Early Risers.

[Erichill16]

15 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

Wait until A Certain Person & Co are all out for the day, then erect a very shabby, very cheap Shed (ideally S/H Wickes Cr@p) in the middle of their front lawn (or the drive...) and dump all their cr@p inside that.  And set up a secret camera for when they return home...

Could be an Internet Sensation.

I know where there’s an old tent, will that do?

[polybear]

29 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

I know where there’s an old tent, will that do?

 

Perfect.  The leakier the better.

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

13 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Just had my income tax demand for my 2022 income.  They always run in arrears here in La Belle France.  Nothing to pay.  I can cope with that. Time for some amber nectar. 

 

Jamie

 

And being "non-imposable" can also open up some other benefits. So a double celebration.

[iL Dottore]

Greetings from an overcast Bavaria (don't ask).

 

The Bear's post about picture frames/display cases certainly hit a nerve. One of my souvenirs from my trip to Japan* is a Shinto Shrine votive offering in the form of a Tori Gate (and very nicely done as well - wood and black and red lacquer) so I thought that I'd buy a DIY picture frame and convert it to a shallow display case/deep picture frame.

 

Accordingly, I bought a DIY frame for about SFr 16/£14. First annoyance: it came with a clear plastic pane, NOT glass; second annoyance: the "wood" was some sort of lightweight chipboard with a veneer and the "veneer" was nothing more than printed paper; third annoyance: it was impossible to dismantle without damaging anything (and, no, it wasn't glued together). I ended up with a pile of bits - only some of which I can recycle.., Grrr

 

Now obviously one doesn't expect rare exotic woods and special UV protective glass for £14, but to spend that amount for about £2-3 of materials and labour - well someone's extracting the urine...

 

I eventually found something at Ikea that I could easily convert (picture to follow). This whole exercise underscored and reinforced my claim that buying cheap can be very expensive indeed!.

 

And, yes, the above is a "mini-rantette"

 

* regarding Japan SWMBO has now started saying things like "you'll be in Japan then" or "when you're in Japan...." so I guess next year's (tentative) trip to Hokkaido has received the (unofficial) nod.

 

 

[DaveF]

It rained again during the night - what a surprise.  This summer reminds me of the early 60s when I spent most of my school holidays messing about in boats getting wet - sometimes from spray but more often from rain.  The rain was loud enough to wake me, then I could hear the generator along the road which kept me awake.

 

This morning there are a number of vans and a mini digger parked along the road, perhaps at long last my neighbours will get their "real" electricity back and the generator will be taken away.  I have my fingers crossed.

 

The neck is still causing  pain, but I am getting better at avoiding it, I keep sniffling and sneezing so perhaps the stuff in the sinuses is shifting.

 

The forecast is more rain for most of the day so I will just go out for a short walk in a few minutes, when I get back I'll do the monthly accounts.  After that - who knows? - it will depend on how I feel but should include some cricket watching.

 

David

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

 

Wait until A Certain Person & Co are all out for the day, then erect a very shabby, very cheap Shed (ideally S/H Wickes Cr@p) in the middle of their front lawn (or the drive...) and dump all their cr@p inside that.  And set up a secret camera for when they return home...

Could be an Internet Sensation.

Why bother with (the expense) of a shed or tent, just dump it there. 

[New Haven Neil]

Day not going well, for several reasons. 

 

Plans turned to TC's for the week, one way or another, and weather for the week looks pants except Tues, the day I have a hospital appointment all the way down to the Big City so other plans for the day cancelled but needed good weather for re-arrangement - not likely to happen.  Pah. Dr's this morning too, to collect paperwork for tomorrow...... if done...hmm.

[4630]

6 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Anyway, not expecting it to become what it has I never bothered setting up a proper tagging system to catalogue the pictures, now I have a huge number and need to organize them so am having to go through all of them to tag them properly and put them in a folder system. If I'd done it from day one I'd have avoided a painful task.

 

I'm not sure which piece of software you're using to tag your photos, but I've been using Photo Mechanic for around 10 years now and it does take a lot of the pain out of that particular task.  Especially if also using the 'Keyword List' feature which saves much repetitive typing. 

 

It's available in PC and Mac flavours.  There's a free trial version and then a one off license if you decide to keep.  The current version is Photo Mechanic 6.  It's very stable and seems to play nicely with my Mac.  The learning curve is not particularly steep and to be honest, I wouldn't be without it now.

 

Details available here; Photo Mechanic 

Edited July 31, 2023 by 4630

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Slept solidly last night and very few aches and pains when I awoke. Not sure what I will be doing today, my friend wants me to look at what needs doing to his garden path after he recently had a power supply taken to his model railway shed at the bottom of his garden. When it was installed they cut a trench across the concrete path. I've still got to have a good look at the car I'm hoping to buy, I didn't have time on Friday.

[The White Rabbit]

Morning all,

 

A few things needing attention beckon this week, mostly of the admin/domestic/health nature. No more or I'll head back into a bad mood. As the old saying goes, "Sometimes I wake up grumpy, other days I let him sleep in"...

 

Today's nostalgic news item: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jul/31/50-greatest-childrens-tv-shows-crocs-clangers  Such articles are always a bit subjective - I would suggest the Magic Roundabout deserves to be there - but whether it's a good natured clickbait piece or some personal reminiscences the author's fortunate enough to be paid for, I thought it was a (partial) antidote to Monday morning blues. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well, the weather is determined to prevent me from finishing the work on the workshop, it’s really starting to p!ss me off! Yes, this is a rant. 
 

As you may have guessed, they’ll be no work done on the workshop today, as a/ you can’t sand wet wood and b/ you can’t paint wet wood, pah. So it’s looking like I’ll be spending another day in the cellar, working on the computer. However, the upside is that I’ve now almost completed the turntable drawings etc. 

 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[iL Dottore]

10 minutes ago, BSW01 said:

Good morning everyone 

 

Well, the weather is determined to prevent me from finishing the work on the workshop, it’s really starting to p!ss me off! Yes, this is a rant. 
 

As you may have guessed, they’ll be no work done on the workshop today, as a/ you can’t sand wet wood and b/ you can’t paint wet wood, pah. 

Really? I am surprised!

 

From some of the reports I've read about the quality of the new-build "build 'em cheap, flog 'em expensive" housing estates that they've been building in the UK, that's exactly what they've been doing (and more besides).

 

I sometimes wonder what planning offices actually do in the UK. From various reports, anecdotal stories and newspaper articles, it is easy to conclude that on the one hand the planning officers are preventing restoration of fabulous old buildings because the restorer is not using the right mix of badger urine, Northumberland Clay and straw to make repairs; whilst on the other they are approving housing estates with no local amenities (shops etc) narrow roads, minimal off-road parking and houses with rooms so small that you have to go outside in order to change your mind.

[jjb1970]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

@jjb1970 does the Fui system mate with Olympus lenses.  They used to.  My EM10 is an excellent machine.  I've used Olympus since 1977 starting with an OM1

 

Good moaning from a grey and overcast Charente.  As well as some shed time various other tasks were completed yesterday.  Today though I'm off for an extended trainspotting afyernoon/evening at Angouleme.  Should be a good expedition. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

 

 

 

Alas, the X mount is unique to Fujifilm APS-C cameras. The X system is excellent, but cameras aren't like they once were. Nikon used to be justly proud of the fact that their bayonet mount was a standard and any lens would work with any body, and buying into a system was a long term investment. Now their mirrorless cameras have the newer Z mount, and lenses have AF motors and have to communicate with the body. Canon changed their mount when they went autofocus and just changed it again for the R series mirrorless cameras. It gets more complicated as Nikon, Canon and Sony use common mounts for their full frame and APS cameras (not shared between companies, they're proprietary and unique to each, shared between different formats within that company). Which means you have to know whether a lens is optimised for APS or full frame. The result is that whereas at one time deciding to switch systems was a huge decision if you had anything more than a body and standard lens it's no longer quite the big deal it once was. I am not necessarily criticising as cameras have advanced in leaps and bounds and on balance it probably is better to evolve to maximize potential rather than clinging to backwards compatibility.

 

The 4/3 and micro 4/3 formats were great initiatives to establish an open source standard, but OM digital solutions and Panasonic seem to be the only two manufacturers supporting it.

 

I loved the original OM cameras, true classics. OM digital still have that knack from Olympus of making a sweet handling and compact camera.

[Barry O]

Blood.. yaken. Sharps box.. supplied. Seeing the MSK physio in two weeks time..  Great.

However  her indoors has seen a Doctor.. (at last) and he has pressed the big red panic button. He reviewed the letter received last week about polyp removal (undertaken in 2022), reckons her indors has huge fluid retention issues.. sent to local hospital for blood samples, scan has been demanded and other tests to take place in the next 2 weeks. Hopefully all will be well.

 

Coffee time!

 

Baz

Edited August 1, 2023 by Barry O

[iL Dottore]

Now I know that we are not supposed to talk about politics on this forum, but today I will claim an exemption to do so.

 

Let me explain:

 

Shortly, there will be a coup in the UK that will place Captain Cynical in charge of the country. Now, whilst Captain Cynical is indeed a talented and multifaceted individual, even he cannot run a country by himself. Therefore he will be putting together a cabinet of stellar talent from the ranks of ER posters. Undoubtedly future historians will refer to this cabinet as "the Cabinet of curiosities" – the curious thing being, of course, why such wise and talented individuals had not been brought in to run the country earlier.
 

CC will retain both the roles of Secretary of State for Health and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in his portfolio. His role as prime minister will be mostly administrative (although with ultimate veto and policy approval) with much of the day to day activities of the PM's office being taken over by the depute PM @polybear (or "First Bear Amongst Bears" as he prefers to be known).  The Home Office will be run by @jamie92208  who will not only bring years of policing experience, but also a pragmatic Gallic twist much needed for sorting out the problems of the Home Office. @Dave Hunt will Secretary of State for Defence, whilst@PupCam will be Secretary of State  for Justice. However, a number of other cabinet positions still need to be filled - including those of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. And whilst Captain Cynical certainly has enough talented individuals from ER to fulfil these roles, he would like guidance from ER as who would be best suited for various particular Cabinet roles (and other ministerial positions).

 

To what office, for example, should CC appoint @TheQ or @New Haven Neil? Is @Barry O ready to take on more than just Minister for Cricket? Who should CC appoint as  Secretary of State for Transport? Who has the cojones to sort out DfT, the unions and the TOCs? Who, amongst the erudite and learnèd of ERs could manage the balancing act of fiscal prudence and wise spending of an effective Chancellor of the Exchequer?

 

Captain Cynical awaits your input

Edited July 31, 2023 by iL Dottore

[iL Dottore]

For @polybear

Cake in Bavaria

[iL Dottore]

After some Bavarian cake I have retired tp the hotel room balcony for a Bavarian beer and a cigarillo.

 

We are staying in a (very) dog friendly hotel in Bavaria because of the Swiss 1st August National Day. Every August 1st the Swiss let off the equivalent of a Battle of the Somme's worth of fireworks – scaring the bejeezus out of the canine population. Neither Lucy nor Schotty endure this at all well and as Schotty gets older it gets worse for him (we believe that he has the beginnings of doggy dementia which of course will affect the way he processes and reacts to sounds and other stimuli). So for the last few years, we have been leaving Switzerland for nearby Germany to escape the fireworks.

 

Anyway, such trips "abroad" require the provision of adequate reading. On this trip, apart from Defeat Into Victory by Field Marshal Slim (a great read about an overlooked theatre of war), I have a few books by MG Leonard and S Sedgman about the on train adventures of Hal Beck and his Uncle Nat. Although aimed at a "young teen" audience, they are prototypically accurate in the depiction of locomotives, carriages, stations, bridges and other railwayana without being condescending; nor – despite being written for a modern audience – are they particularly OTT with all the PC stuff. I find thst they are a most enjoyable light read and I highly recommend a quick peruse

Edited July 31, 2023 by iL Dottore

[polybear]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Why bother with (the expense) of a shed or tent, just dump it there. 

 

With a sign on it saying "Help Yourself" - plus a Faceache post telling everyone where.

 

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

 I've still got to have a good look at the car I'm hoping to buy, I didn't have time on Friday.

 

Wear your haggling hat....

 

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Really? I am surprised!

 

From some of the reports I've read about the quality of the new-build "build 'em cheap, flog 'em expensive" housing estates that they've been building in the UK, that's exactly what they've been doing (and more besides).

 

I sometimes wonder what planning offices actually do in the UK. From various reports, anecdotal stories and newspaper articles, it is easy to conclude that on the one hand the planning officers are preventing restoration of fabulous old buildings because the restorer is not using the right mix of badger urine, Northumberland Clay and straw to make repairs; whilst on the other they are approving housing estates with no local amenities (shops etc) narrow roads, minimal off-road parking and houses with rooms so small that you have to go outside in order to change your mind.

 

Buildings Control needs sorting as well, judging by some of the shoddy cr@p that some Developers are whacking up now

 

2 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

Today's nostalgic news item: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jul/31/50-greatest-childrens-tv-shows-crocs-clangers  Such articles are always a bit subjective - I would suggest the Magic Roundabout deserves to be there - but whether it's a good natured clickbait piece or some personal reminiscences the author's fortunate enough to be paid for, I thought it was a (partial) antidote to Monday morning blues. 

 

Bagpuss**, Clangers and Paddington in 0 to 5 years?  Bluddy cheek.

Perhaps if kids were brought up with those - and similar now then the Country might be a lot better for it.

Many of those in the list I've never heard of, so probably recent carp.

 

**Bear discovered a Bagpuss DVD a little while back - it's now safely within Bear Towers....

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Now I know that we are not supposed to talk about politics on this forum, but today I will claim an exemption to do so.

 

Let me explain:

 

Shortly, there will be a coup in the UK that will place Captain Cynical in charge of the country. Now, whilst Captain Cynical is indeed a talented and multifaceted individual, even he cannot run a country by himself. Therefore he will be putting together a cabinet of stellar talent from the ranks of ER posters. Undoubtedly future historians will refer to this cabinet as "the Cabinet of curiosities" – the curious thing being, of course, why such wise and talented individuals had not been brought in to run the country earlier.
 

CC will retain both the roles of Secretary of State for Health and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in his portfolio. His role as prime minister will be mostly administrative (although with ultimate veto and policy approval) with much of the day to day activities of the PM's office being taken over by the depute PM @polybear (or "First Bear Amongst Bears" as he prefers to be known).  The Home Office will be run by @jamie92208  who will not only bring years of policing experience, but also a pragmatic Gallic twist much needed for sorting out the problems of the Home Office. @Dave Hunt will Secretary of State for Defence, whilst@PupCam will be Secretary of State  for Justice. However, a number of other cabinet positions still need to be filled - including those of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary. And whilst Captain Cynical certainly has enough talented individuals from ER to fulfil these roles, he would like guidance from ER as who would be best suited for various particular Cabinet roles (and other ministerial positions).

 

To what office, for example, should CC appoint @TheQ or @New Haven Neil? Is @Barry O ready to take on more than just Minister for Cricket? Who should CC appoint as  Secretary of State for Transport? Who has the cojones to sort out DfT, the unions and the TOCs? Who, amongst the erudite and learnèd of ERs could manage the balancing act of fiscal prudence and wise spending of an effective Chancellor of the Exchequer?

 

Captain Cynical awaits your input

 

How about @Gwiwer for SoS for Transport?

@New Haven Neil?  SoS for Shipping?

And since @PupCam will be having all the fun as SoS for Justice, perhaps Bear could have a little side line as a Minister for Immigration?  Deputy PM's do bvggerall anyway, so I'd have time on my Paws.

Edited July 31, 2023 by polybear

[Gwiwer]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

How about @Gwiwer for SoS for Transport?

Make me the right offer and I’m in 🤣

[polybear]

Bear here...

A fun morning pressure washing the drive, front path, various bins and the gates at Bear Towers - all now look far, far better than they did.  And Bear?  Soggy Bear Mk.2.

Right at the end of proceedings I saw a large puff of smoke, followed by a White Flag being waived by Willie the Water Meter - who was heard muttering "I Surrender!" and "I'll get you back you 'sterd - just wait till you get the Bill......"

The good news is the Front Garden at Bear Towers is looking significantly better than a few days ago - the lawn and borders are still in need of significant TLC though, but that'll have to wait until the garden has dried out a little lot.

Very Big Tick awarded.

 

Bear's Tip of the Day:

Stickin' yer Paw in front of a Pressure Washer - especially one fitted with the optional "spiteful 'sterd" Lance stings somewhat.  Not recommended.

 

In other news.....

The person wanting the A1 Clip Frame is due shortly to collect it.  That'll be another Tick.

As for the Display Cabinet, I think @Erichill16's suggestion of bungin' it on Freegle (aka Freecycle) seems very sensible, so I'll be doing that shortly.

 

BG

[Dave Hunt]

To Captain Cynical's and Bear's lists I would add to NHN's portfolio Lord Lieutenant of Fraggle Rock and chief adviser to Gwiwer on the reintroduction of steam railways and tramways. TheQ should be Minister of Aviation and Baz be in charge of introducing armoured vehicles and smart weaponry to the police force.

 

Dave

[polybear]

Oh yes.....

Bear watched "New: Coastguard - Search & Rescue" for the first time on Channel 5 last night (it's on again on Sunday at 9pm).

Rather interesting - I suspect @New Haven Neil would've found the bit where the Maritime Agency were re-inspecting a Tanker they'd previously impounded due to it having 20 safety related failures (little details like the Emergency Generator being u/s....).

Not so sure about the bit where they were using a Coastguard fixed wing aircraft to spot crew on fishing vessels who weren't wearing life jackets (it's the law, apparently) - and then not prosecuting despite having video evidence.  Seems like a very expensive use of Tax Payer's money to this Bear.

 

BG

[Erichill16]

And @Coombe Barton can work in the ONS or Dept of Culture.

[jjb1970]

20 minutes ago, polybear said:

Oh yes.....

Bear watched "New: Coastguard - Search & Rescue" for the first time on Channel 5 last night (it's on again on Sunday at 9pm).

Rather interesting - I suspect @New Haven Neil would've found the bit where the Maritime Agency were re-inspecting a Tanker they'd previously impounded due to it having 20 safety related failures (little details like the Emergency Generator being u/s....).

Not so sure about the bit where they were using a Coastguard fixed wing aircraft to spot crew on fishing vessels who weren't wearing life jackets (it's the law, apparently) - and then not prosecuting despite having video evidence.  Seems like a very expensive use of Tax Payer's money to this Bear.

 

BG

 

There's a section of the industry that uses port state control as an alternative to superintendency. They operate ships until they're detained, do enough work to get them released then operate then to the next detention. And there are unfortunate souls (largely from poor countries) desperate enough to work on such ships.

 

On n'er do wells, the MCA have two massive problems, they're obligated to exhaust administrative sanctions before going for prosecution (unless it is an offence outside of the merchant shipping acts, in which case the file goes to the Police and the CPS or whatever they're called now), and their prosecution budget is so small it means that unless you've done something outrageously bad they'll just administer a stern request to do better (not that I'm cynical).

[iL Dottore]

32 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Make me the right offer and I’m in 🤣

How about:

> all the single malt whisky you can drink - with no bottle being less than 12 years old

> a grace and favour apartment at The Grest Northern Hotel at St Pancras when in London

> an all expenses paid trip to Japan and China to learn how to properly run a privatised railway and how to properly roll out a high speed train network (first class flights, 4-stsr accommodation)

Then

> carte blanche to modernise and restructure Britain"s railways

> "eminent domain" as and when needed to bring Britain's railways, kicking and screaming, into the the 21st century.

 

p.s. in CC's government the role of the treasury is simply to provide finances to the various departments. CC anticipates that by having enough staff at the treasury to eliminate the black economy, a significant portion of the budget needed for his "Upgrade The UK" will be obtained, with another chunk of change coming from the collection of unpaid taxes and prosecution (and fining) of tax scofflaws