Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Not a bad night last night, a couple of call outs from bladder control and Arthur Itis made his presence felt when I got up this morning but a couple of Nurofen sorted that. Still feeling the effects of hay fever, some trees are still spreading their pollen.

[PhilJ W]

A couple of days ago @Tony_S suggested that @polybear should move to Essex. This is something that might encourage him.

 

The bakery produces some very nice cakes.

[Hroth]

What a nice trainset!  It reminded me of this...

https://uk.Hornby.com/products/network-traveller-train-set-r1279m

 

They should have an inglenook shunting puzzle in the middle of the oval too!

 

Edited May 1 by Hroth

[Hroth]

Today saw the successful completion of the gardening exercise that I procrastinated over yesterday.  Much nicer outside today, sunny, calm and even (hush) WARM!

 

Time for lunch...

 

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

A couple of days ago    @Tony_s    @monkeysarefun suggested that @polybear should move to Essex.  Carnac Island, a tropical paradise just off the WA coast not far from  Perth. This is something that might encourage him.

 

 

 

 

I've had one Tiger Snake  (that I know about!) in my back yard,  - one Sunday morning  the other half comes in from outside and says  "Theres a snake down by the wall, I nearly stepped on it".

 

Me being an Australian bloke and her not being one  I instantly dismissed her evaluation of the scene by suggesting  "Its probably just a stick, mate", but by throwing stuff at me and calling me names she finally convinced me to go and check it out for myself and indeed it was a Tiger Snake curled up enjoying the sun. 

 

Despite my magnanimous capitulation of "oh yeah , it IS a snake." , that didn't put an end to the blows raining down upon me,  but during a pause while she was looking for bigger things to hit me with  I discovered that snakes have an ability to escape the second your back is turned that is only equalled by toddlers who have just discovered the skill of  toddling off at a fast pace. It took a few minutes of searching to discover it cleverly hiding in the track of the sliding door of  what is now my 3D printing room. 

 

 

Although Tiger snakes are  number 7 on the top 10 "worlds deadliest snakes!" lists, they aren't batsh!t crazy like Eastern Brown snakes are -  in fact in  comparison they have a Zen-like "dont bother me and I won't bother you. "  attitude to life so  I let it be and I guess it eventually moved on (snakes are nomadic).

 

Other places where I've nearly trodden on Tiger Snakes - jogging through the bush at work - 3 times

Walking in Tasmania - 1 time.

 

Deadly snakes:  domestic bliss disrupters. 3.5  stars.

Edited May 1 by monkeysarefun

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I was hoping to do some of the G word this afternoon but the hay fever says no. Plenty of other stuff to do such as the washing, oh Frabjoy. 

[monkeysarefun]

 

 

 

I was searching through my Tassie pics trying to find the closeup of the Tiger snake that I'm sure I took. No luck, but I did find these shots taken in the cutely named town of Penguin. The train line doesnt quite run along the road US style but a fair stretch of it does,

 

 

(includes  a  rare shot of the other half since she's usually camera-elusive, I had to pretend I was taking a pic of the train line )

 

Then its off through a picturesque flower-lined stretch that follows the road. Tasmanian Railways are 3ft 6inch so I guess its narrow gauge, and most of it is unfenced. Despite this, Tasmanians generally seem to not get killed by trains. Unlike the wildlife.

 

 

 

Tasmania - if you can ignore the dead things all over the roads, 5 stars.

 

 

 

Edited May 1 by monkeysarefun

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

 Lots of spreadsheet changes, as is usual with such things, as you dig in you find other things need changing.. About 5 hours spent on that, it's all but there for this coming year. The first monthly bank account figures are due in ,  when I start typing that I'll really know if the new format works... Each quarters results cascade to the next, but the quarterly reports show that quarter and the financial year to date.

Took Ben for his long walk and.. he cut it very short, the sudden increase in temperature and I think he found it too hot.

 

Several bills paid for the MRC, one more todo, but I've left the paperwork behind at the MRC . I've a couple of hours to spend at the MRC tomorrow morning, I'll pick up the paperwork then, then proceed to the big orange shed as we are almost out of gloss white.

 

 

[jjb1970]

It's like a hammer horror movie outside, heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Thunder and lightning here is bonkers, properly violent.

[Hroth]

50 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

 

I was searching through my Tassie pics trying to find the closeup of the Tiger snake that I'm sure I took. No luck, but I did find these shots taken in the cutely named town of Penguin. The train line doesnt quite run along the road US style but a fair stretch of it does,

 

 

(includes  a  rare shot of the other half since she's usually camera-elusive, I had to pretend I was taking a pic of the train line )

 

Then its off through a picturesque flower-lined stretch that follows the road. Tasmanian Railways are 3ft 6inch so I guess its narrow gauge, and most of it is unfenced. Despite this, Tasmanians generally seem to not get killed by trains. Unlike the wildlife.

 

 

 

Tasmania - if you can ignore the dead things all over the roads, 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

But what was so interesting behind YOU if TOH was more interested in videoing it rather than getting out of camera shot?🤔

 

[Tony_S]

Decided to go for a walk via the RHS Hyde Hall caff.

My second favourite cafe lunch. 

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

#1  Be very afraid ... 😛

 

#2   @polybear

 

#3  Because he doesn't do 7mm!

 

So now the definition is published and you know.      Next .......

No. 1: of what, exactly?

No. 2: doesn't count. One Bear's opinion does not a crypto-currency make.

No. 3: NMP! (Not My Problem)

[DaveF]

It has stayed dull but dry all day, the harbour foghorn started about coffee time and is still sounding every few minutes.  Fortunately it is not too loud in the house.

 

I drove to have a look at the rebuilt level crossing. On the way I had to negotiate the water company's roadworks with temporary traffic lights controlling a section of road over 100 yards long .It does not have a footbridge, just better separation of cars and pedestrians.  It now has yellow box markings but everyone was already careful as on one side of it there is a roundabout and on the other 2 side roads, both about 10 yards from the crossing.  Then I drove home across the other level crossing, both it and the road no longer have temporary lights but the temporary bit of road onto the new roundabout has a very odd camber and is narrow.  It will be nice when it is finished!

 

I called at the beach and had a walk, you could just see as far the harbour lighthouse and piers.  I visited the new beach Co-op and bought a few things.  It is bigger than I thought but the Tesco Extra is nearer for odds and ends.

 

I did get more of the kitchen sorted out, one cube storage box has been moved into the garage and a few things have gone in the bin.  

 

Some more photos have been scanned.  The software does not really work well with Windows 11 as the Preview and Scan buttons only become visible once you have clicked the mouse over where you think they are.  The scanner is 15 years old and the Epson software has clearly not been fully updated.

 

David

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Three books arrived in the post today, and only one was about ----ways! The others were on canals and local history.

[PupCam]

Afternoon!

 

Unspecified pottering turned into trimming the Hedgehog* bush for the first time this year.    Just as I'd started my mate reminded me of a gathering of VMCC MOGs from our (Bedfordshire) group going over to Old Warden to meet up with  a bunch of MOGs from the Cambridgeshire group of the VMCC who were there to have lunch.   TCs!     Would have been a good chance to see some different machines.  Oh well, never mind.   

 

Maybe as a consolation I could nip down to 

 

 

It came over very dark earlier and deposited a few drops of the wet stuff.   I wonder if I feel lucky?

 

Ebayer #2 delivered the goods this afternoon.         I think I'll file the contents in the "Probably won't be very useful in the future box".       Just waiting for Amazon to deliver some gloss photo paper so that I can print some photographs for Mrs Puppers and a small "Paper White" display (like those used on Kindles) that will be used on the Chronometric calibrator.    Both are due to be delivered today.    Just for fun I clicked on the two Amazon tracking links.  In both cases it displayed a "Page not found" error 🤣

 

TTFN

 

* So named because it evolved to look like a hedgehog not necessarily because hedgehogs live there

 

 

 

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day and May day at the same time!

 

Yesterday uneventful and 100% devoid of the forecast rain, UNTIL, about 7:30PM, then it hissed it down for about two hours!!!

Combined with a brief, literally 2-3 second, power cut, with no known cause. Usually not a problem, however this time it seemed to have annoyed one of my PC monitors, which now refuses to work. Just flashes briefly and then shuts off again <grrr>. I guess I'll just have to go buy a new/better/bigger one 🤣🤪

 

Today, a slew of "activity"/

Mrs due to dog sit at Trevor and Meagans around noon, I've got an appointment to "SEE" how worse my sight is after another year of use.

Normally, being a single car family now for several years, we manage pretty well, today throws a wrench in that, so I'll need to drop the Mrs off, attend my appointment and then retrieve her.

Little else to report, - may well take a trip to the local PC/technology store "MicroCenter" and determine how many tokens to provide them for a new monitor.

 

10c and sunny first thing, AGAIN reports of 100% rain are visibly incorrect! 17c the expected high and maybe the rain will appear late again as it did yesterday.

 

Tally ho.

[DaveF]

I've noticed the cooments made from time to time about Royal Mail deliveries.  

 

My postie comes everyday Mon - Sat, usually around 11.30.  He/she does the walking letter round then shortly afterwards brings any parcels in the van.  Where I live has groups of four roads off a central road into the estate so they do the four roads on foot then by van as needed before moving on to the next section.  Now and then odd things happen with a normal morning delivery and then a white van or a car coming at around 6pm with another batch of post.  Goodness knows why - I sometimes think the posties drop things off which came late to the sorting office on their way home

 

It works well, today I received 4 letters and a magazine (with a free r.....y DVD in it), yesterday I it was just the Radio Times that came.

 

As for others - the Amazon van usually comes between 4 and 6pm, others are a bit earlier most days.  They all give time for people to get to the door and will often leave parcels with a neighbour (as does the postie).

 

Evri is probably the worst, it is usually a car with a courier but if I am not in the card left often has a mobile number to ring so it is easy to rearrange delivery.  Once I was out and the girl came back later that day to try again as it was a box of plants.

 

David

[BoD]

9 minutes ago, DaveF said:

My postie comes everyday Mon - Sat, usually around 11.30.  He/she does the walking letter round then shortly afterwards brings any parcels in the van. 

Ours does the parcels first then the walking letter round.

Could this, I wonder, be the Northumberland/Durham equivalent of the Cornwall/Devon cream scone wars?

[BoD]

10 hours ago, roundhouse said:

I recently found 10 cromptons in the loft and all still runnig. I do have a few Hoovers lurking somewhere.

We do too.

A Dyson, a Shark and an … erm … Hoover

Edited May 1 by BoD

[polybear]

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Although Tiger snakes are  number 7 on the top 10 "worlds deadliest snakes!" lists, they aren't batsh!t crazy like Eastern Brown snakes are -  in fact in  comparison they have a Zen-like "dont bother me and I won't bother you. "  attitude to life so  I let it be and I guess it eventually moved on (snakes are nomadic).

 

Moved on.....but to WHERE FFS??

That's the question......

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

More fun at the Hospice Warehouse.....a Portuguese Custard Tart** (from Morrisons) may have been involved (they were two for a quid).  Nottalot to report really - just a good day with nice people, so that's a Tick.

But......

They've asked Bear to be cleared to drive the Vans.  Be scared...be very, very scared......

 

BG

 

**Purely in the interests of science you understand - Bear has never had one before.  Verdict?  "OK - but unimpressed" would sum it up nicely; are those from Morrisons a poor example perhaps?

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Verdict?  "OK - but unimpressed" would sum it up nicely; are those from Morrisons a poor example perhaps?

Maybe that's why the're two for a quid.

[polybear]

6 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

Maybe that's why they're two for a quid.

 

I did want Donuts - but at 0710 the shelves were bare, as always 😢.  On previous visits I've found someone in the Bakery Dept. to be very helpful, who's been happy to squirt the Jam (Strawberry, naturally) into a couple of packs (=10)** of still warm Donuts for Bear to take away; sadly on this occasion came those dreaded words "The Donut machine's not working....." 😭

As to whether that was "I can't be ar5ed, matey", or code for "It's not working yet cos' it's still the middle of the night" or maybe the dreaded "It's totally bvggered" I've got no idea.

 

(**89p/pack).

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Bear here.....

 

More fun at the Hospice Warehouse.....a Portuguese Custard Tart** (from Morrisons) may have been involved (they were two for a quid). .......

 

**Purely in the interests of science you understand - Bear has never had one before.  Verdict?  "OK - but unimpressed" would sum it up nicely; are those from Morrisons a poor example perhaps?

 

Never tried ones from Morrisons but those from our local deli/bakery are yummy. I generally don't buy Morrisons own brand stuff as it is usually disappointing.

 

Dave 

[polybear]

2 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Never tried ones from Morrisons but those from our local deli/bakery are yummy. I generally don't buy Morrisons own brand stuff as it is usually disappointing.

 

Dave 

 

@iL Dottore inbound.......