I last read every time I wake up which slows progress even further.  

 

Evening all.  POETS Day was marked by an on-time departure from the House of Fun and an on-time arrival of Friday Drinks.  It was also the first occasion this year on which Afternoon Tea was taken outside on the Terrace.  The sun being warm enough at that time of the day to enjoy a relaxed half-hour amid pansies, tulips and other pollen-producers and in the company of the biggest bumble-bee we have seen in quite some time bumbling lazily around.  

 

Tomorrow is a busy one start to finish including an afternoon-long Zoom event.  I may be absent from these auspicious pages.  Fear not.  I plan to return anon.  

 

All the best.  Avagoodweekend.  

[simontaylor484]

The comestebles run this afternoon produced the deilghts of lemon drizzle hot cross buns. These have been consumed to prevent marauding bears and hippos