WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

The speed with which the endoscopy unit agreed with me yesterday. They are at the sharp end and can see how things are developing. I suspect that everything bar essential cancer treatment in serious cases is going to be shut down very soon. I agree with that.
I went on to the Town Square yesterday for some food shopping and noticed that the older end were practising separation but a cluster of school age children, about eight of them, were in close contact joking and laughing as they used their mobile phones.

[Big Kev]

Further to the ongoing water ingress above the front window, my builder has stripped out the old pointing (that didn't look that old) and identified a 5ft long gap just below the upstairs cill. 99.9% certainty this is where the water was getting in. Social distancing was maintained throughout the job and payment will be by bank transfer, just need it to rain next week to test it

[plaques]

and identified a 5ft long gap just below the upstairs cill. 99.9% certainty this is where the water was getting in.

I thought this was the intended design to support the cill at the ends and then plug the rest with an edge filler to stop water blowing in. Bedding it down along its full length doesn't allow it to tilt with any wall movement.

[Big Kev]

It's a big lump of stone, the gap was on the course below which has a very slight 'backward tilt' on it (it's an old house). There was still water in the joint when they cut it out.

[Tizer]

I went on to the Town Square yesterday for some food shopping and noticed that the older end were practising separation but a cluster of school age children, about eight of them, were in close contact joking and laughing as they used their mobile phones.

There's now a £30 fine for people who congregate in groups of three or more but I doubt there will be enough bobbies about to stop it.

Mrs Tiz decided to put in her usual order to Sainsbury's for delivery. She spent a while `putting all the items into the basket' and then clicked to order - that's when they told her she's not a priority customer so they can't deliver to us. I suggested that I registered and they might accept me because I'm over 70 but even if they did pass the order we now find it would be several weeks before we got it!

[Stanley]

Kev, I suspect that is my problem and have flagged it up to my builder. He takes his time but when he comes I will have the area between the cill of the top window and the head of the kitchen window cut out and re-pointed. I think what you have done will cure it.
News about my daughter being crook. I am trying to remember how long it is since we were in proximity, I think it is about ten days. Watch and wait...
The speed at which this affair is moving and how it's accelerating. I expect shock horror restrictions very soon.
Tiz, Susan was telling me yesterday (on the 'phone!) that she tried to order home delivery from Tesco and the first available slot was 14th of April, she didn't bother to pursue it.

[Big Kev]

Morrisons are offerring 'food boxes' with a next day delivery. You can't specify what's in them but they have, what is described as, essentials (toilry rolls, pasta, meat or veg based). £30 worth of food and a £5 next day delivery charge

Food Box

[Stanley]

That means I save £5 each time I take the short walk to the supermarket!

[Tizer]

Here's the latest on supermarkets...
`Coronavirus: Supermarkets limit shoppers as rules tighten' Supermarkets (I've posted it here instead of the covid topic topic because we've discussed supermarkets above.)

Later....At the end of our walk Mrs Tiz branched off to the little Tesco Express and managed to get 2 bottles of milk. She needed to pick up her glaucoma drops prescription from the chemist and was lucky - there were only 3 people queueing and they had plenty of paracetamol tablets. our lucky day! It's surprising what things give so much satisfaction at the moment. We've been lucky with our walks too. The weather here has been beautiful for several days now with no clouds and lots of sun and the opportunity to breathe in relatively unpolluted air. There's hardly anyone about and very little traffic - it's much safer crossing the roads!

[Stanley]

I agree with all that Tiz, our Barlick air is like wine. Evident from Flight Radar is that virtually all non domestic flights have ceased including what I believe were repatriation flights. The Canadian flight seem to be operating but much reduced.
One thing that strikes me is that demand for gas will be reduced because of the good weather and leccy demand must be down because of the reduction in economic activity so those supplies could be reasonably reliable. Good news for all the freezers full of perishable food!
The fat that when Margaret did a video call to me from Oz this morning my head was so full of Susan that I mistook her for Susan! (They do look more and more alike as they age....) Much hilarity about the old fart who can't tell his daughters apart! I think I am forgiven. (Mick and Susan are on 14 days isolation....)
How well I feel! But I am not counting my chickens, just being careful and strengthening my defences!

[Big Kev]

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Just about sums it up...

[plaques]

One of the best ever. Thanks Kev.

[Stanley]

I was talking to Uncle Bob yesterday and passed on the orange knob quote, he likes it. I asked him about Trump but he hasn't words to describe his feelings.... We talked about the Law of Unintended Consequences and he agrees with me that there are some surprising positive results even now from the Covid crisis. He said that one thing he has noted is the number of people who don't respond to a greeting while he is out walking. I told him that my experience is that here the opposite is true. Different folks.....

[PanBiker]

I always exchange greetings with anyone I meet when out walking, seldom get a grunt in return but have had one or two from the miserable brigade.

[Wendyf]

I do too Ian, even if people try not to make eye contact.

[Tizer]

We walk about a mile here every day and I'm glad to say that normally almost everyone we meet shares greetings with us. It's the same now except of course there are many fewer people about. I wonder if some don't understand that they can go for a walk?

[Marilyn]

I find there more people out walking than we generally see.
We always say Hello to everyone we pass, and those gardening or sitting out.

[Stanley]

Dandelion flowers fully open and turned to the sun! I sat on a bench opposite post office corner that was sheltered from the wind and in full sun. There is is some heat in it now.

[Tizer]

These photos will brighten anyone's day...
Scotland landscape photos

[PanBiker]

3am - all our smoke alarms going off, what a bloody racket! We have three, mains operated and linked, each with battery backup. I got up and first checked that the house wasn't actually on fire. Next step was to get the steps out, (good job they were to hand with our decorating) an try wafting them in turn to disturb the spider or dust that has triggered one of them, (all for one one for all). No luck, next try turning the mains supply off, daft really because I already know they have battery backup to guard against mains interruption. No different of course so back up the ladder and detach each one from their ceiling mount. I disconnected the mains feed from each, two of them stopped but one kept going. I removed its battery and it finally killed it!

No indication that it's battery was duff as they normally signal a low battery condition so it must be faulty in some way. I reckon it's time to replace them, they have been up since we had our loft conversion done which was about 25 years ago. They have worked well with a few battery changes whenever indicated until now.

All sorted in half an hour but I could have done without it. No problem getting back to sleep but I feel a bit drained this morning. We loose an hours sleep tonight as well, will have to go to bed earlier.

[Tizer]

You have our sympathy - we always have difficulty getting back to sleep after a loud disturbance.
Do the mains operated ones not have a button to press to switch them off like the battery ones do?

[Cathy]

Ian, glad that’s all it was and you are all OK.

Gosh, awesome photos , thanks Tize.

Here’s 2 photos taken from Esp Lane by Jack Parsons. Lovely.

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[PanBiker]

You have our sympathy - we always have difficulty getting back to sleep after a loud disturbance.
Do the mains operated ones not have a button to press to switch them off like the battery ones do?

No Tiz, they each have a button but it's only for self test. This type of linked mains detectors were stipulated on the building regs for our loft conversion. Also we had to have our bedroom window on the first floor changed so that it is a two way tilt or swing UPVC job so it can be fully opened to allow egress onto the flat kitchen roof from the first floor. The loft bedroom has two Velux windows one large normal cantilever and the other set lower on the roof which can be fully rotated and released to pivot at one end to allow an egress point onto the roof. The bathroom roof is below and then only a short hop down onto the kitchen roof. The loft door at the top of the stairs is a two hour fie door. In both cases you could be out of the building in less than a minute if push came to shove.

[plaques]

In both cases you could be out of the building in less than a minute if push came to shove.

From our bedroom window its only a 15 ft drop to the floor. That's only ½ second before you are on terra firma. Mind you it would take a big shove before I took this action.

[Stanley]

But if you hang on to the cill your feet are only about 7ft off the ground.....
Ian, Sod's Law states that the fault will only kick in during the night when you are asleep. Marvellous isn't it! Glad you sported it, 25 years doesn't sound bad.....
How much colder it was yesterday.