Early Risers.

[polybear]

And finally....

One of the Freecycle (Freegle) items (a part-used roll of 4" wide Builder's Mesh) was collected this evening;  I'd left it in the Recycling Box in the front garden.  That's one item re-homed without going into a hole in the ground (no way would I have dumped it - that would've been criminal) - plus a small amount of space freed up at Bear Towers.  That's a Tick.

Edited July 16, 2023 by polybear

[Ozexpatriate]

32 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

the tennis overran

It lasted precisely as long as you would expect for that sort of match. Poor anticipation I'd say.

 

Maximum length is quite predictable these days with a final set tie-breaker. Whether 3, 4 or 5 sets will be needed is of course a variable.

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

After dragging the chain on receiving two reminders in the post (about a month apart) to schedule a routine (every five years) colonoscopy, I finally called them and was scolded that I was sent a second reminder. They then scheduled a pre-procedure consultation - for November!

 

Feel free to skip a bit.

 

/rant_on

/rant number 1.

GI practices are printing money with colonoscopies - they're like a sausage factory (or perhaps more accurately the inverse of a sausage factory, with things going in one after the other, rather than going out.) It's almost impossible to actually see a Gastroenterologist unless you are diagnosed as being ill - they are too busy cranking the handle on the money printing machine.

 

/rant number 2.

People who schedule meetings with Microsoft Outlook/Teams need to understand that not all people have Microsoft Outlook/Teams. I asked whether the email confirmation would contain the date and time. "Yes". However, all I have is the Teams meeting coordinates - "click here to join this meeting" boilerplate. (There is a .ics file attachment, which my laptop, not running Outlook, does not comprehend).

 

I can download the .ics on my telephone and add it to my telephone calendar, (or could until my internet provider decided to discontinue their mobile browser email portal and want you to download their proprietary "app"). All* the browser links to the email portal have been intentionally removed.

 

* Except from their online help.

 

Simply adding the time/date of the meeting to the body of the email would be totally sufficient, but the Teams integration in Outlook does not do this automatically.

 

/rant_off

 

Another relentlessly sunny day with blue skies. Slightly less stupid hot than yesterday - presently 32°C on the patio.

 

[PeterBB]

Thanks for your support - decided to clear the 'grass' that led to breaking little bits off ... yes you've guessed 'Let's get stuck in' and after about six hours and two trips with the east bits ( 2X max weight I could carry on each trip) a break ... then 'What about the wood' ... well lets get it done.  Next door neighbour did not need an for their burner so cut up in lengths equivalent to my 50 plus year old  'Workmate' (with ruciprocating saw not by hand).  Noting dark clouds appearing I decide to load the car for a tip trip tomorrow but needed a number of runs with the sack wagon.  UYou can see a slight difference in car level but heigh ho it was all cleared just befor ethe rain came hemce no 'post c;earance' picture.

 

Didn't realise that bear was a pet until seeing the hotel notice.

 

Jobs offerred but not taken up ... who knows but had just started a new post in the NHS wjhem approached by a company  rep. that was producing the equipment to run the testing at the time - loved their products and had previously linked indiividual items up in what jokingly was called the 'Fishtank'.  Btoadly speaking all the chemical reaction coils were visible throuigh clear Perspex and changing one from another merely required the relevnt connections from the pumps - nothing spectacular but just made the work easier.  As you can guess the company was building an automated more refined machine capabnle of doing more.  Only relatively recent postings on here made me actually realise just what might have not been if accepted but that is life and I enjoyed the concept of  NHS and stayed.

[Winslow Boy]

Apologies for the late posting, but sat here in the smallest room in the house, it's not actually- but that's for another time, waiting. So whilst I'm sat sitting, Terry Wogan aficionados will get that one, I thought I know I'll post an update.

 

So how's your day been? Well since you ask it didn't go exactly to plan. You know I said as was going to foreign territory aka the plains of Cheshire. Well never got there. Instead we ventured into the deepest, darkest lands of east Lancashire.

Eyer lad they don't 'alf speak funny there. So having enabled translator mode on the satnav we ended up having a toddle round the Wigan Flashes.

The only trouble being was we couldn't see any Flashes, as they were completely hidden by bull rushes. So dog was a bit unhappy, as she likes to go for a bit of wade which for a miniature schnauzer is unusual as they don't really like water. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I have a unusual MS as she is mine.

However it made a change and the consensus is that a return trip is required so that a) we can find the Flashes and b) see what else is on site, as it's quite a large area and today we only walked about a third of it.

Anyway that was my day how was yours?

[Erichill16]

Evening All,

Dont usually see mil on a Sunday, we see enough of her during the week but for some reason we all (SWMBO, Hovis, Sydney ,mil and myself) went for a walk and a snack at Wentworth Castle. On the way back we called off at SWMBO’s aunt who live a few doors away from mil and met SWMBO’s cousin who was also visiting. We got back home and visited the old lady across the road as she’s been away on holiday for a week and we usually pop in for a cuppa every week or so. She’d brought us a gift back as we’d been keeping an eye out on her house and garden. After tea a bit of tidying up in the man cave and even a bit of the m word.

Yesterday I  showed someone around  mums house and they seemed interested and after a shopping trip to Fox Valley I did some paperwork. Nearly got the Vat return finished but some information is missing so hopefully I’ll get that sent over from the business tomorrow.

Quite a busy weekend and I have informed SWMBO that next weekend there’s some men (mainly) making an exhibition of themselves at Mansfield and I’d like to go and see what they’re up to.

As for tomorrow, we’ll back to the usual drudgery.

Anyway, Goodnight 

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well the weather has been a mixed today. Whilst I was in the garden this morning, it started to rain on a number of occasions, but each time it lasted no more than a few seconds, so I carried on. It was the same after, but this time it lasted longer, so I had to decamp to the workshop, where I did a bit of painting. It’s just started chucking it down again! 

 

Yesterday whilst Ava was here, I introduced her to some of Alex Harvey’s wonderful music, she was quite impressed, especially when I found some stuff on YouTube.

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Tim Dubya]

Night 

[southern42]

' night all and nos da.

Some catching up on here to do in the morning.

[jjb1970]

On jobs not taken, a few years ago we were going to move to Canada, but for several reasons backed out. At the time I was doing a lot of work for the RCN and they wanted me over there,In Burlington which is a nice town in the greater Toronto area.

 

There was a funny incident after we backed out when one of my underlings was arrested by the RCMP and accused of being a Chinese spy. If I ever had to nominate anyone I have known as a potential Chinese spy it would have been him, nice chap but bonkers. He was a professor of maths and was walking evidence that there is some truth in the old adage 'too clever for his own good'. I thought then and still think it was hugely inconvenient for the Chinese intelligence services as he created noise and spurred reviews which could cause problems for their real spying as the guy was an avaricious geek who approached them trying to sell stuff. I really wouldn't be surprised if it was the Chinese who shopped him to the RCMP, the last thing they probably want is amateur free lancers muddying things.

 

He was working on the AOPS, an offshore patrol boat, the design of which they bought from Norway. At the time I couldn't help thinking 'why would China risk a diplomatic incident over such a prosaic program when they have vastly more expertise in designing and building ships and if they actually are interested pretty much everything could be found in the public domain?'.

[monkeysarefun]

17 hours ago, polybear said:

 

What are the chances of avoiding one of the resident killers for the last 53 years?  Now there's something to ponder over....

 

 

Yeah, Well what are YOUR chances of not being murdered in a quaint English village then have a  dozen different variously eccentric characters  fight over who is going to investigate your death?

 

 

Oh, hang on a sec, I'll just check the telly..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ha! TOLD YOU!

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Ozexpatriate]

9 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Well what are YOUR chances of not being murdered in a quaint English village

I thought you were going for Somerset rather than Cornwall for a moment.

 

Midsomer is far more dangerous than Kembleford (Father Brown).

 

Midsomer: Episode to murder ratio: 122:210  (approx)

Kembleford: Episode to murder ratio: 80:71

 

From: Blog: COSY CRIME: THE MOST DANGEROUS VILLAGES IN BRITISH CRIME DRAMA

 

A Reddit post suggests that "Kembleford's murder rate at 80 murders per year per 10,000 or less people is at least 879 times the homicide rate of England at the time"

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[monkeysarefun]

2 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

 

From: Blog: COSY CRIME: THE MOST DANGEROUS VILLAGES IN BRITISH CRIME DRAMA

 

 

 

Jeez, I   didnt realise there were so many of them wandering round solving all the murders!

Gotta ask why they even need police in the UK.

[Ozexpatriate]

6 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Gotta ask why they even need police in the UK.

Not just the UK - according to this article murder rates are:

 

Cabot Cove, ME (Murder She Wrote): 149:100,000

Ystad (Wallander): 110:100,000

Midsomer (Midsomer Murders): 3.2:100,000

Oxford (Morse): 3:100,000

 

In other articles fans of Murder She Wrote insist that most of the murders did not occur in Cabot Cove, and therefore should not count.

[BR60103]

Started out a lazy day, reading newspapers. Then SWMBO says we're going for a drive. At Giant Tiger she found a new bedspread+ (as well as groceries) then a walk to look at Elora Gorge and make sure it's still there.

As part of the bedspread, we had to hang new curtains in the bedroom which were actually from the sliding doors to the garden as we'd hung too many panels there. We are now up two curtain panels. 

On the return trip we found an intersection closed (we'd forgotten that it was now) where they're replacing the railway tracks that cross two streets as well as replacing some piping. Interesting detour. 

 

[Tim Dubya]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Midsomer (Midsomer Murders): 3.2:100,000

 

Midsomer Norton, just down the road from me in Radvegas, do actually get a certain level of tourism associated with the TV series.  There was an article written about it some years back, online.  I doubt I can find it now, but I'll have a look later if I remember.

 

Back to sleep now, I've just had to wake up to take an antibiolloctick, playing by the book this time.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by Tim Dubya

[jjb1970]

Just had a tip top paneer dish for lunch, the paneer was in a really rich mild but flavoursome sauce with a properly fiery dal with naan bread and rice. The Indian food here is South Indian with the influences of SE Asia (just as Anglo-Indian has influences of British tastes) so is very different from what we get in blighty, it's excellent and well worth trying for anyone passing through.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Been up since some daft o'clock..why? Dunno...

 

BT Openreach are due to visit today . 2 phone messages a day to check we want them to visit..  "use our diagnostics for free and let us know when you fix our fault".. erm what are the paid to do???

 

So I received a complementary copy of the latest railway muddler..very nice.. problem is .. I forgot to bring it home.. DOH!

 

time to get up and go....wellrather get up and wait for the Openreach technical expert to turn up.. I refuse to acknowledge that he ot she is a real"Engineer".  

 

Stay safe!

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

Good moaning to all and of course sundry from a sunny Charente.  The market was visited, and some more work done on Beth's birthday surprise. How do you translate Ikla Moor baa tat I to French was one part of that.  Sans chapeau was the answer, the word Moor defeated both Google translate and a French friend.  

 

This morning it's French class then this afternoon I'lbe pumping water around to fill the irrigation system for the vegetable beds. 

 

Regards to everyone. 

 

Jamie

[pH]

14 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

… the word Moor defeated both Google translate and a French friend.  

Any help?
 

https://www.google.ca/search?q=moor+in+french&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari

[polybear]

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

After dragging the chain on receiving two reminders in the post (about a month apart) to schedule a routine (every five years) colonoscopy, I finally called them and was scolded that I was sent a second reminder. They then scheduled a pre-procedure consultation - for November!

 

Feel free to skip a bit.

 

/rant_on

/rant number 1.

GI practices are printing money with colonoscopies - they're like a sausage factory (or perhaps more accurately the inverse of a sausage factory, with things going in one after the other, rather than going out.) It's almost impossible to actually see a Gastroenterologist unless you are diagnosed as being ill - they are too busy cranking the handle on the money printing machine.

 

Are such routine procedures the norm in the US, even with no evidence of problems present?  I thought having a Colonoscopy presented inherent risks?

 

8 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

/rant number 2.

People who schedule meetings with Microsoft Outlook/Teams need to understand that not all people have Microsoft Outlook/Teams. I asked whether the email confirmation would contain the date and time. "Yes". However, all I have is the Teams meeting coordinates - "click here to join this meeting" boilerplate. (There is a .ics file attachment, which my laptop, not running Outlook, does not comprehend).

 

 

Beary solution: 

If you don't (or can't) tick to join the meeting then you've dodged yet another mind-numbingly boring meeting (probably) where nothing gets decided/agreed; if they come along pre-meeting to ask "Why aren't you joining the meeting?" then you can say it's because they haven't given a date & time.  Maybe then they'll get the message.

 

7 hours ago, PeterBB said:

Only relatively recent postings on here made me actually realise just what might have not been if accepted but that is life and I enjoyed the concept of  NHS and stayed.

 

Bear sometimes wonders what I'd be doing now (and where) if I'd accepted the BA Apprenticeship instead of the one at the Great Empire.  HUGE, HUGE, MEGA Turdycurses.

I really, really wanted the BA job - but a young Cub living in a sheltered cave found the idea of going out into the open Tundra (aka Heathrow) all too much to handle as daily travel wasn't an option.

 

5 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

There was a funny incident after we backed out when one of my underlings was arrested by the RCMP and accused of being a Chinese spy.

 

Did you ever find out if there was any truth in it?

 

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Oh, hang on a sec, I'll just check the telly..

 

 

 

 

Has anyone else noticed that many of Chimpy's posts appear to feature a Dead Poly lately?

 

4 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I thought you were going for Somerset rather than Cornwall for a moment.

 

Midsomer is far more dangerous than Kembleford (Father Brown).

 

Midsomer: Episode to murder ratio: 122:210  (approx)

Kembleford: Episode to murder ratio: 80:71

 

From: Blog: COSY CRIME: THE MOST DANGEROUS VILLAGES IN BRITISH CRIME DRAMA

 

A Reddit post suggests that "Kembleford's murder rate at 80 murders per year per 10,000 or less people is at least 879 times the homicide rate of England at the time"

 

 

It seems that Aidensfield ("Heartbeat") seems to be the safest place to live - maybe Poly has a far better chance of surviving there?

S'pose I could pass the time if I found a little voluntary job somewhere.....😉

Let's see now - very nice Barmaid....District Nurse......

 

 

2 hours ago, Tim Dubya said:

Back to sleep now, I've just had to wake up to take an antibiollotick, playing by the book this time.

 

 

 

Problem with the Biollix?  Sounds nasty.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

4 hours sleep, long awake, 1 hours sleep, short awake, 1 hours sleep.

Aches and pains not too bad this morning just stiff forepaws.

 

Ben the now snoring Collie requested out earlier, he took a full patrol of the garden, lots of twigs with oak leaves scattered around but otherwise no damage from the weekends wind.

It's still gusting 20mph, a light dew, sunny with a few clouds.

 

To get to l'amarrage one of the roads I drive in is le terrain tourbeux road.

To get to the moorings one of the roads I drive in is Moor road. 

 

Yes that is a road to a peat moor near Stalham.

 

I'll be driving down that in an hour's time,

 

Today's plans 

Row boat,

Go to orange shed,

Go to farm shop,

 But first,

time to wake Ben, aka put some bacon in the pan.

Edited July 17, 2023 by TheQ

[big jim]

A night in Carlisle for me last night, up nice and early as Dominic has his driving test at 10:15, meeting his instructor at 9 outside the station 

 

stayed in Carlisle rather than the caravan so we didn’t have the stress of getting up earlier and having to drive over from there, this is doms 2nd attempt at his test, been nearly 18 months since the last one after it was booked while he worked in the caravan park, cancelled twice by the DVLA days before but he then lost his job so moved home but we couldn’t get an instructor or test back home so we kept the test up here and got an intensive course so hoping he passes! 

[jjb1970]

45 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Did you ever find out if there was any truth in it?

 

 

I just had a look on the world renowned interweb, and alas, it appears we shall never know:

 

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/12/15/citing-delay-judge-clears-engineer-accused-of-offering-canadian-military-secrets-to-china.html

 

I knew the case went on for years but since I stopped hearing anything about it long ago I assumed it had been dropped or he'd been quietly shuffled off back to China or something. To wait 8 years for a trial is poor form, the law should hold wrong doers to account but justice should also be efficient and not leave people existing in legal limbo for so long. So I think the judge was quite right to boot the case, if the prosecution haven't been able to bring the case to court after 8 years then more fool them.