Self-isolation Activities

[aphperspective]

2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Not to excuse the hooligan's conduct but do you really think the punishment fits the crime?

Cyclists are killed by careless, not even criminal, opening of car doors into their paths. What then? The thread is taking an anti-cyclist tone so how about a bit of balance.

Please do not get me wrong, i am not anti cyclists at all, i am very anti anti social behaviour. All decent people pass on by. Hope that balances things up.

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Not to excuse the hooligan's conduct but do you really think the punishment fits the crime?

Cyclists are killed by careless, not even criminal, opening of car doors into their paths. What then? The thread is taking an anti-cyclist tone so how about a bit of balance.

 

I do not have anything against cyclists per se but those who do not obey the rules of the road and are totally inconsiderate of other cyclists, pedestrians and motorists are a menace and need to be brought to account.

 

When I am driving in and around Cambridge and anywhere else for that matter I am always aware of cyclists and motorcyclists and try to give them the room they deserve. But when they do not reciprocate with the same good manners it makes my blood boil. I do not do anything to take revenge but just seethe for a while then shrug my shoulders and carry on till the next time.

 

Allan

 

As an aside I do have dashcams fitted to both the windscreen and the rear window. So I am prepared if the worst should happen.

 

ITMA

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Allan Bell

[R De Marigny]

6 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

 

i was at street intersection coming back from groceries, and this cyclist stops at red light, all good.  He is 4m away from me, so that's all fine.  At this point he starts spitting whatever mucus he decided to expectorate.  i know i was out of reach, and it was likely fine, but Seriously??????????????

 No decorum, that's one quite disgusting habit. 

[R De Marigny]

I don't think that anyone is anti cyclist per se, or otherwise, its about reasonableness and being considerate about other people sharing same route. 

 

 

[MizBrown]

7 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Not to excuse the hooligan's conduct but do you really think the punishment fits the crime?

Cyclists are killed by careless, not even criminal, opening of car doors into their paths. What then? The thread is taking an anti-cyclist tone so how about a bit of balance.

I used to do a lot of cycling and my younger brother and his wife still are active cyclists.  When cyclists ride on the sidewalk (UK pavement) or on pedestrian only paths, they do put other people in danger.  And too many cyclists do assume that they should be allowed to ride on pedestrian paths and don't have warning bells.   I've accidentally brought down a cyclist because I falsely assumed that he'd slow down when he saw that the path 10 feet ahead of me was flooded.   Dog on leash, me at other end.   Some cyclist do put their heads down and just go on paths that are shared with pedestrians, some of whom are walking dogs and noticing things like flooded parts of the trail where the river has gone out of its banks.   Felt badly about bringing him down and it was an accident.  He only looked at the flood after he got up and was planning to continue his ride.

 

Anyone who rides a bicycle on a pedestrian only path needs to stop.  And if being told nicely doesn't work, that's a problem.   For all the non-abiding by government suggestions about staying safer here,  I've almost never seen anyone over the age of five riding any sort of bicycle on the sidewalks where I live.

 

When I lived in NYC, I would ride out of town on NY State Route 9W and come back into town on west side streets.  Going through Central Park was hazardous since while it was car-free, the roadways were full of cyclists going slowly and wobbling all over and pedestrians and roller bladers also all over the place.   Getting home was much safer via the far west truck routes.

 

Pedestrians pathways and mixed use pathways are not appropriate for bikes going at speed.   Period.   Racing speeds are only appropriate on empty country roads or on a roller stand.

 

Bike club in Albany used to have time trials around the SUNY campus and some man stepped out in front of a bicycle going over 20 miles an hour and was killed.   Most people see a bicycle and imagine it's going around 7 or 8 mph while racing bicycles can be doing up to 35 mph or more.   Riding that fast needs to be done in areas with no pedestrians and light traffic. 

 

And yes, cars drivers can do very dangerous things to cyclists.   I've had my own close calls, including having to make a very hard right to avoid a car turning on top of me.

 

 

[Thyrsis]

 

Just finished this Jigsaw puzzle, based on a Frank Lloyd Wright peacock rug. Only 500 pieces so  took just a couple of weeks, in between gardening and walking! 

 

 

 

[spacecadet]

Just off up a tree to cut about 15' off the top.

Last time pollarding the beech I didn't get any pix at all. Snag is it's a bit wobbly up there and an image of me fighting the law and the law winning is something I could well do without.

The Zoom blind wine tastings are going very well though. Drop a set of 3 off at a friend's door, collect their 3, off we go.

Edited April 22, 2020 by spacecadet

[Thyrsis]

19 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Just off up a tree to cut about 15' off the top......

 

The Zoom blind wine tastings are going very well though...

Think I’ll stick to jigsaws.....and wine of course!

 

 

[gvallee]

36 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Just off up a tree to cut about 15' off the top.

Last time pollarding the beech I didn't get any pix at all. Snag is it's a bit wobbly up there and an image of me fighting the law and the law winning is something I could well do without.

The Zoom blind wine tastings are going very well though. Drop a set of 3 off at a friend's door, collect their 3, off we go.

 

I once was cutting a holly tree trunk sprouting from my hedge, using a chainsaw and standing on a stepladder. Being very heavy wood, the trunk slipped on my wrist trapping it, the stepladder fell over leaving me hanging by the wrist with the chainsaw still going overhead. Meanwhile, OH was hiding behind the garden shed in case HE got hurt...

Edited April 22, 2020 by gvallee

[Allan Bell]

4 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

I once was cutting a holly tree trunk sprouting from my hedge, using a chainsaw and standing on a stepladder. Being very heavy wood, he trunk slipped on my wrist trapping it, the stepladder fell over leaving me hanging by the wrist with the chainsaw still going overhead. Meanwhile, OH was hiding behind the garden shed in case HE got hurt...

 

Ahh!  The days of chivalry.

 

Allan

 

[John Morrison]

10 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

I once was cutting a holly tree trunk sprouting from my hedge, using a chainsaw and standing on a stepladder. Being very heavy wood, he trunk slipped on my wrist trapping it, the stepladder fell over leaving me hanging by the wrist with the chainsaw still going overhead. Meanwhile, OH was hiding behind the garden shed in case HE got hurt...

 

I nearly had an accident with a chainsaw a few years ago. It scared me so much that I never picked it up again. The most dangerous equipment I use now is probably a corkscrew...

[gvallee]

5 minutes ago, John Morrison said:

 

I nearly had an accident with a chainsaw a few years ago. It scared me so much that I never picked it up again. The most dangerous equipment I use now is probably a corkscrew...

 

I had requested that chainsaw as a Xmas present (I do all the DIY). When my mother-in-law asked me what I got for Xmas and told her 'a chainsaw', incredulous she said 'you mean a jigsaw puzzle'...

 

I can't remember why we had to dismantle it one day but OH put it back together. Why o why?? As soon as I started it, it simply fell apart. I never found the screws. Scary stuff.

Edited April 22, 2020 by gvallee

[spacecadet]

56 minutes ago, gvallee said:

 

I once was cutting a holly tree trunk sprouting from my hedge, using a chainsaw and standing on a stepladder. Being very heavy wood, the trunk slipped on my wrist trapping it, the stepladder fell over leaving me hanging by the wrist with the chainsaw still going overhead. Meanwhile, OH was hiding behind the garden shed in case HE got hurt...

Oh dear. We have a chainsaw but I wouldn't dare use it without both feet firmly planted on the ground. The go-to tool now is a German handkettensäge, a sort of chainsaw blade attached to two handles. Easy to control and very quick. Tie two ropes to the handles, fling it over the branch, and we've just cut two 6m. branches from the ground.

Though I did end up in between two heavy branches just now. The bit we were cutting didn't give much warning, no crunch and splinter, just on the tree, then on the ground. Splat.

Good job I was wearing a hat.

[Robert M Estall]

Yeh, chainsaws and ladders are a poor mix. I've got an electric reciprocating saw with a 10 inch blade which makes short work of 4 to 6 inch branches and I don't mind using that up a modest ladder with somebody holding the bottom. Rope the top to the tree if possible. Hats, gloves and safety glasses are all worth the trouble. You never see a pro without them!

[losdemas]

53 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

The go-to tool now is a German handkettensäge

 

I just looked that up.  I'd still be careful using that - some people just don't! That looks dodgy - I hope that he's wearing something above the knee! 😂

 

I prefer gentler activities: baked some bread first thing this morning to have with breakfast. Something I do only rarely, but it came out smashing - a fresh warm slice with some melted butter, following by scrambled eggs on toast and a nice cuppa! 😋 Then spent 3 hours on the computer trying to resolve MS Office repair & (re-)install problems - these things just suck your life away. 😠 Finally resolved, might have to go away and make some homemade pizza for dinner later, just to calm me down! 😉😂  Then maybe go and watch Elon Musk's Skytrain (Starlink) satellites infesting the skies tonight.

[Robert M Estall]

I can see where one of these hankettensage tools might come in handy, especially where something was growing up close to a wall, but sandals and bare legs? Are you out of your mind?

 

[spacecadet]

52 minutes ago, Robert M Estall said:

I can see where one of these hankettensage tools might come in handy, especially where something was growing up close to a wall, but sandals and bare legs? Are you out of your mind?

 

Me neither, but at least you'd only cut yourself a bit because you'd stop, right?🤪 Not like the chainsaw that takes whatever fraction of a second to stop. Long enough to eurgh.

Believe me it's a great tool- you can take off trunks up to about 8" diameter, no problem, with two of you alternating..

The German AGT ones have a proper solid handle, not that strappy thing.

https://www.amazon.de/AGT-Handkettensäge-Hand-Kettensäge-Metallgriffe-Sägekette/dp/B001MXL62A

and that's what we got for Christmas, because No. 1 son is an engineer and he doesn't buy any old junk.

We now have a good-sized bonfire and three 20' telegraph poles.

Edited April 22, 2020 by spacecadet

[losdemas]

3 hours ago, Robert M Estall said:

I can see where one of these hankettensage tools might come in handy, especially where something was growing up close to a wall, but sandals and bare legs? Are you out of your mind?

 

 

Quite. It's one of the first images that came up when I did a search for the tool. But spacecadet is quite right: better damage from one of those than a chainsaw!

[Bill Brooks]

Regarding Covid-19 self isolation activities, at 80 years old, I am putting my affairs in order.

[Thyrsis]

49 minutes ago, Bill Brooks said:

Regarding Covid-19 self isolation activities, at 80 years old, I am putting my affairs in order.

Too right. I made a new updated will yesterday! 

[John Morrison]

20 minutes ago, Bill Brooks said:

Regarding Covid-19 self isolation activities, at 80 years old, I am putting my affairs in order.

 

A dose of realism, Bill, at a time of great peril. Perhaps we should have a tontine for elderly Alamy contributors...

[losdemas]

25 minutes ago, John Morrison said:

Perhaps we should have a tontine for elderly Alamy contributors...

 

I had to look that up - never heard of it before,  Sounds like an intriguing basis for an Agatha Christie murder mystery! 😂

[Thyrsis]

2 hours ago, John Morrison said:

 

A dose of realism, Bill, at a time of great peril. Perhaps we should have a tontine for elderly Alamy contributors...

Only Tontine I know of is the Cleveland Tontine Hotel in North Yorkshire. One of the most eccentrically furnished places we have ever stayed!  Good food too. 

[Robert M Estall]

Tontine, a strange concept, thankfully long out of fashion, but as Danny suggests, more a literary intrigue rather than reality. Before the less grisly era of life insurance. Mind, in this current desperate times of afternoon TV, I despair of being bombarded with life insurance ads. Those and the wretched gambling gambits; back to the gardening!

Edited April 22, 2020 by Robert M Estall

[Bryan]

Last evening I was persuaded to head to a nearby grassed area to play bat and ball (Matkot) with the Mrs. We always carry a set in the caravan, and normally play in empty spaces on campsites in mainland Europe. (This year the van is left parked at a secure location, and all we can do is look at the photos of some of the stunning places we have visited over the years.) Early season we are both pretty poor at this, but, as time goes on we improve with practice. Apparently it's something of a national sport in Israel.