Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Like yesterday, the weather has been kind to me and no rain fell. But also like, there were a few drops fell, but thankfully they weren’t followed by proper rain. So more progress has been made on the fireplace wall, I’ve now reached the height that I wanted it to be, there are a few bricks left, about 18, but about half are damaged, there are also a few half bricks too. To use these up, I thought of  building 2 small wing walls, one each side of the fireplace, just large enough to disguise the fencing behind the wall. However, Sheila isn’t completely convinced that they will look right. So my plan is to temporarily stack them where and how I plan to use them and see what she thinks. 

 

An early night tonight, as I have an appointment at The Christie for my 3 monthly blood test at 8:30 tomorrow morning, the results of which I will get next week. 

 

 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Dave Hunt]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

Can Puppers make room on his island for certain organisations such as that mentioned in the following article?  Perhaps the Sqn. Ldr. can provide transport..............

 

The Sqn Ldr's preference would be to wait until the scrotes in question were on Puppers' island then to provide transport for some items of a high explosive nature, e.g., 1,000 lb LGBs, that would be delivered ballistically into groups of organisation members with the fuses activated. Alternatively they could be presented with some air to ground rocketry and/or 20mm cannon shells at high velocity. Such largesse would be quite free of charge.

 

Dave

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Winslow Boy]

21 minutes ago, PupCam said:

 

Yes.  The specific island has not yet been identified and it is therefore merely a matter of scale.   This will of course affect the overall cost of providing the facility (but not its running costs - there won't be any )

 

 

That must mean the new Enfield is practically ordered then.   When does it arrive?    You'd best get that lean-to built.!

 

 

It might protect the shop - in the short term.     Wouldn't do much for its reputation.       As Puppers maybe "investing" in some "soft floor coverings" in the near future I must remember to ask if the company use their own fitters for the fitting.    I must also remember to pay by credit card ....

 

Alan

 

Not necessarily. Yes your contract is with the fitter but they are the shops nominated contractor. The shop is therefore responsible for ensuring that any work done by the contractor is done to an acceptable standard. Therefore any failure ultimately rests with shop. 

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

It would depend on who arranged the specific hotel and who you paid.  If the Gov are in the loop on that then you'd probably have a claim on them too.  As a similar example, many carpet shops arrange a fitter but you pay the fitter.  So if the fitter c*cks up your new carpet then you'd have to claim off them, not off the shop.  However, if you pay the shop and they sub the work out to a fitting firm then you'd claim off the shop.  It's a crafty stunt to protect the shop, though presumably it helps keep the fitting price down a bit.

In paying the fitter you can save a bit of money.

The carpet shop is very likely to be VAT registered and would have to charge you the VAT.

The fitter,  having a much smaller monetary turnover,  is unlikely to be registered for VAT so there would be a saving of 20% on the fitting. 
I think this also the case with kitchens and quite probably other services.

Robert

[southern42]

' night all and nos da.

[Ozexpatriate]

Today may have been our last defacto day of summer. It was quite lovely - sunny and around 28°C.

 

Temperatures will start to fall for the remainder of the week and over the weekend our first serious rain in months is forecast - perhaps accumulating to about 30mm - with the first snow of the season in the mountains.

 

I'm quite looking forward to the rain. The garden will love it.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[BR60103]

We are having a thunderstorm. There was a power blib earlier. Nothing major but the TV converter was rebooting and the internet radio cannot connect to the server. Will reboot after I finish ERs. There are tornado warnings (or watches) in the northern part of the county.

 

We had a phone call this morning that my sister-in-law is to be moved to palliative care. This prompted an immediate trip down to see her. They finally decied that she has lung cancer, then she caught sepsis and pneumonia and UTI. (My interpretation from my wife's talks. Her son will fly in from Alberta later this week (after much persuading).

 

The thunderstorm has paused.

 

[chrisf]

Greetings

 

There was no work in the jungle yesterday due to rain.  If this morning is dry there is a bit more removal of vegetation which could be done and room in the garden waste bin for the fruits of my labours.  All I have to do then is to remember to put the bin out for emptying tomorrow.

 

This evening sees the Area Group meeting in Harpenden, which means Chris versus the M1 again.  It also means that I will need to set the video recorder to capture a programme on BBC2 about what koalas do at night.  Something tells me that these delightful furry marsupials have not [yet] discovered clubbing, but as we all know, life is full of surprises.  Let the imagination run riot ...

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

The Sqn Ldr's preference would be to wait until the scrotes in question were on Puppers' island then to provide transport for some items of a high explosive nature, e.g., 1,000 lb LGBs, that would be delivered ballistically into groups of organisation members with the fuses activated. Alternatively they could be presented with some air to ground rocketry and/or 20mm cannon shells at high velocity. Such largesse would be quite free of charge.

 

Dave

Oi! Flyboy!

This is getting dangerously close to Captain Cynical’s Territory, Brother!

 

Don’t you remember the demarcation lines agreed upon by the SVFJAT (SuperVillians for Justice and Allied Trades) and NHOTR (Noble Heroes of The Realm) unions?

 

YOU take care of the smiting and defeating of the enemies of the people, WE take of the merciless, cruel and extralegal extermination of the same.

 

If you wish to revisit the lines of demarcation, then table a motion at the next HaVUP (Heroes and Villains United for Progress) Conference in Barnsley in November. Otherwise you could find yourself in a dispute situation with the Brothers.

 

With fraternal solidarity

 

Captain Cynical mega-shop-steward SVFJAT.

Edited September 15, 2021 by iL Dottore

[polybear]

8 hours ago, PupCam said:

That must mean the new Enfield is practically ordered then.   When does it arrive?    You'd best get that lean-to built.!

 

 

Sadly Bear has joined the "Puppers School of Suitable Biking Weather" - and cold, wet and dark just don't feature......

 

7 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

The Sqn Ldr's preference would be to wait until the scrotes in question were on Puppers' island then to provide transport for some items of a high explosive nature, e.g., 1,000 lb LGBs, that would be delivered ballistically into groups of organisation members with the fuses activated. Alternatively they could be presented with some air to ground rocketry and/or 20mm cannon shells at high velocity. Such largesse would be quite free of charge.

 

 

Couldn't we have a little fun first?  Perhaps a food drop (Tesco throw-outs) so we can watch 'em squabble over it?  And if some naughty Punk Rocker were to have laced it with Moviprep first.....

 

40 minutes ago, chrisf said:

.....about what koalas do at night.  Something tells me that these delightful furry marsupials have not [yet] discovered clubbing, but as we all know, life is full of surprises.  Let the imagination run riot ...

 

 

 

Chris - you've only gone and done it now.  Bear has this unshakeable image of Kev the Koala dressed in a white suit doin' his very best John Travolta "Saturday Night Fever" struttin'.....

 

In other news:

Tiler is due between half eight and nine.  Hopefully.

So Bear has a slightly constrained routine today as a result.

 

And Bear's News Items for the Day:

1.  The bitchy in-fighting has started already; welcome to Pol**ics guys....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58560923

2.  Excuse the use of capitals, but....BAS*ARDS......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58555694

 

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning. It's rained overnight and did so yesterday afternoon. One or two things got done though. The shopping in the morning then some leaking pipes on thevpool solar heating were replaced. UV damage.  Then some friends called and I've made arrangements  for Mike to come and lay a concrete base for the new pool shed once we have winterised the pool.  All good stuff.

 

This morning I'm waiting in for Nurse Dominique to come and remove the staples from my bonce. If she is here erly enough I'll then head for the tip to get rid of a trailer load of garden rubbish.  What an exciting life we lead.  I might even head for the shed and do some 7mm scale work.

 

Brian, I hope that things go well at the Christie.  

 

Regatds to all.

 

Jamie

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Up early so I can get to The Christie for my 8:30 blood test! Luckily, most of the traffic I will encounter is heading in the opposite direction, but some road junctions can be a nightmare. Once that’s done, I need to call in at the pharmacy to pick up my prescription, I will then complete the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix. Once that’s done, the rest of the day is going to be spent relaxing I’ll be heading off to Vickie’s to have a look at their shower, as it has stopped working or is working intermittently!

 

Back later

 

Brian

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

I remembered to put the bins and bags out early this morning. My replacement garden bin arrived the day after I enquired about replacing the broken one. The sticky permit seems to be lost in the post. We will see what happens.

It isn’t raining and I think it won’t rain again today. 
Have a good day.

Tony

[leopardml2341]

Mornin folks.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis gave a few kicks this morning but soon went back into his hidey-hole. I'm running low on Nurofen so thats on the shopping list  for later today. This afternoon the chap is coming round to finish off the hand rail on the stairs. I would have preferred a wooden rail but with the cost of timber going through the roof it would  cost over £200 for the rail itself (£70 per metre!)

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Couldn't we have a little fun first?  Perhaps a food drop (Tesco throw-outs) so we can watch 'em squabble over it?  And if some naughty Punk Rocker were to have laced it with Moviprep first.....

But leave out the loo paper? 

[TheSignalEngineer]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

And Bear's News Items for the Day:

1.  The bitchy in-fighting has started already; welcome to Pol**ics guys....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58560923

I would like to offer Bear an explanation. My late father spent some time on the sub-continent with the Military Police in The Last Days of  The Empire. His view of the area to the northwest was that the year has two seasons, Winter and the Fighting Season. The inhabitants actually liked an invasion force as it provided a willing opponent and they didn't have to fight amongst themselves to pass the time during the better weather.

Edited September 15, 2021 by TheSignalEngineer

[simontaylor484]

Rained off outside jobs again this morning. Enjoying a mug of coffee though a certain little doggy is making his mind up if he wants to go out or not

 This damp weather is playing havoc with my knees 

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Sadly Bear has joined the "Puppers School of Suitable Biking Weather" - and cold, wet and dark just don't feature......

 

 

Couldn't we have a little fun first?  Perhaps a food drop (Tesco throw-outs) so we can watch 'em squabble over it?  And if some naughty Punk Rocker were to have laced it with Moviprep first.....

 

 

 

May I offer the idea of something more appropriate?  Diabetic Gummy bears would be interesting (read Amazon reviews).

 

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare.

5 hours sleep and then... no more..

 

Going home last night most of the way a small grey car at the front of the queue.. 30 mph in 30 limit.. in 40 limit... in 50 limit.. in 60 limit.. There was a very long queue..

 Going to work this morning, Silver Volvo at head of queue, But.... It did sometimes reach the speed limit,, it accelerated, with all the urgency of a slug... Then every road junction, pedestrian crossing, bend in the road, it braked well below the limit, even when there was no car or pedestrian anywhere near them..

 

Very overcast this morning no sign of the great fried egg, though strangely the wind was warm even though it was coming from the east.. Ben the I don't like the dark Collie still went out though, I think he was desperate..

 

SWMBO arrived home from the weaving group with news, a member has offered the use of an industrial sewing machine... Now what's the price of marine boat cover material? £8 a yard I'd need 6 yards so £48.. Cost of commercial boat cover for similar sized boat.. £250 and that's a mass produced one, not a made to measure as would be needed for a one off boat.. Material will be ordered soon...

As it is, Blue Moon is having a over deck cover, not over boom, So it's very simple to make, the material is 5ft wide, the boat is 4ft and a little bit wide.. Plenty of spare for seaming and a bolt rope inside the seam.

 

Now for sails, material costs £100, commercial sails £1000... BUT... It's a LOT of work, they are difficult to make well, and getting the design right could be interesting.. More research needed on that one..

 

Also been costing ropes.. No way round that, other than not buying from a chandlery, prices for the same rope (Dyneema SK78) from a climbers store or general use company are half that of a marine shop.

I was thinking of all blue ropes but I think a rats nest of a dozen of them might get a bit confusing, so colours will be sought even though that means purchase by the metre not the roll..

 

Yesterdays major system was OK and now in use, I'm now working on the most ancient system we have left, It officially dies at the end of the year as unsupportable.. It's replacement I've been calibrating for a couple of years.. But now they've decided to make that dual use to calibrate two different products. So I spent yesterday afternoon combining spreadsheets.. DVC, DCI and Resistance are measured the same way but more measurement points are required, the ACV and ACI measurements are done completely differently. A lot more to do on that yet.

 

Time to.. Take the next measurement.

 

 

 

 

[laurenceb]

Fingers crossed Brian

[Gwiwer]

Morning all,

 

It seems to have ceased draining outside but I am still confined to the inner sanctum of the Hill of Strawberries.  Dr. SWMBO ventured forth for a riverside breakfast at a favoured cafe and reports there are a few folk about but not many.  She also walked up to the shop in the rain late last night to get some Lucozade.  She has her star moments that's for sure.  

 

There seems to be a lot of work taking place upstairs since the girls moved out.  I know the kitchen was in dire need of a refit and the bathroom far from splendid.  They seem to be getting new radiators as well.  Either than or they have a terrible infestation of some huge boring life-form drilling into the structures.  

 

Quote

huge boring life-form

Please note this is not a reflection upon any individual past or present

 

We await results from the PCR lab but remain confident they will be negative.  I continue to cough at times but it is not continuous, clearly relates to other chest issues and I display no other symptoms of the Most Dreadful Lurgy.  Meanwhile it's muggercoffee the first and to keep resting.  It seems to work. 

 

Stay well.  

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning All,

 

I hope that you are all hungry.

Good!

Now let's tuck in......

 

1.    What is the difference between French, Swiss and Italian Meringues?

 

2.    Italian Cuisine is fiercely regional and asking for another region’s speciality in the place you are visiting marks you out as un straniero ignorante! Can you match region and dish? (extra points if you can explain what each dish is)

        a)    Bagna càuda.

        b)    Bruschetta alla salsiccia di fegato.

        c)    Castagnaccio.

        d)    L’Arancino.

        e)    Pasta alla Norcina.

        f)     Risi e Bisi.

        g)    Schlutzkrapfen.

        h)    Tagliatelle al ragù.

          i.    Abruzzo

         ii.    Emilia Romagna

        iii.    Piedmont

        iv.    Sicily

         v.    Trentino-Alto Adige

        vi.    Tuscany

       vii.    Umbria

      viii.    Veneto

 

3.    You have been invited to dinner by your new friend - a Brazilian model – who can cook as beautifully as she can grace a catwalk . You ask what’s going to be the main course and she reels off the following list of ingredients: Onion, garlic, orange, paprika, cumin, bacon, smoked meat, dried meat, pork chops, calabresa sausage, pork loin sausage, black beans, olive oil, parsley, chili pepper, salt and black pepper. What is she cooking for you? 

 

4.    It is 1662 and you have been invited to eat Humble Pie by Samuel Pepys. Is this going to be a decent dinner or a humiliating experience? Explain why (don’t forget that this is a food quiz).

 

5.    In Roman Britain you are a Carvetii Chieftain and good mates with the local Roman procurator: Flavius Gaius Drusus. He has invited you for a quick bite together before going hunting. Which of the following would not be on his table? A bunch of grapes, a cucumber salad, some cold sausages, rye bread, peas and a roast pheasant.

 

6.    One for the  @polybear. Match the cake to its origin (extra points for a description)

          I.     Amygdalopita

         II.     Batik cake

        III.     Dobos cake

       IV.      Fragelité

        V.      Kliņģeris

       VI       Princess cake

       a.       Denmark

       b.       Greece

      c         Hungary

      d.       Latvia

      e.       Malaysia

      f.       Sweden

 

7.    “Fast Food” can be pretty ghastly (cheap, commercially mass-produced, low-quality ingredients, substitution of expensive ingredients for cheap, indifferent cooking etc.) and is but a poor imitation of the original “Fast Food” – “Street Food” – which is often amazing. Match the street food to the country of origin. More points if you can say what they are,

          I.    Batagor

         II.    Bun kebab

        III.    Bunny chow

       IV.    Corn dog

        V.    Coxinha  

       VI.    Roasted cockles

      a       Brazil

      b      Cambodia      

      c      Indonesia

      d      Pakistan

      e      South Africa

      f.      United States

 

8.    You have been rippin’ all day, getting barrelled at Bondi Beach. (Surfer slang, Dudes!) You’re now getting hungry. Man can’t live on tinnies alone (more slang). You decide what you positively, absolutely must have, no – need! Is a Tiger Pie. So, you head out to the place that makes the absolute best Tiger Pie ever (and world renowned for it as well)….

What’s a Tiger Pie and where would you get it?

 

9.    You have been recruited into Captain Cynical’s operation as a trainee minion. You are excited about your first assignment – to smuggle the most expensive food item you can into the supermax prison ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. “Chainsaw Charlie” Higgins will be the lucky recipient if you manage to smuggle in the food. But “Chainsaw Charlie” only wants the most expensive food in the world. What would you smuggle in?

     a.    A kilo of Saffron

     b.    A kilo of aged white caviar

     c.     A kilo of Piedmont white truffle

 

10.  Captain Cynical was pleased with your work as a trainee minion (see Question 9) and will treat you to lunch in a Michelin Starred Restaurant anywhere in the world. However, Captain Cynical has set an upper limit of £10 for lunch. Where would you go for your Michelin starred meal (restaurant and country?

 

Bonus Question 1 (Easy Peasy): What’s a Meat Pie Floater and where would you get one?

 

Bonus Question 2 (Slightly Hard): What are Takoyaki and where would you find them?

 

Bonus Question 3 (Hard): Fugu, Rhubarb, Red kidney beans and Cassava will __________________ (fill in the blank)

 

Have fun (don't try and get through it too fast - you might get indigestion! )

 

iD