Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

... home to lunch, then sat back, and woke at a quarter past three ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/evidence-of-the-next-wave/

[simontaylor484]

The dogs have had some chicken at tea time it was more like feeding a pair of crocodiles I think I am lucky to come away with all my fingers.

 

[brianusa]

17 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

This latest La Niña "atmospheric river" is supposed to move south tonight and be directed at the central Oregon coast tomorrow.

Consider this though, in GH today its around 60 old degrees while the rest of the West coast sizzles awaiting the first major fire.

    Brian

[BoD]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

Also there's the distance to airports etc. if you fancy holidays abroad.

It’s ok.  The end of the check in queues are back to the village green.

[Winslow Boy]

12 hours ago, PeterBB said:

Disagree with that - prices much the same as 8 years ago certainly in a recent quote.

 

That is interesting. My understanding was that they had dropped but obviously not. Thanks for the info.

[Dave Hunt]

4 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

A'noon, from a rock where the Senior (no, I don't know why it's called that!) race has finally taken place, and it was a damn good one too. 

 

I think that the answer is that from when the mountain course was first used prior to WW1 (1911?) there were just two races in each meeting - one for bikes up to 350cc called the Junior TT and one for bikes up to 500cc called the Senior. Over  the years the specifications for the bikes have changed and many more races have been added to the programme but the main race at the culmination of the proceedings has kept the name Senior and is now open to 1,000cc  machines. I watched the Senior race in 1957 when Bob McIntyre did the first 100 mph lap but the current record is over 135 mph, which I think is staggering.

 

On another sporting topic, although I sympathise with GDB about his team losing today, since I am in the TB camp of Tigers fans, I'm well pleased. 

 

Dave

[Gwiwer]

10 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

the current record is over 135 mph

And on normal roads too. Not German Autobahns nor Australian interstate highways (both of which cam usually accommodate such speeds and legally in some cases) but on narrow, twisting, hilly Manx roads with stone walls lining them in places. 

To each their own. I have always said I wouldn’t be seen dead on a motorbike never mond alive. I honesy cannot see the attraction …..  

 

But I’ll not knock those who ride or who might simply be enthusiastically spectating. For one thing there is considerable skill and bravery involved. And another thing - I play with “toy trains” and there’s an open door to ridicule and scorn if ever there was one 😂

Not the best of days today but I did manage several hours this afternoon gently weeding the gardens perched on a step-stool. Because bending and kneeling has been off the agenda. 
 

Off to Windsor tomorrow, stuff permitting, and I have even convinced Dr. SWMBO of the merits of doing so aboard an elderly bus or two. 😀

 

Sleep well. 

[Winslow Boy]

Well that day was different.

 

I had high hopes to get things done today as tomorrow I'm 'on duty' - more on that later.

 

This morning started off well. Up early breakfast consumed ready to depart and what happened fell asleep didn't I. Luckily DD wasn't having any of that was she. So off we went. Chemist- check. Long walk- check. Supermarket- check err no. Off to another to get a newspaper as the distributor has decided to play 'i will not deliver enough newspapers'. No paper there. Finally give up and come home. On way home call into local papershop and loo and behold they have some. Finally arrive home and get some lunch. Only to fall asleep having done the crossword. DD fast asleep on floor snoring.

 

So there you go. Productive morning. Wasted afternoon. Did manage to get some work done on the shrub rose frame. Just needs the angle grinder to finish. Amazon eat your heart out.

 

Anyway tomorrow as I said earlier I'm on duty. One of my goddaughters is having a christening for her sprog. So I have been 'requested' to attend. It doesn't seem five minutes since hers. I'm going for smart casual as I believe that is what the trendy 'young'- no sniggering please, godfathers are currently wearing.

 

Anyway will have to be up early as DD will insist on her morning constitutional beforehand before she allows her staff time off.

 

It's out in the wilds of Wigan so may need a translator - Google how do say a non alcoholic beverage please landlord in wiganese?

[PeterBB]

20 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

If your thinking of moving to the countryside after retirement my advice is don't. Usually if you are approaching retirement age for most people your fitness and health are already in decline and that decline increases proportionately as you age. First consideration should be access to services such as hospitals etc. Next comes public transport, you might have a car but there's always the possibility of losing your licence for medical reasons and public transport in rural areas is frequently none-existent. I am looking at retirement homes at the moment and I have rejected some that although they are ideal in most respects are just too remote. The area where I live at the moment, City of Southend postal area is to my mind the minimum that is required when it comes to services. Thats why I am looking at places such as Ipswich rather than Braintree which is a lot nearer.

We were rural (our forever home) and moved to an even more rural area.  Since then both of us have had 'hospital visits'.  There is a bus that comes up our road (over a mile long and a cull-de-sac) but have no idea of its regularity - a double decker turns round at the low railway bridge but that is a 10-12 minute walk and neither of us can do that - perhaps I could but SWMBO would never be able to make it - on a waiting list to join a waiting list!  We do not have a village shop so need the car to get to the next village that fortunately has a very good one.  The main difference to the midlands is the 'the lack of easy facilities' but in a totally rural area that is acceptable and overall the move has been a good one family wise as we see and take GD to school as required.  

 

Our initial thoughts on moving, if we did, were to a town with facilities within walking distance.  Was I ever used to a big city ... yes London but the only thing missed there were the relatively frequent trips to concerts and the theatre - to do that now would cost and arm and a leg and that is only the travel!

Edited June 12, 2022 by PeterBB
Various typos

[Compound2632]

17 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

There is a bus that comes up our road (over a mile long and a culled sac) but have no idea of its regularity

 

Bus timetables and live bus location tracking online are pretty much standard now.

[PhilJ W]

The step in bathtubs in the ads had outward opening doors so I imagine they have some sort of locking device. 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I thought the foxes had gone but I saw the vixen in the garden at dusk. No sign of the cubs but I've just heard a whimpering outside that could be them. I'm still getting the notifications that there are viruses on my computer supposedly from MacAfee asking me to renew my subscription. But I don't use MacAfee I use another system to protect my computer.

[pH]

We’ve agreed that when we downsize, we will move to a house/apartment within walking distance of a shop which sells milk and bananas. Beyond that, we can’t agree about much else, especially where that might be.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, brianusa said:

Consider this though, in GH today its around 60 old degrees while the rest of the West coast sizzles awaiting the first major fire.

Brian, yes it is about 67°F / 19°C on my patio in the mid-afternoon. Yesterday it started raining around lunchtime and hadn't stopped when I turned off the lights (midnight or so).

 

Humidity is coming down from 90% (now about 85%). The "Grand Floral Parade" at the Portland Rose Festival was likely lucky. Despite a wet forecast and the heavy overcast, it hasn't rained all day here and there is some wan sunshine right now.  We set records for local June 10 rainfall yesterday (>20mm).

 

I'm glad the NW corner of Oregon is no longer in drought*. I've not yet been tempted to turn on the A/C or the irrigation.

 

* Most of Oregon remains in drought varying up to 'exceptional', which is worse than 'extreme'.

 

The West coast has seen plenty of wildfires already. According to CalFire, they have seen more than 11,000 acres burned, almost 6,000 of them in the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County at the end of May.

 

Combined, the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon (which began with prescribed back-burns and a pre-winter pile that got out of control) and Black Fires in New Mexico* have together burned 618,000 acres so far.

 

* Not what I think of as "west coast" but in the current heat dome.

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Ozexpatriate

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

I've been looking at the local sheltered housing, there's one very near to @Tony_S. The ones that I'm interested in is one quite close to my MRC and another quite close to the Ipswich MRC.

Edited June 11, 2022 by PhilJ W

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

One of the items was a walk in bath and I couldn't help thinking of what happens if you open the door when its full of water?

4 hours ago, polybear said:

It'd get very messy, very quickly; Bear guesses that the doors only open inwards as a result.

4 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Either that or you die of hypothermia waiting for the water to drain out so you can open the door.

There is a solution - warming seats.

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

The step in bathtubs in the ads had outward opening doors so I imagine they have some sort of locking device. 

Some open out, others open inwards - but I don't know about locks. They are regularly advertised on television here.

 

Google suggested this high on the "most searched" list:

Quote

What are the problems with walk-in tubs?

Long wait: Bathers have to enter the tub before filling it and can't exit until it's fully drained. Risk of chills: Some walk-in tubs fill and drain slowly, which may leave a bather at risk of becoming chilled. Higher-end models offer heated seats and rapid draining to avert these issues

 

[Pacific231G]

A sad and emotionally draining day today as I visiited my friend in Oxfordshire who's been waiting for a hip replacement for three years. She has only just turned 70 but is now sobbing with pain and totally unable to walk or even stand without help.

My journey there was also held up by a large cycle race (the final stage of the Women's Tour of Britain) that was touring most of Oxfordshire today.  I did see it passing the end of a road I was stuck on and fortunately, it being just a few miles from the start, the riders swere still in a tight peloton so passed fairly quickly.

While I quite enjoy watching cycle touring races it has long struck me as ironic that the greenest form of road transport,  when turrned into a sport, becomes very brown indeed with umpteen police, team, official and support cars and helicopters (only one of those today) accompanying the riders.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

12 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

They are regularly advertised on television here.

Since I posted that, I collected my mail. Included was an advertising pamphlet for a walk-in tub with a bulleted list of features. Points two through five were:

• Heated seat and backrest
• Plush adjustable headrest (there's a photograph of a squishy looking pillow thing)
• New rapid fill faucet
• 10 Hydro massage jets

Installation is price-included and they offered a "free" shower package with an additional $1600 discount.

[brianusa]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Off to Windsor tomorrow,

At the invitation of Her Majesty?  Not on your motorbike then hopefully!

  Brian

[brianusa]

 

Posted just now

  2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Off to Windsor tomorrow,

At the invitation of Her Majesty?  Not on your motorbike then hopefully!

  Brian

[brianusa]

That annoying ad on the bottom R/H corner has improved as its now showing very nice operating layouts.

First time I've actually checked it out!

     Brian.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[TheQ]

Stupid o'clock in the morning again, but at least it wasn't Ben asking to go out. He did take advantage and ask to take a stroll down the garden when I came downstairs. I think that it was more a case of a cooling stroll rather than anything else.

 

I see that the bath says rapid fill, another disadvantage of being out in the wilds is low water pressure, when we had a loft mounted water tank, at peak times it wouldn't fill, though we rarely ran out.

 

As for shops, I can find no record of this village ever having a shop, the earliest census, records farmers / labourers, some fishermen,  the pub on this site, and the school opposite owned by the same man.

In the same census, The village to the west, had a range of shops, cobblers, tailors, grocers, three pubs and a school.

The village to the south was similar.

Only the village to the west still has a school and that is a private primary in the old state village school building. The same village has the only remaining pub.

The village to the south has the remaining shop, a general food/ papers/ sub post office.

 

It's 4 miles to the nearest town with the doctors plus Tes and Coes. Not that that matters, you could if you so chose never leave your property and internet order everything.

If we couldn't drive, then an electric chariot could easily get there for the doctors  if we couldn't drive or  use an electric chariot then we'd definitely need to be in a care home.

 

Time to try for more sleep.