Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

7 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The wych elm is the only truly native British elm, all of the others are found in other parts of the world. It proved to be the most resistant to DED but despite that many succumbed to that disease. Elms readily hybridised and some hybrids turned out to be even more resistant. IIRC work is still going on to develop an elm resistant to DED.

The problem with the English elm, Ulmus procera, which was a characteristic tree of hedgerows in England until it was decimated by Dutch Elm Disease (DED) in the 1970s. English elm is a single clone so all English elms are genetically identical. This elm doesn't produce viable seed so it was propagated from suckers.

https://www.avelandtrees.co.uk/post/planting-elms-in-the-british-countryside#:~:text=The English elm%2C Ulmus procera,it was propagated from suckers.

[Winslow Boy]

5 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The present version certainly isn’t version 1. There were previous versions , some of us who survived the RMWeb near extinction events were around then and there are allegedly some people who can recall it being hosted by Dial.Pipex (who I used for my very first home dial up internet service). ER was first initiated by Gordon S who wanted someone to talk to while he was waiting very early at airports to travel on business. 

That would be 1906 Tsunga event would it or even further back 1868 Krakatoa incident.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Didn't do any shopping today after all, just spent a couple of hours on eyelid inspection instead. Arthur Itis is grumbling so pills have been taken. Now to tackle Farcebook. 

[Winslow Boy]

53 minutes ago, TheQ said:

 

It's now developed another problem, I can't emoticon... 

Belay that , on changing pages to see Gwiwer's comment I can emote again.

 

Evening Awl,

Ben's long walk was unusual due to rats, no less than 6 were separately seen running across fields or roads and muddy tracks. That and one deer got frightened and legged it across several fields.

 

For several years there has been no spraying on some of the fields around us. I believe the new farmer had ideas of getting some sort of rating for that..

It obviously didn't pay, because all the fields around us have been sprayed or pelleted in the last few days. I'm guessing at this time of year that'll be fertilizer of some sort.

 

Just back from the MRC where I learnt I'm not paying to go into the exhibition of unmentionables on Saturday. 

That'll be because I'll be making an exhibition of myself behind a club unmentionable as some one has dropped out. That'll make for a long day... Must find the club shirt...

 

On the way to the MRC there was one deer in the undergrowth by the side of the road on the way back there was a couple... Oh and one rat.

 

Also on the way back it was starting to rain.

 

Muggachoccy gone, goodnight Awl.

 

 

 

That be due to Defra requiring so much paperwork to obtain the grant that farmers have decided it's easier to go bankrupt rather than wait for them to pay up.

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Things going very, very slowly on here so I’ll leave it at that.

goodnight.

[BSW01]

The whole of the RMWeb is being very slow tonight.

 

Goodnight all

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[PhilJ W]

Glad to see @Dave Hunt back in the fold, welcome back Dave.

[Tony_S]

The corner in this photo could do with bigger chevrons. For some reason motorists leave the road and demolish the railing and bump up against the fence round  the cemetery. 

 

Edited April 2 by Tony_S

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

Colour me NOT IMPRESSED!!!

"Always" used to snow the first week of April in Chicago. That was usually the last one of the season. 

 

When my eldest went out for little league (baseball), practice throw and catch beforehand used to sting - even with the gloves. It was cold.

 

Opening day for the big leagues (baseball) was last week.

 

It was around 24°C here today - but tomorrow won't see 12°C - Spring!

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, DaveF said:

Herewith 2 photos at street level courtesy of Google Earth.

Thanks Dave - I was imagining some sort of fencing/vegetation obscuring the pedestrian crossing, but that's still daft. You can't see the indication of the lights from the side street. The pedestrian crossing *should* be aligned with the corner of the "T" / tee, preferably with interlocking lights on the side street for the left turn.

 

In the US that configuration would inevitably be (at a minimum) a STOP sign. Certainly not a YIELD/GIVE WAY. Arguably, except in high traffic areas there wouldn't normally be a pedestrian crossing light where there is just a STOP sign - at best an amber flashing warning light - triggered by a button pressed by the pedestrian.

 

One of those was installed on a zebra crossing that I regularly use. (Cross streets have STOP signs.) It has helped safety on that pedestrian crossing immensely.

 

In most places in the US, with legal right turn on red (after stopping), it is important for drivers to observe whether there are pedestrians (irrespective of a "walk" indication) in the crossing, but the crossing will be right at the corner and the "walk" indication is visible - as are the pedestrians.

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Doesn’t need one. The double broken white lines mean the same.

I'll try to remember that if I'm ever driving in the UK - that implication would never occur to me. In a suburban neighbourhood like that it would always have a traffic control sign in the US or Australia, like a STOP or YIELD / GIVE WAY.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The corner in this photo could do with bigger chevrons.

Similarly this spot on a highway offramp south of Portland.

 

There used to be a big yellow advisory sign (extra big on a wooden post) like this I think:

I remember it lying on the ground with the post snapped off. In the linked image there is a flattened marker left of the black car.

 

The eagle-eyed may spot the white marble of the LDS temple behind the Douglas Firs.

[Ozexpatriate]

Someone either wasn't thinking, or tried to pull a fast one:

 

CNN: Germany to redesign Adidas soccer jersey numbering amid Nazi symbol controversy

[kevinlms]

On 21/02/2020 at 04:17, Gwiwer said:

Afternoon all.  Good it is not, particularly.

 

I stand with head bowed in the direction of the Land Downunder where two members of railway staff have lost their lives.  The Sydney - Melbourne XPT is off all wheels and well and truly in the dirt at Wallan, just north of Melbourne, with the loss of driver and pilot.  All passengers have been accounted for.  

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-51573326

 

I am aware of media and some informed-comment accounts as to why and how this occurred but we must not speculate.  Due process will determine fault.  

 

An update on the rail operators, or fault if you like.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-03/melbourne-wallan-train-crash-companies-fined/103661182

[jjb1970]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Someone either wasn't thinking, or tried to pull a fast one:

 

CNN: Germany to redesign Adidas soccer jersey numbering amid Nazi symbol controversy

 

You have to wonder about this one, you don't have to be one of the perpetually offended to identify how that one could be received and backfire.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, jjb1970 said:

to identify how that one could be received

Up close it's less obvious - from a distance the resemblance is striking - on the national kit no less, particularly in a country where related symbols are prohibited.

 

These were custom orders. I don't imagine anyone on the national team would actually wear number 44 - that would be a pretty deep bench.

[polybear]

7 hours ago, PupCam said:

Puppers may know that road quite well ..... 🤣

 

 

Rumour has it that A Certain Bear (under the expert tutelage of his first Section Leader) would hammer across that stretch of road like Colin McCrae whilst "The Boss" would recite instructions such as "2nd gear, adverse camber, leading to fast right then a long straight where you can get a wriggle on....."  All very great fun at the time.

In later years I did start to realise (and in a time when mobile phones were very, very rare) that in the event "of a bad one" then (a) waiting for someone to come along, (b) them to find an un-vandalised phone box, (c) for an Ambulance to arrive, and (d) the chances of hopefully still be breathing by the time you got to the Hospital might at best be described as "shaky"

 

6 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Evening All,

Things going very, very slowly on here so I’ll leave it at that.

goodnight.

 

At half five this morning I got one of those "This page is taking too long to respond" popups for a few seconds - asking if I'd like to wait or exit page.

 

30 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

An update on the rail operators, or fault if you like.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-03/melbourne-wallan-train-crash-companies-fined/103661182

 

£270K fine?  Methinks the Wife Widow is rather justified in being p1ssed off.  Hopefully the Judge that awards compo will be a lot more sensible and give the Companies concerned a right kicking.

[Grizz]

42 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

You have to wonder about this one, you don't have to be one of the perpetually offended to identify how that one could be received and backfire.

So I take it that the same kit, with the number 88, in the same font would also be banned? 
 

In case anyone isn’t aware 88 is a known Neo Nazi symbol as a code for double of the 8th letter of the alphabet H. 
 

Strange that there is no mention of that….

[jjb1970]

5 minutes ago, Grizz said:

So I take it that the same kit, with the number 88, in the same font would also be banned? 
 

In case anyone isn’t aware 88 is a known Neo Nazi symbol as a code for double of the 8th letter of the alphabet H. 
 

Strange that there is no mention of that….

 

There are lots of alpha-numeric combinations associated with ideological extremism, most of which are used all the time for other purposes and about which few would make the connection. You can draw connections with all sorts of numbers. However in this case it's a number in a style which is highly likely to draw comparison with that for the SS and which could have been easily avoided.

[kevinlms]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Someone either wasn't thinking, or tried to pull a fast one:

 

CNN: Germany to redesign Adidas soccer jersey numbering amid Nazi symbol controversy

I did wonder if it was a late entry for 1st April (giving time for the article to be translated), but apparently it is true!

[Andy Hayter]

6 hours ago, Tony_S said:

The corner in this photo could do with bigger chevrons. For some reason motorists leave the road and demolish the railing and bump up against the fence round  the cemetery. 

 

 

 

Er No.

 

Not often appreciated is that the number of chevrons indicate the severity of the curve, and that curve does not look overly sharp.  The more chevrons, the tighter the curve.

 

They do however look to me to be badly sighted and would be better placed on the railings.

[jamie92208]

16 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Its not a shed without a ute in it.

 

If there is no wall on the left it's a hangar not a shed. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Good moaning, what a busy lot you were in the last 24:hours.  Took a lot of catching up.

 

We got to Angouleme in good time and everything went very well.  The Anaesthetist was very good.  Lunch was enjoyed at a Chinese buffet, some shops were visited then we came home.  In the evening we. Had a good hours natter with Martin and Katie. 

 

Shopping this morning then as yet unspecified pottering this afternoon. 

 

Jamie

[iL Dottore]

I see that our tame Wing Commander - Dave Hunt - has made it through surgery and is currently using emoji to provide comment on various posts.
 

Presumably he will start posting again when the “fun drugs” wear off and he feels he can write a coherent post again (I know what you ‘orrible lot are thinking about that. Don’t).

 

Anyway, from a professional point of view (and as a chum) I’ll be intrigued to hear more about his hospital adventures and how he is now doing.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for a boring and uneventful recovery for our Boy in Blue!