Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

A little late on parade this morning, but hey, it is Sunday! I have already completed a couple of tasks, tomorrow morning we have the boiler man coming to service the boiler, so the few items that are stored in the boiler room aka loft space, which is accessed by a small door on one of our half landings. These are now temporarily stored on the landing above. I have also filled up the laundry liquid bottles that Sheila wanted topping up. 

 

My next task is to re-fit the 14 down lights in the cellar ceiling as it is now dry. I will also for 1 of the 2 switches, it has been wired up as two-way circuit so that the lights can be turned or off when entering from either door. 

 

Best crack on then! 

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

 

Brian 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

During my next phone call to the manufacturers we discussed trading standards, their CEO's address, goods being fit for purpose, the meaning of life and other topics and it was agreed that the 'engineer' would visit again, my having made clear that this was the last chance for them to sort it out before refunding me not just for the cost of the mis-named heater but it's installation.

 

 

Was there also mention of an Air-Strike by any chance?

 

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

LDC REPORT.

 

Not as good as the normal Lemon Cake as there was no lemon cream inside, just the lemon icing on the top and light lemon flavour to the actual cakie bit.

 

DISAPPOINTED = YES.

 

Bear feels your pain......

The Co-op ruined a perfectly perfect LDC by ditching the yummy bit in the middle , reducing it to "very nice" status.

 

In other news:

Cornice fitted?  Check*

Access panel fitted?  Check

Sink sealed?  Check

Window sill sealed?  Check

Now the kettle is being descaled.....

 

Bear's Total B*llshit Of The Day Award:

Goes to Evo-stick, for printing the words "Trade Only" on a tube of clear silicone sealant - purchased from one of the sheds.  Do they (and other companies doing the same) think that we'll be impressed by such drivel?  Sell it to me for a trade price and then I'll be more impressed.  Is that a rant?

[PupCam]

Clear Prop, Contact!

 

5 hours ago, AndyB said:

By mid morning I was in dad's shed clearing it out. Ironically last week it was way too hot to go in there. Yesterday it was so overcast I couldn't see anything! This is one of the last parts of the property to be cleared and I've been putting it off for years. This makes me think it's a good time to start disposing of my own stuff to save my children having to tackle it. I can see a job lot of OO gauge trains being got rid of so somehow; no time to do it one at a time by ebay.

 

One of the services offered by the CMRA at their exhibition was the infamous second hand stand which a certain Bear was known to be the first stand that he visited in order to grab the best bargains (Hmmm, perhaps we should have put some LDC on the stand although I think  it would have needed to be new LDC not S/H,  or perhaps previously enjoyed, LDC!).      Anyway, members from CMRA clubs could submit their no longer required items for sale on the stand as a service and the CMRA got a small percentage for their trouble and to swell the associations coffers.   Still, that's all a bit academic at the moment with the uncertainty of exhibitions in general and the CMRA's exhibition in particular.

 

1 hour ago, southern42 said:

That effect is equally horrendous when the daily antiphonal SATB* choir of deep barking and yapping dogs is let out and, seemingly, allowed to carry on regardless of the rest of us - I did hear ONE, rather LOUD, vain attempt to quieten them down.

 

Puppers was similarly afflicted last week and, being rather on edge at the time as he awaited some medical results, was not particularly tolerant of two dogs having a heated, barking argument from two properties on the road to the side of Puppers Towers.  

 

After a brief YouTube search for "Roaring Lions" a suitable audio clip was found, the 1st floor study window where the PC lives was flung wide open and the clips played at a suitably high volume.   As the audio output from my PC is played through my rather nice if ageing Technics HiFi amplifier and speakers the sound quality and level was such as to make a rather convincing impression that we were closer to Whipsnade Zoo than we actually are   

 

Anyway,  after about a minute of ferocious lion roaring had elapsed the lion decided to take a rest and settled down for a quiet nap.     Puppers then listened to the external, ambient noise.   There was none, all was perfectly quiet.   The birds had stopped singing, the kites had stopped whistling and, most importantly, the blxxdy dogs had shut up

 

The birds returned soon enough but the dogs stayed quiet for a good 30 minutes and even then were a shadow of their former, noisy, irritating selves.

 

Alan

 

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by PupCam

[Ref44]

The moving saga is progressing. A trip away for a couple of days will allow for a number of viewings of potential homes. It will also allow me to see my sister who I haven't seen for a couple of years. She is also my source of local info for the areas we are looking at.

 

A session yesterday saw the final bits removed from the loft and either boxed for moving or bin bagged for a trip to the tip. This morning saw half the garage emptied; the patio is now covered with items for the tip. It does help with feeling that things are progressing.

 

First task tomorrow is chasing the pharmacy to ensure that SWMBO will have a supply of her tablets whist we are away.

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

I imagine the brass at the beginning would be a very effective alarm clock

Especially as my clumsy attempts to pause it restarted it.

[Tony_S]

59 minutes ago, polybear said:

"Trade Only" on a tube of clear silicone sealant - purchased from one of the sheds.

Do trade only products have less information on them assuming that tradespersons don’t have to be told not to eat the sealant? I was looking at getting some multi-core  solder the other day and some was only available to account customers or “professional” users. This was for versions with lead. Ordinary users could only buy the lead free version. I did end up buying the lead free version, it was just interesting how it was advertised. 
Many years ago a history teacher friend had a  part time business printing leaflets and business cards. He had an offset litho machine in their garage. He had no trouble providing a printed letterhead to prove trade status for all kinds of place that only sold to trade customers. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Tony_S

[PupCam]

58 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Many years ago a history teacher friend had a  part time business printing leaflets and business cards. He had an offset litho machine in their garage. He had no trouble providing a printed letterhead to prove trade status for all kinds of place that only sold to trade customers. 

 

He didn't live in Knebworth did he?   There used to be a chap with a little printing business in his shed or garage in Knebworth.  He did excellent work, very good value for money and a colleague used to use him quite regularly for various printing jobs.

 

Alan

[jonny777]

I don't eat much cake, so LDC is not on my menu - but I have made lemon ice cream, which is lovely and keeps my insides cool (that is my excuse). 

 

Two cans of condensed milk, 600ml double cream, half a jar of lemon curd, two tablespoons of lemon juice, four tablespoons of Limoncello. Should make almost two litres. 

 

Pour all that in a bowl, whisk vigorously for a few minutes. Tip into a 2 litre tub, put lid on tub and deep freeze for about 24 hours.

 

Yum..... 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Quite enjoyable visit to the toy fair. Bought a few bits and pieces though one or two traders were conspicuous by their absence. Feet are sore and a bit of eye lid inspection is called for so its be back later.

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon awl.

 

Mixed fortunes this week. Second jab, side effects not as bad as the first (A-Z) but the person administering it was either incompetent, sadistic or prejudiced against rabbits, it hurt much more than the first. The car is subject to a manufacturer's recall and I've been trying to arrange for the work to be done, however, despite several attempts since the start of the month, no date offered - complaint due I think. Though I doubt any notice will be paid to it. Still no word from the DWP or Probate, they are not answering phones or responding to emails, so everything's in limbo. The worry is the house buyer will lose patience and walk, leaving me to start the sale process all over again. We are running out of time. 

 

More positively, good homes have been found for some of the books. Having been overwhelmed by the lack of interest shown by the general (online) public, two work colleagues expressed interest and two deals done. (May the awl forgive me but one was a deal where the buyer buys two STR Stanier coaches, gets some books free...). There's still some books (to say nothing of awl-forbidden-unmentionable goodies) left but it's a start. Freecycle also worked in disposing of a large quantity of 'personal/intimate hygiene' products. (Furniture nil, **** one ....).  

 

We have a hedgehog in our garden! It's been quite a few years since I've seen one, since then numbers have declined and many older fences and hedges have been replaced with the sort of fences which are effective barriers to inter-garden hog travel. But with having my time and attention taken up with other things over the last couple of years and a fondness for a cottage-style garden anyway, there's plenty of undergrowth now. I don't know whether it was passing through or whether we've been adopted but I put a large saucer of water out in case. The birdbaths would be a bit of a climb for it and though cooler than last week, it's still warm and dry. 

[TheQ]

If I know I'm heading for a shed to buy something that is listed trade only, I put on one of my former employers shirts  which has a no longer existing maintenance companies logos on it , never been challenged.

 

We are told by the weather womble on the radio to expect thunderstorms, the radar shows nothing. All we have is mist blowing in off the sea..

 

Buoy finished as it's going to be this year.. considering a rebuild to make it lighter and taller.

 

Hatch varnished.

Next hatch sanded , repaired, first coat of paint applied.

 

Long eyelid inspection during typing.

 

Attempted to fix mower, large amount of nuts had to be removed just to get the cover /air ducting off, cleaned all I could today, drained carburettor bowl nothing dirty seemed to come out. Attempted to get sparkplug out.. needs a long reach 21mm thin bodied box spanner. Everything I've got doesn't fit.. so one has been ordered from the house of strong ladies.

 

Though I'm not choosing to watch something going on in Japan, I've just seen UK ladies archery team going out.. Mrs NHN required I think.

 

A small amount of mowing was carried out before it started cutting out again..

Time for a long soak in the bath..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pacific231G]

Afternoon all

Before lunch today I managed a three mile brisk walk before it started raining.  It;s not actually raining much in W. London but I am hearing the odd rumble of thunder.

A close family member is out of hospital which is good but still sounds quite weak. 

 

Yesterday I went to a BBQ in Richmond, ate and drank more than I'm accustomed to these days and. expecting grey and rain, was probably hatless in the sun for a bit too long so felt slightly jaded this morning. I went there and back by bus- it's an awkward journey by rail involving three or four legs by tube. It was about an hour each way on two buses including some waiting time,  and it was again interesting to see who was and was not wearing masks now they're not legally required (they are by TfL as a condition of carriage but that's not being enforced and half the public don't seem to know anyway) Fortunately the buses weren't crowded and all the windows were open on the upper deck.  

 

It was my birthday last week so my present to myself was a couple of books from the half price sale that Editions Loco-Revue are currently holding. One on the Blanc-Argent thing-with-parallel-metal-bars a metre apart and the other, that I've wanted for some time but not for forty quid, on the Correze thing with parallel metal bars a metre apart that ran along the side of rural roads in the Correze département of remotest France. It was the last of these in France powered by gaseous water to survive though plans to rebuild part of it have come to nothing . The books arrived very quickly accompanied by a triplicate customs declaration that clearly nobody had looked at so at least one company in the EU has figured out how to send stuff to third countries.

I now have to write an obituary which is a sad duty but well deserved by its subject who I knew tolerably well.

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

I didn't realise that Network Rail were playing at Old Trafford today.

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by TheSignalEngineer
Picture restored

[Pacific231G]

5 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

I didn't realise that Network Rail were playing at Old Trafford today.

 

Presumably the hi-viz is to enable the ball to avoid getting dangerously close to any of the fielders. 

[polybear]

Bear successfully descaled the kettle - and then the 'effin lid hinge went and broke....

And that definitely is a rant.....

So now a new one has been selected and ordered and is due to be delivered tomorrow from South America.  At least Bojo paid for a large wedge of it using one of Bear's vouchers resulting from C-19 testing.

Incidentally, one thing I will say about a certain company's "Prime" membership is that it is possible to purchase certain items cheaply and get them delivered very quickly; an example is a pack of four AA Batteries for the princely sum of 99p delivered.  They didn't make much profit on that little number.....

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

He didn't live in Knebworth did he?   There used to be a chap with a little printing business in his shed or garage in Knebworth.  He did excellent work, very good value for money and a colleague used to use him quite regularly for various printing jobs.

 

Alan

No. He originally had a business he started after leaving school and did quite well in Norwich. It went so well he was able to employ an assistant at which point it all failed! So he went to university instead and became a history teacher. He moved the equipment down to Essex hoping to get the business going well enough for his wife to run so she could stop being a teacher. Their biggest contract was for a children’s entertainer. They didn’t keep the business going and eventually moved back to Norfolk to run a village shop. 
Tony

[Gwiwer]

47 minutes ago, TheQ said:

We are told by the weather womble on the radio to expect thunderstorms, the radar shows nothing

They are all over here thundering on the Wombles themselves.  Our warning was upgraded from Yellow to Amber an hour or so ago with threats of lightning damage to buildings but so far - thingies crossed - all we have had is intense humidity, moderate rain and a lot of thunder rumbling in the distance.  The radar shows it to be bad a few miles away however.  Wimbledon is among the places to not be right now.  

[polybear]

Bear's Sunday Funnies.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone asked me,

“Now that you’re retired, do you have a job?”

I replied, “Yes I am my wife's driver, porter, handyman and sexual advisor."

Somewhat shocked, he said

"I beg your pardon, but what do you mean by the last one?"

"Very simple. The wife has told me that when she wants my f****** advice, she'll ask me for it.”

 

Longest Nerve In The Body

Did you know that in the human body there is a nerve that connects the eyeball to the ?

It's called the Anal Optic Nerve, and it is responsible for giving people a sh1tty outlook on life.

If you don't believe it, pull a hair from your ass and see if it doesn't bring a tear to your eyes.

My public service is done for the day!

[Andrew P]

7 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

They are all over here thundering on the Wombles themselves.  Our warning was upgraded from Yellow to Amber an hour or so ago with threats of lightning damage to buildings but so far - thingies crossed - all we have had is intense humidity, moderate rain and a lot of thunder rumbling in the distance.  The radar shows it to be bad a few miles away however.  Wimbledon is among the places to not be right now.  

Its just past Waterlooville from Pompey and on its way N/E as I speak, started about 3, and the last rumble was about an hour ago.

ENJOY.

[jonny777]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear successfully descaled the kettle - and then the 'effin lid hinge went and broke....

And that definitely is a rant.....

So now a new one has been selected and ordered and is due to be delivered tomorrow from South America.  At least Bojo paid for a large wedge of it using one of Bear's vouchers resulting from C-19 testing.

Incidentally, one thing I will say about a certain company's "Prime" membership is that it is possible to purchase certain items cheaply and get them delivered very quickly; an example is a pack of four AA Batteries for the princely sum of 99p delivered.  They didn't make much profit on that little number.....

 

The point of Amazon is not to make a profit on anything for decades, but to pay no tax in as many countries as they can declare a loss in. The point of Amazon is to bankrupt all the competition, and then they will be able to charge as much as they like. 

[PhilJ W]

Hello again from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis has been in full voice this afternoon, sure sign that there is dampness around. I did hear the patter of rain earlier during eye-lid inspection  but there can't be much of it as the road beneath the trees opposite my house was bone dry, just enough to set A.I. off.

[New Haven Neil]

MOrning, 18c and heading upwards quickly once more.

 

Taking the friend out again in the kayak, he's trying to decide if he's going to buy one so we're off to a different place, Derbyhaven way down south, and the place where the first Derby horse race took place - not Derby in the UK.  The earl - or was it Lord - Derby owned Fraggle Rock at the time.

[tigerburnie]

1 hour ago, jonny777 said:

 

The point of Amazon is not to make a profit on anything for decades, but to pay no tax in as many countries as they can declare a loss in. The point of Amazon is to bankrupt all the competition, and then they will be able to charge as much as they like. 

I refuse to buy anything from robbing, scheming bunch of...........(insert expletive here) I would rather pay more elsewhere.

[New Haven Neil]

Hmm, it would appear this morning's post, didn't, until I started the computer again this afternoon!

 

Q, Mrs NHN doesn't have any truck with target archery, all those sights, balancers, diddlers or whatever they are called, are considered cheating in her branch of field archery, it's intuitive shooting only, and also no compound bows (although one guy does use one, his scores don't get included in the club records).  Debs (and most of the field archery club!) considers target archery as *&^%$£"! boring.....  Also, being as the distance to the target is constant, they don't move, there's no trees in the way, and they have have all those gadgets, how on earth can they actually miss?  There is a target club here, they're a snooty lot, a couple of the folk shoot there too just to get more shooting time, but don't much enjoy it other than the opportunity to shoot longer ranges than there generally are in field.

 

Kayaking went well again, but friend Geoff has found there is a world shortage of the damn things, so can't actually get one he likes.  He will be joining us next year by the look of it.

[Chris116]

After my rant on Thursday I regret to say Friday did not go well. It started very well with the lift engineer at our door exactly when promised and operated the lift to get us to the ground floor. It had been arranged that an engineer would be able to take us back in the lift to our fifth floor flat at 4.30pm. We arrived back at the ground floor entrance at 4.15pm and awaited the engineers arrival. We were still waiting at 5.30pm and it took three phone calls and another three quarters of an hour before we got into our flat. 

At that point we were promised that the lift would be working on Saturday but now it is Sunday evening and the lift is still not working and in spite of promises no lift engineer has been to enable my wife to go for her essential daily walk either yesterday or today. Since midday I have spoken to the emergency control team four times today and all I get told is that the engineer is on his way. 

 

Not happy is a massive understatement.