Early Risers.

[Sir TophamHatt]

Well, today was blown out of the water.
The one job I had to do... not done.

 

Master Topham Hatt came home from nursery very poorly.  Quite weak, just wanted cuddles, had a high temperature.  He only managed a biscuit for tea (although did have a "little" of what nursery gave him).  Milk, paracetamol (for toddlers) and off to bed.

 

Wakes up today and seems pretty usual.  We kept him off nursery anyway, but he had some breakfast and a bit of lunch.  Has an afternoon nap and woke up the same way as yesterday.  Quite worried after reading online as it could be quite serious but that's for proper lethargy - hard to wake up - his symptoms seem more like he has no energy at all.

 

Called 111 and a GP calls us back and says to monitor temperature, give paracetamol and ibuprofen just before bed and start every 6 hours from wakey time.

 

Poor guy.

He's had so much thrown at him from birth but what a fighter!  From being formed under a microscope (ICSI - a form of IVF), then having a twin that was lost (very early on - in the first 2 weeks of pregnancy) to being premature (33 weeks) plus being a baby, he's a real inspiration to me to take everything in your stride and keep going.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Sir TophamHatt

[simontaylor484]

Hope the little one gets better quickly

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had a very interesting Zoom talk on Bulleid pacifics by Nick Thompson of Southern Locomotives Ltd. He also built a Meccano model of the Bulleid valve gear.

 

[PupCam]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

these should enable Bear to say "Alexa - Lights On"

Oh I do look forward to that!   

 

I'll have to give you a call on speaker phone or laptop then I can have a go at annoying  Alexa  and turn your lights on and off really quickly 

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[PupCam]

5 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had a very interesting Zoom talk on Bulleid pacifics by Nick Thompson of Southern Locomotives Ltd. He also built a Meccano model of the Bulleid valve gear.

 

Fantastic!  

 

Meccano is such a brilliant thing (I refuse to use the word toy, it's much more than that) and that looks like proper old stuff!   I know this as I still have mine in the loft which was actually originally father's in the 30's.  Most recently used to build a track to take stero image pairs of photographs for my sons image processing computing Uni project.    Personally I think failing to provide your child with a Meccano set is tantamount to abuse although Technical Lego is perhaps a more up-to-date and acceptable equivalent.

 

 

[polybear]

4 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Oh I do look forward to that!   

 

I'll have to give you a call on speaker phone or laptop then I can have a go at annoying  Alexa  and turn your lights on and off really quickly 

 

Was it Chris Evans (the Radio Presenter) that said "Alexa - bark like a dog" during one of his radio shows and got hundreds of dogs goin' off on one in their owners homes?  P*ssed a few off, apparently

[PupCam]

1 minute ago, polybear said:

Was it Chris Evans (the Radio Presenter) that said "Alexa - bark like a dog"

I don't know but well done if he did!

 

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

That temporary runway cladding was just a giant DIY FOD generator ..........

That could have resulted in something spectacularly nasty, it would have been far better just to land on plain old grass.   Have you have ever done a FOD plod on an active airfield?

Yes. on a Navy airstrip that was about two miles long. A P-3 Orion had crashed and all of us were commandeered to do a FOD* walkdown after the runway had been cleared of the remains.

 

*Foreign Object Damage = Little nasties that can be sucked up into jet engines.

Edited April 22, 2021 by J. S. Bach
To add a missing word.

[PupCam]

9 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

*Foreign Object Damage = Little nasties that can be sucked up into jet engines.

Or big nasties .......

 

I believe the acronym nowadays is actually "Foreign Object Debris" - the damage is what it can/does do but you don't actually pick the damage off of the runway but the intent is the same.

 

A pair of leather gloves wrecked a couple of the re-born Vulcan's precious Olympus engines some years ago,  a bit of that matting could have really spoiled the day for the Orion's crew at a most critical point in the flight!

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by PupCam
Clarified definition

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[pH]

There is a group of wild cherry trees in the school grounds immediately behind our yard. Since the local school district completely abandoned grounds maintenance several years ago, they have increased significantly in number and size. They are now in bloom and, with a wind blowing, it looks as if we are in the middle of a moderate snowfall!

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The dust sheets on the dining room floor seemed to have done the trick, the sheets themselves weren’t too mucky either. All that was evident were feint grey lines were they went over the floorboards joints. Vacuuming wasn’t necessary either, a quick going over with the mop was all that was needed. It was all done just before 11 o’clock. The dust sheets then went in the washer for a good clean, they went out on the line just after dinner and were dry just after tea. 

 

That’s the cellar now cleaned and mopped, a few times and I don’t think I’ll need to do it again, but I’ll see how it looks on Saturday morning. 

 

I’ve included a photo taken just I locked up before heading upstairs for a mid afternoon ‘ice tea’. 

 

 

Apart from the cleaning and mopping, I’ve not done much else today. Tomorrow I’ll be able to get a bit f a rest, as it’s a shopping day, but work will re-commence over the weekend. However, this afternoon I did no a little eyelid inspection. 

 

I do hope the young STH gets better soon. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[iL Dottore]

20 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

...with The Hollies 20 Golden Greats as a soundtrack. Side 2 finished just as I did the last garment. However there is a legacy, Jennifer Eccles as an ear worm...

Not having heard that song for a long time (but dimly remembering it), I did a search for “Jennifer Eccles“ on Google. One of the many things that turned up, was a young lady, most pneumatically endowed, who spent much of the 70s posing for the modern equivalent of “the VERY saucy postcard“. I would warn Mr P Bear that if he goes looking for Miss Eccles’ snapshots he might have to have a serious lie down afterwards

14 hours ago, jonny777 said:

Apparently, according to her, there is always room for some sticky toffee pudding. This is said as if it is some English classic remembered wistfully from 1930s dinner tables along wit jam roll-poly and spotted dick. 

 

Except it is not. As far as I can make out, sticky toffee *anything* was unheard of in the UK until the 1970s, and only then at a restaurant in the Lake District until it escaped into the celebrity cookbooks, which are almost identical except for adding/subtracting a few grams here and there to make them look original. 

 

The origin of the pudding seems to be Canada, and the main ingredient is dates ...-

Now I didn’t know that!
As a well read Gastronaut I am familiar with much of the history of many cuisines, including British. But not having done any exhaustive research on the Great British Pudding (IMHO one of Britain’s two great contributions to world cuisine [the other being the proper pie: pastry top and pastry bottom]),  I didn’t know that the sticky toffee pudding was an alien interloper and a late one at that.

 

Steamed puddings are definitely balm for a saddened soul, both sweet and savoury. It used to be that Fray Bentos did a passable tinned Steak and Kidney pudding, but their current offerings are pretty grim. I don’t know what happened at Fray Bentos, but whatever their management have done to their steak and kidney pudding in a tin recipe they are not a patch on what they were when I ate them back in the 80s. Although, to be fair the steak and kidney puddings in a tin of the early 80s were not made to be microwaved.

If I recall correctly, you took the label off the tin, plopped it into simmering water and then carefully opened it about 20 or 30 minutes later. Result, at least for me, was very more-ish. The ones I recently bought are designed to be microwaved and maybe that is why they don’t seem to be a patch on the ones of the 80s (in fact I found them pretty ghastly).

12 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

...Housemartins are late to arrive. How do they, sat 000s miles away in Africa, know that the weather in France is still too cold for them?

BBC World Service?

9 hours ago, jonny777 said:

My daughter has just sent me this photo, which is the two books that granddaughter (aged 6) has brought home from school to read.

 

Is there any hope for the demise of sexual stereotyping, if infant school are starting them this way?

 

I wonder if your granddaughter would be old enough for the series of books Terry Pratchett wrote about the witch in training Tiffany Aching (the first book of the series is “The Wee Free Men”), perhaps not as a reader but as a listener? Tiffany Aching is a great character (for both genders and for all ages) and if you and/or your daughter are even remotely theatrically inclined, reading the books aloud gives great scope to practice sound effects and accents (especially if you can do a passable Billy Connolly imitation)

6 hours ago, polybear said:

....On the subject of Ovens, Bear has spent far too many hours today (and not for the first time) researching the bl00dy things on the 'net, trying to decide which to go for.  Talk about a minefield...

Take it from a serious amateur cook: what you need is an oven that turns on, heats up rapidly, has no hot spots or cold spots in the oven itself (in other words the temperature is constantly the same no matter where you place a pan or baking tray in the oven) and cools down rapidly once turned off. All the shops trying to flog you an oven will steer you away from those simple ovens that are purely functional (as described above) and towards ovens with all kinds of technological wizardry. Such high-tech ovens cost an awful lot more and, of course, make the salesman a lot more in commission. The other point, is that a good 90% of this extra technological wizardry is of limited or no use if you are doing serious baking and roasting. As I have said before, whenever you look at domestic kitchen equipment with all kinds of bells and whistles, just ask yourself are these extras to be found on the professional equivalent. If the answer is no, then you don’t need these bells and whistles. There is also one other consideration, my dear P Bear, and that is by buying a functional “low-tech“ oven cost and maintenance are going to be much, much lower thus freeing up tokens for more LDC.

 

Well, thank goodness it is Friday, it’s been a pretty abysmal week and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and my adventures in Eclair making. As the eclairs will be filled with a coffee cream (a known P Bear repellent) I will not have to activate all the anti-bear traps I have set up around the Alpine Redoubt(tm)

Have a great POETS day.

 

iD

[TheQ]

Sometimes you just get p****d of the touch screens, I've just lost most of below...

Here we go again..

 

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare,

7:15 of sleep with just 1 wake up and turn over, a large Highland Park, assisted in this..

 

FOD checks,  being a radar man, I've never lived on a live fixed wing airfield, Helicopters at RAF Boulmer, which did need the occasional FOD check of it's concrete pad and surroundings, but it was extremely rare for anything to be found.

 

At RAF Neatishead we had a helicopter Royal visit, so FOD checks were carried out every day for a week. Did we find anything ...No. With our SWO anything out of place would never happen, the biggest problem was the grass being repeatedly cut, even on the morning of the visit.. Every time it happened half a dozen men would be out there brushing up the cuttings..

 

I spent my day work painting a hand rail black and white, and sanding down between coats.. I was on nights for the actual visit so didn't see a thing...

 

There are a couple of RAF radar stations have to have regular FOD checks, at RAF Benbecula's new Radar station which is on a North Uist mountain, it's a bit windy... Before it was even opened, the wind picked up stones up to a foot across and blew them through the fibreglass dome, which is above a 10ft concrete wall.. So stone patrols are a regular event inside and outside the wire...

 

Ben the sleeping Collie, did awake at normal weekday alarm clock duty, came over, had a head pat, and has now gone back to bed.. I suspect he'll want out shortly.

 

Today's plans, a visit to GY, visits to:

A pound shop for more disposable break-off knives. 

The Works,

Smiffs

A second hand book shop,

And then anywhere else SWMBO drags me..

 

I'm getting huffed at from the doorway, 

 

Time for the morning patrol...

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

I used up too much energy yesterday.  It was the day for changing the bed linen and for doing a heap of laundry that will come back to bite me in the form of ironing.  As a change from aching knees I found myself with aching legs.  By mid afternoon I was fit for nothing.  The bit of writing that needed doing did not get done and I was in bed by 8.30.  Today I need to summon up some form of tractive effort as there are meds to collect and a bank to visit as well as the fodder run to do.  Maybe the long queues at the hair salon have now subsided.  I hope so, for it is high time that I shook off my Worzel Gummidge look.

 

On the subject of garden birds,  when I last did some G word I was conscious of a presence.  Sure enough, there was a robin sitting on a branch of Mrs Electric-Chair's tree, in full supervisory mode.  Somehow I long for the day when one sits on the handle of my garden fork, more or less compelling me to use another implement to till the soil. 

 

There was sad news yesterday.  One of the stalwarts of the Stevenage Locomotive Society, Adrian White, has passed away - another victim of the Big C, I'm told.  He was a superb photographer and a thoroughly good bloke.  RIP Adrian,

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[TheQ]

Darn chilly out there, it's a cold, crunchy, white out, the coldest of the recent series of visits by Mr frosty, Ben enjoyed it.

I visited the Alleyway because SWMBO reports the door is sticking. It appears to have dropped by 1/4 inch.. This means I'll have to rehang it...

It being chilly I had to divert via the small room in the mobile home, I noticed en-route a cloth on top of the anti frost heater.. Good job I selected an oil filled radiator for that purpose, no chance of a fire...

 

I shall now continue to sup muggacoffee number 1..

[jamie92208]

Good moaning. It's positively tropical here, 9 degrees.  The girls have been let out and muggacoffee is now being consumed.  I did eventually get some brownie points yesterday for my labours in the walled yard. I better spend them quickly as their shelf life can be short.    Not a lot is on the agenda for this morning. Thecplan for thecrest of the day is as follows.

 

Lumch at 12.00 rather than 13.00

13.00 fill out attestation for essential shopping 

13. 05 set off east.

13.45 pick up Andy and head trackside

17.10 (after the local passenger train) take Andy Home

17.20 visit DIY store for essential purchases.

18.15 arrive home from 'shopping' trip.

 

Sounds like a good plan.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

[Andrew P]

8 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Was it Chris Evans (the Radio Presenter) that said "Alexa - bark like a dog" during one of his radio shows and got hundreds of dogs goin' off on one in their owners homes?  P*ssed a few off, apparently

Serves them right for listening to Chris Evans in the first place.

[polybear]

59 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

As I have said before, whenever you look at domestic kitchen equipment with all kinds of bells and whistles, just ask yourself are these extras to be found on the professional equivalent. If the answer is no, then you don’t need these bells and whistles. There is also one other consideration, my dear P Bear, and that is by buying a functional “low-tech“ oven cost and maintenance are going to be much, much lower thus freeing up tokens for more LDC.

 

iD is indeed very wise - the ovens Bear are considering will see off the best part of two hundred LDC's, and that's a lot of yummy lost.

Two have been short-listed - a Bosch jobbie and a Miele (both are Which? Best Buys and come out very well in the tests) - a Samsung may be added to the shortlist, though Which? reports that 27% of their members reported a fault within 5 years - and that's enough to worry this Bear. Bosch is 7%, whilst Miele tops the table at 6%.  It would've been nice if Miele had a bit more confidence in their products though - they only give a 2 year warranty (and BOY, are they expensive to fix.....) whilst both Bosch and Samsung give 5 years on the models Bear is considering.

Another plus point for the Miele is that with the various offers and promotions available, Bear can save over 30 LDC's......

See how confusing this bl00dy minefield is?

 

59 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

As the eclairs will be filled with a coffee cream (a known P Bear repellent) I will not have to activate all the anti-bear traps I have set up around the Alpine Redoubt(tm)

 

 

Hmmm, iD has a nasty streak amongst that wise-ness....

Coffee and cream?  Now that's just plain spiteful.

 

17 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Darn chilly out there, it's a cold, crunchy, white out, the coldest of the recent series of visits by Mr frosty, Ben enjoyed it.

I visited the Alleyway because SWMBO reports the door is sticking. It appears to have dropped by 1/4 inch.. This means I'll have to rehang it...

 

 

Stangely enough, Bear was considering the kitchen door to the lounge yesterday - a device I've not had for 8 months now.  Even before the refurb started, the kitchen door was very rarely ever used or closed - it was just "there".  It was only ever called into action when the toast was burnt etc.  in a vain but hopeless attempt at minimising the spread of the smell.  Some hope.  So there is a very fair chance that Bear has saved himself the job of fitting a new door, as for 99% of the time it would be pretty pointless.  We'll see.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

My detailed orders for today are minimal:

1 do some ironing

2 sort out dates on food and arrange them in the fridge ready for use.

3 prepare Fajitas for tea.

 

I shall partake of a stroll around a large cricket pitch and may also be visiting an emprium selling glues etc as my "super" glue no longer sticks..pah!

 

The home team tomorrow are kean. They have paid my money for tomorrow's match. I must check the ECB guidance on bribery and corruption on this.

 

Have a good day. @Dave Hunt  hope your dad is ok?

 

@BoD any news of Gordon?  Hopefully he is improving a lot by now.

 

@Sir TophamHatt hope the youngun is feeling a lot better.

 

Baz

[Andrew P]

Firstly thoughts for Sir Topham Hats little one.

 

Morning one and all, what another beautiful day, I'm getting quite used to this, much better than rain and cold.

 

A Parcel is due between 8-20 and 9 20 so I'd better shake a tail feather and get into the Bathroom.

 

Have a good day one and all, stay safe and keep well.