Early Risers.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[PhilJ W]

[monkeysarefun]

Back from my Sunday errands with 2 discoveries under my belt.

First, at the petshop where I was getting a replacement rattly ball for Gary The Parrot, I found a possible reason for why there are markedly fewer dogs around the place than there were 10 years or so ago..

 

Secondly, at the hardware shop I was heartened to see  that romance is far from dead here, going by the number of Aussie blokes taking the missus out for Sunday lunch.

[AndyID]

Four thousand bucks! Presumably that includes life insurance 😀

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

Four thousand bucks! Presumably that includes life insurance 😀

Apparently French Bulldogs are targeted for thefts in the US. (Famously Lady Gaga's dog walker, but there are others.)

 

Google suggests a French Bulldog puppy costs an average of US$3,000, but with AKC certification may cost as much as $8,000. One website suggested that a documented French Bulldog rom a 'reputable dealer' sells on average for $5,300, but may be as high as $30,000.

 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Apparently French Bulldogs are targeted for thefts in the US. (Famously Lady Gaga's dog walker, but there are others.)

 

Google suggests a French Bulldog puppy costs an average of US$3,000, but with AKC certification may cost as much as $8,000. One website suggested that a documented French Bulldog rom a 'reputable dealer' sells on average for $5,300, but may be as high as $30,000.

 

 

Shona thinks that's pretty funny.

 

 

(Shona is a purebred Scottie. She is 14 now but she will still give a squirrel a good run for its money 😀)

 

And for no particular reason here she is on a recent morning walk with MrsID. Shona is quite deaf now so she keeps an eye out for possible treats.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by AndyID
added pic

[Barry O]

Veterinaries love French Bulldogs.. well as a source of income that is.

 

The visionary I know would never go near a pedigree dog.. all of his were of a "Heinz 57" variety.. in breeding inside a breed does cause a lot of problems and can cost a lot of money.

 

Baz

Edited December 4, 2022 by Barry O

[TheQ]

Doggie prices went silly in the UK too, but not that silly. But there are people demanding pedigree money or more for a what is a mutt, a heinz 57..

Mutts used to be near enough given away, now they give them a silly name like cockapoo and charge a fortune,  as were rescue dogs almost free, now even a rescue centre demands £260.

 

As for our favourite breeds the Rough Collie, was pre Covid at most £1000, that peaked at £3000, but has dropped back to about £2000 unless from real champion dogs.

 

Border Collies where a working champion trials winning  dog prices are into the tens of thousands of pounds, they are extremely rare. Your normal pet Border, sold off a farm is maybe £800- £1000 up from £200 in a area close to a city. From a remote part of the country they are around £500, up from £50-100..

 

As for French bulldogs the UK price for a non pedigree Frenchy appears to be around £800-1000, whereas a pedigree from a recognised breeder, is more like £2000-3000.

My nephew in Canada has two Frenchies.

 

One advantage of the Collie breeds is they are little changed in the last 150 years. Paintings of Queen Victoria's Rough Collies, and others champion sheepdog border collies are very similar to today's dogs.

 

Mooring Awl,

Taking pink pills meant I fell asleep early so it was 3.5hours sleep before midnight, then a long ish awake before Ben got me up at about 5:30.. so about 8hours sleep.

 

Ben the I want out Collie didn't do much more than a splash and dash.. for which I was glad, there's no frost due to the evil easterly but it's darned cold and overcast.

 

My left knee, the cause of pink pills is still reminding me it's there, but not as bad as yesterday.

 

The forecast for today is a 15 to 25mph Easterly, cloudy all day, high tide is about 10:00, so the flow will out all the time of racing.

 

Time to lie back and surf the net till it's time for breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

[jjb1970]

Something terrible appears to have happened in the world! I boarded an aeroplane on Friday night and it was a very pleasant 28C outside, as is normal. Yesterday afternoon when I got off the flight in London it was about 6C, the only rational explanation is that the world was tipped into catastrophic global colding while the flight was in the air.

It's lovely to be back in London, I went for a walk (I'm staying near Lambeth bridge) and the place was heaving, very busy. Uncomfortably so in many places, but after recent times I think the city needs it. I had a portion of chips from my old haunt the Fryers Delight on Theobalds Road which was heavenly. The Fryers Delight is great, probably shortens lifespan but nice.

Something that was immediately noticeable on arrival at Heathrow was the crazy overuse of public address systems. I don't want this to sound like a 'elf n'safety gone mad rant' as health and safety improvements have been outstanding over my lifetime and I have no issue with using PA systems to warn people of safety risks, but from leaving the aircraft it was never ending, and went into overdrive at the railway station where it was literally none stop for the 13 minutes it took for a Hex train to arrive, with a manic platform guy with a magaphone alternating with the PA. It becomes counter-productive as it just annoys people when it is impossible to have a conversation because of continuous PA announcements saying the same thing repeatedly.

I think I'll visit the RAF museum at Hendon today, before it all starts tomorrow, a wonderful museum.

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Veterinaries love French Bulldogs.. well as a source of income that is.

 

The visionary I know would never go near a pedigree dog.. all of his were of a "Heinz 57" variety.. in breeding inside a breed does cause a lot of problems and can cost a lot of money.

 

Baz

 

Good breeders, when you can find them, go out of their way to prevent inbreeding.

 

This little guy, Torri, short for Mr Torridon, was a Cairn Terrier. He was rescued from a puppy-mill in Missouri. We have had a few dogs but what was remarkable about Torri was he had a fantastic sense of humor. He would do anything just to raise the spirits of those around him.

 

 

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

..........as were rescue dogs almost free, now even a rescue centre demands £260.

 

 

I wouldn't begrudge that at all - much rather to them than some potentially iffy dog breeder.  Plus there's (I suspect) a much better chance of them being fully checked out for health and behaviour and homed appropriately.

 

Bear here.....

The Tigger Bounce is feeling somewhat low this morning, but I plan to crack on and get some H/S/L work done - walling filling (including knocking up a small amount of mortar for some big voids in an area behind a piece of skirting - I'm not looking forward to that bit cos' that'll get mixed in the back garden and it looks bluddy cold out there......).

I also have a circular mdf plinth that needs the edges sanded and then the whole thing primed - this came off the 'bay and will be used as a decorative ceiling rose to which the lighting pendant will be fitted to.  I searched high and low for a plaster or duropolymer rose - but the diameter needed is very small (7" IIRC) as it's close to the loft hatch; all those that I did find (there weren't many) didn't have a sufficiently large area in the middle suitable to secure the pendant to.

After that it's MIUABGAD......

Bear gone.

[45156]

14 hours ago, TheQ said:

I'm off to bed with a large whisky

Talking of large whiskies, I am "limited" to one pub measure a day - so I bought a pub measure - a Scottish pub measure, which is 35ml, and means I get almost a large one anyway/

 

Also, Morrison's are doing Cardhu at £24.99, down from £44, and Laphroaig 10yo at £27.99, down from £40.  They were also doing Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour, at £24.99 down from £39 - all three are now residing beside my three Aldi Glen Marnoch and two of Lidl Abrachan - Cheers.

 

Off to the Ludlow antqique and collectibles market

Edited December 4, 2022 by 45156

[jjb1970]

I very rarely drink, it's not because of any philosophical objection to alcohol, I just don't really enjoy it. Many years ago I joined my first trip as a cadet and realised very quickly everyone else on-board was an alcoholic (I am not saying that as a throaway silly comment, I mean it literally) and so decided not to drink at sea and never went back to drinking (not doing something is also a habit). However, the exception is sake, I do enjoy sake. I find it very light and fresh and although I don't drink it very often I do enjoy it sometimes. Japanese friends often bring me a bottle when visiting, and one of the pleasures of ANA is they serve very good sake (well, the stuff in business class is excellent). Funnily enough my wife is the same as me in not drinking alcohol but having one exception occasionally, but in her case she likes Soju.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

A grey start to the day and it seems that it may stay that way.  There is the faint chance of a bright spell or two as well as some light showers.  Currently 4°C and it may reach 6°C.

Somewhat aching at the moment particularly in The Knee department but pills not required ...yet.

One rugby match watched last night with Quins making hard work of it against Bath and were lucky to get away with a win.   A couple more recorded games to watch today.

However before that some sort of fried breakfast is scheduled followed by a visit to The Shed to play with the new toys.

Have a good one,

Bob.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PupCam]

Morning All!

 

A bimble to the Dunstable Gliding Club is on the cards this morning for the Old Fxrts Club (Puppershire Branch).        

Hmmm, weather  isn't looking exactly great ....

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Late putting in a normal morning appearance despite being up at silly o'clock. 

 

Breakfast had, more washing hung up to dry, a loco fixed, breakfast made and eaten, snake and pigmy  prepared and in the slow cooker for tea...Long chat with Sister...

 

Next up.. a trip for some wrapping paper for her indoors present. Then a lot more muddling.

 

Yikes..more weight lost (not drinking alcohol helps).. At this rate I willbe below my rugby fighting weight (13.5 stone) by next weekend.  I dofeelbetter for it..but my hipand knee may needa revisit by C ortisone..  pah!

 

Stay safe!

 

Baz

 

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

I wouldn't begrudge that at all - much rather to them than some potentially iffy dog breeder.  Plus there's (I suspect) a much better chance of them being fully checked out for health and behaviour and homed appropriately.

 

 

Fifteen years ago, when we got our rescue dog from Dogs' Trust, the fee was £90. Best money ever spent and it included a bag of expensive dog food (£45) and a month's insurance. £260 is not unreasonable when you consider that it costs around £2k a year to keep a dog. If people can not afford a one-off payment of £260, they probably won't be able to afford to look after it properly.

 

We thought that we had got a collie cross but it turned out, when we first took him to the vets, that we had found ourselves an Australian Cattle Dog. That is indeed a collie cross but has been a recognised breed for about 200 years. Because of interbreeding, the ACD does have a known genetic condition which is very poor close-up vision which was certainly the case with ours.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

Another dull and wet, although it isn’t raining at the moment, it has done during the night. 

 

They’ll be no DIY, gardening or hobby work done today as we’re having a pre Christmas buffet lunch. This used to be a regular thing, but Covid put paid to that, so this year we’ve decided to re-introduce it. So, at about 1pm the mongol hordes aka, Vickie, Ian, Charlie, Ava, Evie and Max will descend upon us and eat us out of house and home. They will consume the entire contents of the fridge, leaving us destitute and without food until tomorrow. Best get on with starting to get the buffet sorted then. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

Edited December 4, 2022 by BSW01

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

Also, Morrison's are doing Cardhu at £24.99, down from £44, and Laphroaig 10yo at £27.99, down from £40.  They were also doing Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour, at £24.99 down from £39 - all three are now residing beside my three Aldi Glen Marnoch and two of Lidl Abrachan - Cheers.

Cheers indeed.  I secured a litre of Baileys from Tess & Coe's on Friday.  Shelf price £21; Club Card price ....... £10 😯.  I'll have to scour the malt whisky sections as well.  

 

Good morning all.  Notter Good Knight's sleep for reasons unknown so a slow start this morning.  And not helped by the cold slightly damp conditions outside.  Bits of me are less than keen to work as they should.

 

Cross ants croissants and coffee were enjoyed earlier whilst Dr. SWMBO was out at her morning swim.  She reports the pool is now bedecked with fairy lights and her anxiety triggered at the thought of a string breaking and making contact with a pool full of swimmers .....  

 

Muggercoffy number two is in progress following which I am required to transport a bag of daffodil bulbs to the village planter where winterisation is in progress.  Certain less-than-hardy plants are being removed for over-wintering in our miniature greenhouse and the bulbs will go in to create an early display in the new year.  Assuming the local squirrel and fox populations don't dig them up first.  

 

A friend is performing some sort of madrigal concert in a normally-disused church tonight; we are invited and I have expressed my disinterest.  I can think of worse things to do with a Sunday evening but few of them are readily available or legal 😂

 

Best wishes to one and all.  Stay as warm as you can.  

[Tony_S]

Good morning.

It was a late decision but we are going to see MiL in Enfield today. We did intend to go yesterday but she had an invitation to go for lunch. We are taking lunch with us as it is at short notice. Aditi was going to take fish but MiL had that yesterday so some cheesy vegetable and pasta bake is being prepared. MiL is getting very forgetful now. She knows she is too. She couldn’t remember how to ring our telephone the other day. She did manage eventually. This isn’t something she has had problems with before. She is going through a phase of having perfect recall of unpleasant things that have happened.   She is getting obsessed with things. Two financial providers have declined her credit card renewals recently. When taken out she had always liked to pay for things. Now she has to rely in others. This doesn’t help her mentally at all. Anyway she always seems cheered up by Aditi’s visits. 
When we get home I will need to tidy my car a bit as I am taking it  for its annual service and MoT tomorrow.  This is the last service covered by the 5 year plan it was sold with. The licences to use some of the cars features expired too but they were not expensive to renew and wouldn’t have made the car unusable anyway. Just nice to have. The Land Rover garage don’t do their collect from home service anymore, which is a shame as the garage is in Chelmsford. The Ford garage Aditi uses still does even for a free MoT. 
Tony
 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

and her anxiety triggered at the thought of a string breaking and making contact with a pool full of swimmers .....  

Hopefully they are low voltage LED strings nowadays?

[DaveF]

A cold south easterly this morning with showers and blue bits in between.  I've been to church and checked the flat again.

 

Yesterday was cold and grey.  It started with a quick trip to Lidl for things I'd forgotten to order along with a bottle of their inexpensive but quite good Islay malt whisky.  That was followed by a walk along the Quayside and around the park.  There was a small Christmas Fair but on looking at the stalls there was nothing I wanted.

 

Later on I looked at some more of my old photos, this time from 2018/9.  In the afternoon I gardened, cutting bits off some more climbing roses, cutting down a perennial geranium I'd forgotten to do ealier and a general tidy up.  The garden bin will be emptied for the last time until next Spring on Wednesday so I must finish the tidying up before then

 

I've realised I've got sinusitis which is always worse in cold weather, especially when the wind is off the sea so I may be staying in more than usual for a few days.  I think I will need to make a trip to the local pharmacy.

 

The evening passed as usual with TV, music and my book.

 

David

Edited December 4, 2022 by DaveF

[PhilJ W]

Morning/afternoon from Estuary-Land. Didn't wake up until after nine this morning and together with a long soak in followed by a leisurely brunch I'm a bit late. Had a strange dream last night, even stranger perhaps is I remember most of it vividly. I arrived in Japan? or some other far eastern country with my friend and his young son. We caught a train into a city and then set out to walk to our hotel. I then realised I had no luggage* with me and turned back to station leaving the others to carry on. I then realised that my friend was the only one who knew where the hotel was, I turned round and he was out of sight.  It was then that I realised that the cityscape had changed. It was then that I woke up. *I realised after I had awoken that none of us had any luggage. 

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

3 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

and her anxiety triggered at the thought of a string breaking and making contact with a pool full of swimmers .....  

Hopefully they are low voltage LED strings nowadays?

And linked to a line-breaker which would cut the power almost instantly if the circuit was compromised.  

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, Gwiwer said:

And linked to a line-breaker which would cut the power almost instantly if the circuit was compromised.  

Hopefully the seasonal swimming can continue without anxiety now.