Early Risers.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Slept very well, makes a change!

 

This Thursday I need to collect a van, collect a layout then drive to Bristol for an Exhibition. Not having driven a van (with gears and a clutch) for 3 years this could be fun (not) Waze says it will take about 3 hours if I leave now.. well I will be leaving on Thursday.. let's see what it says then. Indeed to get the extension paperwork for the van and get my DVLA code number...

 

But before that.. mugatea time!

 

Oh Frabjoy! The builders are back next door..

 

Have a great day!

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Dry and sunny this morning but predicted to cloud over. Pollen count is 'moderate' so I should be able to get out a zonk the weeds. Apart for a run down to Tess Coes for bread and milk thats about it for today. Muggatee awaits so its be back later.

 

[45156]

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

And here I thought that it was a phonebooth!

It's bigger than a phonebooth

[jamie92208]

Well that went quicker than expected.  Tax return filed within an hour.  Spreadsheet updated for next years return so that entries can be filled in as and when.   Only drawback.  I suspect that lawn mowing will be mentioned.  Beth is doing the weed patches near the house as I type.

 

Jamie

[simontaylor484]

Morning all 

 

Back to normal routine with the school run. Chaos outside as new footpaths are being built but in 2 weeks holiday not much has been done why not leave it till the summer holidays. 

[Winslow Boy]

10 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Morning all 

 

Back to normal routine with the school run. Chaos outside as new footpaths are being built but in 2 weeks holiday not much has been done why not leave it till the summer holidays. 

 

Arrgh No. Yes. No.

 

That would be the next quarters budget that would.

[southern42]

‘ morning all.

 

Wall to wall sunshine today according to the pine cone predictors. Just what I need to put me in a happy mood for some m*d*ll*ng and am i going to need it!

I have just had a notification on the iPhone saying: last week’s screen time was up by 19%. 
I wonder why that is! 
 

Coming up - some more drivel from my iPhone....😂

 

Roundabouts. When we moved to this part of the world of long and winding  country lanes, the last roundabout of note you came to was at Shrewsbury - in England! Then followed bypasses on the outskirts of towns and villages. B roads became A roads and A roads became expressways, well one of them did, up here. Single lanes became widened, sometimes into dual carriageways. Large and small roundabouts sprang up everywhere. The latest project is the Caernarfon bypass.

it maybe worth speeding up the video, below. The first roundabout, on the southern end, already exists but from 3 minutes in, roundabouts and circuitous meanderings seem to be flourishing. 
I lament the loss of the broken up landscape. 😪

 

 

Books. Those about  things that run on parallel strips of metal we have in abundance and are dipped into frequently. Novels? Not many. A few of those titles some of you mention were on my pre-entry college reading list - as with the rest on that list, I did not get past page one!

 

I am reading one piece of fiction, though. Written by a former work colleague but who, up till then, I only knew as the little girl with long black hair in a pushchair - I know her mum!

 

Out of Ashes: Book One of the Grenamoya Island Saga. Novel by Amy J. Smylie. I bought this well over a year ago and, after a long winter’s gap, I have just started chapter 10. 
 

What do I love about it? You can smell, taste, feel the north Wales weather, mountains, valleys, forests, castles.... Yes, you must not forget the castles and ancient fortresses, the inns and the pubs, and a sense of Welsh folklore, of course. From the start it is scary...full of “what’s going to happen next” but I love it! But also full of companionship, caring, being alone, challenge, commitment, daring, bravery and cowardice, independence and dependence, survival. The first of six books, 5 so far have been published. The rate I am going at, I may be in my second or third century before I finish them!

 

What a load of drivel... but I shall be back on my iPhone for more...

 

Polly

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by southern42
Typos

[PhilJ W]

20 hours ago, 45156 said:

Afternoon All

 

At last, one bedroom is finished, cleared, redecorated, and ready for use - and just to prove it - here's an image.

 

It does look good, even though I say so myself.

 

That big wardrobe was an absolute b*gger to reassemble.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

 

12 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

And here I thought that it was a phonebooth!

 

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

It's bigger than a phonebooth

My first thought was 'TARDIS'.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Like yesterday, I got up later than planned so I didn’t get chance to post before heading off for my post op consultation. All seems to have gone well, I recovered quickly from the operation and the swelling in my kidneys has gone. However, I now have to start some medication to try and sort out my over active bladder, which may or may not be down to the radiotherapy I had for prostate cancer. If they don’t work, then further tests will have to be carried out. At least I wasn’t told that there’s nothing more to be done. 

 

After a quick muggertea, I shall go and complete the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix a little later than usual. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[iL Dottore]

Greetings, Ladeez an Gennelmun, teens and tots…

 

I’ve not posted for a bit due to a mild case of apathetic ennui, still after today’s visit to the vet with Lucy and the positive assessment by the vet, I feel mildly energised and thus I’m ready to post some of my usual opinionated drivel…

 

In regards to reading, I have a “few” books (about 3000 - I’ve posted pictures of my library on ER - they may still be available to view) and I tend to read voraciously. At one point in my career I was going to San Francisco on a regular basis. As the BSL-LHR-SFO trip was quite lengthy, I usually managed to read about 3 books on the outward journey and about 1.5 on the way back (the return flight was overnight). One habit I acquired during this time was that of “discovering” an author and then buying up (and reading) his/her back catalogue in one fell swoop (Terry Pratchett was one such author “pounced upon”).

Whilst I’ve read The Hobbit, I found Lord Of The Rings to be essentially unreadable and I have never ever gotten past page 50. However, I have read all the CS Lewis books set in the world of Aslan - the later books in the series are distinctly weird. Dune (first novel) was enjoyable - the sequels, less so

Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-5, The Gulag Archipelago, have all been enjoyed, but many of the recommended “Classics” such as Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre I’ve found unreadable (and I’m a reader that has devoured Trilby by George du Maurier).

 

But a teenage favourite (and a genre I still read) was/is science fiction: with short stories and novels like A Boy and His Dog, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, The Nine Billion Names of God, Bears Discover Fire and Ringworld, my intellect, curiosity and imagination were stimulated much, much, more than by any turgid Booker Prize winner.

 

“Hard” Science Fiction (my favourite genre) is NOT Dr Who, Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica (basically they are soap operas in space: “Space Operas”) but is often a discomforting and  provocative examination of humans

[PhilJ W]

Glad to see you back @iL Dottore. I posted this a few days ago, I feel sorry for the dog having such uncaring owners.

As I said before, its behaviour is more likely due to how its been treated and/or bred. If it bites children its probably due to the children being allowed to torment it. If I were to find the dog I would either keep it or rehome it.

[AndrewC]

Good day all. Another Moanday almost half over. Buckets of fun at work. A rather good weekend was enjoyed. Most of Sunday spent on the patio with some small items needing repair for SWMBO and a couple of Ukrainian beers. Postal votes posted. More crap to top up the recycling bin popped through the door this morning. Bit of a waste really as they could dig up Fred West's rotting corpse, dress it up like Jimmy Saville, slap a blue rosette on it and it would still get elected around here. I long ago determined that the only way to vote is choose the one who will sh*t on you the least. 

 

Probably had the strangest interview of my life today. The job sounds ok but the woman conducting it is one of those personalities I'd never want to work for in a million years. Think Sue Perkins meets Priti Patel. Now to tell the recruiter, thanks but no forking way. 

 

Now to forage for lunch. Left over Nepalese curry I think. Enjoy the day. 

[Tony_S]

I have been steam cleaning the tiled walls in an en-suite bathroom. Like a sauna but with arm waving. Aditi was going to do it but I thought it would be easier as I wouldn't need a step stool. I think I may also be summoned for some shrub pruning. Not any shrubs where birds nest. We can see blackbirds building a nest in a neighbour's tree. There was a bit of drama when another male blackbird tried to intrude. 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a grey Sidcup where I am working from home although the rest of the house is working at school!

 

I am another who particularly enjoyed the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and found the maps enhanced the tale. I read a reasonable amount but have never got on with the classics, far preferring some science fiction and fantasy books. I am currently re-reading the Dune books having been given them for Christmas. I'd agree with iD that the first is by far the best.

 

I also like maps and while I do not have Gwiwer's ability I did, as a child, memorise the Singapore A-Z and was able to guide my Mum around. We went on a school trip to the zoo and had to write about it - mine was read out to the whole school because of the detail - mainly the route we took. I suspect it was a bit light on what animals we saw though! I was 7 at the time. I was able to find the route of the school bus from my house to where the school was in those days using google street view. Singapore has changed an awful lot in those intervening 45+ years and the school has moved site (the Brunei embassy is now there) but I was quite surprised to be able to do it

[polybear]

Bear here......

 

iD's back!!!  😁😁😁

And Lucy's OK 😁😁😁

 

And Bear has finished fitting the last architrave 😁.....temporarily.  Now to remove them, give them a light sand then an extra coat of primer/undercoat as the existing stuff is a bit thin in places.  I would've done that this afternoon, but fortunately, sorry, I did mean unfortunately it's raining - so I can't.  Did that sound convincing?

[simontaylor484]

Well I think I have just guaranteed us rain I have watered the plant tubs and the grass seeded areas ably hindered by a certain little doggy trying to drink the watered it came out of the watering can despite the fact he has a bowl of water filled up. He now has a wet head and wet ears.

 

Back to books I like Stephen King's work but some of his later ones I haven't read

[iL Dottore]

13 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

...Back to books I like Stephen King's work but some of his later ones I haven't read

I've just finished Billy Summers - heartily recommended!

[Barry O]

Started to cut the grass... light mizzle. When I finished the sun came out Pah!

 

Paperwork.. printed

Club mobile phone .. topped up  (its for our sumup card reader)

 

What a busy boy I have been (! not!)

 

@AndrewC I was interviewed for a job on an airplane which is now landing on a great lump of sea going runway. The US interviewer was called Mr L'Onions... he was good the UK HR person was clueless. it was never followed up by UK HR (even bouncing the odd enquiring phone call)  but from my insider friends I was selected to do the job but the UK stopped it and gave it to a UK person on the redundancy list.. he lasted 3 weeks, the next one on the list lasted 3 months .. they then came back to me as I was the only person interviewed who understood "Cost Plus" contracts.. too late! I had found a nice job working for a good company.

 

Time to toddle!

 

Baz

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Barry O

[Ian Abel]

Morning <phew>...

 

Very busy weekend attending the patient-in-residence AKA the Mrs.

Overall things going extremely well, with one setback Friday night.

Mrs was prescribed Oxycodone for pain, suggested to start for overnight Friday. Dutifully started and taken at the intervals from late evening Friday into overnight.

Unfortunately, result was by Saturday morning she'd not slept well at all, suffering nausea, headache and dizziness. Quick check in with the Dr. and the pain control was changed. Sadly, most of Saturday spent with the aforementioned issues, and she mostly tried to rest/sleep.

 

Sunday a different story, feeling much better, able to get around very well and eat some light fare. Definitely an improvement over Saturday. By mid-afternoon was moving around as if nothing had been "done" and much perkier. Several friends stopped over with comestibles and a quick "hello". Much cheerier Mrs by the evening, and the pain has going down significantly anyway so all for the better.

 

Today - she has her first PT, so I'm the taxi service, and is already up and active, walking occasionally (approved, so don't panic) without the zimmer-frame <smile>

 

Weather here still "stupid", had a sunny Saturday with a high of 20 (YIKES!!), Sunday was miserable, rain high winds and a high of 7.

Today ZERO first thing, overcast, windy and a high of maybe 3 - we've essentially been told Spring is cancelled, and maybe Summer will appear EVENTUALLY!!!!

 

Tally ho.

[The White Rabbit]

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

.... Overall things going extremely well, with one setback Friday night....

 

Sunday a different story, feeling much better, able to get around very well and eat some light fare. Definitely an improvement over Saturday. By mid-afternoon was moving around as if nothing had been "done" and much perkier. Several friends stopped over with comestibles and a quick "hello". Much cheerier Mrs by the evening, and the pain has going down significantly anyway so all for the better.

 

Today - she has her first PT, so I'm the taxi service, and is already up and active, walking occasionally (approved, so don't panic) without the zimmer-frame <smile> ...

 

Good news. I hope things continue to go well. It's always easier when you can move about a bit, even if you have to be sensible and take it steady. 

 

[The White Rabbit]

Recent posts make me think I should extract my digit and sort out my photos - I've several which would have gone well with some posts but they are buried in the archive rather than on the hard drive, so would take too long to locate. I really should catch up, organise them and give an obscene amount of business to the local photo shop for album prints. And do some posting on various bits of RMW. But I want to try and sell some surplus bits first and create some space. Not just the modelling items on the blog - due to everything over the last couple of years, I have far too much furniture - which is on a certain web-site at a very low price - but still isn't selling - and an assortment of books and curios - ditto. Which is frustrating. Bad timing for many sales atm but the house is full of unwanted things and needs decluttering. One charity which offers collection, was approached last week - three full working days later, no reply. Pah... 

 

The weather here has been a touch chilly today, warm in the sun (especially behind glass) and shiver me timbers in the wind. A walk was had (to try and build on my recovery) and I was thinking of doing a little more seed sowing in the garden afterwards - but on returning home, a hot chocolate and a good book seduced me away from the path of duty and virtue. Coughing and sneezing is uncomfortable rather than painful now but I do not want to test that with a cold. 

 

However, looking out of the windows, the garden is colouring up nicely and the blackbird has been observed hunting for grubs. He's kinder on the plants than chickens would be! Bon appetit...

[zarniwhoop]

Catching up - all this talk of unfinished books: for me, the only one I've tried and definitely given up is the hobbit. Maybe if I'd read it when I was much younger. But I have a number of "must have another try books" - Proust, Ulysses, Finnegans Wake. Currently I'm reading Proust volume 4 (title omitted to ovoid offence) - it was the first which came to hand after volume 1. I had got as far as volume 5 in the past, but gave up.

 

Mostly, I prefer easier novels - Discworld (but not other novels by Sir Pterry), The science of discworld, anything by Flann O' Brien.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. My favourite books are crime novels and I've been reading quite a few over lockdown, so many that I will have to take them down to the charity shop soon to create more space. A favourite is Michael Connolly but I do like the more lighter authors such as Carl Hiaasen who I have mentioned before here on ER's.   

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Dune (first novel) was enjoyable - the sequels, less so.

5 hours ago, The Lurker said:

I am currently re-reading the Dune books having been given them for Christmas. I'd agree with iD that the first is by far the best.

Yes. Very much so on both those comments. I found Dune to be outstanding, but each sequel got progressively less so. I don't know if I read them all.

 

I am looking forward to the conclusion of the recent film adaptation. I thought it very good.

 

Frank Herbert is from Tacoma, Washington and lived some of his formative years in Oregon. Apparently the inspiration for Arrakis can be found in Oregon.

Quote

He later told Willis E. McNelly that the novel originated when he was assigned to write a magazine article about sand dunes in the Oregon Dunes near Florence, Oregon. 

Which is curious because the Oregon Dunes (which is quite a lovely place to visit) are adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and can be quite damp.

[Gwiwer]

8 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

(Terry Pratchett was one such author “pounced upon”

So I have been assured by a great many fans of his.  I don't get on with something - whether it be his style of writing, humour or his version of reality.  Tom Sharpe, on the other hand, has the uncommon ability to have me in stitches.  Douglas Adams is Marmite - HHGTTG was a masterpiece and the Restaurant at the End of the Universe almost so as a sequel.  The rest do very little for me and his Dirk Gently novels are perhaps best forgotten.  His close-to-the-bone writing also struck a chord with me; printing the (apparently actual) phone number of a former girlfriend associated with a cafe in Rickmansworth and the use of "Hotblack Desiato by kind pernission of Hotblack Desiato"  The latter was nothing to do with an intergalactic character but was the name of the landlord from whom Adams rented his Islington flat.