Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PeterBB]

6 hours ago, polybear said:

.  I was very careful with my words in order to ensure I wasn't lining myself up to sort that too - diggin' posts out of the ground and replacing them isn't high on my list of fun things to do....

Oh come on now, all those hours being fed tea and KitKat and you never know ... she might even offer LDC!

[andyram]

Evening all and generic greetings. There has been a skim read through the recent pages. Yesterday was a severe black dog day. A few issues in the morning allowed it out of the kennel to run amok. It led to a less than happy atmosphere at home. That extended into a Teams meeting with fellow college assessors this morning with the senior member of staff definitely managing to press the wrong buttons. She soon saw the error of her ways and, to be fair, telephoned later to apologise and check on my wellbeing. She is well aware of some of the reasons for the canine’s presence.

 

 A day on my own in the shop allowed me some space and there were one or two customers to chat to. Things remain a little too quiet at present although that is June for you.

 

 At present I am trying to focus on small positives in a bid to brighten the mood. There were some today. I have made small progress with Sky. Their ineptness surrounding the take over of the business broadband has left me over £600 out of pocket. It has been now five weeks since they promised to process the refund and nothing had been received. They have exceeded their own 30 day timescale and I have threatened legal action unless the refund is sent and suitable additional compensation is agreed. Whether the threat will bring any speeding up of the process remains to be seen.

 

 The second positive is the EBay shop which is now up and running and I am slowly adding to it. This will give the business an added outlet and actually it has performed better than expected in the first week. Small roots of growth perhaps.

 

 Finally, things seem to be on a much better footing with the previously absent friend and there is at least regular communication now.

 

Take care all

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

I haven’t done much today. I have been feeling a bit odd, light headed and nauseous. Once that passed I was very hungry. The light headedness and nausea  are mentioned on the Moderna vaccine information leaflet which I have only just read! Feeling fine now. Aditi tried to make me feel better by claiming that the side effects,show it is working. That is unfortunate as I had no noticeable problems with the previous four doses. 
 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Tony_S

[PeterBB]

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 Only a Parisian can properly speak the language of Voltaire, Molière and Jules Verne (or so they like to think)

iD

*the proper term is Alsatian - but but if I used there'd be no end of inappropriate comments from you lot.

Quoted the wrong one but Montreal 1976 on a bus I politely asked for information in English - French was always just a babble of sounds.  It was obvious that they totally understood and were far from helpful, in fact deliberately pretending that they didn't understand.  Those that know me will possibly remember that I am not prone to swear but on that bus I did with other comments as to their parentage as I got off the bus - at the correct place by chance - and was rewarded with a torrent of English to which I replied "You have proved my point".  

 

That has struck a memory ... back in 1955 or thereabouts with the French teacher missing one  (Deputy Head) had us all in the hall (it was in fact the John Innes former Library at the horticultural centre) and decided that we had to tell the time he gave us in French ... those who put their hands up quickest and were correct were then told "You may go".  Dave C and myself were never quick enough to respond let alone correctly and eventually left rather late (Dave just a minute after).  This may not seem out of the ordinary but the school I went to had a six day week and this was on a Saturday morning!

[Barry O]

Ey up! @The Q.. yes the Percys were an interesting bunch. My family were employed as their "enforcement officers".

 

my home country  visited. The Ridings lost by 2 runs.

 

my Languages include English, yacker, French, German and Russian with some south East Asian cricket terms.

 

Goodnight to most!

 

Baz

Edited June 7, 2022 by Barry O

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I’m surprised your Welsh colleague didn’t point out that Zebra isn’t an English word anyway so English and Welsh both used the same imported word. Lack of a Z in Welsh probably alters the spelling. 

An interesting word - from Portuguese for wild horse apparently. The Romans called it hippotigris (horse-tiger).

 

One was apparently given to Queen Charlotte (consort of George II) in 1762 and kept in a cage in the front of Buckingham Palace near the Mall. It was widely known as the "Queen's Ass", (there is evidence in print) and more politely, according to a recent documentary I saw, a "painted ass". It's a wonder the Welsh didn't use that, though at that time I presume it was illegal to speak Welsh which might have inhibited them picking up that etymology.

 

Were there an equivalent of the Académie Française for Welsh, I imagine they might just consider something like that. 😉

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

So I'm guessing the person in the Yankees cap is an Aussie actor trying to put on an American accent. (It doesn't sound quite right - unlike some of the professional stage/film actors who use a dialect coach can manage.)

I guess its an average Australians version of what Americans sound like.... 

 

 Having been watching more US news I am realising how many different sounding Americans there are over there , eg compare Susan Collins, Mitch Mconnell, Ted Cruz and that mad gun-nutty young blond woman.

 

And thats just the Republicans!

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

I am realising how many different sounding Americans there are over there

Yes, there are a lot of regional variations - not quite as localized as those in the UK - though some, like "Jersey" or "Boston" are quite localized and even the Boroughs of New York (like Staten Island/Bronx/Queens/Brooklyn) had traditionally different sounds separate from the influence of minority ethnic communities.

 

So-called "Southern" accents vary a lot too. Hearing the South Carolina tidewater accent and bayou Cajun, you wouldn't call them the same*. They are very different.

 

The entertainment industry has a neutral US 'accent' common in California - not unlike the influence of London-based broadcasting in the UK.

 

EDIT:
* In keeping with the theme of GOP Senators compare Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC with Sen. John Kennedy** R-LA (whose accent is 'mild' by Cajun standards).

 

** No relation to the Kennedy's of Hyannis Port, MA

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dull and dismal at the moment and it looks like it's been raining.  Forecast claims it will be dry and sunny to start with followed by scattered, blustery, heavy, thundery showers with the chance of some hail.  Nice.

Up fairly early today as I have to be at Epsom hospital for a pre-op assessment at 8.30.

After that who knows?  It will depend on the weather.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited June 8, 2022 by grandadbob

[chrisf]

Languages - oh dear.  I took French A Level and German O Level at school but had no cause to use either for many, many years.  When, eventually I did I was surprised by how much I could remember, though it was nowhere near enough.  The country that I have visited most is Switzerland, where I find myself attempting German much more often than French.   It is with some shame that I confess the too frequent use of "Sprechen Sie Englisch, bitte?" to start a conversation.  My conversational French is hopeless given that I am not able to speak like a machine gun!

 

Chris    

[iL Dottore]

9 hours ago, brianusa said:

While I can see saving historical languages, what's the point in today's world?  They are difficult/impossible to pronounce and understood by very few. 

Well apart from the fact that languages and culture evolve symbiotically  and that language (and the culture) helps define who a people are, nothing really.
 

I wouldn’t be so cavalier as to dismiss small languages as you have done,  history has shown us that in many countries a local language can become the national language over time: Hanoverian German has become modern German,  the dialect of Tuscany has become modern Italian and so on. Who knows, maybe in 200 years everyone in the UK will be speaking Gaelic.

 

And whilst this attitude “why bother to learn another language because everyone speaks English anyway“ seems widespread within the US and the UK, the reality is that English would not be such a vibrant and versatile language if it hadn’t stolen  words and phrases from practically every language under the sun (e.g. Zen, Veranda, Schadenfreude and so on)

9 hours ago, brianusa said:

The sad part is that these wannabe breakaways have a hard time on their own and rely on the largesse of Westminster.  What must a simple example like dual language road signs, etc. add to the budget?😠

      Brian. 

Well complete independence could the worst case scenario for the UK, but having regions with their own language and identity doesn’t automatically mean a breakdown of national cohesiveness and unity: the Swiss certainly have shown that.

I would argue that the primary driver of those movements for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish independence is the arrogance and highhandedness of Westminster. As anyone  outside the M25 can attest, for the movers and shakers of Britain, if it doesn’t happen in/doesn’t affect London then it doesn’t exist.

 

And as for the cost of multilanguage road- and other signs (and official paperwork) this is more than outweighed by the savings made by people filling out forms or following directions correctly the first time around.

Edited June 8, 2022 by iL Dottore
Typo

[iL Dottore]

6 hours ago, PeterBB said:

Quoted the wrong one but Montreal 1976 on a bus I politely asked for information in English - French was always just a babble of sounds.  It was obvious that they totally understood and were far from helpful, in fact deliberately pretending that they didn't understand.  

I’ve always found, no matter where I have been in the world, learning a few introductory phrases brings enormous benefits. When I was in Japan, I managed to learn a few words along the lines of “good morning/afternoon/evening I don’t speak very much Japanese, can you help me in English“ always resulted in helpful people assisting me (and in English!).

 

I think it should be an automatic reflex to learn pleasantries like good morning, please, thank you (and the ever important “a glass of beer/wine/whiskey please“) in the local language of any country you visit.

 

A smile, a few pleasantries in the local language (no matter how badly mangled) have always brought me benefits that other visitors who SPOKE ENGLISH  S L O W L Y  AND LOUDLY failed to obtain…

Edited June 8, 2022 by iL Dottore

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

 4 +.....................................................................1.5 hours sleep, not enough and that was a very long awake in the middle..

Joints of course are aching... it's bucketing down again at the moment, though fortunately there was a short Gap , when Ben the I want out Collie took me on patrol, He also was the I want in Collie, and got back in just before it started raining again ...

 

Going to work yesterday I stopped for a while , during which a road sweeping machine slowly proceeded towards me on the 1.5 car width road, unusual on a non curbed countryside road... when I went back the top junction had been gravelled, leaving 3 inch pot hole less than 50ft away... Then the next village main through route had been completely gravelled, completely covering the new blue markings indicating they are going to dig up the water pipes again.. That road I don't think has every been fully re-tared since the first time up until now every pipeliine for water and sewage, the telephone  all show as trails through the tarmac. Added to that it slopes and wanders towards ditches with big cracks in the surface as the old marshes beneath move..

 

Had the bears workmate chosen a different wildlife word to challenge the Welshman with, say penguin  he could have become very unstuck... because Although the etymology is debated, the generic name "penguin" may be derived in English from the Welsh pen gwyn "white head" .. It originally meant the Great Auk, penguin like bird that roamed the North atlantic till 1852 (last known sighting) totally unrelated to todays penguins..

 

Time I headed for the lab, it's really hammering down with rain outside now..

 

 

[iL Dottore]

Good morning all,

A pleasantly quiet birthday awaits me today. The Wolfpack and Mrs ID are off in the Holiday Hovel and we will have a suitable birthday celebration when I join them this weekend (on Saturday we will be taking part in a Hunde Military – a sort of obstacle course for man and dog).

 

Meanwhile, back at the salt mines , I have a little bit of paperwork to do and a teleconference to attend but otherwise I will be spending some time in the workshop – working on getting the “corporate“ helicopter and the “corporate“ executive jet ready for service 🤣). Some “retail therapy” may also be contemplated.

 

After which I have the onerous task of working my way from left to right through the following:

 

A celebratory – to quote Kipling* – “dusky beauty“ (a cigar) may also be enjoyed. 
 

Happy Hump Day

 

* a most amusing poem https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_betrothed.htm

Which contains the immortal words: And a woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Happy Birthday @iL Dottore.

 

A lot of words used in the dialects in the North East can be understood by Dutch and Danish people. It has helped me transmitting Schipol airport in the past.  Times have changed though. I could generally identify exactly which local village someone was from by their dialect.. monkey hangers were dead easy but I have lived away for a fair few years and the dialects have changed.

 

Today involves a Teams or phone call with a man in the ECB ACO. Time not identified so I may wield the shark first.

 

I need my mugatea so ..

 

Stay safe!

 

Baz

[grandadbob]

Happy Birthday Flavio! 🍻

[AndrewC]

Happy Appearance day ID and congratulations on completing another solar orbit. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well the rain has stopped, so I may well get away without wearing a jacket when I walk to the surgery shortly for my 3 monthly PSA test, for which I have to be there for 9:30. This usually takes not more than 10 minutes or so I should be back home for 10 o’clock. I shall then get changed into my working clothes and spend the rest of the day, depending on the weather, in either the cellar or the garden. 

 

Flávio. Happy birthday 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[PeterBB]

oops!

Edited June 8, 2022 by PeterBB

[BlackRat]

Greetings one and all from a showery Kernow…….I’ve been learning German, about an hour a day for the last 8 months.

 

It started because I love schlager musik, always have done and listen to Radio Heimat DE on my phone most of the time.

 

Great whilst modelling.

 

Plenty of Germans on a recent holiday ..who were delighted to hear me ‘having a go’ and helped no end.

 

Speak to me like a small child says I, and lo we managed to converse!

 

What impressed them was that someone from the UK was  not only bothering to try and learn German, but was actually trying to speak it as well. We are back to GC soon, where I’ll be practicing again.

 

Mein Deutsch ist.  es gut, aber ich versuche es gerne….. eines Tages werde ich es sprechen und Schlager singen wie ein Tiroler!

 

 

und alles Gute zum Geburtstag Flavio!

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by BlackRat

[PeterBB]

Happy Birthday @iL Dottore

[polybear]

11 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Obtuse, obtuse, willfully obtuse Bear. Zebra Crossings only go back to 1951 (as you well know)

 

The Welsh language dates back to about AD 550 ("primitive" Welsh). "Modern" Welsh to about the 16th century. Words created since the Industrial Revolution have been imported into Welsh as is.

 

Welshman: 1 - Bear: Nil

 

Bear actually wasn't trying to be obtuse or generally wind the guy up - it was a serious question based on curiosity of the Welsh language.  When you're in West Wales and "waiting things to start happening" then any opportunity to keep yourself amused is a good thing......

 

9 hours ago, BSW01 said:

 

 

Bear is rather intrigued - and impressed by your version; I made a hand-held jobbie about a year ago (the idea came from a fellow RMWebber IIRC) and uses a watch back removal tool from the 'bay (about 8 quid I think) plus three bearings that come with split rings fitted.  The distance between the two bearings that are side-by-side can be adjusted and the single lower bearing can also be adjusted by turning the handle.  The split rings on the bearings help keep the rail in place:

 

 

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I wouldn’t be so cavalier as to dismiss small languages as you have done,  history has shown us that in many countries a local language can become the national language over time: Hanoverian German has become modern German,  the dialect of Tuscany has become modern Italian and so on. Who knows, maybe in 200 years everyone in the UK will be speaking Gaelic.

 

 

Bear fully expects hand-held voice activated translators before much longer - there are already those Appy-fingy's (technical Beary term) that can be bunged on mobile phones (but not this Bear's cos' the last owner was Fred Flintstone) that scan text in real-time then translate it to English (or vice-versa, presumably).  A buddy had one on his phone when we worked in S. Korea and it worked rather well - not perfect, but pretty good.

 

Bear here......

Well the skirting order has just been delivered - it's nice when it happens early in the day cos' it saves all that "I wonder when it'll turn up" which can affect work for the day (being in the back garden using an angle grinder isn't a good scheme when the door bell rings....).  Initial inspection looks promising - an unwrap and detailed inspection will be carried out in a few minutes.

After that?  Well I could fit the architrave - but I'm inclined to leave that for another day so the paint is harder (it is dry though); the last thing I want is to risk a fingerprint at this stage.  Starting to cut and fit the skirting won't happen until that job is done, as there's only so much room in the lounge and swingin' 3m lengths of 125mm wide skirting takes a little room.

So at the moment today is designated as a MIUABGA day.  I do need to arrange a blood test for new meds prescribed several months ago to see if the dose is correct (the doc mentioned it at the time - though I would've thought they would've chased me me the test in an ideal world).  I may request one or two others at the same time for the hell of it, just to ensure that Bear isn't developing a misfire anywhere.

After that I may get really adventurous and do some paperwork; I have an outstanding recurring reminder on the laptop that mentions "Updating the Beary Will" - the reminder may have been placed in March 2018.  Oops.  Not an easy task, however - the lack of (a) many Family members, and (b) those that are around either wouldn't be too interested in many (or any) of Bear's prized possessions, and (b) Bear doesn't feel too inclined (or indeed actually disinclined) to leave things to them anyway.  Bear can very, very easily get into Black Dog Mode just ponding the problem.  Turdycurses.

[polybear]

9 minutes ago, BlackRat said:

Mein Deutsch ist.  es gut, aber ich versuche es gerne….. eines Tages werde ich es sprechen und Schlager singen wie ein Tiroler!

 

 

Is that with chips?

[DaveF]

 

Another day has gone by, still sorting out the flat...

 

It started with a trip to the tip with some junk from my loft and stuff from Mum's.  I got there just after 9 so there were only two other cars unloading. I was done in just over five minutes.  I think more trips wil be needed in due course.  Then I went shopping - the first time in over a year!  I've decided that when I get things sorted out I must find a better way of storing things in the garage so made a start by buying a new shelving unit to try along with some potting compost.

 

A look at Lidl followed, mainly to buy a pack of plastic storage boxes which just happen to be exactly the size I need.  Their jam doughnuts are still very good - one went down well with my coffee.  On the way home I called in to the flat and collected the family albums, which go back to the start of the twentieth century.  Some years ago Mum went through them and wrote names and places for almost all the photos which will be a big help.  In due course I will scan some of them and send them on to relatives.

 

Then in the afternoon a friend took me to the flat and we brought back a few pieces of furniture I want to keep - I now have to reorganise my house to fit them in, that will be today's task.  I think one item, a desk , was made by the coachbuilding and furniture making business which was once owned by a part of the family from the nineteenth century.  In addition both my Great Uncle and my Great Aunts had their own antiques businesses, I think a few small items of no great value came from them.

 

David