Early Risers.

[Rugd1022]

14 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

I took a quick shot of the  moon on Friday night (or was it Thursday?) while taking the rubbish out to the bin. Its only a hand-held snap though so its not the sharpest. I've also noticed that pictures posted here  lose a bit of clarity compared to the originals. 

 

 

That's given me an idea for a TV show... I shall be straight on the blower to Gerry Anderson Inc.!

 

Some of those craters must be several miles wide.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dull grey skies here, it was very damp earlier but not raining at the moment.  Breezy out and the chance of more rain this evening.  Currently 10°C.

I had a lie-in too, didn't get up until 07.45.  Lazy s#d.  Disgusting!  🤪

The flowers yesterday must have gained me more Brownie points than I thought as I ended up watching all four of the  rugby matches that I wanted to see.  Three good results for English clubs and one not so much which I suspect TB @tigerburnie might agree with.  Before that I managed to spend a bit of time in The Shed playing with some toys.

A cooked breakfast has been enjoyed and I've even been for a walk, a mile and a half today without any problems.

Now got a bit of admin work to do before rugby starts at 13.00.  Three more matches today so that's me sorted although one will have to be recorded so that the Boss can "go skating. "  There's also dear old Vera to watch tonight but sadly I believe this may be the last ever episode

Timetogettamoveon and do something else.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited January 21 by grandadbob

[monkeysarefun]

Well its 11pm and its still 23.5 degrees outside which is exactly what the air-conditioner is set to, the difference being that the humidity inside is 26%, outside its 64% so it still feels a little too tropical to sleep with the windows open.

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

There's also dear old Vera to watch tonight but sadly I believe this may be the last ever episode

 

Well, she must be a retirement candidate, even if there might be no enforced retirement age.

[jjb1970]

On camera phones, they are remarkable devices we take for granted. Their night time capabilities have transformed taking pictures at night. Camera phone designers had to work with tiny sensors and cheap fixed aperture lenses so developed computational photography to offset these limitations and achieved incredible results. Techniques such as focus and exposure stacking to produce composite images can produce superb results. And it all works with pretty much no input needed from the user. For most people most of the time I think a half decent (not even a flagship model) camera is all they will need.

 

There's a neat inversion. Many camera phones offer a full suite of manual controls but the UI just doesn't work for me. The better ones can shoot RAW but personally I see little point as exposure accuracy is so good.  On the other hand DSLR and mirrorless cameras now do integrate computational photography technologies developed for phones but using them can be a pain as it often requires going through a maze of menus and sub-menus. I just leave my phone in auto and use the pictogram to select modes like night, and use my camera as a traditional camera (though that may change as one of the things that attracted me to the OM-1 was very good computational photography integration).

 

I still like using my camera. Part of it is I find it an enjoyable past time/hobby to go aircraft train, ship, wild life watching with the camera, I find it a nice way to get quiet 'my time' and to get gentle exercise (walking). Part of it is that in bright conditions a view finder is a godsend,  and partly that for long reach photography with telephoto lenses a traditional set up still outperforms a phone. My S23 ultra has a 230mm full frame equivalent lens which is very usable but whereas the wide angle performance is so good there is no real advantage to using my mirrorless unless looking for bokeh, at longer reach the mirrorless does outperform it very noticeably. And I  can go way beyond 230mm with the mirrorless without needing digital zooming. So there's still a place for the DSLR and mirrorless camereras but I am in awe of just how good phone cameras are.

[Tony_S]

Greetings all.

Not a lot done here so far. We went to see MiL yesterday. Uneventful trips there and back via the M25. Her memory issues are getting worse rapidly. Aditi managed to be kind and tolerant. Some of the medically qualified relatives seem less patient. 
I had one of the interesting side effects of my blood medication yesterday. I had a nose bleed. It really flows when you are taking anticoagulants. The only thing that works for me (yes I have tried the online suggestions) is to stuff my nostril with ice. We have an ice tray that makes bullet shaped ice perfectly sized for my nostril. Aditi said they came with the small freezer we bought during lockdown. 
I can’t seem to get started on anything to do with my train hobby but Aditi has asked me to sort out our “big” camera. It shouldn’t be difficult as it probably just needs charging, and I know it was put away with its charger and leads. The other thing I have decided to do inspired by Dick’s @Smiffy2 guitar photos is sort out why an electric guitar I bought some years ago hums. Not a lot, but more than it should. There are lots  of “how to” videos online. Even specifically for the model of guitar I have. Once upon a time I had hopes of learning to play but exhibited very little ability. Anyway this will be an electrical mystery to solve not musical. 
Tony

 

Edited January 21 by Tony_S

[Smiffy2]

What sort of guitar? What are the pickups?

[southern42]

11 hours ago, Hroth said:

I was browsing early music performances on utoob and came across this collection of snippets from David Munrows "Early Music Instruments" series from 1976.

 

 

I thought @southern42 might be amused!

 

More snippets from the series:

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv8IDw-oVSdATBkyLqOGB5kxxtZtvNS88

 

 

And from where do you think I got my pipe blowing inspiration? 😉 He was one of my music study period faves back in the 60s-70s! A shame he died so young.

 

These days I look to Calan, who were also one of our departed drivellers, Chrisf's faves.

 

 

[Tony_S]

27 minutes ago, Smiffy2 said:

What sort of guitar? What are the pickups?

It is a Yamaha Pacifica. It didn’t always hum and it stops if you touch the metalwork so I am going to see if I can find a bad earth connection. The pickups are the original Yamaha, neck and middle are single types and the bridge one is a double coil type. 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The wind is picking up now but still no sign of rain, just cloud. A bit more housework done now for a soak in the bath. 

[Coombe Barton]

... spreading expectations for first years for teaching (i.e. messages saying turn up and do the work). In some cases I’m just wasting electrons. They’ll soon realise that I’m getting serious. Summons for interview is one of the things that may be said. I don’t care what they think, I just want them to pass. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/01/21/covid-enquiries-blame-and-lack-of-trust-and-still-marking/

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Very windy here and increasing, some spots of rain but notalot.

 

The SC was heaving, there was an oppie event on, dozens of the little things.. at least they weren't using our course.

 

 

The bunting we put up on the boat worked not a single bit of bird carp on deck.

 

Race one, south westerly , 25 gusting 40mph, forecast to jncrease, course SP, 1P, NP.

 

The line was set perfectly, neither end was favoured. Made a good start,  we were to windward of two other boats, we made the first tack , from Starboard to Port hoping to tack back before they caught up.

We'd have had to tack soon anyway due to the approaching bank of the broad.

We did make the tack back first but unfortunately, they made the buoy on port before we got there.

 

We later found out that we just weren't pointing as high as the other two boats, we used to be one of the highest pointing boats in the fleet, the difference, a new Genoa. It's by a reputable local maker who himself wins lots of sailing trophies. So we can only think the boat needs resetting to the new jib.

Experiments will have to start..

 

Meanwhile, it was follow the leader, the lead boat used a spinnaker, the second boat was a local very good sailor, and we came 3rd..

 

We didn't go out in the other races, my sailing compatriot wasn't up to the conditions.

 

The good news is the results of last week's crews races..

First, Yeoman

Second , Star,

Third, Yeoman,

4th Star,

5th Star,

6th Yeoman.

So the handicap system worked well,  and... We were first..

 

 

 

[Smiffy2]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

It is a Yamaha Pacifica. It didn’t always hum and it stops if you touch the metalwork so I am going to see if I can find a bad earth connection. The pickups are the original Yamaha, neck and middle are single types and the bridge one is a double coil type. 

Sounds like a bad earth, but that's the extent of my expertise! Check that the earth wire to the tremelo claw is firm, and that the jack socket is OK. If they aren't already you might paint the single coil cavities with shielding paint.

 

I just finished off the red Strat:

 

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all. 
 

Wind is getting wild here and we’re still three hours shy of the warning period. St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly recorded a 59mph gust overnight but we are warned to expect 70-80mph tonight. 
 

We are prepared in the event of an extended power outage; there’s enough non-cook food available and there’s cans of soup which we can warm atop the wood-burning stove.  All our mobile devices are fully charged and the torches have fresh batteries. 
 

Dr. SWMBO arrived home on Friday with a cold (only a cold - the test strips refuse to show two red lines) which has laid her up for most of yesterday and today. She seems to be on the mend now just in time to hunker down and ride out the storm. 
 

And hoping that trains run by this time tomorrow to get her back to London. 
 

We’ll see. 
 

It’s time to bring more logs in from the shed. The central heating is oil fired but that also relies on the electric supply. We have enough logs for at least one night but a hot shower might be off the agenda if the power goes down for a lengthy period. 
 

Stay safe. Heads down. 

[Tony_S]

6 minutes ago, Smiffy2 said:

Sounds like a bad earth, but that's the extent of my expertise! Check that the earth wire to the tremelo claw is firm, and that the jack socket is OK. If they aren't already you might paint the single coil cavities with shielding paint.

 

I just finished off the red Strat:

 

Here is an update. I plugged it in. No hum. How odd I thought. All I can think is that we used to have some device that the guitar detected and caused noise, perhaps like,one of those pre dect portable phones. I have given it a clean, but will do a proper job when it gets new strings. I was always scared to remove the knobs to get the bits of protective plastic remaining under them but I did that successfully using a knob puller. I found when searching for such a device that it was necessary to precede knob with guitar to avoid some unwanted results. 
I don’t normally name objects but I suppose the guitar could be Dusty as it was very dusty even having been in a bag for years. 

[Barry O]

2 hours ago, southern42 said:

 

And from where do you think I got my pipe blowing inspiration? 😉 He was one of my music study period faves back in the 60s-70s! A shame he died so young.

 

These days I look to Calan, who were also one of our departed drivellers, Chrisf's faves.

 

 

crums!!!  A crumhorn.. or is it..  no Her Indoors says that it is a crumhorn.. I didn't know you get various shapes of crumhorn!

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

3 minutes ago, Barry O said:

crums!!!  A crumhorn.. or is it..  no Her Indoors says that it is a crumhorn.. I didn't know you get various shapes of crumhorn!

 

According to Wikipedia there are eight tonal ranges, from soprano to extended great bass

 

Pic nicked from the web

[Barry O]

Her indoors has said it is, in her belief a "Zhaleika".. I believe her.. she knows a fair bit about wind instruments... and percussion....

 

Baz

[New Haven Neil]

Getting proper wild here now, wind speeds approaching 'worrying'. Woodburner's on and we have a gas hob so no worries on that front, and a small generator should we need it for the freezer.

[Coombe Barton]

Zhaleika, single, rather than double reed. Probably older than a crumhorn. Just checked, and they do sound different.

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Coombe Barton
Typoman escaped!

[DaveF]

The rain has come and the wind is increasing.  I shall be downstairs this evening listening to music and watching TV to try to block the wind noise.  When I go to bed I'll find my earplugs.  At least with the wind from the west I shan't hear the sea!  Tomorrow I will inspect the house, garden and fences to make sure everything is still here.  The car is parked at the top of the drive in case anything blows off the roof.  As long as the lampost on the pavement doesn't fall over!

 

Church was good this morning with a visit from the Archdeacon to take the service, as usual she did it well.  I was home in time for coffee and finished the e mails and phone calls before lunch as I do most weeks. It's a way to make sure that as a group of friends we stay in touch with each other as we live too far apart to see each other regularly any more.

 

I had my customary look round the garden and found the first snowdrop is just opening after being a bud for over a week.  So Spring will come one day!  Lunch was simply bought chicken pie and some veg, followed by fruit.

 

This afternoon I have moved some bags of compost into the greenhouse so I can sow seeds a few weeks after surgery, the bags would be too heavy to move from the garage then.  They are positioned so I can simply dip a pot in a bring it out full of compost without any effort.  It means I'll be able to start my sweet peas and tomatoes in due course - I often do them early in March.  I also thought about grocery deliveries - I don't want to bend or kneel down to empty the trays they come in so brought an old very lightweight wicker linen basket in from the garage and put it behind the  sofa.  I can easily put it just inside the front door when a delivery comes and ask the driver to put the trays on top of it.  I will try it this week.

 

Then I had a short nap as the hernia did not like my moving the compost!  Since then I've sorted out more photos into daily batches to post and had a cup of tea and finished a magazine.

 

When I watch Vera I expect that once again I will spend my time working out the locations.  It is a shame that it looks like being the last one but I can understand why.

 

First snowdrop so Spring will come one day.  It isn't meant to be a pretty picture, just a record to remind me that winter doesn't last for ever.

 

David

[The White Rabbit]

Afternoon awl,

 

Our young protege in the sound effects department is getting a little over excited... too much wind and as for the rain effects, well, I think he read Richmal Crompton's story about William 'helping' his local amdram society and took it too much to heart. To paraphrase Oscar, to tip one bucket into your leading lady's face may be regarded as unfortunate, to tip two - well, best not to say really... 

 

One parcel delivered yesterday, 'twas one I'd been waiting for for quite a few years. It was rather earlier than the RM automated email said it would be, I was, if not in the Land of Nod, then at least at the border post. Postie left it outside hidden behind a bush but all recovered OK. The contents were of an item the awl would disapprove of, so I'll just say I was very 'appy with it and full marks to our Cornish merchants. 

 

I hope to see Bear later, as I have a chocolate cake in the oven. Not to mention a pizza ready to go in while that's cooling... 

 

Must dash - I have to extract said cake/insert pizza/furl reefed topsails and hoist trysails/repel boarders* - delete as appropriate... 

[southern42]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

crums!!!  A crumhorn.. or is it..  no Her Indoors says that it is a crumhorn.. I didn't know you get various shapes of crumhorn!

 

Baz

 

Pibgorn

 

Edited January 21 by southern42
to change link

[Smiffy2]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Here is an update. I plugged it in. No hum. How odd I thought. All I can think is that we used to have some device that the guitar detected and caused noise, perhaps like,one of those pre dect portable phones. I have given it a clean, but will do a proper job when it gets new strings. I was always scared to remove the knobs to get the bits of protective plastic remaining under them but I did that successfully using a knob puller. I found when searching for such a device that it was necessary to precede knob with guitar to avoid some unwanted results. 
I don’t normally name objects but I suppose the guitar could be Dusty as it was very dusty even having been in a bag for years. 

Looks pretty good. New strings will make a huge difference.

[DaveF]

I turned my TV on to watch the news.  It is supposed to go to the last channel but as it does from time to time it went to the home page.  I told it to go to Live TV - result - cannot load.

 

Next tried "Live TV and catch up" result - brought up the start page for all apps.

 

Switched it off, left it for 2 minutes and tried again - result - TV started and then switched itself off.

 

Unplugged TV, made Tea, plugged it back in, swicthed on - result - went to the last channel I watched except for the overlay saying "Software Update available".  So I told it to update.

 

It has now told me to switch it off, it will then update and then switch itself off.

 

To my surprise it has worked!

 

David

Edited January 21 by DaveF