The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

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Undried Plum
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20781 Post by Undried Plum » Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:08 pm

Rossian wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:39 am
For UP. I've wondered for a while. WTH is a Catman and what are Battmen? When I was a young offcer (a long time ago) my batman kept me looking smart and brought a morning cup of tea at 0700. In Sharjah my "bearer" also brought a cup of incredibly sweet tea and referred to me as "My Lord" as he pulled the curtains. What were the roles of the chaps you're talking about. Only because I is curious you understand.

The Ancient Mariner
Catman

Civilian Aid Team, alternatively Civil Action Team.

Battmen were officially called British Army Training Team. A deliberately misleading name.

Technically, it was illegal for MoD to fight a war without the consent of Parliament.

In the 1960s Harold Wilson had declared that henceforth there would be no more UK military force used East of Suez.

There was, however, a wee unit of the British Army very much actively involved in fighting two very different enemies in Oman. One was Moozlamic in nature, the other, later, further South, was Socialist in nature.

I'm heavily compressing and truncating History here, so please forgive me. I really should write a proper essay here on that history, and that of myself, and shall do so when the nights start to draw in next month.

When the new Sultan came to power in the early 1970s, in an almost bloodless palace coup, the Brits very quietly aided him in a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Omani people, especially in the South.

The Battmen and Catmen teams did that. I was one of two Catmen, working with a team of four Battmen.

The Army guys were from a small and then almost unknown regiment. Almost all Scots. Hence the "harrd basturtss, Surr" comment I quoted.

One was a medico. One was a signaller. Another was a "demolishions" expert who was brilliant at sculpting the landscape to make helipads and foundations for radio towers etc. The fourth was a linguist who spoke Arabic and Swahili and two or more other local Omani languages.

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll stop.

Please remind me in October to do a proper writeup. It really is quite interesting.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20782 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:16 pm

Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20783 Post by Undried Plum » Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:29 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 1:08 pm
Rossian wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:39 am
For UP. I've wondered for a while. WTH is a Catman and what are Battmen? When I was a young offcer (a long time ago) my batman kept me looking smart and brought a morning cup of tea at 0700. In Sharjah my "bearer" also brought a cup of incredibly sweet tea and referred to me as "My Lord" as he pulled the curtains. What were the roles of the chaps you're talking about. Only because I is curious you understand.

The Ancient Mariner
Catman

Civilian Aid Team, alternatively Civil Action Team.

Battmen were officially called British Army Training Team. A deliberately misleading name.

Technically, it was illegal for MoD to fight a war without the consent of Parliament.

In the 1960s Harold Wilson had declared that henceforth there would be no more UK military force used East of Suez.

There was, however, a wee unit of the British Army very much actively involved in fighting two very different enemies in Oman. One was Moozlamic in nature, the other, later, further South, was Socialist in nature.

I'm heavily compressing and truncating History here, so please forgive me. I really should write a proper essay here on that history, and that of myself, and shall do so when the nights start to draw in next month.

When the new Sultan came to power in the early 1970s, in an almost bloodless palace coup, the Brits very quietly aided him in a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Omani people, especially in the South.

The Battmen and Catmen teams did that. I was one of two Catmen, working with a team of four Battmen.

The Army guys were from a small and then almost unknown regiment. Almost all Scots. Hence the "harrd basturtss, Surr" comment I quoted.

One was a medico. One was a signaller. Another was a "demolishions" expert who was brilliant at sculpting the landscape to make helipads and foundations for radio towers and water wells etc. The fourth was a linguist who spoke Arabic and Swahili and two or more other local Omani languages.

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll stop.

Please remind me in October to do a proper writeup. It really is quite interesting.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20784 Post by PHXPhlyer » Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:12 pm

Ibbie wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 6:43 am
Morning folks.

21c at the mo. Blue sky day. The rain has been postponed until Thursday the science says.

Front of house hedge trimmed yesterday by a man who could, for €30.
Ex-A:
Do not listen to science...Ask Trump instead! :(( X( :)) :ymdevil: =))

PP

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20785 Post by EA01 » Tue Sep 15, 2020 11:51 pm

Off to transport 150 concrete retaining wall blocks from a landscape supply centre to here.....wonder how many trips that is going to be?

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20786 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Sep 15, 2020 11:56 pm

Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20787 Post by EA01 » Wed Sep 16, 2020 5:17 am

3 round trips moving blocks, 4 times with the wheel barrow from the car to the backyard per trip....i'm knackered, well deserved beer in hand.

Hopefully Jnr Fliegs sets me up for starting to lay them tomorrow afternoon.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20788 Post by boing » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:03 am

Reminds me of the yuppie insurance representative we used to work with. We were renewing my life insurance and he asked me if I exercised so I say "No, but I keep busy around the place". He says "Oh, what do you do?" I replied a lot of stuff and that I had just, for example, on my own, built a concrete block wall 80 feet long by 4 blocks high. He said "Yes, but do you exercise, jogging, go to the gym or anything like that?". Soft sod had obviously never done an hour of hard work in his life!

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20789 Post by Ex-Ascot » Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:42 am

boing wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:03 am
Reminds me of the yuppie insurance representative we used to work with. We were renewing my life insurance and he asked me if I exercised so I say "No, but I keep busy around the place". He says "Oh, what do you do?" I replied a lot of stuff and that I had just, for example, on my own, built a concrete block wall 80 feet long by 4 blocks high. He said "Yes, but do you exercise, jogging, go to the gym or anything like that?". Soft sod had obviously never done an hour of hard work in his life!

.
Morning folks. When the farmer next to us in Oxfordshire saw me jogging he would say that if I had a proper job I wouldn't need to do that.

Hazy today. Mammoth watering.
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20790 Post by Pontius Navigator » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:25 am

Ex-Ascot, didn't you do walkabout on the job? 😀

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20791 Post by Pontius Navigator » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:30 am

Boing, exactly. While I walk the dog and do the gardening I don't exercise. I am sure many people do the same but they never ask "how much".

An hour plus every morning in the fields, 2.5 to 3 miles and probably an hour in the evening. Lawn cutting, hedge trimming, branch lopping, window cleaning, and sundry other activities.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20792 Post by 1DC » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:59 am

I can spend most of the day in the garden and then herself will tell me that I haven't walked today and how do I expect to get fit. :-\

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20793 Post by Ibbie » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:02 am

Turned out nice again.

Blue sky and nudging 30c out back already.

If you had followed the Science earlier this week you would have your plastic mac on, wondering why it was not wet.

Was dark at 07.30 this morning.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20794 Post by 4mastacker » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:06 am

New social distancing seating arrangements are being trialled by a certain LoCo airline.
paul's wingwalk.png
paul's wingwalk.png (508.34 KiB) Viewed 191 times


Actually, it's a gutsy nephew doing a wing walk to raise money for ProstateCancerUK. Some of our members may recognise the airfield.
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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20795 Post by Ibbie » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:27 am

A JCB is an interesting choice of handling equipment.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20796 Post by EA01 » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:38 am

I had just, for example, on my own, built a concrete block wall 80 feet long by 4 blocks high.
A quick calc. & I'm doing 40 ft by 2 blocks high.... :))

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20797 Post by EA01 » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:42 am

I can spend most of the day in the garden and then herself will tell me that I haven't walked today and how do I expect to get fit
Well, what sort of 'Cardio' was involved....? I was moving a lot of blocks today...muscular (particularly back) muscles involved, but not caridiovascular fitness. Shoveling, swinging picks, (whilst not sprint training) gets the heartbeat up!

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20798 Post by G-CPTN » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:43 am

Ibbie wrote:
Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:02 am
If you had followed the Science earlier this week you would have your plastic mac on, wondering why it was not wet.
In our family, a Pacamac was known as a Smokey Joe, as my father always carried one (and his name was Joe).

I see that the name Pac a Mac now applies to a range of 'normal' rainwear rather than just the original thin plastic garment in a pouch.

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20799 Post by EA01 » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:43 am

Some of our members may recognise the airfield.

Compton Abbas!! :)

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Re: The really boring and totally pointless snippets thread IV

#20800 Post by Ibbie » Wed Sep 16, 2020 9:51 am

Forgot to mention......purchased a pack of mince pies whilst in Iceland this morning.
I see that the name Pac a Mac now applies to a range of 'normal' rainwear rather than just the original thin plastic garment in a pouch.
If you put the Mac before the Pac and mispell, you get an In the Night Garden character....Makka Pakka.

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