Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

What worries me about the Preppers is that they appear to be longing for civilisation to collapse

When I was in Texas I saw a TV programme about preppers. In the event of an apocalypse some might as well have hung a sign out saying “rob me”. 

[PupCam]

Clearly the first lesson in secrecy didn't go too well then  ......  

 

I would suggest that  it's not as secret as it was before the article alerted the world and his dog 

 

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Clearly the first lesson in secrecy didn't go too well then  ......  

 

I would suggest that  it's not as secret as it was before the article alerted the world and his dog 

 

I wouldn’t worry too much!

Typhoon jets will be available to escort the unknown aircraft as part of Operation ‘Jolly Red’, the flight plan is likely to involve low-level flights over the homes of good girls and boys in every British village, town and city.

[petethemole]

5 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I wouldn’t worry too much!

Typhoon jets will be available to escort the unknown aircraft as part of Operation ‘Jolly Red’, the flight plan is likely to involve low-level flights over the homes of good girls and boys in every British village, town and city.

The noise of low-flying jets will awaken said good girls and boys and alert them to the sound of boots scrabbling for grip in the chimney, and give them time to set the Santa Trap.

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a grey wet and cold Sidcup. WFH today. Although we have signed off all the tax numbers in principle, the auditors keep digging. I had a raft of questions this morning with more promised. We can answer them all; it's just a frustration that they keep asking.

 

The weekend was quite busy - SiL and family were down on the Sunday - a good time was had and they departed before we sat down to watch a chaotic grand prix.

 

Meeting a couple of the guys from the NCT group for a few beers this evening; our eldest kids all turned 19 over last summer so NCT did achieve one of my stated aims - as a relative newcomer to the area I wanted to make some friends who were in a similar situation to us, expecting their first kid!

[Sir TophamHatt]

It's the start of the run down until Christmas I think.

Plans have been made, all presents wrapped, cards written so now it's just a bit of a waiting game.

Still waiting on a few gifts through the post but Royal Mail seems to have slowed right down again.  Something was posted on the 25th, still no sign of it - First Class too.

Just a shame as it was something that was a little too good to be true!

[BSW01]

BSW01

Posted 7 hours ago

Edit

 

  7 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Unbelievable or what?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59543735

 

It does beg the question, who’s got the family brain cell?

And why aren’t they using it properly

 

The answer to the question had just come to me. 

They've probably hunted it down, shot it, had it stuffed and mounted it on the wall as a trophy! 

[Ian Abel]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

And the corporate jet (a BAE 146 ex Crossair Jumbolino) is definitely off the cards for the foreseeable future.

 

Bu99er!

 

How about this, much more affordable

A Boeing 707 For $2,500? Kenya To Auction 73 Abandoned Planes --> https://simpleflying.com/kenya-abandoned-planes-auction/

 

Moaning

 

Well, as expected/predicted the weekend became suddenly MUCH busier.

Saturday I was "reminded, hint, hint" that I'd an outstanding "volunteer" to install several dimmer switches at Trevor/Meagans place. I dutifully checked they were up for it and set of to spend what ended up as several hours installing 5 switches - this included a trip to the store as we only had 3 of the 5, the other two a more recent determination as to being needed

I have A LOT of strong words/expletives for the electrician (I use THAT title very broadly) who worked on the house before they purchased it! 

Idiot was the first thing that came to mind - but the project was completed eventually.

The evening saw some relaxation and a pleasant dinner/take-out from a restaurant run by friends.

 

Sunday, busy, busy.

Started off with us doing our "homework" for the murder mystery we're in the midst of.

Then, off to sing at the Advent Evensong, a well attended (though much less so than pre-COVID) service and an appreciative audience for our endevour.

Topped off with the Zoom dinner/murder mystery round 2.

<phew> do I get a weekend now to relax and recover... FROM THE WEEKEND! 

 

We got snow overnight Saturday, though only an inch or so, so nothing worth bothering with.

However this morning we had a more "usual" Minnesota December start - -14 sunny and very windy giving a -20 real feel! Expecting a generous -2 high.

 

Tally ho.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Ian Abel

[tigerburnie]

Dark again, barely got light today, we did nip out for a walk to the light house and back, just for some daily exercise, 3 degrees and nippy, some snow on the hills probably adding to the cold feeling

 

[PupCam]

To misquote @Dave Hunt, The home made puller pulls and having pulled falls off.

 

At last the timing gear is off!   
 

 

[PupCam]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I wouldn’t worry too much!

 

Don't worry, I wont. 

 

https://ponderosaaero.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ap2502sleighpilotsnotesmkimkii.pdf

[Barry O]

Afternoon all!

 

Arrived at the LGI at 12:30...released at 16:30... the time in between included blood collection, 3 hours in the scanner (including 2nlots of heart accelerant), being wighed, giving a sample of another type of body fluid, having the arteries in my fingers assessed for signs of diabetic degradation then waist and hip measurement   before a mugacoffee and some biscuits..phew!

 

Apparently my contact details as a volunteer are on a database..watch this space!

 

In return the team are writing to my GP to endorse a move for me away from metaphorical onto a weekly jab...

 

Time for food!

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Didn't need much on my trip down to Tess Coes just after lunch but as there were few queuing I filled up at the petrol station. The car seems quite happy now running on E10 as long as I don't let the tank drop far below half full.

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

How about this, much more affordable

A Boeing 707 For $2,500? Kenya To Auction 73 Abandoned Planes --> https://simpleflying.com/kenya-abandoned-planes-auction/

Some interesting aircraft there including one of these for less than $45.

 

[simontaylor484]

They have an annual contest in Alaska for the shortest take off and landing it was quite interesting to watch.

I may be considered a bit of a prepped. I have an old school bag of the boys to hand in the spare bedroom with some candles and holders a torch with batteries seperate and some tea lights a couple of lighters and a camping stove and gas canister. I dont have an assault rifle though fortunately/unfortunately depending how you look at it. I do have a pick axe handle in case of unwanted visitors.

 

 

 

[polybear]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

American gun culture? Problem is not the word gun but the word culture.

 

The sort of culture that buys a fifteen-year old a semi-automatic pistol for chrimbo - and doesn't secure it so he can't access it without responsible** adult supervision......

 

(** That'll exclude the parents then....)

 

9 hours ago, grandadbob said:

This was on display and was made by the young daughter of one of our neighbour's friends.  She has quite a thriving sideline making such things.

 

 

Oh yes please......

 

9 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Watched the F1 and found the attitude of one team particularly its driver and his boss extremely distasteful and pathetic - again.

 

Associated with a certain drink by any chance?

 

 

7 hours ago, PupCam said:

I did see on Faceache another version of this image.   The weapons had been replaced (Photoshopped no doubt) by large "Weapons of a Male Nature".    The image itself was most amusing (of course the source image is most disturbing) but I fear that I'd best not post it here!

 

 

Hmm....and just what sort of faceache group is Puppers a member of in order to view such images?  

 

In other news....

Bear has been spending the day working on the boxing-in of pipework.  Slow progress.....

 

I received an email from a certain emporium to tell me that a certain object (clue:  it's big, grey and very quiet....) is expected in January and so it's time to pay up.  It was a pre-order back in January - and drew a deep intake of breath at a few pence under a hundred and eighty notes; I was pretty sure I'd paid via Paypal at the time - but it seems that payment was cancelled (not by me) and now the price has increased by eighteen quid.  Bl00dy Hell....

It had better be good - if it wasn't for the fact that it's probably Bear's favourite then I'd think carefully about scrubbing it.  It doesn't seem that long ago that Bear regarding such things as expensive when they'd crossed the wrong side of a ton. 

 

Postie delivered an M3 long-reach tap for Bear.  Well actually it's not - I borrowed one off buddy at College and well, it kinda....snapped .  What's worse is that he had a set of 3 taps to use, or a single tap - so I used the single, just in case the worst happened - I didn't want to spoil a set.  Of course the single one was long reach (the set were standard length) and so pretty hard to find - with a price to match.....  Turdycurses.  (I play a policy of "if I bust it then I replace it", which is only fair).

 

Tomorrow sees some more work on the boxing-in, followed by the C-19 Booster and subsequent side-effects sweepstake (it'll be Pfizer this time - I think).  Fortunately the Chemist doing the jab is just a few doors away from the Cafe where Bear usually meets up with a couple of College Buddies - so that's the plan for afterwards.

[polybear]

5 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

They have an annual contest in Alaska for the shortest take off and landing it was quite interesting to watch.

 

 

Presumably turning up in a Harrier is considered bad form?  

[Tony_S]

10 rolls of insulation are  being delivered tomorrow afternoon. That should be enough for half of the loft. I have cleared a space in a bedroom (unused) to keep them until they are deployed.  As the last item we had delivered was missing a crucial component we will carefully count the rolls of insulation to make sure nothing is missing. Counting up to ten should be within our capability. 
We have been invited to view a ceremony at Maynooth University next week. There is a fund named after Matthew  to provide travel opportunities for geography students . The first awards will be presented. 
Tony

[simontaylor484]

On the eve of the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor I have managed to find a couple of Naval related items for myself firstly is a First Day Cover issued when my Grandads Aircraft carrier was returned to the USN in 1946 he was aboard at the time it has been stamped with date with the Captain's stamp I have also found a photo of his first ship an I class destroyer I will be framing these along with another couple of photos I have of him

[monkeysarefun]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

When I was in Texas I saw a TV programme about preppers. In the event of an apocalypse some might as well have hung a sign out saying “rob me”. 

They seem to show these programmes here during the day on one of the digital channels  for us to watch on our giant telly. Theres at least three series based on the theme that I can think of.

 

In just about every case the supposition by the people in it is that as soon as society collapses for whatever reason, roaming gangs - or the government -   will sweep across the US armed with big guns stealing everyone elses stuff so to be prepped you need a fortified compound and a stash of your own big guns to fight them off with. To prepare for this you need to therefore spend many hours dressed in stupid combat gear doing mock assault and defence on your fort to probe for weak points. Basically just overgrown kids playing cowboys and Indians but using  real guns. 

 

Except  for one episode  I saw. In that one the prepper was a woman who believed a virus was the most likely risk to society. She had full PPE suits ready to go and a decontamination room rigged up in her basement and forced her family to do drills involving how to do a decontamination of someone who arrived at the door, how to wear PPE correctly and so on. They would assemble outside on their lawn in full hazmat suits and she'd time how long it took. Cars would slow down at the sight and people would point and give strange looks at them standing there all suited up in the hot sun.

 

I wonder many of those gun-toting preppers have gone to God now, taken out by a virus that they refused to believe in, refused to wear a mask against because the government cant take away their freedom or  take a vaccine that they believed would give  the government control of them. Meanwhile that woman and her family hopefully are still out there somewhere vaccinated and unscathed and her neighbours no longer laugh at them standing on the front lawn in their hazmat suits..

Edited December 6, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

When I was in Texas I saw a TV programme about preppers. In the event of an apocalypse some might as well have hung a sign out saying “rob me”. 

That's one of the arguments they use to justify the guns. They "need" the guns to fight off the robbers in their apocalyptic scenario.

 

One should not underestimate the influence of apocalypse preaching in some fundamentalist Christian Protestant sects in the US. They (a small but visible minority) eagerly anticipate Armageddon and the rapture. It's worth examining the notion that Colorado Springs (home to the US Air Force Academy and close to NORAD) is home to some fundamentalist Christian organizations that are very politically active. Coincidence?

 

There are religions in the US that require their adherents to be "prepared". In some ways this is common sense (with the very real threat of a massive earthquake where I live, it would be very sensible to have a couple of weeks supply of water and non-perishable food on hand).

[Ozexpatriate]

11 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

American gun culture? Problem is not the word gun but the word culture.

Perhaps some here may remember a few days ago I posted that I was feeling a little overwhelmed with things. With all the understandable 'tut tutting' over the Congressman's armed family Christmas Twitter picture, it's worth underscoring that the individual is presently a member of the US House of Representatives for the 4th Congressional district in Kentucky.

 

In the interest of avoiding politics, I won't explore this further.

[Erichill16]

12 hours ago, polybear said:

 

 

But at least that little tw@t didn't win - and the level points will (hopefully) ensure that his driving improves considerably for the last race as neither driver wants to get taken out by the other.

Is that a Rant?

 

 

 

If ‘little tw@t’ accidentally ‘collides’ with Hamilton, and they neither finish, he wins the championship, one more win than Hamilton.

Let’s hope for an ‘accident’ free race.

[simontaylor484]

9 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

If ‘little tw@t’ accidentally ‘collides’ with Hamilton, and they neither finish, he wins the championship, one more win than Hamilton.

Let’s hope for an ‘accident’ free race.

Reminds me of Schumacher s antics against Damon Hill years ago the cheating barsteward 

[pH]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Presumably turning up in a Harrier is considered bad form?  

And JATO bottles are forbidden? I worked with a guy who had left a US airbase under attack in Vietnam in a C130 fitted with these. He said it was terrifying. And it wasn’t unknown for one to fail, resulting in seriously asymmetric thrust!

 

[pH]

4 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Reminds me of Schumacher s antics against Damon Hill years ago the cheating barsteward 

And against Jacques Villeneuve some years later.