How's your day?

[LizzieM 9,539]

Blow that for a game, we’ve ordered a skip to get rid of several weeks of garden waste.  Our garden bins (we have two) haven’t been emptied since the end of October, apart from an extra collection towards the end of November due to Mapperley Park having so many street trees.  In March we had a skip plus made a few trips to the tip before it closed because we (well mainly our gardener) did some severe pruning, much to my annoyance, but that’s another story.  The heavy pruning plus the felling of an almost dead tree has continued during lockdown and we have more than enough to fill another skip.  It pains us to need to pay for it but don’t really want a dozen or so trips to the tip, wrecking the interior of the cars in the process.  Skip due to arrive tomorrow, yippee!  

[MargieH 7,617]

We must be very fortunate out her in the fens because our bin and black bag collections have continued all the way through lockdown.  We have a green top bin for garden waste and a blue top bin for all recycling.  Each is collected on alternate weeks.  The black bags are for general waste and are collected every week.

The recycling centres opened last week and it seems there are few problems ....some cars having to queue up but only about a ten minute wait.

Not going for a walk today as it's going to be too hot !   The house needs a good clean anyway so may do that instead.  What an exciting life I lead 

[nonnaB 4,913]

Us too Margie, we expected no collection due to lockdown but it continued. Expect everyone had more rubbish than normal. We have a bottle bank just down the road so it's quite handy due to the amount of wine bottles we've got through. Don't usually drink wine when I'm home alone but must say I've enjoyed a glass at mealtimes. Now racks are empty so it's water water water. Don't mind though.

[Brew 5,481]

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUCEMENT:

Superglue that is out of date will not sick plastic but retains an excellent ability to stick fingers!

 

Bored today so decided to make a sundial, as you do. To this end and in the best Blue Peter fashion I cut up a Lurpak tub for a gnomon, the top of a tub of fence paint for the dial and had the aforementioned Gorilla superglue to stick it all together then set about it.  Snorreasyyerno. 

Read instructions for calibrating on the internet but they just waffled on about Latitudes and angles 'n' stuff. Naturally in the truest  traditions of the intellectually challenged  I  ignored them. The sun still shone OK so the instructions can't have been that important and went ahead and suck the gnomon onto the lid - except I didn't. The glue was old and had jellified to the point where it refused to stick the plastic parts and instead elected to glue my fingers together - something it's very good at.

 

If anyone wants to buy a homemade sundial with an idiot attached please  feel free to make an offer...

[denshaw 2,879]

Give up the sundials Brew, stick to something else instead.

[loppylugs 8,429]

What's the gnomon?  Sorry to be so thick.     Couldn't see any place for a garden gnome on top of a sundial.

[Beekay 5,261]

I've now got stuck with this image of Brew being stuck on top of a sundial, with his little legs dangling. Now we now know the sun really does shine out of his ***e. 

[Brew 5,481]

A gnomon is the pointy bit...

 

 

11 minutes ago, denshaw said:

Give up the sundials Brew, stick to something else instead.

 

Harsh Den... very harsh

 

[nonnaB 4,913]

Today is my mums 98 th birthday. We had a video call with her and it left me feeling very sad. We can't visit, we call the home often and I also write little notes. I don't know if she was feeling sad at us for not visiting or angry. She refuses to put her glasses on so she probably couldn't see us all and probably wondered who we were. We sent her a cake made by the local .pasticceria. So we couldn't see it before it was delivered. The nurse showed us quickly. It had to be a very simple one with fresh strawberries on top as the home won't allow cream, chocolate or any sort of filling..  She had a lot of greetings from locals here so I do hope that the nurses make her understand.

[philmayfield 6,275]

I always refer to a sundial. It gives me reassurance that my everyday watch which is powered by light and requires no batteries and gets two daily radio time signal updates from an atomic clock in Germany, is keeping good time. You can’t beat old technology!

[Brew 5,481]

Buy mine Phil, it's voice activated and will tell you the time on request, with a bonus feature it can tell you the time after dark!.. The downside is it will tend to whinge when it get hungry...      

[philmayfield 6,275]

The keen watch people go for the expensive Swiss timepieces which have a mechanical movement but can never keep precise time. Additionally they require a service every few years at a cost of around £500. My Japanese watches, which are considerably cheaper,  keep time to the exact second and require no attention.I have never even changed the battery on my 10 year old Seiko. I do have a posh watch which I don't wear for fear of scratching! I have a collection of oldish wall clocks which I have restored but I've put most of them in store as they were becoming a pain to wind each week. I even put an electric movement into the old brass Smith's kitchen clock!

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I put a spot light on my sundial, so as I could tell the time at night, but the damned thing stops at the same time until the sun gets up....

 

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The Deputy's set their watches by the pit bottom sundial before going inbye...LOL

 

[philmayfield 6,275]

My father did watch repairs as a sideline in the post war years. He was an aircraft instrument  engineer in the RAF. There was a constant flow of watch repair customers beating a path to his door where he would also sell them eggs or whole birds from the fowls he kept in the garden!

[PeverilPeril 3,300]

Fabulous day today starting at 4.15 am  as it was getting light. Early start to go coarse fishing on our club water which is contained on a 100 acre site protected by a 10' fence. Only two others fishing - the nearest 100 yards away. After 20 min I hooked a pb tench of 9.5lb. Followed by two bream 10lb +. It was a glorious day and the insect and bird life were the best I have ever seen. Packed up at 3 and noted that the adjacent 20 acre trout lake (where I caught 9 on Sunday) was devoid of fishermen. Home for a shower and then drinks with friends at 2m+ on the village green opposite the pub. Life is good for some of us and I feel very privileged and lucky.

[LizzieM 9,539]

4 hours ago, philmayfield said:

The keen watch people go for the expensive Swiss timepieces which have a mechanical movement but can never keep precise time. Additionally they require a service every few years at a cost of around £500.

I’m not a ‘keen watch person’ but I love my Patek Philippe watch and wear it most of the time, in fact I sleep wearing it and in normal times will only take it off when in the shower. Having said that, I’ve not worn a watch at all during the lockdown because each day drifts into the next and time seems to have no significance any more.  You’re absolutely right though Phil, the service cost plus a new battery every 3-ish years is very expensive.  But the advert does say that you never actually own a Patek, you just look after it for the next generation ....... that’s why I love my watch.  

[philmayfield 6,275]

Yes Lizzie, a Patek is a 'proper' watch. It's just a pleasure to admire it on your wrist and to know it's probably worth more than you paid for it.

[DJ360 6,760]

I do admire the watchmaker's 'craft'.  My Grandad was something of an amateur watch repairer and my Dad collected pocket watches.  I have my Dad's 60 year old Seiko Sportsaman and my own 40 year old Seiko '5' self winder. 

I wouldn't have a Rolex as a gift, because I just don't like the styling and never have.  Good watches for sure but over priced and just not to my taste. 

 

My 'best' is a Rado Ceramica which came in about £1400.  Yes.. I know it's electronic.. but I bought it entirely for the style.. and the quality of the finish. My new 'daily' is an 80 quid Skagen which does the job.

 

My Dad had a beautiful solid silver wristwatch in his small collection.  I can't recall the make.  The case was a 'rounded square' and the watch was rammed full of Ruby bearings. I'd guess its age at 1930s.  I have no idea what happened to it.

 

I also have my Grandad's 45 year service watch from BR.  Apparently 45 years is worth more than lesser service span... not that I'll be selling it. The watches themselves aren't that special.  Timex.. in which the lovely chaps at BR specified a cheaper movement.. to save a few bob.  a good way to recognise decades of loyal service...

 

I hate 'dinner plate' sized watches with multiple dials.  Tat of the highest order..

[philmayfield 6,275]

All of three watches are 'pilot's' watches. I love all the knobs and dials. They're totally useless for flying though. For that I had a larger Breitling mechanical stop watch which fitted to my navigational chart board. I still use it for last minute bids on Ebay! My 'best' watch is an Omega Speedmaster Professional. Certified by NASA to be used on the moon. I've never flown that far though!

[PeverilPeril 3,300]

My best watch was an Omega special Olympic edition. didn't realise how valuable it was until it was stolen 

[jonab 1,644]

I've never seen the point in expensive watches. I consider a watch as a convenient device to indicate the time so, as long as it can do that reliably and fit comfortably on the wrist, that's all I require.

[Cliff Ton 10,547]

I had my most recent watch since 1984. Earlier this year the strap started playing up and I couldn't wear it properly, so I was planning to get it fixed but lockdown put a stop to that.

 

For the last 8 weeks I've not been wearing a watch at all; the longest period in my life where I can say that. And I haven't missed it.

 

Especially recently, time doesn't seem to matter so much and has all blurred into nothing specific. If I really want to know what time it is I look at my phone, or computer, or whatever else is around.

[philmayfield 6,275]

I suppose expensive watches are much like expensive cars. All achieve the same function in the end. It appears to me that you live in a 'modest' chateau Jonab with, no doubt, extensive gardens. A chacun son gout! 

[Brew 5,481]

24 minutes ago, jonab said:

I've never seen the point in expensive watches

 

There is no point. There is however pleasure to be derived from owning a fine timepiece and admiring it's aesthetic appeal.  Like phones and cars there are cheap and cheerful that will do the same job as those that cost far more - but would never sell if all we wanted was functionality.