Reply to: test please delete

[NickFitz]

I finished Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs, which didn’t really work out well for anyone. Still hasn’t, in fact

At least Putin will be unhappy about this evening's news from Hungary

Monday again tomorrow, but I’m off for a week after this one’s done - ten whole days, in fact!

Goodnight all

[NickFitz]

I've been known to take a club hammer to stuff that does that. .

The really irritating one was a CO monitor from the parents' house that I'd moved over here in a cardboard box of junk I'd put in the "office".

Took a while to find that. .

Particularly since it went beep once every 5 minutes.

One of the smoke detectors upstairs has a funny five minutes every now & again: the last time it did it was ?Thursday? morning at about 06:30ish.

The only good thing about it was that I'd been awake & reading a book since 05:55.

Though banging my head on the top of the door jamb didn't improve my temper much.

This one was still flashing its red LED every minute even though it was supposedly off, and still occasionally chirping - the manual says it should do it every forty seconds, but it was more like every forty minutes. I tried pressing the central button, which supposedly silences the low battery alarm, but instead it deafened me with test beeps. As it was in the way, I slotted it back on to the baseplate, and it’s been fine ever since! So I now have no idea what its doing

On closer examination, the label on the back says 2033, not 2023; same on the smoke detector in the hall. But the new ones are on their way, so at least I’ll have them in reserve if it turns out to be fine now

[NickFitz]

Tea has been chicken casserole with chips and peas

To go with it, the latest episode of Ambulance

However, just after I started eating and watching, iPlayer started spinning its spinny thing and further investigation revealed that the Internet had disappeared

Off to the hall cupboard, where it became apparent that there was no power to the socket where it’s plugged in. I got a light from the bedroom and checked, and it was definitely the socket. Further investigation showed that one of the circuit breakers in the fusebox had tripped, so I flipped it back on - and after a few seconds, it tripped again

I had a good idea what it was then. A few weeks ago, one of the rings on the hob started sparking its electric spark regularly but intermittently when the knob wasn’t held down, but it trailed off after a while. Just as I’d got dinner ready, it started doing it again, but I figured I’d ignore it until I’d eaten. Clearly there’s a deeper problem though, as once I’d turned the hob off at the wall and flipped the circuit breaker back on, it stayed on, and I was able to plug the Internet back in and get on with dinner

The only thing the hob uses electricity for is the spark thing, so I’m not going to bother investigating any further tonight. I’ll have to find a lighter somewhere, or a box of matches; I’m sure I’ve got one or the other. When I have time, I’ll see if I can work out what’s wrong, or if I need to call a service engineer out for it

As to why the socket in the hall cupboard is on a different circuit to the adjacent living room but the same one as the distant kitchen: who knows?

[DoctorStrangelove]

Lunch has been some leftover Thai bits



I took it down - it just twists off the baseplate - and found that it should have been replaced by late 2023! I assume the smoke detector in the hall is of similar vintage. Replacements that fit the same baseplate have been ordered and will be here tomorrow

According to the manual, taking it down should disconnect the battery. But it’s still making occasional chirping noises as it sits on the side

I've been known to take a club hammer to stuff that does that. .

The really irritating one was a CO monitor from the parents' house that I'd moved over here in a cardboard box of junk I'd put in the "office".

Took a while to find that. .

Particularly since it went beep once every 5 minutes.

One of the smoke detectors upstairs has a funny five minutes every now & again: the last time it did it was ?Thursday? morning at about 06:30ish.

The only good thing about it was that I'd been awake & reading a book since 05:55.

Though banging my head on the top of the door jamb didn't improve my temper much.

[NickFitz]

Lunch has been some leftover Thai bits

The heat detector in the kitchen has started making an annoying chirping noise every few minutes, suggesting its battery is on the way out. So I’m going to have to deal with that at some point

I took it down - it just twists off the baseplate - and found that it should have been replaced by late 2023! I assume the smoke detector in the hall is of similar vintage. Replacements that fit the same baseplate have been ordered and will be here tomorrow

According to the manual, taking it down should disconnect the battery. But it’s still making occasional chirping noises as it sits on the side

[xoggoth]

Volunteery thing at local nature reserve this morning, trundling wheelbarrows full of mulch. Pure coincidence I was behind a youngish big bummed lady wearing thin lycra on a few occasions.

[NickFitz]

Morning denizens

It’s a cloudy and blustery day, but we don’t have any rain, and only a 15-20% chance of some showers later. It’s 9°C but “feels like” 1°, and is aiming for a high of 11°; the barometers are creeping back up at 995/1003mB

[ladymuck]

Yesterday was sunny with spits of rain. Warm if not caught by the very strong, and cold, wind. 13 degrees.

Today has also started sunny with lumps of fluff. Currently 11 degrees with a high of 14 expected. Barometer at 1011 mBar.

Sunrise 06:12; Sunset 19:33 BST

Yesterday HWMBO and I went to see a 'performance' by the youtuber behind the channel RobWords and it was very entertaining. Afterwards we went for a couple of cocktails and then for a very delicious dinner at Norma.

Today we will be heading down to see Mum.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Morning.

Sunday.

The Finals dream again: this one involved microwave filter design or some such. Very odd. Something I've never done anything significant with. A box with internal baffles & various coupling holes. No idea WTAF that came from.

Wet.

Grey.

Wanly sunny.

Almost chilly in here at 14.7 deg, 13 in the kitchen, 12.5 in the leanto.

1003 mBar, 29.62 in Hg, 752.3 Torr, 14.55 psi, (up from 1000 last night), 65% RH (Lidl electric).

Meanwhile on the 24th of March 2020 see above.

Hammering down. But at least it's not hail.

Hammering down again. .

Lunch: brunch. Entertainment: my tinnitus which is particularly there this morning due to the right ear being blocked. I do miss the days when you could get your ears syringed at the local health centre.

Hammering down: hail.

Sun's out.

Walk (unabbreviated, towpath) walked in the sunshine and cold breeze. Actually warmed up towards the end & had to open my jacket to cool down a little.

Little family of ducklings spotted above the lock.

Worryingly there's only one nesting swan: dunno what's happened to the other one. 8 eggs in the nest.

Now getting outside a mug of consistent yet mediocre coffee.

Watched yet another ep of "Inside Trump's Head" on youtube: this one was debating WTF Mellania was up to with that statement she made the other day.

Tea: beans on toast plus baked spud and a frankfurter. Nice enough.

Entertainment: book.

Beyond Skinwalker Ranch: more of that battulip crazy Blaze stuff.

Sergeant Cork S3 E12 "The case of the Killer's Mark".

Blaze: Ancient unexplained files E3.

[NickFitz]

Monkey Life was back after last week’s inexplicable hiatus, making the TV not entirely useless

And in the Rasputin book, he’s been murdered by a bunch of aristocrats who were wholly unsuited to the task and made a right mess of it

Very windy out, and likely to rain soon

Goodnight all

[NickFitz]

Tea tonight was brought to me from the Thai restaurant in town. Very nice indeed, and they didn’t forget the rice this time

[xoggoth]

Nice sunny circular work with younger, not loony, lady followed by cuppa tea and small apple pie with cream at my dump. No unavoidable mud at long last.

[NickFitz]

Afternoon denizens

Sunny and Simpsonesque out, and there’s a bit of a breeze. As a result, the current 10°C “feels like” 3°; the expected high is 11°. The barometers are plummeting though: down to 992/1000mB, and a 70% chance of rain tomorrow

The heat detector in the kitchen has started making an annoying chirping noise every few minutes, suggesting its battery is on the way out. So I’m going to have to deal with that at some point

[WTFH]

Afternoon all
Light rain overnight, then dry on our walk, but since then we’ve had a heavy hail shower. Currently trying to build up the enthusiasm to start tidying/clearing a shed.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Morning.

Saturday.

Dry.

Sunny.

Blue sky in parts.

Chillier in here at 14.9 deg, 13 in the kitchen, 12 in the leanto.

1000 mBar, 29.53 in Hg, 750 Torr, 14.5 psi, (down from 1001 last night), 65% RH (Lidl electric).


Meanwhile on the 24th of March 2020 as well as an SMS from Boris, AndyGarbs, covbob, DaveB, openstrike, NF, quackhandle, WTFH, and I popped in. The amount of Good Glengettie Tea consumed was corrected from 1.05 pints (Septic) to 0.91 pints (Imperial) as is only rite and proper, having actually measured the quantity involved using a measuring cylinder as being 520ml.

Hail.

Lunch: brunch. Entertainment: FOOC. noon o'clock news.

More hail.

April showers with added hail.

Freecell score: 85%, running average: 84%

Walk (abbreviated due to frost bite) walked in the cold howling gale.

Stone me, it's better to have a gun scarf and not need it, rather than need a gun scarf and not have it.

Couldn't feel my hands for much of the time dspite having gloves on.

No chance of sweating today.

Freecell score: 83%, running average: 84%.

Tea: soup. Nice enough, though not the kind I usually have, having opened The Wrong Can on Thursday.

Entertainment: PM.

A look at life: fragrances/perfumes.

Maigret S4 E4 "The Lost Life". The one about the dead girl dumped on the street.

Book. Other book.

More bollox on Blaze: Dennis Quaid, followed by a thing about the Celts.

A look at life: The Design Council. The Duke of Edinburgh's award for elegance in design. Lord Snowdon.