Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

24 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Morning.  It persisteth down and then some, but 9c seems unseasonably warm.

 

Tired this morning after fitful sleep - proven when I poured my V8 vegetable juice on my cereal.  Pah.  It is not a good combination.

 

No plan for the day as yet, it is windy out and fore-guessed to get a lot more so, so perhaps a lazy one is on the cards.  I still can't decide whether to adorn the unmentionable black thing as a BR or NCB machine.

Been there and done that. Apple juice in the coffee.

 

The plan started off well. 4 plugs changed in 20 minutes. 3 UK 13 amp plugs salvaged for use on theclayout. One moulded one off to the recycling.  Then a doh moment.  3 more to change but they are all in the same UK 4 block.  Halt called.  I will set off early to wstch trains and call at the Brico (DIY) store for a couple more 4 blocks then watch trains.  There's a silver lining to most clouds.

 

Jamie

Edited November 24, 2022 by jamie92208

[jjb1970]

The comments about mathematical modelling earlier amused me as that's one of my pet hobby horses. I'm not disputing the value of modelling (it's an essential tool) but I do think some are way too trusting of anything they're spoon fed on the basis of modelling. At the risk of sounding cynical (and I am not a cynical person.....), modelling is a bit like statistics in that if you can play with input assumptions to get just about any result and no model should be taken seriously unless those input assumptions and the analytical relationships between them are transparent. And ultimately a model is a simulation, as with any simulation it can be incredibly useful but it shouldn't be conflated with reality. And don't get me started on the way more and more people see modelled results and measured data as being interchangeable (I can see why, as modelling is cheap and much easier). I know a rather famous academic who has made his name in climate science who comes out with some proper howlers nobody with any experience in field measurement and actual emissions analysis would ever make (well, actually even my two kids know the difference between a numerator and a denominator which the scientist in question struggles with). I often get into trouble because I am consistent (i.e. even when I see papers or presentations which arrive at conclusions I agree with) in objecting to anyone saying that a model which is opaque and with no transparency on the underpinning math and input assumptions 'proves' or demonstrates anything. 

That said, I think I'm a professional non-conformist and tend to enjoy socializing with people I disagree with as I enjoy arguing. I'm a tree hugger but I have little or no time for environmental NGOs. I'm a bit of a libertarian but enjoy arguing with proper old school socialists. I am an audio enthusiast who spends too much on audio gear but find many audiophiles complete nutters. And so on. 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Usual fuss from Arthur Itis but a couple of Nurofen have sent him on his way. A busy day today so better get on with it.

[New Haven Neil]

Rain here now horizontal, in Singaporean amounts.  Absolutely lashing it down, not sure I have seen rain this heavy in the British Isles.

[New Haven Neil]

Oh, that'll be it!

 

[TheQ]

please keep it there till I'm tucked up in bed tonight..

[New Haven Neil]

3 minutes ago, TheQ said:

please keep it there till I'm tucked up in bed tonight..

 

It's going due north so you're OK!

[BoD]

6 minutes ago, TheQ said:

please keep it there till I'm tucked up in bed tonight..

I’m sure its movement can be modelled in such a way that does just that for you.

Edited November 24, 2022 by BoD

[grandadbob]

Sainsbury's delivered on time and everything that we got was OK and undamaged this week.  We then headed off to the better Sainsbury's (the one that The Boss worked at) to get our missing items.  Total cost of that was about £20.  I ended up spending £87!!  ....

They made me a couple of offers I couldn't refuse.  😂

[Dave Hunt]

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

And “vacation” time?  More than once have I flabbergasted my American colleagues by saying that I will be taking a holiday of about 3 weeks - for most Americans it would seem that two weeks is a long vacation…

 

The USN/USAF guys on exchange with the RAF were amazed that they were expected to take all the leave to which they were entitled. I once spoke to one of the first USN pilots we had telling him that he'd better take some leave as his leave year was coming to an end and he still had two weeks to take. His response was that anyone in the USN who took all his leave entitlement was seen as 'not being a team player' or some such nonsense and stood about as much chance of promotion as a whelk in a supernova. I disabused him of the notion that we took the same view and told him to bu**er off somewhere for a couple of weeks. Shortly before he was due to go back to the States I was talking to his wife at a party and she said that she would really miss the RAF's attitude towards leave.

 

Dave 

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

…This is the USA I take it.  Bear's first question - what are the standby payments?  None?  Right, Gary can go F.H.S  Another tactic would be for everyone on his (hopefully very large) Team to phone him at all hours outside of work with really obscure work-related questions  #

I like the cut of your jib, young Bear.

 

That’s inspired subversion.

 

But would the downtrodden and underpaid peons actually have the cojones to do that?

3 hours ago, TheQ said:

 

In the final box " What are your takeaways for this year" I put "47 years working, 15 for this company goodbye and good night". How I hate the use of the word "takeaways" in this context..

 

I’m sorry to be so critical, Dear Q, but that shows a distinct lack of imagination. On such a last appraisal form, the answer you should have given was “A No. 23, a No. 12 a No. 2 and a Prawn Cracker”

 

24/7 availability? Unpaid, mandatory, overtime? Discouraged from taking your leave entitlement? It’s a miracle that more Americans don’t “go postal” with an AK-47

[DaveF]

 

This morning started sunny and cold.  Just after I got back from my walk the cloud rolled in from the west, the temperature hasn't changed but it now feels very cold.

 

Yesterday started with a red sunrise and then rain by 09.00.  I got to the beach for a walk just before the rain started, within ten minutes I was back in the car and drove to the Quayside to see what was there - just the ship I saw leaving a few days which has come back. When I got home I went across the road to see some friends and had coffee with them while we had a good chat, including hearing about how the Ukrainians are getting on who are living with them.

 

Back at home I did some modelmaking before getting a simple salmon and potatoes lunch.

 

In the afternoon the rain stopped so I went for a walk inland from the Links to the old reservoir south of the town.  The low sun gave a little bit of warmth and there was enough light to take some photos, a couple are below.  The reservoir was very quiet, just two pairs of mallard and a moorhen and no one fishing.  On the way back I once again noticed a lot of blackbirds and a very noisy wren singing from some dead grass.  Further on I saw a rook parliament break up, there must have been about a hundred of them in a field.  Most went away but over thirty remained perched in the trees by the cemetery.

 

Crossing the road back onto the Links I saw a linnet and a stonechat perched on some wild rose stems.  It had been a very quiet walk - I saw three other people.

 

Then it was tea time followed by another relaxing evening of TV, book and this time music from Die Fledermaus.

 

Old reservoir

 

 

November willow (mainly) trees

 

David

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by DaveF

[jjb1970]

I am expected to be flexible and am on a straight salary with the only extra being the 13th month payment which is a characteristic of working here. It was made clear that if I wanted to be in Singapore (the position was supposed to be in Brussels) there's be a lot of evening meetings and calls with Europe and the US. However, my boss is very flexible with my hours and letting me go early, take days off to compensate, I am allowed to spend additional time away on business trips if it's somewhere nice on their account and I am well looked after. So in my case expectations for flexibility and strange hours are repaid to my satisfaction. I suspect that it is different for Gary's underlings.

[iL Dottore]

2 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I am expected to be flexible and am on a straight salary with the only extra being the 13th month payment which is a characteristic of working here. It was made clear that if I wanted to be in Singapore (the position was supposed to be in Brussels) there's be a lot of evening meetings and calls with Europe and the US. However, my boss is very flexible with my hours and letting me go early, take days off to compensate, I am allowed to spend additional time away on business trips if it's somewhere nice on their account and I am well looked after. So in my case expectations for flexibility and strange hours are repaid to my satisfaction. I suspect that it is different for Gary's underlings.

That’s exactly what I had in regards to terms and conditions from the company I work for for so long.

 

Some companies treat you incredibly well and you do not begrudge them an iota of any “above and beyond” effort you may make, whereas there are other companies where the only thing that motivates you to get through the week is the knowledge that, eventually, Friday 5pm will come.

 

One other point: the companies (like yours jjb and my former one)that treat you well and give as much as they take also have one other desirable feature: they treat you like responsible adults. (You’ve beem hired and are well remunerated because you know what you are doing, they tell you what needs doing and they let you get on with doing your job).

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

The USN/USAF guys on exchange with the RAF were amazed that they were expected to take all the leave to which they were entitled. I once spoke to one of the first USN pilots we had telling him that he'd better take some leave as his leave year was coming to an end and he still had two weeks to take. His response was that anyone in the USN who took all his leave entitlement was seen as 'not being a team player' or some such nonsense and stood about as much chance of promotion as a whelk in a supernova. I disabused him of the notion that we took the same view and told him to bu**er off somewhere for a couple of weeks. Shortly before he was due to go back to the States I was talking to his wife at a party and she said that she would really miss the RAF's attitude towards leave.

 

Dave 

When we mention long service leave to visiting US servicemen and SMEs, (minimum  12 weeks on full  pay after 10 years service) that is legally mandated here, their  heads explode.

[monkeysarefun]

Its easy to seem knowleadable about trees in Australia cos there are only two types, gum trees and not gum trees. Because there are almost 1000 gum tree species, you can just get away with calling pretty well anything a gumtree if asked.

Of the trees that aren't gum trees, the Jacaranda (not native to here but  pretty ubiquitous cos it likes the climate) is the other one that is easy to recognise, mainly in spring when it turns purple. 

 

My local town is pretty typical of how many places look at the moment, they are popular street trees.

 

The mauve petals fall and cover the footpaths and your car if you park in the wrong spot.

 

You don't really notice how many there are dotted around the place until they flower. ( Every other tree there in the picture is a gum tree probably)

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by monkeysarefun

[polybear]

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

Filled in final annual assessments, just went straight down the middle on marks, and just put Completed in the boxes, not the long explanations of what I did that are expected.

In the final box " What are your takeaways for this year" I put "47 years working, 15 for this company goodbye and good night". How I hate the use of the word "takeaways" in this context..

 

 

@The Q is far, far more restrained than a certain Bear would be; my response to that question would be:

"Jumbo Snagger, Chip Roll and Mushy Peas".

 

Though I do note that @iL Dottore has beaten Bear to it and responded in a similar vein.  Turdycurses. 

 

4 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Been there and done that. Apple juice in the coffee.

 

 

Snap, though Bear's stunt is hot water (from the Kettle) onto the Bran Flakes.  At least that can be drained off with no real harm and then the milk bunged on instead.

 

Bear here.....

A morning of a visiting buddy over the road.  Sure as hell beats filling and sanding walls.......

 

In other news.....

Bear had a bash at this test:

https://xd.wayin.com/display/container/dc/3c50aee9-b20d-4d3e-8f7e-95f9e94209d8/details

- I got 6/10; the pass mark is 75% apparently.  Looks like I may be off to Rwanda at some point......

(Totally f.pointless questions in the test, such as "What percentage of the UK Population lives in Northern Ireland?")

[jjb1970]

I used to struggle with appraisals. For a while I was operations manager in a power plant with a large staff, so I had to do loads of the things. Appraisals were good for those who had ambition or wanted to go somewhere, but I had quite a few fine fellows who were old school shop floor blue collar types. Imagine the stereotype old-style working-class militant with a chip on the shoulder, an attitude problem towards management and professionally awkward on all things administrative and you won't be far wrong. Yet....those were the guys I relied on as they were excellent at their jobs, they went to work, did their job very well and went home. They weren't interested in the company, had no interest in promotion or development but they were reliable, hardworking and competent people I could rely on. We actually got on well as I respected their competence and the fact that behind all the chest thumping bluster, they were actually hard-working guys who took pride in their work, and they recognized I had a job to do and that I had to deliver my own objectives. I used to have the same social chat and at the end of it part with same time next year. HR were always whinging yet senior management in the business (almost all of whom had worked up through ops manager to plant manager and beyond) understood the situation perfectly well, as a director put it to me 'not everyone is going to be a general, an army needs good soldiers'.

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Oh, that'll be it!

 

 

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

please keep it there till I'm tucked up in bed tonight..

 

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

It's going due north so you're OK!

According to the weather reports and Arthur Itis it is heading east as well as north. The good news is that it will be in the North Sea by 7 PM.

18 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear had a bash at this test:

https://xd.wayin.com/display/container/dc/3c50aee9-b20d-4d3e-8f7e-95f9e94209d8/details

- I got 6/10; the pass mark is 75% apparently.  Looks like I may be off to Rwanda at some point......

(Totally f.pointless questions in the test, such as "What percentage of the UK Population lives in Northern Ireland?")

9 out of 10, got caught out on the same NI question. (Answer is 3% not 5% as I gave.)

3 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I used to struggle with appraisals. For a while I was operations manager in a power plant with a large staff, so I had to do loads of the things. Appraisals were good for those who had ambition or wanted to go somewhere, but I had quite a few fine fellows who were old school shop floor blue collar types. Imagine the stereotype old-style working-class militant with a chip on the shoulder, an attitude problem towards management and professionally awkward on all things administrative and you won't be far wrong. Yet....those were the guys I relied on as they were excellent at their jobs, they went to work, did their job very well and went home. They weren't interested in the company, had no interest in promotion or development but they were reliable, hardworking and competent people I could rely on. We actually got on well as I respected their competence and the fact that behind all the chest thumping bluster, they were actually hard-working guys who took pride in their work, and they recognized I had a job to do and that I had to deliver my own objectives. I used to have the same social chat and at the end of it part with same time next year. HR were always whinging yet senior management in the business (almost all of whom had worked up through ops manager to plant manager and beyond) understood the situation perfectly well, as a director put it to me 'not everyone is going to be a general, an army needs good soldiers'.

I spent most of my working life doing payroll and I found that the best managers were those who 'came off the tools'. The worst ones were those who got their positions through who they know not what they know. Without exception they all had a sense of entitlement expecting me to drop everything to sort out their particular problem (often of their own making such as putting in a claim after the deadline). 

[TheQ]

All but 1 right on the quiz, but most of them are history and that's one of my favourite subjects..

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Rain here now horizontal, in Singaporean amounts.  Absolutely lashing it down, not sure I have seen rain this heavy in the British Isles.

 

That's alright then as you're abroad.

[polybear]

27 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

.......... but I had quite a few fine fellows who were old school shop floor blue collar types. Imagine the stereotype old-style working-class militant with a chip on the shoulder, an attitude problem towards management and professionally awkward on all things administrative and you won't be far wrong. Yet....those were the guys I relied on as they were excellent at their jobs, they went to work, did their job very well and went home. They weren't interested in the company, had no interest in promotion or development but they were reliable, hardworking and competent people I could rely on. 

 

More often than not the very people that get sh1t on at pay rise time.

 

I've always been very "anti" when it comes to % based bonuses, uplifts etc.; we had a system where an employee would get a 10% uplift for nights away when on Business to compensate them for loss of personal life etc.  So why should someone on £20K a year get twice as much uplift in £'s than someone on £10K - they don't have twice the loss etc.?  The same principal can be applied to pay rises as well.

 

6 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

9 out of 10, got caught out on the same NI question. (Answer is 3% not 5% as I gave.)

 

 

Bear guessed at 1%, though hovered at 3%.

So many of the questions were History based - Bear's history lessons seemed obsessed with Ancient Egypt and bvggerall about the UK.  Really useful - not.

 

In other news.....

Had a fancy leaflet thru' the door offering gardening services....

"Minimum Service Charge is from £80 for 2 hours".

Yeah, right.....🤣🤣

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

@The Q is far, far more restrained than a certain Bear would be; my response to that question would be:

"Jumbo Snagger, Chip Roll and Mushy Peas".

 

Though I do note that @iL Dottore has beaten Bear to it and responded in a similar vein.  Turdycurses. 

 

 

Snap, though Bear's stunt is hot water (from the Kettle) onto the Bran Flakes.  At least that can be drained off with no real harm and then the milk bunged on instead.

 

Bear here.....

A morning of a visiting buddy over the road.  Sure as hell beats filling and sanding walls.......

 

In other news.....

Bear had a bash at this test:

https://xd.wayin.com/display/container/dc/3c50aee9-b20d-4d3e-8f7e-95f9e94209d8/details

- I got 6/10; the pass mark is 75% apparently.  Looks like I may be off to Rwanda at some point......

(Totally f.pointless questions in the test, such as "What percentage of the UK Population lives in Northern Ireland?")

 

Nine out ten for me so looks like you've got me for the foreseeable future I'm afraid.

[BoD]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

It's going due north so you're OK!

 

It changed its mind.

[Winslow Boy]

4 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

It changed its mind.

Probably female then.