Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

Hot off the press - Mrs NHN's colleagues called out to:-

 

 

We were wondering what the drivers own car was in the garage for....🤣

[Ian Abel]

Monday here too 😀

 

Enjoyable and busy weekend;

Friday evening (after a POETS) joined our friends in the "finally" renovated condo. They've still a lot of unpacking to do, and various items to hook up, the building complex cable TV/internet is rather a flustercuck, with almost no-one on the building maintenance team understanding anything beyond a copper 2-wire telephone systems it seems!!! The complex was built in the '70s and I think the maintenance crew are the SAME as those that started there 🤪

 

Saturday, started in earnest getting the Christmas decorations sorted, and lights etc., on the tree. The Mrs in charge and I just do what I'm told.

The evening we were over at one of the neighbors for their annual party, having prepared bruschetta as our contribution.

 

Sunday, recovering from the party <yawn> and then a lot of organizing/decorating since we have our own "Christmas Vacation" party this coming Friday. Many of our friends and neighbors are "Christmas Vacation" fans/fanatics and it will be interesting to see what costumes this year brings.

 

Knackered by late afternoon, pity it was the END of the weekend and not the start!

 

Jemma has just received her marching flying orders for her "Operational Experience" flights on the 767-400.

Tomorrow - Thursday: Barcelona

20th - 23rd: Athens. Since Delta don't have a daily flight, she has to spend a 48-hour layover in Athens (shame, shame everyone cried!!! 🤣🤣) I'm sure she'll manage.

27th - 1st.: Buenos Aires

 

-2c and overcast first thing, feels very "English" as it's quite damp with a light breeze, seems colder than much lower temps. High +1c forecast

 

Tally ho.

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. One of my daily papers didn't arrive today. Apparently the delivery truck was caught up in the traffic on the M25, none to be had anywhere. 

6 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

latest from Sky - absolutely terrible

 

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull, police have confirmed.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident at Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon.

A search of the lake is continuing after reports up to six children had fallen in, but authorities have warned it is "no longer a search and rescue operation".

Tragic indeed, I hope that they're not from the same family. 

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Hot off the press - Mrs NHN's colleagues called out to:-

 

 

We were wondering what the drivers own car was in the garage for....🤣

 

Don't worry we get that as well.

[polybear]

3 hours ago, BoD said:

Ironically,  a couple of years ago, I managed to slip one morning when going for my morning paper and fell in a way that I really winded myself and cracked a rib.  I was in some pain for a week or two but more seriously it knocked my confidence on snow and ice for six.  I am still wary and far less comfortable when it is icy underfoot.

 

I did that back in 2009 when coming out of the Dry Cleaners - I've never known pain like it; a Neighbour took me to a local NHS walk-in service and I saw a Doc very quickly.  My Oxygen readings were nigh on 100% and after prodding me somewhat she concluded that I'd busted "some" ribs; she did say I could go for an X-Ray but all that would do is say the same thing - after a VEEEEEEEERY long wait cos' people were falling left, right and centre.  

 

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Tragic indeed, I hope that they're not from the same family. 

 

The BBC News website has this:

"Police said their thoughts were with the families ......."

- which suggests more than one family is involved; it doesn't rule out the possibility that two are brothers, of course.

 

The news also reported that the incident in Jersey (in which the FB attended to investigate reports of a smell of gas) was then handed over to the Island Gas Service to investigate.  So that suggests the FB are off the hook, though the Gas Service may have some explaining to do.

 

In other news.....

An afternoon of Templot....it's a learning curve.....

 

Right, s'pose I'd better get to grips with writing Chrimbo cards 🙁; a Neighbour (who talks to our Postie a lot) says that they're only delivering letters once a week at the moment due to the strikes; all effort is on parcels and 24/28 hour delivery items apparently.

Edited December 12, 2022 by polybear

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Not so different to Australian (well VIctorian from personal experience, but I hear the same from allover) driving skills.

 

In a nation where mandatory lessons are not required it is traditional to learn to drive at a young age being taught by a parent or friend around a paddock.  "Learn to drive" being a rather loose term which might better be described as "Being shown what the controls do".   Unless you learn and test within the City of Melbourne you don't get to drive with trams - the same being true of British cities of course - but you meet them when you drive into those areas.  If you learn in the City you don't get "bush" experience of avoiding kangas and other wildlife and how to cope if caught in a bush-fire or flood emergency.  Those can spring upon you in moments with little or no warning, surprising though it might sound.  

 

There is strong advice to complete a minimum number of logged hours with a professional instructor but it is not a requirement.  Some people present themselves for testing having had no formal lessons at all.  Provisional and Learner drivers are permitted on freeways there meaning you can have zero experience and road skill but legally drive at up to 110kmh (subject to posted limit) or around 76mph.  

 

Odd rules which no-one teaches you in the backyard and not everyone teaches correctly on the road are:-

1. The hook turn: at designated intersections along tram routes you must not perform a direct right turn across the tracks but are required to pull in on the left, join the queue waiting to cross the road you are leaving and wait for their green light.  You then go first before that queue.  Signposted as "Turn right from left lane only".  

2. Stop behind trams: when a tram stops you MUST stop behind it; not pull alongside it and definitely not attempt to overtake it.  Most tram tracks are along the centre of roads meaning if you overtook you would pull into the oncoming tram lane with no clear vision ahead.  If you are already alongside the tram (for example waiting at traffic lights and the tram pulls up beside you) then you must wait for it t go first unless "waved through" by the driver who might be waiting for right-time.  That never happens.    

3.  Pass emergency vehicles attending incidents or any other accident at no more than 40kmh and be prepared to stop.

4.  Never ever turn off when you see a booze bus ahead (breath testing unit); the police will chase you and test you anyway.  Random stop and test applies unlike in the UK.  The limit is lower than the UK version at 0.05 (UK 0.08) 

 

And - as it always is - driving is a privilege not a right.  Even if you live 50 miles from the shop and have been driving the ute since you were 9 years old.  It happens.  

 

 

I got my license in 1981,  you should have been here then!. Being  a rural area on the fringe of the suburbs if you lived on one side of the river you were "Metropolitan" and  had to do your test at the nearest town, which had a 'proper' Roads and Traffic Authority where the testers would sit in the car for about 15 minutes while you drove the streets and  tried not to do anything too wrong, make sure to look behind you when pulling from the kerb, indicate when turning, stop at stop sign. Major compulsory skills you needed to pass were a hill start, a 3 point turn and a reverse park.

The testers were 3 wizened grumpy old bu99ers who were just as  likely to fail you for being rude to them, or because they didnt like the look of you as they were for you hitting the kerb when reversing, and one decent bloke - you hoped you got him.

 

.  One of the examiners was a dirty old man known to pass any girls wearing short skirts and with the their top buttons undone - due to the business hours of the registry tests had to be taken during schooltime so it was easy to see which girls had a driving test booked that day when they turned up!

 

However if you lived on the other side of the river (like most of my mates, the lucky ...)  you were 'country' and did your test at the Picton Police station. There a copper would stand at the kerb outside the police station and watch you drive off out of sight on the main street til you got to the George the 4th pub about 300metre away, do a U-turn and come back and park neatly, job done.

 

The other thing back then which is different to now  was the availability and cheapness of huge-engined Australian muscle cars. Now when you get your licence you are restricted to what car you can drive, what bike you can  ride - back then the world of cheap 1960's and 1970's Australian muscle was yours for the taking. You could have anything you liked, and because at that  time they were still plentiful and everyday they were cheap as chips. 

 

And bloody insane in the hands of a 17 year old with no experience in them. Huge engines, coupled with drum brakes on the rear, no-power steering, lap seatbelts (rear optional in the earlier cars) and with 1970's tyre technology. But you had to have one or no girl would be seen dead in your car!

 

Everything came with a bloody big V8, the fuel crisis of the 70's didn't have anything like the effect on our car industry like it did in the US, and we didn't have the engine-strangling pollution legislation either so our cheap muscle car era stretched on through the 70's and into the  80s.

 

The most desired were the Bathurst specials. Bathurst was deemed a production car race so what was raced had to be available for the public to buy. Therefore Ford, Chrysler and Holden released 500 race-spec cars every year that anyone could own - apprentice plumbers, housewives, old vicars, anyone could own the same car that experienced drivers like Alan Moffit and Peter Brock struggled with as they  drove around a race track. 

 

Two brothers that I went to school with each had a 1973 Bathurst spec Ford, bought second hand in 1982 for a song. They were nuts in them.  A kid in the year below got a Suzuki Katana brand new, put nitrous on it. (Killed himself shortly after...). The death toll was phenomenal - the year below me lost at least 5 pupils while still at school, several more in the 2 or 3 years after.

The introduction of random  breath testing in 1982 did help but it was still carnage out there!

 

I learned in my mums Fiat 500 (seriously) my first car was a 3.3 Litre straight six Holden Torana coupe  with triple SU's -  the difference was quite remarkable to say the least,  I had to learn extra skills "on the job" as emergency situations popped up!

 

Those who survived them the first time around are now looking to buy these cars, their rarity coupled with the buying power of baby boomers means that they can fetch low to mid 6 figures. For rarer ones the sky is the limit.

The Holy Grail is the 1971 Falcon GTHO Phase 3, the fastest sedan in the world in 1971. 0-100kmh in 6.4 seconds and top speed at 140kmh, with drum brakes at the rear, it was priced at $5000 at the time - something that a young tradie could afford if he was careful with his pay.  Theres one for sale right now, not sure what car 660000 pounds will get you in the UK but I assume it wouldn't have wind up windows and drum brakes at the back!

 

https://www.drive.com.au/news/one-of-one-ford-falcon-xy-gtho-phase-iii-for-sale/

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, 45156 said:

Such a sad news of late, what with kids going through the ice, and flats exploding in Jersey.  Why does it always seem to be at Christmas, or is it just that these things are more poignant and significant at the festive season.

It's a bit of both. Naturally accidents related to icy ponds are going to be proximate to the winter holiday season - so not really coincidental.

 

I haven't looked up the official cause of the exploding flats in Jersey - though I imagine a gas leak is suspected. These of course can happen at any time of year, but many house fires can be connected to the holidays. Christmas trees are notoriously flammable and people can make mistakes with decorations and fireplaces and overcrowded kitchens where flammable items are placed close to heat sources.

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Ozexpatriate
Spelling

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Not so different to Australian (well VIctorian from personal experience, but I hear the same from allover) driving skills.

There is much more to attaining a driver's license in Queensland than there was 30 years or so ago.

 

Part of the testing is responding to online video traffic scenarios - almost (but not quite) like a traffic simulator for dangerous conditions where you are supposed to respond correctly to pass the exam. The sequence of red P (P1) and green P (P2) plates for graduated provisional licenses is also in place. (These had been abandoned in my day but are back in force.)

[monkeysarefun]

6 hours ago, 45156 said:

Why does it always seem to be at Christmas, or is it just that these things are more poignant and significant at the festive season.

 

 

Down here there was Cyclone Tracy flattening Darwin on Christmas Day 1974 and the Indonesian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004....

Edited December 12, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

3.  Pass emergency vehicles attending incidents or any other accident at no more than 40kmh and be prepared to stop.

Road rules here have recently changed regarding police or emergency vehicles on the shoulder. You have to either leave the outside lane clear or slow down if it is impossible to change lanes.

[monkeysarefun]

10 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There is much more to attaining a driver's license in Queensland than there was 30 years or so ago.

 

Part of the testing is responding to online video traffic scenarios - almost (but not quite) like a traffic simulator for dangerous conditions where you are supposed to respond correctly to pass the exam. The sequence of red P (P1) and green P (P2) plates for graduated provisional licenses is also in place. (These had been abandoned in my day but are back in force.)

Same in NSW plus you need a logged 120 hours of driving experience, though that's possible to fake if you have unscrupulous parents who don't want to spend 120 hours in the passenger seat.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, BoD said:

Having done a fair bit of serious walking/climbing on mountains in winter conditions,  I used to be reasonably confident on snow and ice whilst still appreciating how dangerous it could be.  Ironically,  a couple of years ago, I managed to slip one morning when going for my morning paper and fell in a way that I really winded myself and cracked a rib.  I was in some pain for a week or two but more seriously it knocked my confidence on snow and ice for six.  I am still wary and far less comfortable when it is icy underfoot.

I invested in traction devices that attach to the soles of the shoes. There are different styles and some are better than others. They are really helpful but not a guarantee - caution is always advised.

The worst is when temperatures are low but there is no snow - not indicating use of the traction devices. There's a spot on my daily walk where water seeps from higher ground across a concrete path. With a hard freeze this turns to glass. It is treacherous.

 

We have no valley snow here. The forecast for the week ahead is clear with hard overnight freezes midweek. I'll be watching out for icy spots.

[Ozexpatriate]

8 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Same in NSW plus you need a logged 120 hours of driving experience

Similar requirement in QLD (though it is 100 hours for Learner drivers under 25, displaying an L plate).

 

Even the L plate requirement was overlooked in my day though I did have the full drivers' examination - three point turns, parallel parking and hill starts - in a fairly busy area. At that time in California it was more of a matter of driving the block around the DMV, though I was a regular driver by then and I think the testers might make more allowance with people who are obviously more experienced and older than 16.

[BoD]

8 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

invested in traction devices that attach to the soles of the shoes. There are different styles and some are better than others. They are really helpful but not a guarantee - caution is always advised.

I did wonder about taking extra precautions that day but thought crampons would look a bit daft going to to the local newsagent’s shop.

 

What  caught me out was that there was snowfall followed by  a few of days of  very low temperature without snow  which led to compacted snow that turned to patches of ice. These were then covered by an inviting layer of fresh snow. I found one of the underlying patches of ice.

[Gwiwer]

42 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I got my license in 1981,  you should have been here then!

 

7 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There is much more to attaining a driver's license in Queensland than there was 30 years or so ago.

I got my Australian (Victorian) licence in 2000.  Because the UK one simply wasn't good enough and I had to sit a full learner's test despite having everything on my UK licence short of articulated heavy goods.  

 

Test booked at the Brunswick centre which serves much of inner Melbourne and because we rented in Coburg briefly at that time before buying our own home.  The VicRoads centre there exits right onto the tram tracks - woe betide if you made any mistake there before you had even got onto the road itself! 

 

A quick read-through of the "L's to P's" booklet which is advisory for all learners, borrow a car for the morning as we didn't yet own one and present myself to the tester.  I had to display L plates as well which I felt was a bit disrespectful.  

 

So ..... 

48 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

the testers would sit in the car for about 15 minutes while you drove the streets

off we went, myself and a an elderly Chinese chap who spoke only broken English but was apparently a tester.  I was directed to "Left here" then "Right here" and basically go around the block twice and navigate one slightly tricky intersection which took around 15 minutes.  The final move was to turn right back into the test centre which was across the tram tracks.  I duly stopped in the middle lane, indicating right, as the right-hand lane was shared with trams and to block one in Melbourne is a cardinal sin.  One rumbled past, I head-checked and looked all around before turning in and was then asked to reverse-park in the bay.  There was no theory test.  No questions.  

 

Instructor went off somewhere with the words "I very please with you drive today" and I was left to wander into the reception desk to ask the result.  The desk clerk couldn't give me the result and had to locate the tester who had popped out for a drink.  "Oh.  He pass" was what I heard.  After being asked to read the eye-test chart I was duly issued with my Victorian licence there and then.  Cars only, mind, none of the extras that were on my UK one.  Those would require separate and quite expensive tests which I wasn't going to pay for unless or until I needed them.  

 

Had I been a "genuine" learner I could have graduated from my L plates to red P's (first year provisional) which has some restrictions.  Specified high-performance cars and passengers under 25 not allowed.  Zero blood-alcohol not the 0.05 tolerance.  As it was I gained an "open" licence and was free to drive any car anywhere in Australia without any experience of the road conditions (bar a 15-minute test) and little knowledge of the road laws.  

 

I soon found Australian roads to be much more of a free-for-all than I was accustomed to.  Not lawless but certainly law-flouting on a much wider scale.  My respectful and professional driving style, which has to date been partially responsible for a 45-year totally clean record (not even a parking fine) , was criticised by passengers when I drove; it was "too slow" with comments such as "you'll never get anywhere sticking to the rules, mate".  

 

Apart from numerous small hired cars in the early days most of my Aussie mileage was at the wheel of our Kia Rio.  Most of the rest was in the 4.0 litre "Chook Tin" (Ford Foul-can Falcon) which was gifted to us when the Dragon-in-Law had finished with it.  It was old but not too tired and cruised very nicely at the maximum permitted freeway speeds.  The Rio would do that too but it was harder work.  Taking off in a 4-litre for the first few times was a novelty; I had to learn delicate use of the loud pedal!  It was easy to see why so many others sped away from stops with rubber-burning screeching and smoke in their wake.  I even came across a couple who insisted that to work properly the pedals had to be all the way to the floor - screeching from a start and stopping like hitting a wall. 

 

Standard differed.  You don't go somewhere different expecting everything to be the same.  I  considered Aussie driving standards to be rather poorer than British but, ultimately, they are simply different.  Even bus drivers seemed to have lead-filled boots often as not with passengers flung back in the seats at take-off and thrown towards the windscreen upon braking.  

 

 I've met Aussies over here on their travels who say things like "Your drivers are SO polite!"  Even the ones who aren't!!! 

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

I wish there were limits on what cars new drivers can have here - there is for bikes.  I had to deal with the fallout of a 16 y/o whose daddy had bought them an Audi TT Turbo for passing their test. 6 days, they were dead. 

 

The high millionaire/square inch ratio here makes this a sort of regular occurrence - not always fatal thankfully, but often messy.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 minutes ago, BoD said:

thought crampons would look a bit daft

The traction devices are not full crampons. There are a couple of different kinds - some a bit like golf spikes which I don't like, and the ones I like which are lateral coiled springs connected to some elastic rubber material to attach them. They're not very obvious, but you can't wear them indoors on a 'nice' surface.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I won't be going out tomorrow until late afternoon. We had a slight thaw this afternoon and the snow turned to slush and as soon as the sun went down it froze. Had a bit of trouble with Arthur Itis earlier this evening but the pills put him in his place.

[jjb1970]

I had an example of how a small misunderstanding or act of ignorance can become something rather sour. I went to do some shopping at the Tesco shop in Kennington. I placed a large backet of shopping on the conveyor belt and went to the bagging area. The cashier said nothing, just stared into space and ignored me when I asked for a bag please. She then emptied the backet angrily and flung the shopping across the belt, with items going on the floor, while her colleague on the next till smirked at her. At that point I suggested she could keep it all and went to speak to the manager at which point she threw a real hissy fit.

In Singapore, it is standard to just place the basket on the conveyor belt and the cashiers scan and bag. The cashiers there want you to just place the basket on the belt as that's their habit. I've been shopping there so long now I forgot that here in England you empty the basket. If she’d asked me to empty the basket I would have apologized for my forgetfulness and emptied it. If she’d scanned everything from the basket and told me to empty it next time that would have been fine and I'd have apologized for my error, but to throw a tantrum and throw stuff across a belt and throwing goods which are still the property of her employer on the floor indicates a complete absence of customer service and basic manners.

I spoke to the manager of the store with the cashier shouting behind me as if there is one thing that really rubs me the wrong way it is poor service.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

However if you lived on the other side of the river (like most of my mates, the lucky ...)  you were 'country' and did your test at the Picton Police station. There a copper would stand at the kerb outside the police station and watch you drive off out of sight on the main street til you got to the George the 4th pub about 300metre away, do a U-turn and come back and park neatly, job done.

 

ISTR mention of a driving test that's 6 yards forwards, 6 yards backwards; I'm guessing it was (still is?) in an African or Middle Eastern Country.

 

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

The Holy Grail is the 1971 Falcon GTHO Phase 3, the fastest sedan in the world in 1971. 0-100kmh in 6.4 seconds and top speed at 140kmh, with drum brakes at the rear, it was priced at $5000 at the time - something that a young tradie could afford if he was careful with his pay.  Theres one for sale right now, not sure what car 660000 pounds will get you in the UK but I assume it wouldn't have wind up windows and drum brakes at the back!

 

https://www.drive.com.au/news/one-of-one-ford-falcon-xy-gtho-phase-iii-for-sale/

 

 

£660K with get you a pair of top-of-the range Ferrari's, with about £140K left over for add-ons and Insurance.

 

In other news.....

Friend has finally been booted out of Hospital after 13 days and is now back home; it literally took the whole day (she had din dins and tea courtesy of the NHS) before she finally managed to escape.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Taking off in a 4-litre for the first few times was a novelty; I had to learn delicate use of the loud pedal!  It was easy to see why so many others sped away from stops with rubber-burning screeching and smoke in their wake.

The mighty Barra motor! Can trace its lineage directly back to Fords first Australian built  6 cylinder motors of the 1960's, one of the best 6 cylinders in the world but no one else got to try it.

 

  With 325KW and 525Nm in its final most refined form, 4.1 litre  Falcons can embarrass many a BMW and Merc driver. Runs for ever too - most  Australian Taxis were Ford Falcons chosen for space and reliability - many clocked up over 2 million km with taxi companies running them pretty much 24 hours a day 7 days a week in all temperatures, road conditions and weather. (Almost every one I got into  had every warning light on the dash glowing, the drivers just ignored them and they still seemed to go ok!)

Edited December 12, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[jamie92208]

23 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

Horrifying events in Solihull 

I remember something similar happened in Hemsworth happen it is the same incident @jamie92208 mentions 

Yes it was Hemsworth, IIRC 27th December  1994. I'll never forget it. When the diver got the little girl out she looked just like my daughter who was the same age.  I then had to tell the girls Dad and the wife of one of the would be rescuers. 

14 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Down here there was Cyclone Tracy flattening Darwin on Christmas Day 1974 and the Indonesian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004....

See the date above.  A Home Office pathologist  once said, " Christmas is a time when loved ones get together, eat drink and be merry then kill each other".  People have asked me what my memories of working Christmas are, my reply is, do you really want to know. If they persist I say thait is death in all its forms.

Ttfn.

 

Jamie

Edited December 13, 2022 by jamie92208

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

ISTR mention of a driving test that's 6 yards forwards, 6 yards backwards; I'm guessing it was (still is?) in an African or Middle Eastern Country.

 

 

£660K with get you a pair of top-of-the range Ferrari's, with about £140K left over for add-ons and Insurance.

 

In other news.....

Friend has finally been booted out of Hospital after 13 days and is now back home; it literally took the whole day (she had din dins and tea courtesy of the NHS) before she finally managed to escape.

Here spend say  $250,000 on a Ferrari, Jag, Porsche,  Aston etc and you're considered an upyaself knob.

 

But spend $328000 on a 1968 Holden and you're true blue working class!

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[melmerby]

For those that frequent 'spoons, I see there is a new one in Birmingham New Street Station.

Called the " London & North Western" it is by the stairs down to Hill St/Station St.

 

I'll give it the once over next time I'm in Brum.

Edited December 12, 2022 by melmerby