Early Risers.

[monkeysarefun]

45 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

As my neighbour, who has a sporty not SUV  Lamborghini, says “it’s just a Volkswagen now “. 

 

 

 

 

In a back lane not far from here  a farmers market type place has sprung up, and because it has a trendy name and alpacas it attracts the kind of people who buy a soft-roader, but it has to be an expensively named one.  I drove it today because its a short-cut back for me from the Picton car show and  while the road is narrow- ish it is an easy drive.

 

 

 

 

But, I came up behind an SUV that was doing 30kmh, and carefully weaving around the small potholes on the side of the road,  and refused to move over onto the graded edge when another car came the other way, but forced it to slow right down and squeak between the SUV and a speed limit sign. . They treated every glitch in the road like a major issue and slowed almost to a standstill to negotiate the tiny potholes.

My ute has 10cm of ground clearance (the legal minimum!) but I can do that road at 80kmh, no worries. It finally pulled into the driveway of the farm shop place (naturally) and as I passed it I got a look at the badge on the front - a Maserati.  Bloody hell, how incredibly ridiculous the world has become. In the 1970's Ford and Holden sold their cars here on the basis that  they could drive everywhere that Australia has to throw up*.      These days a  Maserati SUV that probably cost half a million dollars and has 103 computerised suspension settings apparently can't handle a pothole.

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14 by monkeysarefun

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

can't handle a pothole.

Potholes here can swallow a car…

 

Teeny exaggeration but many are noticeable whatever you drive. Big ones on National Speed limit major roads too. 

Edited April 14 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

These days a  Maserati SUV that probably cost half a million dollars and has 103 computerised suspension settings apparently can't handle a pothole.

Perhaps they don’t come with an on/off road experience day like Land Rovers. Though modern Land Rovers keep it simple. You just select an icon that looks like the scenery and off you go, if you see a cactus, select the cactus icon…

Edited April 14 by Tony_S

[polybear]

Bear here....

 

Mission accomplished - Harry the Honda has been brought out of hibernation at long last; I just searched when the tax ran out and it was Oct 1995.....

 

Guess what?  No scary monsters encountered at all during the great unveiling - though Harry's (rather expensive) bike cover had suffered greatly during storage (as had numerous dust sheets & blankets) to the point where they were only fit for the bin.  Oh Poo - but at least it meant that I didn't need to go checking inside the cover for monsters; they've all been bundled up & bagged and are now in the bin.

 

Ever tried taking a Harry off the centre stand when you can't roll it forwards cos' the front wheel is already touching the wall?  It's, er, "interesting".....IIRC Harry's weigh 440lbs....and the only way is to lift the back end upwards.....

 

The very, very good news is that Harry seems to be in rather good nick (as good as I'd hoped), though the crankcase covers will need stripping of lacquer and re-polishing - the next owner can have that job.  All I needed to do was bung some air in the tyres and then wheel him out of the shed.

 

The area where Harry was parked was given numerous sweeps - only one monster was detected (a big 'un too 😱); he came running out of a corner and promptly parked himself on top of one end of the broom head.  Unfortunately Bear's Size 9 Rigger Boot followed very shortly afterwards.  Oops, what a terrible accident.

 

Harry is now back in the shed (on the side stand this time - which makes getting in n' out of the shed a bit more awkward, especially when carrying a mower etc.), with a single dust sheet over him.  He'll come out again when the forecast suggests a few dry days in a row, which will give me the chance to do some initial cleaning, polishing, checking and re-assembly work.  I'll need a new Battery.....

 

Here's Harry - exactly as brought out of Hibernation after 28 years:

 

 

 

 

And now back in the Shed:

 

 

ION.....

 

Can any fellow ER'ers tell a Bear what sort of Bush has leaves like this - this is the one I pruned a few days ago:

 

 

Right, Hilly Wander or cut the back lawn?  Or maybe both.....

 

Bear gone.

Edited April 14 by polybear

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I raise you cat vs. tarantula.

 

 

 

Apart from the fun you could have chasing @polybeararound with it, I'm not sure what the point of a radio controlled spider would be. But maybe I'm coming at it from the point of view where we would just assume it was real, drop a chinese food container over the top of it and chuck it outside.

[polybear]

6 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

But maybe I'm coming at it from the point of view where we would just assume it was real, drop a chinese food container over the top of it and chuck it outside.

 

Or attack it with a blowtorch.....

 

Edited April 14 by polybear

[monkeysarefun]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Or attack it with a blowtorch.....

 

 

 

Killing spiders is UnAustralian. 

 

Re your bike. My brother was the bike nut, I decided 4 wheels were safer and drier in the wet so I  went the V8 car route.  Therefore I have no bike knowledge other than my brother and brother in law both had CB 750's back in the day, and your bike has 2 wheels and a twin engine thingy like they had - is it one of those? 

[monkeysarefun]

23 minutes ago, polybear said:

Can any fellow ER'ers tell a Bear what sort of Bush has leaves like this - this is the one I pruned a few days ago:

 

 

If you know someone with a Landrover, maybe they have a picture of it in their suspension settings. It may not help you identify it but you will at least be able to drive over it without losing traction in the rear right wheel or whatever.

Edited April 14 by monkeysarefun

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

If you know someone with a Landrover, maybe they have a picture of it in their suspension settings. It may not help you identify it but you will at least be able to drive over it without losing traction in the rear right wheel or whatever.

Never needed that particular picture as our Euonymus shrub is right next to the front door and the Land Rover would have the collision detectors blaring.

Aditi said that shrub will grow back nicely after pruning.

Edited April 14 by Tony_S

[polybear]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

….my brother and brother in law both had CB 750's back in the day, and your bike has 2 wheels and a twin engine thingy like they had - is it one of those? 

4 Cylinder DOHC, 4 Carbies…..

Oh yes, and much, much faster away from the lights than a V8 Ute.

Just thought I’d mention that….. 😇

 

[The White Rabbit]

Rabbit's Sunday Sarcasm:

 

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

As my neighbour, who has a sporty not SUV  Lamborghini, says “it’s just a Volkswagen now “. 

 

Wot, no tractor references? 😇 

 

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I think it was the older ones that interested my neighbour. He had lots of motorbikes and some classic cars. He used vans for his business but said he had always wanted a Lamborghini and so eventually got one. It is one of the VW ones but it does seem reliable. More so than nearby neighbours who have had Ferraris that looked quite good when on the on the tow truck after failure to start. 

 

a) LOTUS...? 

b) Wasn't there a marketing poster about that?  

 

🤔

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

As my neighbour, who has a sporty not SUV  Lamborghini, says “it’s just a Volkswagen now “. 

 

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

When VW bought Lamborghini I suspect it resulted in better cars and higher quality, but they also seemed to lose the over the top bonkersness and flair that made them so attractive. 

VAG also own Bentley and a lot of the smaller Bentleys are tarted up and re-badged Volkswagens. At least the bigger models are more individual although they have VW bits underneath.

[polybear]

Bear here….

 

 

Pitstop time, with the 1st ascent of The Killer Hill already accomplished.

Now then, would you park your Lambo here?  (Taken outside the Cafe a few minutes ago).  Wonder if that car on his left will get in without hitting it - and will the driver get out of his car without the door whackin’ the Lambo?

 

BG

 

[The White Rabbit]

16 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

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

 

They would (probably?) be even unhappier if they got turfed out of bed one night or spent time nest-building only to find it catapulted onto the lawn. Yes, I know it's not the best time but due to other [things*] which are going on right now, quite a few things of a routine maintenance nature have had to slide. This pyracantha has not had the attention it should have and thanks to the prevailing wind, has grown at quite an angle (think a letter P, with the trunk literally on the edge of the 'blob' of foliage). It put on a growth spurt and was in danger of either uprooting itself in a gale or subsiding so as to actually grow along the ground. A severe haircut was necessary to relieve the pressure. Needs must when the devil drives.

 

* Mainly medical incompetence and NHS malevolence, of which I have grumbled about on ERs before... 

[polybear]

5 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

VAG also own Bentley and a lot of the smaller Bentleys are tarted up and re-badged Volkswagens. At least the bigger models are more individual although they have VW bits underneath.

 
Oh yes….

 

I saw a certain black Bentley convertible today - the same one I’ve seen on 3 previous occasions over a number of weeks.  How do I know?  Cos’ it makes a very distinctive sound - like one of the brakes is intermittently binding.  The owner must have the IQ of a plant pot not to get that looked at.

[PhilJ W]

20 minutes ago, polybear said:

 
Oh yes….

 

I saw a certain black Bentley convertible today - the same one I’ve seen on 3 previous occasions over a number of weeks.  How do I know?  Cos’ it makes a very distinctive sound - like one of the brakes is intermittently binding.  The owner must have the IQ of a plant pot not to get that looked at.

The chauffeur usually deals with that sort of thing y'know.😁

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear here....

 

Mission accomplished - Harry the Honda has been brought out of hibernation at long last; I just searched when the tax ran out and it was Oct 1995.....

 

Guess what?  No scary monsters encountered at all during the great unveiling - though Harry's (rather expensive) bike cover had suffered greatly during storage (as had numerous dust sheets & blankets) to the point where they were only fit for the bin.  Oh Poo - but at least it meant that I didn't need to go checking inside the cover for monsters; they've all been bundled up & bagged and are now in the bin.

 

Ever tried taking a Harry off the centre stand when you can't roll it forwards cos' the front wheel is already touching the wall?  It's, er, "interesting".....IIRC Harry's weigh 440lbs....and the only way is to lift the back end upwards.....

 

The very, very good news is that Harry seems to be in rather good nick (as good as I'd hoped), though the crankcase covers will need stripping of lacquer and re-polishing - the next owner can have that job.  All I needed to do was bung some air in the tyres and then wheel him out of the shed.

 

The area where Harry was parked was given numerous sweeps - only one monster was detected (a big 'un too 😱); he came running out of a corner and promptly parked himself on top of one end of the broom head.  Unfortunately Bear's Size 9 Rigger Boot followed very shortly afterwards.  Oops, what a terrible accident.

 

Harry is now back in the shed (on the side stand this time - which makes getting in n' out of the shed a bit more awkward, especially when carrying a mower etc.), with a single dust sheet over him.  He'll come out again when the forecast suggests a few dry days in a row, which will give me the chance to do some initial cleaning, polishing, checking and re-assembly work.  I'll need a new Battery.....

 

Here's Harry - exactly as brought out of Hibernation after 28 years:

 

 

 

 

And now back in the Shed:

 

 

ION.....

 

Can any fellow ER'ers tell a Bear what sort of Bush has leaves like this - this is the one I pruned a few days ago:

 

 

Right, Hilly Wander or cut the back lawn?  Or maybe both.....

 

Bear gone.

Looks like a Euonymus to me my dear Bear.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I was prepared to venture out into the garden this afternoon but within minutes I was sneezing and the eyes were watering from hay fever. Apparently they have a lot of silver birch trees on the local golf course which is less than half a mile upwind of me. I'll just have to find something to do indoors.

[Tony_S]

17 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Looks like a Euonymus to me my dear Bear.

That’s what I posted earlier but always nice to have an expert opinion. It was fortunate that it is one of the very few plants I recall the name of. Usually I ask Aditi “what is the name of the green shrub over there?”  When asked to prune stuff, I get her to point or better still touch the plant rather than name it. 

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 
Oh yes….

 

I saw a certain black Bentley convertible today - the same one I’ve seen on 3 previous occasions over a number of weeks.  How do I know?  Cos’ it makes a very distinctive sound - like one of the brakes is intermittently binding.  The owner must have the IQ of a plant pot not to get that looked at.

 

52 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The chauffeur usually deals with that sort of thing y'know.😁

Apart from the fact that I consider that the last "proper" Bentley was built in 1962 (when they stopped making the S2 - although I 'spose you could be a little forgiving of the S3 model and since the T-Series Bentley have just been building fast lorries), the standard steel series (S1 to S3, built 1955 - 1965) were designed to be - to coin a phrase - owner operated, no chauffeur required (you couldn't get the staff y'know).

 

As to Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc., my father was firmly of the opinion that they weren't sports cars but street legal racing cars and, like racing cars, need to be overhauled and serviced after every use.

 

I think he had a point.

Edited April 14 by iL Dottore

[DaveF]

Once again all went well at church today.  As the bishop was acting as a stand in vicar he just wore the normal robes (chasuble) for a Sunday between Easter and Whitsun along with his cross, no mitre and no crook (crosier).

 

On the way to church I saw something very unusual - 2 BMWs with working indicators, even more unusually they went in the direction they indicated.

 

Back home I decided a reasonable Sunday lunch was needed not the rather bland ready meals I've eaten since surgery.  So I got out a ready to heat up pulled pork in sauce and did fresh vegetables, followed by apple pie and custard.  Next step on the road to normality will be to cook raw meat!  I had some pleasant wine with it, the only trouble was I ate a lot and needed a nap later on.

 

The water level in the greenhouse has gone down a lot, I was able to brush some of the mud out of it but sadly rain is forecast for overnight.

 

Tonight will be some TV.  I note Countryfile this evening is partly about driving over the Wrynose and Hardknott passes.  Is it meant to be difficult?  Then I'll watch Midsomer Murders for light relief.

 

David

[polybear]

55 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

As to Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc., my father was firmly of the opinion that they weren't sports cars but street legal racing cars and, like racing cars, need to be overhauled and serviced after every use.

 

I think he had a point.

 

ISTR a story that one of the race team owners (Colin Chapman - Lotus?) was of the view that if the car didn't fall to bits as it crossed the finish line then it was built too strong.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Apart from the fun you could have chasing @polybear around with it, I'm not sure what the point of a radio controlled spider would be.

I think that is the point of them.

 

Or annoying cats.

 

Edited April 14 by Ozexpatriate

[tigerburnie]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

ISTR a story that one of the race team owners (Colin Chapman - Lotus?) was of the view that if the car didn't fall to bits as it crossed the finish line then it was built too strong.

That's why they are referred to as Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious and they cannot sell them due to this reputation.

[Ozexpatriate]

Off to brunch later - a birthday celebration for the birthdays of my eldest and his wife, hosted by his great aunt. Should be nice.

 

Frustrated yesterday by my very corporate pharmacy - the chain that @Ian Abel rightly despises. They fill 90 day scripts now - convenient but mostly easier on them. I'd been meaning to pick up a refill and went in yesterday having taken the last one that morning. They didn't have a refill ready - waiting for the doctor to reissue the script. "When did you request that?" I asked firmly. After being told that "Shouting won't help" (I wasn't shouting but was angry) they told me they had requested a new script on Friday morning.  This isn't the first time this has happened.

 

Theoretically the doctor could have reissued the script the same day, but didn't. I will call them on Monday. I did get an emergency three-day supply.

 

With 90 day fills, the scripts expire with fewer fills and they wait until the last minute to fill them - realizing with no time left that they needed to get the doctor to reissue a script.

 

When I asked if it would be helpful for me to come in a week early to expedite their process, they suggested that I download their 'app' on my telephone. I told them I would not be polluting my telephone with software so they can monitor me.