Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

On the Toyota Alphard, my sister-in-law has one, she loves it. In all honesty, as a way to be driven around they are excellent. 

[PeterBB]

The Qs response to the larger Fiat 500, saw a Mini Cooper yesterday that was almost the size of a large car.  The other problem is car parking, aside from exorbitant charges, they are far too narrow for current day cars.

[NGT6 1315]

32 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

On the Toyota Alphard, my sister-in-law has one, she loves it. In all honesty, as a way to be driven around they are excellent. 

 

I presume they'll be hideously expensive in Singapore!

[NGT6 1315]

22 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

 The other problem is car parking, aside from exorbitant charges, they are far too narrow for current day cars.

 

That is an issue here as well. I guess without parking assistant systems, SUVs and similarly large current vehicles would inevitably bump into pillars or other parked cars when manoeuvring in older parking garages every single time!

 

I myself was never fond of reverse parking until we got the Prius in 2016, which was our first car with reverse camera. The Corolla we have now has a full auto-park assistant, though I usually can manage manually with the aid of the sensors and rear camera. That kind of equipment is an innovation I deffo welcome!

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well it’s not raining here (yet), although we are forecast some later. I’ll shortly be setting off to the butchers for the weekly meat rations and a pork pie for my dinner. Then it’ll be heading off to the Trafford Centre for a few more bits and pieces. After that, I’m not sure what’s planned. I’ve just been sat watching a blue tit popping in and out off the nest box. I suspect it’s the male, passing food to his mate, whilst she sits on the eggs, it’s all very entertaining. 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I haven't had much personal experience of other nations model railway exhibitions but it seems that each country has its own 'flavour'. One that I have had experience of, mostly as an exhibitor (not my layout, a club layout) is France. Very Gallic, they close the exhibition for two hours for lunch and out comes the bread, cheese and wine. It would be interesting to see what other national traits show at exhibitions.

2 hours ago, NGT6 1315 said:

I've seen a Hyundai Staria around here recently. That, too, might be a competent car but the front end is, shall we say, daring, to my mind anyway...

 

I rather like it, pity they don't offer it here in the UK. One of the best cars I have ever owned was a Nissan Prairie, the earlier 'boxy' model. It was quite compact outside, the same 'footprint' as the Ford Orion but inside it was like a Tardis. Once it held two layouts, an exhibition stand, three people and their luggage to one of the French exhibitions mentioned above (plus the 'duty frees' on the ferry coming home).

[polybear]

1 hour ago, PeterBB said:

The other problem is car parking, aside from exorbitant charges, they are far too narrow for current day cars.

 

Which is why Bear HATES car parks with a vengeance - they're an excuse for some Tw@t denting your doors with his 🤬I'll avoid them whenever possible, or if not am very careful where in them I park.

 

In other news....

A morning of leccy work in the hallway - all seems good so far.

I discovered that the 8 month old Philips Sonicare Goober Brush was decidedly sick this morning - the shaft is very wiggly and it sounds decidedly sick as well.  Fortunately Philips have played ball and are sending a replacement without too much agg. - which is good news as they're not cheap even with 50% discount.

Still waiting for the G & E Meter Person to turn up.....

Bear gone.

[Hroth]

5 hours ago, PeterBB said:

The Qs response to the larger Fiat 500, saw a Mini Cooper yesterday that was almost the size of a large car.  The other problem is car parking, aside from exorbitant charges, they are far too narrow for current day cars.

 

Not just that, its possible to assemble a "proper" mini body shell inside one of the larger retro minis.

 

I remember seeing something about this being done with a metal bodyshell, but here's an attempt with a "dimensionally" similar card model...

 

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1104278_how-big-is-a-new-mini-big-enough-to-fit-the-old-one-inside

 

 

Not just that, but when I've parked next to a Fiat 500 Grande, its almost as big as my Yeti. And I'd rather have the Yeti!

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Hroth
Just noticed a wonky spelin...

[New Haven Neil]

Back early - too windy to be comfortable on the bikes.

 

The Nissan Prairie was years ahead of its time - a great concept the public wasn't really ready for, but nowadays every other car is that sort of thing.  When I had the leased Espace the Prairie wasn't an option, otherwise I would have had one, but the leasing agreements weren't with Nissan.  The Espace was a bit big for us really, but it was a very comfortable car.

[Tony_S]

7 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

And whilst on the subject of cars: does anyone on ER have any experience of/with the current generation FIAT 500?

Neighbours have one. Actually the neighbour had a lot of the original 500s as he collected them but he bought a nicely specified current shape one for his eldest daughter to learn to drive. As she didn’t seem keen on driving, it had become a family runabout when perhaps their more exotic vehicles aren’t a good idea! The Fiat has been reliable. It is the 2 door hatchback version not the Grande version. Fiat are only going to sell it in hybrid or e car version from July in the UK but if you are buying used in Switzerland I suspect you will have loads of choice. 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

17 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

The Espace was a bit big for us really, but it was a very comfortable car.

We had an original shape Scenic for years. Fortunately we had the one with the bigger engine as the smaller engine wasn’t impressive even on Essex hills. It was very comfortable and practical. 

[NGT6 1315]

As practical cars go, a school mate had a 1st gen Twingo back in the late 90s. It didn't have many frills but tonnes of space. With the rear seat folded down, you could actually haul a lot for a car of that size. His example also had the large sunroof, which was pretty nice, too. And the short body overhangs and excellent visibility made it easy to handle in urban areas!

[DaveF]

The forecast was sunny, cloud increasing later.  It has been dull all day so far still with the wind off the sea and cool.

 

Yesterday was sunny and pleasant out of the wind.  As usual I went to church, this week it was my turn to be server, all went well. Afterwards I had the usual coffee and chat bedfore heading for home via the beach car park.  One of the flower beds now has a C lll R in white with blue pansies around it.  Each year they has a different design - old fashioned carpet bedding, like some of the flower beds in the park.

 

Lunch was easy - a frozen fish pie done in the oven.  Then I spent the afternoon sorting out the photos I took while I was out on Wednesday along with quite  lot I took in the garden over the last week or so.  Having not used the Nikon 18 - 135mm lens for some time I was very pleased with the results.  Overall, as I thought, it is a fraction sharper than the 18 - 200 mm lens.  It is also easier to hold as it is not heavy and the camera feels better balanced.  I'll still take the longer lens out with me, there are times when it will be useful.

 

When I finished it was tea time, followed by the news and then some music on Spotify for a change - this time played by the "Piccadilly Dance Orchestra".  During the day the greenhouse plants and the outdoor tubs were watered, the latter dry out quite quickly when the wind is in the east.  I felt very tired during the day, I've realised I did more than I thought on Wednesday and I am not quite as young as I was. As I am only 73 I get annoyed when I get tired.

 

David

Edited April 21, 2023 by DaveF

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

The clock's struck 3 and there's still no sign of EDF to fit the new Meters 🤬  Call me cynical, but I've a felling they'll be a no-show.  We'll see.....

 

Snazzy new 2g Light Switches arrived courtesy of Postie earlier, so they've been fitted in the Hall & Landing so at least I can work the lights properly at long last.  Tick.

I had a text to book a Dental check-up a few days ago so thought I'd better do that, only to discover that the young Pup that I've been rather impressed with (he's very thorough) is leaving so I'm now seeing the main man instead - who is very talented and a nice guy but I can't help but think he's all a bit too quick for my liking.  But since I'm one of the fortunate few who still has access to an NHS Dentist I figure that's a small price to pay.

 

In other news......

 

Well what a surprise - not.  Two faced B'sterds:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/extinction-rebellion-leader-exposed-for-using-diesel-driving-car-and-buying-imported-food/ar-AA1a859o?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=f4a927acb2c243ab965446e8a8cc32f7&ei=11

 

Bear gone.

Edited April 21, 2023 by polybear

[jjb1970]

5 hours ago, NGT6 1315 said:

 

I presume they'll be hideously expensive in Singapore!

 

She's in Jakarta, but yes, they cost a fortune in both Singapore and Jakarta. In Singapore, with a guaranteed CoE they're about S$300,000, which is about £181,000 (a huge part of that is the CoE, but even so the price of the car itself will be about £120,000). In Jakarta the base spec starts at about £70,000, and a lot more for the full fat models. That's a lot of money for an MPV.

[Tony_S]

32 minutes ago, NGT6 1315 said:

a 1st gen Twingo

Twingos were not sold in the UK, so when we drove across Europe a pre school age  Matthew played a count the Twingo game. Whoever saw one first called out “Twingo’ and added up their score at the end of the day. We once parked outside a Renault dealer who had loads! He was good at counting at least. 

[jjb1970]

I'm off to London for a week, got to rack up those air miles in the noble cause of talking about why we should emit less🦾 Be good y'all.

[pH]

34 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Twingos were not sold in the UK, so when we drove across Europe a pre school age  Matthew played a count the Twingo game. Whoever saw one first called out “Twingo’ and added up their score at the end of the day

Our kids used to play a more ‘robust’ version of that game:
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_buggy

[Tony_S]

2 minutes ago, pH said:

Our kids used to play a more ‘robust’ version of that game:
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_buggy

 Matthew was an only child! Though when he started at infant school aged 4years 4 months he had invented a couple of older sisters, Georgina and Henrietta. At our first parent teacher meeting his very nice teacher said his use of language was so well developed and she supposed it was due to having much older siblings. We explained he was an only child, he had never mentioned any imaginary siblings to us. 
My imaginary donkey friend “Neddy” disappeared when my brother was born. Must have gone to a farm, like all those dogs that other people had, that disappeared too.  

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all,

 

A cold old day at the House of Fun has been followed by a goodly lunch and an afternoon snooze.  It is now approaching Beer o'Clock.  

 

That was the week that was in professional terms.  Three more until my "Natural Retirement Date" although I propose to be un-natural and continue my employment for the time being at least.  One more week until I can apply for my bus pass and three before I am entitled to use it.  That replaces my Oyster 60+ card which I have had for five years now.  There are some subtle differences in validity apart from the generous and to-be-enjoyed extension of free off-peak bus travel from London to England-wide.  I can use an Oyster Card, a TfL product, to reach a few places just outside London by train because they are served only by TfL or are controlled by that body.  I shall no longer be able to travel by train to the likes of Cheshunt, Dartford or Epsom.  The boundary henceforth will be at Theobald's Grove, Crayford / Barnehurst / Slade Green or Ewell West / East.  I shall lose the option to travel by Chiltern Line trains beyond Moor Park towards Amersham even though they are TfL stations but retain the right to use the TfL Metropolitan Line trains to those same stations.  And a few other minor differences around the edges.  

 

We have quite a busy schedule for the next several weeks. Out with friends up from Cornwall tomorrow for example followed by an old bus running day in East Grinstead for me on Sunday.  

 

Despite the weather it seems that out-door season is here.  

 

 

[Coombe Barton]

... Sometimes you can say that AI is not responsible for a student’s assessment because it’s so bad. AI can’t be that bad. Can it? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/04/21/decline-ongoing-mersey-humber-line-less-clear/

[polybear]

Bear here....

Well the fuggin' EDF Star was a no-show, so I closed the blinds and if they turn up now then they can go and get stuffed 🤬  And if they do still turn up then (a) I hope it was a long and nightmare journey from their last call, and (b) in completely the opposite direction to where they live.

I've been trying to get working fuggin' smart meters for over a year now - endless wasted phone calls, lies, bullsh1t and timewasters sent to fix it but didn't.  Oh yes, and quite possibly the bill for a new fridge freezer too - though I can't 100% prove it was their fault.  T0ssers.

So will Bear be chasing them again?  Nope - they can poke their meters and I'll submit readings instead.

And how is Bear spending his Friday evening as a result?  Doin' the f. washing cos' I couldn't start it earlier as the power may well have disappeared mid-cycle 🤬

That's a Rant by the way.

It's quite possible that more astute members of ER'ers may detect that The Bear is P1ssed.

 

In other news:

Bear is rather pleased to see that the two Just Stop Oil Protesters sorry, T0ssers that climbed the Dartford Bridge last October have been jailed - one for three years and the other for 2 years 7months 😁.  I've a feeling that the Judge may have been stuck in the traffic jam.  Very Big Tick - and LDC Awarded.

 

Right, Bear has decided that a close encounter with a Bakewell Tart + Cadbury's Cream Egg Ice Cream may be in order.

Bear gone.

 

[monkeysarefun]

9 hours ago, PeterBB said:

The Qs response to the larger Fiat 500, saw a Mini Cooper yesterday that was almost the size of a large car.  The other problem is car parking, aside from exorbitant charges, they are far too narrow for current day cars.

 

Funnily enough I saw my first one in the work carpark a couple of weeks ago and had to take a piccy cos it's the same size as the mid sized  Subaru SUV beside it.

 

Due to the almost  total lack of N or HO scale model cars of Australian origin I've taken on the  self imposed task of creating 3d printed models of most of them, from the mid 50s through to the end of the 70s. It means drawing them up in 3d software, namely Blender, which turns out to be a lot less scary than I'd initially assumed. Because it's been surprisingly relaxing to sit in front of the telly or out on the deck in the sun drawing cars on the laptop I've extended my task to include  other cars that were either imported here or were produced locally under license,  like the Morris 1100, Vauxhall Viva and so on.

 

Almost two years so far of pretty much daily drawing up car bodies, working out edge flows and subtle panel shaping and creasing means I spend a lot of time unconsciously studying the modern cars around me, and  that makes  me realise how much designers have lost the plot over the last couple of years.

It seems that  now the vast majority of cars sold are either SUVs  or tiny hatchbacks, both of which are basically a big  box for people and their stuff, with a smaller box stuck on the front for the motor to live in. Lacking the ability to come up with exciting or radical new shapes, car   design now seems limited to  adding stupid creases, bulges and stick-on bits, I think half the time they are having a laugh, seeing how stupid something will look and yet  still have someone buy it.

 

I think cars  designed  as  things of beauty to gaze on with joy took off in the twenties and thirties, went into a bit of a wartime slumber until the early 50s then really got going  through to the late 70s when it came to a shuddering halt up against  overall  80s hideousness.

 

Personally the 3d modelling has given me a new found appreciation for  some of the older designs such as the Mark 1 Cortina for instance.

I overlooked the real life version because it seemed insignificant by the time I was into cars during the muscle car heyday of the 70s here, but after spending a week drawing it up I have found a  love for the lines and subtle shaping around the boot especially. It should be a lesson in how to do creasing tastefully. I really enjoyed doing this one.

 

Ford never matched it with the later Cortinas, but here at least we had the Falcon coupes of the 70s to get excited about, they had a lovely smooth unencumbered shape. Well until the stick on after market body kit abomination craze of the 80s, at least...

Edited April 21, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Ian Abel]

POETS... may as well just take the DAY off.

 

Yesterday, busy only with the last choir rehearsal of the season, followed by a "last supper" post-rehearsal happy hour. After we sing Sunday, we're done for the season.

We DO have a funeral the schola has been requested to sing at, May 20th., and the choir PARTY on June 9th. Otherwise, everyone will disappear into their summer schedules until we re-convene in September.

 

Late today due to a dental check-up appointment. Been missing out since COVID so needed to go. Been that long that it was a check-up only, no cleaning.

Why you may ask!

Apparently, they're still suffering the long-term effects of COVID with the loss of dental hygienists. My cleaning appointment is... wait for it... JANUARY 2nd. 2024!!!!

On the list for cancellations, here's hoping.

Sadly, found a couple of cavities to be addressed in a week or so, and an implant that was "in progress" when COVID hit and will be continued now.

 

This weekend will be BUSY!

Tomorrow we're off to see a matinee performance of "Hamilton" with Trevor and Meagan.

They've not seen it yet and the local performance by a touring company is said to be first class. We'll then probably partake an early dinner.

 

Sunday, the last performances for Earth Sunday services, up early to do the last-minute rehearse with musicians and done.

 

THEN, the Mrs, having sorted ALL the items that are headed to our storage unit, will be handled by local movers that we've used before. I'm SURE we'll (well, the Mrs) accompany them over to the storage unit, though we don't need to <sigh>

That'll be the weekend done. Wow, that went quickly, do I get another one?? 😃

 

Weather is variable, zero first thing, 3c the expected high, some showers predicted and maybe slush, but won't stick around!

At least we're not in the path of the northern Minnesota SNOW STORM, they're likely getting another 6-8 inches today/tomorrow. <bah>

 

Carry on.

[New Haven Neil]

18 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

I think half the time they are having a laugh, seeing how stupid something will look and yet  still have someone buy it.

 

'Allegedly' exactly this is to blame for the Nissan Juke - it was a 'joke' by a p!ssed off designer, and the marketing people ran with it.  No idea how true this is, but I was told about it by someone that works in automotive design. For a competitor....