Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

The boat courses I did enjoy were the fast rescue boat coxen courses. Larking about in a rigid planing boat with a 500hp inboard engine was great fun. I used to enjoy going out in the ships rescue boat when we were based in Trinidad, driving it to the shops, beach or just having a laugh (to maintain my skills obviously......).

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Lummy!  I thought they were free!!

Baz

No. It costs money to vote downunder. Either $5 for the Democracy Sausage or $220 for not turning up. 

 

I still cannot understand how that is freedom of choice but a good many exercise that freedom by buying a DC then drawing male genitalia on their voting papers. 
 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10836557/amp/Australia-election-2022-fine-costs-not-voting.html

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Arthur Itis is coming out and doing his rain dance with every passing shower, or so it seems. Despite that it wasn't a bad night sleep wise, four plus two hours. Thats it for now, be back later.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Yet another dull start to the day here in the northwest corner of England. It’s currently dry, but we had quite a bit of rain overnight so the ground is very wet. Thankfully the wind has died down a little, but t(e trees are still swaying quite a bit. The temperature is 9C at the moment, so not too bad, but I expect the wind will make it feel colder than that. I’m about to head off to Vickie and Ian’s to collect Ava, as she is once again spending the day here with us. I’m not sure what is planned for us today yet, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do.

 

Best set off, back later. 
 

Brian

[polybear]

12 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

What's a traffic warden? We have civil enforcement officers aka money making £%&#£& - you can guess the last word.

 

Bear spotted a CEO this very morning - patrolling the usual spot right outside the local Co-op where numerous dumb lazy ****s insist on parking in the service road (all of <50 yards long) despite double yellow lines - which makes it very difficult for the Co-op lorry to deliver and also for the two houses on the service road to access their driveways.  T0ssers.  It really brightens a certain Bear's day whenever I see someone getting a ticket for parking there.

 

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

My memory of Kingston upon Hull is doing my lifeboat training there. At one time engineers were excused and we remained in our warm and comfortable engine rooms until some hardy roughneck swung the boats out and got them ready for launching. Then some lunatic changed the certification requirements. If you think the town is bad, try rowing a minty old lifeboat around the river mid winter with a crew of other engineers muttering about the indignity of it all.

 

Bear did his dinghy drills in Portland Harbour, in less than favourable conditions.  All good fun though, as it involved playing with flares and a wet winching by the Coastguard Helicopter based at what was HMS Osprey, but is now a sailing centre.  Which of course means those flying Wildcat Helicopters (the Lynx replacement) are based at RNAS Yeovilton, which was nowhere near the coast (the primary operating environment for the Wildcat) the last time Bear looked.  Another dumbass decision.  There may be a Rant there.

 

Bear here....

A visit to the Co-op**, Chemist and Post Office all completed; Bear sniffed out a LDC that was on sale for little over half price cos' it had reached it's BBE date - this'll be the first LDC that Bear has tasted in many weeks cos' the price has shot up considerably thanks to that Ruskie Tw@t 🤬 - any hope of the regular discounts they used to have on similar cakes in the range has long since disappeared as well ☹️

The replacement printer ink cartridge has already arrived via the Postie, which is rather quick as it was only sorted yesterday afternoon.  A Tick is awarded.

As for paperhanging, well diddlysquat progress this morning, which is bad.  Maybe later....

Bear gone.

 

**I heard from a neighbour that someone walked into the Co-op the other day and emptied the freezer cabinet of all the fish, then walked right out again.  

 

p.s. I see a certain Ms. Paltrow is in court - what I can't understand is that for a person with supposedly "life changing injuries" then why is he only seeking $300,000 in injuries, in a country where humongously large payouts are commonplace.  Suspicious Bear suspects that he was hoping she'd do an out of court settlement, only to discover she's called his bluff.

Edited March 25, 2023 by polybear

[PhilH]

5 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

State election day, there's a more interesting choice at the accompanying sausage sizzle than there is at the ballot box.

 

(Newton is where the hipsters hang out and Pauline is our Nigel Farage in a frock)

 

My son and family were in Brisbane for ten years before they moved back here (just before it all went pear shaped pre Covid etc.) I had some excellent very long holidays out there and an abiding memory were the visits to the diy chain Bunnings. Outside were the  sausage sellers whose wares were snags of dubious origin slapped between a slice of cheap white bread. What I could never understand is that people (including my son) queued up for this, um, delicacy. To be fair I think they were on selling on behalf of charities so that proved either Aussies are very charitable or they like bangers of unknown origins. I only had a taste of one, preferring after that to simply put money in the tin. 
 

Whilst over there my son developed a taste for lamb snags. Again, and without wishing to insult our antipodean friends, they are high on my list of things I never want to taste again….grease central.

 

Apart from that I loved every minute of my time over there, Brisbane is a super little city, and I was amazed by Queensland. Seemingly everything can be found or grown there, amazing deserted beaches, really scenic and interesting hinterland, the list goes on and on. Obviously it is great to have son and family back here but part of me sort of wishes I was still able to enjoy those ten week holidays out there.

 

Anyway , news from the bottom…..woke up to find that, despite the mass clear up and out of yesterday there was not the expected 6 feet of snow caused by such a cataclysmic event. I’m now in the where did I put that phase always caused by tidy ups, will take a week or two before I can find everything again.

 

It’s going to be a 3d print day today, planning a ‘building the Atlantic Wall’ (see photo) diorama involving a Strabokran, an obsolete naval gun turret, ramparts, lots of topography and figures. It’s going to be 1/35 scale so pretty big. This is the photo that inspired me, plus the fact I scratchbuilt a Strabokran (gantry crane) a few years back just before Takom brought out a kit for it and the world and his wife had them. I forgot I had it until unearthed it a few weeks back. 
 

Anyway, sorry it’s a long one , enjoy your day!

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by PhilH

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

No. It costs money to vote downunder. Either $5 for the Democracy Sausage or $220 for not turning up. 

 

I still cannot understand how that is freedom of choice but a good many exercise that freedom by buying a DC then drawing male genitalia on their voting papers. 
 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10836557/amp/Australia-election-2022-fine-costs-not-voting.html

I don’t think it’s really about freedom of choice (after all, you can always express your displeasure at the candidates and parties running by defacing your ballot), but rather about supporting the legitimacy of the election outcome.

 

We’ve seen in the UK what happens when there is low voter turnout and a politician with potentially contentious votes views gets elected. Someone in that constituency who didn’t vote can’t say “not my fault, I didn’t vote for him/her“ which is true, but importantly, by not voting they didn’t vote against that unpopular/contentious candidate.

 

You could argue that a point in the favour of mandatory voting, would be the fact that people often don’t go to the polls because they are undecided. By making someone go to the polls, they are forced to confront their indecision.

 

The whys and wherefores of the various forms of democracy can certainly make for enjoyable pub discussions (and I’m sure, Rick, when the Brains Trust meets again in May, such topics can be “on the table“), but I think it is salutary  to remember that we are as far removed as possible from the original Athenian democracy as we could possibly be. All free citizens of Athens were eligible to vote – with the tiny proviso that they should be male and have completed their military service to the state and be property owners. and this definition of “eligible voter“ would certainly disenfranchise the majority of voters in the west today

 

The science fiction writer, Robert A Heinlein, wrote a very interesting book exploring this notion of citizenship based on serving the state (you may know it, it’s called “Starship Troopers“) basically the book argues that along with civic rights come civic responsibilities, and to be protected by - and benefit from -the state, you have to have served the state.

[DaveF]

A sort of damp drizzly morning here, the sea and sky are similar shades of grey.

 

Yesterday showers were forecast so I just had a walk along the promenade and back and got some pleasing photos in the good sunlight.  Shortly after I got home the light showers started, they got heavier as the day went on.  One photo I put on flickr a couple of days ago (which I posted in this thread as it happens, at Cresswell) has now had over 5,000 views which is much more than usual.  A little investigation showed that flickr had put it into "Explore" which is where they put photos the team there like best.

 

After a light salad lunch I started to sort out Mum's jewellery, photographing each item and putting them in labelled bags before I take them to the jewellers.  Only one relative, my aunt, has asked for anything, her Mum's wedding ring - that's fine by me.  Originally Mum had the wedding ring and the aunt had the engagment ring.  I'm not yet sure what, if anything I'll keep - but I need a value for anything I end up keeping for insurance.

 

Then I did some sorting out of plant pots so I can throw out the ones which have cracked as the plastic reaches the end if its useful life.  The evening was just the usual mix of music, TV and book.

 

David

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by DaveF

[tigerburnie]

I did my course in an oil rig life boat in the bay off Aberdeen in January, which involved getting frozen, wet, firing flares and steering to a compass heading as part of the off shore survival training, thankfully I never had to use one in an emergency.

[PupCam]

Afternoon All!

 

Still blowing a gale here in Puppershire but then March is associated with winds I suppose.

 

Good progress has been made on the new "Puppers Pat Pending Product";    the Crank Position Indicator.      The first "proper" version of the software is complete, the electronics have been housed in a Puppers' standard plastic enclosure.  I just need to make the adapter to connect the rotary encoder shaft (that sticks out of the back of the box) to the crankshaft nut.   This will be in the form of an ali or plastic turning with an embedded rare earth magnet to provide a compliant drive from the cranshaft.    

 

 

The timing position defaults to the Beeza's 38 degrees but this can be changed by depressing the knob and then rotating the knob until the required value is set.     The knob is also used to indicate to the software when the two "piston stop" positions are set so that it can work out where top dead centre is.   As I mentioned previously,   the animation of the crankshaft and piston is really just a bit of fun and includes an indication of the inlet and exhaust valve opening events at the appropriate point in the cycle.   As can be seen you even get a little explosion when you get to the correct timing position.

 

The direction of rotation can be reversed to handle engines that revolve in the opposite direction an/or to connect to the other end of the crankshaft should that be required.    However further work on the software to reverse the display to match is still required.     Another future upgrade would be to add a monitor to the contact breaker points to indicate where the ignition point actually is to confirm or otherwise the correct magneto timing.    I suspect I'll make do with the old way for the moment;  the point when a Rizzla fag paper can just be slid out of the points without tearing.

 

In Other News

 

I've just received the latest "Prop-Swing", the magazine of the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society.    There is an excellent article by the new Chairman of the Trustees (but he's a well established member of the board of trustees) detailing the need for and reasoning behind the drastic changes that have been made in the last month or so.     I won't detail them all here but I'll just mention that it's nice to see that they recognised the changes made by the last manager were extremely unpopular amongst the "faithful" (such as Puppers) and it appears that those changes, surprise surprise, did not deliver the benefits anticipated.   It really does seem to have been a terrible Bobby Ewing dream ........

 

TTFNQ

[DaveF]

A few photos from my walk yesterday.

 

 

Swalinge leaving Blyth harbour

 

Battery and replica gun

 

 

St Mary's lighthouse and Seaton Sluice

 

 

Part of the promenade at low tide.  The building in the distance on the far right is Seaton Delaval Hall (National Trust)

 

David

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I don’t think it’s really about freedom of choice (after all, you can always express your displeasure at the candidates and parties running by defacing your ballot), but rather about supporting the legitimacy of the election outcome.

 

We’ve seen in the UK what happens when there is low voter turnout and a politician with potentially contentious votes views gets elected. Someone in that constituency who didn’t vote can’t say “not my fault, I didn’t vote for him/her“ which is true, but importantly, by not voting they didn’t vote against that unpopular/contentious candidate.

 

You could argue that a point in the favour of mandatory voting, would be the fact that people often don’t go to the polls because they are undecided. By making someone go to the polls, they are forced to confront their indecision.

 

The whys and wherefores of the various forms of democracy can certainly make for enjoyable pub discussions (and I’m sure, Rick, when the Brains Trust meets again in May, such topics can be “on the table“), but I think it is salutary  to remember that we are as far removed as possible from the original Athenian democracy as we could possibly be. All free citizens of Athens were eligible to vote – with the tiny proviso that they should be male and have completed their military service to the state and be property owners. and this definition of “eligible voter“ would certainly disenfranchise the majority of voters in the west today

 

The science fiction writer, Robert A Heinlein, wrote a very interesting book exploring this notion of citizenship based on serving the state (you may know it, it’s called “Starship Troopers“) basically the book argues that along with civic rights come civic responsibilities, and to be protected by - and benefit from -the state, you have to have served the state.

Support for compulsory voting in Australia has always been above 75%, so can't it be said that it is therefore  our democratic choice to be 'forced' to participate in our democratic duties?

 

My main  argument in favour of compulsory voting in light of recent laws enacted across many states that make up  the self proclaimed "Greatest  Democracy In The Hstory Of The World, Ever!"  is that it protects our democracy by ensuring that in order for us to comply with the law that we have to vote, the government (actually the independent Australian Election Committee) in turn by law HAS to ensure we have access to the ballot box, to the point that on election day  AEC officials fly to many  remote communities to provide one.

Methods designed to limit access to voting by certain sections of the community who vote for the other side will therefore never be able to be implemented  here because they will be illegal, can the same be said for there?

(PS by "there" I don't mean Switzerland!)

 

I believe that unlike Australia Britain brought in compulsory national service during both world wars? Not very democratic but obviously regarded as essential in order to keep it's democracy safe. Why then should it not be compulsory to ensure it is kept safe via the ballot box too? 

Edited March 25, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Reinforcement to stairs finished,

The end looking under stairs has had trim made to size and fitted. That which will be a contrasting colour was then removed to be painted separately.

There is just one section still to do that's up high, it will hold a panel in place, which will be complicated to fit.. but my arms had had enough reaching up for today, so I gave up.

 

During my wanders to and from the workshop, the wind went from south west to north, then we had an outbreak of intermittent rain showers. Eventually the wind has started reducing, as has the temperature.

 

Ben's long walk, was started in brilliant sunshine, but Ben the meteorologist Collie cut it slightly short..

Sadly, we still got soggy before we got back and he's just hidden in his cage which probably means more rain shortly.

 

All my boat training has been on the broads in the summer, and has never involved me getting soggy other than the odd paw hauling someone / a dummy out of the water.

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

I believe that unlike Australia Britain brought in compulsory national service during both world wars? Not very democratic but obviously regarded as essential in order to keep it's democracy safe. Why then should it not be compulsory to ensure it is kept safe via the ballot box too? Seems a whole lot more civilised.

Yes Great Britain ( not the UK) had compulsory conscription in both world wars, for men aged 18 to 41,

1916-1920, and 1939 -47, followed by national service, 1947 until 1963 ( last new recruit 1960)

It did not apply to Ireland in both wars, though many thousands of Irish men volunteered anyway.

In WW2 women without school age children or younger could also be directed to work in factories, forests and farms.

 

Ironically my grandfather (dad's side) was too young for WW1, and was too old for WW2, except for the fact he was already in the Royal Tank Regiment, so they gave him " exceptional permission to remain in the Army" in 1939, so eventually he served from 1919 to 1953..

[polybear]

4 hours ago, DaveF said:

Only one relative, my aunt, has asked for anything, her Mum's wedding ring - that's fine by me.  Originally Mum had the wedding ring and the aunt had the engagment ring.  I'm not yet sure what, if anything I'll keep - but I need a value for anything I end up keeping for insurance.

 

 

Auntie Poly made a similar request quite recently for a ring that Momma Bear had following her Mum's Death (though it wasn't the wedding ring - engagement maybe?) and Auntie Poly also inherited a similar ring.

I was a bit non-committal at the time; Auntie Poly is 80-something and my concern is what will become of the ring after she's gone - she only has one surviving child now, a Grade A B1tch of a daughter** and the very last thing I'd want is for her to get her mitts on it.  The subject hasn't been mentioned again so hopefully will disappear.

 

**Two or three years ago Auntie Poly showed me something that the B1tch had sent her - a right rant with plenty of effin' contained within, going on about how Auntie Poly's favourite was her (now deceased) son etc. etc.  What was all this Rant written in?  A Mother's Day Card.....

 

Bear here.....

After managing to scoff a Chip Roll, Jumbo Snagger n' Beans I decided that wallpapering was in order, so a bit more has been done.  One of the drops was a difficult & scary one.....

 

(Puppers @PupCam of a nervous disposition should look away now, or at least hide behind a cushion.....)

 

 

I did strap the ladder to the Banister Rail though.....

 

Bear gone.

[TheQ]

I'm working my way up to that.. still under the stairs at the moment.

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

I believe that unlike Australia Britain brought in compulsory national service during both world wars? Not very democratic but obviously regarded as essential in order to keep it's democracy safe. Why then should it not be compulsory to ensure it is kept safe via the ballot box too? 

I think it's a case of what we are brought up with.  I know many Aussies support mandatory voting including Dr. SWMBO.  There are, to my mind, persuasive arguments both ways.  What I disagreed with strongly was (and is) the Australian way of fining anyone and everyone for the slightest thing which is seen as blatant revenue-raising no matter the effect upon democracy (non-voting fines), safety (jaywalking fines) or other matters.  

 

For the record if there were conscription to armed forces I would be a CO.  Whilst the safety and future of the nation might be at stake no-one could ever have forced me to take aim and fire upon my fellow humans.  I, and only I, will choose how and when to defend who and what I so choose.  Not someone with a louder voice nor more pips on their shoulder.  The issue never arose but my position has been the same for all of my adult life.  There are many who would be perfectly OK with taking up arms - not me.  But I would willingly have tended wounds and offered other non-combative support had the need arisen, and still would.  

[iL Dottore]

42 minutes ago, polybear said:

(Puppers @PupCam of a nervous disposition should look away now, or at least hide behind a cushion.....)

 

 

I did strap the ladder to the Banister Rail though.....

 

Bear gone.

GOOD GOD BEAR, ARE YOU MAD???

 

You DO realise that IF you come off that you will NOT bounce! At your age Bears Do Not Bounce, Bears Break.

 

A fall from that contraption would result in one or more really interesting orthopaedic injuries (starting with an intertrochanteric  fracture of the femur and working your way up from there). Of course, you may not find such things interesting what with you being in a “world of hurt”

 

If you land on your face, you do realise that you have a high probability of being condemned to sucking purees through a straw for months until they take the wires out.

 

And if you land on your bonce, it’s off to the C&T Ward for you. 
 

Investing in a specialised ladder for working on stairs might be a good idea….

p.s. regarding those pesky relatives, Captain Cynical recommends a premature inhumation for those (ahem) “difficult” kith & kin

Edited March 25, 2023 by iL Dottore
Incomplete post

[Gwiwer]

2 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

an intratrachonteric fracture of the femur and working you way up from there

Is that when the femur is dislodged from the pelvis and penetrates the abdomen.  And those organs within it?  I was unluckily witness to something of that ilk once upon a lifetime.  It was a determined attempt to prematurely terminate life and in that regard was successful.  But being second-on-scene (after the party in question) my breakfast almost reappeared when taking stock.  It was already apparent that first aid was well and truly irrelevant.   The poor individual in question had intentionally stepped off a twentieth-floor balcony within full view of my office window and probably landed one foot first propelling the leg into the body cavity.  

[The Johnster]

I am a supporter of the concept of compulsory voting, with the addition that one should have the choice of abstaining or voting against candidates.  It would then be feasible for a government to be formed with the least 'against' votes, all parties having achieved minus figure results.  That would temper the actions of governments which claim that they have been given a mandate by a majority of voters when only 25% or less of them voted for their party's candidates at the last election, out of a 50%ish turnout.  They don't represent us, and shouldn't be allowed to claim that they do!

 

I don't like the idea of paying a charge for voting, though, or fining those who fail to vote, so my ideas fall down down on the matter of how one enforces the compulsory vote.  It would have to be arranged away from polling stations for inclusivity, with postal and online voting more widespread, and ballot boxes (or virtual ballot boxes) made available to travellers (Roma, Irish, New Age, and old age), homeless rough sleepers, and the like, and I cannot see a way to ensure a secret ballot with online voting without trusting the governement.  And I'm an old hipple, told to never trust the government, or anyone over the age of 25. 

 

Another thing I'd like to see introduced, which I think would increase root-level democracy, is a choice being allowed in how each voter's taxation is spent.  One would be able to tick boxes on the polling card to refuse or limit spending of your individual money on defence, benefits, foriegn aid, supporting immigrants, policing and Home Office, the NHS, industry, agriculture/fisheries, and transport subsidies, and anything else.  Thus governement policy would be reliant to some extent on the same market forces of supply and demand that govern that control the rest of our existence, and are touted as such an advance over socialism...  I would think that certain elements of government spending would need to be ringfenced to an extent, after all benefits are a vital part of the economy, funding I read somewhere about 15% of spending and government income from VAT, and arguably defence is pretty essential.  One might even be able to extend it so that only limited state benefits are available to anyone who opted not allow a portion of his/her taxation, though, or a lower priority on waiting lists to those who have refused the fund the NHS.

 

Before anyone asks, no, I haven't worked out the details of how this would operate in practice, I've only had the idea and it's the job of qualified political scientists and economists to do the ground work.  It would certainly make politics more interesting as a spectator sport, though...

 

It is possible that I am not being completely serious in some of the later paragraphs of this screed.  Or maybe I am... mwa ha ha ha haaa!\

Edited March 25, 2023 by The Johnster

[tigerburnie]

I think there's a case for banning some people from being allowed to vote when you look at what they elect.......................................

[tigerburnie]

35 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Auntie Poly made a similar request quite recently for a ring that Momma Bear had following her Mum's Death (though it wasn't the wedding ring - engagement maybe?) and Auntie Poly also inherited a similar ring.

I was a bit non-committal at the time; Auntie Poly is 80-something and my concern is what will become of the ring after she's gone - she only has one surviving child now, a Grade A B1tch of a daughter** and the very last thing I'd want is for her to get her mitts on it.  The subject hasn't been mentioned again so hopefully will disappear.

 

**Two or three years ago Auntie Poly showed me something that the B1tch had sent her - a right rant with plenty of effin' contained within, going on about how Auntie Poly's favourite was her (now deceased) son etc. etc.  What was all this Rant written in?  A Mother's Day Card.....

 

Bear here.....

After managing to scoff a Chip Roll, Jumbo Snagger n' Beans I decided that wallpapering was in order, so a bit more has been done.  One of the drops was a difficult & scary one.....

 

(Puppers @PupCam of a nervous disposition should look away now, or at least hide behind a cushion.....)

 

 

I did strap the ladder to the Banister Rail though.....

 

Bear gone.

I do hope you're not planning on going on that set like that, you are on to a serious GDB incident there.

[Erichill16]

58 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

I think there's a case for banning some people from being allowed to vote when you look at what they elect.......................................

And those who dont know how to use ladders!

Edited March 25, 2023 by Erichill16

[polybear]

27 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

GOOD GOD BEAR, ARE YOU MAD???

 

You DO realise that IF you come off that you will NOT bounce! At your age Bears Do Not Bounce, Bears Break.

 

 

12 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

I do hope you're not planning on going on that set like that, you are on to a serious GDB incident there.

 

OK, it might look scary - but in practice works quite well so long as Bear is sensible about it; the ladder is very stable and sure-pawed and I use a separate small pair of steps to assist in getting onto the ladder.  Let's face it, whatever the situation a fall from any ladder will sting next morning so I find the best trick is not to fall.....😁

[45156]

Evenng All,

 

Much skipping has happened for variious reasons.  We had our first payout from the cabinet - £32, for sales from Friday to Monday only and we know from visiting yesterday that quite a few more items have sold - and I suspect that in the first week up to today that we should make about £80 - we get our next reckoning on Tuesday when we visit.  As the rental is a tenner a week, we should show a profit.  We have also stockpiled enough coal to see us through another year, and also got the patio set from Morereasons - who were very helpful, and as the car is so small, they unpacked it all into the back, and got rid of the packaging for us - of course it is flat packed, so there is a job to do there.

 

Regards to All

Stewart