Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Not done much this afternoon and for that you can blame BBC2 for putting 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' on. You can see the actual moment in the film where the locomotive (Lion) was actually damaged, it still carries the damage 68 years later.

[jamie92208]

I've just realised that the forum software removed a whole word from my post. One thar relates to breeding between close relatives.

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

Ah, Foxdale. 

[Barry O]

Cricket has been watched. It got very dark and cold towards the close of play.

Chish and fips for tea..  now time to......watch T20 cricket and drink my mutgatea.

 

The game today showed how even for an international umpire (Richard Kettleborough) a miss fielded  ball can hit the umpire.. it did...  he ended up in a very undignified heap on the gloor.

 

Baz

 

Edited August 27, 2021 by Barry O
Spellung

[JohnDMJ]

Good Evening Awl, for it marks the start of 16 work-free days!

 

I note:

 

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Just goes to show what an arrogant and self centred species H0mo sapiens is. We’ve only been around for a very short while in Earth’s long history and because we have opposable thumbs, stereo vision, can use tools and have mastered fire we think we are the Lords of Creation.

Who is to say that we were THE first technological society to inhabit this planet. 500 million years on a geologically active rock like our planet Earth would certainly eliminate all traces of a technological society.
 

I wonder if, in another 500 million years, the descendants of man or alien species were to come across our planet whether or not they would find any trace of our society.

 

”Deep Time” is pretty scary and awesome to contemplate…

 

To heck with opposable thumbs! Flies have compound vision. Chimps and otters, to name but two, regularly use tools to assist feeding (and I don't mean knives and forks!). Nature itself is the best controller of fire with natural forest fires not only clearing unwanted growth but also stimulating some species of flora, fauna and 'livestock' into regeneration.

 

Mankind has not created anything in this sense, mere abused and disrespected it.

 

As an Engineer, I have oft observed that we are on a technologically decreasing spiral.

 

IMHO, I am glad that I have not introduced offspring into this mess for I would fear for their future.

 

Technology and other developments are already leaving us in danger of "I ordered this tomorrow, why hasn't arrived yet?"

 

Has anyone seen the Great Oozlum Bird recently?

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

I've just realised that the forum software removed a whole word from my post. One thar relates to breeding between close relatives.

 

Jamie

There seem to be two net censor systems running.  One replaces the word with ###### and the other just removes the word. 

[Tony_S]

My main pc (Windows ) has been irritating me for about a week now. The on screen mouse pointer has a constant egg timer symbol next to it. Not just when time consuming processes happen but all the time. I eventually found a solution online. The chap whose solution it was didn’t know why it worked but it did which was nice. It was a variation on turn it off and back on again but with startup applications. 
I sent a decoder back today. It didn’t work, the seller told me it( new not a used product)  was checked before dispatch so should have been ok. We will see what happens. 
I applied some stainy chemical stuff to my previous days woodwork. It should be ok now. I watched some cricket while tidying the lounge. We had fish and chips for dinner.  I didn’t really like the fish but apparently it is good for me. I liked the chips though. 
When I went to the postbox to return the dodgy decoder I met a new dog owned by some near neighbours. I was greeted in a very enthusiastic manner. It was a three month old cockerpoo. Apparently wants to make everyone his best friend. The only “poo” characteristic seemed to be the size (quite small) and coat (curly, non-shedding). 
Tony

Edited August 27, 2021 by Tony_S

[simontaylor484]

Computers often irritate me I just don't seem to get them to do what they meant to do I have to consult my IT consultant aka Lucas my 11 year old 

 

Kieran my 17 year old can also get computers and phones to do wonders. He has downloaded a VPN so he can watch his beloved Man UTD i dont know if the commentry is in English though

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Had Sydney all day and he’s here for a sleepover on his own, no nephews. He’s a bit under the weather as he’s got an inflamed ear but he’s in the best place.

A bit off it myself as the smoke detector battery alert sounded at midnight, just after I’d managed to get off to sleep and after changing it I couldn’t get back to sleep. As a result my balance has been a bit off. 
Spent most off the day out walking so ankles are aching a bit. 
Yesterday I was speaking with elder nephew (age 11)  and he was telling me about a planet in the next solar system that my be earth like and when we’ve ‘destroyed’ earth we can more to this planet. I tried explaining the logistics of such an operation and the fact that anyone departing this earth would never seen the ‘new’ as it was so far away. I think he got it in the end and I told him that he must look after this earth as it’s the only one he’d get. After tea we discussed the morals of the Taliban. Not an easy job as I didn’t want t9 frighten him.

On that note I’ll bid  you all a goodnight,

Robert.

 

[laurenceb]

Puzzled. Car on a motorway services with the registration MAN 7111, thought that only Ulster plates have 3 letters and 4 numbers

[simontaylor484]

11 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

Puzzled. Car on a motorway services with the registration MAN 7111, thought that only Ulster plates have 3 letters and 4 numbers

As NHN will tell you its registered on the Isle of man

[laurenceb]

That I know but Manx plates are letter prefix 3 number 3 letters

[Gwiwer]

12 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

Puzzled. Car on a motorway services with the registration MAN 7111, thought that only Ulster plates have 3 letters and 4 numbers

It could be a cherished plate.  You can get quite a lot of variation on the standard theme in return for a large number of modelling vouchers.  Though not quite as many as was once possible.  There used to be two motorcycles parked near to a childhood home.  Registered HES 1 and RU 12

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

There seem to be two net censor systems running.  One replaces the word with ###### and the other just removes the word. 

There are three.  The third involves the use of an awl

[polybear]

3 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

I did see miracle cures in Airedale one day you would see folk with sticks and a limp the next day when not going to the Job Centre they were walking normally. I ought to buy a house up there and bottle tap water a la Peckham Springs and sell it like Holy water from Lourdes and boost my pension

 

Bear once attended a certain exhibition held every year (normally) at Alley Pally; I was in the queue (No. 2, IIRC ) - which stretched from the Palm Court (the big outer area where the pay kiosks are) to the doors to the main hall - so probably 100 yards long.  I watched a certain individual struggle to walk from one end of the queue to the other, unchallenged as he seemed to be struggling due to the effects of a significant stroke at some point.  At the entrance to the hall (at about a minute to ten) he asked if there was a chair he could sit on for a moment - he was directed back to the palm court.  So he asked if there was one just inside the door....he'd have to wait until doors open at 10am....

So when the doors opened in he went (but not before Bear....) and the sight of a certain purveyor of Blue boxes - in particular those returned for one reason or another from previous owners had a miraculous effect on the said individual and all visible traces of the stroke miraculously disappeared....

So it's official - we all need to stock up on blue boxes in order to cure all ailments; as to whether or not red ones have a similar effect is unclear.

As for the said individual - perhaps one day he'll discover just what it is to really have a stroke - he'll certainly get no sympathy from this Bear.

 

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

As horses can be mated to produce mules and hinnies so its quite possible for humans to mate with some species of ape.

 

 

Some certainly have, if Bear's experience is anything to go by - I've seen 'em walking down the street together.  As for their offspring.....

 

In other news:

Fellow ER'ers may recall (if you managed to stay awake long enough) that Bear takes part in routine covid testing once a month.  Now some time later I get sent a results sheet in a plain white envelope to tell me the test was negative.

However, today I received a blue envelope with "NHS" emblazoned all over it - having had a covid test a week or so ago.....

Now you may also recall that Bear spent much of yesterday being force-fed bacon sarnies at Castle Puppers (and very nice bacon it was too, incidentally - certainly not yer average supermarket cr@p).

So the sight of this envelope immediately implanted the prospect of a positive test result - and young Puppers suing for punitive damages as a result - visions of the SCR being confiscated by Puppers being a distinct possibility.

Panic over - the envelope contained the official NHS certificate of Covid Vaccination that Bear applied for (and forgotten about) some days ago.

As for the SCR - get yer sticky paws off, Puppers.....

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Someone has recently posted on another site pics taken at the garden railway we visited last week. Amongst them is one of yours truly looking like the original grumpy old git. I'd like to post it here but its too many megabytes.

[polybear]

6 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

It could be a cherished plate.  You can get quite a lot of variation on the standard theme in return for a large number of modelling vouchers.  Though not quite as many as was once possible.  There used to be two motorcycles parked near to a childhood home.  Registered HES 1 and RU 12

 

Bear saw V12 AMT yesterday, on an Aston Martin.  Not quite V12 AML (Aston Martin Lagonda); there isn't a model name beginning with T, but I daresay the plate cost a few quid anyway.

 

Rolls Royce own the registration "RR1" - it's on the M.D's car IIRC.  Some years ago they sold the car as a new model was available - and came very close to forgetting to retain the registration....

Now I've no idea what that plate is worth - but it'd certainly be in the 100's of £K and I wouldn't be surprised to see numbers with six naughts on either.

Me?  LDC 1 was a bit pricey - as was SCR 1 (and Bear 1) - so instead I swapped the "ordinary" plate off my old Rover 214Si (goodbye, Ricky the Rover........) and it went on Mickey the MG instead.  Close enough.

 

Jeez, it's half eleven - must go, otherwise I'll turn into a Hippo....

[PhilJ W]

Essex County Council once held the registration F 1 used for the county sheriffs official limousine. A few years ago they decided to sell it and they got a few thousand pounds. A very few years later the purchaser sold it for a million.

[tigerburnie]

I've seen a few funny private plates over the years Jimmy Tarbucks COM 1C was one, but the best was an E type Jag in Bridport with FU 2 owned by a "lady" who wrote mucky stories in a lads mag.........or at least that is what I was told...........not that I read them of course............................(is my nose growing like Pinocchio's?)

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[Pacific231G]

Evening all

Today was a good day because I slipped the surly bonds of earth a few times  (though not for as long as I'd planned) Unfortunately I was brought back to earth by the need to not return home via the M25, which was in total chaos this afternoon following a couple of breakdowns on the usual difficult bit between the M3 and M40 -  and find a route through the back roads of SW London 

The lack of HGV drivers is starting to bite: the airfield had run out of fuel because of no driver for the tanker and no idea when it will show up. I was able to get some at Thruxton - where they were practising very noisily for the weekend's motor racing- but by the time I'd done that it was getting a bit late for my planned trip to the IofW but it wasn't exactly beach weather today. I find myself wondering if filling stations will start to have problems getting deliveries soon.

 

On the way back from Thruxton I flew over the five mile queues in each direction on the A303 caused by thousands of people trying to get to "CarFest 21" via a B road. This three day event  promises "family fun, with the best music, the fastest and loudest cars, and the brightest stars!"  I can think of things I'd rather spend £85 for the day on, almost anything in fact,   but each to their own and it does apparently support a number of children's charities.  From a couple of miles away the site looked vast.    

Edited August 27, 2021 by Pacific231G

[PhilJ W]

Another Essex registration was UPU 2 originally on a Land Rover farm 'hack' but now on a BMW.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

I’ve not logged on the ER’s for the last few days, this has nothing to do with a surprise few days away, but purely down to a bout of ill health. I’ve spent most of the last few days either in bed, dozing on the sofa, but more often in the bathroom. Sleep for me during the last few nights has been terrible, I’ve barely had more than 1 - 1 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep before I having to head once more to the bathroom. Last night was the best nights sleep I’ve had so far, only needing to get up only twice, whereas the last few I’ve been at least 6 or 7 times. Today I’m feeling much better, although I’m still nowhere near 100% yet. The importance of drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated hasn’t help, especially given my current bladder problem. I’m still feeling very tired and run down, but at least visits to the bathroom have slowed down somewhat, which has given me a bit of time to catch up on a lot of needed sleep. It’s costing a fortune in toilet paper, so it was a good job we have plenty in stock. The upside is that I’ve lost almost 7lbs over the last few days, every cloud and all that eh?  

 

It all started last weekend, although things seemed to be improving at the start by Monday, so on Tuesday when I did a bit of work on the cupboard, in hindsight, perhaps I shouldn’t have done so. Then on Wednesday morning, things went downhill rapidly and I took a turn for the worse. So much so that I called it a day at dinner time, having not really done much anyway. I then got changed, ate some dinner and then curled up on the sofa, where I remained until it was time for bed. 

 

We told Vickie to keep the kids away just in case it was contagious, which I’m now it wasn’t as Sheila had no ill effects whatsoever. So apart from Monday evening’s shopping, I’ve not been anywhere, (except for my frequent visits to the smallest room), seen anyone or done anything!

 

As a consequence, logging on to the RMWeb and ER’s I’m afraid was not high on my agenda of things I must do, never mind reading or posting. This is the only page of the 8 that have been posted that I’ve read since I logged in on Wednesdays morning, so I’ll have to send generic congratulations or commiserations as appropriate. 

 

Goodnight all

Edited August 28, 2021 by BSW01

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Not the often-heard and apparently Americanised “trill-obites” rhyming with “will”. 

In more than 35 years in the US, I've never heard the pronunciation "trill-obites". Always "try-lobites".

 

In the technical world there are of course differences in words like data: datta / darta / dayta

And with some Greek letters like beta: beeta / bayta

 

Delphi is a curious one where in British English is usually pronounced as Del-fee, but the letter Phi is pronounced as fie. It is delf-eye in American English.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.