WCMUT....what cheered me up today

Cobra said:
Well it made me chuckle.
Two people side by side, obviously it was the "Early morning dog walk"

What made me chuckle? they were carrying the damned dog :D
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Poor sod had probably had enough. :)
 
Cobra said:
Well it made me chuckle.
Two people side by side, obviously it was the "Early morning dog walk"

What made me chuckle? they were carrying the damned dog :D
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nilagin said:
Poor sod had probably had enough. :)
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Perhaps 'he' had "Covid-19'itis paw" i.e. never been walked so much before and was suffering.....................................??? ;)
 
Last evening, I decided to make a stew... For tonight's tea.

So I slow cooked a casserole dish filled with steak and a couple of carrots, sprinkled with black pepper, barely covered by boiling water (2hrs @ 160, then turned the oven off with the casserole still in it). As ever it smelled amazing.

This evening, thickened the juices and added a smidge of Compton's Gravy Salt to enhance the gravy. Popped it back in the oven at 200 until it was bubbling nicely. Stuck six dumplings on the top & back in uncovered for 25 mins. Again it smelled amazing.

Timer went for serving time and plates of awesomeness served up to the omnivores in the house. Patterns on the plates in danger. Wonder why I don't do it more often?
 
Chef's privilege to know which of the dumplings is the biggest :cool:
 
Dumpling's privilege to know which chef's the biggest... ;)
 
Did a lovely chicken and mushroom risotto yesterday. One of those dishes that when I do make it think “that was lovely, should do it more often”....then don’t...
 
The other thing that cheers me up every day just now is that even though I'm still at work in a corona-filled hospital, there are a few spots on the drive in to work where I can park up and be in nature entirely alone for as long as I want - with the camera obvs. Photo ops don't always present themselves but if I didn't have the camera, they certainly would.

Have 4 plausible routes I can take to work (with about 3 or 4 variants of each) so it's not entirely samey every day either.

If I didn't get that alone outdoors time, I would probably be a gibbering wreck.
 
A bit of a chuckle more than anything.
As I noted elsewhere I had to enter that hostile environment known colloquially as Tesco.

To be fair it was all very civilised, apart from the 2 couples passing in an aisle..
How the devil are you ... not seen you in a long time .... Yada yada ya ...
Its nice to see some traditions are not dead in these trying times (y)

:rolleyes:

And then there was a woman who looked like she had escaped from a post apocalyptic film.
She certainly was no Milla Jovovich so I'm guessing she was "safe" :D
 
hunnymonster said:
The other thing that cheers me up every day just now is that even though I'm still at work in a corona-filled hospital, there are a few spots on the drive in to work where I can park up and be in nature entirely alone for as long as I want - with the camera obvs. Photo ops don't always present themselves but if I didn't have the camera, they certainly would.

Have 4 plausible routes I can take to work (with about 3 or 4 variants of each) so it's not entirely samey every day either.

If I didn't get that alone outdoors time, I would probably be a gibbering wreck.
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WCMU - your post above.

I hope you really do enjoy that "me" time as I am sure you are all aware - everyone thinks NHS are our heroes during normal times, more so now.
 
When at Tesco this morning, I was stopped as I was about to enter whilst they waited for a few more people to exit. The "doorman" said the majority of people were quite pleasant although he did have one bloke who had turned up to queue at 6:00am even though they were closed until 8:00am so the shelves could be restacked. He reckons the bloke started calling him a few choice names and swearing at him, because he wouldn't let him in.
 
We've always stopped to chat with the trolleymen at Sainsbury's and now have the queue monitors to converse with too. Having been in that sort of work, we know how much little things like being treated as humans rather than menials help pass the time.
 
Whenever I stay late at work and see the cleaning staff I always try and have a word, and if we have any cakes etc left over I tell them to take them home for their family. Suddenly these guys seem to be very important to our organisations.
 
Nod said:
We've always stopped to chat with the trolleymen at Sainsbury's and now have the queue monitors to converse with too. Having been in that sort of work, we know how much little things like being treated as humans rather than menials help pass the time.
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You're right, costs nothing to say hello, or even just a smile to acknowledge they are there. Thankfully the rude people are a rarity, but there are plenty of people who are just robots and ignore these people, that's almost just as rude.
 
MatBin said:
Whenever I stay late at work and see the cleaning staff I always try and have a word, and if we have any cakes etc left over I tell them to take them home for their family. Suddenly these guys seem to be very important to our organisations.
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We have cleaners at work throughout the day, when I worked in the stamping plant at Dagenham, we had one cleaner whose job was to sweep up any mess we made, usually dwarf and dust, and empty the dustbins. We used to take it in turns to buy cakes and if the cleaner was around would offer him one. We soon learned he loved donuts so one day bought a bag just for him. He was over the moon and when he'd finished cleaning, walked away with his donuts and the biggest smile on his face.
 
Cobra said:
Really? :eek:

:D

( yes I did know what you meant, but that's no where near as funny )
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You don't know what we used to get up to at work. ;) :)

Why does auto correct always catch you out when you least expect it? ;) :(
 
nilagin said:
Why does auto correct always catch you out when you least expect it?
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Conversations are good, until auto correct decides to stick its ducking oar in ;)
 
Bit of an odd one.
Start of a 2 week "holiday", actually work has dried up and I cant justify wfh doing nothing and booking hours to the Client, so I volunteered to take 2 weeks off. They have a new project they want me to go onto in 2 weeks' time, although in the current climate I think that could be cancelled during the next 2 weeks. There's also talk of a 15% rate cut even if they want me.
All this sounds rather gloomy I suppose, so WCMU today, all of the above really, time I think to seriously consider hanging up the old programmers Oil & Gas hat and slide off into retirement. Don't have to justify leaving a well paid job as the job wont be there, I can have a clear conscience on that one.
Still feel pretty active and once this CV rubbish is out of the way I can figure out what to do outside of the house. I am lucky and I have an enormous amount to feel grateful for, on the photography front I have a new (to me) bike and flip-front crash helmet (so I can take photos without removing the lid) and a couple of nice little Fujis. Will see about a keep fit regime, to shed a few pounds (I havent that many to lose, so should be easy enough).

All in all rather looking forward to it, assuming CV doesn't kill me first of course :)

Stay safe everyone.
 
Sounds like a plan. Hope it all goes well for you.

I have passed up the chance to take voluntary redundancy combined with early retirement, three times in the last 7yrs. I am kind of wishing I had done it now.
 
One of my work mates decided to take early retirement months ago with departure date last week, he's probably wishing he'd stayed on and got made redundant as I think it will be on the cards for some of the "staff" people with the downturn in the Oil price/demand.
 
nilagin said:
Sounds like a plan. Hope it all goes well for you.

I have passed up the chance to take voluntary redundancy combined with early retirement, three times in the last 7yrs. I am kind of wishing I had done it now.
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I took my chance at 50 and took 'a pension enhanced' early retirement; I lasted 9 months, got bored and got a new, almost completely different job which I stayed at for a further 12 years before retiring properly at 62. It was the best move I could have done , I went from working away, long hours, rarely switching off with lots of travel (UK & international) to an 8am to 4pm job where I left almost everything behind me when I closed the door behind me. I got my life back......
 
broc said:
I took my chance at 50 and took 'a pension enhanced' early retirement; I lasted 9 months, got bored and got a new, almost completely different job which I stayed at for a further 12 years before retiring properly at 62. It was the best move I could have done , I went from working away, long hours, rarely switching off with lots of travel (UK & international) to an 8am to 4pm job where I left almost everything behind me when I closed the door behind me. I got my life back......
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I was offered voluntary redundancy / early retirement at 50 but the pension was deferred until I reached 55. Although the redundancy package was very good, there was no way it was going to last 5yrs and leaving the company would have likely meant working alot harder for alot less money. So I stayed on, retrained in a new role, which paid 5% more and in a much more relaxed atmosphere, so relaxed, we refer to it as the retirement home. Although it is still 8hr shifts, I finish at 3:00pm on early shift and start at 2:45pm on late shift so with free time during the day to do things I want to do, it feels like a part time job. Makes it hard to want to leave.
 
A few things today

E-mail from English Heritage to say due to Covid we'll receive an extra 3 months membership (when we renew)

E-mail from my car insurance company, £167 for the year, happy days, driving a classic has it perks, not that I'll be doing it much.

Checked my MOT expiry date and it has indeed been extended 6 months until october, which is perfect for taking it back off the road for winter.
 
Got wind of a garden centre (family run local business) that is still open so managed to get a few tomato and strawberry plants as well as some courgette seeds. We're usually away when toms and courgettes need attention so didn't grow the toms from seed when it would have been ideal to sow them. Helps pass some time too.
 
Seeing the first wild bluebells of this year, spring is here
 
Went for a slightly longer walk today up onto the moor and was rewarded by a great display by a sky dancer. And before the PC brigade pipe up it's a 5 min walk from my front door and about a 20-30 min walk to the top of the hill, just glad I don't live in a large urban area.
 
Went for a walk in my back garden today, I followed our lawn mower up & down, up & down..... I walked 5.5km according to my Fitbit. (I cut the grass twice). The mower even started almost straight away after I squirted the air intake with carburettor cleaner :) Usually it takes a lot more persuasion after 4-5 months of standing idle.
 
Ours started first press of the button. Must be almost 100 yards to cut both patches...

WCMUT was bodging our old strawberry planter into use after snapping its base off trying to straighten it. Pics in photos for pleasure.
 
The centre where I go for physio/exercise class has been closed for 3 weeks but the physiotherapist set up a class from her home using zoom this morning. Really enjoyable and good to chat to other people (18 attendees)
 
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WCMUT was Mrs Nod getting the grant e-mail for small businesses receiving rate rebates. Application in, waiting for the BACS deposit...
 
Marc said:
The centre where I go for physio/exercise class has been closed for 3 weeks but the physiotherapist set up a class from her home using zoom this morning. Really enjoyable and good to chat to other people (18 attendees)
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Mrs Nod's doing online Yoga classes via Zoom and opens/closes the session about 1/2 hour before/after for the students to chat. They seem to enjoy that aspect of it as much as the sessions themselves! (Typical feedback seems to be thanks, I really ache now!)
 
At times I can be like Mr Bean when doing DIY jobs. Today I managed to install an integrated dishwasher. Bought a new door. The previous owners ran off with the integrated one they had.

Almost finished it’s first use run and not a single leak. So far. Waiting for disaster.
 
Nod said:
Mrs Nod's doing online Yoga classes via Zoom and opens/closes the session about 1/2 hour before/after for the students to chat. They seem to enjoy that aspect of it as much as the sessions themselves! (Typical feedback seems to be thanks, I really ache now!)
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Yes, the social side is very important. I can exercise at home on my own but I really miss the social side and the structure of the classes.
 
omens said:
At times I can be like Mr Bean when doing DIY jobs. Today I managed to install an integrated dishwasher. Bought a new door. The previous owners ran off with the integrated one they had.

Almost finished it’s first use run and not a single leak. So far. Waiting for disaster.
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Very naughty, fixed items such as that are supposed to remain unless specifically listed as "going" I believe, or that was the situation last time I moved.
 
My 18yr old daughter filled the dishwasher and set it of. An hour or so later her older sister came in from the kitchen "dad, there's foam on the kitchen floor", I go into the kitchen and see what could only be described a foam party scene. The youngest had a brilliant idea to put not one but two washing machine pods (not dishwasher tablets) in the dishwasher because " the plates looked greasy"..............
 
MatBin said:
Very naughty, fixed items such as that are supposed to remain unless specifically listed as "going" I believe, or that was the situation last time I moved.
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The problem is that we viewed the house almost six years ago and neither the missus nor I can recall if there was a freestanding, semi-integrated or fully integrated dishwasher.

There was extra pipework under sink and an electrical socket so there definitely was a dishwasher. There are screw holes in the surrounding frame so unlikely to have been freestanding. Which means either semi- or fully-integrated. I wouldn’t have cared that they took the dishwasher. I was more annoyed they took the door too.

Currently the new door is the same colour but similar design to the remaining cupboards. Couldn’t find a match anywhere for the actual door. Also had to import the door handle from America because I couldn’t find the matching handles here in the UK.

At first glance, everything looks the same but you need to look only for a second at the right door to notice the difference.
 
omens said:
The problem is that we viewed the house almost six years ago and neither the missus nor I can recall if there was a freestanding, semi-integrated or fully integrated dishwasher.

There was extra pipework under sink and an electrical socket so there definitely was a dishwasher. There are screw holes in the surrounding frame so unlikely to have been freestanding. Which means either semi- or fully-integrated. I wouldn’t have cared that they took the dishwasher. I was more annoyed they took the door too.

Currently the new door is the same colour but similar design to the remaining cupboards. Couldn’t find a match anywhere for the actual door. Also had to import the door handle from America because I couldn’t find the matching handles here in the UK.

At first glance, everything looks the same but you need to look only for a second at the right door to notice the difference.
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We moved a cupboard to make way for a tall cupboard in our kitchen about 5 yrs after we moved in, fortunately the manufacturer was still in business, it was a custom built job bought by previous owner, so we were able to get a cupboard and doors to match (painted fronts, so colour match wasnt an issue), but the first thing I thought of when you said "new cupboard door" was I wondered if the door matched :)
 
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