Early Risers.

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, Grizz said:

Mrs Grizz had a ‘nearly falling off unpleasantness incident’ from one of her field ornaments on Wednesday. Fortunately some years ago I insisted that ‘we’ bought her one of those protective ‘explosive vest thingies, which is attached by lanyard to the saddle, which then explodes and inflates simultaneously the very second your butt leaves the saddle and you become airborne and the lanyard reaches its full length. 
 

Apart from superficial grazes, bumps and bruises, it has so far prevented the worst of possible out comes…..so far, however twice Mrs Grizz has forgotten to disconnect the lanyard before dismounting, resulting in her jumping out of her skin and said field ornament involuntarily producing the product that is good for the roses. 

 

 Just don't try this . 

 

 

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

.... tongue twisters -   "She sells seashells by the sea shore"  and ... 

 

As quite a few of us know, the trouble with being awake in the dark hours is it's too much of an encouragement to think ... 

 

Last night, my 'specialist subject' was alliteration, with a side order of tongue twisters. For some reason I woke up with a mental picture of a dozen or so assorted bears feeding from a cattle feeding trough of baked beans, so, thinking about menu options when dining out:

 

Bear's bargain baked bean barbeque bowl bonanza. 

 

Bear's beef bearnaise butty blends baba, boiled brisket & brandy butter. (Best not try that at home folks...)

 

Better biscuits baked by Bear, blessed by Barings Bank brainy boys. 

 

 

And potential business/GmbH slogans?

 

Bare bears bake baked beans by brewing better bowls. 

 

Bear's brilliant before breakfast beer bouts backed by bubbling bowels. 

 

By balking brilliant badinage, bantering bears bait baffled barracking bandits. 

 

Bad bears boil beans by burning bonfires, baulks bearing bubbling bowls, barring beefy blows by belching bears, baffling better bears' brilliance? 

 

At which point - thankfully - it was back to snoozy-land. 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

 Lying on the sofa horizontally straightening back, due to much digging, still haven't found the pipe, but I've hit the original soil and a pile of pebbles on one side of the ditch so it's close. Took Ben on a route past a dyke that has been recently dug out and it's ceramic pipes replaced with plastic tubing . I've collected a couple of the pipe sections in case I find the exit ones in the under road pipe are damaged. The pipe section have a 3 inch bore and are 18 inches long.

 

SWMBO's weaving display  unit has been modified slightly and any bare board visible from the front painted green or grey as appropriate.

 

Much muddling done, though progress seems slow.

 

 

 

 

[PupCam]

Afternoon

 

5 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear here....

Mission accomplished - Bear's hind paws hit the water at 0610am, closely followed by the rest of Bear.  30 Laps** completed (0.6miles - or 1Km if you prefer funny munny).  @PupCam Puppers was notable by his absence - again.  Lightweight.

Bear is now back at Bear Towers - still breathing as well, which is kinda useful.  Knackered though.  First mission is to make the Beary Pit; after that it's MIUABGA.

 

Well the reason I couldn't join you in the  pond this morning was because I had a prior engagement for another trip "Up the Smoke" to the hospital for some lung function tests.    Luckily they still are so breathing continues.    Otherwise you know I'd have been alongside you, swimming up and down while you demonstrated the finest Beary paddle stroke.    Maybe next time*?

 

I got to the station nice and early and thought hang the expense I'll not wait for a the Off Peak period to start as I've got my Senior Railcard to help reduce the pain.      One thing I didn't realise (or had forgotten) was you can't use such things during the morning peak period.    Mega TCs!         So I had an hour sitting around on the station instead of in the hospital which of course meant that I could have a cheap day return and use the Railcard.       It meant I was cutting it fine at the other end but in the event it didn't matter as they were short staffed and running 3/4 hour late anyway!     I'm such a Cheapskate 😀

 

*Probably not actually;   I seem to have  lost the urge to plunge into water whether it be contained in a pool or going freestyle in that thing they call the sea.     I'll stick to walking for exercise.

 

ION

 

Not a lot to report!

 

TTFN

 

[Coombe Barton]

... email from Amazon – “You're receiving this email because you are purchasing on Amazon in large amounts. Are you purchasing for business?”  Errrrrrmmmm …. Am I really buying that much? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/02/23/covid-treatment-figures-resits-and-maybe-a-memoir/

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon, from a very sunny but chilly rock.  Went out with the OF's early doors, then had to attend to one having experienced his motorcycle failing to proceed after filling with fuel.  Italian and 14 years old - therefore an electrical issue, and currently fatal.  Vanned back home so he could fetch a British, but modern one out instead.  That made the run without issue, while we berated him and his earlier mount ceaselessly of course!

 

I'm a bit behind with the Dr who chat, but yeah the Cybermen freaked me out big time, Daleks I could handle. I do recall the beeping orbs that came out of Yetis being very menacing, and wasn't that Brigadier and his chaps a bit useless?  I don't have strong memories of companions, maybe the hormones hadn't begun their rise at that time.  Once they did I was no longer watching the programme, there being other more interesting pursuits.

 

John CB's experiences of student engagement (failure of) continue to amaze me, I wonder if the persons paying their tuition fees are aware of that behaviour?  I was paid to go to college as a Cadet so it was rather different - fail to perform meant fail to be employed, simple as!

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Main concern going by the media coverage was not damage to cars, houses or whatever, but it might disrupt the Taylor Swift concert going on as I type this. 

The economic boom associated with a Taylor Swift concert is well documented.

 

Hosting a Taylor Swift "Eras" Tour concert has almost the same financial impact to a local economy, measured by increased spending on hospitality (rooms, short-term rentals, restaurants etc) than hosting an NFL Superbowl. (There are a lot more "Eras" tour events than Superbowls.)

[Tony_S]

I don’t think we need to worry too much about student literacy. In a few years everyone will be demonstrating their ability to use fronted adverbials as encouraged in primary school now. 
Did basic literacy tests cease during the COVID years? When Aditi worked at a college where they taught degree level courses many of their students had no GCSE qualifications and so had to pass equivalent literacy tests. All the staff had to do so as  well. However for a couple of years Aditi was the UCAS coordinator for the college. She had many years experience of advising students about their personal statements. However she now had to deal with the college references. Traditionally a personal tutor would correlate these and assemble a reference, checked over by senior staff. However rather than use expensive lecturer time the college employed local people to come in and assemble the references. Aditi said the references couldn’t leave the college containing such examples like “He is good student” . After spending many evenings and a weekend rewriting them she just sent them back to the team, with suggestions. Then a complaint came back that they didn’t like her criticisms. Aditi said the college were not helping their students create a good impression with the establishments they were applying to.  Aditi felt she was just about to be called out for unfairly criticising the mainly Asian staff when the team manager realised  why that wasn’t going to work. Aditi was asked,to be more encouraging when asking for correct English. It wasn’t the report writers fault, they were not qualified and were employed to save money. When Aditi moved to the HE part of the college someone else had the job. 

[Barry O]

Been a busy Baz.

 

Shopping completed OK. Small salad obtained from moreasons for lunch.. very tasty and apparently good for you.

 

LED down lighters fitted.. easy to do but does take time.

Ballasting and platform building have been constructed.

 

I thought I knew most swear words.. then I went to work in Barrow..lummy!

 

TTFN

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

John CB's experiences of student engagement (failure of) continue to amaze me, I wonder if the persons paying their tuition fees are aware of that behaviour?

We're all paying their tuition fees as they've taken out loans. If they don't pay them back we'll still pay for them as they'll be written off.

[pH]

45 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

The economic boom associated with a Taylor Swift concert is well documented.

 

Hosting a Taylor Swift "Eras" Tour concert has almost the same financial impact to a local economy, measured by increased spending on hospitality (rooms, short-term rentals, restaurants etc) than hosting an NFL Superbowl. (There are a lot more "Eras" tour events than Superbowls.)

Here’s one effect of her forthcoming concerts in Vancouver:

 

https://www.victoriabuzz.com/2024/02/swift-sails-bc-ferries-adds-22-extra-sailings-for-taylor-swifts-vancouver-concert-dates/

 

22??!! and they’re not small boats:

 

https://www.victoriabuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/bc-ferry.png

[BSW01]

7 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

That cavewoman sheila.   

Whoa there chimpy my friend.

 

Now, I’m 15st 9lb and 6ft, Sheila is 7st 10lb and 5ft tall, but even I wouldn’t dare call her a cavewoman! 

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Here in the early to mid-70's we had non-stop Vietnam  war coverage.  A  ballot system of picking conscripts  based on birth dates that operated like a bizarre bingo game that you didn't want to win picked off older brothers, neighbours and so on. Until the Labor government won and pulled us out  there was   no end in sight to it so the chance of getting sent over there once we hit adulthood sure focussed our mind on war and sh!t!

 

Is there a more powerful anti-war song?

 

 

 

We managed to avoid all that thanks to Harold Wilson telling Johnson to put his request for British troops where the sun don't shine. 

[TheQ]

Just been out rescuing a long wheel base citroen high top van.

He'd driven out of the house he was working at  and his navigator said he could turn left 

Unfortunately there's a tree down in the lane, which is the far end of one of Ben's walks. so anyway  i had to go round the other way to get  behind him

 

It's called low road for a reason, it's also  a mud track with 18 inches of water in the tractor made wheel route. 

He was half a mile beyond where he could turn round...

That was a long tow out, he's got a lot of cleaning to do before his boss sees the van.

[DaveF]

It's been a quite sunny though cool day, gazing out of the window at the sky it looked like a summer's day.   I didn't have a real walk as I was feeling very tired but I was in and out all day looking at the garden and watering some plants in the garage with a small very light watering can.

 

During the morning I also did some small sitting down jobs, in the afternoon I fell asleep having not slept well last night.

 

I think the evening will be yet more TV and reading.

 

I know it sounds boring but it is quite relaxing and makes a pleasant change from rushing around doing things.

 

David

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

... email from Amazon – “You're receiving this email because you are purchasing on Amazon in large amounts. Are you purchasing for business?”  Errrrrrmmmm …. Am I really buying that much? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/02/23/covid-treatment-figures-resits-and-maybe-a-memoir/

To carry on with one of today’s themes, John:

 

<< Dear Amazon, none of your [insert favourite, pithy or appropriate profanity] business >>

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Had a telephone chat with the doctor early this afternoon and she prescribed a course of antibiotics. Nitrofurantoin in slow release capsules to be taken twice a day at evenly spaced times (12 hours apart) so I'll start the first one about 8. As for the reason for the antibiotics the swelling has continued to reduce and more important there's no sign of blood in my pee.

[PhilJ W]

ION a very interesting talk at SEERS last night from one of the engineers on the construction of the Docklands Light Railway. The ancient viaducts of the Greenwich Railway were only strong enough to carry a single articulated DLR train and later had to be strengthened.

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

TCs in abundance here as the central heating is no longer heating!  Boiler works, pump works but rads all cold.  I suspect a 3-way motorised valve problem as switching it to manual has done nothing at all.  Friendly boilerman contacted and told me to give him a call in the morning, if it's still kaput he will come to the rescue.

At least it's not too cold at the  moment and we do have back up electric heaters if required.

I think I'll have another glass of Shiraz.

[iL Dottore]

21 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Had a telephone chat with the doctor early this afternoon and she prescribed a course of antibiotics. Nitrofurantoin in slow release capsules to be taken twice a day at evenly spaced times (12 hours apart) so I'll start the first one about 8. As for the reason for the antibiotics the swelling has continued to reduce and more important there's no sign of blood in my pee.

Very, very different to what my GP would do.
 

When I had a similar problem, he got me into the office, had a quick rummage around, did a finger-stick blood draw to obtain an instant CRP* value, then - as antibiotics were indicated,  got a clean-catch urine sample (for a culture and sensitivity analysis**). Blood for a PSA test was not done - having had one recently. Having had this problem before (and “being in the business”) meant that this particular visit was basically a confirmation-with-prescription of my self diagnosis (which was 100% accurate! Go Team!).

 

My GP has a mini laboratory and can do quite a lot of haematology and biochemistry analyses in the house, which means you’re usually have no more than 30 minutes between blood being drawn and the doctor getting the test results.

 

This might be of interest - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/18946-nitrofurantoin-capsules-or-tablets

 

Anyway, good to see you started on treatment. Do you have a follow-up appointment booked?

 

* C-reactive Protein, which goes up when somebody has an infection.

 

** A urine sample is taken to show what bugs are growing in it (culture) and what antibiotics kill the bugs growing in it (sensitivity)

[pH]

28 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

I think I'll have another glass of Shiraz.

Good thinking, Batman!

[Coombe Barton]

More on students turning up.

Sent out an invitation to a session I'd organised for Wednesday at 2pm for revision/teaching what they should have done. This is extra, and they're full time students.

 

Email from student - I can't make that, could it be Thursday or Friday

Email to student from me - It's the only time I can get a room

 

Email from student - Can't you make it later, like 6?

 

I have not replied yet. That will be on Monday. Do they call it 'entitled' now?

 

 

[Grizz]

I think they still call it “Do as you are fudging well told or you will fail” or perhaps I am suppressing someone’s rights to be a lazy tw£t ????.

…..and I can say that because I’ve been on London’s Premier Transport Organisation’s inclusivity training course titled “Why I am personally to blame for everyone else not being a multi millionaire and running the planet”…..and I’ve got a certificate and everything!!!!!! 🤣

[jjb1970]

The bonkers thing about the Vietnam war was the idea that Vietnam would be a Communist Chinese puppet, ignoring the fact that Vietnam had been deeply suspicious of China and mindful to avoid becoming Chinese for centuries before Europeans turned up in Indochina, let alone Americans. Within a few years of getting rid of America the Vietnamese fought a war with China and put them back in their place. The Vietnamese must rank as one of the great martial people of the 20th century having beaten the French, the Americans and the Chinese (albeit at dreadful human cost).

[polybear]

4 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

John CB's experiences of student engagement (failure of) continue to amaze me, I wonder if the persons paying their tuition fees are aware of that behaviour?  I was paid to go to college as a Cadet so it was rather different - fail to perform meant fail to be employed, simple as!

 

The Engineering Students that attend the same College (no names.....) I mentioned earlier are Apprentices in employment.  I'm very reliably informed that NONE** of them fail the course.....apparently that's bad cos' the College is paid for them to pass....

 

**Unless they fail to attend.