@oldles
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When he announced this terminal stage a while back, I told him he has to wait to see my “Birthday video”, a big one this time as it will be me emerging as an octogenarian. Silly bugger went two weeks early.
I had noticed he was quiet recently and wondered.
What with the long term absence of VFM (anybody hear anything?) the sparks have gone from here, and now no Bob to shout up.
I guess he is missed already. I don’t suppose my condolencies will reach the right people, but they are here nonetheless.
Les. (who mostly lurks now).
Ed, overnight in the bottom oven of our Rayburn will make ANYTHING tender.
There is a Peacock arrived recently around here. In my opinion he would fit in there beautifully, but Tamara forbids it.
Les.
I seem to recall the effects of climate change were predicted to have all sorts of changes, wet years, hot years, cold years etc.
All to do with the high altitude winds, being deflected off there normal annual patterns. I forget the actual explanation, but it made sense at the time. I was only musing yesterday about the rhyme we learned as kids,
January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow,
February brings the rain, thaws the frozen lakes again,
March brings breezes, loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil
April brings the primrose sweet, scatters daisies at out feet.
etc., etc..
All of those have been mostly wrong for a number of years now.
Tomatoes, yes, ours are still diminutive, Tamara says not worth bothering with. We have some dahlias, lifted at the back end, waiting to awaken.
They are dead, she pronounced weeks ago. Just leave them alone and wait I insisted. Last week the big red one showed signs of life, so is now in a large pot outside.
Today she told me the yellow one was showing life.
Cold though this year is (and it did not stop me getting out on the bike this morning as usual) it comes nowhere near to 1963 for prolonged cold. I remember that well, I took as photo of 10′ drifts that forced me to go to work a different route.
Les.
Bob, yes, thought about it. In a discussion on SLEEP last night on R4, analogy was made between short term memory as RAM, and long term memory as “The hard drive”. I often use that myself, and I equate Mind to Hard Drive. I reckon I have a pretty damn big and full one, but when the big day comes, if it is found, there will be a damn big, hard 6″ nail right through it. I really think there is nothing else. I have a lot of quite specific knowledge in mine, and if I have not recorded it for others to read, it will be gone for good.
Les.
Bob, very best wishes of course. Just don’t forget I expect a response from you to my next linked video. Watch out on or about the calens of July.
Sorry, but I am afraid that when my time comes, like the rest of us, that will be it. No “hanging around in a different guise”, no repeat of all our mistakes, simply final. I may be a bit of a physicist, but predominantly a REALISTIC motorcyclist. Les.
Les.
Kieth, when you wrote “Duno why, but when ever I stay somewhere new I have to take an antihistermine other wise: snot attack.”, I thought maybe I know why.
I stopped at my sister’s about 15 years ago. The spare bedroom was FULL of junk, and I had to climb over stuff to get in bed. I was snotty at the time. A couple of months later, the same routine, but this time the bed had not been re-made. She said nobody else had used it. Snotty again. I had stopped at a farm guest house previously, all clean, but snotty of course.
Next time across, I stopped with my sister in law. I know her house is clean. Clean, not immaculate or smelling of chlorine, just healthily clean. But once more I was snotty.
I told her all this, and she asked if I was dressed differently to usual. Clean shirt etc., and I had my “best” Harris tweed jacket.
She divested me of it, put it in her tumble drier without heat, and left it most of the day. Snotty solved!
Since then, if ever I plan to wear anything that has languished in my wardrobe for a month or more, I put it on a hanger outside, in the green house, or the porch depending on circumstances.
Anything hanging in my wardrobe, open or in a proper “jacket bag”, will get me snotty if I don’t hang it somewhere fresh for a couple of days. I wear my “best” HT all the time now, probably for the last 7 years, and really should get a new best, but I suspect it could cost close on a grand. Unfortunately, I can not buy “off the shelf”, nothing fits.
Anyway, consider carefully if YOU are the cause of snotty, not the room you stay in.
Les.
Dave, that is great. Yes, still same address. Any extra for postage? I will have your paypal details somewhere.
6GB it will be then. I have ordered a 240 GB SSD, so that should satisfy Tamara (I hope).
Cheers, Les.
I have been thinking of a new SSD to replace the HDD, but PCCheck did give both the RAM and HDD a clean bill of health.
Just to clarify, it is ONLY 2GB. I can go for another 2GB to give 4GB, or I could get one or two 4GB to give 6 or 8GB total.
Recently Mint 19.x has updated to 20 via their system updates, and I suspect that may have been the point at which she started to have problems. I was intending to do a clean install last night, but it refused.
Yes, I will get her an SSD. Dave, if you do have any, please let me know. Will 4GB total be enough, or do I go to 6 or 8GB?
Cheers, Les.
There is a guy in the US with whom I have communicated a many times (Motor cycle matters) but he recently “went quiet”.
Today he was back, having thought he had covid-19 for the last month. Tests were negative for Covid. He bought some N95 respirators early on from China (I think China, certainly far East) and wore them 8 to 10 hours daily. It seems his “not covid-19” problem was caused by inhaling something mildly toxic (to him) from the respirators. Formaldehyde was suggested, but it was decided the problem developed much slower that they thought it would have done had it been that.
Samples have been sent for analysis, but no results as yet.
It seems you can be ill if you get it, or ill if you don’t get it. Funny thing is this CV19.
Les.
When I moved into a “Just done up” cottage 50 years ago, a couple of months in, I heard running feet and gnawing. Definitely rats, I thought. No cockloft entrance, since no proper roof space. I got one of the works carpenters to come and cut me a suitable access. I got a piece of wood onto which I screwed both a mouse trap and a rat trap. –Covering all possibilities. The piece of wood in case a big rat caught his foot and dragged the trap away.
Shortly after we went to bed, I heard a “Click”, got up, climbed up to look, and there was a tiny little mouse. Over the next two days, I caught two more, and that was that.
Over here I have had two similar events, once in the attack (similarly small, and again three caught. The next time, there was a scratching sound just above my head whilst I was in the living room. Strange! There is no space between ceiling and bedroom floor! The foul pipe from the upstairs toilet runs in a roughly 5″ x 7″ wooden channel across to the rear of the cottage and away to the main foul drain. How had they got in there? There is a point where the wire from the earth rod enters by the door, and there was that pencil sized hole Dave mentioned. The buggers had got in there. I had to remove a piece of wood (2″ x 5″) where the duct narrowed by 2″, just managed to slide in my “Little Nipper” mouse trap with a bit of raison or something on it. Within five minutes, the familiar Click meant number one was caught. Another half hour and the second. This time I thing there were only the two.
The “Little Nipper” was a commonly available trap, maybe still is, but I did find they were not very sensitive, so I used to “tune them” before use, so that the slightest weigh set them off. That usually meant a matchstick glued by the crude sawcut where the bait plate pivoted.
Forget about rats, forget about cameras, forget about poisons. Just set a trap, if they are there you will catch them.
I don’t think you will get starlings in there this time of the year. During the nesting season, they will get in if there is a big enough hole, but you will see them. When I was a kid, we lived in and old house, Victorian, or maybe Georgian, with sagging rafters and holes in the soffits. I climbed in, having seen starlings enter. As I crawled over the rafters, they knew something was there, and flew out. I was patient. 5 mins, in comes starling. Grab, got it! I let it go, and blocked the entrance hole.
The nest was about a foot high, obviously used year upon year.
Les.
Bob, what can I say? You have my best wishes. You seem to have had a sh*t of a time recently. You make me feel guilty for getting out on the ;bike while you are stuck there. I thought of you a week ago when it was my b’day. I did a little video, not the same as last year’s log splitting. Just stay around and I will do another one next year “just for you”.
Keep smiling you owd bugger.
Les.
Ed, I first came across this in the ’60s, where I knew it as a “saturable reactor”. Back then electric kilns were controlled by ON/OFF switching. Sometimes individual elements or zones, sometime the whole lot. At the time I was located on the “Shelly” factory site. Post war, the company had taken two routes. Bone china as for the previous 50 years, but one of the family, Donald Shelley was very technically competent and designed and built his own “Top Hat” electric intermittent kilns. The biscuit firing kilns were designed to heat up to final temperature in 24 hours. A supply of around 80v was required to achieve this, so each kiln had a transformer with secondary tappings. Depending on conditions, including ageing of the Kanthal elements, the tapping could be changed for faster or slower firing. My parent company took over Shelleys, but the kiln side was separated from the china side, and this was when I arrived, taking responsibility for all firing amongst other things. I was developing an interest in kiln technology, so looked into the possibility of improving the control, discovering this technology. In fact it was quickly decided to replace these electric fired kilns with gas fired ones, so that went no further.
A dozen years later, when I got into colour TV, I specialised in the Grundig CTVs with their thyristor line output stage. The control of the line amplitude was affected by DC control of an intermediate control transformer.
My Pal Martin has a 40+ year old US made “Miller” TIG welder. A foot operated control regulates a DC current through a limb of a big wound component. same technology.
Les.
Early reports suggested this started (infecting humans) in China sometime between early and late November. Looking at the log graph of the early Chinese deaths suggested to me that around mid Nov was most likely. Obviously no “Official bells” were rung, so many Chinese and visitors to China had the probability of carrying it out of China to other countries. On that basis expect more cases to be found from early to mid December surely.
Les. Edit, insert missing word and missing letter.
I suppose the easiest way is to link the originating page:-
https://covid19.gov.im/general-information/latest-updates/
It is more difficult to see than the one i prepared. I had copied the image into DRAW, expanded and exported as a pdf.
Les.
No idea why my attachments won’t attach. The first was a pdf, the second a jpeg, both less than 50 Kbs
Les.
I will try that again.
My mother used to say “It is an ill wind which blows no good”. She meant that there is usually some small good associated.
With so many at home, some are catching up on stuff long since in round tuit pile. As you probably all know, I developed a rotary converter to produce 415v three phase a few years ago. It sells steadily, probably better than one per week over the last 7 years. my “bit of good” is big increase in sales. 4 since Friday as well as the two earlier last week. I just hope I stay clear and last the crisis out to feel the full benefits.
Isle of Man update. from this coming Friday, restrictions will slacked a little, namely construction and (plant) nurseries. Not sure if the latter will be “click and collect”, but I guess there will be a pent up response.
Our confirmed cases now up to just 300. Nine have died, the bulk being “in the community”, which is a weasily way of saying in a Care Home.
I am attaching a graph showing the results, together with the”theoretical graphs”. (big hump, controlled smaller hump, and very low hump). More importantly, the daily numbers (light blue crosses) and some averages in green. Not easy to follow without expanding, but it looks good from where I stand.
Edp, that has been my thinking. If we are all in the same boat, then we ARE all in the same boat. Of course there is the one significant point, we will all have a big ongoing debt built up. No point in everybody devaluing either.
The few people who come out of this well, are the old buggers like me, PROVIDING we see it through in one piece. Of course for those who don’t, a Government win.
Until my prediction comes true of 80% reducing to 60/70%, and pensions being chopped likewise.
Quite frankly, other than not being able to get out on the bike, my life has not changed by barely more than a jot.
I see Trumpton is going to switch the US back on in 16 days time! The man beggars belief.
Les.
Edp, Yes, I heard about the Chinese stuff. I imagine we are all grateful to hear of it, but the idea of Putin giving Humanitarian aid to a President who does not believe the pandemic really exists.
It seems our own chief minister is apparently self isolating, so not just BoJo et al.
WoF, typically I can’t see or watch your Utube offering. “Not available in your area” is the message.
C’est la vie.
Les.
I thought I would just muse on a few things.
First, this I loved. Putin sends humanitarian assistance to Trumpton, by way of ventilators etc.
Friday last week I went to Muffins, (baker/patisserie) in Peel, only to find it closed. I usually get one of their fine vanilla slices as a Friday treat, but not for a while now it seems. They make and sell a large amount of bread and it is well regarded. When I got to my Friday supermarket, the first 2m lines on the floor to keep us apart. No pasta (I did not want any, just took note), and when I got further around, a notice by the bread flour said “One bag per customer only”. Peel is a small city / town (it DOES have a small “Cathedral”), and no doubt the loss of Muffins is one factor, likely that home bread making is increasing.
No frozen veg (which I still need), but once again, Bog rolls galore.
On Wednesday, Co-op in Ramsay is the shop of choice. A general “Two of any items only”, but when I got to the flour, there was a one bag only on the “normal” flour. Bread flour was on the shelves. So, is the whole nation becoming one of bread and cake making?
I have been thinking about this 80% of wages thing. The general populace will not be going to their footy matches, buying new TVs and Furniture in the local shops, and frankly NOTHING in their local shops other than food and medicines. If this goes on for long, that 80% will stretch well beyond needs, and savings will increase. Until the Gov cottons on, then it will fall to 60 or 70%.
All the wrinklies like some of us will not know what to spend it on! Will pensions follow suit?
Isle of Man had its first death from CV19 yesterday. I wonder how many more. Total cases here 95 so far. Since IoM is NOT part of the UK, are our figures included with yours? We certainly do not get a mention in the JHU data.
My Saturday motor cycle rides are obviously now verboten, but I did make a point of changing the clock on the Alazzurra after the weekend. Was it worth doing, or will I need to change it to GMT next time I ride it?
When I took that last ride two weeks ago, I had a strong twinge of backache as I put on my boots. Not something that normally bothers me. Anyway, if you want to know why, look here:–
Cheers, Les.
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