Early Risers.

[jonny777]

Dry with sunny spells today, and a small risk of a shower. Grandson is here and so I am commandeered to perform toy driving operations. 

 

Yesterday was the day when everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The miniature solar panel flatly refused to stay anywhere in the sun for more than ten minutes. The organic meat joints arrived, but rather than being fresh they turned up frozen. I put them in the microwave to defrost and it started to cook them. 

 

I tried making Nigella Lawson's easy Italian ice cream and it ended up like milk. I whisked it for about ten minutes but couldn't achieve a stiff peak (ooh matron). Nevertheless it went into the freezer and was looking promising this morning. My memory of Mr Whippy ice cream is the closest I can recall. 

 

Then I hung my washing out in lovely windy, sunny weather; and within an hour it was tipping down and remained wet all afternoon. 

 

The solar panel finally broke free of its wiring on the tenth disaster. I tried to patch it up, but it seems not to be working so have ordered another. At least they are under £10 on Ebay, which is probably why they fail easily. 

 

Then my random skin itching (post second covid vaccine ten days earlier) began on my legs, which necessitated half a tub of Sudocrem.

 

I was glad to get to bed and wish May 25th goodbye.

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from......LBG. I am in the office today for the first time in I don't know how long.

 

It is pretty quiet in here; I would guess a dozen people spread across the floor, although I am told that around 50 were in on Tuesday. There are abut 150 or more who are supposed to inhabit this floor.

 

The train in from Sidcup was busy; no question of getting a block of seats to oneself, and people were standing by the time we got to LBG. I didn't see anyone not wearing a mask on the train but several people at the stations at either end of the journey.

 

And shortly I have the novelty of going to buy myself some lunch. The potential choice is almost overwhelming.....*

 

* this assumes that most places have survived and are now open!

[simontaylor484]

4 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Note to self, make sure that the pockets are empty before you put jeans in the wash. The item in question was a paper hankie, I'm still picking soggy bits out of the washing machine so the next items will be the old towels used for mopping up (also to clear the machine of dye from the jeans) but first to clear the trap. On the health front everything is back to normal now time for breakfast.

It could be worse on a couple of occasions swmbo has put a disposable nappy in the machine inadvertently and that does make one hell of a mess

[southern42]

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

It could be worse on a couple of occasions swmbo has put a disposable nappy in the machine inadvertently and that does make one hell of a mess

 

These tales remind me of my first washing machine disaster shortly after I first moved in as a wee young lass (though I thought I was quite old at the time, as you do!).  I had put the wrong washing powder in the machine and yes it did exactly what it does in cartoons and comedy shows - frothed up beautifully.  Ray was away, so in desperation, I knocked on our nextdoor neighbour's door who came in, saw the problem, opened the machine door and caught several washing up bowlsful of suds and emptied said bowlful of suds, in turn,  on the other neighbour's lawn - holiday home at the time and no one at home!

 

Had an interesting morning watching a video of the Super Blood Moon Eclipse happening down in New Zealand and, just as it was fast approaching Maximum, my internet suddenly decided to drop out so I missed it and had to replay it later.

 

As the various eclipse highlights were spaced out, I decided to have a toot on the flute, playing my getting to know it tune. Then when half the moon was in darkness it suddenly occurred to me that I was playing 1/2 Moon.  Of course, that set the heart beat going and I started to play it to the moon on the screen. Woah! Did that make a difference to my playing. Could not have asked for better at this stage of play.  Amazing.  Thank you, Moon. Well, people talk to their plants....

 

Fitt  and  Elfie gathering apace for the weekend.

 

Time to catch up.

Take care all and play safe.

_________

Best wishes

Polly

 

[jamie92208]

My first washing machine was a Hoover Keymatic that a friend  gave me. There was no fixed plumbing so I had to pull it out and couple it up to the taps above the sink and also put the drain hose in the sink. Sods law, on a couple of occasions  milk bottle top, got lodged in the drain hole and I came home to find the kitchen flooded. It served me well though. Towards the end it would only work with a mole wrench hanging off the clutch at the back. It didn't either cost me or owe me anything.

 

Jamie

[Gwiwer]

My first washing machine was ....... me   

 

I never broke down   

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day... already! Yeah, I know

 

The weekend flew by and I have no idea what exactly was accomplished, but recall some plantings around the house and a zillion errands (many for the Mrs!).

Included getting the front hose bib back in operation which THEN led to a small leak in the basement from a loose fitting <grrr> only amounted to a couple of cups worth of water, sprayed in my face  Now we have the from hose operational again

Monday I took the day off so we could go to the cabin for a BRIEF check in and ended up doing way more than necessary including mowing the entire place in 32C sun!

More "problems" with both mowers there and needed to take the wheel off the riding mower as it needs a new inner tube. THAT will mean I'll have to go back up once it's fixed to reinstall same

 

Been rather hot here hovering around 28-32 for days with high humidity, but cooling off for a few days.

11 first thing, only expected to reach 19, THEN overnight 5 with a high tomorrow expected to be only 13!

 

Carry on.

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Gettinga bit cloudy out there although no precipitation forecast.  I am feeling a tad delicate today but - touch wood - am now completely off the 'type of' scale having been at the maximum about 60 hours ago. (I think that 's first time I've hit maximum on anything although it was not enjoyable.).  so gradually getting back to normal but I don't think I'll go in for anything with 'fresh leaves' in future if somebody at the same table is likely to get them with a shellfish or seafood dish.

 

Elsewhere the man point of amusement has been somebody digging up a fire hydrant up the road next to a parked car whose owner could not be identified.  TI told the hole digger when he came round inquiring that I hadn't got a clue whose car iot was and it was their fault for parking next to a hydrant.  The bloke was concerned less his work, incluf ding using an angle grinder madea mess of teh car but I suggested that he could hardly be blamed for somebody parking in a stupid place.   The car has now gone so i don't know how messy it got but it might dissuade whoever it was from parking round here in future, hopefully.

 

Talking about cars the Money Programme on R4 was all about electric cars and was of considerable (probably misleading?) interest - yes the batteries can be recycled (I thought that could not be done anywhere in Britain?);  yes cars can be charged overnight (nothing said about where the electricity would come from - presumably France?); despite being more expensive than i/c engined vehicles they are cheaper to insure (eh?  do insurance rates no longer take account of vehicle prices and values?); oh and the batteries will last for the complete life of the vehicle and are easier to dismantle and recover the components from than an i/c engine (we live and learn - maybe??).  Overall I think the 'expert' wasmore likely still a 'spert' and was spouting some misleading words - but i might be very wrong?

 

Enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe

[jonny777]

54 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

My first washing machine was ....... me   

 

I never broke down   

 

My first was my Mum. She often broke down. 

[Barry O]

Today has been... strange...

 

Things have gone fairly well, except when putting a M12 bolt back into a nut.. it just would not fit.. pah!

 

Mike

 

yes you can recycle the batteries but they are a bit dicey to deal with (the lithium in them can go bang if you don't take care). I understand that plans for a large battery plant manufacturing plant in Northumberland are being discussed. There are people in the UK who do recycle the batteries.

 

I recharge beast over night on a special tariff.  It costs about £1.60 to get a full charge into the batteries.

 

Herself has been out spending more muddling tokens getting her hair "done". I think I said all the right things to her when she returned!

 

Off to speak to Dr Eldest Herbert and then to venture down to the Club for some more tidying up duties after tea.

 

Baz

[Chris116]

13 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

 

My first was my Mum. She often broke down. 

My mum always said we did not need a washing up machine as she had married one!

[Tony_S]

20 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

 

My first was my Mum. She often broke down. 

Buckets of smelly nappies often led to breakdowns. Especially in winter. I know it is frowned upon by environmentalists but our child had disposable nappies. 

[jonny777]

I didn't mind the dirty nappies, but they turned SWMBO's stomach, so guess who had the job of changing the babies when at home during the daytime? And working shifts, I was home quite a lot during the day. 

[polybear]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Note to self, make sure that the pockets are empty before you put jeans in the wash. The item in question was a paper hankie,

 

Bear feels your pain, having been there, done that on numerous occasions....

A morning spent marking, planing and cutting the end panel.  Bear came to the realisation that, due to the need to space some base units away from the wall (including the end unit to which the panel is to be fixed) the panel doesn't reach all the way back to the wall when the front edge is correctly aligned with the door front.  Turdycurses.  Not a great issue, however, since the small gap can easily be taken care of with some beading.  I've still to cut a little off the top edge though, once I'm happy that all units are 100% level etc.

A text was received this morning from Mr Unreliable Gas Man, telling me he could "do tomorrow morning".  I haven't bothered replying

Mr Reliable Gas Man arrived as promised (actually a bit early) and the gas pipe is now finally capped off   Talk about easy money;  still it's done now, 100% legit and all tested for leaks - with a ticket to prove it.  So if Bear gets blown up I can prove it was all done by the book....

Just came back from seeing buddy next door - I was helping him check the values of old toy cars via ebay "sold prices" - nothing worth selling, unfortunately.  He was going to bin them, along with a very large Tonka Dump Truck - so Bear rescued them and all will go to a charity shop.

Seems his SWMBO has been "Doin his 'ead in" already regarding the new house - big plans that keep changing etc.  The house needs pretty much everything doing, plus she wants a big extension...and kitchen...and bathroom....and......

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Just a thought on the mystery plant. Why not show it to Rick's missus? If she can't identify it she must know someone who can. Not much else to report so its be back later.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

........ oh and the batteries will last for the complete life of the vehicle .....

 

That's sounds suspiciously like one of those situations where the manufacturer decides what the life of the vehicle is, rather than the owner.  Bear had his Rover 214Si for 23 years.....(RIP Ricky the Rover....).

 

Nearly new neighbours next door have a leaky roof - most likely due to the lead gulley between their roof and Bear's.  Accessing it will likely mean a scaffold tower in Bear's front garden.  Hopefully a decent company will be doing the work, as it's always a worry when work like that is going on.  Fortunately there's no sign of water in Bear's loft.

 

A flying visit to Wickes is called for shortly - brackets to secure the oven base unit to the wall are needed......

[leopardml2341]

Which brings us to the question of lifetime warranty; for the lifetime of what or whom?

 

If it's the owner, good news.

If it's the product, totally useless as when it's broken it's at the end of its useful life.

[Andrew P]

Nappies? I've never changed one, I inherited my 4 Kids when I married Wife No 2, and the twin Girls were 13 and the twin Boys 12. 

I did see my wife struggle to change our first Grandson, but that was 36 years ago now, and she had never used disposable nappies as they weren't around in 1965 / 66, he now has 4 Daughters.

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Buckets of smelly nappies often led to breakdowns. Especially in winter. I know it is frowned upon by environmentalists but our child had disposable nappies. 

Iirc it's now been proved that disposable nappies are more environmentally friendly, because of the large amount of energy required to clean reusables.  That doesn't help on the actual disposal, when most are only 60 to 80%  compostable. The plastic covers are the actual problem.

 

The Landover is now 37, the car 12, the landrover will outlast me, the car will probably be changed when I retire in a couple of years. To whatever we require for our future life..

Edited May 26, 2021 by TheQ

[New Haven Neil]

Mrs NHN has an electric car at work, a Renault Zoe.  It's lifespan is declared as 8 years for the batteries. Not great in my world.

 

She hates the very sight of it..... but needs to drive it most days.  It is very difficult to manoeuvre slowly in confined spaces as it is overly responsive to the accelerator, moving it say just a foot or so is beyond all the crew in the team who have tried unless you left foot brake, which does not come naturally.  The lack of aural feedback also makes it hard to keep to low speed limits.  I know its at or near the bottom of the food chain of e cars, but they're 30 grand.....oof.  

 

I await hydrogen fuel cell technology to punt lithium batteries off the planet.

[Sir TophamHatt]

Not been able to get one for what seems like weeks now :/

Hope everyone is doing okay.

 

Had my covid jab the other day.  Had a headache the following day and felt really tired but glad I've had it.  Wonder if this is what covid feels like...

[New Haven Neil]

10 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Snip<

 

Had my covid jab the other day.  Had a headache the following day and felt really tired but glad I've had it.  Wonder if this is what covid feels like...

 

A friend here had it, he described it as 'feeling like I had every illness I have ever had (he's 63) all at once'.  Not nice if you get it bad.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I might have recovered from the waterworks troubles but my appetite is still AWOL. I just made do with a roast beef sarnie for dinner tonight. On the bright side I've lost just over two kilos in weight and I could do with loosing a few more. I have put on some weight over lockdown and need to loose it.

[JohnDMJ]

Good Evening all, and glad to be away from a very 'heated' thread which has reached some 18 pages in about 24 hours!

 

45 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Had my covid jab the other day.  Had a headache the following day and felt really tired but glad I've had it.  Wonder if this is what covid feels like...

 

Had mine on Saturday, fine Sunday, lethargic and feeling flu-like Monday and Tuesday with sore shoulder until today. Paracetamol and Chlorphenamine taken sparingly for relief! Hopefully the brain cell will function better tomorrow!

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, jonny777 said:

 

My first was my Mum. She often broke down. 

When I was a little tacker - I remember before I had a sister so I was less than two - Mum used the old-style copper and copper-stick every Monday for the boil-wash.  Everything else was hand-washed in the kitchen sink.  She never had a washing machine.  Laundry was done this way until a launderette opened within walking distance.  Then it was a case of saving the relevant coins through the week and wash-day became Friday after school.  

 

Dad surprised her - surprise would be a considerable understatement - one wedding anniversary.  I think it was their Silver.  He simply asked her to stay home because he was expecting something.  There was a knock at the door and there stood a couple of chaps with a large box and a tool-kit.  "Washing machine, madam?" was the greeting.  She was only a slight woman but that had her bowled right over.  They brought it in, fitted it, tested it and took away all the packaging.  She sat there for the rest of the day gazing at it in some sort of awe.  

 

Lovely chap, my dad.  And he was married to a remarkable woman.