Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

Condolences Stewart

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Popped down to Tess Coes for a few bits and pieces, it was very quiet despite the kick ball having finished. Arthur Itis is grumbling again so Nurofen has been taken. Now to sort the washing out before the new batch on Monday.

[petethemole]

Condolences to Stewart.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[southern42]

' night all and nos da.

[TheQ]

It's a quarter past midnight and we await 8 , 7 boats, another retired.

[The Lurker]

Do they have headlights to see where they’re going?

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, The Lurker said:

Do they have headlights to see where they’re going?

Not sure if you are saying that in jest. I doubt it.

 

I wonder if sailing boats intended for day sailing on the broads even carry the normal navigation lamps - port/starboard/masthead etc - that you would see on ocean-going boats. One would think they should, but I don't know the rules for such things.

[Ozexpatriate]

11 hours ago, 45156 said:

my younger brother had passed away during the  night

Stewart, I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences to you and your family.

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[BR60103]

This was car-picking-up day.   It has a lot more electronics than I'd like but that's now par.

We had to do some logging in and found that I didn't know one of the passwords (never use it; may be on a piece of paper at home).

But we did manage to drive it home without getting in trouble.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

Those with exceptionally keen memories might remember* a couple of weeks ago that I suggested a rant was forthcoming. Well, my credit card statement arrived resulting in a precipitant rant.

 

* I'm not actually expecting anyone to remember.

 

/rant_on

 

I placed an online order** in January, 2022, with a well-known British manufacturer of model railway items for some rolling stock items. Why? Because, at that time, they would not allocate these particular items to the mail order retailer whom I prefer with my custom.

 

** Note well: singular order in one 'shopping cart' transaction.

 

There were eight items, each priced at £30.41 (which was exclusive of VAT). (They retail, inclusive of VAT, for £36.49 in the UK.) I received a separate automatic email for each item with shipping listed at £30.00. This should have been a warning to me. My preferred retailer always accumulates multiple items arriving contemporaneously in one, maybe two, shipment(s) based on weights etc. Eight little wagons/coaches would be in one box.

 

Every one of these items arrived in the UK from China in the same shipment. The Thanet logistics people sent them in two tranches - one of five and one of three separate packages. (The volume of cardboard was quite staggering.)

 

Here is the first set of five packages:

 

Interestingly I have no complaints with DHL. They were delivered incredibly promptly. I was supposed to sign for them all but the first tranche arrived in a heavy downpour and materialized on my doorstep. I did have to sign for the second tranche a couple of days later and had the opportunity to remind the driver that there were supposed to be three packages rather than the two I first signed for. He found the third one in his van.

 

So I have spent £240.00*** on shipping on £243.28 of merchandise. This would never happen with my preferred retailer. They ship with Royal Mail, which does take longer, but usually ends up being about the same as VAT (so 20%, give or take).  There was an additional charge of $18.19 in currency conversion charges as well.

 

*** 1.4 Deltics for those who prefer that measure.

 

As further frustration I now see that half of the items (but not all) were eventually allocated to my preferred retailer and I could have ordered from them anyway.

 

It's only money and shrouds have no pockets blah, blah, blah, but this sort of logistical handling benefits no one but the shipping company and why my preferred retailer (a large West Country concern) would be denied an allocation of regionally relevant product is beyond me.

 

/rant_off

 

 

[TheQ]

02:33 the last boat using our mark as it's final distant turning point rounded it. About ten minutes later the last boat using the Lower bure buoy as it's last mark rounded that.

Hardly any wind though at the moment to take them back to Horning.

We are awaiting first light before packing up and head back to Horning for breakfast.

[Ozexpatriate]

There was some additional delivery drama today. I had a notification that a order was delivered on my doorstep at time certain. It wasn't there, my having checked the mail box after the alleged timestamp.

 

At one point I got confused, thinking that the stated delivery was yesterday, but went through the process of filing an online claim with the delivery company - ending up with the message "Hmm .. there seems to be a problem" and no confirmation of a claim being filed.

 

At this point (an hour or so after the alleged timestamp) I resorted to looking up the customer service telephone number but before making the call, and for no clear reason, opened the front door again to find the delivery waiting for me on the doorstep.

 

All's well that ends well.

 

I'm guessing they were delivered on a neighbour's porch and kindly neighbour put them where they belonged. Either that or the delivery driver peremptorily waved his magic scanner at them an hour before actual delivery.

[TheQ]

3 hours ago, The Lurker said:

Do they have headlights to see where they’re going?

No that's forbidden, you must show port and Starboard red and green lights plus a white tail light. Mast head lights are no good on the broads when everyone is peering ahead to see where the next river bank is. Not up in the sky.

As it is this year we've had a full moon and clear skies all night so it wasn't a problem seeing  on a no moon cloudy night is does get difficult.

There are glimmers of orange to the north east...won't be long now.

Edited June 4, 2023 by TheQ

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the Charente.  Dimanche has arrived and it's still warm.  We had our usual hour talking to Emily and her mums yesterday morning.  Rachel:'s blood results are still on the up and heading in the right direction.. Then a trip to see the 93 Yr old Belgian widow.  Now discharged from hospital after stents being fitted following a heart attack.  She was in good spirits.  

 

Then some time in the pool after lunch.  This morning it's the market and some cherries to pick. 

 

Ttfn

 

Jamie

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning All,

 

Some canine trivia for you this morning:

 

Yesterday, I joined Mrs iD and the Wolfpack at the Holiday Hovel for the yearly Hunde Military we participate in (a “Hunde Military” is a sort of obstacle course where dogs and handlers have to perform tasks at different stations)

We did quite well: Mrs iD and Schotty placed second in a field of 35 (first place was missed due to Mrs iD being unable to recognise a cartoon character [one task was a) dog obeys command, b) handler identifies cartoon character]) Lucy and I placed 24th, our performance being hampered by the fact that Lucy is going deaf* and doesn’t hear commands too well.

 

Again, despite performing well, dear Schotty was being mouthy. I reckon he must be a re-incarnated politician: he has an opinion on everything and wants you to know about it….

 

Well gotta dash, temperatures promises to hit around 30*C with thunderstorms -so out with doggies before the sweltering deluge.

 

Back later

 

* I am a bit annoyed with my Vet - she refuses to test Lucy’s hearing, saying we can’t change things. Well of course I know that, but I want to know what the hearing deficit is (i.e. she can hear this frequency but not that) so I can tailor my commands (high pitched whistle or low frequency voice) to something she can hear.

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

There was some additional delivery drama today. I had a notification that a order was delivered on my doorstep at time certain. It wasn't there, my having checked the mail box after the alleged timestamp.

 

At one point I got confused, thinking that the stated delivery was yesterday, but went through the process of filing an online claim with the delivery company - ending up with the message "Hmm .. there seems to be a problem" and no confirmation of a claim being filed.

 

At this point (an hour or so after the alleged timestamp) I resorted to looking up the customer service telephone number but before making the call, and for no clear reason, opened the front door again to find the delivery waiting for me on the doorstep.

 

All's well that ends well.

 

I'm guessing they were delivered on a neighbour's porch and kindly neighbour put them where they belonged. Either that or the delivery driver peremptorily waved his magic scanner at them an hour before actual delivery.

 

I ordered a replacement phone for MrsID from the big A. It was supposed to arrive today but it seems to have been "delayed" at SEA-TAC. Time will tell.

[AndyID]

14 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

* I am a bit annoyed with my Vet - she refuses to test Lucy’s hearing, saying we can’t change things. Well of course I know that, but I want to know what the hearing deficit is (i.e. she can hear this frequency but not that) so I can tailor my commands (high pitched whistle or low frequency voice) to something she can hear.

 

Shona our Scottie is fourteen and really quite deaf. She does not respond to speech at all now but she does respond to clicks and hand-claps. I suspect she still has some hearing at higher frequencies. It might not be too difficult to set up a test with a computer and speakers.

 

It could well be the amplitude delta more than anything else. Dogs, like all canines, have very sensitive hearing and with the amount of noise carp we subject them to over time it might well cause them to filter most of it out.

 

I would not even call that a theory 🙂

[DaveF]

Up nice and early today but when I opened the curtains I was greeted by a grey sky, the sun may come out by lunchtime according to the latest forecast.  It iscold enough to leave the greenhouse door closed.  I've made a start on the usual Sunday e mails, phone calls will follow shortly then the usual trip to church for the Trinity Sunday service.

 

Later there will be lunch, chicken in some kind of sauce and hopefully a relaxing afternoon though I might continue with jobs in the garage or garden.

 

David

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Commiserations to Stewart.

 

Not such a long day at the office yesterday.  Neither umpire acquitted themselves well. Reports to be done when the system let's me. Pah!

 

It was very sunny and warm out of the wind. The ground was a picture.

 

Today is.. recovery day plus getting the house ready for the early music group who are coming to rehearse today.

I may get some muddling done!

 

Mugatea time!

 

Baz

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

We did quite well: Mrs iD and Schotty placed second in a field of 35 (first place was missed due to Mrs iD being unable to recognise a cartoon character

 

It'd be interesting to see how many fellow ER'ers recognise the Character if presented with a picture.....

 

Bear here.....

Well I could've got up at 5am - but went back to sleep until 7am...

Today sees Bear danglin' on a Roller.  It could be A Very Big Tick Day.

 

In other news....

There ain't none.

 

In other, other news....

Apologies for Bear's lack of ratings recently - I'm in a speed reading grey kinda mood at the moment.

 

And finally.....

Rant-Free zone.  That could change.

 

BG

 

[Coombe Barton]

Getting ready to go to Crewe - as soon as I can get my ar5e off the sofa.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Sunny here.  
One of Matthew’s university friends is staying with us this weekend. His plan to arrive from Ely by train yesterday was prevented from happening but he got a lift to Witham and we drove over to collect him. It took 30 minutes to get out of Benfleet, due to some incident on the A13. Anyway Chris  was happy to stand on a bridge train spotting until we arrived. There were trains running on that line.

We went to Maldon and looked at the barges and found a pub for lunch. Today we will do a tour of Benfleet and I going to attempt a barbecue. I think the gas bottle is full but according to the internet the little gauge attached has two positions, full and empty. I always intended to have a spare bottle and never got round to so,decided last week to get one. All the very local places would only swap for a refill, not supply a new filled one, or claimed the 5kg patio gas (propane) were unobtainable now. I asked a neighbour and he said to go to an industrial estate in Wickford. The business there had what I wanted and plenty of them. So, I don’t have to worry about the gas running out today. 
Tony

[tigerburnie]

Yesterday was a quite interesting one, after a refit at Rosyth, RRS Discovery berthed in Dundee for a few days and free tickets were available for a visit, so we got four and took two grandsons. The significance is that the original Discovery is in a dry dock alongside the River Tay and this one, number 4 in the list was paying  bit of homage to the old one, with the crew and scientists visiting the original as well us hoards visiting theirs.

Getting aboard a vessel designed for Arctic and Antarctic sailings rather than a cruise ship was quite entertaining as was dodging bumped heads, knees and elbows going through bulkhead doors. A few Scientists were on hand to brief us about their work, you can tell they are used to talking to other scientists and not the general public, with a question at the end from presenters if we had any questions, they were greeted by silence, I don't think anyone understood a word they said bless them, I did manage to ask a daft one if any of their underwater drone type thingys had ever been eaten by Whales, which broke the air and made us all laugh.

The bridge was very interesting as was some of the accommodation and galley, didn't get to the engine room or any labs sadly.

We were the last trip of the day, so after bidding the crew goodbye as they are off to do sea trials off Southampton before going to Bergen then Halifax Nova Scotia, we went into far more dangerous territory and went to find McDonalds in the city of Dundee. Seven in the evening and scenes of carnage were unbelievable(I really have got old) my generation were often referred to as "the great unwashed" well this lot were the great undressed, tits and @rses hanging out every where, people so drunk they could barely walk, bunch of lightweights will be unconscious before it gets dark, what an entertaining day out for a couple of"teuchters"(country bumpkins to you).

Edited June 4, 2023 by tigerburnie

[PeterBB]

1 hour ago, Coombe Barton said:

Getting ready to go to Crewe - as soon as I can get my ar5e off the sofa.

Delayed because you can - the advantage of 'me time'!

 

Condolences to Stewart and family - even when not close or expected it still comes as a shock.

 

Tomorrow off to a relatives funeral after a family day represented by a completed trip round the sun and three days after what would have been his similar anniversay day.

Edited June 4, 2023 by PeterBB