Early Risers.

[Hroth]

No sun, but a bright grey cloud covered sky. No wind as such, and tepidly warm.

It may rain later, but not much.

 

Better go out scavenging for food...

 

Chopin Liszt done. Tally Ho!!!!

 

 

Edited May 15 by Hroth
update

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I wrote my missive earlier but it seems to have disappeared. 

 

[jjb1970]

There's something wrong with Chinese food here, none of it comes eith chips and nowhere does chips with curry sauce. It's worse in China, the food there is nothing like proper Chinese food, they need to import a few cooks from blighty so they can learn how to cook.

[grandadbob]

AAAARGH!  The sun is shining and The Boss has mentioned the "G" word and it seems it is imperative that we go to the garden centre immediately to procure some more plants as we desperately need them.  If not the  her world may possibly come to an end.  I may be gone for some time.

[Hroth]

Just now, grandadbob said:

AAAARGH!  The sun is shining and The Boss has mentioned the "G" word and it seems it is imperative that we go to the garden centre immediately to procure some more plants as we desperately need them.  If not the  her world may possibly come to an end.  I may be gone for some time.

 

I've 4 unused small bedding plants you can have if you want.  🤪

 

[DaveF]

It is very pleasing to hear the good news about Mrs NHN.

 

Reading about mosquitoes and diseases carried by insects, snakes, and other nasty animals makes me feel glad that I live in the UK.  Round here I think I am more likely to be drowned by a rogue wave or fall off a clifftop than be victim of an animal.  Even most of the local jellyfish do not produce very serious effects if stung by them - but I stll avoid them.

 

I am bit late this morning as I have been looking at an e mail from a cousin about a photo I sent her, she has identified a number of her mother's family so I can do some captions correctly.  The e mail was odd, the first few lines were written in invisible ink, the words only showed up when I highlighted them.

 

It is very grey here with the breeze off the sea, not cold but not very warm.  Even though the heating is turned down to its summer setting it came on this morning for a short while.

 

Today will probably include more photograph scanning, the current album only has anothe 200 photos to do, and possibly a bit of light gardening if it stays dry.

 

David

[PhilJ W]

This has reappeared from somewhere.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Had a full sleep last night only waking up at 05:30 and not due to the usual suspects. I went back to sleep for another hour afterwards. A few things to do today, first I have to call the GP surgery about renewing a prescription. Then I have to phone the car insurance because they have not added my NCB to the renewal notice despite my paying NCB protection for at least twenty years. (I had an accident in January that was blatantly obvious a crash-for-cash scam but without dashcam footage I can't prove it). Problem is that I can't shop around because the NCB will not be taken into account.

 

[The White Rabbit]

Morning all,

 

I'm having to hang around for someone to come and check my meter - the readings suggest it's faulty. So lurking inside within earshot of the phone and doorbell is the current order of the day. Doubtless when the engineer turns up I will be invited to change it for a smart meter... 

 

While waiting, I've been trying to work on a few other things - one being photos. For some reason, Paint Shop Pro (8) selection tool has changed in the last few days from a rectangle to a rectangular shape with rounded corners. I can still see the freehand and magic wand options and have tried 'help' but this did not want to tell me what (TF) has been going on and how I change it back. Any ideas? 

 

This is the current style - it might be OK for some but I want a rectangle with corners (stamps foot on ground and pouts). Help! (please...) 

 

[Andy Hayter]

45 minutes ago, DaveF said:

 

 

Reading about mosquitoes and diseases carried by insects, snakes, and other nasty animals makes me feel glad that I live in the UK.  Round here I think I am more likely to be drowned by a rogue wave or fall off a clifftop than be victim of an animal.  Even most of the local jellyfish do not produce very serious effects if stung by them - but I stll avoid them.

 

 

 

Ticks and Lyme disease?  Although since ticks are arachnids and not insects, perhaps they don't count.

Rats and leptospirosis?  

 

Be afraid, very afraid.

[Gwiwer]

10 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

10 hours ago, pH said:

I’ve eaten in a Chinese restaurant on Clydeside which was adapting their cooking to local tastes. Several main courses were cooked in cream sauces.

The video I watched also mentioned that there was "curry sauce" available to put over the Chinese food  if preferred.

Good morning all - while it still is one! 
 

Many “Chinese take-away” businesses offer a pretty standard menu with even the “Chef’s Specials” being the same from Pontefract to Penzance. Chips are always a standard offering. As is curry sauce. “Chinese” curry sauce differs from “chippy” curry sauce in that it is closer to yellow than brown in colour, tastes different (but of what - who knows?) and when cooled becomes a gel which I am sure could be used for muddling purposes. 
 

Plated Chinese meals should not come with chips. Unless they are from the “English dishes” section of the menu; steak and chips is often in there somewhere for instance. 
 

The chips served by our local Chinese take-away, which is at least owned and run by a Chinese family, are a disgrace. They are part-cooked and allowed to drain and cool then swiftly re-fried (“twice-cooked”?) when required. They are dry, chewy and not very nice.  Our local chippy opens four evenings a week; the Chinese is open six.
 

The best chips in the area are from Newlyn which is an 8-mile drive. So if it’s not “sit on the green and fend off the gulls” weather that’s around 15 minutes by car and another few minutes walking time from fryer to plate. It’s been done. But I wouldn’t want to be held up on the chip-run. 

 

On the other hand the best Chinese is widely considered to be Sea Palace in Penzance located where parking is tricky and adding another 10 minutes to the transit time. They do eat-in. I think we can find the excuse …..

[Gwiwer]

14 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

 

 

Ticks and Lyme disease?  Although since ticks are arachnids and not insects, perhaps they don't count.

Rats and leptospirosis?  

 

Be afraid, very afraid.

Ticks are increasingly being reported by walkers on the South West Coast Path. 
 

Of note some people seem to attract them every time they go out while others never see one. 
 

Rats?  They live where we live and vice versa. But we seldom see each other. 
 

I would be more wary of a St Ives gull than any local rat.  Some argue that they are all vermin. Gulls have only learned to forage audaciously and steal the pasty or ice-cream from your hand because our behaviour has encouraged their behaviour.  
 

I’ve seen rats scurrying through the lanes of St Ives after dark but not in a manner that remotely bothers me. 

[Andy Hayter]

5 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

 

Rats?  They live where we live and vice versa. But we seldom see each other. 
 

I’ve seen rats scurrying through the lanes of St Ives after dark but not in a manner that remotely bothers me. 

 

You should be more concerned.  The problem is that rats pee.  The pee ends up in water.  It might be a pond, a water butt, the tray under your pot plants or even the stream nearby.  If the rat is infected then the water is infected and if you then come into contact, then problems can easily become serious.  contact can be through ingestion* or through the slightest break in the skin.  

 

*  topping up your water bottle from that lovely fresh clean stream or just washing/cooling your hands in the water and then touching your face or food. 

 

Initial symptoms are like a cold, flu or covid and can be easily ignored even by professionals.   I have a friend who contracted it.  He is a diver and was well aware of the risks and symptoms.  Could not get a doctor's appointment so presented himself to A&E who wanted to send him away until he showed them his diving card with the leptospirosis symptoms and risks on the back.  

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

There's something wrong with Chinese food here, none of it comes eith chips and nowhere does chips with curry sauce. It's worse in China, the food there is nothing like proper Chinese food, they need to import a few cooks from blighty so they can learn how to cook.

Don't worry we arrested three the other day.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

Reading about mosquitoes and diseases carried by insects, snakes, and other nasty animals makes me feel glad that I live in the UK.

 

 

Dont be too comfy there!

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Many “Chinese take-away” businesses offer a pretty standard menu

 

 

Chinese restaurants have declined here since their heyday of the 70's and 80's, Thai, Korean,  Malaysian, Lebanese and Fijian/Sth Pacific Islander restaurants seem to be taking their place.

 

Back in the day Chinese was pretty much the only alternative to "standard western" food (I include Italian and Greek in that, we had a lot of those due to the post-war immigrant boom). 

 

Pretty much every country town had at least one Chinese place, and they were famously the  venue of choice for Labor party factional meetings and where bent cops got handed their brown paper bags by the local organised crime boss. (or as the press used to euphemistically call them back then "Colourful Racing Identities").

 

Edited May 15 by monkeysarefun

[Sidecar Racer]

15 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

On the plus side, nature has developed some outrageously colourful frogs up there to help deal with the mozzies.

 

 

 

 Why am I not surprised  .        😎

[iL Dottore]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

I’ll go for the Mozzie - much easier and less scary to kill

I don't think that "PB: Mozzie Killer" will be giving "Flash Gordon" (or even The Lone Ranger) much competition in the thrilling Saturday Morning Serial Stakes....

[Hroth]

25 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Dont be too comfy there!

 

 

 

A nuisance, but hardly dangerous!

 

We've had several Ladybird explosions since 1995.

 

For example...

 

 

If Sheds are a trigger, please look away!

 

[monkeysarefun]

41 minutes ago, Hroth said:

A nuisance, but hardly dangerous!

 

 

That kind of attitude will get you killed one day.....

 

https://au.news.yahoo.com/never-scared-bodybuilder-almost-killed-215202044.html

 

 

 

Australian bushcraft tip:

 

Don't touch anything until you've poked it with a stick first to see how angry it gets.

 

 

Edited May 15 by monkeysarefun

[jjb1970]

I think Chinese food was devalued by take aways. In the UK the traditional carry out seemed to be in decline, but better Chinese restaurants still seemed to be doing well. Chinese food is so diverse that in a sense it's a bit of a meaningless concept, it's like talking about European food (only Chinese cuisine is probably more diverse). Contrary to most assumptions the humble potato is hugely important in Chinese cuisine and it's not all rice or noodles. A lot of Chinese food can seem very bland, just steamed vegetable, at the opposite end of the spectrum it can be borderline ridiculous in the amount of preparation and flavours blended in. It's a bit of a shame it has become associated with Uncle Ben's sweet and sour and carry outs.

[jjb1970]

I love mala. The mala stalls here are tremendous. You choose your vegetables, meat or fish (unless you ant vegetarian mala obviously), tell them whether you want it dry or soup style and the heat level you want then they go and cook it. Even the mild stuff is hot, at the hotter end of the spectrum it is hotter than the inside of the sun and can be brutal. In all seriousness unless you are used to very hot food don't even try the hot end of the scale as I suspect it would be genuinely physically painful and extremely unpleasant. Mala is made from pepper and chilli, it's not for the feint hearted but for those who like a good vindaloo or phal it's terrific.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. We don't have any trouble with rats around here, the foxes see to that. The foxes still come into my garden but I've discouraged them from digging holes by removing the bottom foot or so of branches from the shrubs. By doing that it denies them cover.

[tigerburnie]

Been out for a wander, a bit foggy, but at 15 degrees, quite nice

 

[PhilJ W]

Just spent the last couple of hours trying to sort out my car insurance. They haven't cancelled my NCB, just reduced it (as per the small print). At one time they had an office at the end of my street, now I have to speak to someone in India, when I eventually get through to someone. Tomorrow or Friday I'll be hunting around for a new insurer.

[AndyID]

12 hours ago, BR60103 said:

We have mosquitoes in Ontario and Winter.

But more feared are the Black Flies.    Black Fly Song

 

We had to leave a campground in the Adirondacks PDQ thanks to then. That probably explained why it was so easy to find a space in such a nice campground.