Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

I fear this will be a rant, it may resonate with the engineers and scientists on RMWeb, or anyone involved in standards.

 

I am part of a correspondence group which is supposed to be developing certain GHG guidelines, and if this is indicative of current state of international bodies it's no wonder the world is so messed up, it has hit two of my pet hate buttons - type approval and metrology.

 

People use type approval as a magic wand. Carbon capture and storage? Just say systems have to be type approved. What type approval? Type approved for what? I'll offer some free advice, if ever anybody uses 'it's type approved' to sell you something or claim it's tip top, ask for the TA certificate and read what it says. Most TA is what in LR we called 'shake and bake' (i.e. the equipment is suitable for a defined temperature, humidity and some degree of resistance to vibration and shock), it says nothing about whether it actually works, or accuracy. If the TA does reference accuracy or utility then read the conditions of approval very carefully as I'd wager that most do not install in accordance with the conditions of approval or maintain through life checks needed to maintain approval. I used to see all sorts of stuff sent to ships for which the TA standard explicitly excluded marine use being sold as 'type approved'. More fundamentally, some of the stuff for which TA is apparently a panacea doesn't have any TA standards or processes, so then what?

 

And metrology is perhaps the most neglected branch of science and engineering, woefully undertaught in schools. For those not familiar, metrology is the science of measurement. It appears to be a subject so obvious that few bother studying it, yet is is one of the most fundamental branches of science as if you don't measure accurately and in a manner which is consistent and repeatable then you will dig yourself into a black hole very quickly. It's very obvious many people are completely clueless on the subject, and these are the first people who'd climb on a high horse when auditors and surveyors start asking for guidance on what is acceptable in terms of uncertainty, tolerance, what measurement methods are acceptable etc and dismissed as being awkward.

 

Rant off. Sorry.

[TheQ]

11 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Hopefully you were able to flog it to a scrappie?

 

 

 

Oh of course, I've got to phone them with the bank details, as you can't be paid by cash or cheque anymore, it has to be bank transfer.

 

Mooring Awl, Metrology technician / engineer ( retired ) here.

4.5 hours sleep and... No more so far.

 

Wind howling outside again, forepaws complaining, can't sleep.

 

Digging tunnels / having cellars here would be next to impossible without vast costs, you'd need a submarine.

The summer water table is about 6ft down, the winter often less than 3 ft on the odd occasion it's near enough surface level as it takes time to drain. We are effectively an island on the former marshes. Also the land is a patch work of soils, under about 18 inches of soil, you can hit clay, sand or gravel depending where you are in the garden.

When they put in a modern glassfibre septic tank round here, after digging the hole, they drop in the tank, fill it with water to make it sink, then cap it with concrete to stop it floating out of the soil.

 

Museum day today, I suspect there will be few visitors, so much muddling, might take my H0 Austin K6 lorries, to work on while the diorama of RAF Neatishead dries / sets between modelling bits.

 

Time too..

 Do nothing for another hour.

[TheQ]

Cold, wet, windy, twigs, with green leaves on on the ground.

Yes I've been out with Ben the I want out Collie.

 

Time to get a muggacoffee.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Still dark here but not raining yet, app says it will start in 34 minutes but we're not floating after last night's downpours.  Some sunny spells and scattered showers, possibly heavy and thundery are on the agenda for today.  14°C rising to 18°C.

Some muddling may occur today along with some admin work that needs dealing with and we're going to lunch with Abbie and Nicki.

First Rugby World Cup semi final is tonight, Argentina v New Zealand.  You can probably guess what I'll be doing.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited October 20, 2023 by grandadbob

[jamie92208]

Definitely wet here and it was very wet last night.  Hospital visit tidat for X rays and ultrasound on Beth's shoulder. Progress at last.  Then lunch at our favourite restaurant. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up! From the new major "fetchit" in this household.

 

Herself has been given a mugatea on request and is now back asleep. I think today will involve some fetching, carrying, brewing etc but no problemo.. we have been married too long to not support each other.

 

Blowing a noisy Hooly here and a fair bit of chuckinitdarn has and is going on. (Did you know the Hooley River in India has a tremendous Bore twice a day? Impressive to watch but it is not a very clean river and it... smells.. a little!)

 

I have a meeting to visit this afternoon between "fetching" duties.. frabjoy!

 

 

Hopefully Fraggle Rock will have moved closer to England to allow Royal Mail deliveries to improve. Great to have the ferries in use.. but.. no ferries...

 

@jjb1970 yes the infamous Ajax vehicle has a "type approved" chassis.. so I wonder why it can't meet the UK noise and vibration specs? Ah.. type approved in Austria and Spain.....nuff said

 

Time for me to geronwithit.. have as good a day as you can!

 

Baz

 

[Barry O]

2 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Definitely wet here and it was very wet last night.  Hospital visit tidat for X rays and ultrasound on Beth's shoulder. Progress at last.  Then lunch at our favourite restaurant. 

 

Regards to all. 

 

Jamie

Hope it goes well Jamie and Beth!

 

Lunch out sounds like a really good idea!

 

Baz

[polybear]

Bear here....

Today? No jobs to do, so that means more lessons....

I've still got absolutely no little idea as regards a tr*ck plan though.  Poo.  I have discovered how to do a basic room outline/size on Templ*t - though the actual room is L-shaped (sort of) so I must investigate that further today.  I've also discovered how to add baseboards to the "room", which of course means the next step will be "Oh sh1t", that doesn't fit - TC's" when I try to actually fit anything on the boards.....

 

ION....

The NHS....

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67145869

 

And finally......

British architecture at it's best?  Poke it...

 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67105475

 

BG

[Hroth]

8 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

 

Venus Arising From The Spagbol?

 

[Barry O]

17 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear here....

Today? No jobs to do, so that means more lessons....

I've still got absolutely no little idea as regards a tr*ck plan though.  Poo.  I have discovered how to do a basic room outline/size on Templ*t - though the actual room is L-shaped (sort of) so I must investigate that further today.  I've also discovered how to add baseboards to the "room", which of course means the next step will be "Oh sh1t", that doesn't fit - TC's" when I try to actually fit anything on the boards.....

 

ION....

The NHS....

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67145869

 

And finally......

British architecture at it's best?  Poke it...

 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67105475

 

BG

Currently the NHS in Leeds are sub contracting private health care providers to undertake things like hip and knee replacements.. this is not new but will reduce the waiting lists..

 

Baz

Edited October 20, 2023 by Barry O

[grandadbob]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

I've still got absolutely no little idea as regards a tr*ck plan though.  Poo.  I have discovered how to do a basic room outline/size on Templ*t - though the actual room is L-shaped (sort of) so I must investigate that further today.  I've also discovered how to add baseboards to the "room", which of course means the next step will be "Oh sh1t", that doesn't fit - TC's" when I try to actually fit anything on the boards.....

 

Welcome to my world PB.  I started off just trying to use Anyrail  (Templot would've been many stages too far for this ham fisted bodgeller) but couldn't even get that to do what I wanted.  Decided to wing it, still am and still things don't fit.  The result is a hodge podge of railway related stuff, not a proper model railway as such but a trainset that works reasonably well....and I like it.

 

PS and apart from a few head banging and many frustrating moments it's giving me immense pleasure.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by grandadbob

[Barry O]

@grandadbob that's why I asked a mate to design my layout (as seen in the Railway Modeller no less!)..

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

44 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Hope it goes well Jamie and Beth!

 

Lunch out sounds like a really good idea!

 

Baz

As the restaurant is half way along our route home it's a no brainier.  Best wishes to Hillary and Bon courage to the fetcher. 

 

Jamie

[The Lurker]

Greetings from a grey but currently not raining Sidcup. WFH today. Or at least I would be if when I had logged in as usual over the work citrix link I had full availability to the shared drives at work. Availability is patchy - I cannot attach a saved file to an e-mail I need to send. I can access files through the windows explorer but any of the extra bits I need (eg Smartview add on to Excel) are not available, and having already restarted I have asked IT for help. The nexgt thing we'll find is the program they explored that gives them remote access to the laptop won't work and they won't be able to see anything on it...

 

Speaking of seeing things, I have a trip to the opticians at 9 this morning. That should have been fine until I realised that Younger Lurker finished for half term yesterday. Now I will have to wake him and ensure his breakfast is available before I go. And who enjoys waking a teenager...?

 

Time to check whether IT have replied beyond the set up of the ticket....

 

 

 

.....No!

[polybear]

30 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

That should have been fine until I realised that Younger Lurker finished for half term yesterday. Now I will have to wake him and ensure his breakfast is available before I go. And who enjoys waking a teenager...?

 

 

A bucket of cold water should do the trick.  Bung a load of ice cubes in for added fun....

[Winslow Boy]

38 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

A bucket of cold water should do the trick.  Bung a load of ice cubes in for added fun....

Wot no baked beans! PB your going soft in your old age.

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Currently the NHS in Leeds are sub contracting private health care providers to undertake things like hip and knee replacements.. this is not new but will reduce the waiting lists..

 

Baz

I also see that the private health insurers are reporting a 40% jump in GP consultations. Market forces in action.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Only one interruption by bladder control last night but I woke up at 06:30 and decided to get up. Watched that program last night, shows what a railway modeller can achieve with enough space and money. Envy, not really the time and effort in keeping that layout up to scratch must be enormous. The 165 feet long layout for the Chester Cathedral exhibition looks interesting though.

[southern42]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Are there videos of flying wheelie bins and trampolines yet? They are the modern version of the Beaufort scale indicators.

 

 

Yesterday, (two days ago now as I forgot to press the submit button!) our wheelie bin had to be rescued from the next-door neighbour's gate on the west side of us, in the morning.  In the afternoon, my next-door neighbour (east side) returned my large -ish plant pot. As the wind was blowing from her side (easterly) we must have had some severely whirly type of wind to get it to her end of the footpath.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Well, it’s just stopped raining, so I think I’ll set off to the butchers in a few minutes to collect the weekly meat rations and a pork pie for my dinner. Then it’s a quick visit to the Trafford Centre, before having a relaxing afternoon. 
 

Back later. 
 

Brian

[southern42]

' morning all from soggy red dragon land.

Very misty moisty first thing this morning, Now raining mini soldiers. Larger, and more, soldiers promised by the pine cone pundits as the day goes on. New storm name - "Bomber," I call it!

 

Latest on the toot on the flute front: new twiddly bits put on hold as I have put a little bit of extra work on the first lot and, amazingly, it has started to sound a lot better - worth the effort. Just a shame I did not have the time to do such things in my early years but life was a lot busier back then.

 

Some "H" word, now, including putting dear Henry round. Dead bits of grass and broken dead leaves get everywhere and as soon as your back is turned! 

 

But first...ah! You've guessed it!...a mugadecaf!

 

Take care. Be good. Watch out for those soldiers!

Polly

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

1 hour ago, The Lurker said:

who enjoys waking a teenager...?

 

 

A bucket of cold water should do the trick.  Bung a load of ice cubes in for added fun....

My sister once attempted just that with her eldest. 
 

After repeatedly getting no response to the Call to Breakfast she took the ice-bucket from their minibar and went upstairs. 
 

She called out a warning before entering his room, ice at the ready, only to be confronted with not one male teenager but two!!!  
 

And, as she said, one very coy teenager of her own who had not previously discussed his preference of partner. 
 

I am told all was soon made well, or well enough, and her eldest felt much more comfortable afterwards. 
 

 

[iL Dottore]

I forgot to mention, I recently met up with @TheQ and Ben to go to the Llangollen Garden Railway Festival in Wales.....

 

We left Wednesday for a Saturday morning arrival....

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a rock that isn't really that windy, up here anyway in the north, so the anchors are holding but the ferries are off once again - the very week that the post stopped coming via air.  'nuff said.  At least one important parcel of wheeled items exchanged with another driveller arrived yesterday when the ferries did run.

 

Been plenty wet though, 70mm so far, although that looks nothing compared to Jocklandia's east cast by the look of it.

 

Very best wishes to Baz's other half H, keep delivering the necessary. 

 

So the Old Farts Bike Club will once again resort to cars, and an hour's delay as the chosen venue - not the one that wouldn't serve breakfast last week - doesn't open until 11.  I'm sure a jolly meeting will be had, not so much like the Brains Trust, more like Last of the Summer Wine.  I'm Cleggy....

[DaveF]

I didn't wake until after 8 this morning, I put some soft foam earplugs in last night to block the noise of the wind, they worked.  It is still very dark and dismal but not raining much now, heavy rain is forecast for later.  The wind is trying very hard to detach things from the ground, if it can't do that it is doing its best to knock things over, next door's rose arch is at an angle of about 45°.  One of my climbing roses is attempting to snap the wires holding it in place.  

 

There are more cars than usual still on drives and a number of people seem not to have got up yet.  I don't think I'll go to look at the beach today, the wind is supposed to be gusting to Force 10 so I'll just stay quietly indoors.  It is quite difficult to see out of the windows as they are once again covered in a layer of salt, it is always surprising just how far it can travel inland.

 

So far I've done the usual Friday house jobs and have put my warm winter duvet on my bed (10.5Tog) as I was cold when I woke up.  I expect I'll be too hot tonight.

 

I may do some modelling things and I have yet more photos to do things with.  Apart from that I am tempted just to sit and have a lazy day reading.

 

David