Early Risers.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

"What ho, this Captain Cook bloke has some interesting and sensible theories about dealing with scurvy and what not

It was more about all those nice maps the plucky Yorkshireman drew so James Wolfe could dislodge the ancien régime, from the Plains of Abraham.

[Tony_S]

I made a pork and vegetable stir fry with rice noodles tonight. Basically as it was quick and a change. We got the ingredients from Waitrose. We used a commercial stir fry sauce, as neither of us feels up to bothering (now 3 weeks of feeling unwell) . The sauce was a Wagamama Firecracker mixture. It was too much for Aditi , I had to finish hers while she went and got some nan and yoghurt . I did enquire why she had purchased something that was almost certainly not going to be bland. Having seen Uncle Roger’’s videos, I think  he would have been appalled but at least I didn’t use olive oil or my Jamie Oliver saucepans. 

[Gwiwer]

11 hours ago, Barry O said:

drivers who stop at a roundabout which is empty.. its a Barnsley thing..

Perhaps the driver of the car I was following was from Barnsley. But likely not. 
 

Returning from a successful day’s exhibiting I drew up at the St Erth roundabout where the A30, Hayle Causeway and St Ives roads meet. The car ahead did not move off when the way was clear (i.e. empty roundabout) twice. I observed the passenger apparently prodding the driver who then pulled out into the path of an approaching HGV. 
 

As I followed the car onto the A30 I was then obliged to maintain a steady 19mph in the 30 limit as they seemed reluctant to go any faster. They also seemed reluctant to drive in a straight line preferring to occasionally cross the centre markings or veer towards the ditch.  
 

Behind me was ……. a police patrol car. So I pulled in at a bus stop and allowed them to become the following vehicle. 
 

That left me around six back in the traffic but close enough to see that one was clearly following the other. And in due course pulled them over for a few words. 
 

I shall never know the end of that story. 

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Bear's buddy (also is/was our muddle engineering class instructor) tells us the Tutors at the College are using AI to mark the Student's work.....

I try to design all AI out of my assessments

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

I'm thinking this is the worst mass murder event here since Port Arthur in 1996

CNN lists a 2019 shooting in Darwin that killed four.

Quote

Mass casualty events are rare in Australia. At least four people were killed and one injured in a mass shooting in Darwin, northern Australia in 2019.

 

Edited April 13 by Ozexpatriate

[PupCam]

Evening!

 

7 hours ago, Grizz said:

She asked Lemon or Lime? 

 

You have to ask! 🤣

 

ION

 

Today I have been erecting (up to house gutter level) the scaffolding tower that a mate has lent me.     That' an interesting exercise and one designed to wear a Pup out!     I took the precaution of buying a couple of ground anchors so that I could tie it down to the ground and provide a bit of triangulation for stability purposes.   Also arranged so that there's a slight bias of tension towards the house rather than away from it.    Unfortunately it was just too tall to fit nicely under the soffit right up hard against the wall so I think a couple of spacer blocks may well be added between the tower and the wall to provide additional stability.        I used to quite like heights and  going up ladders ....

 

After today's and the remnants of yesterday's exertions I feel another early night is in order. 

 

Night Awl!

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

I have just had to sort the phone system out. Aditi’s Mum rang and instead of answering the call, Aditi accidentally blocked the number . So I had to find out to remove a number from a  blocklist. This isn’t a handset option, but Google revealed all. I think I may have managed to disable the big red block button too so it won’t happen again. MiL rang Aditi on her mobile while I was sorting it out. Mil,is having difficulty understanding that we have been unwell for a while. Of course she likes to compare Aditi to,her sister, saying she stays strong by walking every day and going swimming. Aditi just loves (not) being compared to her sister. 

Edited April 13 by Tony_S

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Perhaps the driver of the car I was following was from Barnsley. But likely not. 
 

Returning from a successful day’s exhibiting I drew up at the St Erth roundabout where the A30, Hayle Causeway and St Ives roads meet. The car ahead did not move off when the way was clear (i.e. empty roundabout) twice. I observed the passenger apparently prodding the driver who then pulled out into the path of an approaching HGV. 
 

As I followed the car onto the A30 I was then obliged to maintain a steady 19mph in the 30 limit as they seemed reluctant to go any faster. They also seemed reluctant to drive in a straight line preferring to occasionally cross the centre markings or veer towards the ditch.  
 

Behind me was ……. a police patrol car. So I pulled in at a bus stop and allowed them to become the following vehicle. 
 

That left me around six back in the traffic but close enough to see that one was clearly following the other. And in due course pulled them over for a few words. 
 

I shall never know the end of that story. 

Breath in here please sir?

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Perhaps the driver of the car I was following was from Barnsley. But likely not. 
 

Returning from a successful day’s exhibiting I drew up at the St Erth roundabout where the A30, Hayle Causeway and St Ives roads meet. The car ahead did not move off when the way was clear (i.e. empty roundabout) twice. I observed the passenger apparently prodding the driver who then pulled out into the path of an approaching HGV. 
 

As I followed the car onto the A30 I was then obliged to maintain a steady 19mph in the 30 limit as they seemed reluctant to go any faster. They also seemed reluctant to drive in a straight line preferring to occasionally cross the centre markings or veer towards the ditch.  
 

Behind me was ……. a police patrol car. So I pulled in at a bus stop and allowed them to become the following vehicle. 
 

That left me around six back in the traffic but close enough to see that one was clearly following the other. And in due course pulled them over for a few words. 
 

I shall never know the end of that story. 

Was the driver elderly? When I lived in Burnham-on-Crouch I knew an elderly gent who developed dementia but could still be seen driving about the town. I knew him quite well but the last time I saw him I greeted him and he said "Who are you?" Before the dementia got to him he told me that he learned to drive on a car with tiller steering, this would have been about 1920.

[Gwiwer]

7 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Breath in here please sir?

Definitely one possibility.  

 

Others (not mutually exclusive, of course) include "Licence and Insurance, please, driver" and "Why are we not displaying an L-plate - and why are we carrying more passengers than permitted for a Learner?" 

 

The occupants appeared to be very young and three-up.  The manner of driving suggested to me either or both of inexperience / substance-affected.  Possibly even a non-driver at the controls having been goaded into driving their inebriated mates home.  

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Not eating the ripe figs after eating the broccoli cheese turned out to be a good idea, it looks as if its going to be a windy night.😉 Now to tackle Farcebook.

[New Haven Neil]

Odd day, ended up riding some electrically driven things on three foot and three foot six inches apart rails. The work in the garden and garage.  Then a cooking experiment with making chicken 65, which turned out a little hot, like Tony's dinner!

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

Other missions today have included fixing the shoe polish - it was all cracked n' busted like wot it does, so I put it on top of a small camping stove (a car boot find many, many years ago) and it soon melts back to a single blob.  Sorted.

Other missions have included having another shufti at Booking.com for another weeks' hols later in the year - I had been looking at Lisbon but couldn't find something that floated Bear's Boat so I got fed up with that and looked at Rome instead - a week has been reserved (free cancellation) just to secure the place; I'll continue to look at Lisbon and see if I can make that work, in which case I'll bin the Rome jobbie.  Probably.

 

ION......

 

Bear detects that the Poo is about to hit the fan:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68810053

 

BG 

Edited April 13 by polybear

[zarniwhoop]

Just catching up - I think spring is here! Some weeks ago I read in a weekly paper that the English asparagus season was early this year, and the Marky Sparky would have it in stock. Maybe in some hallowed part of London town, but not here guv. Today I went to Tess' and at last it's here.

 

mmm, griddled asparagus.

[Ozexpatriate]

16 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear detects that the Poo is about to hit the fan:

Depends on whether it is determined to be "proportional". There's a lot of posturing going on. There may have been some 'suggestions' made to a certain Republic as to what would be perceived as a "demonstrated response" that would not result in escalation. Their next step after this demonstration must be to stand down having achieved 'satisfaction' of their 'honour'.

 

This was anticipated for more than a week now. I suspect that part of the 'timing' was to wait until Eid al Fitr celebrations (of the end of Ramadan) were concluded.

 

A large scale anti-drone campaign will be underway. (Assets were in place for this.)

 

Edited April 13 by Ozexpatriate

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

Evening all,

 

A curate's egg day, it started well enough, with postie being kind enough not to wake us up at silly o'clock for my parcel of shhh, you know whats. Most of the time he comes at 10.15-10.30 but Saturdays are different, maybe he aims to catch the sparrows yawning? Instead, it was left behind a bush, out of sight of casual passers-by. 

 

It sort of went downhill after breakfast, the second bathroom's outflow pump appears to be on strike and any waste from the washbasin, toilet and shower accumulates in the shower tray. Rattinfugginturdycurses I think is the phrase... 

 

And my sympathies to all those caught up in the Sydney aggression. I know there will always be some who seek to take their frustrations at life out on others but whatever happened to holding those responsible to account rather than inflicting pain on innocent third parties?  

 

However, the sun was out for much of the day and quite a bit of progress was made with G-word stuff. As my right shoulder and back will testify. Complaints have been submitted to the O/C... 

 

One garden trellis dismantled, a third of the parts will go towards a bird table (Heath Robinson style), another third will form surveying stakes for a garden project of mine involving large unmentionables and the remainder are for the tip. A pyracantha was pruned - it didn't like it and tried to fight back but Wabbit was wise to such tricks. No jumping up and down in the green bin on the cuttings though - 'Old Spikey' would probably have won that one. 

 

Time to catch up on other threads and see if anyone's had any good ideas re my conundrums. 

Bang go this years flowers and berries then. I don't think our avian friends will be too happy with that.

[Winslow Boy]

35 minutes ago, zarniwhoop said:

Just catching up - I think spring is here! Some weeks ago I read in a weekly paper that the English asparagus season was early this year, and the Marky Sparky would have it in stock. Maybe in some hallowed part of London town, but not here guv. Today I went to Tess' and at last it's here.

 

mmm, griddled asparagus.

With a nice thick cheesy sauce on mine thank you.

[Winslow Boy]

I think Saturday brings the 'less than able drivers - other terms are available, out as I to encountered one this morning. He thought that it was ok to overtake me on an twisty hill roads with cars parked on it. This with children in as well.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

CNN lists a 2019 shooting in Darwin that killed four.

 

There was also a guy who drove a stolen car into pedestrians in Melbourne in 2017, killing 7, and  in 2011 a male nursing assistant in an old folks home  in Sydney was worried that his stealing of drugs from the home was about to be discovered,  so he set light to it - 11 elderly residents died.

Edited April 13 by monkeysarefun

[jjb1970]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Depends on whether it is determined to be "proportional". There's a lot of posturing going on. There may have been some 'suggestions' made to a certain Republic as to what would be perceived as a "demonstrated response" that would not result in escalation. Their next step after this demonstration must be to stand down having achieved 'satisfaction' of their 'honour'.

 

This was anticipated for more than a week now. I suspect that part of the 'timing' was to wait until Eid al Fitr celebrations (of the end of Ramadan) were concluded.

 

A large scale anti-drone campaign will be underway. (Assets were in place for this.)

 

 

I think there are two probable alternatives:

 

• We're seeing something choreographed to allow Iran to satisfy 'honour' after Israel launched an air strike against a diplomatic post killing 13(?) Iranians including senior military officers; or
• We're seeing the escalation many have been terrified of since October 7th in which case the world is about to go bat **** mad.

 

I guess we'll get an idea for which it is in the coming hours. My fear with the former is that regardless of negotiations beforehand (there's been a lot of chitter chat about backdoor talks between Iran and the US on what would constitute an acceptable response) once this starts rational thought leaves the room. A bit problem with the idea of game theory for example is it assumes rational thought by state actors and ignores all other influencing factors and the importance of political pressure. In the latter we risk a conflagration which will make the war in Ukraine look like a minor inconvenience as pressure on neighbouring Arab states risks boiling over. This is genuinely scary.

[Ozexpatriate]

19 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

This is genuinely scary.

Without being too political, the "problem" will be the (promised) Hammurabic* Israeli governmental reaction. - I make this comment as distinct from the people of Israel.

 

* Lex talionis: From the Code of Hammurabi (of Babylon) and echoed in both Exodus 21:23–27 and Leviticus 24:19-21.

 

Israel is divided and struggled to elect and form a government. Their head of state is alleged of wrong-doing and tried to dismantle constitutional checks and balances to essentially make the head of state above the law. War is the ultimate distraction to 'unify' a divided nation state.

 

Sound familiar anyone?

 

Edited April 14 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

40 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

... pressure on neighbouring Arab states risks boiling over.

Little conversation over sports-washing by a large regional royal family lately.

 

While LIV (54) Golf remains controversial, the PIF was a big investor at the recent combined ATP/WTA tennis event in Indian Wells and recently committed to hosting the WTA finals in Riyadh for three years* - the ATP "Next-Gen" finals are already committed to be in Jeddah from 2023 - 2027.

 

* There were objections from some past women champions over the decision by the WTA.

 

They will be investing in the upcoming Spanish Open and events in Beijing and the ATP Finals.

 

The trend is for the region to desire to be part of the global community - which despite some serious issues, I find a hopeful sign.

 

Edited April 14 by Ozexpatriate

[jjb1970]

Israel's calculation has been that the ruling families and political establishments of the Middle East value the financial and trade benefits associated with good relations with the US and normalising relations with Israel much more than any emotional feelings about Palestine. They tend to see the Arab world as sharing their own views about Palestinian people.  I think that's a pretty accurate assessment for the Royal families (Qatar may be different) and was validated by the Abraham accords under Trump. The danger is that royal families and political establishments aren't necessarily representative of the general population. Regardless of the benefits of maintaining good relationships with the US and Israel at some point the risk of being butchered by a mob or fleeing into exile and living as washed out has beens will come to the fore. I think the elastic is being stretched to breaking point on how far they can go in offering rhetoric to appease their own people while accepting what is going on with the intent of returning to business as usual after a decent interval.