Early Risers.

[petethemole]

I wouldn't fancy a sea cruise unless it was in a region where there's a port call with land visits every day.  We did a Nile cruise in 1999, with lots of visits to temples, the Valley of The Kings etc.  There's plenty to see when cruising along as well; and to hear.  The farmers pump water from the river for irrigation and in '99 there were still quite a few old Lister pumps banging away between the Hondas and other modern pumps.  

 

I'm still using this little laptop.  I need to work out how to get the PC back online.  It won't recognise the Hub via the mains connection despite checking all connections.  I have a wi-fi extender somewhere but not where I thought.  Also my mobile is on the blink, it won't connect.  The phone's only a cheap burner but if the SIM card is dead I'll need a new number.  

 

Today is Martyn's birthday so we're going out for lunch; he likes Italian.

[PhilJ W]

IIRC the family that owned or did own BMW had close links with the Nazi party in the 1930's. They also took advantage of the slave labour from the concentration camps.

[AndrewC]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

Ok diners are not too bad.. but the philly steak sandwiches have less cheese than they need.

 

Bsz

The only good Philly cheese steak I've had outside of the US is Passyunk Ave in London. He is originally from Philly and started out with a food truck in Spittlefields Market several years ago.  mmmmm cheese steak mmmmm. 

I'll be back later. Need to place an order for a love bundle. 

[polybear]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Clearly the Bear is unmarried and unattached!

 

For wise husbands know, in matters of potential disruptors of marital harmony  it is always better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission….

 

Both approaches have costs attached.......

 

4 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Not much cake being eaten here at present.  

 

 

Cruelty above and beyond etc. etc.......

 

3 hours ago, AndrewC said:

Crabtree reassures me he is not in the running to be the new Met commissioner. 

 

They were interviewing several ex. Met Officers on the telly yesterday (fairly senior posts)  about the situation and a suitable replacement for Commissioner; one said that it didn't need to be a time-served Officer who worked their way up from the beat etc.  There was also a comment (possibly from the same person) that it didn't necessarily need to be a Police Officer at all - a senior person from Industry would do......

FFS

 

3 hours ago, AndrewC said:

 Likewise the chain of adult shops with cocktail lounges. 

 

 

Bear feels pretty confident that a receipt on the expenses form from one of those places would earn an interview with Human Remains PDQ.....

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

.......and £150 meals that were an absolute bargain;

 

Bear would gaze longingly at the plate and think "I could've got a loco for that......"

 

In other news.....

Coving being, er, challenging. Two (TWO??) very short pieces fitted so far (in an alcove to the left of the chimney breast) - the corner joint is such that it will require much filling - numerous times; I pondered and experimented over this - and measured the corner (90 degrees....) yet it just doesn't want to play nicely, despite using a pukka coving mitre box.  I suspect the large size of the coving doesn't help.  Fortunately the corner is very well hidden so if the filling isn't completely successful** at rectifying the issue it'll still be well hidden anyway.  I just hope that other corners play more nicely, otherwise a certain Bear will be somewhat p1ssed off....

 

(**Bear will persevere until he is happy.....)

[pH]

53 minutes ago, PupCam said:

I have now been summoned to construct a new Brio railway layout on the lounge floor for Junior Junior Puppers so I must go!

Oh, your poor knees!

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all 

 

A late check in due to a lot of running around that was missed out yesterday due to hospital visit.

How I miss the Little Chef Olympic aka credit card breakfast.

 

The address if my Grandads foundry was Great North Road Ferrybridge 

 

@polybear I used some similar coving in our bedroom and it was fairly easy to fit apart from where there is a little ridge in the ceiling.

It's certainly easier to handle than the 3metre lengths of 127mm deep sculpted plaster coving I used in our first house never ever again. 

I used the paper covered polystyrene coving and a good quality grab adhesive no need to mess about with putting nails in to support it

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

Of course, if Goring, Himmler et al were directors of BMW that would put a completely different slant on it but as far as I know (and as I've already said, I have no knowledge) they weren't.

I don’t think it was necessarily Goering and Co  being in charge but there are other things, like I don’t think Rolls Royce or other companies in the UK were using slave labour in factories. Post WW2 the German government didn’t hold back from self criticism. The Japanese state was considerably less forthcoming. 
I am not likely to be boycotting anyone’s products, though I can’t see myself purchasing a North Korean or Syrian car. Once upon a time I did try if possible to buy things that were made in the UK, especially Dagenham built cars. However one year while I was teaching we weren’t on strike, just not doing unpaid dinner duty as as some sort of dispute with the employers. There was a news article about Ford workers complaining about teachers so I didn’t feel inclined to show preference to locally built cars anymore. Petty, but I suspect it didn’t make any difference as I don’t  believe my purchases or lack of were really the reason Ford stopped making cars in the UK. My present car was  actually made in Liverpool, though not a Ford. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

Apart from returning stuff to storage in the loft it is finished. 
The last job was insulating the loft trap. It hangs down and the retracted ladder occupies some space so some thought had to go into insulating it. Probably too wonky to satisfy DIY perfectionists but it works!

[New Haven Neil]

It often amuses me that my 'South Korean' car was designed in Germany, made in Hungary, and has an engine designed by Toyota.  The name is the only Korean thing on it.  My last car was a Ford B-Max, made in Romania. It's predecessor was a Focus, made in Spain.  As was our Ducato camper van, Mrs NHN's Citroen was made in Slovakia.  The nationality of the marque badge is no guarantee to where it was made!

[Tony_S]

2 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

nationality of the marque badge is no guarantee to where it was made!

Yes, people think Land Rovers are made in Solihull but all 3 of mine were made in Liverpool and all under Tata Group ownership. Quite a few cars on sale here and the rest of Europe are made in India now. I did ask Aditi’s cousins and other relatives what they drive. Mainly Mercedes and Audi. Her uncle normally resident in California keeps a Toyota “truck” in Delhi for when he visits but he does often set off to see some places where that is a very suitable vehicle. 

[New Haven Neil]

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

Yes, people think Land Rovers are made in Solihull but all 3 of mine were made in Liverpool and all under Tata Group ownership. Quite a few cars on sale here and the rest of Europe are made in India now. I did ask Aditi’s cousins and other relatives what they drive. Mainly Mercedes and Audi. Her uncle normally resident in California keeps a Toyota “truck” in Delhi for when he visits but he does often set off to see some places where that is a very suitable vehicle. 

 

An acquaintance was being sniffy about my new Royal Enfield bike being made in India (it is of remarkably good quality) until I pointed out his flag-waving British Triumph was actually made in Thailand. The smaller BMW bikes are made in India, no-body complains about their quality.

 

[Erichill16]

On cruising.

I thought I wouldn't like cruising but I find its means to an end and generally speaking the food is plentiful and is of good ( enough for me) quality. I went to Antarctica  which is not really accessible to tourist any other way. We cruised  Japan (& Vladivostok)  which I think was the only practical way we would have visited that country and really enjoyed it. Took Mum on a Baltic cruise a number of years ago and visited quite a few cities that we probably wouldn't have visited any other way. Even managed a steam train ride on that holiday.

I think one of the issues with cruising is the price of the ‘official’ excursions and, especially for us Brits, the ‘expected’ ‘gratuity ‘ at the end. 

We usually make use of the ‘casual dining’ (self service) as neither of us can stand the ceremony of waiter service*and much rather choose our own food and eat at our own speed. This also means we can go back for seconds and ‘fusion’ dine to our hearts content.
Robert

*alway reminds me of Mr Creosote, with John Cleese waiting in one of the Monty Python films. 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Erichill16
Spelling

[Erichill16]

This is the short version. 
I hope Mr Creosote isnt based on any ER foodie!

[Ian Abel]

Chewsday

 

Lovely Valentine's dinner yesterday at our now traditional spot.

 

 

Little else to report for the day.

 

Today the NordicTrack S22i exercise bike is being delivered/installed, deep breath and off I go getting fitter

 

Right now, taking the Mrs for CT scan, taxi service, yes ma'am...

 

-13 and overcast first thing, -1 the forecast high.

 

Later.

 

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

Worrying - was such a repossession order granted by the High Court?  And how did the Squatter take the verdict?

I didn’t go to court: a short and very intense war of liberation was prosecuted.

Operation Modelleisenbahnfreiheit saw an allied army storm the back cellar - with all resistance ceasing 24 hours after “M-Tag”

 

Acts of heroism were far too many to list here, but the audacious “hell-for-leather” drive by @jamie92208‘ s Volontaires de la brigade Terre moyenne Rouge to secure The Brunel Pub and The Georgian Terrace House before they could be demolished by the retreating forces will forever live in the memories of the liberated Modeleisenbahnzimmerlände einwohner.

Many a treasured bottle of rosenkohl schnaps was taken from a hiding place and shared with @jamie92208’s garçons courageux that day, I can tell you…

[simontaylor484]

Just one wafer thin mint Sir?

 

I love that sketch although my fave bit of the film is the Grim Reaper

 

[jamie92208]

22 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I didn’t go to court: a short and very intense war of liberation was prosecuted.

Operation Modelleisenbahnfreiheit saw an allied army storm the back cellar - with all resistance ceasing 24 hours after “M-Tag”

 

Acts of heroism were far too many to list here, but the audacious “hell-for-leather” drive by @jamie92208‘ s Volontaires de la brigade Terre moyenne Rouge to secure The Brunel Pub and The Georgian Terrace House before they could be demolished by the retreating forces will forever live in the memories of the liberated Modeleisenbahnzimmerlände einwohner.

Many a treasured bottle of rosenkohl schnaps was taken from a hiding place and shared with @jamie92208’s garçons courageux that day, I can tell you…

And of course the desparate fight for the chimbley and the sand drying furnace and the final assault on the yard office before resistance was seen to be futile.

 

Jamie

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a cold and grey Sidcup where the earlier rain has cleared for now. Off work this week- today I have been to the opticians where my shortsightedness is diminishing slightly but new specs are needed.

 

years ago I worked for a group that was taken over by a German rival. The industry was chemicals. One part of the German group had made xyklon B.

 

they commissioned a US historian to do an independent study of whether they could be said to be complicit in the production of the chemical and its eventual use and also the generalised use of slave labour. The book was given to all employees.

 

the work was well written and the conclusions were, the historian said, so clear they did not need spelling out.

 

it was clear that slave labour had been used, in common with most German industries of the time. The company that made the xyklon B was only 45% owned by the group which allowed the German management to claim that they could not as a group be held responsible as they did not control the manufacturer. What they did not say was that the 55% holder had in the 1990’s been taken over by the group. So I am not so sure that the soul search it had been so sincere in their case. The driver had been the fuss caused when they had contributed a graffiti proof covering to the holocaust memorial in Frankfurt and I think they wanted to show they had moved on.

[jamie92208]

6 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

Greetings all from a cold and grey Sidcup where the earlier rain has cleared for now. Off work this week- today I have been to the opticians where my shortsightedness is diminishing slightly but new specs are needed.

 

years ago I worked for a group that was taken over by a German rival. The industry was chemicals. One part of the German group had made xyklon B.

 

they commissioned a US historian to do an independent study of whether they could be said to be complicit in the production of the chemical and its eventual use and also the generalised use of slave labour. The book was given to all employees.

 

the work was well written and the conclusions were, the historian said, so clear they did not need spelling out.

 

it was clear that slave labour had been used, in common with most German industries of the time. The company that made the xyklon B was only 45% owned by the group which allowed the German management to claim that they could not as a group be held responsible as they did not control the manufacturer. What they did not say was that the 55% holder had in the 1990’s been taken over by the group. So I am not so sure that the soul search it had been so sincere in their case. The driver had been the fuss caused when they had contributed a graffiti proof covering to the holocaust memorial in Frankfurt and I think they wanted to show they had moved on.

Would that be Hoescht formerly IG Farben

 

Jamie

[polybear]

5 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

How I miss the Little Chef Olympic aka credit card breakfast.

 

Agreed - if Bear had a quid for every one of those scoffed......

(99.9% of which were courtesy of the Great Empire, which I find improves the taste even more.....)

 

2 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

This is the short version. 
I hope Mr Creosote isnt based on any ER foodie!

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......

 

In other news.....

Well I never....The Prince has rolled over and agreed an out of court settlement.....

And a certain Ms. Guiffre has thrown away her principles of "wanting her day in court and to see justice done" and taken the payout.  Well what a surprise.....

As for "did he - or didn't he" well it looks like we'll never know....

 

[The Lurker]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Would that be Hoescht formerly IG Farben

 

Jamie

No, the group I worked for was  called Degussa although I believe they have changed they name since I left. The majority owner of the company was Goldschmidt.

 

I think I still have the book - I must look it out.

[polybear]

Well a disappointing morning has turned into a much better afternoon.....

I tried a couple of coving test pieces in two more corners of the room, and again a bl00dy great gap was apparent at the joint  (We're talking 3/8" or so here).

Well this Bear figured that all was not as it should be so decided to investigate further.  I started by looking at options for an alternative Coving Mitre Box - a suitable candidate was identified but at twenty six quid for something that'll only get minor use (the lounge and the hallway/stairway) before becoming redundant I figured I'd call the seller (The Victorian Cornice Company) and explain the issue.  Fortunately I got to speak to a very helpful lady who suggested that the positioning of the coving in my own (Blue Hawk) Mitre Box may well be the issue; as the coving drops 94mm from the ceiling line and extends 94mm across the ceiling then I should mark the mitre box with these two dimensions in order to ensure the positioning is spot-on when I cut it.  In practice I made up a couple of spacer wedges to ensure the base of the mitre box is 94mm wide; now when I cut the coving the joints are fine (give or take a couple of mm, which is normal as a room is never totally square) 

(When I was cutting the coving this morning I was holding the coving in what was felt to be "the right place" such that it sat nicely against the base and the rear wall; it must've been out by just a few mm or so and that's enough to cause the pony joint.  Lesson learnt).

 

A much happier Bear.....

 

edit:  I was also able to remove the two pieces fitted this morning as the adhesive was still soft; new pieces with a correctly fitting joint were cut and have now been fitted, saving the job of filling a very dodgy joint.

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by polybear

[polybear]

There's close....and then there's full-blown brown trouser job close.....

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/man-has-near-death-experience-when-he-comes-off-bike-on-level-crossing-as-high-speed-train-thunders-past/vi-AATS4w0?ocid=msedgntp

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

think one of the issues with cruising is the price of the ‘official’ excursions

They aren’t cheap I agree, though at least you won’t get left behind  on an “official” tour if it is delayed. Some ports of call are nice enough just to wander around but some of the out of the way cruise terminals don’t have much other than a few taxis if you don’t use the official tour. We have seen a few cabs screeching to a halt on the dockside well after the allotted hour! 
 

[simontaylor484]

8 minutes ago, polybear said:

There's close....and then there's full-blown brown trouser job close.....

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/man-has-near-death-experience-when-he-comes-off-bike-on-level-crossing-as-high-speed-train-thunders-past/vi-AATS4w0?ocid=msedgntp

Bluudddy hell apart from buying new underwear I would be buying a lottery ticket.

 

It's to be hoped he was wearing bicycle clips so no sh1t rolled out of his trousers