Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, laurenceb said:

In the days when I ate marmalade I quite liked Frank Coopers Oxford thick cut. Don't know if it's still around, will have to have a look sometime.

Very much around. No longer offered by Ocado since they severed business links with Waitrose in favour of M&S but otherwise not too hard to find. 
 

From £1.29 a jar in Tesco to the sky’s the limit on some sites. 

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, laurenceb said:

In the days when I ate marmalade I quite liked Frank Coopers Oxford thick cut. Don't know if it's still around, will have to have a look sometime.

 

It is and is the marmalade of choice for Puppers

[Coombe Barton]

... and 'tough love' on the cards ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/02/09/so-were-going-to-ditch-all-precautions/

[Adam88]

 

I've made my own for several years.  It all started after I bought a bag of Sevilles by mistake and now I make it in a variety of gauges but never finescale.

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Adam88
return lost photo

[Ozexpatriate]

13 hours ago, NGT6 1315 said:

I don't even like butter or margarine when I do a sandwich or bread roll

Butter on sandwiches is the devil's work. (On a dinner roll or toast it is delicious.)

 

One of the delights of moving to the US was realizing that a ham sandwich might contain mayonnaise or mustard, but never butter.

 

10 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

I used to love Lime marmalade, but found orange too bitter for my taste, as kids we used to spread(read slice here) butter and then lime marm on a Weetabix.

8 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Could be divisive out of context - marmalade or marmite?

Vegemite on buttered Weet-Bix (substitute Vita-Brits if you prefer) is well known in the antipodes.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had an interesting talk on Zoom about the KENEX tram system. This is a system that will connect Grays with Ebbsfleet via a submerged tunnel. Preliminary work has already begun and it is expected to be completed by 2028. https://kenextransit.co.uk/ 

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

This is a system that will connect Grays with Ebbsfleet via a submerged tunnel.

That will be nice, all the truckers parked up in the Ebbsfleet parking will be able travel over to admire the splendour of Grays High St shopping experience. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

That was the price quoted by the strong ladies who I don't do business with as a matter of principle.

That is one of the silly prices on Amazon, where the item is sold by some retailer and dispatched by Amazon.  For anyone with Prime there are Morrisons grocery prices. Still £2.55, which is more than Waitrose. We have had on occasions just had to accept delivery charges since Covid began. The advice for people in my risk category is still to avoid the unmasked, unvaccinated and crowded places. I don’t know if this changes when I get my fourth Covid jab on Friday. 

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well I’ve had a busy day today, my first task was to clean and top up the bird feeders, there are 3 of them and it me took about half an hour altogether. After that, I spent the rest of the day in the cellar and I’m glad to report that the task of filling, sanding, filling, sanding etc, is now complete. I can honestly say that I’m really glad to see the back of that job. The next step is to put up lining paper and then paint the walls and ceiling. If I do come across small blemishes that I’ve missed, they will be disguised by painting clouds over them! However, before I do that, I want to paint the last pair of dining chairs and I also want to make a small bookcase for Sheila. The bookcase will use up quite a bit of spare wooden shelves that I’ve got stored away, this will give me a lot of free space in the storage area and make access to stored items much easier. It will also earn me a few brownie points too! I’ve already designed the bookcase, the wood required for the sides, top, back and shelves I’ve got in store, so I just need to buy some wood for the uprights and cross pieces. 

 

Tomorrow has been declared big clean up day, as I’ve created a lot of dust sanding the walls. Most was swept and put in the bin as I went along, but there is still some covering the floor! So I’ll sweep the floor (again) and then mop it to prevent it getting upstairs, as apparently I left footprints everywhere this afternoon! 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

The advice for people in my risk category is still to avoid the unmasked, unvaccinated and crowded places. I don’t know if this changes when I get my fourth Covid jab on Friday.

I hope case rates drop down to 'background radiation' level* before too long Tony.

 

* Whatever signifies "manageable endemic" versus pandemic.

 

In Oregon, at the end of January, the relative number of breakthrough cases has increased over the prior two weeks to almost 35%. Cumulatively, boosted, breakthrough fatalities are 4% of the breakthrough fatalities. I believe it makes a real difference.

 

Here the Governor has announced a repeal of the indoor mask mandate for public places to take place at the end of March. Case rates are trending well down, but we (not unlike other English-speaking places) still see daily case rates higher than at any point prior to the SARS-CoV2-Omicron wave. I'm still largely keeping to myself, except for groceries and the pharmacy.

[brianusa]

 Love my marm on a hot buttered English muffin.  "English muffin" - don't ask!!  Duerres by choice, otherwise its Robertsons which is just one better than the store product!  They need to bring back the G000y which used to be included in every pot.  It was very good then!

    Brian

[Ozexpatriate]

20 minutes ago, brianusa said:

"English muffin" - don't ask!

  On the positive, it suggests that the US was happy to incorporate 'foreign' foods. 

 

Plenty of examples: French fries, French toast, French bread, Italian sausage, Danish etc. Then there's the salad dressings: Russian, Italian, French, etc.

 

The whole loose taxonomy of muffin / biscuit / scone / cookie is kind of funny.

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

  On the positive, it suggests that the US was happy to incorporate 'foreign' foods.

Plenty of examples: French fries, French toast, French bread, Italian sausage, Danish etc. Then there's the salad dressings: Russian, Italian, French, etc.

The whole loose taxonomy of muffin / biscuit / scone / cookie is kind of funny.

Belgian waffles! MMMM!

Considering that we all came from other lands, all of our cuisine is "foreign".

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, brianusa said:

 …on a hot buttered English muffin.  "English muffin" - don't ask!! 

 

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

….Plenty of examples: French fries, French toast, French bread, Italian sausage, Danish etc. Then there's the salad dressings: Russian, Italian, French, etc.

None of which are recognisable as such to a Frenchman, Italian, Dane or Russian!

 

Having lived in the US for a decade and travelled extensively through the country after that, I’ve eaten in a variety of places - from diners to rather expensive restaurants. Of all the “X-American” cuisines, Italo-American is undoubtedly the worst. Apart from being totally unrecognisable to an Italian (the YouTuber Vincenzo’s Plate has a hilarious video of real Italians trying “Italo-American” dishes), practically every dish from the repertoire involves tomato sauce - which is invariably very salty and very sweet. 
 

I do like Southern Food, but finding a good place to eat it at is difficult as far too many “buy in” as opposed to “make from scratch”. The same holds true for Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, Chinese-American and BBQ (all of which I find superior to “Mainstream” American, Italo-American or German-American). A good jambalaya, burrito, lo-mein or BBQ brisket is delicious.

 

Interestingly, when I was a poor, penniless grad student in the US a particular treat was a Hardee’s Chicken Fried Steak breakfast biscuit - something rarely indulged in because of the cost. Fast forward a decade or so and, after living for a while in Europe, I returned (on a business trip) to the place where I had studied. Flush with cash  I treated myself to a Hardee’s Chicken Fried Steak breakfast biscuit - it was almost inedibly salty. A bad batch or a more salt and sugar sensitive palate? 
 

Southern “breakfast biscuits” (a kind of savoury scone) can be superb when done well. I still remember an amazing plate of homemade “biscuits and gravy” my friend Hannah* made me for breakfast one cold Autumn day in the mountains of Virginia.

 

And you certainly can’t go wrong with a pot of gumbo and some cornbread (or  - even better - hush puppies!). I make my own version of gumbo - called “swamp gumbo” cos if it slithers, swims, flies or walks and can be caught - it goes in the pot. 
 

I think I’ll make me a gumbo this weekend!

 

* who also introduced me to “7 & 7” - Seagram’s 7 Crown blended whisky and 7-Up. Definitely a student’s drink…..

[NGT6 1315]

Moaning owl. I seem to have slept somewhat better!

 

 

 

Ah yes, the 420s. Footplating on one in the late evening of a hot summer's day about twenty years ago was probably the single most important event which got me hooked onto railways again.

 

For a design to first have appeared in 1969, it's quite remarkable that 64 units still remain in operation to this day, 36 of them in Munich and the rest in the Cologne and Ruhr areas. These are all 7th and 8th batch sets built as part of a late follow-on order to accommodate service expansions between 1989 and 1997, so they're not that old really.

The units in Munich have even been outfitted with LZB cab signalling to allow full compatibility with the trunk line tunnel. Also note the LED headlights and destination signs, which along with an automatic pax information system certainly have breathed in a lot of fresh life to these units.

 

Later...

[chrisf]

It was brought home to me yesterday that I have led a very sheltered life.  Many of my e-friends in this place are far more travelled than I will ever be and I am trying extremely hard not to be envious.  Not liking airports is no help but I must grin and bear that or else I will not get to Mallorca in April.  Thanks to that ruddy virus there is new paperwork to be done which some must find off-putting.  My latest NHS Covid pass arrived yesterday.  Unlike its predecessor, it is time limited and in two parts, domestic and travel.  Both will need renewing before the first week in April, when my journey is due to take place, so a lot of work is being made for somebody.  As the threat presented by Covid recedes the process may become less of a rigmarole but I'm not counting on it.  As things stand, it will be much less trouble and cost a whole lot less to spend the festive season in Somerset instead of my beloved Switzerland.   Meanwhile it will make sense to stay overnight at Gatwick the night before I fly.  Although Thameslink is generally sound, there are potential obstacles to reaching Gatwick in time to take off at noon, especially on a Monday!

 

Not as well known as it should be is the Law of Inverse Importance.  In simple terms it states that the higher up you are the less your absence will be noticed.   I discovered this way back in my working life, when it became clear that if the big boss was missing for any length of time nobody cared but if someone much more menial was missing the effects were felt much more widely.  This morning there is an example in the real world.  Someone Very Senior who is paid £1.4m is taking four months off, unpaid.  If no-one in that person's organisation notices, why are they there?  Answers on a £50 note!

 

Chris

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dry so far but a cloudy start with light rain possible and some brighter spells later.

An enjoyable couple of hours was spent yesterday afternoon Zooming with friends.

The first of 3 bin lorries has arrived with flashing lights and much noise.  Sainsbury's have surpassed themselves for the second week running by advising that we'll be getting everything we ordered and no substitutions.  This has been declared A Good Thing by The Boss.  

Today she has to go for a further dental appointment on her journey to being accepted for Denplan.  From being a very nervous patient a few weeks ago who needed me to accompany her she has announced she will go by herself.  I've been telling her for years that my dentist is good, it seems that she now believes me.

I may well visit The Shed again today and play with the new toy.  Its arrival seems to have rekindled my mojo.  It might even kickstart me into doing some actual muddling.

Time to take tea to The Boss.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by grandadbob

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Chairing a Teams meeting today with my cricket hat on. Hopefully it will go well and quickly . The "Governance" word may be used to get things going.

 

@chrisfwhile I have spent many hours flying to various places in the world for working has meant missing out on other things 8n life.. the Herbert's didn't always have dad at home for birthdays for example.

 

@grandadbob great to hear that the mojo is back!

 

I have dental,optician and Marie celeste appointments coming up soon along with service and mot for the Beast.. my muddling tokens are due to see a major reduction due  to some 9f these activities. PAH!

 

Herself has a Moreasons order to sort so time for my mugatea.

 

Stay safe!!

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

7 hours ago, brianusa said:

 Love my marm on a hot buttered English muffin.  "English muffin" - don't ask!!  Duerres by choice, otherwise its Robertsons which is just one better than the store product!  They need to bring back the G000y which used to be included in every pot.  It was very good then!

    Brian

I had never heard of English Muffins till I was shown an advert for them in SF.  To my companions surprise I said I'd never seen them in sale in the UK.

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Butter on sandwiches is the devil's work. (On a dinner roll or toast it is delicious.)

 

One of the delights of moving to the US was realizing that a ham sandwich might contain mayonnaise or mustard, but never butter.

 

Vegemite on buttered Weet-Bix (substitute Vita-Brits if you prefer) is well known in the antipodes.

I can't do sandwiches without butter.on a cruise the servers were always surprised when I asked for it.

10 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had an interesting talk on Zoom about the KENEX tram system. This is a system that will connect Grays with Ebbsfleet via a submerged tunnel. Preliminary work has already begun and it is expected to be completed by 2028. https://kenextransit.co.uk/ 

At first sight I wodered ifbit was due to open on 1stcApril.

 

Anyway good moaning.  The fist and mog is clearing. Then it's timevto head to the doctors to help Beth with translation.  

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a chilly but sunny rock, where the C's are 4, but feel like -2.  Allegedly.  Dry and sunny, a nose out of the door reveals a 'really feels like' much colder than -2!

 

Chris's comments about airports are interesting, I find the excitement of travel overcomes the dismal unorganised experience of them.  In the past I have flown extensively, mostly at someone else's expense, that made it easier to bear!  I am in the 'It is better to travel than to arrive' camp.  

 

My father and myself weren't acquainted until I was two - Navy to blame.  He helped make me, then was away for 'some time'!!  That both my elder brother and myself went into the Merchant Navy is a wonder, or maybe we wondered what he was doing all that time!  Dad was in the Grey Funnel Line then the Merch for all his working life, we didn't see a lot of each other.  Unlike for dad it wasn't a lifetime career for either of us, but we both had a twisting and turning life experience.

Edited February 10, 2022 by New Haven Neil
Speeling as usual