Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I've just opened the package I received this morning. Everything is in order and the vendor has agreed to refund the excess postage charge. I will have to make a small modification to the the chassis as the new body has an illuminated headcode box and the donor does not.

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

It was chuckinitdarn all morning and a couple of hours of the afternoon.

We went into the vets roads were wet and light rain, we left, roads were flooded .

Northerly winds heavy rain, high tides.. yep lots of flooding today.

 

Ben's now on a reduced dose of the wacky pills, but is being given something else as well. The vampire took more blood.

He's got another visit booked for Friday.

 

Another wall added to the watermill, spent a considerable time trying to work out the alignment of non tram track, and various buildings.

[PupCam]

Afternoon All

 

8 hours ago, polybear said:

There's one or two etched kits as well - there used to be someone at the St. Albans Exhibition every year (upstairs, at the top of one of the staircases IIRC) that used to produce and sell such things; I think he came from Hatfield.  Over to you, @PupCam Puppers.....

 

Street Level Models (Charlie Connor)  IIRC.     Looks like things have moved on; the physical and web addresses in the CMRA programmes are obsolete  This appears to be the current website with trading via an EBay store.    Having said that, the tram related stuff seems to be conspicuous by its absence now.

 

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

This looks like something for @polybear to think about 

 

 

That's some seriously dodgy track!     Not even the S4 Society's Deputy Chairman's Cup dodgy test track is that bad!

 

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I might have mentioned.....

 

... revenge is a dish best served cold....

 

I love COLD baked beans!     Just open the tin and give me a spoon.

 

5 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

  And one of those under-sized white-chocolate Digestive bikkies.  

 

If you don't mind me saying, that shows restraint above an beyond the call of duty.

 

ION

 

Another trip to a local B&M store was made this morning.   Purchases included more Really Useful Boxes and B&Ms seem to be the cheapest best value for money source although locating the ones you want can be tricky as they seem to be spread randomly around the shop.   Puppers needs quite a few, stackable, relatively small jobs for storing his growing collection of metallic and non-metallic material stock in the garage.   The boxes currently used are too big and I can barely move them.

 

This afternoon I have been looking down the spark plug holes of a friend's newly acquired Vincent Black Shadow.    He wanted to check the bores and pistons so Dr Puppers called round with his endoscope.      Seems alright as long as those streaks are streaks of oil and not gouges in the bore.    Looks like it's got a very fine magneto on it as you could almost arc weld with the sparks!

 

And now back to disk sorting ...

 

TTFN

 

 

 

[DaveF]

After I wrote my rather late morning post I realised that I felt a bit weary.  In the end I looked at my phone and found I'd both walked further and stood in the cold wind looking at the sea for longer than I had intended, at times I still feel a bit fragile as I continue to get over my bug of about a week ago which took more out if me than I thought - in fact I still have a minor bit of sinusitis and a cough.  So I sat down for 5 minutes before I got my coffee. 

 

After a shorter coffee break than usual (I really was being very silly) I cleaned some glass, china and wooden ornaments which live in the living room and porch.  Most just needed a wash (glass and china), the wooden ones, especially a narrow boat and a sailing ship needed doing with a keyboard vacuum and then damp cotton wool buds.  Eventually I was satisfied and put them back where they belong, they now look a great deal better.  Some will eventually have to go but it would be too big a wrench to let them go just now.  I think it is to do with age and happy memories, or in a couple of cases remembrance of people no longer here.

 

Just as I finished a neighbour called to collect a parcel I had taken in for her so we had quite a long chat about our health and what we've been doing recently.  Then it was time for lunch.

 

During the morning the first lot of washing had been done and dried as despite the nice sun while I was out it clouded over and rained quite a lot.  When I put on the second load all was fine but when I came to dry it I couldn't get it to work at all.  The display said it was on the wash cycle whatever I did with the dial.  I was about to ring the servce people when I looked at the manual, it turned out I had somehow touched the button combination which sets the child lock.  Once I had found out how to switch it off all returned to normal.  So the second load is now dry and the rain continues.

 

During the afternoon I read a bit, dozed and tried to a crossword in a magazine.  Usually I find it easy but this one had more obscure natural history/places clues than usual so I have left it for now and will try again tomorrow.  I know I can look things up in books/internet but I prefer to puzzle them out if I can, especially when it is something a biologist should know.

 

I have decided that for now I need to continue to take things a bit easier and only walk a couple of miles a day, not 3 plus.  I often forget I am 74.

 

David

[PupCam]

I lied!    I was going to do some more disk sorting but I stumbled on yet another astrophotograph processing package on the interweb so I thought I'd give it a try with one of my recent Jupiter videos.

 

Whoop-de-doo!

 

Very, very* pleased with how that's turned out!    You can even see some of the white cloudy bits (technical term).

 

 

* Best make that Very, very, very,  very, very

 

I hear the cooker beeping, it must be dinner time ....

 

TTFNQ

[figworthy]

13 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Found it.  It's called "An inconvenient grave" written by Steve Weaver.  Steve has used a pseudonym for his surname but I worked with him.  A great bloke.  Some of the officers are given pseudonyms in the book.  I hope you enjoy it. 

 

Jamie

 

Thanks, added to my shopping list.

 

Adrian

[figworthy]

11 hours ago, polybear said:

Take 'em out of the freezer, bung some in a microwave and nuke for 4 minutes.  Worked for Bear yesterday.  Then cover them in chocolate....

 

Then give them to the delightful (*) kiddy winks who are out trick or treating.

 

(*) other descriptions also available

 

Adrian

[PhilJ W]

@polybear Do not look at this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-67544888

[iL Dottore]

15 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

@polybear Do not look at this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-67544888

Well that would have really put him off his evening beans on toast...

 

I found it interesting.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Toad in the hole for dinner tonight, scrumptious. The damp weather has bought Arthur Itis out so Nurofen will be deployed to put him back into his box.

[polybear]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

Street Level Models (Charlie Connor)  IIRC.     Looks like things have moved on; the physical and web addresses in the CMRA programmes are obsolete  This appears to be the current website with trading via an EBay store.    Having said that, the tram related stuff seems to be conspicuous by its absence now.

 

A search suggests its card kits now - a different company perhaps?

 

20 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

@polybear Do not look at this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-67544888

 

Bear did.....but soooo quickly that all I saw was a scary word in the title....

[PhilJ W]

14 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear did.....but soooo quickly that all I saw was a scary word in the title....

I told you not to look.

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

told you not to look.

I liked the comment that his wife thought his new sandals had been rubbing his toe. 

[monkeysarefun]

Heres a feelgood story for @polybear then.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/huntsman-hero-awarded-by-peta-australia/12507240

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

Washing done.  Tick.

Co-op raided.  Tick.  No Cake was harmed during the mission, sadly.......

During the raid I saw a work buddy (now retired) from the Great Empire; it seems that several more people I knew there have retired recently - one of which is Bear's Head of Function.  I'm no fan - the B'sterd did me no favours whatsoever - exactly the opposite in fact 🤬.  I'd offer him my best wishes but it seems I'm right out of stock, strangely.....

 

After that is was "more of the same"......

.....and on that note do any fellow ER'ers happen to possess BRM 2005 Issue 5 by any chance?  I believe it had an article in it about the "Maindee East" Layout that I'd very much appreciate a scan of - in particular the track plan........pretty please?

 

ION......

 

ON the Pollyticks Programme at lunchtime there was mention of a certain photo (taken from a video) that a certain 2nd Division Team in the Big House had placed on the net; it showed Our Glorious Leader (other terms are available....) using the side of a hammer to hit something.  Of course the offending Team go to great lengths to say words along the lines of "Look - he doesn't even know how to use a hammer!"

However.....

The Pollyticks Programme showed the full video....in which the person (a Jeweller) clearly asks Our Glorious Leader to hit something (a punch of some sort) with the side of the hammer, not the face (presumably to avoid any risk of marking the hammer face as it's used for Jewelry work.

So the 2nd Div. have been well and truly caught out/outed/embarrassed as a result.  Serves 'em right.

 

BG

[Coombe Barton]

... I don’t think that this mayoral exclusion would have occurred to the previous mayor, who just happened to be Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/covid-excluded-from-the-decision-making-process/

[polybear]

35 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I told you not to look.

 

I know, I know.....

 

29 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Heres a feelgood story for @polybear then.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/huntsman-hero-awarded-by-peta-australia/12507240

 

If you think I gonna fall for that one Chimpy.....

...besides, the website address includes the word "Huntsman".....

 

ION.......

I phoned the Gov. Dept (HMRC) regarding the three emails I received on Saturday evening**, asking me to validate my emails address (basically those weird code numbers/letters that some websites in order to incorporate two-factor verification).

**Each sent one second after the other.

Well I got the automated service, which gave me a couple of email addresses to forward the emails to; I did this and got a response to say that yes, they were aware, and no, I'm not the only one.  So long as I didn't click on any links/divulge any info etc. etc. then there's no problem; I very much suspect it's their own system flipped out somehow rather than a scrote having a go.

 

BG

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, polybear said:

you think I gonna fall for that one Chimpy...

PETA can be a bit worrying too but perhaps the Australian organisation doesn’t have the same pet euthanasia policy that some of the PETA “shelters” have in the USA. 

[monkeysarefun]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

If you think I gonna fall for that one Chimpy.....

...besides, the website address includes the word "Huntsman".....

yeah but its this guy, honest!

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[polybear]

5 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

yeah but its this guy, honest!

 

 

 

 

And that had a scary word in the title as well - and no, I didn't scroll down.....

Nice try, but no Banana.......

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Tony_S]

I think the wolf spiders we get here are not as big as the Peruvian type in France.  The wildlife websites seem to think they are a good thing to have in the garden.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Been out and about visiting some nice people with St Enodoc (and playing trains in various gauges etc.

 

Time for some sleep 

Good Night to some, good morning to others!

 

Baz

[Andy Hayter]

15 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Ah, but did the meal involve baked beans, curly fries or pizza? A certain Bear wants to know (and if it didn’t, then it’s not “proper food” is it?🤣)

 

You are of course very perceptive and the meal failed to include any of those vital food elements, which probably accounts for the fact that a mere 8 hours later I had a sudden urge to partake of a slice of pork pie - or paté en croute as it is known here.

 

To make amends this lunchtime I had pizza - or the Alsace/Pfalz equivalent which might not meet PB's demanding definition.  A very thin base but with no tomato topping.  Instead the base is covered with a sour cream and yoghurt mix and topped with finely chopped onion and lardons - but like traditional pizza then topped off with flavouring items of your choice.  In my case soft goats cheese, which is traditional, and black olives*, which is not.

 

* proper ones with the stone in - not the destoned ones which are actually green olives dyed black.

[Andy Hayter]

4 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

 

You are of course very perceptive and the meal failed to include any of those vital food elements, which probably accounts for the fact that a mere 8 hours later I had a sudden urge to partake of a slice of pork pie - or paté en croute as it is known here.

 

To make amends this lunchtime I had pizza - or the Alsace/Pfalz equivalent which might not meet PB's demanding definition.  A very thin base but with no tomato topping.  Instead the base is covered with a sour cream and yoghurt mix and topped with finely chopped onion and lardons - but like traditional pizza then topped off with flavouring items of your choice.  In my case soft goats cheese, which is traditional, and black olives*, which is not.

The whole is called Tarte au Flame, Flammkuchen or tarte flambée 

4 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

* proper ones with the stone in - not the destoned ones which are actually green olives dyed black.