Early Risers.

[simontaylor484]

Waiter what's the Duck like?

 

Well Sir its like a chicken but it swims

 

Boom Tish

[Coombe Barton]

There’s mention of spring on Radio Three today. Here’s another song of the season.

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/05/17/zoe-still-going-up/

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I retired at the age of 59, and that was more than 14 years ago. If I am fortunate to live another 11 years and 9 months I will have been drawing my pension for half the time I paid in to it. If I survive until November 2045 I would have drawn my pension for exactly the same period that I paid in to it. To achieve that I would have to be 97 years and 4 months old, not impossible but unlikely.

[PhilJ W]

Nearly forgot, dinner tonight will be either bangers and mash or chicken and bacon pie and chips. Depends on the use by date bingo. all the items are well in date but it is better to use whatever is the oldest first.

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Oh I did love locking up people who said such things to me.  It was called failing the attitude test.. 

 

Jamie

Undoubtedly, but what if they DID have all the connections they claimed and/or the Secret Squirrels didn’t want that particular individual “inconvenienced” and removed from circulation for “National Security Reasons”?

 

I would imagine in that case things would be decided so far above the average coppers’ head they wouldn’t even see the contrails. Just a curt “release him, no ifs, buts or whys” from a VERY senior officer.

 

It might sound a bit TV Show, but I have read accounts of how carefully planned, long-term, VERY secret operations were jeopardised by a low level copper coming across what he thought would be a straightforward collar.

[Ian Abel]

Chewsday... late reporting in from the weekend even!

 

Busy weekend, many, MANY to-do items covered much of both days, including some to-dos at the rental property.

Saturday a MOST enjoyable afternoon/evening with Jemma and Brendan and his parents. Got on swimmingly, great people and we all seemed to have a good time.

Sunday, taken up with a lot of to-do items <sigh> <yawn>

Evening got a glimpse of the lunar eclipse, best I could do below, camera battery not charged so only phone available for pictures.

 

Yesterday, planned day with Jemma and the Mrs opening the cabin (our work items). Mainly cleaning and putting the pump in, getting the water going.

AS ALWAYS it seems, a water issue. Pipe joint failure - fairly common given the place goes through a harsh unheated winter, then is expected to perform without fail!

Issues ALWAYS compounded by the fact the nearest hardware/big box supply store is a 30 minute drive each way. All necessary parts obtained, pipe repaired, new shower head installed, cleaning accomplished and we were finally out of there - very weary - at 6PM, ouch! Jemma learning plumbing so she can take over these feats.

 

Today, quiet day working, that's about it.

 

Weekend weather was almost perfect so enjoyable to be outside.

Today, 8 first thing and partly cloudy, 80% chance of rain later with a high of 21 expected.

 

Carry on.

 

[jamie92208]

12 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Undoubtedly, but what if they DID have all the connections they claimed and/or the Secret Squirrels didn’t want that particular individual “inconvenienced” and removed from circulation for “National Security Reasons”?

 

I would imagine in that case things would be decided so far above the average coppers’ head they wouldn’t even see the contrails. Just a curt “release him, no ifs, buts or whys” from a VERY senior officer.

 

It might sound a bit TV Show, but I have read accounts of how carefully planned, long-term, VERY secret operations were jeopardised by a low level copper coming across what he thought would be a straightforward collar.

Many more were messed up by poor planning.  A classic was an expensively  modified drugs surveillance  vehicle with a, "Home Office Exemption" tax disc in the windscreen. Perhaps I will tell you some tall tales on Olten station next Thursday evening.

 

Jamie

Edited May 17, 2022 by jamie92208

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

From a very happy 45156.  Today was another of these good days which seem to have been in short supply of late. 

 

But first, apologies for some skipping, and also generic greetings are on offer from Ludlow (or just outside it anyway).  Supportive thoughts to Kelly are also on offer - just keep on with it all.

 

So what was so good - well, I've found the rarest of things - an honest garage, which does not charge the earth.  I've been having problems with the engine management light for some time, and took the car, just before the move, to my usual garage, and they diagnosed an 02 sensor - and said the car was safe to drive until I could get it sorted after the move - this was a bit odd, as the 02 sensor was changed about 4 months ago.  What they did not really explain is that the Ibiza has TWO 02 sensors, though they did when I took the car back just before the move. 

 

Took the car to honest garage, who ran diagnostics, and came up with a faulty lambda probe - they changed it, and the light went out for about a day, then came back.  Back to the garage, and they ran a diagnostic, and got another 02 sensor fault, and changed the offending sensor for a genuine SEAT part.  Light came back again, after 24 hours, and yesterday they did a full emissions test in case the catalyst was faulty - God forbid.  Emissions test was fine, and the diagnostics came up 02 sensor again and they checked everything, to find that the SEAT sensor thet they'd fitted was faulty - so they ordered a Lucas part instead, and fitted it this afternoon - they didn't charge for the work previously at all, as they had got it wrong, and the total bill was a fair bit under £200.  They've got my business now for life (or until I move again).  MOT and service will most certainly be done there.  Next stage is to get the car valeted, now it is mechanically sound again.

 

Also, Shawn the electrician came today, and I asked him to do a few jobs for us, as the last time he came, he got stuck with wiring the boiler, which was not what I booked him for.  Today, we wanted (and got) three working lights in the bathroom, a working bathroom fan, the wall lights in our bedroom changed, and also a working PIR in the back garden.  He did a complete rewire on the bathroom, rather than try to sort out the cat's cradle in the loft.  He was here for about two hours, and his bill was £230 - quite amazing.  To sort the PIR, he used my Henchman tripod ladder, which really impressed him, as it is so stable - he was ten feet up and had both hands free do sort the PIR - and there was me going to sell it on - no way now, it proved its worth again today.

 

AND I won't have to pay a phone bill now for about three months. 

 

Days don't get much better. though yesterday came close.

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited May 17, 2022 by 45156

[The White Rabbit]

Evening awl,

 

Good to see some of the ERs we've not heard from for a while. Best wishes for you to obtain more time, black dogs to be booted back into kennels and health problems - especially those due to dubious administration and organisation - to be resolved asap. Many happy returns to Rick. 

 

Mostly a fine day, after a wet night. Though as I type this, there's a rattle of raindrops on the roof. I had a good result in Part 77 of the Great Tidy Up and Clear Out, with a large quantity of material, including some modelling bits, being collected by a very pleased new owner. Still lots left but it's a promising advance. Now if I could just interest someone who wants to model a crowd scene ... and who also wants a few pieces of furniture... it could be a really good week...

 

Once that was done, a walk was had, stretch the legs ... and things. Miscellaneous bits inside done and then some G word. Keep things moving there too. As soon as I came inside, the sparrows and goldfinches arrived. Bathtime! 

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Ian Abel said:

Evening got a glimpse of the lunar eclipse

It was completely obscured by cloud here. That and it began right around sunset, making a full observation a little trickier, but the end of totality would have been properly dark.

 

People on the other side of the mountains had a better view.

[The White Rabbit]

I see fish jokes are getting some people hooked. I wouldn't want the carping to get too barbed, so won't get selfish and muscle in on others' tales. It might make them crabby. 

 

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Waiter what's the Duck like?

 

Well Sir, it's like a chicken but it swims.

 

Boom Tish

 

Diner: Waiter, you list Chicken Tarka here, what's that like? 

Waiter: Well sir, it's like Chicken Tikka but it's 'otter. 

 

Hat, coat, bobtail visible... 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, 45156 said:

......they did a full emissions test in case the catalyst was faulty - God forbid. 

 

Bear's Tip of the Day:

In the event that any fellow ER'er should ever need a new CAT (of the brum brum variety, not the Meoow variety) then make sure you keep the old one - they're worth good money (sometimes VERY good) down the scrappies.

 

1 hour ago, 45156 said:

He was here for about two hours, and his bill was £230 - quite amazing. 

 

Any idea how much of this is parts?  Maybe Bear is old-fashioned, but £115/hour labour (if there are no parts in the bill) would seriously scare me.....

[New Haven Neil]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

Maybe Bear is old-fashioned, but £115/hour labour (if there are no parts in the bill) would seriously scare me.....

 

Don't buy a 'premium brand' car and get it dealer serviced...... 💥⚡😮

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Many more were messed up by poor planning.  A classic was an expensively  modified drugs surveillance  vehicle with a, "Home Office Exemption" tax disc in the windscreen. Perhaps I will tell you some tall tales on Olten station next Thursday evening.

 

Jamie

There used to be an old grey Sherpa van floating around Barking used as a surveillance vehicle by the local CID. It didn't have anything to disguise the peepholes and the windows in the back door were partially covered by silver reflective foil. It was eventually replaced by a Transit van that wasn't quite so obvious, black mesh with a small open section rather like that that covered the windows of buses and some trains during the blitz and the peepholes better disguised, the only thing that wasn't discreet was the bright orange colour. Both vans had usually been parked behind Barking police station. One morning not long after it was placed in service I noticed that the Transit had received a parking ticket so I just had to go into the police station to tell them about it. The desk sergeant found it highly amusing and said he'd have great pleasure informing CID about it.

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each.

Further to my earlier rant I got a surprise about 17.00hrs.  Phone rang and it was the nurse who I first spoke to and who messed everything up.  She was very apologetic and sorry for upsetting me and ran through everything again to make sure we were all on the same wavelength so she has now been forgiven. All digits now crossed but let's be honest, it could all still go pear shaped. 

I decided to water the garden a little while ago as the threatened rain hadn't appeared.  The sky has now gone very dark so we know what's likely to happen shortly.

When I bought my car I did consider hybrid or electric but decided against it.  As far as I'm concerned the present vehicle is a keeper and I suspect that I will have given up driving or worse before the car snuffs it.

Second glass of Rioja is now being sampled.  Later on I may consider trying out the Penderyn for the first time.

Edited May 17, 2022 by grandadbob

[simontaylor484]

Well the beautiful weather has come to an abrupt end. It's raining heavily here.

[Ozexpatriate]

Today is Oregon's primary election day (also in many other states). I am hoping for a reprieve from candidate advertising starting tomorrow. All the local news broadcasts have included wall-to-wall candidate advertising in the ad-breaks for at least six weeks now.

 

I've taken to hit mute until they are over. That has helped. One had the temerity to blame an opposing political philosophy for an attack ad by someone standing against her in the primary (from her own party) accusing her of not being <party name here> enough - such is the state of partisanship these days.

 

Today's weather is delightful. Dry and warmer than it has usually been. We should see 20°C. I should take advantage of this and weed the back garden. Whether I will depends on some (gastric?) discomfort that I fear would be TMI to describe. I will at least mow the grassy verge which is finally starting to look a little more uniform since I fertilized it some weeks back.

 

Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but the end of the week promises to be nice.

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[simontaylor484]

31 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Don't buy a 'premium brand' car and get it dealer serviced...... 💥⚡😮

When i replaced the boot gas struts on Vikingar the Volvo I rang the Volvo dealer in Wakefield I was quoted £140 Each I ended up buying parts from Germany delivered for just short of £50 for a pair and they are made by the same company minus Volvo printed on the side.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

11 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

When I bought my car I did consider hybrid or electric but decided against it.  As far as I'm concerned the present vehicle is a keeper and I suspect that I will have given up driving or worse before the car snuffs it.

No point replacing a reliable car. I don't see any reason why people would not consider hybrids (where they are available in the model people are interested). I rented a number of them pre-pandemic. They got successively better than the early model Prius days.

 

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning (EV) pick-up truck is being manufactured. (I don't know if any have been delivered and expect pre-order demand was high.) Fully configured, it can tow 3.5t, though it's not clear what the range will be with that load.

[southern42]

Coming out? 
I think it also happens to some of us who are so-called straight. I was working when I got engaged but was too embarrassed to say so. My colleagues only realised when they spotted the ring on my finger. I got a right telling off - in a friendly sort of way!

 

And like so many, I have been picked on, name called, shunned, turned down for a job (newly married...!) bullied for all sorts of things, even in adulthood. The funniest was because I was a girl! I was on my way to school when a small group of boys off to theirs came up to me and one of them took the lid off his box to scare the living daylights out of me. Little did they know!

I looked down into the box and said: “Oh! Isn’t he cute!” (I had one of my own). Yes, you have guessed...a wee li’l mouse. You should have seen their faces! Stunned! I think I spoilt their morning!

 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by southern42
Last words deleted - unfriendly if read the wrong way.

[Ozexpatriate]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

But why does anyone need to “come out” at all?

7 hours ago, PupCam said:

Absolutely!!!!    The one thing I learnt at a very early age is there is no such thing as "Normal" with regard to people when as a young Pup I yearned to be part of what I mistakenly thought at the time were "Normal Families".   

 

It shouldn't and doesn't matter a jot about any human characteristic that a person has providing it doesn't negatively impact on others particularly one's preference for same, different, short, tall, fat, thin, limbless, black, blue, pink, green, yellow* or any other.  

My emphasis. "Shouldn't" and "does" are two different things.

 

Having observed the struggle someone I knew well, had with coming to terms with their identity and then coming out, I can observe that the "coming out" is important in a way that people who don't need to come out don't recognize.

 

Thankfully society is gradually more accepting*.

 

* There are exceptions, which being heavily politicized here, I won't comment further.

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Just had a phone call from my brother, he seems to be doing better now. He's coming round to the idea of going into sheltered accommodation thankfully. My niece has twisted his arm I suspect as he's thinking of moving to Brighton from Romford, my niece lives in Brighton and will be able to keep an eye on her dad. I think I'd better start thinking about that even though hopefully I have a few more years before I need to consider such a move. 

[monkeysarefun]

45 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Today is Oregon's primary election day (also in many other states). I am hoping for a reprieve from candidate advertising starting tomorrow. All the local news broadcasts have included wall-to-wall candidate advertising in the ad-breaks for at least six weeks now.

 

I've taken to hit mute until they are over. That has helped. One had the temerity to blame an opposing political philosophy for an attack ad by someone standing against her in the primary (from her own party) accusing her of not being <party name here> enough - such is the state of partisanship these days.

 

Today's weather is delightful. Dry and warmer than it has usually been. We should see 20°C. I should take advantage of this and weed the back garden. Whether I will depends on some (gastric?) discomfort that I fear would be TMI to describe. I will at least mow the grassy verge which is finally starting to look a little more uniform since I fertilized it some weeks back.

 

Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but the end of the week promises to be nice.

 

 

I had no interest in American politics until the recent couple of years forced us all to. I have learned a lot about primaries which now seem as important as the actual election, and  I know its all part of the philosophy of letting the people decide candidates rather than the party machine but got to say it seems weird having a vote  to decide the person that you get to vote for at the actual elections.

 

Our federal election is this Saturday and the pre polling places have been open for the last couple of weeks. Here all polling places have helpers from the parties spending the day  standing outside handing out how to vote cards, they have different coloured tee-shirts so its easy to see which one to go to if you need their card.

Each time I drive past the local one they are all there in a group happily talking and laughing to each other, and last night I saw  group of them walking down the street together at 6pm when the polls shut, I guess going to the pub or out to tea together. There was the Green party green t-shirt guy, the red t-shirt labor lady, and the yellow t-shirt right-wing party guy, amongst others.  Its like knock off time comes and its down tools, put away the political nonsense and go have a drink together.

 

Which is kind of how it should be I reckon unless that's just an Australian thing -  I couldn't see that happening in the US right now unfortunately. 

 

Actually if the US put aside its "we do everything the best because we are the US" attitude and looked at some other systems they could do worse then follow some of  Austtralias voting setup .  We have the Australian Electoral Commission, a non-partisan independent body  that controls every aspect of the election nationwide so it cannot be co-opted by party interests. Then theres  voting on Saturday which gives greater chances for everyone to vote, and compulsory voting means that rather than spending time  working out how to deny people the ability to vote the government HAS to give everyone a chance to vote, polling booths are even flown into remote settlements. If the US had at least some of these, most of the current issues around elections would go away. 

 

And when you do go and vote you get a sausage sandwich and there's usually the chance to win a tray of meat at the meat raffle and there's often a bush band or community band and you can buy jams and stuff from the local woman's group charity table, the actual voting bit seems  a bit of an afterthought!

 

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, simontaylor484 said:

When i replaced the boot gas struts on Vikingar the Volvo I rang the Volvo dealer in Wakefield I was quoted £140 Each I ended up buying parts from Germany delivered for just short of £50 for a pair and they are made by the same company minus Volvo printed on the side.

 

 

Bear's Buddy mentioned above (who only told his boss on the day he retired) used to work at a Company that made Filters - including Air Filters for Ford.  Bear was driving a Granada at the time.....😉

They used to make Filters for many companies - until Ford came along with a humongous order that resulted in all the long-standing customers being dropped.  And then Ford took their business elsewhere.....which meant that buddy's company had no customers; by this time all the old customers had found new suppliers (and were less than keen on going back to the old supplier anyway, having been kicked in the nutz by them) so that was the end of the company.  That's how buddy ended up at the place he hated....

 

24 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

And when you do go and vote you get a sausage sandwich .....

 

 

Bear has a sudden interest in Pollytiks.....

Edited May 17, 2022 by polybear

[Gwiwer]

8 minutes ago, polybear said:

29 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

And when you do go and vote you get a sausage sandwich .....

 

 

Bear has a sudden interest in Pollytiks.....

And sometimes there's sauce (ketchup) and / or onions available with it.  It's as much a part of the Aussie voting ritual as the Bunnings Sausage is to the weekend DIYers / weekday tradespeople.  I've even been known to park up there, grab a "snag" and just sit in the car with it before driving home!!!  

 

Remember pollytiks is just a form of potty-licks and that it doesn't matter who you vote for because the government always wins 🤣