Early Risers.

[polybear]

Bear prefers a somewhat more sophisticated evening.....

 

 

 

[Barry O]

59 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

 

Some places in Oz charge too... 

 

And our charges have to cover the costs arising from our non tax paying visitors...

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Reading today’s posts (and links) made me think that The Powers-That-Be in the UK (at all levels - from local council to the highest reaches of government) must be thanking the gods of the choice every day that the British are rather supine, phlegmatic and stoic.

 

Try any of the shenanigans the UK populace puts up with in Britain on The Continent and there’d be rioting in the streets, Madame Guillotine would come out of retirement, the tumbrils would be running 24/7 and there’d be a run on available walls…

 

I know the Continentals get a bit excitable at times, but maybe that’s a good thing?

We actually have a lot of 20mph (30 kph) zones.  They are in most villages and usually near schools.  99% of them have  speed bumps as well so they are self enforcing.  I have to warn visitors to slow down or risk their suspension.  I did think we might have a riot earlier this year when the local vineyard raised the price of red wine to a Shade over €2 per litre.  I think that they did the deed at harvest time when the farmers were too busy making money to protest. 

 

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

 

 

 

Just ask a passing Fighter Pilot...... 

Yes I have heard what the procedure is for a follow through in a g suit.  Something conducted outdoors with some cutters and a hosepipe I believe. 

 

Jamie

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Some places in Oz charge too..

 

Maybe private places like a shopping centre or something? (though I've never experienced any).  I know some places like service stations and fast food joints have signs saying that the toilets are for customers only so you have to buy some token thing, but I have definitely never been to a public toilet that makes you pay. The local one down the park is one of those all talking all automatic self-cleaning things where an American lady says "Doors Open!" when you press the button etc, but it is still free.

 

 

From https://publictoiletsofvictoria.com/about/ - 

 

Q: Is it un-Australian to pay for a poo?

A: Yes it is. Make no mistake—in public toilet terms, Australia is a socialist paradise, founded on the earnest belief that every person in this great Commonwealth should be able to relieve themselves, for free, in a publicly owned dunny.  It’s enough to make one’s bladder swell with pride.

Compare this to vast reaches of the globe, where it is possible to travel for weeks without finding a single free public toilet. Instead you must fork out your hard-earned to an attendant or coin barrier for the very privilege of going to the toot. A bloody outrage!

It is our sacred duty to never, ever pay to enter a toilet block on Australian soil. Even if life-threateningly desperate, Real Australians would rather get admitted to hospital (also free) than pay for a poo.

Edited November 19, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[The Lurker]

4 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

On the local BBC news, the fake QR codes are appearing on parking machines in Basildon so watch out there folks. That means if you can make a payment on a machine in Basildon its almost certainly a fake because as a rule the genuine machines never work. The private company that runs the parking in Basildon make their money from penalty charges. As a private company they can't enforce any fines/penalties anyway.

Although if they clamp you they could…

[PhilJ W]

They are not allowed to clamp you now.

[Erichill16]

Morning All,

Absent for a while due to life getting in the way.

Been replenishing brownie points, preparing for a big walk about and entertaining mil. 

Nothing of importance to say so a.n early brEakfast.

Robert
 

[polybear]

7 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Compare this to vast reaches of the globe, where it is possible to travel for weeks without finding a single free public toilet.

 

Try the UK - where it's possible highly likely that in many towns you won't find a single public toilet (even ones that charge) that's not provided by a business such as a Cafe or large Supermarket anywhere.

There used to be a lot more than there are now, but thanks to little angels smashing them up/people going in there to shoot up/do a George Michael many have disappeared.  There may be a Rant there.....

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

Button Press @ 04-40.  'Sterds.

And of course then the Beary Bonce fired up with thoughts that do a Bear no good whatsoever, meaning The Bear soon gave up and crawled down the little wooden hill in the hope that I can at least preserve that teensy weensy (and ever-diminishing) degree of sanity I have left.....

 

Today?  Yup, yet more plottin'....no wonder I'm nutzo.

 

ION......

 

I see F1 has got even more stupid - at the Las Vegas F1 (where they resorted to floggin' tickets off cheap in an attempt to shift 'em - but even then they were a reported £750 a throw 😲 for a race that didn't start until 10pm) one of the racers had a chassis trashed during practice by a loose manhole cover on the track.  So what do the Stewards do?  They give the Driver a ten place grid penalty, knocking him down from 2nd to 12th for the race.  Huh?

I'd like to think that the Team would sue the organisers for damage (how much does a chassis cost?) plus damages due to the penalty but I somehow think that won't happen.  No wonder I stopped watching that nonsense years ago.

 

BG

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Lots of public toilets have disappeared as councils are "saving money".  But in certain locations, particularly Robin Hoods Bay they I trounced a small charge which covers the cost of running the facility.. or rather the local Parich Council did ..power to the people!

Of course you may have to pay to park to use some toilets in the national parks in Oz.. and I believe we paid in a few shopping centres too. No charge for using a dunny though.. just be careful for the spiders hiding away in them.

 

Successful afternoon yesterday gluing bits of plastic together to produce a scale model of two items designed to transport coal and general goods which run on slightly more scale bits of n8ckel silver.

 

Today I have a couple of visitors as I have been volunteered to take some advertising boards to Warley for the group who organise York Show. Hope it fits in the Beast!

 

Stopp3d watching GPs. We know who will win as its preordained.  India will win the cricket World Cup..  The IiCC is run by India and Australia.. I may be wrong...

 

Time for mugatea!

 

Baz

 

 

[polybear]

Oh yes.....

Despite being assured that, yes, you WILL continue to receive paper statements from a certain CC provider, I've just had an email to tell me that "....your latest statement may now be viewed etc. etc".

So it looks like they're about to be sacked.

Yes, definitely a Rant.  T0ssers.

[Barry O]

1 minute ago, polybear said:

Oh yes.....

Despite being assured that, yes, you WILL continue to receive paper statements from a certain CC provider, I've just had an email to tell me that "....your latest statement may now be viewed etc. etc".

So it looks like they're about to be sacked.

Yes, definitely a Rant.  T0ssers.

Move with the times.. you can print it out at your leisure.. 

 

Baz

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

4 hours sleep, 4 hours very intermittent sleep caused by the lower side becoming painful again.

 

The majority of the public toilets closed here a few years ago , one or two reopened after protests, one or two stayed open, mostly in the tourist areas.

In 2012 Great Yarmouth reckoned it cost £600,000 per year to maintain the public toilets, and the council voted to close them.. but didn't,  in 2019 they spent £160,000 refurbishing them.

 

Today the University of East Anglia should have been sailing at the venue we now use in the winter.. they've cancelled , a forecast of 37mph winds and rain  might have something to do with that..

Weather or not we sail depends on what actually turns up.. Currently gusting 35 mph close to here. But only 13mph at Norwich airport, which is nearer the sailing site.

 

Ben the insistent collie required a patrol, I now know why, we've just had a shower of rain ... However when we went on patrol it was breezy, grey above , very squelchy below, though the tide has gone out from the garden puddles.

 

Time to get breaky, then waterproofed, before heading out.

 

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

The IiCC is run by India and Australia..

Then it will be a draw!

 

Though India do seem to have the white ball comps sewn up.

Edited November 19, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

Of course you may have to pay to park to use some toilets in the national parks in Oz.. and I believe we paid in a few shopping centres too. No charge for using a dunny though.. just be careful for the spiders hiding away in them.

 

The thing I hate  about paid carparks  here (usually restricted to shopping centres and multi-story carparks in the city) is that depending on how up to date they are, you either have to take a ticket at the entry boomgate and pay at a machine before returning to your car, or you take a ticket at entry and insert that into the exit gate then pay by contact at the gate, or there is the number plate recognition system where you also pay at the exit gate (though in shopping centres the first 3 hours are free).

 

There never seems to be large easy to find instructions about what method they use, even printed on the ticket so I usually spend several minutes searching for a pay machine, not wanting to get to the gate assuming its a contactless pay there only to find it isn't and I was meant to pay at a machine and thus  find myself holding up a queue of cars who I then expect to reverse for me so I can park the car and do the walk of shame past them all.

 

Its never actually happened  to me but its number 47 on my list of things that keep me up at night.

 

(I was going to mention National Parks - your entry fee pays for amenities there, but also pays for those  in more remote parks which have no entry fee but which still have full toilet amenities.)

 

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

India will win the cricket World Cup

 

 

Looking at the crowd, I sense India hold a slight home team advantage.

Edited November 19, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Move with the times.. you can print it out at your leisure.. 

 

Baz

Yeah! just get your  printer working again.

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Move with the times.. you can print it out at your leisure.. 

 

Baz

 

As they make enough money out of me I reckon they can pay for the printer ink....

[Hroth]

25 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

As they make enough money out of me I reckon they can pay for the printer ink....

 

You'll pay for it, one way or another....

 

[monkeysarefun]

That was a catch for the ages! 

 

 The crowd look sad all of a sudden.

 

Rajit Sharma, hats off to a brilliant knock though.

[Mike Bellamy]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Despite being assured that, yes, you WILL continue to receive paper statements from a certain CC provider, I've just had an email to tell me that "....your latest statement may now be viewed etc. etc".

 

 

I get an email like that every month but the paper copy still arrives a few days later so suggest you wait a while and see what happens..

.

[Hroth]

6 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

That was a catch for the ages! 

 

 The crowd look sad all of a sudden.

 

Rajit Sharma, hats off to a brilliant knock though.

 

Who's playing who?

 

[monkeysarefun]

32 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Who's playing who?

 

 

Playing?  PLAYING?  Cricket for every Australian means standing out in 40+ degrees, covered in flies that buzz around your face, or climb into the corners of your eyes seeking moisture;  cricket means hoping to be allowed  to field at deep square  where you can at least benefit from the spindly shade of the lone gum tree beside the toilet block ; cricket means the long walk to the centre in the oppressive heat while a lone willy-willy briefly accompanies you as it stirs up a hand full of  dried gum leaves that swirl  around your legs ; cricket means getting hit in the face by the skied ball that you can't see coming at you  out of the blinding noon day sun as you stand in the outfield scanning skyward; cricket means warm orange cordial at the drinks break that you throw up 10 minutes later in the heat.

 

Cricket isn't "playing",  son!

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by monkeysarefun