Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The weather is Bl00dy awful here in England's northwest, lots of rain fell overnight and it was still raining about 15 minutes, but it appears to have stopped now and the sun is shining. The ground is far too wet for any sort of outdoor activities today so I will have to stay the cellar and carry on with the cupboard. 

 

A little late on parade today, but I have been busy this morning. This evening we have Mike and Sarah coming over for tea, which is one of my (in)famous curries. I made a large batch a few weeks ago, so all I had to do was remember to take the sauce out of the freezer last night. Today I finished making the cheesecake, I made the base for it last night. 

 

Well this cupboard won't repair itself, so best get on with it. 

 

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

 

Brian 

[PhilJ W]

Hello again from Estuary-Land. I filled the car up in preparation for tomorrows outing and when I did so I noticed that the pump I used (95 octane) was marked E10, yet the 99 octane was still E5. I'm not worried about it as my car despite its age could be run on ethanol alone. The E number on petrol pumps denotes the percentage of ethanol in the petrol so E10 = 10%. If you have a car older than five years I would check if it could use ethanol (easy to do on line). Ethanol can dissolve some synthetic rubbers so better safe than sorry.

[polybear]

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

A baked potato with butter (potato weighed for carb content) is far, far healthier than a mass produced “potato waffle” (sic!) or a slice of cheap LDC.

 

Bear hangs head in shame.....

Though I'm not averse to the odd spud either....

 

In other news:

Bear has filled the screw holes etc. in the two door frames using 2-part white Ronseal Filler ("normal" fillers are water based and can cause swelling of the mdf apparently).  The filler is one of those "mix a golf ball lump of filler with a pea sized lump of hardener.  Problem one - as both parts are white (so the mixed filler is also white) then it's hard to know when it's mixed properly.  So I mixed for 3 minutes.  Three or four screw holes filled, then the filler went hard.....  Lesson learnt.  Mix two was less filler and hardener the size of a mouse t*rd, mixed for one minute.  Better, but you still have to go some.  I'll find out how easy - or not - it is to sand later.....

Then it was on to cutting architrave; the off-cut I had turned out to be slightly too short to do the top of the frame after all (I forgot about the 90 degree corner cut) - and the new bit I bought on Thurs is too short to do both top and side .  That means another trip to Wickes is called for.  Turdycurses.

This afternoon's fun involves sandpaper.  Deep joy...

 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

PS - There's a Sea Skua in the RAF museum at Cosford and last time I was there I was sorely tempted to write 'Baz did this' on it.

 

There is a rumour that the building of these ones involved copious amounts of the "C" word.....

 

[Gwiwer]

25 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Hello again from Estuary-Land. I filled the car up in preparation for tomorrows outing and when I did so I noticed that the pump I used (95 octane) was marked E10, yet the 99 octane was still E5. I'm not worried about it as my car despite its age could be run on ethanol alone. The E number on petrol pumps denotes the percentage of ethanol in the petrol so E10 = 10%. If you have a car older than five years I would check if it could use ethanol (easy to do on line). Ethanol can dissolve some synthetic rubbers so better safe than sorry.

E5 will continue to be available in the high-octane (five-star) pumps but the regular, which we once called 3-star or 4-star according to octane, will soon be all E10.  Most cars are fine on E10 but if in doubt you can check here : https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol

 

Falklands.  Hmmm.  Some memories there of a curiously undeclared war.  "Conflict" is what it was called with the RN "Task Force" sent to "reassert British Sovereignty".  No doubt an all-out declaration of war would have been politically unpalatable at the time.  

 

I was living in a then-new estate near the former Temple Mills / Stratford MPD complex.  A neighbour's boyfriend was aboard RFA Sir Galahad.  She received the news of its loss slightly before the BBC broadcast it as his "nearest and dearest".  Cue distraught neighbour hammering on my door not knowing which way was up.  Probably the first time I learned that I have quite a good listening ear and a stout pair of shoulders able to cope with most of life's upsets.  Two days later she received word of his survival.  48 of his ship-mates were not as lucky.  

 

Very much later in life a long-time friend and some-time girlfriend of mine, who had achieved First Class Honours in her geology degree to my Third, was based in West Australia as a consultant to confirm if there was oil beneath the Falklands.  Several earlier trial bores had been disappointing.  Her work suggested a slightly different location which located economically viable reserves which are now being exploited.  So if it all kicks off again at least I know who to blame!!!

 

Dr. SWMBO returned after breakfast somewhat damp from the cloudburst which continued for several hours.  She and colleague sat inside the weatherproof plastic awning which she wasn't entirely comfortable with.  But hey.  She has now retired for a bit of a sleep having received word that a dear friend of many years (not known personally to me) passed yesterday after a painful argument with the Big C.  We shall light candles over dinner and celebrate her life and works.  

 

But before that - lunch.  It's a comfort-food kind of day.  Bacon, eggs and home-grown tomatoes sounds good to me.  

 

 

[southern42]

5 hours ago, Barry O said:

Thats the months you shouldn't catch and eat local shellfish according to my human encyclopedia  ( aka my late old man).

Baz

 

1950s-60s, we had two food vans coming round the streets in the 'R' months.  Saturday afternoons the muffin man with crumpets which were toasted on a long fork in front of the open fire. Sunday mornings the fish man came round which meant we had winkles for tea, the flesh pulled out with a sewing needle. Would I like winkles now, or the cockle's from the seaside van?  I have no idea, but possibly, even probably, not.

 

I did not know about rabbits, but poRk was another only-with-an-'R'-in-the-month.  Fridges changed all that.  Keeping milk cool consisted of weighted water-soaked muslin/teatowel draped over the jug/milk bottle standing in a bowl of cold water in hot summers. Lots of fun and games back then. I will probably remember other highlights of my youf as they pop up on here and jog my memory. 

 

Time for a quick toot on the flute before lunch.

 

[tetsudofan]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Hello again from Estuary-Land. I filled the car up in preparation for tomorrows outing and when I did so I noticed that the pump I used (95 octane) was marked E10, yet the 99 octane was still E5. I'm not worried about it as my car despite its age could be run on ethanol alone. The E number on petrol pumps denotes the percentage of ethanol in the petrol so E10 = 10%. If you have a car older than five years I would check if it could use ethanol (easy to do on line). Ethanol can dissolve some synthetic rubbers so better safe than sorry.

 

Phil.

 

Hope you have a good time at Tinkers Park, I've been there a couple of times, its a fantastic place, plenty of things to do and see.

 

Last visit was as a passenger on the East Kent Sealink AEC Regent owned by one for my friends:

 

 

There are loads of other things to see including some steam rollers which were offering rides:

 

 

and. of course, some things that we are not supposed to talk about here:

 

 

Tinkers Park is located way out in the boondocks and from what I remember was not well signposted, first time I went over there when I was driving I went past the place but once I found it, it was well worth it,

 

Keith

 

[Winslow Boy]

55 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

There is a rumour that the building of these ones involved copious amounts of the "C" word.....

 

 

Was that C for cheese and if so was it hard or soft.

 

Or perhaps it was C for  Cryptonite.

 

More appropriately shouldn't it be 'Baz was here' or 'This is the property of Baz, please don't return to sender'.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Been chuckinitdarn here all day and most of last night - and it has to be said that we do need some rain here, as the reservoirs are a bit low - and water was being tankered in to two on 6000 gallon tankers by United Utilities - so from my point of view, let it continue, and then they can also then start to abstract water from the Lune, which the Environment Agency prohibit while the river levels are as low as they have been. 

 

Again, due to property seeking, many posts have been skipped, so apologies for my sporadic attendance, and generic greetings are as usual offered and meant sincerely.

 

Today has been, to say the least, a bit hectic, and I do hurt quite a lot - but I've just realised that the last pain relief I had was about 5.45 this morning - DOH - will be rectified as soon as I hit enter.  Bookwork first thing started at 7.45 this morning, as 30747 likes to get it out of the way for the weekend.  Then a trip to the antique centre at Ingleton, a wet walk round Kirkby Lonsdale, where the most delicious raspberry ripple ice cream was consumed, thanks to these guys https://www.cowtocone.co.uk/ who produce the best Gelati in England without a doubt - no food miles either as the cows are three miles from the shop, and the ice cream is made on the farm, then transported to the shop.  I say England, as I can think of two makers in Scotland who can beat their taste - Cones and Candies in Biggar, and Luca's cafe in Musselburgh.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[TheQ]

During the Falklands war, I was sitting in a nuclear protected concrete radar building in the UK, I wasn't qualified on the radar they sent to the Falklands. Those that did (I knew one of them)  sat their time out in trenches or a hut.. The radar got dropped into the sea when it was being unloaded.

 

9/11 sat in my room in Saudi, watched the second aircraft go in live on CNN.

 

We I.E. my parents and us children used to go collecting winkles and cockles when we lived in N.I. and the outer Hebrides. Still occasionally have some cockles , but our beaches here aren't suitable for them so they have to be bought.

 

I remember the meat "safe " built into the pantry of our parents council house, when we moved in, we had no fridge, or TV. (1963)

 

Just been to Tes and co, lots of fully loaded grockles cars heading for the coast /caravans/holiday homes. Store full of londonahs going by their accents. Mask wearing about 90%.. Pointed out to the staff that putting a gorilla glue/tape display In front of the fire extinguisher/ fire door is illegal.

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, southern42 said:

Fridges changed all that.

Indeed they did.  We didn't have one when I was a little tacker so milk was stored in the glass bottles in which it was delivered which in turn were placed into rather larger earthenware bottle-shaped objects almost filled with water.  It kept the milk OK for a day but in those days it was doorstep-delivered every day anyway.  Including Sundays.  

 

Fridges?  I must have been three or four when I first heard the cupboard which stood just inside my grandparent's front door referred to as the "Refrigerator".  I could never understand why because it said "Kelvinator" on the door     

[jamie92208]

I remember listening to the special broadcastbof the parliamentary debate on the Saturday morning that the Falklands kicked off, then watching the task force sail on IIRC, the Monday morning.  9/11 to me is the 9th November my daughters birthday, but the twin towers being hit I remember watching on the TV in a hospital room as Beth and I visited a friend of hers.  Other significant events that I can fix are, Kennedy's assasination, I was 11 and in the school Library, and then in IIRC 1967, listening to reports of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia to depose Dubcek.  It's funny how such things stick with you.

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all 

Been outside today managed to get 5 deck boards up with no problem they have been scrubbed with a stiff bass head brush and Ronseal deck reviver the boards are now drying but look a lot cleaner

 

@polybear did it take a lot of Cake to build the Lynx helicopter?.

 

@The Q the BBC cricket theme is called Soul Limbo by Booker T and the Mgs its the ringtone on my phone 

[simontaylor484]

We look to have a wasp nest in the shower vent outlet in the soffit just out of reach of our bedroom window. Looks like I am going to have to get someone out to deal with it i don't have ladders to get up that far for a start never mind dealing with a swarm of angry wasps at that height 

[PupCam]

Clear Prop.   Contact!      

 

Afternoon one and all.     

 

All this talk of the Falklands and other "conflicts" takes me back to my modest contributions for the defence of the realm.     Amazing how long ago the Falklands conflict was!  Puppers was but a mere whipper snapper, relatively  newly-wed just approaching home ownership for the first time with a particularly palatial middle of terrace cottage 10' wide and 18' deep that fronted directly on to the pavement.    I remember on one occasion there was a knock on the door and a double glazing salesman was trying to flog patio doors.   I took great delight stepping on to the pavement and pointing to the extents of my property and suggested if he could find somewhere to fit them I'd buy them.   He moved on quite swiftly (an ideal result I'd say)

 

Puppers ventured out for a spin round the lanes this afternoon on the little Beeza but it wasn't running properly and needed the air lever (choke) fully closed to keep running.   The run was cut short and on my return the plug was checked and it had been running weak even with the choke on.    So, a bit of open-carb surgery was required to clean the jets and lift the needle a notch to richen things up.    A quick run of the engine after re-assembly indicated much improved running and once the engine was warm the air lever could be fully opened and with the ignition retarded the return of a lovely slow, thumping tick over      

 

Unfortunately to get the carb off requires that one lifts the back end of the tank clear so the wire-locked tank bolts have to be removed.     I love a bit of fresh wire locking on a Saturday afternoon     

 

 

Weather permitting it looks like there might be a short run with mates to Jordans Mill in the morning for a Bikers Breakfast, the first one in soooooo long.   Should I risk taking the little Beeza I wonder?

 

Shame the opportunity to take our custom to the Shuttleworth Collection is no longer there due to their new  "Post-covid" opening arrangements but sobeit.

 

 

 

Stay healthy (and dry!) if you can.

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

15 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

@polybear did it take a lot of Cake to build the Lynx helicopter?.

 

No cake was involved with regards to the Lynx (at least not for this Bear ) - the guys at HMS Sultan get the credit for that bit - and a very nice job they did too.

However, the bits dangling off the carriers took oodles and oodles of cake.  And even more than that.

 

In other news:

Bear is pleased to report that the laminate floor underlay has now gone to a grateful recipient .

As for sanding, well the 2-part filler applied this morning was "ok" to sand; both door frames are now filled and sanded - some minor defects required a second application of filler (I used the easy stuff this time) and once that's hard it'll get sanded later this evening.

[polybear]

14 minutes ago, PupCam said:

I love a bit of fresh wire locking on a Saturday afternoon     

 

 

Bear finds that such activities are best carried out when you manage to do it without stickin' the locking wire under your thumb nail

Hmmm......at a guess I'd say that Puppers might just have an Aerospace grade pair of wirelocking pliers.....

 

14 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Weather permitting it looks like there might be a short run with mates to Jordans Mill in the morning for a Bikers Breakfast, the first one in soooooo long.   Should I risk taking the little Beeza I wonder?

 

The Met person is predicting a 50/50 chance of rain from 10am, increasing to 70% "p1ssing down" from 11am.  Puppers needs to be been, scoffed and gone pretty early me thinks.

 

14 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Shame the opportunity to take our custom to the Shuttleworth Collection is no longer there due to their new  "Post-covid" opening arrangements but sobeit.

 

 

Are those piccies at Shuttleworth a typical Sunday morning?  Or a special meet?  How have they nobbled the brekkies?

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Just spent the best part of the afternoon trying to set up the new smart phone. One big problem is that I cant get the Sim tray to open so I can't install the Sim card or the microSD card so it looks as if there won't be any pictures taken tomorrow. I will take it back on Monday to see what they say. It might be that I'm not doing it the properly but I don't want to put pressure on something and break it.

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Falklands.  Hmmm.  Some memories there of a curiously undeclared war.  "Conflict" is what it was called with the RN "Task Force" sent to "reassert British Sovereignty".  No doubt an all-out declaration of war would have been politically unpalatable at the time.  

It's not like the UK had intended to invade or overtly attack the Argentinian mainland - which a formal "declaration of war" would have been construed to include. 

 

It was all very much in line with the sort of limited-in-scope, proxy and territorial undeclared wars in vogue in the Pax Britannia and Pax Americana of the 19th, (second half of the) 20th and 21st centuries and had direct precedent with the Falkland Crisis of 1770.

 

I was at University in Australia at the time. It was of course big news, but Australians were on the sidelines in that one so we were armchair observers.

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[J. S. Bach]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 ...snip... the huge variety of “throw in the microwave and serve” foodstuffs you get in the UK  ...snip...

We now have "steam-in-bag" frozen products; just put the bag in the microwave and push go.

[simontaylor484]

40 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Just spent the best part of the afternoon trying to set up the new smart phone. One big problem is that I cant get the Sim tray to open so I can't install the Sim card or the microSD card so it looks as if there won't be any pictures taken tomorrow. I will take it back on Monday to see what they say. It might be that I'm not doing it the properly but I don't want to put pressure on something and break it.

I hate those phones where you have to use the pin to get the tray out to get the SIM card in. I usually have to employ the services of one of the boys 

 

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, PupCam said:

 ...snip... I love a bit of fresh wire locking on a Saturday afternoon    

Alan

In the US Navy we called that "safety-wiring". Somewhere I may still have a reel of that stuff and the proper safety wire pliers to install it.

[Rugd1022]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I remember listening to the special broadcastbof the parliamentary debate on the Saturday morning that the Falklands kicked off, then watching the task force sail on IIRC, the Monday morning.  9/11 to me is the 9th November my daughters birthday, but the twin towers being hit I remember watching on the TV in a hospital room as Beth and I visited a friend of hers.  Other significant events that I can fix are, Kennedy's assasination, I was 11 and in the school Library, and then in IIRC 1967, listening to reports of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia to depose Dubcek.  It's funny how such things stick with you.

 

Jamie

 

I was watching the repeat of the drama 'Lucan' the other night and cast my mind back the tragic event of 1974, it happened on my Mum's birthday 7th November which is another reason why it has always stayed in my memory. Also recall the Falklands headlines and TV reports quite vividly, and John Lennon, Peter Sellers and Steve McQueen's passing in 1980 as though they happened yesterday.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Still got a few things to get ready for tomorrows day out.  At least I've got the route planned out, I 'drove' it a couple of days ago on Google Earth so it should be OK. The only other unpredictables are the weather and the traffic. I expect delays coming back at the Dartford river crossing as usual but thats on the way back.

[Coombe Barton]

... and since Brexit we're celebrating the return of the British Summer ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/08/07/postcards-from-the-periphery-2021-15-romance-of-the-mines/