Early Risers.

[Winslow Boy]

11 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Doesn't vary much.  I cubic meter weighs 1 tonne. We've got 25 tonnes in the pool.

Bewzre, I married a former medicak secretary, she 5aught me a lovely word,TENESMUS which means avpain in the ar5e.

 

Jamie

There is that down side, but at least I'll have my health 

[jonny777]

3 hours ago, jonny777 said:

 

I might end up doing that, if this experiment fails. 

 

In the mean time, I have covered the whole patched up area in some thick black sealant which can now dry in the sunshine and a temperature of 16C which is quite promising. 

 

Well I think it has worked. I was inspecting the painted area for dryness and righting a pot of aquatic plant which must have fallen over during the winter, when my eyes concentrated on a few emerging leaves exposed by the drop in water level and found I was staring at a frog. 

 

I thought there were none in there, as I saw no sign of activity when I filled the buckets early this morning. 

 

Anyway, I gave froggy a while to settle down and then put the water back, and added more water until it came almost to the top of my 'repair'. I will check tomorrow for soaking wet soil on the outside of that patch. At least this way I can go to bed with a little optimism. 

 

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Afternoon all,

 

Pizza for lunch - something from Tesco (one of their better ones) duly 'sorted' with extra toppings by the GD.   Pizza was something I never came across as a youngster - it was something Italians ate as far as I knew (incorrectly) and  don't think I ever ate any until I was past my teens, strange how the world changes.

 

Bear's first ever Pizza:

 

December 1985, Ristorante Casa d'Italia - Lytham St. Annes.  My first ever company jolly - and a first ever stay in a Hotel (the St.Ives - I got the room that had a bl00dy great 5" cast Iron pipe running thru' it from ceiling to floor - all I got was the sound of clinkers bouncin' thru' it every time a bog was flushed on the floor above.  Plus it was close to the indoor pool, so I got the smell of chlorine too.  F. delightful).

Anyway, back to the Pizza....."unimpressed" would be the polite term.

 

Fast forward to late 1986 and my first ever visit overseas - to Italy...

My mate Tony picked me up from Milan airport.....the conversation turned to food en-route to the Hotel....

Bear:  "Ok Tony, what the food score?"

Tony:  "If all else fails I know where there's a McDonalds"

Bear:  "I don't like Burgers..."  (Bear wasn't known as "Egg n' Chips" for nothing....)

Tony:  "Oh my god...."

That night, in the local Restaurant.....

Bear:  "Ok Tony, break me in gently (DON'T even go there you lot....)"

Tony:  "Why not start with a Pizza - you can't go wrong with a Pizza...."

Bear:  "Which one?"

Tony: "A Margherita - that's just cheese and Tomato"

Bear:  "I don't like Tomato...."

Tony:  "Oh my god.....ok, a Bianco - that's just cheese...."

(Later) Bear "unimpressed" with his (second ever) Pizza - bland being an understatement.....

Second night:  Bear was mighty courageous and had a full blown Margherita, after discovering that the "tomato" was more akin to tommy sauce.  A vast improvement.

Third Night:  Bear spies a waiter carrying chips....

Bear:  "Tony - THEY HAVE CHIPS OUT HERE!!" 

It did become apparent that certain establishments would have a habit of "forgetting" the chips - they were reminded...."

When Bear discovered that tommy sauce (in a bottle) was also available things took a significant turn for the better.

 

And now?  Italian Restaurant (Bear's first choice, anywhere) means a Pizza.  Bring it on....

 

Quote

Have a good day folks and thing of my knees etc as I crouch.  However at least the GD's hospital is back in gear on elective orthopaedic work although not yet up to normal pace as theatre staff were diverted to the ICU to help with Covid patient workload.  Once they're back up to full staffing they will probably be going as quickly as they were before Christmas when they were getting nearly twice as many patients through on elective surgey as they normally did with all the theatres working 7 seven days a week. (the hospital where she is currently based only does elective orthopaedic surgery normally).

 

Picture the scene:

You're lying on the table, waiting for a new hip (often done whilst the patient is awake, or so I believe)

"Stan, what hammer do we use - haven't done this for a year...?"

"Dunno Bert, I was wonderin' that too...the Ladybird Book of Surgery was a bit sketchy on details.  Use the biggun....."

 

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

I think I am growing back the bone they cut off the femur and pelvis (won't show the photos, Bear may collapse) ........

 

Bear has a cushion at the ready....

 

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

Our mutual friend introduced me to a superb, small Italian restaurant in Welwyn during our "once a week  exhibition planning meetings" (heaven forbid we'd spend the whole day working - that's not what retirement is about!).

 

Their Calzone very quickly became Pupper's favourite dish 

 

 

Would that be the "Vita" or the "Aqua"?

 

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

 

Sure you wouldn't rather have a Hodna?

 

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

I'm afraid they are probably the same at 'home' so see no reason to change when they go 'away'. There are times when I think some people really shouldn't be let out unsupervised.

 

Euthanized might be a suitable alternative.

 

In other news:

Bear managed a tidy-up of (what is supposed to be/destined to be) the m**** r****** room, but in practice is a dumping ground at present.  Now it only looks like a small bomb hit it.  Bear also managed to investigate the Nobex Mitre Saw (not a cheap bit of kit) that I've probably had for the best part of 25 years now; it's only used infrequently but is invaluable for accurate cutting.  However, in recent months it has been a right b'stard to use - the action has been very, very stiff and the accuracy dropped right off too.  So Bear decided to investigate - I'll be needing it for the kitchen installation.  Nothing obvious was detected; there are four rectangular plastic/nylon bushes that act as bearings - I cleaned & swapped the positions of these and now the action seems much smoother, though I've yet to try cutting with it.  I'll see if I can buy some new bearings too - Nobex are still a big name for such things, though this particular model is discontinued.

Edited March 29, 2021 by polybear

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The boiler stopped again, same problem, needed topping up. I still can't find any sign of a leak. The one in the hallway that seemed to be coming from the bedroom radiator was the result of my being slow in shutting off the bleed valve and the one in the utility room turned out to be a leaky container of windscreen wash. The dampness has gone but there's still a mark on the carpet. Glad to see Andrew C. back and his problem builder sorted. I think the repayment might have been prompted by the fact that the Inland Revenue takes an interest in such cases. Nipped down to Tess Coes for bread and milk, they had a new temptation in the bakery department. Tear and share cinnamon bun with a thick creamy topping. I had to try one but theres still some left for this evening. 

[PupCam]

40 minutes ago, polybear said:

Would that be the "Vita" or the "Aqua"?

Vita but you won't be surprised to hear that we've also sampled Aqua and many other local eaterys  (Italian, French, Indian, Chinese, Thai, "English Pub") - Exhibition planning is a very hunger inducing occupation!

 

40 minutes ago, polybear said:

Sure you wouldn't rather have a Hodna?

My dear boy, wash your mouth out with soap and water!  

........... but I could be easily tempted by a good condition, early, air-cooled Yamaha RD

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

I was inspecting the painted area for dryness and righting a pot of aquatic plant which must have fallen over during the winter, when my eyes concentrated on a few emerging leaves exposed by the drop in water level and found I was staring at a frog. 

 

It's surprising how blended in they can be! I've nearly forked two in my garden so far.

 

Happy they've found a home in my garden though. Completely unintentional. 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Sir TophamHatt

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, Simon G said:

Your beer can appears to have been printed the wrong way round!!

 

That’s to avoid anyone spotting the name. The good stuff would appear with its name right way round 

[polybear]

39 minutes ago, PupCam said:

........... but I could be easily tempted by a good condition, early, air-cooled Yamaha RD

 

 

I'll see you and raise you an XT500....

[Ian Abel]

AWOL for many days, but back again!

Not going to go into a lengthy day-by-day breakdown but last Wednesday, as the ground is barely thawing here now, and it rained rather heavily, we got once again....

 

water in the basement! 

 

Sorted we hope now, and it wasn't much, but still required getting someone out to vacuum it up, install fans and dehumidifiers for three days !

Yet again, we think we found the latest cause and spent the weekend sorting/installing/painting (if you can call it that as it's really a very thick rubber solution that's "painted" on) the latest in defenses. Since this only really happens in Spring, it's likely we'll "APPEAR" to have solved it until this time next year when we cross our fingers!

The only consolation, such as it is, is that a lot of folks in the metro area suffered a similar fate. Misery loves company!

 

Onward...the weather has been variable, still cool and after the initial rain last week no precipitation to speak of.

21 the expected high today, sunny, but very windy, then dropping again overnight to -3, and the high next few days only 6-8!

 

Carry on - I plan too

 

[PhilJ W]

Time to see what the use-by-date lottery decides what's for dinner.

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

I'll see you and raise you an XT500....

Where is the "Not a hope in Hell" button?

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Time I think to use your insider knowledge and get a sooner date. I happen to be on first name terms with several medical secretary's, don't ask me how I achieved that as it could become rather embarrassing and lead to me being removed from this thread but I shall just say the things we do for Queen and Country.

 

Unfortunately my NHS network is in the UK - my last job there was as a manager of an outpatients service -my contacts here are more, er, blue serge.

[simontaylor484]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

That’s to avoid anyone spotting the name. The good stuff would appear with its name right way round 

It could be worse it could be their Tadcaster neighbours Sam Smith's  the bitter is terrible but the lager they make called Aylingerbrau or something along those lines is like rocket fuel

[jonny777]

On the subject of alcohol, someone sent me this via the net......

 

 

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

2 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

On the subject of alcohol,

Here's me thinking that Pinot was spelled with a "t".

 

[Gwiwer]

8 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Here's me thinking that Pinot was spelled with a "t".

 

Never let a typo stand in the way of cheap humour   

 

16 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

It could be worse it could be their Tadcaster neighbours Sam Smith's  the bitter is terrible

Yes.  But it could also have been one of our local micro-brewery's finest products.  Those are 6% so not always the best idea for a sunny afternoon when one has to cook dinner and remain compost mentis later!  

 

A warm evening here included a lengthy stroll to the river and back.  The length was increased by the inability to make use of the railway level crossing which is closed for ...... just what is it closed for?  There are fences and water-barriers all around it but so far there has been no evidence of work of any kind being done in the past two days since it closed.  Nothing at 6am when I left for the House of Fun.  Nothing at midday when I returned and no-one on site at all tonight.  

 

Which reminds me.  NR failed to address the Resident's Association comments made in their Zoom meeting although I did get the promised email today.  The promised alternative transport for those unable to use the footbridge steps (which includes Dr. SWMBO hence the extended walk) has not been in evidence.  There was nothing to suggest it was available and no-one to ask either.  I have the email address of the NR chappy who led the Zoom meeting.  I also have the ability to cc my next email to the local council, MP and with reference to the Equality Act 2010.  

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Remember a holiday some years ago when we stayed in a small town on the Rhine. There were four restaurants in the place and we were stopping four nights so the four of us decided to go to each restaurant in turn. My friend is a very fussy eater and had chips with everything. In the last restaurant they didn’t do chips and as it was a very quiet night they agreed to go next door to the restaurant that did do chips to get some so as not to loose out custom.

His motto was not to eat anything green or meat that came  from something that didn’t have a backbone.

He did like ketchup, even having it on his Yorkshire pudding.

Anyway, spent up to 3.00 on phone calls and the like but pretty happy with what was achieved. I would have liked to have done it quicker but at the moment progress is progress whatever the speed. Then had a couple of hours in the garden. Sunny but breezy.

Nothing else to report so I’ll bid you all a goodnight,

Robert

[J. S. Bach]

14 hours ago, polybear said:

It's a scientific fact that the wearing of clean socks is just as efficient at the prevention of covid as two doses of vaccine ...snip...

Would that not depend on where one puts one's feet??

[jamie92208]

52 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

It could be worse it could be their Tadcaster neighbours Sam Smith's  the bitter is terrible but the lager they make called Aylingerbrau or something along those lines is like rocket fuel

Their mild is very good though. I lived next door to a Sam's pub for 38 years.

 

Jamie

[polybear]

Bear's Question Of The Day?

 

Why do those little splits in the end of your thumb (that usually start just underneath your thumb nail) hurt so bl00dy much??  Especially when you get one in each thumb at the same time....

[Mike Bellamy]

5 hours ago, PupCam said:

The AJ was rather reluctant to go, no doubt due to having been lurking at the back of the garage for 3 months during which time most of the oil had followed the force of gravity and flowed out of the oil tank and into the crankcase (as is the wont of an old, dry sump British bike).  Still, a bit of persistence paid off and much chugging around the lanes

 

About 35 years ago I worked for Lloyds Bank in Derby where Pat Hughes was the Manager's Secretary - along with her husband Ron, they ran the AJS Owners Club Spares Department. I think they had the stock in an industrial unit in Long Eaton and I remember going to their house once to find a garage full of AJS machines as well as several part built bikes and loads of spares in the house. Whenever I went to see Pat in her office, she always seemed to be on the phone sorting out Club business. As we have several members here who are ex forces, Ron was with the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop at that time but they will both be well past retirement age now.

.

[pH]

Well, that was an interesting hour or so! My wife was down at the washing machines and called up for me to come and see something. The tumble drier is connected to a vent in the outside wall by a flexible metal-covered hose. This hose will normally vibrate slightly when the drier is running, but was now jumping quite violently, and randomly. The vent outside is only about a foot off the ground, one of the slats that close the vent is missing, and several years ago we had a rat come in through it while the hose was disconnected. So - immediate thought - another rodent.

 

However, with the drier switched off, there was no movement in the hose, and no sounds of tiny feet scrabbling inside. Second thought - there is a fairly solid obstruction in the hose which is randomly blocking the hose, then freeing it, or the fan in the drier is sticking. So off with the back of the drier, clean out the path of the air out of the drier and through the hose - some dirt and fluff, but nothing major. The fan was spinning freely, too. Put the back of the drier on again.
 

Hmmm - this may be going to take some time, so I’ll empty the drier and hang up what’s in it. All that’s there is a single bedsheet, so hang that over the backs of a couple of chairs. Back to the drier and turn it on - it runs fine, with the hose vibrating slightly, as usual.

 

My theory is that the bedsheet, with nothing else to weigh it down, was randomly blocking the grille inside the drum, cutting off the airflow out through the hose, then falling off and restoring the flow. 
 

Memo to self - if anything like this happens again, the first thing to do is to try running the drier empty!

 

This afternoon’s task - finish shoring up the house. (Nowhere near as bad as it sounds. I’m just being over-cautious. It has stood as it is for 45 years.)

[simontaylor484]

5 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Their mild is very good though. I lived next door to a Sam's pub for 38 years.

 

Jamie

Our first house when we moved in together was in Purston mid way between the Travellers rest and the White House pubs. The White house was a Sam Smith's pub it was more like going into some ones front room for.a.drink than going for a pint. Better than The Railway in Knottingley even the pool.ball stopped rolling when you walked in.

[Coombe Barton]

... painted floor, hair, face, shirt, arms, and spectacles, oh and wall and ceiling ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/03/29/toward-the-unknown-region/

[PupCam]

5 minutes ago, Mike Bellamy said:

About 35 years ago I worked for Lloyds Bank in Derby where Pat Hughes was the Manager's Secretary - along with her husband Ron, they ran the AJS Owners Club Spares Department..

Sad to report that a post on the Jampot forum (AJS + Matchless Owners Club) last October that Pat has recently died.

"Sad to learn that Pat Hughes has passed away. Pat although not as active in the Poachers section as her late husband Ron had been very active on the national committee.

She was a vice president of the club and held many positions as a committee member including PRO and for many years was the machine dating officer. Both Pat and Ron were involved with the setting up of the spares scheme and for many years also organized and ran the club stand at shows up and down the country.

Pats passing is sadly the end of an era, she was one of the many people instrumental in moving the the club forward and making it what it is to day. Pat may you rest in piece."

 

I have to say when I acquired my bike ~ 4 years ago I was amazed at the availability of spares still available for bikes which ceased manufacture ~ 55 years ago from the very active Owners Club.  My wallet was even more amazed, no terrified, that not 6 miles from where I live there is another very knowledgable, friendly chap (indeed a marquee expert) who sells a vast array of useful bits and pieces to help keep the old girl chugging who is only too keen to pass on his knowledge to newbies like myself