The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

[ian16th]

I've put the battery charger on the car.

The car normally doesn't get used enough, this lock down lark has made it worse.

[OFSO]

Walked up to Waitrose, so cold I zipped my jacket up, and back, sun came out, sweat pouring off me. Got the wife an Easter Egg, essential if long silence is to be avoided next weekend. Her birthday on Saturday, next mission impossible is to find a nice card.

[Ex-Ascot]

Afternoon folks. Quite warm blazing sun all morning, now a bit of Cu building up. Solar system playing up again. Apart from basics; fridge, lights etc even though at 100% it will not take a major player, pool pump, micro wave etc. it just crashes. Have to run the genny. We are planning on going into to town only once every fortnight with our travel passes in our sticky mitts. At this rate we will run out of fuel. We can store 120 ltrs. Any more in jerrycans is asking for trouble and robbery although all locked up and split between two places for safety.

Trying to limit the pop but it just makes me heavy handed. Just one today darling and it turns out a quadruple.

It is nice though, just bird and animal noise, no trucks on the main road 1 km away which can usually just hear over the bird sounds. Feel sorry though for families stuck in a 17th floor flat in London. At least we can wander around our estate and sit by the pool. But those bastards on the 17th floor can get pop.

[Woody]

MrsWoody has her Birthday tomorrow, managed to get a card, but flowers are out , going to try and find a restaurant that is delivering locally

[Ex-Ascot]

MrsWoody has her Birthday tomorrow, managed to get a card, but flowers are out , going to try and find a restaurant that is delivering locally

Happy Birthday Mrs W Woody for tomorrow from Botswana.

Don't think that we would get a take away delivered here.

Two weeks ago when we were in town before the major clamp down you could pick up a take away before 10.00 but could sit down in the establishment after that.

[TheGreenGoblin]

What a Smart aleck this chap is...

[Pontius Navigator]

When he opened that zip I didn't expect to see what he pulled out.

[TheGreenGoblin]

When he opened that zip I didn't expect to see what he pulled out.

Pulling his "rip cord"....

[Ex-Ascot]

I think that if I was told I couldn't pull the cord until I had solved it, I would be pretty dam quick.

Just cornered a squirrel and it went into the pool. They are very funny and fast with their front crawl. It got itself out. It just did one length, we had one once do a few circuits.

Problem with solar system identified. A ripple on the DC side caused by a high load on the AC side. Now he has to fix it. Fortunately with our remote monitoring system he should be able to do it from the office in town.

[OFSO]

Can't find a birthday card for Mrs OFSO. Queue at M&S too long. Tesco's indescribably vulgar, although pretty young blond employee lady helped me.

[Smeagol]

It is Mrs S birthday in 10 days time but I bought a suitable card a couple of months ago. One with a picture of the only sort of dog she likes, a Wire Haired Terrier or possibly an Airedale (I know that's two breeds!), they are all 'Wilbur Dogs ' to her. She had one as a child....it had wheels on and made by Triang!
I did buy her the wheeled variety a few years ago when I saw one in an antique shop, it sits in our lounge now.
Presents are easy, I don't bother. At our time of life we have everything we need and tend to buy things we would like or want when we see them rather than wait for special occasions. Might have gone out for a meal but that if obviously off. Living in the sticks makes delivery from a restaurant rather impractical even if there was one locally providing the service, which there probably isn't.

[Wodrick]

SM and I haven't done presents for years, we only do cards if we find a suitably insulting one.

We do usually go for a nice meal, this year she got Campylobacter (sp) Happy Birthday

[Ex-Ascot]

F...ing pissed off. Alcohol like rocking horse ***** and who knocks his double brandy and coke off the table. Glass smashed but don't give a stuff about that.

I can see that they have been remotely fiddling with our solar system but don't know if they have fixed it.

[Magnus]

Woody, the flowers are out here, as well. Tulips, dillydaffs, primula, all looking gorgeous.

Happy Birthday to MrsW.

[Undried Plum]

Not wishing to take the pish outta aab'dy, but the weather weather here really is **** gorgeous.

Sorree, ya'll, but it really is.

Nae hippos, but theyr'e as rare as rockinghorse ***** hereabouts.

Never seen one yet. Something to do with the water supply, p'raps?

[larsssnowpharter]

I just wanted to continue the chat about dogs for a little.

When I lived full time in the Philippines it was in Mindanao famous for various dissident terrorist groups. Security was an issue (as it appears to be for ex-Ascot) and I took it seriously. One upstairs room in the house was a designated 'safe room' and I had a number of firearms (shotguns for the house, M16 on the boat, a neat little .25 for Señora Larss and a M1911 in the car).

Our major threat, at first, was people breaking into our compound looking for goods or money.

Now to dogs:

I need to explain that there are three types of 'native dog': small, medium and large. They are all as tough as nails.

We had two:

Blackie. Small native dog with long, spindly legs. Mad as a hatter. Would try to get in the house running through it at top speed.

She would guard us in two ways. Firstly, she would bark if anyone approached the compound. Secondly, she saw it as her duty to hunt down and kill any snake inside the compound. I wish I had it on video but I once saw her do a Riki Tiki Tavi on a Philippine cobra well over a metre long. She just wagged her tail and grinned. Job done. She is still alive although blind and nearing the end. We still have two of her pups who continue the tradition.

Ranger: Large native dog. Build of a big male Labrador but broader and stronger.

Ranger came to us when he was retired from the Army. Not a pet! In the Army he patrolled in the islands and jungles of Southern Mindanao. We were told he had saved lives and killed two ASG. Have no idea of the truth of this.

Ranger lived in a run during the day and roamed the compound at night. He wasn't friendly but would, occasionally, sit next to me on the verandah while I had a peer. Only three people could feed him. He didn't bark but had a low, threatening growl that scared the life out of me.

One night, there was a cacophony outside, Blackie barking, human screaming and Ranger snarling. He had injured one intruder badly in the leg so that he couldn't walk and had another pinned to the ground when I called him off. He had been injured in the shoulder by a knife. Police took away the miscreants and Ranger got taken to the vet and treated as a hero when he got home.

After we stopped living there permanently, someone came up to the house and put 5 rounds in him. Gallant hound, now buried in the grounds with a little headstone: "Ranger. I did my duty".

[reddo]

Day of standby complete. I didn't think I was going to get called out.

Wodrick - that doesn't sound like fun?

[Pontius Navigator]

Larss, we took a police dog after he retired. We were sitting on the deck together with Mrs coming up the garden. Suddenly he attacked me, caught me just below the eye. Barely touched me. He was very sorry but didn't the night in the garage, had a nice walk the next day after the vet have him a sedative and then the jab. Very sad but at least he had two years in retirement.

[Rwy in Sight]

reddo how is checkboard?

PN bad experience for both of you...

[llondel]

To lighten the general gloom...

PUPPIES!

Due early May.