WCMUT....what cheered me up today

Bats at dusk :)

I have seen at dusk bats around but this evening with very good light spotted 4 to 5 bats quartering across a small'ish area of the nearby treeline....................they were there for about 5 mins in the end.

PS I hope their feeding patterns are predictable i.e. that they will be back tomorrow as I want to be ready with a camera next time :D
 
Good luck with that! I have a maternity roost in my roof each year and if you think some birds are fast................:)

Fast....oh yes they were...............but until the Swallows/Swifts et al return I can get some practice in and I might manage a couple of keepers :thinking::thinking::thinking: :D

But for now I would just like to see if they come back to the exact same hunting area ~ to give me a half a chance of capturing their presence :)

PS this evening they were 'working' quite a tight spacial area.
 
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That's batsh*t after dusk, Chris!

WCMUT was being able to put as much garlic into cooking as we like - no face to face teaching so fragrant (!) breath not a problem!!!
 
Bats at dusk :)

I have seen at dusk bats around but this evening with very good light spotted 4 to 5 bats quartering across a small'ish area of the nearby treeline....................they were there for about 5 mins in the end.

PS I hope their feeding patterns are predictable i.e. that they will be back tomorrow as I want to be ready with a camera next time :D

Like Jan said, good luck with that!

I managed a few shots way back in film days. Nowt spectacular but the bats were identifiable from the shots as far as species go (Horseshoe of some sort IIRC). There was a building at school where there was a big roost and the flightpath went over a footpath about 100 yards away from the roost. I guessed at how high they were flying, prefocussed and fired away in hope. Bulk loaded Tri-X pushed to 1600 ASA and a small flash got grainy but useable results. Unfortunately the negs and prints are lost in the mists of several house moves.
 
WCMUT?

A few random acts of selflessness today.

As you would imaging the roads are very quiet.
I saw a couple of BMW's in the nearside lane barely hitting the speed limit, even the one doing warp 9 returned to the nearside lane once he had gone past.

This allowed "Kevin" and his mates out and about in their Corsa's / Cleo's and the like, the opportunity to hog the outside lane even when there was nothing to overtake for miles :rolleyes:
( twas a long straight dual carriageway)
Well done BM's well done (y)
 
WCMUT was Mrs Nod getting through her first online class with no real problems (the only problems were at the other ends!) Zoom classes mean she should be able to keep at least a bit of cash flowing, even if it is a fraction of the normal income. At least she has (well, the business has) a decent amount to use for the time being and is debt free.
 
I'm actually finding confinement rather relaxing and surprisingly I'm much less stressed not having to run around. The weather has been nice so I regret not being able to go out for a walk with a camera but hey-ho.
 
Got a round-robin card through the door this morning from a local lady ."Hello..If you are self-isolating, I can help' Then her name/address/telephone number and stating that she can help with Picking up shopping-a friendly phone call-posting mail and urgent supplies. Just call or text meand I'll do my best to help you (free).This kind of response is going on over the country.

Rather cheering, I thought especially when you read what some people are doing .I've just posted a link in the PPE thread re a women in PA,USA deliberately coughing over supermarket food. I heard of a group of youths who spat at police and another incident in which two youths coughed in the face of a chap who punched them Lol. Here's another one https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52003543
 
On our regional news a reporter went out onto the streets of a town (I missed where it was) and was asking people about how they were coping with the restricted movements order..sounds less alarming than 'lockdown'... and then two female police officers came into the main street on horses so he took the opportunity to speak to one of them asking if all was going well and how they were dealing with any groups of youngsters. He must have got her name because it was written at the bottom of the screen.. PC Horsey :)

I'll bet she got some ribbing when she joined that unit.
 
:LOL: maybe phonetically ''right' but spelling wrong i.e. maybe PC Halsey.......just saying!
 
I had to visit our local pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for me & my wife. I drove there & back with the roof down (first time this year) on my Mini Convertible, stuck it in 'Sports' mode and gave it a bit of heavy right foot......my wife wondered why I was smiling when I got home.......
 
:LOL: maybe phonetically ''right' but spelling wrong i.e. maybe PC Halsey.......just saying!

‘Oh..did I misread it ? I recall having a laugh at it. From what you say then maybe someone In the studio putting the piece together for screening asked what her name was,then whoever it was said..as you say..phonetically, Horsey and it was written as that. Never mind,it gave me a laugh in these troubled times. :D
 
‘Oh..did I misread it ? I recall having a laugh at it. From what you say then maybe someone In the studio putting the piece together for screening asked what her name was,then whoever it was said..as you say..phonetically, Horsey and it was written as that. Never mind,it gave me a laugh in these troubled times. :D

I was only speculating..........the world is full of mis-heard names and words but I agree with you ~ if she really was PC Horsey, that catagorises as "you could not make it up......".
 
I had to visit our local pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for me & my wife. I drove there & back with the roof down (first time this year) on my Mini Convertible, stuck it in 'Sports' mode and gave it a bit of heavy right foot......my wife wondered why I was smiling when I got home.......

Amazing to get such good weather that you can drive with the roof down.

I also went to the pharmacy ....this morning ....and when I arrived I had to stand in a queue outside with people who had just come from the adjacent surgery. I could also see the queue outside the supermarket opposite where they were being let in one at a time as shoppers came out. When I got inside the pharmacy, also one at a time,I had to stand by a 3’ chrome pole with a notice on it..’Wait here until the counter is clear’ and when the person infront of me left I went to the counter but had to stand a metre or so away and they’d put up a 2’ Perspex screen. The staff wore surgical gloves.

I handed in my prescription,it will take a week before I can collect and picked up my wife’s prescription that she’d put in a week ago.
 
Amazing to get such good weather that you can drive with the roof down.

I also went to the pharmacy ....this morning ....and when I arrived I had to stand in a queue outside with people who had just come from the adjacent surgery. I could also see the queue outside the supermarket opposite where they were being let in one at a time as shoppers came out. When I got inside the pharmacy, also one at a time,I had to stand by a 3’ chrome pole with a notice on it..’Wait here until the counter is clear’ and when the person infront of me left I went to the counter but had to stand a metre or so away and they’d put up a 2’ Perspex screen. The staff wore surgical gloves.

I handed in my prescription,it will take a week before I can collect and picked up my wife’s prescription that she’d put in a week ago.
The temperature hit 17C I could have driven for miles.... but I did all of 4 miles round trip.
Our pharmacist was standing at the door of his pharmacy, nobody was allowed in. There was a short, well behaved queue of 3 people (including me) outside at approx 3m intervals. When it came to my turn, I asked him for our repeat prescriptions (ordered online 3 days ago), he went inside & reappeared a few minutes later with the items bagged & handed them over & off I went. Being over 60 there was no charge. The only downside is if you do have to pay he will only take cheques/cash, no card transactions which is a shame as people are forced to hand over money & accept change which flies against the recommendations for cashless transactions.
 
The temperature hit 17C I could have driven for miles.... but I did all of 4 miles round trip.
Our pharmacist was standing at the door of his pharmacy, nobody was allowed in. There was a short, well behaved queue of 3 people (including me) outside at approx 3m intervals. When it came to my turn, I asked him for our repeat prescriptions (ordered online 3 days ago), he went inside & reappeared a few minutes later with the items bagged & handed them over & off I went. Being over 60 there was no charge. The only downside is if you do have to pay he will only take cheques/cash, no card transactions which is a shame as people are forced to hand over money & accept change which flies against the recommendations for cashless transactions.


You did well with only a three day wait for collection.Even before this crisis..it is a crisis,I think..it could be five days if it included a weekend. No, we don't pay either. Marvellous when you think about it in relation to most other countries.I often think that when I'm waiting inside the pharmacy in normal times and watch them handing out the prescriptions with some people getting quite a large bag full. I think, great re the system and sorry for the person that they need so much.

I'm surprised at the cash/cheque rule because, as you say, cards are recommended to cut out contact with those taking payment and with the cashiers in the supermarkets. At our local Morrisons/Sainsburys/Asda/Tesco...no Waitrose here yet, that's in Stroud where they have more wealth than we do..lol.. it's cards, as far as I know
 
You did well with only a three day wait for collection.Even before this crisis..it is a crisis,I think..it could be five days if it included a weekend. No, we don't pay either. Marvellous when you think about it in relation to most other countries.I often think that when I'm waiting inside the pharmacy in normal times and watch them handing out the prescriptions with some people getting quite a large bag full. I think, great re the system and sorry for the person that they need so much.

I'm surprised at the cash/cheque rule because, as you say, cards are recommended to cut out contact with those taking payment and with the cashiers in the supermarkets. At our local Morrisons/Sainsburys/Asda/Tesco...no Waitrose here yet, that's in Stroud where they have more wealth than we do..lol.. it's cards, as far as I know
We are lucky, our GP surgery is in the same building as the pharmacy & normally a repeat prescription request is turned round within 48 hours, it was more for my convenience I left it 3 days. I feel sorry for those patients who have to pay, at around £10 a go it's a tax on the sick.
As far as not accepting card payments, it's their policy, no idea why. It's not as if he's a luddite, they are fully computerised, he has a robotic picking & dispensing system installed, it sounds like the automatic computer tape libraries I used to work with when I was a mainframe systems engineer.
 
I handed in my prescription,it will take a week before I can collect and picked up my wife’s prescription that she’d put in a week ago.

According to one of the pharmacies the doctor’s surgery my wife works at deals with there are a couple of reasons for wait times going up.

People are doing the equivalent of panic buying their medication by asking for a repeat well in advance of when they need it e.g. got 3 months supply a month ago but want 3 months more now.

For the pre-loaded dosette boxes of drugs they do for elderly and vulnerable people which are normally done just in time they are prepping multiple weeks worth in case they have staff off sick or isolating.
 
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it sounds like the automatic computer tape libraries I used to work with when I was a mainframe systems engineer.
Aha! Tape silos. Wonderful things - until someone messes with them. Of course, when enquiries are made no-one has been inside for days...

:tumbleweed:
 
Aha! Tape silos. Wonderful things - until someone messes with them. Of course, when enquiries are made no-one has been inside for days...

:tumbleweed:
I worked with both STK and IBM tape silos, as well as the IBM 3850 MSS, there was a beast if ever there was one.
 
We are lucky, our GP surgery is in the same building as the pharmacy & normally a repeat prescription request is turned round within 48 hours, it was more for my convenience I left it 3 days. I feel sorry for those patients who have to pay, at around £10 a go it's a tax on the sick.
As far as not accepting card payments, it's their policy, no idea why. It's not as if he's a luddite, they are fully computerised, he has a robotic picking & dispensing system installed, it sounds like the automatic computer tape libraries I used to work with when I was a mainframe systems engineer.

That's expensive for one item. I wonder how many people actually pay it ? There are quite a few exemptions ,fortunately. I'll take a look tomorrow.

The only other place I know that doesn't have a card reader is the camera/lens repair shop I go to but you can pay by cheque. It reminds me of a shop my wife went into,infact a couple,when we weree in Albufeira last year and we had to pay cash because the battery in the card reader had expired...yeah..lol. My wife wanted the blouse as they don't sell the style here otherwise I'd have said we have cash but not enough, maybe 10 Euros short..lol She bought a pair of sunglasses too..I recall now...that was the second shop and he also had a problem with his card reader and would only take cash. I think the Portuguese tax authorities are missing some income...regularly.Lol.
 
I was wrong, just checked, UK prescription charge is £9.15 per item from April 1st 2020 not 'around £10' as previously commented......

Still a lot though, especially if you need multiple items .......
 
According to one of the pharmacies the doctor’s surgery my wife works at deals with there are a couple of reasons for wait times going up.

People are doing the equivalent of panic buying their medication by asking for a repeat well in advance of when they need it e.g. got 3 months supply a month ago but want 3 months more now.

For the pre-loaded dosette boxes of drugs they do for elderly and vulnerable people which are normally done just in time they are prepping multiple weeks worth in case they have staff off sick or isolating.

I did wonder if that was the reason..ie people were worried that whilst the supplies might not be at risk delivering them might be. maybe they thought the supply would be at risk too.When my wife ordered hers over the phone (they don't answer the phoe now) she was asked when they ran out. Next Monday is the start of my last week of 2 monthly supplies.

The advanced prepping makes sense.
 
I was wrong, just checked, UK prescription charge is £9.15 per item from April 1st 2020 not 'around £10' as previously commented......

Still a lot though, especially if you need multiple items .......
Not UK prescription charge.
It's free up here in Scotland :)
 
I've just read about existing MOT's being extended for an additional 6 months due to COVID, mine runs next months so thats one less thing to worry about. (y)
 
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That's expensive for one item. I wonder how many people actually pay it?
I paid for them all my life until I hit 60 then 3 hrs later my particular medicine was taken off prescription only which meant I had to pay again, fortunately my Dr decided what I was on had become ineffective so he prescribed a different type so they are "free" again. Wife has always paid for hers too.
 
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Ordered THIS from Amazon yesterday at about 10:00. Arrived this morning at about 10:30 via Royal Mail. Should pass a few hours!
 
Not UK prescription charge.
It's free up here in Scotland :)
And in Wales & Northern Ireland.

Before anyone in England complains, it's the way the Prescription Pricing Authority charges the other parts of the UK so they break even or actually save money by dishing out the prescriptions for free.
 
Before anyone in England complains, it's the way the Prescription Pricing Authority charges the other parts of the UK
Of course we in England are happy to pay for your prescriptions
:p
 
The only prescription I need is Xalatan eyedrops for ocular hypertension (pre-glaucoma). £9 or so per teaspoonful makes printer ink look cheap but buying it (Xalatan) rather than getting it on prescription is eye watering (pun intended!)
 
Going through all the crap in the mancave and pulled out my old Playstation one, hooked it up and its alive. Soul Blade was already in it so had a good 10 min blast. Snes was there too but the av cable is missing, only one game but it would be great for a bit of retro gaming if it worked.
 
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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