Early Risers.

[DaveF]

I'm starting to write this while I wait for the grocery delivery.  There was a red sunrise this morning but the cloud is thickening and my finger joints tell me rain is coming.

 

Yesterday started with the normal morning jobs which were finished before my phone call with the solicitor to discuss a new will.  It was the firm's will specialist who I've not spoken to before so he hadn't realised that I now know a bit about wills from dealing with Mum's.

 

He took me through the main points which were all easy to understand, then he asked the hard question - who do I want to leave things to?  I have no very close relatives, my cousins are all comfortably off and all but one of them have already had legacies from their parents.  So some thought is required.  It may end up with second cousins being beneficiaries.  I also need to find a number of documents to prove I own the house etc.

 

As far as I know no relative has an interest in photography or railways.  However, after I've died I shall probably not be interested in what happens to my things so why worry about what gets thrown away?  We are going to talk again in a fortnight, meanwhile I am doing some thinking and collecting information about possible beneficiaries so they could be written in.

 

After all that I had coffee followed by a good walk on the beach which helped clear my mind and I came back with a possible course of action.  I even started to think about what to do with Mum's jewellery.

 

Later in the day I managed to sort out a date in February for giving a digital slide show to the model railway group, now I must sort out some photos for it.

 

In the evening I watched some video I took in 1991 in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.  I was surprised that it was still quite acceptable in terms of quality for me, but I'm not sure other people would like it.  As all my video is on DVD I will now copy it to hard drives and convert it to a better format.  When I get time!

 

David

Edited November 15, 2022 by DaveF

[PhilJ W]

36 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

The Enfield relatives (but without MiL) are off to India in March for a wedding. The temperature for the wedding venue could be somewhere between 12 and 28C. The Indian relatives said to bring warm clothes. 

When I visited Malta in March the daytime temperature was in the low twenties and you could easily differentiate between tourists and the locals. The tourists were in shirtsleeves the locals were wearing overcoats. Although at night the temperature dropped to single figures, quite common in such climes.

[PhilJ W]

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2022-11-14/lost-dog-rosie-hands-herself-into-police-station

Police are following several leads.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, the rock is of course wet, although the seaweed twirlers had predicted gales, with it being doubtful the overnight ferry would sail.  Its dead still. Not a breath.  10c which is OK for the time of year, much the same predicto-guessed all week.

 

As for temperature extremes, I recall a baking hot day in a port in Texas (Galveston possibly, can't really recall), then when going alongside at night I was taking bunkers (about 4 thousand tonnes of heavy fuel oil) and had to wear a heavy waterproof coat of the type you may wear in a Scandinavian winter, as huge hailstones lashed down, bouncing back off the deck about three feet.  These things were lethal.  Next day - 30c. Weird place.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Chuckitdarn here, typical as we’re off out to meet friends at Chatsworth House today, but as we’ve already paid for the tickets! Anyway, the original plan is to head off in the next half hour, read into that 90 minutes as that’s how long it will take Sheila to decided what to take and what not to take 😖. I mean, what’s so difficult, it’s raining take a brolly, it’s sunny take sunglasses, simples! Me, I’m taking my hat AND a brolly, sorted! 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Not much sleep last night due to the weather bringing Arthur Itis out to do a rain dance in hobnail boots. Its stopped raining for now but more is due soon.

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Thinking about what I have just posted, made me realise that one of the curses of modern life is that excellent ideas and necessary changes – dreamt up and devised by the smart and intelligent – are far too often turned over to the terminally stupid, the venal and the incompetent for implementation.

And they love to spout 'elfin safe tea' to boost their inflated egos. Having received training in health and safety laws I love tying these people up in knots.

[jjb1970]

12 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

I’m booked to have a couple of days in Singapore in 2024 but as holiday paperwork fills me with dread I think I may cancel. I’ve heard Bognor Regis is nice in February 

 

Don't worry about that, if you come here now you just have to fill out an on-line arrival declaration three days before arrival. I think British visitors get a 30-day stamp on arrival. You need to be vaccinated but most people are. Nowadays we are not quite back to normal as we still have to wear masks on public transport and in healthcare facilities (and if you fly with SQ or most other Asian airlines they still have mask requirements) but other than that it's back to normal. On Sunday morning I almost walked from the aircraft into the landside of the terminal, very efficient. 

[jjb1970]

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Thinking about what I have just posted, made me realise that one of the curses of modern life is that excellent ideas and necessary changes – dreamt up and devised by the smart and intelligent – are far too often turned over to the terminally stupid, the venal and the incompetent for implementation.

 

And the flipside of the above, and another curse of modern life, is that you have third rate academics with nothing better to do than dream up absurd theories (and socially dangerous and divisive ons to boot) which are taken up with indecent enthusiasm by their pink haired, pierced and tattooed acolytes who “spread the word“ with all the zeal (and intolerance) of Torquemada‘s finest!

 

And, yes, that was a tiny rant-ette!

 

One of my pet hates with modern academia is the number of people who really should know better, in being educated to PhD level and holding tenure as professors, who cannot differentiate between modelled analysis and data. Last week I had a depressingly common exchange with a climate scientist who went through a splendid presentation of his modelling and announced that his 'data' proved a hypothesis he was promoting. I was the awkward one who said he hadn't shown me any data, he'd shown some impressive infographics of modelled scenarios with no information of either the model or underpinning assumptions meaning that there was no way for anyone to know if what he had presented meant anything or nothing. Didn't go down well. I'm also amazed by the number of climate scientists who don't understand anything about atmospheric science or emissions.

[jjb1970]

2 hours ago, BSW01 said:

Good morning everyone 

 

Chuckitdarn here, typical as we’re off out to meet friends at Chatsworth House today, but as we’ve already paid for the tickets! Anyway, the original plan is to head off in the next half hour, read into that 90 minutes as that’s how long it will take Sheila to decided what to take and what not to take 😖. I mean, what’s so difficult, it’s raining take a brolly, it’s sunny take sunglasses, simples! Me, I’m taking my hat AND a brolly, sorted! 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

 

Remember not to talk about anything you see during the visit, or is that Chatham House?

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

Sorry I've had to skip, as laptop needed for "serious" issues.  Greetings are, of course, on offer.

 

Went to a Christmas Fair, which cost a fiver each to get in - to find that it was just a load of bought in stuff, other than a small handful of quality items which were actually craftsman made.  All of the foodstuffs were sugar based, like fudge and cakes - no savoury items at all.  So went into Ludlow and had a mooch round the charity shops looking at the books - a busman's holiday indeed.  Also bought a bit of nostalgia in the form of some Pentangle CDs which I only ever owned on vinyl.  Also an abortive visit to the pharmacy, as I need some of my steroid cream - "sorry, can't get it" has now been the answer on the last three visits - on the first, my five item repeat list had been with them for ten days, it had not even been printed until I went in - then the didn't have my insulin, my steroid, and only 50 test strips - insulin collected yesterday, and test strips today, but the steroid is still on back order!  

 

Off upstairs now to sort out the train cabinets - it's been 8 months to the day since we moved, so it's time to get them done.  Now what about the 500+ railway books which are still scattered around the house and in no order.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[DaveF]

It's amazing what you find when you look carefully.  This morning I mentioned my holiday videos on DVD and that I needed to copy them onto hard drives.  So after coffee I had a good look on my hard drives and found them - the folders are on no fewer than 5 hard drives.  They are all in the format I want (mp4) as well.

 

There are some shorter ones I've not found (yet) but they won't take long to copy from a DVD.

 

Now how could I forget having put them on hard drives?  I must have done it around 2004  and just copied them across each time as new bigger hard drives have been bought.

 

Now I can relax and continue listening to some very pleasant Swiss music on Rdaio Eviva (via the web).

Note: Not all Swiss music involves yodelling!

 

David

Edited November 15, 2022 by DaveF

[polybear]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The dog that nearly ended up under my wheels yesterday wouldn’t have needed a lead anymore. I don’t blame the dog but the owner had no chance of shortening the lead while the dog was launching itself across the road. I suspect the owner didn’t have the lead locked in position. 

 

Driving Bear has been on the receiving end of a f.stupid dog owner - it was many moons ago but still affects me at times.  The Police arrived from over 6 miles away before the owner turned up; his Insurance Company (that I didn't even know existed until quite a while afterwards) stated " there was no way the owner could foresee that the (young dog) being lawfully exercised (off a lead) in a public park (with no fence) would run away nor run into a road".

One of my great regrets is not punching the tw@t.

 

4 hours ago, DaveF said:

He took me through the main points which were all easy to understand, then he asked the hard question - who do I want to leave things to?  I have no very close relatives, my cousins are all comfortably off and all but one of them have already had legacies from their parents.  So some thought is required.  It may end up with second cousins being beneficiaries.  I also need to find a number of documents to prove I own the house etc.

 

Bear has the very same problem - apart from a Brother that I've not had a visit or single phone call from in 11 years (Chrimbo & Birthday Cards only - and that'll be from his SWMBO);  I have several Cousins - one is a total waste of Oxygen, two I never hear from (I always send them Birthday Cards) and one that I always receive a Birthday and Chrimbo Card from; I'd like very much to hear more from her (and have tried) but nottalot has come from it, though we are on good terms.  The situation regarding these last three Cousins is due to fall-out from B'sterd Bear - though they are totally blameless (one of those "awkward" family situations that went on far too long).

The Oxygen Thief has four adult kids (so first cousins once removed according to Google) and whilst three of them are fine (the fourth I never hear from - which suits me) I only ever get a very, very short email from one of them (two sentences kinda stuff) maybe a couple of times a year.  Apart from that it's Auntie Poly - who's fine, but anything left to her would most likely go to the first Cousins once removed sooner rather than later.

So how many of the above would fellow ER'ers be inclined to leave their worldly goods to?

 

4 hours ago, DaveF said:

However, after I've died I shall probably not be interested in what happens to my things so why worry about what gets thrown away?  

 

Ahh, that's a bit different for this Bear - I really, really HATE the idea of my stuff going to some scrote, or getting chucked in a skip.

All in all, a bluddy nightmare.

[Winslow Boy]

3 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Driving Bear has been on the receiving end of a f.stupid dog owner - it was many moons ago but still affects me at times.  The Police arrived from over 6 miles away before the owner turned up; his Insurance Company (that I didn't even know existed until quite a while afterwards) stated " there was no way the owner could foresee that the (young dog) being lawfully exercised (off a lead) in a public park (with no fence) would run away nor run into a road".

One of my great regrets is not punching the tw@t.

 

 

Bear has the very same problem - apart from a Brother that I've not had a visit or single phone call from in 11 years (Chrimbo & Birthday Cards only - and that'll be from his SWMBO);  I have several Cousins - one is a total waste of Oxygen, two I never hear from (I always send them Birthday Cards) and one that I always receive a Birthday and Chrimbo Card from; I'd like very much to hear more from her (and have tried) but nottalot has come from it, though we are on good terms.  The situation regarding these last three Cousins is due to fall-out from B'sterd Bear - though they are totally blameless (one of those "awkward" family situations that went on far too long).

The Oxygen Thief has four adult kids (so first cousins once removed according to Google) and whilst three of them are fine (the fourth I never hear from - which suits me) I only ever get a very, very short email from one of them (two sentences kinda stuff) maybe a couple of times a year.  Apart from that it's Auntie Poly - who's fine, but anything left to her would most likely go to the first Cousins once removed sooner rather than later.

So how many of the above would fellow ER'ers be inclined to leave their worldly goods to?

 

 

Ahh, that's a bit different for this Bear - I really, really HATE the idea of my stuff going to some scrote, or getting chucked in a skip.

All in all, a bluddy nightmare.

 

You could of course do a Jeff ie get rid of it before you pass away and as he has 125 billion I can see a lot of people benefiting.

[jjb1970]

On science, a few months ago I was sent a paper abstract this morning which included the following in the cover sheet:

 

"The scientists, who report their findings in a study, have discovered that more than 90% of whale shark movements coincide with shipping activities, which led them to the conclusion that whale sharks are often struck and killed by ships before sinking to the ocean floor without anyone noticing."

 

Interested I read the paper and indeed the above passage accurately reflects the paper. That isn't a conclusion, it's a hypothesis, to be studied further in order to support a more definitive position such as ‘concluding’. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man stuff like this annoys me (for what it's worth, I thought they're probably right, but you couldn't tell that from anything in their paper).

[Erichill16]

Meet Hovis.

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Meet Hovis.

When you mentioned a 10year plus commitment yesterday, I did suspect that might mean a puppy arrival. Very nice. 

[Barry O]

11 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

Meet Hovis.

Cute! That will keep you busy!

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

19 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

report their findings in a study, have discovered that more than 90% of whale shark movements coincide with shipping activities, which led them to the conclusion that whale sharks are often struck and killed by ships before sinking to the ocean floor without anyone noticing."

Is it also possible that most whale sharks  observations  are made by people on boats/ships? The ones not observed would be difficult to count?

[polybear]

56 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

You could of course do a Jeff ie get rid of it before you pass away and as he has 125 billion I can see a lot of people benefiting.

 

But who on earth would want a box full of unbuilt D&S Wagon Kits........

 

40 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

When you mentioned a 10year plus commitment yesterday, I did suspect that might mean a puppy arrival. Very nice. 

 

Bear thought that perhaps a certain Punk Rocker might finally have seen the light and decided to go for "The Big R" at long last - though I did think ten years was a bit pessimistic....

[Erichill16]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

When you mentioned a 10year plus commitment yesterday, I did suspect that might mean a puppy arrival. Very nice. 

Shes not a puppy. Shes actually four years old( one year older than Syd) shes having a hard time at home. Shes from syds breader and lives with 15 other dogs. We’ve had her for the day and now taking her home. We’re having her again tomorrow and we need to decide if we’re going to keep her. 
She is very pleasant and not timid. Hovis and Sydney are not interacting much but at least they’re not growling at each other.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Erichill16
Add more info

[Tony_S]

25 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

breader and lives with 15 other dogs

I can see why she is called Hovis!

[Barry O]

on a roll here now..

 

Tax return.. done and sent.. they owe me £3.25!

 

Two electronic control units were broken.. now fixed!

 

Coupling things fitted to a couple of miniature representations of things which run on nickel silver.

 

Now.. steak for tea and then.. can I avoid getting knocked flat tonight at cricket??

Baz

 

 

ps @Erichill16  you know you want to become Hovis's best dad .. don't you!

[Ian Abel]

Chewsday...

 

Little of note from yesterday - Mrs took Whitney for a walk as Whitney loves the snow, likes sniffing out the mice and vole trails under the snow 🤪

 

Snow off and on most of yesterday and overnight, continuing now, but VERY light and not adding much to the overall accumulation maybe 3 inches or so.

Staying inside in the warm will be the order of the day, though the Mrs and Whitney likely will do another walk.

 

Fitting look back in time from Facebook - was EIGHT YEARS ago today that Jemma was in training with Compass on the Embraer E190, from there she's passed through to Delta and the 737-800 and as we speak (type) is now down in Atlanta training on the Boeing 767-400ER to fly internationally - very proud of her.

 

Weather first thing overcast, light snow and -1C, supposed to have light snow all day and a high of3C

 

Tally ho.

[Ian Abel]

6 minutes ago, Barry O said:

on a roll here now..

 

Tax return.. done and sent.. they owe me £3.25!

 

Two electronic control units were broken.. now fixed!

 

Coupling things fitted to a couple of miniature representations of things which run on nickel silver.

 

Now.. steak for tea and then.. can I avoid getting knocked flat tonight at cricket??

Baz

 

 

ps @Erichill16  you know you want to become Hovis's best dad .. don't you!

Nice tax return, that'll pay for the steak 🤪🤣🤣🤣

[Tony_S]

30 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

Nice tax return, that'll pay for the steak 🤪🤣🤣🤣

About 100grams worth. I could be a politician as I have no idea how much anything costs now. When we went shopping I would look at prices but since we have shopped online, Aditi has taken control of all the shopping apart from my occasional Ocado order for things she has forgotten to put on the regular order. I do get asked things like “have you seen how much butter is this week?”.

Tony