Early Risers.

[Hroth]

The council put up Christmas street lights at the end of this week.  I didn't realise* we were so close to Christmas!

 

* Apart from the mincepies, etc in Aldi, which currently have sell-bys in late November....

 

[petethemole]

Happy Birthday to Jamie.

 

A restless night has been had, worse than usual.  Surfaced at normal time by my body clock but an hour early by GMT, needing a leak, and thought I'd try for another hour's kip but when I came back from the bathroom I forgot that and got dressed and went downstairs where I got totally confused about the time.  I'd forgotten the kitchen clock last night.  I have various jobs to do but little motivation.  Some eBaying will get done as it brings in money.  I need to fund repairs to the garden building roof which has been leaking in the recent downpours.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. And a very wet and dismal afternoon it is. At least all the rain will soften the ground enough to make it easier to lay a few slabs to give access to the shed without walking on the grass. Now for a hot drink, be back later.

[zarniwhoop]

I'd completely forgotten about the clocks - normally I notice something in the newspaper, but I guess I'm reading much less of it with the current state of the world.

 

Up to around 2-ish playing down the rabbit hole of fonts (so, not late), looked at my librelink app to check  the blood sugar reading, noticed an odd blue clock logo on the history. Changed the times on the oven and the lounge clock, still got to do the heating/water timer - but if the on/off tmes were adequate yesterday then it'll be ok today. Also got to do the car clock - normally takes me several goes to get to the right place in the options and to then adjust the time rather than  move to the next option.

 

For those who keep regular hours, I think Simone Lia's cartoon in today's observer probably summed it up.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-interactive/2023/oct/29/simone-lia-light-cartoon

[PhilJ W]

There's one clock in the house that I don't bother with, its kept on GMT. The reason is that to set it back one hour you have to go forward twenty three hours. Also the buttons to do so are a bit sensitive and its very easy to 'overshoot' and have to go round the twenty three hours again.

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon awl,

 

Some G-word stuff was done, lunch had, etc. etc. ... Three Men in a Boat listened to. A few more old emails reviewed ... as it's Sunday, perhaps time for some nostalgia? 

 

The sub-text for this post could perhaps be 'thinking fast'.  

 

An elderly man in Louisiana had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees.

One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over. He grabbed a large bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. 

He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end. One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!"

The old man frowned, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked". Holding the bucket up he said, "I'm here to feed the alligator..."

Some old men can still think fast.

 

And this time, perhaps not 'well', but fast...

 

The other night I was invited out for a night with 'the girls.' I told my husband that I would be home by midnight, "I promise!" Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easily. Around 3 a..m., a bit loaded, I headed for home. Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hallway started up and cuckooed three times.

 

Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed another nine times. I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him. (Even when totally smashed.... three cuckoos plus nine cuckoos totals = 12 cuckoos therefore, MIDNIGHT!)

 

The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in, I told him 'MIDNIGHT'... he didn't seem p*ssed off in the least. Whew, I got away with that one! Then he said 'We need a new cuckoo

clock.'

 

When I asked him why, he said, "Well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said 'oh sh*t.' Cuckooed four more times, cleared its throat, cuckooed another three times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and f*rted.

 

Oops... 

 

(In deference to RMW's rules, I've not included the pictures which originally accompanied these... ). 

 

[Tony_S]

My car clock will sort itself out. Aditi’s has a simple couple of button presses.I will do the water softener clock when I next go out to the garage, it isn’t really time critical. Our coffee machine has a clock but it may still be set on GMT anyway. Some of the cheap clocks don’t seem too keen to respond to the time signal so will need their batteries removing.  One year we were on a cruise and had a time zone change and a seasonal change and missed breakfast.

[Hroth]

19 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Our coffee machine has a clock but it may still be set on GMT anyway.

 

I'll change the clocks on the coffee maker and the oven when I come across the instruction books, its not as if I use them for timekeeping in the first place!  They're wrong anyway as the power was switched off when the electrickery meter was fiddled with* last month...

 

* By an officially accredited fiddler, I must stress!

 

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Soggy feet..

 

Went down to the new site of sailing  much of the lower site is under a few inches of water. This required a diversion on forming an exaggerated zig zag to reach the club house dry shod.

.

After the first muggacoffee and of course a bacon roll., I walked back up to the car / boat park just in time for my sailing compatriot arrive.

 

First thing was to put the mast up halfway through sorting things out he went grey and had to sit down for a while, he's definitely still not a well man.

 

We actually got the mast up fairly easily, then had to move the car and trailer to allow a Norfolk Broads brown boat to be recovered. One of these.

 

No actually it is one of those boats in the picture.

 

Once that was gone. We got the yeoman into the water,

Easy with an electric crane, except for one thing. We were paddling in 6 inches of water to operate the crane.

while doing that a Star class boat came in , retired due to a broken spreader.

 

Lunch was good with the added advantage of the club hosting us had its bar open..

A welcome pint after paddling around.

 

We've had lots of rain low,  air pressure, and an easterly wind. All of which to combine to increase water levels of the broads.

 

[Gwiwer]

Is it getting dark earlier than it used to or is that another big black cloud overhead?  

[Hroth]

4 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Is it getting dark earlier than it used to or is that another big black cloud overhead?  

 

A bit of both, a bit of both.....

 

[New Haven Neil]

My car changed its clock automatically.  Mrs NHN's newer, high-button-count Citroen, doesn't. The menu uses some kind of French logic, always takes ages to find.  Hate the bloody thing.

 

I think we got them all in the house but there's always something we miss for some reason, which we will discover later when it is important not to be late. #sigh#

 

Both tested negative this afternoon, although we both are pretty much still quite ill.  I presume it just means we're not infectious.

[Coombe Barton]

Point to note about clock change

 

Sundials have  now corrected themselves as long as you take into account there longitude west of Greenwich. St Just, for example, is 5.67 degrees west, so local noon there is six seconds before 12:19 GMT. 

[New Haven Neil]

1 minute ago, Coombe Barton said:

Point to note about clock change

 

Sundials have  now corrected themselves as long as you take into account there longitude west of Greenwich. St Just, for example, is 5.67 degrees west, so local noon there is six seconds before 12:19 GMT. 

 

I recall a member of Tynwald (the President, actually) telling me in a meeting that we're 17 minutes behind 'the times' (GMT) here.....truth is of course we're many more years behind than that.

[Hroth]

According to the BBC weather app, sunset hereabouts is in 10 minutes time!

 

Its getting dark...

 

Ding!

 

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Hroth
Sunset!

[jamie92208]

It's getting darkish here in the rather damp Charente.  As has been noted I started another trip  round the sun today. Thanks for the good wishes.  Beth has come up with a rather special present,a bottle of single maltwhisky, distilled here in the Charente.  It wilbe quality controlled in due course. First job after breakfast was to talk to the girls where a busy 4yr old started off shy and obstroculous and ended up putting something in my eye by singing Happy Birthday.  Gorgeous.  Then we set off to see the Belgian widow.  93later this week and silvery sprightly. We were welcomed with coffee and Cognac. It's always Cognac time with Denyse.  She was in fine form. 

 

I watched episode 2 of Pete Waterman'sseries and enjoyed it this afternoon.  This evening we are out at some new neighbours for a meal. 

 

Ttfn. 

 

Jamie

[polybear]

57 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

My car changed its clock automatically.  Mrs NHN's newer, high-button-count Citroen, doesn't. The menu uses some kind of French logic, always takes ages to find.  Hate the bloody thing.

 

 

[southern42]

On 28/10/2023 at 15:12, DaveF said:

 

It was much the same when I had a rented flat in the Laindon area of Basildon in the 1970s.  I realised that I might never be able to buy anywhere on my teacher's salary in the area, hence my decision to move north, ending very happily in Northumberland where house prices are much lower in most of the county.

 

Similar story, here. Titchy maisonette in West Ealing 4 times the price we paid for a two up two down with lean-to extension in our off the beaten track village, teacher's starting salary then being about £1100pa plus London waiting of about £200 maybe. Not forgetting, only half a woman's salary being taken into consideration back then. The lean-to was eventually demolished and a two story extension added. As things turn out, some of the kids moved back across the border - all work related! 

 

[Coombe Barton]

... teaching at nine. I have sent a message round about turning up on time. Probably be a waste of electrons. Cynical? Moi?? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/10/29/covid-when-theyre-gone-theyre-gone/

[Hroth]

Just now, Coombe Barton said:

... teaching at nine. I have sent a message round about turning up on time. Probably be a waste of electrons. Cynical? Moi?? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/10/29/covid-when-theyre-gone-theyre-gone/

 

Well, they can't say they weren't told....

 

[southern42]

' evening all from red dragon land.

 

Only 17:00. Just put light on! No more BST - Poop! 

 

 

A good toot on the flute this afternoon. After much dithering about it - getting things better in the previous lines - the twiddly bits for the last line of part one of the third song are underway! The first twiddly bits came fairly easy, this time, with familiar patterns so I have a quarter of the line to bring up to scratch. I will have a look at the next bit tomorrow or later in the week. See how it goes.

 

ION

I had an e-mail from the photo card and gift people offering a free 8"x6" photo book. I Snap-ped it up, nothing Fish-y about, and created one using photos from our family get togethers, this year. It is arriving by the end of the week. Hoping it will turn out ok so I can order some for the respective family members - current deal 30% off. 

 

Ray home shortly so better get the kettle ready to go on.

 

Take care. Be good. Grabbit when you can.

Polly

[DaveF]

A somewhat belated Happy Birthday to jamie92208.

 

It never really got light here today, it has just rained steadily and will do so well into the night.  I changed my clocks during the day yesterday as I find that helps prepare me for the hour's difference.  I have checked that the ones which adjust themselves have done so.  That means that the outdoor thermometer display is still one hour fast, it insists on thinking it is in Germany.  When I first noticed it I looked on the web and found that all of that model do it, even if you adjust them manually they revert within a few hours.  I never think about it now, I just automatically subtract the hour when I look at it.  

 

I looked up how to adjust the car clock, it seems to want to take the time from my phone so I suppose I will have to pair my phone with the car.  I think it can also be done manually but haven't found the right menu - a job for tomorrow - perhaps.  I must also pair my dashcams with my phone, in theory that is easier than taking the card out and putting it in the PC's card reader when I want to look at footage.

 

Church went well this morning, my waterworks have improved a bit as the day has gone on.  Lunch was acceptable but I've had more tender meat, the rest was fine.   The blue tits and great tits are happily getting inside the cage round the bird feeder, the robin is less sure, it just perches on the outside and sticks its head in to pick up the bits the tits have spilt on the base.

 

I've run some things with wheels which move along pairs of nickel silver strips, they worked well today.  Apart from that I've been catching up on magazines and looking up things I might want to buy - and have pretty well decided not to bother.

 

Next will be a simple cheese sandwich for tea with some form of dessert and also fruit then probably TV - I may watch the Mexican Grand Prix. 

 

David

Edited October 29, 2023 by DaveF

[Coombe Barton]

34 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Well, they can't say they weren't told....

 

Sending emails is one thing we have to do, it's part of our good practice. Them bothering to read them, or even log on to he systems, seems to be an optional activity and results in surprise when it's pointed out what they missed.

 

~And then expect us to take action to redress their lack of action.

[Tony_S]

Happy birthday to Jamie.

Tony

[tigerburnie]

There's one clock that wasn't reset.....................................................my body clock, is it Monday?