Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

37 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

  47 minutes ago, chrisf said:

The festive season is horribly close and I am nowhere near ready for it.  Neither, I imagine, is anybody else.

Far too early here.  

 

OK Dr. SWMBO has to run ahead of the calendar to ensure everything needed in Australia by the Big Day actually gets there.  She has her side of the family already pre-gifted with stuff about to go into the mail in the days ahead.  But nothing much else will happen until next month.

 

As it's just two of us plus His Furship and we are normally away for the greater part of C*******s Day itself we don't go to town on decorations. There are a few strings of lights for the hallway and front windows which I put up during the first week of December and take down on or just before Twelfth Night.  Three battery-powered candles sit on the coffee table and a small (as in about 9" tall) plywood "tree" with tiny hanging decorations stands among them.  That's it.  

 

Any cards we get are hung from a string along the hallway.  We were surprised last year to receive about 20 which was many more than in recent years.  

 

We do, as opportunity presents, buy a few bits and pieces as we go along such as the tins of biscuits which Dr. SWMBO spotted recently that include a musical-box and rotating star-show in the lid.  Leave it until December and they'll probably be long sold out.  

 

His Furship also gets a visit from Santa Paws bringing a new toy or two. 

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon all,

 

As far as certain terms discussed over the last two or three pages go, I'm used to 'running errands' and 'snap'. 

 

It was foggy here to start with (less than 100 yards visibility) then begrudgingly cleared, with a brief sight of blue sky replaced with grey and rain. A little Gword 'stuff' was done and some more sorting and tidying/throwing out done in the garage. Then time for lunch. Chicken with a few extras. But not... 

 

3 hours ago, grandadbob said:

.... Not our usual brand,  for some reason we've been trying others but not any more as I've exercised my veto and we're going back to Branston.

 

IMHO, the best brand available in the UK. 

 

3 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

...The Hill of Strawberries has become a quackmire - that's like a quagmire but with ducks.  No idea where they have come from but ducks are paddling across where the lawns should be this morning....  

 

Round here, a village five miles up the valley regularly has ducks walking down the main street. Traffic is disrupted several times a day because Jemima and friends have decided to take a wander (or should that be a gander?) past the shops. It's probably good for preventing accidents as it slows the cars right down, though some 'interesting' language from eastern european delivery drivers has occasionally been overheard, fortunately, rarely in English. 

 

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Just a question to all the various ER posters: when you buy new equipment – perhaps equipment you need for a task and which you have never used before – do you suffer from a reticence to actually use the new piece of equipment once you acquire it.... 

 

But then, when I get the equipment home, I find it sits in the box and I don’t use it. It’s almost as though I am afraid to use it for fear of mucking things up (whereas if I fall back on a workaround – which is what I bought the equipment for to avoid doing – I know I can get some sort of reasonable result). And the better/more expensive the new piece of equipment is, the more reticent I am to use it.

 

Does anyone else suffer from this “new gear phobia“? ...

 

Unhelpfully, yes and no... There have been times when I've used new items within an hour of getting them home. But my last purchase (an all singing, all dancing mini-drill/saw, with umpteen attachments) has languished in its box for over a couple of years. Being honest, I think that was more down to Covid and the outbreak of assorted 'problems' which hit around then and didn't leave me any chance for modelling than any psychological reluctance. But I understand how I might be a bit reluctant to 'take the show-room shine' off a new purchase or venture into the unknown with new techniques. Perhaps a psychiatrist might be able to give such reluctance a name? Take a deep breath and go for it... 

 

47 minutes ago, southern42 said:

If it is any comfort, before I retired from the University, a student mentioned that he was expected to go to King's College, London. He came to Bangor because it was "friendly" and was glad that he did. I hope it benefited him in more ways that one....

 

Thanks. That was 90% of the reason for my choice. I was a bit further south in Wales but when sniffing round various candidates and having a think about where to spend three years of my life I felt much more comfortable there than Cambridge or any of the other universities I scouted. 

 

 

[TheQ]

It's stopped raining!!!

Three subsections of something unmentionable, removed from Landrover to muddling shed.

New sail now hanging in roof of gardening shed,  I hope beyond the reach of mieces.

 

You lot have bin talking too much, a film has just come on TV with opening music appropriate for something towards the end of next month.

With no close family living nearby, We don't do that event, other than sending and receiving a few cards.

The only thing is on that day.. no work, a full roast dinner and if the weather is OK a walk on the beach.. Though this year Ben will have to be transported down there by car, he could get there ok, but after his charging around down there, he'd struggle to get back.

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Despite the rain the toy fair was busy and as you might expect this time of year there were plenty of youngsters there. I made an interesting purchase, a gas-electric railroad car and coach, HO scale for fifty modelling tokens. It appears to be kit built and I will be taking it for testing  on Thursday. After I dropped my friend and his lad off I heard a phone ringing in the car and as soon as got home my friend rang saying he had lost his phone. It took a bit of finding but it was found stuck between the front passenger seat and the centre console. I will be taking it back to him shortly.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, The White Rabbit said:

Round here, a village five miles up the valley regularly has ducks walking down the main street. Traffic is disrupted several times a day because Jemima and friends have decided to take a wander (or should that be a gander?) past the shops. It's probably good for preventing accidents as it slows the cars right down, though some 'interesting' language from eastern european delivery drivers has occasionally been overheard, fortunately, rarely in English. 

A friend of ours was born in a small Oxfordshire village.  

 

As we happened to be staying nearby recently using an AirBnB in Eynsham we drove through to see what was there.  And what should we be greeted with but Mother Jemima and a waddle of tiny ducklings in the main street!!!  How very appropriate for our visit to ......... Ducklington.  

 

 

[PupCam]

Afternoon All!

 

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Just a question to all the various ER posters: when you buy new equipment – perhaps equipment you need for a task and which you have never used before – do you suffer from a reticence to actually use the new piece of equipment once you acquire it.

 

In a word - No.       In fact I suffer from exactly the opposite condition.     For years I have "made do" with unsatisfactory, sometimes dangerous work-rounds to do something that "the proper piece of kit"  would do in 5 minutes, do it better and do it safer.   When I finally get round to biting the bullet and buying a bit of kit I then spend the next months and years thinking why the heck didn't I get this sooner! 😂    An extreme example of this is my Myford lathe (old, well used but in reasonable condition BUT new to me) which sort of presented itself at my door a couple of years back and said "Buy me?".     I'm so glad I did, as you've seen recently, I couldn't possibly of got by with the Beeza engine re-build without it as it turns out.

 

In Other News

 

Time has been passed today trying to lap the four gears of the Beeza's  oil pump into the pump's Mazak housing.   The idea is to provide a good but free fit so the pump pumps most efficiently but does not load and thus cause accelerated wear on the pump drive.   

 

We all know about Mazak don't we?     This is 80+ year old Mazak!         It's getting there but isn't there yet.

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by PupCam

[Coombe Barton]

... Cynical? Moi?? ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/11/06/politics-ideology-or-just-plain-greed/

[PeterBB]

Tend to agree with the conclusions of John.  Hancock 'made his own bed' and the other guy did some silly things ...

 

[grandadbob]

Watched the rugby.  Wish I hadn't. 

 

During half time the new microwave was delivered, unboxed,  (no unboxing videos here) put in its allotted space and the clock was set.   It is now ready for using which will probably be for my porridge in the morning.

 

Beef olives are in the oven and there is a nice aroma wafting through the house.  Time for a pre dinner beer and I need to select a bottle of wine.  I might even open it and drink some. 😀

 

 

 

[Erichill16]

Went to Wentworth Castle today. No gf sandwiches so had to have soup.

curried vegetable.

Gas shortage, what gas shortage?

[New Haven Neil]

Evening orl.

 

No C word here, as we're not Christians - even though that was my mum's maiden name!  Other religions are available.

 

The military museum was interesting, well laid out for a small place, didn't know we had a VC here.  Large pile of books to mull over, got 'Allied Aircraft Piston engines of WW2' very interesting looking indeed.

 

I'm with Puppers about new gear - the box is open and I'm into it ASAP.

[Ozexpatriate]

11 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

The Soviets would just throw wave after wave of ... soldiers against the Germans, sustaining such heavy casualties that the rate of firepower on the German side was so high that the MG 42 barrels would be melting.

The Red Army wasn't call the Big Red Meat-grinder for nothing.

 

In particular the "Rzhev Meat Grinder" for battles in the Rzhev salient, west of Moscow.

[PhilJ W]

Hello again from Estuary-Land. Smartphone duly returned to its owner who was very thankful. A combination of walking around the toy fair and then Tess Coes and the rain brought out Arthur Itis and the Nurofen is only just taking effect. Now watching the Darjeeling Railway from above on Channel Four.

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

... do you suffer from a reticence to actually use the new piece of equipment once you acquire it.

Yes, sadly. Also with clothing, possibly from my formative years when nice things were saved for "good". (Not meaning permanently, but to be new and presentable for the right occasion, which might never arrive.)

 

I have all manner of things set aside for the proper occasion - inevitably model railway items, though many do get unboxed and tested, but also things as varied as picnic hampers, bedding, boots and even foodstuffs - like preserves, condiments and infused olive oil.

 

I have beside me a set of 'snap fastenings' I bought a year ago so I could adjust the length* of some rain pants with some DIY modifications. They are untouched, having made do with the old rain gear since they were adjustable at the cuff with a drawstring. I bought a new, less bulky, pair of rain pants and actually wore them in the rain this morning but the cuffs are getting caught under my heels. I have therefore got out the snap fastenings.

 

* At 5'8" I am shorter than most and the inseams of most trousers are too long. It is difficult to purchase things that actually fit, without alteration.

[Ozexpatriate]

10 hours ago, pH said:

November is “Nelson burger month”, with local restaurants producing special burgers at a common price, with voting to decide winners in three categories: ‘Best tasting’, ‘Most unique’ and ‘Best presentation’. Here’s the voting page with descriptions - each entry appears three times, once in each category:

https://westkootenay.secondstreetapp.com/Nelson-Stars-Burger-Month-2022-3/gallery

They look fabulous! 

 

It's interesting to see so many Indian places represented in eastern BC.

 

Also to see a burger named "El Pollo Loco" which is the name of a very large fast food chain in California serving flame grilled marinated chicken. One opened in the western suburbs here but didn't last. Their nearest location is now in Reno, Nevada.

[pH]

8 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Their nearest location is now in Reno, Nevada.

A long way to go for takeout!

[Barry O]

Happy Birthday Aditi!

 

Had a busy but productive day today.

 

Baz

Edited November 6, 2022 by Barry O
spellung!

[monkeysarefun]

24 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

They look fabulous! 

No beetroot anywhere = no votes from downunder.

[BoD]

8 hours ago, chrisf said:

The festive season is horribly close and I am nowhere near ready for it.  Neither, I imagine, is anybody else.

Nope, but my sprouts are well on the way.

Edited November 6, 2022 by BoD

[BoD]

Tony, please wish Aditi many happy returns from Oop North.

[Ozexpatriate]

24 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

No beetroot anywhere = no votes from downunder.

Clearly you weren't paying careful attention to the "Beet Red - Forest Green" burger.

 

[simontaylor484]

Had no power for most of day no charge on phone or tablet. I lent the power banks to the eldest so he could watch kickball.

 

@New Haven Neil the IOM VC winner was a Major Cain he did some remarkable things at Arnhem with a PIAT despite losing sight in an eye iirc.

Jeremy Clarkson made a documentary series on VC winners he was one of them. It turned out Major Cain was his FIL at the time.

The doc may be available on You Tube.

 

 

Forgot to mention our streets substation is connected in to a gen set on the back of a 45' flat trailer parked at side. So goodness knows what gone wrong

[simontaylor484]

Found the link 

[monkeysarefun]

18 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Clearly you weren't paying careful attention to the "Beet Red - Forest Green" burger.

 

Take off the stuff that sounds like  it's from a Mary Poppins song, lose the mushrooms, add a ring of Golden Circle and an egg... Rename  it "with the lot" ....Gold medal!

 

[Ozexpatriate]

23 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Had no power for most of day ...

our streets substation is connected in to a gen set on the back of a 45' flat trailer parked at side.

Hope that gets sorted soon. It's certainly a first-world problem, but I find power outages a bit discombobulating. Never really bothered me when I was young but in those days you don't think about how much you spent on the contents of the freezer and I lived in a warm climate so home heating was moot.

 

EDIT:

We become very dependent on it. In the aftermath of the Florida hurricane there were fatalities specifically related to power outages and I don't mean electrocutions from faulty/downed power equipment but examples like people dependent on oxygen machines, or refrigerated medications.

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Ozexpatriate