Early Risers.

[Sidecar Racer]

2 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

I once went to Exeter's show, which was in a livestock auction market. And yes, they had cleaned the floor first! Plenty of space and light. We had lunch there and thought it was much better than many shows' food, nothing very exotic or sophisticated but decent ingredients, cooked well and at a good price. 

 

 Agreed , plenty of choice and too .

[Barry O]

Refreshments at our show ate provided by the School. Nice food (very good breakfasts) at a reasonable price.

Alas, due to building work, our show has been cancelled for this year.

 

Baz

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

On jabs, the government here is taking a laid back approach , and is only encouraging the elderly and those with health conditions to go for boosters. It contrasts with the initial vaccine roll out which was a  de-facto mandatory requirement  (technically it wasn't mandatory but you couldn't go to school, work, shopping,  eat out or do anything which entailed leaving the home without a vaccine certificate) and first booster campaign which was pushed very hard. 

 

 

Here too, I haven't heard "COVID booster" uttered by anyone from the PM down in the last 12 months. They handed out free flu shots when winter began but that's about it. I think I had one booster about 18 months ago but nothing since.

Edited October 2, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

Evidence?  You want to see the evidence?  Oh sh1t.......

 

 

No worries mate, we can hold them off with this until you get your sh1t together!

 

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

£130 is $247 AUD.

 

So........ the train fare from Norfolk(?) to Birmingham (wherever that is!) is around 10% of the cost of flying in a plane using the "Best" deal airfare all the way from the far bit of Australia to Birmingham (wherever that is!) 

 

Your trains must therefore obviously be be very luxurious and posh.

 

 🤣 

[monkeysarefun]

 

 

 

Bu99er!

 

Every year I promise the ute  "THIS year we'll go to the Deniliquin Ute Muster together". And every year I forget when its on. 

 

Turns out this year it was this weekend, and I've let the ute down yet again. Its never been west of the Blue Mountains. Its a  great big country yet it's seen barely any of it.

 

Meanwhile every year, like ANZAC veterans,   Aussie  V8 ute numbers get fewer and fewer,  their places taken by dual-cab Asians and fat-ar5e US pickups. 

 

Next year for sure!      though I'm kind of glad I missed this year because here's an extract from the Guardians man on the spot:

 

 

Police are calling for information from the public after emergency services were called to a campsite area at the  Ute Festival at the small NSW town of Deniliquin, near the Victorian border, after reports a man had caught fire at about 6.40pm on Saturday.

 

How do you just catch fire??   That could have been me!

 

Anyway, here's a pic of this years frivolities from the same Guardian bloke . As you can see, its just like a model train show but with utes .

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

That's an absolute bargain, Mate.

But at least you could claim it against business taxes...

[jjb1970]

I find the quality of catering at model railway exhibitions to be frankly unacceptable, I can't remember how many times I've asked for something as simple as an ortolon and foie gras banh mi baguette, to be served with an organic quinoa and goji berry salad and been met with a blank stare. No wonder they're losing customers.

[monkeysarefun]

3 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

That's an absolute bargain, Mate.

But at least you could claim it against business taxes...

 

 

 

Thats $25,000AUD. Think I'd rather supercharge the ute then drive there! (or would  that ULIZ thingy be an issue?)

[jjb1970]

1 minute ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

 

Thats $25,000AUD. Think I'd rather supercharge the ute then drive there! (or would  that ULIZ thingy be an issue?)

 

The eye candy on Singapore Airlines helps dull the pain of the ticket price......🤪

[monkeysarefun]

13 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I find the quality of catering at model railway exhibitions to be frankly unacceptable, I can't remember how many times I've asked for something as simple as an ortolon and foie gras banh mi baguette, to be served with an organic quinoa and goji berry salad and been met with a blank stare. No wonder they're losing customers.

 

 

Move here. The catering department of the  Sydney Model Railway Exhibition has been awarded several Michelin  dangly cork sombreros.

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

5 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

The eye candy on Singapore Airlines helps dull the pain of the ticket price......🤪

 

 

Or I could go with Qantas and save a heap!

 

[Hroth]

4 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Or I could go with Qantas and save a heap!

 

 

Good lord....

 

I assume you brought the wrong alcoholic beverages?

 

[monkeysarefun]

33 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Good lord....

 

I assume you brought the wrong alcoholic beverages?

 

 

 

She's doing the pre-flight safety brief.

 

"You's all f###en  listening?! 

Alright if there's a   f####en  crash then we're all   f##'en f####ed anyways, so you's can all just f##en do whatever  you's  want.

 

Thank you for choosing to fly Qantas".

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[TheQ]

Our friendly monkey obviously hasn't travelled on our trains, they're either ancient rattly and maybe comfortable. Or modern, shiny and distinctly uncomfortable.

His journey is at an average of 416mph, over 10,000 miles, mine is 34.6mph over 175 miles, I'm sure in days gone by, aka pre Beeching , more direct routes would have got me there quicker.

 

Afternoon Awl,

The trip to the post office was interesting, involving two diversions due to roadworks.. when we got there we discovered my licence was still in date but SWMBO's wasn't. The thing we hadn't noticed, was her plastic card had one less line of information, we'd read my license like hers so her expiry date was on the same line as my issue date.

 

We then spent a Lidl at little, then went for a wander in town... it seems to consist of cafés, charity shops, estate agents and barbers. 

On return home, it was straight out with Ben, the air was heavy, the Welkin darkening, it's not rained yet, but it is forecast. The walk was accompanied by the dulcet tones of heavy duty tractors as another field is being ploughed. This replaced the sounds of a huge amount of pink footed geese that were there.

 

After a tea break, it was back to the workshop,

board 2 sanded, it looks fairly presentable now and has joined board one in the house.

Board 3 filled,

Board 4 last two edge boards cut to fit, glued and now setting.

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

18 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I find the quality of catering at model railway exhibitions to be frankly unacceptable, I can't remember how many times I've asked for something as simple as an ortolon and foie gras banh mi baguette, to be served with an organic quinoa and goji berry salad and been met with a blank stare. No wonder they're losing customers.

Yep, it's really shocking how they neglect and ignore minority customers. As a practicing cannibal, when I say I want "finger food", I mean I really want finger food

[jjb1970]

12 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

She's doing the pre-flight safety brief.

 

"You's all f###en  listening?! 

Alright if there's a   f####en  crash then we're all   f##'en f####ed anyways, so you's can all just f##en do whatever  you's  want.

 

Thank you for choosing to fly Qantas".

 

 

So she does work for Singapore Airlines! My wife has a good friend who works for them, when some dirty old man was ogling her on the MRT I believe she made a polite request - 'oi, creep, why don't you **** off and stare at something  else'. It was nice to know that they apply the attitude that has made Singapore Airlines a byword for quality even in private life. 

[Hroth]

17 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Yep, it's really shocking how they neglect and ignore minority customers. As a practicing cannibal, when I say I want "finger food", I mean I really want finger food

 

But fingers are so crunchy!

 

And can be washed down with a sourtoe cocktail...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Hotel

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

41 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Our friendly monkey obviously hasn't travelled on our trains, they're either ancient rattly and maybe comfortable. Or modern, shiny and distinctly uncomfortable.

His journey is at an average of 416mph, over 10,000 miles, mine is 34.6mph over 175 miles, I'm sure in days gone by, aka pre Beeching , more direct routes would have got me there quicker.

 

 

May  I suggest that you write a letter to your local member of Parliament? 

 

Now you might be thinking "how will that work?" but just think about it for a sec - they took on that  role in order to better the lives of their constituents so obviously they are unaware of this particular issue in their electorate.

I'm fairly sure that once they have been made aware of your concerns, either by old-fashioned "letter" or new fangled "email" or perhaps a really old-fashioned note attached to a brick, then they will do all they can to rectify the situation. Because why else  would they have campaigned so hard to win your vote if it wasn't to help their constituents?   Hmmm?

 

Re-reading this I think I've had a bit too much to drink. Time for bed. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[The Lurker]

21 hours ago, DaveF said:

 

 

Today has gone quite well, it was harvest festival at church and the young people did a short play about Noah, I'm not sure about the link with harvest but they did it well.  

Perhaps this?

 

Genesis 8.22 New International Version
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

 

Part of God's promise following Noah's sacrifices after the flood (I think)

 

[Ian Abel]

Monday...

 

Weekend was busy and summarized as;

Friday evening very enjoyable dinner with long-time friend, partly to meet her new plus-one and partly to see her new abode, a condo overlooking one of the city lakes.

Oddly, she's been in this location almost a year now, it's adjacent to the new light rail line being built, adjacent meaning the line is about 40ft from one side of the building!

Unsure why she chose there, as for at LEAST three years now there's been an ongoing dispute between the building owners and the council responsible for the rail line, as to whether and how much the line constructions is damaging the condo foundations! Were it me/us we'd have NEVER considered a purchase given all the bad press and potential issues - each to his/her own I guess.

 

Saturday, a few various to-do items/errands then Trevor and Meagan (and the dogs) over for dinner.

 

Sunday - BLOODY HOT, they even cancelled the Twin Cities Marathon at 5:30am due to the excessive heat/humidity warnings. Reached 33c soon after noon!

Jemma was over, we had a late brunch, they relaxed avoiding the heat.

 

Back working today, busy with myriad additional work requests.

 

21c and sunny first thing, headed for 31c for a high! Should be closer to 18c for highs by now - NEVER MIND, expected to be a high of only 11c by Friday/Saturday 😮

 

Tally ho.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Ian Abel

[The White Rabbit]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

She's doing the pre-flight safety brief.

 

"You's all f###en  listening?! 

Alright if there's a  f####en  crash then we're all   f##'en f####ed anyways, so you's can all just f##en do whatever  you's  want.

 

Thank you for choosing to fly Qantas".

 

May I introduce you to Kulula Airlines? A 'budget' airline from South Africa:

 

 

On a Kulula flight , (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want), passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people, we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

 

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

 

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

 

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

 

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker, "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

 

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as heck everything has shifted."

"Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

And from the pilot during his welcome message, "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

 

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town, the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline". He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had got off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"
The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?" 

[The Lurker]

Christmas is definitely on the way. Not only have Morrisons had Christmas cake slices, stollen slices and mince pies for the best part of the month but I noticed at lunchtime that Waitrose had Lebkuchen. I bought a couple of packs. Younger Lurker really likes them so I may not see too many however!

 

In other news, we managed to submit our UK corporation tax returns on time - the HMRC website was of course slow and the agents did not get the last confirmations until Saturday lunchtime that returns submitted up to 48 hours earlier had gone through the gateway. Still, the beauty of using an agent is that submission becomes an SEP once I have approved the returns...

 

We're now of course into year end so I am preparing for an onslaught of auditors. It will keep me busy for a while, probably until Christmas. That's another reason I won't see too many lebkuchen.

[Tony_S]

I had some texts over the weekend from the GP surgery asking me to collect some forms and make appointments for diabetes and heart failure reviews. I also collected some forms for Aditi. I can’t make the appointments until I have had the bloodtests and for some reason none of the blood test venues have any appointments. Receptionist noted that Aditi was having her bloods taken at the surgery and suggested making an appointment for me at the same session. For the heart review they asked if I could come next Tuesday. No bloodtests for that!

[BoD]

I appear to have mislaid my soldering iron.  Last time I saw it, it was on the layout's bare baseboard where there is now a load of formers and chicken wire covered with hardened modroc. 

 

I couldn't have, could I? 

Well if I did, it's blimmin well staying there.