Early Risers.

[TheQ]

You may have noticed, but I went AWOL for a bit, that's because ER did, I don't know why but ER got set to ignore.. I've also had huge problems with the advert attack we've got on here. The only screen I can see is two lines of text between the on screen keyboard, and a thick white bar that descends from the top.

Anyway,

Very frosty today, some hung around till about 12:00.

Ben took me out for his morning patrol and I went via the mobile home to turn the AC heating on. That made it warm enough to work in after breakfast. Five more shelves fitted.  And a little adjusting of the carcass. Next week it's trim it up and sand it for painting.

 

The last land mines were officially cleared in the Falklands in October 2020. However, many were laid on peat big, beach areas and rough ground.. I'm betting they'll still turn up for years..

 

The company "Christmas box" arrived to day, 

Two small packets of biscuits

Two small chocolate bars,

One Scottish marroon bar.

One bar of tablet biscuit.

 

Just about to leave to get bill gates microchip V 3.0, 

See you later I hope.

 

 

[TheQ]

Opps

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by TheQ

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Glad to hear that the ER canines are recovering and they are back to their usual selves.

Pets.  Yes.

Dark-hued canines off-leash in the room are also to be encouraged back whence they came from.  

 

Quote

camels

Australia does in deed have the world's largest population of the beasts yet none is native - imported as others have noted by the Afghani "cameleers" who were shipped in to build roads and railways across the deserts.  The camels are feral now in the outback and are one of the biggest risks to drivers.  A dust-coloured camel looks about the same as the dust-coloured surrounds from any distance especially when there are a few rocky outcrops around.  Bear in mind that there is no speed limit in parts of the outback (and for the brief period when there was it was un-policeable) meaning you can be legally driving at above 100mph, as I was, when one or more suddenly appear in the road directly in front of you.  A change-of-underwear moment.  I managed to spot them moving in good time to ease down on the speed and prepare the brake.  They were more interested in each other than in a campervan bound for Uluru as it turned out. 

 

I never found an Aussie eatery offering camel.  Quite a few have 'roo on the menu and are sometimes derided for "serving up Skippy" or desecration of a national icon.  I've eaten it twice.  On one occasion it was woefully over-seasoned and tasted of nothing but pepper.  On the other it was well cooked and presented though I found it a bit "gamey" for my taste.  

 

In other news there's the village of Queen Camel in Somerset and its hamlet neighbour West Camel.  Owing nothing whatsoever to the quadrupeds of that ilk but named, it is thought, for Queen Eleanor (she of the numerous stone crosses between Charing Cross and the home counties, among other tributes) and from Celtic words meaning "bare hill".  I suppose "bare hill" might also equate to "camel's hump" ..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Camel

 

And also Camelford in Cornwall where one once forded the River Camel but which now offers the luxury of a bridge!  Not a name of Cornish origin despite being translated into that language as Roskammel but coming from the Brythonic name for the River Allen which is now known as the Camel, plus the English "ford".  It has been associated in literature with Arthurian legend and the Battle of Camlann which is also attributed to Queen Camel in Somerset.  

.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Gwiwer
Dreaded camels

[New Haven Neil]

And he's late today.....usual weekend Mrs NHN madness.  

 

Still, all given tasks undertaken and completed other than the bog extractor fan that has died, it's a big in-line trunk job, up in the loft - dead as a doornail, pah.  Another 70 quid gone, collect tomorrow from Screwfix, so down to the Big City  from whence we have just come.  Pah once more.  

 

Mrs H has been outside fitting up flashy lights in the garden, as we don't celebrate the C word, we're having an 'extreme BBQ' next weekend, with a group of good friends.  The waiting room canopy will shelter the barbie, and it's warm in there with the kerosene heater on, nuts, oh yes we are!  No trains though, the main line seems to have strings of lights on it - pah! 

[Erichill16]

Well that’s it, my contribution to the decorations,

meet Cecil.

[polybear]

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

........and six more bars of chocolate making 24 bars in all.  I just hope I don't go off it now.

 

Dark choccy?  This Bear was never "on it"  

 

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

The company "Christmas box" arrived to day, 

Two small packets of biscuits

Two small chocolate bars,

One Scottish marroon bar.

One bar of tablet biscuit.

 

Jeez, their generosity knows no bounds.....(where's the Emoji for "Tight-ar5ed B'stards"?)

It even makes Bear's (and Pupper's) place of punishment look good - and the best we saw was a two quid bottle of plonk (wasted on a Bear that doesn't drink) and a small box of cheap (very cheap) "designer" choccies (with about 8 in the box) made by some bunch you'd never heard of (a box of Roses would've been much better).  When you throw in the free chrimbo din dins in the canteen (sorry, Restaurant...) then our cup really did runeth over.  And out of the goodness of their hearts they'd give us chrimbo eve afternoon off (but if you wanted the whole day off then it was a whole day's hols ) - in practice the only reason they did this was to get the site cleared and shut down nice n' early.

 

In other news......

Bear has finished the framework for the boxing-in of the pipework - all that remains is to cover it with plasterboard (and with luck I have enough off-cuts left over from the kitchen refurb - plus bits scrounged out of NNN's skip some months ago - that I'll have enough to do the job).

 

And finally.....

Bear's G-Clamp made at school some forty-odd years ago - and still used today; the only thing to be aware of is not to go silly with the tightening as the frame is cast aluminium and therefore not as strong as a steel jobbie:

 

 

 

[simontaylor484]

Evening

 

Bit of a lay in this morning fell asleep in chair last night watching tv Mediaeval dead on Blaze the first episode was on Agincourt the second on a battle on a Swedish island in the Baltic sadly it didnt involve Volvos 

Today has been putting up outdoor xmas lights we start tomorrow inside 

[Ian Abel]

Saturday <looms>

 

Well, the first winter storm of the season didn't disappoint!!

 

taken at 11PM last night, there were 8 inches measured. It was still snowing and this AM it's closer to 10+, no newspaper  the roads HAVE been plowed once and our driveway once. There'll be a couple more passes before they're through. 

Busy day it turns out, though I'd rather NOT be this busy!

 

1) Jemma and Brendan will be here shortly to pick up Whitney, they just landed. Their flight last night turned BACK to Phoenix as Mineapolis closed all the runways due to the snow clearing required. It's only the THIRD time since I've been here (1980!!) that they actually closed the airport completely!

2) We're off to a previously scheduled concert downtown - a cousin of Meagans is playing. I was OK with going NOT expecting to navigate a ton of snow.

3) Back late afternoon and prepare an appetizer to take to...

4) Christmas party given every year (except LAST YEAR of course ) by one of our neighbors.

 

Tomorrow SHOULD be quiet - here's hoping

 

It's NOW -6, sunny  and a winter wonderland - high expected to be -1;

 

Have fun...

Edited December 11, 2021 by Ian Abel

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. After this mornings sunshine it turned grey and damp, even a bit of drizzle as I left Tess Coes. Terrible news from the USA re. tornado's. Report here.

 https://www.today.com/video/tornadoes-threaten-eastern-us-after-ripping-through-6-states-128474181512

The death toll might be in excess of a hundred.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

... nope climate change won't stop them , there are golf courses in Saudi,

I don't think "the tour" (substitute "PGA", "European" etc as appropriate) will be willing to play on those 'novelty' courses for diehards in places like Saudi or Coober Pedy or Antarctica etc.

 

Where it might hit the fan is PGA tour events like the Waste Management Phoenix open - now that beneficiaries of Colorado River water will be on severe water restrictions. All the golf resorts in places like Arizona* and southern Nevada (think Las Vegas) are going to be in trouble.

 

* There are a number of 'desert' courses where the par 3s are natural (sagebrush, rocks and rattlesnakes) with traditional tee boxes and greens / landing areas but a stupendous amount of Colorado River water is involved nevertheless.

 

My casual observations are that PGA tour events seem to be experiencing more lightning and rain delays with increasing storms but that's not data driven.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Terrible news from the USA re. tornado's.

Nocturnal tornadoes are much deadlier. During the day, people are better able to heed warnings.

 

This storm system was forecast to include nocturnal tornadoes, but they are capricious and highly localized. *Most* people could go to sleep safely - with tornadoes you just never know who is in danger until the very last minutes.

[Coombe Barton]

... Christmas Farmers' Market in The Square tomorrow. Not going. Supporting local producers yes, but not at this time. Just too damned risky. Mask wearing is just too lax. ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/thirteenth-highest-daily-cases/

[simontaylor484]

It always amazed me how green the golf courses were on Tenerife 

I miss going I would have quite happily moved there

[PhilJ W]

2 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

It always amazed me how green the golf courses were on Tenerife 

I miss going I would have quite happily moved there

A lot of that is due to the rich volcanic soils. That is why many peoples have taken the risk of living close to volcanos.

[Tony_S]

I rang up the dishwasher service centre this morning, just after 8am. A technician will call in just over a week. This is good as it won’t interfere with this weeks solar panel installation. The dishwasher does work but doesn’t turn off at the end of program, just flashes error codes. Either of the main “suspect” parts are more expensive than the fixed fee repair so I chose that option instead of parts and labour option.
We have been thinking about renovating the kitchen cabinets and doors but as a man will be crawling around them soon Aditi decided to remove everything and scrub everything even it it looked clean.  I think we may only need new worktops eventually not new cupboards. Of course if marble effect Formica becomes fashionable again…

Tony

 

[Ozexpatriate]

31 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

That is why many peoples have taken the risk of living close to volcanos.

Given the low frequency of serious eruptions, (often several generations) the 'risk' of living near volcanoes (other than places where they are very frequent like Iceland or Hawaii) is perceived to be low for any given year and largely ignored until it becomes a problem.

 

It's no different to people who build homes on barrier islands in the American southeast. They will be devastated by hurricane storm surge eventually, but the period between serious storms at any given spot might (in the old days) have been longer than the lifespan of a beach house and in the meantime, the location is highly desirable. (Climate change makes a big difference in this calculus.)

 

Ignorance is often a factor and I mean that literally. I had already committed to move to the Pacific Northwest when, on an airplane, read an article about research and implications of the Cascadia Subduction zone earth quake of 1700. People of European ancestry had lived here for more than 150 years with no real understanding of the geological forces at work. (Of course there were indigenous oral traditions, but they were dismissed as legendary rather an interpretation of actual geological phenomena.)

[polybear]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. After this mornings sunshine it turned grey and damp, even a bit of drizzle as I left Tess Coes. Terrible news from the USA re. tornado's. Report here.

 https://www.today.com/video/tornadoes-threaten-eastern-us-after-ripping-through-6-states-128474181512

The death toll might be in excess of a hundred.

 

The pictures of the wrecked Amazon Warehouse are something else; I believe people are still missing from that site alone

[Ozexpatriate]

35 minutes ago, polybear said:

The pictures of the wrecked Amazon Warehouse are something else; I believe people are still missing from that site alone

CNN (on television) is showing a video of pitch dark night where lightning flashes illuminate a huge tornado.

 

Drone footage from Mayfield, KY shows complete devastation of the town. Based on that, the Mayfield tornado was exceptionally large. CNN reported that some of the tornadoes were on the ground (leaving a path of destruction) for 200 miles! (This is staggering.)

 

There's a freight train "derailment" (blown over) in Earlington, KY. One photograph shows a bulk grain hopper (blown off it's wheelsets) well over a railcar length from the track.

 

The region roughly between St. Louis, MO and Nashville, TN seems to be where many of the worst tornadoes touched down heading to the northeast. The Amazon warehouse is in the outskirts of St. Louis.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Ozexpatriate

[pH]

From the link to the train derailment in Michael’s post above:

 

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/w_1100/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F211211101924-11-midwest-weather-kentucky-1211.jpg

 

Look at how far the two cars on the left have been moved from the tracks!

 

 

[PhilJ W]

41 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

CNN (on television) is showing a video of pitch dark night where lightning flashes illuminate a huge tornado.

 

Drone footage from Mayfield, KY shows complete devastation of the town. Based on that, the Mayfield tornado was exceptionally large. CNN reported that some of the tornadoes were on the ground (leaving a path of destruction) for 200 miles! (This is staggering.)

 

There's a freight train "derailment" (blown over) in Earlington, KY. One photograph shows a bulk grain hopper (blown off it's wheelsets) well over a railcar length from the track.

 

The region roughly between St. Louis, MO and Nashville, TN seems to be where many of the worst tornadoes touched down heading to the northeast. The Amazon warehouse is in the outskirts of St. Louis.

 

I visited the area when I went to the US forty years ago. The storms appear to be following the Shenandoah Valley. I passed through and stayed at many of the places named in the news report.

4 minutes ago, pH said:

From the link to the train derailment in Michael’s post above:

 

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/w_1100/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F211211101924-11-midwest-weather-kentucky-1211.jpg

 

Look at how far the two cars on the left have been moved from the tracks!

I notice that the grey car has left a gouge in the earth.

[Compound2632]

5 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And also Camelford in Cornwall where one once forded the River Camel but which now offers the luxury of a bridge!  Not a name of Cornish origin despite being translated into that language as Roskammel but coming from the Brythonic name for the River Allen which is now known as the Camel, plus the English "ford".  It has been associated in literature with Arthurian legend and the Battle of Camlann which is also attributed to Queen Camel in Somerset.  .

 

That's a Lot of Camels...

[simontaylor484]

The raw power of nature is something else be it winds, water or geological 

[pH]

12 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That's a Lot of Camels...

https://img.packworld.com/files/base/pmmi/all/image/2011/09/pw_18791_s_pw_0800_070.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&q=70&w=700

[pH]

20 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That's a Lot of Camels...

Alternatively …

 

If used cars are sold on a car lot, is this a Camelot?

 

http://www.arrivalguides.com/en/Travelguide/Qassim/doandsee/al-qassim-camel-market-97371

[Ozexpatriate]

Vile weather today. Not deadly or freezing like other places, but windy and rainy.

 

I missed my daily walk yesterday, having a fasting blood test at the doctor's and was keen to get out this morning. Opening the door the wind was howling in the fir trees and very heavy rain was falling. Even with rain gear this was going to be miserable so I opted out.

 

My house has generous eaves, but the windows are wet. As is my patio furniture, despite a very substantial roof over the patio with plenty of overhang.

 

Hours later, it's less intense and the grey sky is brighter but the rain hasn't stopped. The same rain is falling on the MLS cup final which is underway in Portland. I had contemplated getting a walk in when the match is over. We'll see.