Mundane News

[Jenkins]

Good morning from a bright and sunny Suffolk. Quite a bit cooler than yesterday, but still a very pleasant start to the day.

Coffee has been had and a late breakfast will follow shortly. Then it's off into Felixstowe to get the replacement keys cut, find a card for my sister's birthday, return the borrowed keys to mum, post another Ebay sale and then see if I can find something for tea. After that and a spot of lunch I may head up to Martlesham with a tape measure to double check on the proposed sofa's dimensions.

I can't sleep.

Oddly enough I find that I sleep better in the heat.

 

[tyred]

Good morning from a bright and sunny Suffolk. Quite a bit cooler than yesterday, but still a very pleasant start to the day.

Coffee has been had and a late breakfast will follow shortly. Then it's off into Felixstowe to get the replacement keys cut, find a card for my sister's birthday, return the borrowed keys to mum, post another Ebay sale and then see if I can find something for tea. After that and a spot of lunch I may head up to Martlesham with a tape measure to double check on the proposed sofa's dimensions.


Oddly enough I find that I sleep better in the heat.

The heat isn't the problem. Just overthinking and unable to switch my brain off.

 

[tyred]

Truly awful morning but the positive is that the brats next door aren't out playing so I don't have to constantly rescue their football from either my balcony or my back yard.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Wet and windy with ferry disruptions due to winds forecast up to 50mph.
In any case ferries are upset due to an engine fire on LOTI so our large boat MV Isle of Mull has been sent to the Outer Isles and we are left to guddle along as best we can with the small boat.
Cruise liner came yesterday and apparently disgorged up to 1000 passengers ashore. The mind boggles at the disruption caused but I remained at home to avoid them.
The Harbour Authority of course loves them as they will get landing fees.

Has anyone ever done a proper survey of the cost/benefit to the island as a whole of having cruise liners?

 

[Windle]

Has anyone ever done a proper survey of the cost/benefit to the island as a whole of having cruise liners?

There'll be a massive cost benefit ~ just not to the ordinary folk of the island.
I've only been to Mull once, back in 2002, and it doesn't strike me as the kind of place that would cope with an instant influx of 1000 people.

 

[rockyroller]

in & out of the office due to remaining vacation days, communicating w/ customers who are in & out of the office due to remaining vacation days

 

[Windle]

in & out of the office due to remaining vacations days, communicating w/ customers who are in & out of the office due to vacation days

It's that time of year I suppose. I replied 'to all' on an e-mail yesterday and half of them bounced back automatic out of office, which will have happened to the guy who originally sent them & me the e-mail ~ it's like e-mail out-of-office-tennis season .

 

[Gravity Aided]

That was all sounding good until you mentioned the mayonnaise.

I know what you are thinking, but it was Duke's Mayonnaise.

 

[PeteXXX]

Warm bimble to the charity shop & back ☀

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Has anyone ever done a proper survey of the cost/benefit to the island as a whole of having cruise liners?

Greenwich had a plan for a cruise terminal which was scuppered when the immense size of the pollution figures - CO2 and particulates - were publicised. And the figures were for it simply to remain stationary, without powering up the engines for sailing. Of course, it would have helped if they'd included a land-based source of electricity but they hadn't. It was effectively a very dirty generator for a medium-sized town.

 

[oldwheels]

Ever thought about making up a large spherical object with spikes on, a bit like a very large conker and floating that in the sea when the big cruise liners turn up ?

That has actually been done when we rose up to object to MacBrayne closing our main pier as it took an hour off their sailing time to Tiree.
We failed to restart the sailings but the pier remains and is used and maintained.
My part was as an apparent drunk wanting to catch a ferry which had predictably turned away. Along with others I jumped off the pier and swam after the ship. Somebody on board had thrown a suitcase overboard and jumped after it so the skipper took fright and refused to go any further. There were safety boats of ours hovering around so no real danger.
With the changes in population that would never happen nowadays and they would just wring their hands and wail a bit now.

 

[oldwheels]

Has anyone ever done a proper survey of the cost/benefit to the island as a whole of having cruise liners?

My brother who has a consultancy business on Shetland was commissioned to do a survey and found that the crew members spent more money in local shops that the passengers.
In our shop we never expected and never got trade from cruise ships. They simple cluttered up the shop, fingered everything and bought nothing.
Crowds on bikes provided by the ships are causing problems on Shetland and I think Orkney as well by having large groups with no idea how to use single track roads or indeed any roads and cause problems for normal traffic.

 

[biggs682]

Warm lunchtime stroll completed

 

[oldwheels]

Very strange coincidence.
As I was writing about the attempted closure of Tobermory pier I heard my door open and then shut.
Eventually I went for a look and the post had chucked a packege inside. This was a copy of a free news sheet published in May 1998 and had a write up about the evil MacBrayne and their plan to close our pier to all traffic.Their real intention was to remove all traffic from Mull to Coll and Tiree.
This was a copy my brother in Shetland had found while moving house so thought I might be interested.

 

[Reynard]

A warm and sunny day here chez Casa Reynard.

Slept well, but it took me a fair while to drop off. This morning's main task was triaging and sorting the fruit I picked yesterday - in low / fading light, it's not easy to see whether there is any damage. I now have the apples separated out by variety (Lord Peckover & Thoday's Quarrenden) and stored in the utility room. Except for the bunch of stuff that is bruised / split. I will have to cook something apple-y with those so as not to waste them.

The greengages have also been spread out in a cardboard tray, and the damaged ones picked out. I will separate them out further according to ripeness. Then the ripe ones can go into one of the fruit bowls, and the others will be diverted to making some jam, as I absolutely adore greengage jam.

I've also set aside some of the fruit for the friend I go walking with. I know it will be appreciated, as she doesn't have as much time to visit the orchard as I do.

This afternoon I will need to pop into town, as I am in need of bread, milk, a birthday present and some bits for the "specials" I always have when I'm judging. I like to give a small gift to cats that either a) have really caught my eye or b) haven't done terribly well and may not have a rosette or prize card on their pen. It's usually a can of posh food, some treats, a few small toys and a chocolate bar for the owner. It's a nice way to put something back into the cat fancy. I also need fuel for the car and for the mower.

Anyways, it is almost time for luncheon.