Early Risers.

[Hroth]

@PupCam - Your telescope is labelled as a "Sky Watcher" so if you can see any sky through it...  I've a cheapo 4" reflector on an equally cheapo equatorial mount with completely bargain basement eyepieces.  I can't use it as the area around my house is blasted by high-intensity LED streetlights.  At least I didn't waste too much money on it!

 

16 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear's Thought For The Day......

 

Did the four "Terrorists" being paraded in front of the media in Russia actually the ones responsible?  Or are they fall guys picked purely so the State can say "We caught them!!"

For some strange reason I can't imagine that a member of IS would allow themselves to be caught alive, knowing what they'd be in for.....

 

Yours, 

A Cynical Bear

 

As soon as his Putinness declared that they had caught the "killers", I immediately thought that they had just rounded up the usual suspects.  That he said they were caught running away to Ukraine was the cherry on the top!

 

No doubt they'll come to a protracted sticky end...

 

I understand that the good old US of A warned the Russians at the beginning of the month, that an IS attack on a large public venue was likely to take place during March, a warning that the Russians instantly poo-pooed as American troublemaking, and then ignored.

 

No doubt the reason for the subsequent mudslinging at the Ukranians.

 

 

Edited March 25 by Hroth
a bit more

[skipepsi]

6 minutes ago, Hroth said:

@PupCam - Your telescope is labelled as a "Sky Watcher" so if you can see any sky through it...  I've a cheapo 4" reflector on an equally cheapo equatorial mount with completely bargain basement eyepieces.  I can't use it as the area around my house is blasted by high-intensity LED streetlights.  At least I didn't waste too much money on it!

 

 

As soon as his Putinness declared that they had caught the "killers", I immediately thought that they had just rounded up the usual suspects.  That he said they were caught running away to Ukraine was the cherry on the top!

 

No doubt they'll come to a protracted sticky end...

More likely returned to their unit...

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

If I can see Wales, its going to rain.

If I can't see Wales, its raining!

 

One of the questions we get asked on watch is "Have you seen whales today?"

 

My response has been predictable - to those who know me - with the swift riposte that "No - it's too far away"

[iL Dottore]

24 minutes ago, polybear said:

Oh yes.....

 

Whilst travelling to & from The Piddlin' Pool this morning I went past a newly constructed block of "Luxury Apartments - available from Sept. 2023".  I did observe that the pointy roof (on a 4? storey block) featured slipped slates on both sides, with the felt visible underneath.  Jeez - it's barely a year old FFS.  British construction standards at their very best.....

They’ve probably been already sold to various consortia with polished brass plate letterboxes located in the Cayman Islands as “an investment” and may never be lived in - so who cares if the slates slip and the roof leaks.

Switzerland isn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but they do get an awful lot of things right – such as how and which foreigners can buy property in Switzerland: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/banking-fintech/buying-property-in-switzerland/29263024#:~:text=Foreigners are allowed to buy,the buyer's country of origin.&text=Switzerland has a specific federal,former justice minister Arnold Koller).

 

[Tony_S]

51 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Switzerland isn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but they do get an awful lot of things right

My nephew (British) and his partner (Austrian) seem quite happy in Zurich. The municipality they live in now has more non-Swiss than Swiss. Their new baby will add to the percentage, as babies born to an Austrian mother are automatically Austrian. They seem very happy with bringing a child up there. I do feel for the poor child though, her surname has 19 letters, she will be exhausted just writing her name on exam papers. It seems that finding a nursery for when both parents return to work wasn’t too stressful, it was somewhat stressful when all our careful plans for Matthew collapsed over Christmas when he was two. One thing that wasn’t a problem in a very international place like Zurich was that they could find a nice nursery that was used to bilingual children. 
Tony

Edited March 25 by Tony_S

[polybear]

Bear’s a wanderin’….….……

- but currently in the Pits….and there’s a rugrat with a big gob on the next table 😡 Oh Poo.

It’ll be all the fun of Tess & Co shortly, before crawling back up the big long hill to Bear Towers.  I may be some time…..

 

BG

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

Well he didn't bank on that nice Mrs Thatcher shutting down pretty much of the manufacturing and that everything is now made in China. Most of the 754 skilled men who worked where I did ended up stacking supermarket shelves or driving fork trucks in warehouses.

A University instructor (originally from Canada) had worked at Boeing during the 747 design days. He had a story that when 747 wrapped up most of the gas (petrol) station attendants in Seattle were aerospace engineers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Will have to go to Tess Coe's for some supplies as I've run out of almost everything. Last time I went there (Friday) a lot of the things I went there for were sold out. At least with the schools closed for the holidays it won't be so hectic.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

One of the questions we get asked on watch is "Have you seen whales today?"

It is grey whale migration season (north from their wintering/calving in the Sea of Cortez) right now. There are a number of designated whale watching spots on the Oregon coast, staffed with volunteers to assist anyone who would like to drop by.

 

Oregon State Parks Whale watching.

 

 

 

[Ohmisterporter]

Bit of a disappointment today. I was expecting Kath to come home today but despite blood pressure being under control following a change of tablets she has to stay in for now. The reason? The consultant has gone on holiday. Presumably for a week. If she has to stay in until then it may be next Monday before he gives her the ok to leave. On Tuesday Kath has to go back in for her operation on Wednesday. So unless another doctor has the authority to send her home she will effectively be a bed blocker for a week. 

Stay safe all.    

[jjb1970]

Working for the Singapore Met office must be the easiest job in the world - warm and humid, sunny spells with rain. Job done for every day of the year. 

[jjb1970]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear's Thought For The Day......

 

Did the four "Terrorists" being paraded in front of the media in Russia actually the ones responsible?  Or are they fall guys picked purely so the State can say "We caught them!!"

For some strange reason I can't imagine that a member of IS would allow themselves to be caught alive, knowing what they'd be in for.....

 

Yours, 

A Cynical Bear

 

I'm pretty sure they have the right perps, however I do think there are a lot of questions about the link to IS.

[tigerburnie]

I am beginning to think that a certain mr pooootin would make Genghis Khan look like one of the Teletubbies

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Ohmisterporter said:

Bit of a disappointment today. I was expecting Kath to come home today but despite blood pressure being under control following a change of tablets she has to stay in for now. The reason? The consultant has gone on holiday. Presumably for a week. If she has to stay in until then it may be next Monday before he gives her the ok to leave. On Tuesday Kath has to go back in for her operation on Wednesday. So unless another doctor has the authority to send her home she will effectively be a bed blocker for a week. 

Stay safe all.    

 

Yet another perfect example of why the NHS is in the Poo.

 

 

 

[polybear]

I see the little B1tch is wasting yet more Taxpayers money  🤬🤬

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68655130

 

Where's the SAS when you need them?

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

Working for the Singapore Met office must be the easiest job in the world - warm and humid, sunny spells with rain. Job done for every day of the year. 

 

When I was stationed at RAF Tengah in the late 1960s, the met forecast was the average of the reported conditions for the same day in the previous 20-odd years. It was remarkably accurate.

 

Dave

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

I had to look up MoUld, " in January 1987 when an article in the RSGB Radcom warned radio amateurs that links between MOULD hilltops were using the 70 cm band that we shared on a secondary basis with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The article explained that MOULD would provide communications between Regular Army, TA Battalions and the Army District and Regional Headquarters. Phase 1 cost £7m to install and used 18-channel Pye Pegasus radios operating at 66-88MHz. A network of hilltop sites were linked together to give area coverage. These bearer links used 140-150MHz and 420-450MHz in a formation giving a maximum of 7 radio hops between users." I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to it than the official explanation...

 

Yes, my pal was one of several engineers who covered the system throughout the UK, and as he was also a radio amateur G6CBJ (he set up one of the 70cm repeaters in the north-east), his car looked like a porcupine with the amount of aerials in it, for MOLD and amateur frequencies.  I am aware of what they system was actually for, but perhaps we shouldn't talk about that even though it is long gone. 

 

He had a few exciting times when it broke in bad weather, always in an awkward place, Snaefell of course and Shap quarry once in deep snow - the military used to 'insert' him if he couldn't get there under his own steam.  He often reflects that if his employers/WD had known he was gay back then, he wouldn't have got the job because of 'security' concerns.  Thankfully times are more enlightened now.  He's a seriously clever lad, you guys could talk electrons all day!

 

 

[jamie92208]

Back from our hospital tour.  The eye appointment went well. No cataravtboneeced.  Then a nice Chinese buffet lunch and even had time to buy a strimmer at Castorama (B and Q).  Then a p, peasant hop down the autoroute to The Danglies.  We got there in time to visit a cheapo pounshop called Action before seeing the cardiologue.  That was a tad worrying as he suspects some Angina.  However as he wants Beth to have her shoulder Op he's arranged a stress test on Thursday morning so that she i'lhave the results before seeing the aneasthist on Monday.  He is confident the ocean go ahead.   

 

Jamie

[DaveF]

As expected it has rained all day, never very hard but enough to make it miserable so I decided to stay at home.

 

Leonie came and did the cleaning and accepted a cup of tea, she doesn't like coffee.  I now have a very clean house and she decided a few extra things needed washing which I have since done.

 

I used the surgery's eConsult service this morning to ask about a sore heel and part my foot just behind my little toe.  It required me to use 2 factor authentication by receiving and entering a number by text - the rest of their online system doesn't.  I now have an appointment with their muscular/skeletal (MSK) person on 8th April.  I'm not bothered about the length of wait as I know what is likely to be wrong and it gives me a chance to have a chat with my podiatrist beforehand.  Today I have worn different shoes in the house and I have had hardly any discomfort let alone pain.   I will keep wearing them, if I go out I have another similar pair so I can keep the indoor ones clean to protect the carpets.  Of course they are much cheaper shoes than the ones I would normally wear.

 

I've not thought about this evening yet as I've just finished reading my book and must choose another one to read.  It doesn't sound much for a morning and afternoon but it has been very pleasant.

 

David

Edited March 25 by DaveF

[southern42]

 

5 hours ago, TheQ said:

Ben Supervising Collie, watched from a safe distance doing his sphinx impression.

 

Laugh rating given as I was at that minute imagining His Sphinxship in a CC reconstruction.

 

[Coombe Barton]

... among other things, found A business card with the address of grandad’s sweetshop and tobacconist shop thereon. He had it post WWI to WWII. I still have some of the dishes used to display sweets and a postcard greeting sent to all serving men at Christmas 1914 from King George V and Queen Mary. amid several hundred photos and postcards. Am now making plans to get all this into an archive ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/03/25/respiratory-infection-rates-finding-artefacts-of-family-history-lady-day/

[pH]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

One of the questions we get asked on watch is "Have you seen whales today?"

 

My response has been predictable - to those who know me - with the swift riposte that "No - it's too far away"

I can’t see why there’s any confusion - “Wales” and “whales” are pronounced differently.

[roundhouse]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Back from our hospital tour.  The eye appointment went well. No cataravtboneeced.  Then a nice Chinese buffet lunch and even had time to buy a strimmer at Castorama (B and Q).  Then a p, peasant hop down the autoroute to The Danglies.  We got there in time to visit a cheapo pounshop called Action before seeing the cardiologue.  That was a tad worrying as he suspects some Angina.  However as he wants Beth to have her shoulder Op he's arranged a stress test on Thursday morning so that she i'lhave the results before seeing the aneasthist on Monday.  He is confident the ocean go ahead.   

 

Jamie

Been to hospital today aswell but not for me. A 45 mile trip today to a hospital only 3 miles from us but had to collect Mum from her place.

 

Journey this morning was fine but when the hospital called to collect her it took 45 minutes from our place instead of 7 minutes all because they closed off a huge chunk of the main car park for resurfacing, causing the traffic to back up out of the hospital and half a mile along the minor road then onto a very busy junction on the A23. It not only affected cars but all the buses in the area and god knows how an ambulance would have got through as it was solid both ways. So I wonder how many hospital appointments were then delayed. The hospital bus stops was wedged.

 

Luckily my other half was with me so she dropped me at the main entrance, as the rear one thats closer to where Mum was couldnt be reached. A long walk then wheeled her all the way back to the car whihc luckily hadnt been forced to move off the disabled bay (Mums already lost her diabled badge after just a couple of weeks so new one ordered).

 

Then cockwombles on way back to Mums really set my blood pressure off.

 

Luckily the results of her tests were all clear.

 

Back home and a couple of beers to calm down but Mum has already phoned a few times with wanting me to take her for a blood test at the doctors then another trip to the hopsital at 4pm tomorrow. I had told her that I cant because we are heading away  and if I did I would probably land myself in hospital. Plus my other half has to keep breaking from work as you can't otherwise get close enough to the hospital to get Mum in there.

 

All I get from brothers is where are you, 'oh he's just playing choo choo trains again'.

 

My other half has just had to take my dinner away from me incase I threw it across the room.

 

Fingers crossed we are left alone when we go away for Easter. Hopefully will be meeting up with a few people apres York show although we wont be going to the show.

[New Haven Neil]

7 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

All I get from brothers is where are you,

 

I had that with dad in his last days, I gave a lift to one of my mum's distant friends when picking mum up from visiting the hospice, and she thought I was my older brother, and gave chapter and verse as to how I was doing nothing to help and brother was doing it all, according to sis in law who she knew. (Big bro only arrived on the scene when dad was in his last days).  I waited until she was about to get out and told her who I was, and what I thought of her and my brother who had done precisely nothing to help!

 

Which, incidentally was what he got in the will, when both dad and mum had passed on.  Precisely nothing, with an explanation why.

[Grizz]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Snip……and I’ve always struggled with my weight (it’s dem pesky fat-saving Anglo-Saxon genes of mine). Snip..

Doc, is it only Anglo-Saxon genes that have fat-saving characteristics? Or could Viking genes be predisposed to ‘a touch of the tubby’ as well? 
 

……asking for a friend.