PupCam

Evening! And no doubt they'll have to pay for parking in the car park using a QR code and a Smart Phone before they go in! Where's the boiling blood emoji? And now a confession. I've recently taken to "Scanning as I Go" lately; taking stuff off of the shelf, scanning it and putting it into my bag (carefully arranged/stacked as I do so). This is because 1) I have to scan my loyalty card (an oxymoron as I have one of each kind in my wallet) at some point to get the sensible prices (i.e. not the hyper-inflated "normal" prices) so I might as well do it when I walk through the door and 2) I have to scan the stuff at some point anyway ('cos there's more tumble weed than staff in supermarkets these days so my logic is I might as well minimise my unpaid effort). Woe betide any one who stops me to do a "check scan" before I've paid because if they did they would probably end up wearing the bag and I would most definitely just walk on out without and they'd lose a sale. Yes, I can cut off my nose despite my face on a matter of principle. If they wanted to do it after I'd paid their Duty Manager would be very sorry to learn and other shoppers might be very interested to learn just how loud a small Puppers can get explaining to said Duty Manager a few facts. I thought you meant as you were driving !!!! Still, it would make a change from the usual eating a Maccy D, drinking coffee, putting make-up on, texting ....... Yikes! Is there a similar performance requirement on their customers? I'd best buck-up my ideas! ION Mostly visiting some outlaws today; quaffing, scoffing and putting the world to rights (well, failing to actually). I've been listening to and watching more of the PO inquiry. Simply unbelievable weaselly worded BS from a number of key interviewees in stark contrast to the erudite, logical and perfectly believable replies from others. I sincerely hope the process completes properly and those so badly affected at least receive some significant compensation and from now on in a timely manner (the wrong of course can never be undone particularly for those that paid the ultimate price) and that there is true accountability with all that that implies. Night All

That's so they can use the back end as a fulcrum to really smack the front down on to the black stuff ...

Morning! To think they walk and live amongst us! I suffered for the first time recently from the booster (Moderna) but will be taking the vaccination when ever offered. That may well be the case. As I'm immunosuppressed it may not be surprising. The nurse queried why I had been offered the jab as I looked too young for it (which I am). I then told of my conditions and medication and she said words to the effect "Yes, that would do it!" Amazing isn't it. "The bloke down the pub" or probably the modern equivalent; "Tarquin Smallbrain on Facebook" always know best. ION Birthday wishes to @Hroth which reminds me, I recently completed another solar orbit. They seem to be coming thick and fast these days. Still, it's much better than them not turning up at all. On Thursday I found myself watching some of the live coverage of the Post Office inquiry where a certain ex CEO was being questioned. Incredulity is a very good word .... Unfortunately I missed yesterday's offerings but I note one particular highlight featured on yesterday's HIGNFY. Amusing and stunning in equal measure. TTFN

I'm always intrigued by the fact that thousands of horses were apparently used on the battle field in WW1 under fire and yet I can rarely pass (wide, slow and as quietly as I can but I ain't stopping the engine and pushing!) a field ornament riding around the lanes here on my old thumping British bikes without the field ornament operative getting into a strop or worse, the field ornament itself having a melt down. Occasionally I get a thank you for my considerate actions but often they are too busy texting ......

Afternoon That's equally opportunities for you. No legged, 3 forked, unimotorcyclists have rights too. But not as higher price as the victims of their fanaticism and most unfortunately similar forms of fanaticism are rife in the world today. It's just different causes and mostly based on, no, STOP Alan!, don't go down that path here ..... If only such a sensible approach was adopted here! Not really. The primary similarity of the S5 & S6x Schneider Trophy winners with the Spitfire were that they were both low wing, all metal monoplanes! These aircraft were powered by Rolls Royce R6 engines of 37 litres, the later Merlin just under development was a mere 27 litres. The finally squeezed 2300 hp out of the R6 ....... but only long enough to finish a race. They used evaporative cooling from the skin of the aeroplane to minimise drag so there were no draggy radiator*. The wing planform of the aircraft was a "more conventional" parallel chord, rounded tip (it could be argued that the tips but only the tips had an elliptical element) as opposed to the classical Spitfire elliptical wing. The Schnieder wings were braced with streamline section Flying and Landing wires. The Spitfire's unbraced wing provided significant aerodynamic and equipment accommodation (e.g. it maintained a substantial chord for a significant percentage of the span to get "stuff" in) benefits. It also had the added benefit of looking absolutely beautiful although that was of course of no consequence to its purpose. No, it was primarily the experience gained from the Schneider aircraft not the design that benefited the Spitfire. Indeed, the original design proposal for a fixed undercarriage, gull winged (dog of an) aeroplane to meet the initial Air Ministry requirement could be said to have more in keeping with the design of the S5 & S6x. It has been suggested that Supermarine took their eye off of the ball a bit (probably because Mitchell had been diagnosed with cancer in the early '30s) and had assumed that it would be the easiest thing in the world to design a suitable aircraft with a minimum speed in level flight at15000' of 250 mph considering that the S6B managed 407.5 mph (at a somewhat lower altitude). Anyway, that didn't work and the second, fresh attempt resulted in the Spitfire. Incidently, there's a general belief that the Hurricane was a simpler aeroplane to manufacture than the Spitfire. It is stated that the structure is traditional, which it isn't (aircraft construction techniques have continuously evolved from the Wright Brothers and continue to do so) although it is of a similar "mixed media" construction to that of the glorious 1930's Hawker biplane series. It is also stated that it was simple structure, it was not. For example, the Hurricane's wing spar is fabricated from multiple, 12 sided rolled steel tubes of various sizes, one inside another, all riveted to a sheet steel web. The whole assembly requires very high precision and is complex. One advantage of the Hurricane's fuselage structure at the back end at least was that it was mostly fresh air (and wooden window dressing) so there was a good chance that bullets would go straight through and out the other side. If you got a bullet in a Spitfire it would almost certainly be doing damage to part of the stressed structure. If you are that interested I heartily recommend the book "Hawker Hurricane Inside and Out" by Melvyn Hiscock but this is getting away from the point. Anyway, that isn't to say the Spitfire was easy to build, it wasn't at the time, it was just very different to current methods. However, its mixture of pressed and rolled (with English Wheels**) panels riveted to rolled and extruded sections in fact became the closest thing to a traditional technique that we've probably ever had***. Supermarine used a similar form of structure on the Schneider aircraft the experience of which therefore benefited the Spifire. Where it got difficult was getting significant numbers of workers trained in the necessary new sheet metal forming and assembly skills that were required to produce the 23000+ Spitfires. Clearly they managed to do it! * Actually, later developments in radiator design actually managed to extract useful work from the waste heat from the radiator and with the aid of venturis produced some thrust which could partially negate the drag from the radiator ** I'd love to have a go at that *** To put a good word in for the old firm; de Havilland at Hatfield went one stage further when they started building all metal aeroplanes and chucked a lot of the rivets away and glued the bits together (using their own innovative Redux process) ION Monty has been for his annual service and MOT. I'm pleased to say that (after a bit of fairly trivial re medial work) he passed. I predict that he'll be crossing the 200k mile barrier in the next couple of months all being well. With the assistance of my mate, we managed to get the BSA's kick starter spring pre-loaded, the gears and selectors in the correct position and the side case back in place. Just the fiddly bits like all of the nuts and the clutch operating lever to do now and then, when I've managed to procure some, stuff the gearbox with semi-fluid grease and it should be good to go 😀 Right, I'd better go and start the dinner. TTFN

In the "Credit were credit is due" department .... I appear to have been triaged and I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow morning. Well that's very good, so hurrah and three cheers to them & the system on this occasion. Funny enough, 3 years ago on this very day I managed to have a face to face appointment with a doctor after 5 months of trying. He didn't know what was wrong and immediately admitted me to hospital. Later that same afternoon I had my great inconvenience. I happened to be standing 20' from the doors into the Resus Bay at the local A&E. Well, if you're going to collapse in a big heap on the floor I can't think of a better place to do it. TTFN

Morning! That would be due to the technology not pronunciation pedantry. And, for a game of Top Trumps, I recall an occasion when two missiles effectively went through the same toilet window ...... approaching from different directions. Made a mess of the "toilet". ION A run out on the RD yesterday for breakfast at a sort of 'spoons on the outskirts of ChrisF Town. It was OK I suppose but the run was nothing special with a run up the A6 and along the A421. Neither road has much to commend them in regards of pleasantness to ride on (at least in this neck of the woods). I much prefer the back lanes. I've been needing to make an appointment at the GP's for sometime now due to a new aliment that's kindly reared it's ugly head. Yesterday afternoon I finally bit the bullet and went on line to submit an "Online Triage Form" (it's the modern way don't you know) so that it would be sitting waiting at the surgery when work commenced this morning. The computer said "NO!" It appears that the online form only works during office hours for heaven's sake! They want to watch that; next it will be going on strike for more money and better working conditions and there was me thinking the internet never sleeps and all these things have been provided to enhance the user's (that'll be you and me then) experience and convenience. Enhanced user experience my ars..... I'd toyed with dusting off Puppers Patented 'Ppointment Procurement Process to see if I could get an appointment today but decided against it so the online form was woken from its slumbers. I wonder what results it might bring? I might go and dig up a bit more grass later but first I think it's coffee time. TTFN

No, no. The Tiger was built by my very good but sadly late friend and a mighty fine job of it he did too. I ought to get it down and dusty it off and go and give it an airing. I think I've posted these before but what the heck ..... Take off and Landing It was the sight of this model flying at Tibenham that got us both a free go in a real one. I can see what he's doing wrong; he's kicking it backwards 🤣 I have to kickstart the Beeza and the AJ 😀

Some years ago a treasure chest of long forgotten* family photos and other stuff was given to me. Included in it were a lot of items relating to my Auntie Dorothy who died aged 5 years around 1916. This stash includes a lovely, most touching letter written to my grand parents by one of the nurses at Great Ormand Street Hospital on her passing. She was one of the nurses who looked after Dorothy during her final weeks,. Father missed meeting his sister by a number of years. Also in that treasure chest is a little envelope with a lock of Dorothy's hair. A more moving memento of my aunt is hard to imagine and I'm very grateful to have it. My grandparents had a superb hand tinted, large copy of this photo on their bedroom wall. I wish I had that photograph now. * actually I never knew it existed I've got a Laser 180 (30cc) single cylinder four stroke glow engine in my 1/4 scale Tiger Moth which is a bit too big for my starter so has to be started by hand. That frightens the bejesus out of me! TTFN

Afternoon! First of all, VSPBWs to @Gwiwer That makes you not all that many days older than Puppers. I think a beer or two is in order. Go on, it's your birthday! Oh you can. Anyone can identify as anything these days and apparently that makes it right ..... What a great Pink Floyd track that is. ION Puppers has been wrestling with the BSA's gearbox and new kick-starter spring. If I finally get it all back together, working and with all body parts intact it will be a miracle! 🤣 Puppers has also been wrestling with the new type of "Arduino" (it's not one but you use the same development environment aka computer programme) to write code for it. I'm trying and failing miserably to interface it via the Raspberry Pi interface on the ePaper display. Persistence (yet more) is required. I WILL get it to work. I went out on the monthly drugs collection run today. It's a nice day so it seemed an ideal opportunity to go for a thrash on the RD. Of course by some strange quirk of nature I ended up at Old Warden watching a chap and then a lady trying to start (hand swinging the prop) one of the Cambridge Flying Group's Tigers. I did note at one point the chap diving under the cowling to tickle the carb just as we folk with old bikes with Amal carbs have to do. The lady was relatively short and had to jump up a few inches to grab the prop tip to pull it down to the correct starting position. All credit to her, it was she that got it started and not the 6' 2" chap! The front seat in that Tiger has got my name on it. I really must get round to booking my birthday treat 😀 That's all for now TTFN

Evening All I'm loving the Distant (signal) West shipping forecast! 😀 Will it be a regular feature? And to carry on the the mathematics theme just a bit longer. I wonder what do you get if you integrate two brothers ......... ? ION Friend came to collect his scaffold tower this morning so the pile of what looked like scrap metal at the bottom of the garden has gone. A very useful tool and an interesting experience. Just so long as I don't have to repeat it anytime soon. The little Beeza is poorly. More specifically the gearbox and even more specifically the kick starter return spring is kaput. A replacement spring is being procured via the Bay. I had hoped a complete dismantling would not be required. A forlorn hope as it turns out. First stage now the side of i is off is to dispose of a pint of semi-fluid grease which is packed into it. Yuk! Down the pub tonight for a catch-up with a model flying chum who lives not a million miles from the White Elephant roundabout. TTFN

A precedent for a 2D "sculpture" on the Black Cat roundabout was set many years ago. After numerous public consultations and enquiries into the suitability of such a thing, endless delays and the cost of actually commissioning and producing a 3D one and itwould probably match that of the white elephant it was seeking to highlight! No, a simple 2D one would be just fine but of course it wouldn't happen because it would represent a very large dollop of "Egg on Face" for the local council but I can dream. Night All

Evening! I have to say I struggled a bit when I was originally taught calculus as it was done in an entirely abstract and theoretical manner which meant very little to this Puppers because I just didn't see the point. At the GE when using accelerometer outputs to derive such useful things as velocity and displacement of certain "Objects" all became crystal clear and so the usefulness of such mathematical shenanigans became clearly evident. Later in my computing days when I was involved in some more advanced digital signal processing activities I have to say implementing Fast Fourier Transforms and other related functions certainly stretched the grey cells. Unfortunately I never did get to the stage where, as some do, I could actually see the intrinsic beauty in mathematics. Anyway, it aint going to happen now .... ION The recent lurgyfication now seems to have mostly departed for which I am most grateful. I've now dropped back to just some unexplained aches and pains for which I might have to gird my loins and attempt to see the GP in the first instance. The very thought of "going through the new process" to do so is making me feel decidedly depressed and the WTP* bit has been firmly set in Puppers' status register. Oh well, needs must I suppose. * What's The Point A chug over to Woburn on the AJ was enjoyed where Pure Triumph's cafe has now started opening on Sundays. It would have been rude not to try it out. The ride through Woburn Park was especially pleasant due to the fact that the Rhododendrons were beginning to look quite spectacular. I think I may have mentioned previously that the authorities have spent something like 18-24 months and £7M "improving" a roundabout on the A6 at Clophill in a far off corner of Puppershire causing considerable inconvenience and frustration to the local population. The point of the exercise was apparently to "improve traffic flow through the junction and enhance safety". To the layman what appears to have been done is to provide some very wide nice new pavements and pedestrian crossings to mostly nowhere and introduce 30mph speed limits on the approaches. Oh yes and to provide two lanes of traffic on the roundabout which reverts back to single lanes mere yards from the roundabout. Merge in turn? I don't think so with no significant length of lead-in. Anyway, apparently some wag has christened it the "White Elephant" roundabout and labelled it as such on Google Maps 🤣 I do hope we can have a large 2D White Elephant erected in the centre of it in the style of a certain large Black Cat not a million miles away on the A1 🤞 I live in hope! TTFN

Evening All Didn't go easily for me or mother and after that we've both had a very similar coldy/fluy/spaced out weirdness symptoms. Unless you can catch such viruses via a Faceache Portal one did not infect the other! We seem to be heading back to normality now I'm pleased to say, it was not good! Now I think that is an absolutely fabulous image @DavidF ! ION Notalot due to apathy induced by the lurgy. Night All

Covid -ve so that's a relief ..... 😀 I feel a day of sitting down barely moving is in order, I feel the brain will be doing all (if any) of the work today. TT

Morning, I'm a true ER today. Can't sleep as the lurgy that descended on me shortly after my Covid jab the other week continues to develop. No point laying in bed not being able to sleep so here I am. It's probably Man Flu but a Covid test will be done later when I CBA. That is all .... TTFN

But you've forgotten the thing that makes it a healthy option! Where are the grilled tomatoes? Oh yes, you can definitely ditch the black pudding and if you want to substitute more bacon for the sausage be my guest ..... ION Dropped into the local garage to book Monty in for a service and an MoT in a week or so. Then ventured over to Halfrauds to buy a new set of wind-screen wiper blades. I noticed last night when we went out in the rain "down't pub" for dinner that one end of one of the rubbers had split and was flapping about a bit. I entered Monty's details into the Halfrauds screen to find out which blades I needed ...... Computer said no! It seems that Monty is now to old to trouble them with maintaining data about him. Whilst slightly annoying the assistant said I'd have to bring the blades in so that they could match them. He then enquired as to whether I'd like them to fit them (@ £5 each). Alan said no! Anyway, new blades purchased and fitted (well it would have been stupid to re-fit the old ones until I'd got home 🤣). I also bought another gallon (I suppose it's actually 5L) can of Classic Oil for the the bikes. How blxxdy much! It has been ~£20 for many years but had started to creep up in price. Today? £31! I only used to buy it there for convenience so that will be the last can I buy as I was right out. An engine running with no oil is even more expensive than a can of Halford's Classic. Now, I think it's time to go and elevate some more "Big Grass" and after that? Well, who knows but it's a nice day so extraction of a two wheeled machine from the garage is a distinct possibility. TTFN

Keep looking, it’s well hidden. I’ll just say Pizza & pineapple and leave it there. TTFN

Evening! Butter in a bacon roll is just plain wrong! There's a place for bacon and there are many places for butter but together is just plain wrong. I thought you would have known that ..... Watch out Bear, incoming ICBM ...... ION Not a lot. Over and out.

You may have a point there ...

Afternoon! Don't get me started on HP printers ... Readers may recall I may have expressed my dislike, no, contempt for the evil heaps of junk. You were lucky if your HP printer only rejected non-HP cartridges, mine on occasion rejected genuine HP ones bought at great expense from a presumably reputable high street emporium (Tescos). In the end I was so disgusted by it I thought I'd try an after-market continuous ink system (complete with "special cartridges" that obviously had the "ink remaining" variable set to "Full"and the "Number of sheets printed since cartridge changed" set permanently to 0). Apart from being a slight faff to install, slightly messy to get going and had the potential to get very messy with 4 large ink bottles poised to spill their contents over the carpet it was an absolute saviour! But you forget that both Poly and I still have contacts and can get them at "Mates Rates". We also know an old Fly-Boy who, for a modest consideration I'm sure, would be prepared, nay positively enjoy, loosing a few off "for old times sake". I wonder if we could borrow the Hawker Hunter at Henlow for the sortie? Oh no, I've just thought, the particular devices I was thinking off were never integrated onto the Hunter so Fly-Boy will have to use something a bit more modern. Well, I'm sure he's still got contacts ...... 😬 ION A chug was chugged on the AJ this morning with a single companion. The others in our gang were busying themselves out on a moped run. We haven't got mopeds (and no huge desire to get one) so we made alternative arrangements. We headed off in the Cambridgeshire direction for a change but, almost of course, we ended up at Old Warden for coffee on our return. More people were observed enjoying the delights of a flight in a Tiger Moth. It would be hard to imagine a day better suited to such a joy - warm, blue sky, full sunshine but an air of cool freshness in the atmosphere. It was a truly glorious chug through the back lanes over to places such as Ashwell and Guilden Morden. Just think how splendid it would have been chugging at 1000' in a beautiful old Tiger Moth! I really , really must indulge myself. On the home front a little more of the "Mini Pampas grass with out the Pampas bit" has been dug up and overturned to dry the roots off in the first stage of disposal. I can't do too much of that at one time because a) I get worn out and b) I get BORED so little and often is the way forward. Next on the cards is some more "Code Mashing" for the Chronometric calibrator. Looks like tomorrow's rain might be moving in early now as the lovely blue sky and sunshine has gone and some big dark clouds are now forming. TTFN

How close to the active trains and presumably live conductor rail were they! They need more danger money! Night All!

Afternoon! What a storm in the night! Well, if there was one I didn't hear it 🤣 Nippy and dull though this morning. Amazon delivered the miniature ePaper display yesterday along with a box of 10 rotary encoders including push button function and black anodised aluminium knobs. The box of 10 cost £9.99 which, even when I went to school, means they were a pound apiece. How do they do that? In a similar vein, I've just nipped to Screwfix (on the RD, it would have been rude not to) and bought a pair of replacement 1/4 turn 1/2" BSP ceramic tap glands for the bathroom sink for the princely sum of £5.06. They are of course machined from solid brass, they have rubber O rings fitted and include plastic mouldings and the ceramic inserts. How does that work! Still, never mind I can live with not knowing, Back to the ePaper display. I spent a few hours last night and most of the morning trying to get it to work. Downloading the simple "prove it works" code from the manufacturer's website didn't work. Without the display attached the code ran through to completion (which is a bit strange because at one point it checks information returned from the display in order to proceed!) but connect the display and it didn't get past "Go" (or a call to the init function for those in the know). Anyway after much perusing of internet forums, downloading some 3rd party libraries which included their own, much more comprehensive, example apps, trawling through lists of 80+ different drivers in header files trying to work out which was the right one and swapping two of the handshake lines over from the configuration shown in the manufacturer's notes we got there! Softies will recognise the significance of those two little words with or without an exclamation mark ...... Now to work out what I actually want to display on it! Oh yes, <RANT MODE> = ON On my return I witnessed two more examples of idiots pulling out of side turnings into the path of oncoming traffic. #1 I was waiting to pull out of a side road and turn right onto the busy, single carriageway A6*. 75 yards or so further up to my left a car was waiting to do the same manoeuvre in order to leave a car wash. A minimal gap opened up in the stream so they decided to plug it. The person (with right of way , travelling at normal road speed) very nearly re-arranged the idiots back end but fortunately managed to slow down enough not to make contact. #2 On the last stretch of open road in the countryside before home on the left there's a "business park" (it was a farm but where's the money in that). As I approached the access road I saw a stationary car waiting to pull out. Alan complete with a full day-glow yellow tabbard over my jacket, a bright yellow full face crash helmet and a bright orange Yamaha approached with, as a precaution right hand on front brake lever, right foot on rear brake lever, left hand on clutch and left thumb on the horn button. Turned out the precautions were entirely justified as the idiot then pulled out. If I'd have been travelling at the speed limit or even unprepared I'd be dead or at least severely re-arranged. You see it time and time again! What is it with these twits ** <RANT MODE> = OFF * It's probably known as the A1086 or something now but it will forever be the A6 for me. ** Other suitable words beginning with 'T' are available, refer to @polybear for more details TTFN

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

Morning! Yes indeed. I believe I'm correct in saying that at one of the displays this year there will be 4 in the air simultaneously; 2 in the Blenheim, 1 in the Lysander and the 1 in the Gladiator (photo). Should be good! They have a very mellow sound to them I think. #1 Be very afraid ... 😛 #2 @polybear #3 Because he doesn't do 7mm! So now the definition is published and you know. Next ....... ION I've just de-coked the coffee machine and now I suspect a day of unspecified pottering will ensue. Have a good one! TTFN