!! AOS insomniacs club !!

[Marco]

Morning everyone , I signing in allready , Bed at 23.00 :) and as you can see up again at 01.11


I went to bed at the same time, the only difference was I got up at 8.30am!:D

Try having a right good 'sammy hank', before you go to sleep - a clear head and an empty sack guarantees good zeds;)

Marco.

[Audio Al]

My Mum always swore that Horlicks did the trick! Might be worth a try.:D

Not keen on Horlicks to thick and tastes strange :(

[struth]

I went to bed at the same time, the only difference was I got up at 8.30am!:D

Try having a right good 'sammy hank', before you go to sleep - a clear head and an empty sack guarantees good zeds;)

Marco.

filth

[struth]

Not keen on Horlicks to thick and tastes strange :(

its filth :ner:

[AJSki2fly]

View Post
Not keen on Horlicks to thick and tastes strange

its filth :ner:

Not as filthy as Marco. :D

Apparently Horlicks is from Merseyside and available in a variety of flavours

nutrition
Horlicks is enriched with 14 vitamins and minerals; not only is it deliciously comforting but it aids in overall nourishment.

Horlicks is high in vitamins C, D, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, biotin, calcium and zinc and a source of vitamin E and iron.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 keeps nerves and your immune system healthy, plus it keeps red blood cells healthy and helps reduce tiredness and fatigue.

Iron
We need iron to produce healthy red blood cells and to prevent feelings of tiredness.

Vitamin D
Did you know? Your body cannot produce sufficient levels of Vitamin D between October and March from sunlight alone.

Folic acid
Folic acid helps the body to make new cells, helps keep our blood healthy and is especially important during pregnancy.

Dietary fibre
Dietary fibre keeps you healthy by encouraging the passage of material through the digestive system. This insoluble fibre moves through your system, removing waste, toxins and materials your body doesn't need.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps protect cells from oxidative stress, and helps your body to absorb iron.

B Vitamins
B vitamins such as thiamin, niacin and biotin help the body to break down and use food to produce energy. Vitamin B12 helps makes red blood cells and keeps your nervous system healthy, helps release energy from the food we eat, and processes folic acid.

[Audio Al]

:eek: Blimey all that in one drink , maybe time to re visit this Horlicks drink :)

[Marco]

filth

Terrible, innit?:D

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

Always have a 'cereal supper' before bed - cornflakes, Shreddies, porridge, not all at the same time, but always with hot milk. If I don't have something I don't sleep as well

[Marco]

...plus it ensures nice 'firm stools' for your morning dump:D

Marco.

[struth]

...plus it ensures nice 'firm stools' for your morning dump:D

Marco.Yeah, between the sheets most likely

[Audio Al]

Morning people :D

It's wakey wakey time , for me anyway , :(

[AJSki2fly]

Wakey, wakey at 5:30 sor not too bad today[emoji846]

[dave2010]

Hi people

Around 7am today - not so bad.

[struth]

Slept well last night

[AJSki2fly]

Not for me tonight, back to 2-3am wake ups, feeling iffy.[emoji853]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Audio Al]

You are not alone , I'm here as well

Going to transfer some images onto a memory stick ready for a visit to Snappy Snaps for printing ,

Then some surfing and poncy coffee ;)

[dave2010]

Not too bad last night, but could have been better. Woke up (again) just before 7am, so “Good Morning” people. Weather sounds grim again - wet and windy, and we have a flood alert. The fields further down are turning into lakes, but hopefully the water won’t come up this far.

[Pigmy Pony]

You are not alone , I'm here as well

Going to transfer some images onto a memory stick ready for a visit to Snappy Snaps for printing ,

Then some surfing and poncy coffee ;)

I wouldn't chance it in this weather, as the Aussie said in the film "Point Break", it's death on a stick mate :(

[Audio Al]

[/B]

I wouldn't chance it in this weather, as the Aussie said in the film "Point Break", it's death on a stick mate :(

Same as skiing

OK attach 2 planks of wood to your feet :hmm: then launch yourself off the top of a mountain :hmm:

I think that's a :nono: I would end up :deceased:

[Pigmy Pony]

Same as skiing

OK attach 2 planks of wood to your feet :hmm: then launch yourself off the top of a mountain :hmm:

I think that's a :nono: I would end up :deceased:

The whole skiing/snowboarding thing has never appealed to me. I once heard there is only one bone in the human body that hasn't been broken while skiing, it's some tiny bone in the ear. Wouldn't surprise me if it were true

[AJSki2fly]

The whole skiing/snowboarding thing has never appealed to me. I once heard there is only one bone in the human body that hasn't been broken while skiing, it's some tiny bone in the ear. Wouldn't surprise me if it were true

Don’t knock it until you have tried it I learnt when I was 40 and fell in love with it. I later did a ski instructors course and actually learnt how to ski properly, even though I thought I already could, and taught for a bit which is actually bloody hard, even on new kit which makes it easier.

The thrill of buzzing down a hill on snow is unbelievable, and hard to describe. One year in CA we met by chance two widowed ladies who had been friends from primary school, they had agreed to go and do something different every year after both loosing their husbands. So they were in Whistler and on their 2nd day of ski school. I bumped into them in the foyer 8 days later when they where checking out, and asked if they had enjoyed it, both said we are coming back next year for 14 days. Bu the way they were in their early 70’s.

[Pigmy Pony]

My brother is a keen snowboarder, has been for the last 25 years or so, and he's 60 now (though he's more keen on cycling these days). It does look like fun, but what puts me off is the cost and time it would take up, also my living depends upon all my limbs working properly. Just breaking my hand last year caused problems :( One of my most frequent dreams is me skiing, but without skis on, and they are my favourite dreams

[struth]

its not so much the skiing as the abrupt halt you can get

[AJSki2fly]

My brother is a keen snowboarder, has been for the last 25 years or so, and he's 60 now (though he's more keen on cycling these days). It does look like fun, but what puts me off is the cost and time it would take up, also my living depends upon all my limbs working properly. Just breaking my hand last year caused problems :( One of my most frequent dreams is me skiing, but without skis on, and they are my favourite dreams

It was not until we spent 7-8 weeks in CA at Fernie and had season passes for $450 and skied virtual everyday did we actually get to a good level. In CA level 1 is total beginner and 8 is Expert, at the end of the Ski Instructors course we were graded, I was given 6+, this is a general high level skier. To put that in perspective I can do mogul runs, but not well, ski tree runs reasonably confidently and I can carve and accelerate out of turns beautifully, and are happy to ski with confidence on up a 55-60 degree pitch, doesn't sound much but you stand on that pitch on skis and see how you feel about it, Oh I can do helicopter spins and just about ski backwards for short distance on low gradients. It took me about 30 days of Ski-school, over 7 holidays, and 3 long stays in Fernie amounting to about 125 days on skis over 3 years and the ski instructor course.

After the above we have had added about another 5 ski holidays 9 days king on each in Canada, all of which we enjoyed greatly, even though in early to mid 50's, because we both had good technical ability we could ski for longer as we did not over exert ourselves. I even skied in March 2018 after my heart attack in 2016. Sadly I have had more problems since then and unless i can get fitter my ski days are very likely to be at an end, but we have both have some fantastic memories skiing in the past.

[Audio Al]

When you ski together do you have 1 ski each :D

[AJSki2fly]

When you ski together do you have 1 ski each :D

:lol:

[dave2010]

I woke up a bit before 4am. Nobody else here yet? With luck I'll be back asleep again in a while.

I tried various forms of skiing - both downhill and cross country. I didn't really get into it enough to really enjoy it. Downhill was OK. Cross country skiing isn't as easy as one might imagine - that's just my opinion though. Finally got rid of our cross country skis last year, when we cleared out our garage.

[Pigmy Pony]

I woke up a bit before 4am. Nobody else here yet? With luck I'll be back asleep again in a while.

I tried various forms of skiing - both downhill and cross country. I didn't really get into it enough to really enjoy it. Downhill was OK. Cross country skiing isn't as easy as one might imagine - that's just my opinion though. Finally got rid of our cross country skis last year, when we cleared out our garage.

If I lived where you do (beyond Inverness) I would probably have had a go at it, as demands on my time and money would be a lot less. And you do get a fair bit more snow than us, so more opportunities to practice :)

[dave2010]

If I lived where you do (beyond Inverness) I would probably have had a go at it, as demands on my time and money would be a lot less. And you do get a fair bit more snow than us, so more opportunities to practice :)Not enough snow round here to justify. A few years ago, in the South of England, there was enough snow on the ground to have - perhaps - made it worthwhile to use skis for going to the shops. There is snow on some of the high mountains, but I think it’s dangerous to attempt climbing them with skis - and then trying to ski down. Snow was more reliable in Sweden - I don’t know if that is still the case. California was quite good, as one could stay in the sun for a while, then go up a mountain to ski (downhill) for the afternoon, then return to a warm evening. Sadly I just never got good enough to make it really viable, though I did quite like what little I did.

[Audio Al]

Not a good night for me sleep wise :( still need to try Horliks :)

Been up and down like a fiddlers elbow :)

Spent most of the night watching Deadliest Catch , and I think my job is rough :doh:

One boat brough back to harbour $1.9 million in crabs and each crew member was pad $90.000 :eek:

Err yes they get paid more than me as well :)

[Pigmy Pony]

Take you a month to earn that much

[Marco]

One boat brough back to harbour $1.9 million in crabs and each crew member was pad $90.000 :eek:


Bloody hell, just think if you'd frozen all the ones you'd muff-dived off all your old girlfriends, you'd be rich!:lol:

;)

Marco.

[dave2010]

Back here in the waiting room - 3.40am. I was hoping i'd not be back here for a while, but ....

Hey, ho!

[jollyfix]

Hope all ok Dave

[Audio Al]

I am also signing in , May be out later today so thought it best to charge my electric car to capacity :)

I have almost forgoten the joys of handling wet diesel fuel pumps :spew:

Poncy coffee machine on :)

Now then what to do next :scratch: maybe some washing or load the dishwasher , I know how to live :lol:

[dave2010]

Hope all ok DaveYep - I guess I'm fine. Just woke up too early, and as usual can't get back to sleep.

Interested in Al's electric car - I've not kept up - which one is it?

[Audio Al]

Yep - I guess I'm fine. Just woke up too early, and as usual can't get back to sleep.

Interested in Al's electric car - I've not kept up - which one is it?

I have a Nissan Leaf , The 24KW version, White, I am enjoying the car , It's silent and just glides along , no gear changing

Costs me £1 ish to charge according to my BG smart meter and I can cover 71 miles ( 3 trips too and from work ) very economical :)

Love it :)

[dave2010]

I have a Nissan Leaf , The 24KW version, White, I am enjoying the car , It's silent and just glides along , no gear changing

Costs me £1 ish to charge according to my BG smart meter and I can cover 71 miles ( 3 trips too and from work ) very economical :)

Love it :)We're gradually switching to electric. A Renault Zoe should arrive soon - though delivery seems to have been set back. We have a charging point.

I ordered a Tesla Model 3 AWD, but I'm slightly p**d off with Tesla so might cancel. It's a nice car, but how nice does it have to be at the price?

We're hoping that cars like these will go at least 200 miles, which is enough for us most days. Have to remember that they have to be able to get back, or to the next charging point. There's an interesting site at https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ which allows route planning to hopefully avoid problems.

[Audio Al]

Woo nice a Tesler :eyebrows:

You can also use zapmap for charging points , The system / infrastructure will only get better :)

[dave2010]

Now tried most of the supposedly best offerings of Electric cars - though not the Leaf. One family member has a Leaf - says it's very good. I met someone a year or so back who had two. One he got cheap, as someone had screwed up the charging and b***d the electrics, so he bought it for £6k. Turns out he's an electrical engineer, so said it didn't cost much to fix - but probably for most of us a "Don't do this at home" job.

If everybody switches to electric cars there won't be enough power to go round - to keep your computers or electric kettles going. [**1]

Plug-in hybrids might be good. The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid is really nice, and in theory should do a bit over 30 miles on pure electric. Depends on your driving patterns whether they are going to be useful. The Ioniq is quite good too, though I found the Prius easier to drive. As with pure EVs, if most people switch to plug-in hybrids (rather than EVs), there won't be enough electricity to go round.

Otherwise, despite being fossil fuel beasts, regular hybrids might still be the best option for a while - see [**1] above, or even high efficiency petrol or diesel cars, but pollution problems - particularly for city centres - tend to counter against fossil fuels.

I didn't know that there are any Toyota Mirai hydrogen cars in the UK, but I met someone who'd driven one a few days ago. Apparently the NHS uses them in Scotland to deliver between locations (hospitals?) in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and perhaps Glasgow. I guess they have the hydrogen fuel sorted out. Otherwise most of the hydrogen filling stations are in London. Overall hydrogen cars are I believe less efficient than electric ones, but considerably more efficient than gas guzzling fossil fuel burners, and pollution is low with those. Refuelling times should be low - comparible with filling with petrol or diesel.

Apart from the possible dangers (I've mentioned those before - not sure how real they are) it would perhaps be sensible for some manufacturer to develop a hybrid hydrogen+electric plug in car - by which I mean using hydrogen as fuel, with electric power using batteries plus chargers. Such a combination could give long range as well as the kind of performance one gets from pure EV.

[Audio Al]

Have you had a look on this forum

https://www.speakev.com

[dave2010]

Have you had a look on this forum

https://www.speakev.comI have now!

Thanks. Back to bed now, I think.

[Marco]

Seems very quiet in here... So I'm presuming you're all sleeping like logs now?:)

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Not me, as you know I work nights , so only post on my time off :D

[Marco]

That aside, there's still been little activity here, which is unusual, consequently allowing the thread to drop to the bottom of the page. Where's Adrian or Dave?:)

Marco.

[struth]

ive been sleeping a bit better of late myself... dunno for how long tho:D

[Audio Al]

That aside, there's still been little activity here, which is unusual, consequently allowing the thread to drop to the bottom of the page. Where's Adrian or Dave?:)

Marco.

Maybe :bonk:

[Marco]

ive been sleeping a bit better of late myself... dunno for how long tho:D

Good stuff. Told you, a good chug before bed works wonders!:D

Marco.

[struth]

double whisky every second night :eek:

[Marco]

Ah now that makes sense! Told ya;)

Do you feel better (more alert) during the day now because of it?

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Ah now that makes sense! Told ya;)

Do you feel better (more alert) during the day now because of it?

Marco.

What's it like being alert :scratch:

[Marco]

Yeah, right enough, super-daftees are immune from such!:D

Just bright and full of energy, as opposed to weary and lethargic, such as I'd be on the level of sleep you get.

Marco.

[AJSki2fly]

That aside, there's still been little activity here, which is unusual, consequently allowing the thread to drop to the bottom of the page. Where's Adrian or Dave?:)

Marco.

I’m still recovering from the 7 days to Exeter Hospital and back and about 10 poor nights sleep. Still waking up at around 4:30 but trying to force myself to just go back to sleep.

Sue is improving, and is now steeling herself for a big op in about 10 weeks time.

So I’m still lurking keeping an eye on you.[emoji23][emoji8]

[struth]

good to hear adrian:)

[Marco]

Good stuff, Adrian. Glad to hear that Sue's continuing to improve. Hope both of you can enjoy much better health soon:)

Marco.

[AJSki2fly]

Thanks chaps[emoji8]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Audio Al]

Here I am again :)
Booked time off to go up North , WW Show now canceled :(

Can't recall If I mentioned me converting a van into a camper :scratch:
Anyway its now done , Last job is to get DVLA to change the body type from a minibus to a Motor Caravan
DVLA have a problem doing this , very few are changed , DVLA would rather call them " Van with side windows " :scratch: WTF

Does this look like a van with side windows
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49647951597_744e364523_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iDdJit)5A448416-C461-4927-B635-3B1F5462EC46 (https://flic.kr/p/2iDdJit) by , on Flickr

Inside has a fitted 6ft 4" x 4ft 6" double bed , a fixed table and seating , and a kitchen pod , sink drainer 2 ring hob etc

The reason for van with windows is because " The Police may not think its a Motor caravan when looking for one !!!! "

Makes my blood boil at times , Also this is FINAL and will NOT be changed :rolleyes:

Health update

Its poo sticks time , Oh what fun ,doing poo samples :eek:

Lastly , not so good news , I'm showing early signs of kidney problems after sending in a urine sample , and now have to make a apointment to see the Doc :doh:

Bummer :(

[struth]

It all sounds not so good Allen. You've done a grand job of the camper convertion tho. I used to have an old Bedford one many years ago.

[dave2010]

Here I am again :)Me too - now nearly half past five, but been up for about an hour already.


Health update

Its poo sticks time , Oh what fun ,doing poo samples :eek:

Do they still do those batches of three (3) carboard strips? Since moving north, the kits have a plastic thing instead, so only need to do one shot IIRC. It's still a bit of a pain, but easier to do.

[Made in 1968]

Shaggin' wagon'

:eyebrows:

[Pigmy Pony]

A had to do the poo sticks a couple of years ago, took me a few weeks as I just didn't fancy doing it. I think I was a bit generous with my samples, they looked like Magnum lollies. Still think about it when I have a Magnum, especially the almond ones :(

[Pigmy Pony]

Shaggin' wagon'

:eyebrows:

You just need a few Barry White CDs (borrow some from Marco) and a hook to hang your dressing gown with the Kung Fu dragon on the back, and you're good to go. If you still fancy a trip oop north Allen, there's space on our drive for your camper van with windows, and there's a lovely view of next door's bin. Blue bins this week :)

[Made in 1968]

Has it got a fur dashboard & Disco light loike?

[Marco]

There's enough room for a good orgy in there, Al!:eyebrows:

Seriously though, good luck with the kidney thing.

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Has it got a fur dashboard & Disco light loike?

Not yet , but it does have a elephant looking out of the windscreen
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49654615452_e3568298c6_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iDNTew)BDA535E9-6BF4-45CC-B892-D7F996ABCEB5 (https://flic.kr/p/2iDNTew) by , on Flickr

Also a skeleton and the obligatory box af tissues :eyebrows:

[Alex_UK]

Hope the health issues aren't too serious, Al.

Great job with the camper! Got any interior pics? A very sensible way to do it with a conversion - they're ridiculously expensive otherwise.

[Made in 1968]

Dont forget the obligatory Pimp hydraulic suspension


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COb-RmOiEO4

[Audio Al]

Hi Alex

If you look at this tread you can see how it was when first aquired and the interior now :eyebrows:

https://forum-sbmcc.co.uk/topic/54425-van-now-acquired/?tab=comments#comment-1270357

[Audio Al]

Dont forget the obligatory Pimp hydraulic suspension


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COb-RmOiEO4

Errr !!!! thats a big NO

[Made in 1968]

There a guy parks at the back of us with a 1960's VW Camper van, but its in a right state, rust patches & dead rusty bumpers etc. I said why dont you get it sorted & resprayed. He said that thats how he wants it to look! What i said, it looks like a rust bucket.. Seems this is one of those trends like shabby chick furniture, an excuse to own a pile of rough shit & get away with it masked by some kind of trendy smokescreen.

[Audio Al]

There a guy parks at the back of us with a 1960's VW Camper vans, but its in a right state, rust patches & dead rusty bumpers etc. I said why dont you get it sorted & resprayed. He said that thats how it want it to look! What i said, it looks like a rust bucket.. Seems this one of those trends like shabby chick furniture, an excuse to own a pile of rough shit & get away with it masked by some kind of trendy smokescreen.

Its called the old school patina look :)

[Alex_UK]

Hi Alex

If you look at this tread you can see how it was when first aquired and the interior now :eyebrows:

https://forum-sbmcc.co.uk/topic/54425-van-now-acquired/?tab=comments#comment-1270357

I don't have permission - guess you need to be a member. :(

[Alex_UK]

Its called the old school patina look :)

Or "rat look" - a lot of those "rust buckets" are fully restored then painted to look rough! I quite like it.

[struth]

its to look well used and that you have had it for years etc.. its not my kind of look, the rust bucket look is just shitty:lol:

[walpurgis]

Wouldn't mind an ex-army, non-turbo diesel LWB Land Rover in slightly scruffy original matt green drab though. :)

[Made in 1968]

Its called the old school patina look :)

Incompetent dont want to spend any money look more like,

[Marco]

There a guy parks at the back of us with a 1960's VW Camper van, but its in a right state, rust patches & dead rusty bumpers etc. I said why dont you get it sorted & resprayed. He said that thats how he wants it to look! What i said, it looks like a rust bucket.. Seems this is one of those trends like shabby chick furniture, an excuse to own a pile of rough shit & get away with it masked by some kind of trendy smokescreen.

I do agree with that, although there's 'shabby chic', and just SHITE!;)

If I owned a nice vintage VW camper van [the 1950s split-windscreen versions of such I love] it would be mint. I can't abide even having dirty floor mats in my car - they're cleaned after every journey! Never mind anything else...

Marco

[Made in 1968]

Its not a split screen but its one of the nice early ones with rounded Chrome bumpers, not those horrid square profile white painted bumpers you saw in the 70's. Really its every bit as nice as the ones you are referring to. Just like Morris minors, its always the split screen version that makes em special.

Im crazy for condition, it would have to be perfect. I just think its an utter shame owning something of such potential beauty, pretty much going to waste. the body work will without a doubt progressively get worse

[Audio Al]

Alex
Will post some later today :)

[AJSki2fly]

Wouldn't mind an ex-army, non-turbo diesel LWB Land Rover in slightly scruffy original matt green drab though. :)

Hi Geoff, great to see yo back on AoS again :)

[Audio Al]

You just need a few Barry White CDs (borrow some from Marco) and a hook to hang your dressing gown with the Kung Fu dragon on the back, and you're good to go. If you still fancy a trip oop north Allen, there's space on our drive for your camper van with windows, and there's a lovely view of next door's bin. Blue bins this week :)

Thanks for the offer Steve , however in my road I have a huge amount to look at , Bins 3 colours , beds , chairs , dog s-it , snot , beer cans and bottles , You name it you can find it in my road , Its bloody awful , I cant understand how and why people do this , :scratch::(

[Pigmy Pony]

Thanks for the offer Steve , however in my road I have a huge amount to look at , Bins 3 colours , beds , chairs , dog s-it , snot , beer cans and bottles , You name it you can find it in my road , Its bloody awful , I cant understand how and why people do this , :scratch::(

My theory: Part of the human condition is to make changes to their surroundings, to leave their mark...and if those humans are too poor and/or stupid to change things for the better, they'll just trash it :(

[Audio Al]

2746827469274702747127472Camper photos as requested

[Audio Al]

274732747427475And these

[Alex_UK]

Looks great Al! Bet it’s really cosy! Great stuff!

[dave2010]

A had to do the poo sticks a couple of years ago, took me a few weeks as I just didn't fancy doing it. I think I was a bit generous with my samples, they looked like Magnum lollies. Still think about it when I have a Magnum, especially the almond ones :(Darn - now I was just fancying a Magnum - then you came along!

Do do the poo sticks though - they might just save your life.

Of course that's if CV doesn't get us all first.

[AJSki2fly]

Well I’m awake again at silly hour, ho hum.

Al the wagon looks great, but did you need a bed, I thought you never slept. I hope your ok health wise, it’s not easy being unwell. All the best, Adrian


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Audio Al]

Well I’m awake again at silly hour, ho hum.

Al the wagon looks great, but did you need a bed, I thought you never slept. I hope your ok health wise, it’s not easy being unwell. All the best, Adrian


Hi Adrian

I am allways the optimist re sleep so thought it best to build a bed , This is a full size 6ft 3" x 4ft 6" bed , also it will help if / when I decide to sell , the entire area under the bed is used for storage ,
Also has a porta potty ( For emergancy use only :eek: )

Not sure re health issues as I have a appointment to see the Doc soon ish

The warning came via a text from the health centre :eek:

Think is with me healthe wise
1 I dont smoke
2 I dont do recreational drugs ( NEVER have )
3 I hardly ever drink alcohol :( as my employment is dependent on being drink and drug free ( Yes I get randomly tested at work )

Food is the only thing left and yes I do enjoy it very much , Looks like I will be changing my " Food way of life " :(

Hopefully a new slimline me :D as I am a porker now and classed as obese :eek: opps ! ;)

[Made in 1968]

How can you not have a bed in a shaggin' wagon!

[Pigmy Pony]

How can you not have a bed in a shaggin' wagon!

The porta-bog should elevate your camper van's status to "Mobile home". Good luck getting bog rolls for it...

[Made in 1968]

Home Bargins had bog Rolls today. They must well under the cuckoos radar

[Made in 1968]

Its called the old school patina look :)

Here it is. Sorry about shite picture.

https://i.imgur.com/C9SAJFL.jpg

[struth]

Nice

[Alex_UK]

Porsche wheels.

[Made in 1968]

Porsche wheels.

Yeh i noticed the Porsche logo in the centres. Better with the original VW Chrome wheel hubs.

[dave2010]

Looks like everyone's gone to sleep here!

[AJSki2fly]

Here it is. Sorry about shite picture.

https://i.imgur.com/C9SAJFL.jpg

It also looks like it’s lowered by about 50mm

[Pigmy Pony]

It also looks like it’s lowered by about 50mm

Probably wanted to make it look more sporty. Honestly, if he wanted more sporty he could have chosen just about any vehicle that has ever been made :) Vintage campervans can be quite cool, but not that one

[Audio Al]

Morning Insoms :)

4.30 am and I am awake , Not sure what to do today :scratch:
Do I stay in and be a good boy ? or do I go out and be naughty :D

1 job I have is to attack her next doors bush :eyebrows: as its out of control , broken the fence panel and taken the end cap off my guttering :steam:

I told her it needed doing , I was then told a couple of days later that it will cost a lot of money £90 , I said thats a bargain , she dissagreed , I then offered to cut off the offending branches and lob them in her garden ,

She said yes , I'm ok with that :confused:

[Audio Al]

Here it is. Sorry about shite picture.

https://i.imgur.com/C9SAJFL.jpg

I owned this bus for 2 years
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49681737521_7dac8d3f9a_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iGcTFp)249a6f067799010293e1e162b15021d4 (https://flic.kr/p/2iGcTFp) by [/url], on Flickr
.
.
.https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49681737516_91bcb89e93_n.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/150639903@N08/)646a4de0a39f13fddf7ce3df5b82f3f9 (https://flic.kr/p/2iGcTFj) by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/150639903@N08/], on Flickr

:eyebrows:

[dave2010]

I owned this bus for 2 years
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49681737521_7dac8d3f9a_n.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iGcTFp)on Flickr
I always thought they looked a bit weird. Like it now though - stylishly weird. Really like the colour, but I guess not everyone would.

We had a later model - a bit nicer than the **** one which keeps popping up in this thread. Didn't have the split windscreen. I think it did about 30 mpg - but got us round Spain and back. Struggled a bit over 50 mph, and up steep hills. I used it to commute to work at one time. Nowadays I'd think that's a waste of petrol - but we didn't worry so much in those days.

[Marco]

The orange is cool, daftee, but what did you do with the iconic VW badge...??

It looks 'wrong' without it.

Marco

[Audio Al]

Everyone knows it is a VW , No need for the badge

[Marco]

Yesh, but the badge looks good.

Marco.

[struth]

looks more american without badge

[Audio Al]

Yesh, but the badge looks good.

Marco.

OK so follow the herd is your opinion :(

[Marco]

Hardly! I just like the look of the badge and preserving originality. Each to his or her own, though:)

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Hardly! I just like the look of the badge and preserving originality. Each to his or her own, though:)

Marco.

Here you go Mr Marco lots of choice for you :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1311.R1.TR12.TRC2.A0.H1.Xvw+ba dge.TRS0&_nkw=vw+badge&_sacat=0

[Pigmy Pony]

Everyone knows it is a VW , No need for the badge

I thought maybe it was during your Beastie Boys period :D We were too poor oop north, we wore Skoda badges round our necks :(

[AJSki2fly]

It’s three on the morning
And I’m here still yawning,
Brew is by the bed,
Thoughts spinning in head

Woken by by usual again,
At least it’s only mild pain.
Not much to worry about,
I’ll soon be up again.

Harry is off dreaming,
On landing paws twitching.
Snorting and puffing,
Enjoying himself running.

Then I remember Covid-19,
And it makes me want to scream,
Bigger figures reported,
World is being locked down.

Creeping and unseen,
It sweeps across our paths,
Each it touches unclean,
So we wash our hands

Keep your distance,
And try to be safe,
Protecting each other,
With no intimate grace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Audio Al]

It’s three on the morning
And I’m here still yawning,
Brew is by the bed,
Thoughts spinning in head

Woken by by usual again,
At least it’s only mild pain.
Not much to worry about,
I’ll soon be up again.

Harry is off dreaming,
On landing paws twitching.
Snorting and puffing,
Enjoying himself running.

Then I remember Covid-19,
And it makes me want to scream,
Bigger figures reported,
World is being locked down.

Creeping and unseen,
It sweeps across our paths,
Each it touches unclean,
So we wash our hands

Keep your distance,
And try to be safe,
Protecting each other,
With no intimate grace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Blimey , You have the inner poet , Well done Adrian :)

[Audio Al]

I am awake as well , Yesterday I gave the lady next doors bush / tree a propper seing to :eek:

It's now half the size it was , not sure she realises how much would end up lobbed over the fence into her garden , when she sees it she may think £90 was a bargain

Think I will have a nice relaxing music day today and indulge in some box / speaker swapping :D with a few :cool: along the way

[AJSki2fly]

Hi Al, hope you wore protection when attacking the ladies bush, you never knew what you might have found.[emoji23] I’m hope it will recover ok.

You mentioned speaker swapping, coincidentally I may doing something similar today but more of that later[emoji2958]

I still have a very nice pair of JBLs sat here waiting for you[emoji6]

Have a great day.

Cheers

Adrian

[Audio Al]

Hi Al, hope you wore protection when attacking the ladies bush, you never knew what you might have found.[emoji23] I’m hope it will recover ok.

You mentioned speaker swapping, coincidentally I may doing something similar today but more of that later[emoji2958]

I still have a very nice pair of JBLs sat here waiting for you[emoji6]

Have a great day.

Cheers

Adrian

Sadly Adrian I think you are flogging a dead horse trying to sell these at the moment , what with the C Virus , job losses , wage uncertainty evictions ( Now banned ) among the public , Not saying they won't sell but doubtful at the moment , I advertise a Arcam Dac at under half its retail price , Not a sniff of intrest :(
Enjoy your day :)

[Scorps]

Sadly Adrian I think you are flogging a dead horse trying to sell these at the moment , what with the C Virus , job losses , wage uncertainty evictions ( Now banned ) among the public , Not saying they won't sell but doubtful at the moment , I advertise a Arcam Dac at under half its retail price , Not a sniff of intrest :(
Enjoy your day :)

I'm in same boat got a few bits i want to sell,fortunately not in desperate need at mo having already stocked up as we do every yr for 2nd bout of lambing. Other side of the coin is if you do have bit of spare cash after stockpiling is gonna be some nice bargains over coming months. Dont like taking advantage of someone else's misfortune but a bargain is a bargain

[AJSki2fly]

Sadly Adrian I think you are flogging a dead horse trying to sell these at the moment , what with the C Virus , job losses , wage uncertainty evictions ( Now banned ) among the public , Not saying they won't sell but doubtful at the moment , I advertise a Arcam Dac at under half its retail price , Not a sniff of intrest :(
Enjoy your day :)

Yes Al, I tend to agree, someone did make a rather cheeky offer, which I politely declined. I’m not in a rush really, I will just have to wait for the couple of bits I would like to get. All the best[emoji846]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pigmy Pony]

I am awake as well , Yesterday I gave the lady next doors bush / tree a propper seing to :eek:

It's now half the size it was , not sure she realises how much would end up lobbed over the fence into her garden , when she sees it she may think £90 was a bargain

Think I will have a nice relaxing music day today and indulge in some box / speaker swapping :D with a few :cool: along the way

Sounds like a good way to spend your day, and I wish my day looked like that. But Anita wants to get out of the house for a drive (with no destination in mind, but maybe some dogging later in Asda car park), because she has cabin fever due to her self isolation. Still, we're both healthy (touch wood) so I shouldn't grumble :)

[Made in 1968]

This is one of the dangers or owning expensive Hi-fi, Not easy getting shut of it.

[AJSki2fly]

Seems I’m am definitely awake early, springing forward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[struth]

Boing

[Made in 1968]

Was up at 4:30 Wifey is working this morning. I like to get up and literally wipe her arse, Iron her uniform, make some brekki & her snap.

Got all day now to try sort this Record deck out. I have a vintage Cassette Deck coming soon, i do not want more jobs building up on me.

[Pigmy Pony]

Good to see that you and Mrs. Andre have patched it up, and you've calmed down enough to rescue your deck from the bin. Check carefully under the platter, those potato peelings get everywhere :)

[Marco]

+1 on the former. These things happen. You clearly care about her, and I'm sure she feels the same about you:)

Marco.

[Made in 1968]

Good to see that you and Mrs. Andre have patched it up, and you've calmed down enough to rescue your deck from the bin. Check carefully under the platter, those potato peelings get everywhere :)

No rescuing that one bud, the arms fucked. Its the one i bought for spares im sorting out. Its perfect apart from the auto-return is not working. What im sorting out today.

Her that came arsehole creeping around me, not the other way around. I can keep the silent treatment up for months if i have to..

[Pigmy Pony]

No rescuing that one bud, the arms fucked. Its the one i bought for spares im sorting out. Its perfect apart from the auto-return is not working. What im sorting out today.

Her that came arsehole creeping around me, not the other way around. I can keep the silent treatment up for months if i have to..

2,330 posts say otherwise :ner:

Seriously, I'm glad you're both speaking again, but don't see it as her 'arsehole creeping round you', she just knows that in these trying times you can't afford a prolonged 'atmosphere'. It'll drive you both nuts...

[Made in 1968]

No she knows that i do the cooking mate :D

Ill admit i am an utter nightmare to live with & when i get cut off from everything i do im a double nightmare, Probably be a secure unit within a months time.

Having to have some speakers cancelled i won cos of this virus malarky put me in a mega bad mood, im ok with that cos these things are important but he could have held onto them instead of being an arse about it + stuck here not being able to work, receiving only 80% wages & been told i could be off off months topped off with if it keeps up longer they will be shutting leaving me unemployed.

[Pigmy Pony]

Could you not use this "free time" to further improve on your cookery skills? I'm sure it would be appreciated by Chez, and also when we come out the other side you could perhaps work in that field. People will always want a nice meal. Top chefs are well known for being (a) great at cooking and (b) bad tempered buggers, so you're already halfway there! :D

[Audio Al]

Morning , Looks like I will be trying to find the vacuum cleaner today , I know its stashed away somewhere :)

Time for a well overdue sucking session :D

Now " Hold the back page " I may even do some dusting :eek:

[Made in 1968]

:lol:

[Pigmy Pony]

Morning , Looks like I will be trying to find the vacuum cleaner today , I know its stashed away somewhere :)

Time for a well overdue sucking session :D

Now " Hold the back page " I may even do some dusting :eek:

Steady on now! :eek: Can your hoover fit between all those speakers?

If you connect them all up and play something really loud, maybe you can blow the dust out of the room :)

[Audio Al]

Steady on now! :eek: Can your hoover fit between all those speakers?

If you connect them all up and play something really loud, maybe you can blow the dust out of the room :)

I have some special attachments , one is like a sward long and very narrow , one that is only 3" wide both good for getting in all the nooks and fannys ;)

[Pigmy Pony]

I have some special attachments , one is like a sward long and very narrow , one that is only 3" wide both good for getting in all the nooks and fannys ;)

is this really you speaking Allen? Looks a lot like Marco tinkering to me :eyebrows: Oh wait, I've just checked the time - should be ok for a bit yet, the lazy shoite :)

[goraman]

I was never a morning person from birth, I'm at my best after 3:00 PM oddly around the same time I was born.
It dosent take to many days off ,staying up later and later getting less sleep. 4 to 5 hours is the norm for me any way.
I like going to bed as most people are waking up, 6:00 to 7:00 am would be my bed time if that wasn't when I have to go to work.
I have always been like that. Coffee and now also Tea keep me moving when I otherwise don't feel like it.
is that anyone else's experience?

[struth]

wasnt a morning person when younger but got more used to it last few years. i am up early and bed very early now

[Marco]

Never been a morning person either. I can get up early when I need to, no problem, but it takes me a good hour (min) to wake up and focus. I'm not a happy bunny (tend to growl) until I get my cappuccino caffeine hit!:)

Can't stand the bastards who are full of the joys of spring first thing in the morning, whistling a happy tune!:D They get seriously short shrift....

Thing is, I'm not a night owl either. I'm generally in bed for 11pm (often earlier), unless I've decided to indulge in a late-night movie or music sesh... But I'm certainly not into staying up until the early hours of the morning on a regular basis.

I'm generally at my best from lunchtime onwards, and sometimes will have a wee afternoon nap if I've been up late the night before, which recharges the batteries and keeps me going for the rest of the day!:cool:

Marco.

[walpurgis]

wasnt a morning person when younger but got more used to it last few years. i am up early and bed very early now

After most of a lifetime being at work before 7.30am, I sort of got used to it. I tend to be up somewhere between 6.30 and 7.30 and although I have an alarm set for 7.10, it generally gets turned off well before it goes.

[AJSki2fly]

Never been a morning person either. I can get up early when I need to, no problem, but it takes me a good hour (min) to wake up and focus. I'm not a happy bunny (tend to growl) until I get my cappuccino caffeine hit!:)

Can't stand the bastards who are full of the joys of spring first thing in the morning, whistling a happy tune!:D They get seriously short shrift....

Thing is, I'm not a night owl either. I'm generally in bed for 11pm (often earlier), unless I've decided to indulge in a late-night movie or music sesh... But I'm certainly not into staying up until the early hours of the morning on a regular basis.

I'm generally at my best from lunchtime onwards, and sometimes will have a wee afternoon nap if I've been up late the night before, which recharges the batteries and keeps me going for the rest of the day!:cool:

Marco.

Oh Dear, you won't talk to me anymore then. :D

Always up before 6:30am (best time of the day), after a quick mug of tea, a shower and shave, and other necessaries, then its time to get Harry up and out for his 30-60 minute walk in the nearest quiet wood. Breakfast before 8:00, tidy up and clean house and any other odd jobs, Coffee and biscuit around 11:00, then it is usually the rest of the day to myself with lunch around 1:00. Sometimes off for another walk with Harry and Sue before dinner (not at the moment though) and dinner about 6:30pm. Usually off to bed by 10.00pm but often earlier, since my health issues I find I need at least 8-9 hours in bed whether asleep or not because I often wake around 3:00- 4:00 due to Angina issue.

[Marco]

Lol - as long as you just left me to growl, you'd be fine!:eyebrows:

I rarely see 6.30am. Pretty much no matter what time I'm in bed for, I don't waken up naturally until at least 8am.

Marco.

[goraman]

It's 6:00AM where I am at in Ca. and well here I am still awake.
I like the quoit and solitude sometimes, no T.V. or Music just silence.

[Made in 1968]

Nearly always had Job where im up at 4:00am. Worse thing on earth a 9-5 Job..

[Marco]

Lol - I'd have to disagree! For me that would be nightshifts - totally fucks up your body clock, and in the longterm definitely isn't healthy:nono:

However, when running my own business, I've done 100s of all-nighters, framing up pictures, etc... But that was through my own choice, and is partly why I was able to retire early. When I worked in retail shops though, during the 80s, 9-5 was great:)

Marco.

[Made in 1968]

Nights are indeed Rubbish especially when you have a week of them. Not only do you deprive yourself of Sleep you deprive yourself of the day you have to spend in bed

[walpurgis]

Did a sixty hour shift once. Boy was I knackered!!

[Marco]

Nights are indeed Rubbish especially when you have a week of them. Not only do you deprive yourself of Sleep you deprive yourself of the day you have to spend in bed

Yup... And if you've spent most of your working life doing nights, it takes its toll when you're older.

I always liked jobs when you started early and finished early (say 7am to 3pm - had a couple of those), as I loved being home and finished for the day while most others were still at work!:)

Marco.

[Made in 1968]

Well if i cant do 12 Hour shifts i get a bit pissed off. If i get up at 4:00am for work i want to be making money for the inconvenience.. also 12 Hour shifts equate to Shorter weeks.

[struth]

Did a sixty hour shift once. Boy was I knackered!!

never went that far but did a 40 hr one once. damn near killed me ;) could have slept sitting on a spike

[Made in 1968]

Someone gave me regular 60 Hrs id jump at it..

[Audio Al]

Someone gave me regular 60 Hrs id jump at it..

Get a HGV1 licence 60+ easy

[Made in 1968]

Get a HGV1 licence 60+ easy

That will last all week Tachographs you can only drive 9 Hours, cant do 60 Hours with one. Had enough on that boring as fuc Crane course last month. im done work in less than 10 years anyway, Worked since being at school, had enough.. Over the last 20 years i have found it near on impossible to make any decent money like i did when i was younger yet i work harder these days.

[struth]

used to be 56hrs a week legally... although there are ways round it

[Marco]

Well if i cant do 12 Hour shifts i get a bit pissed off. If i get up at 4:00am for work i want to be making money for the inconvenience.. also 12 Hour shifts equate to Shorter weeks.

I never really analysed the hours I worked in any detail. I just did them and didn't really think about it. My focus was always on finishing, ASAP, so I could get home and see my wife, and in the longer term, giving up working altogether, ASAP, and retiring!:)

For me, working was only ever a means to an end; never an end in itself.

My dad was the same, even though he was self-employed running a very profitable and successful business. He couldn't wait to retire, so he could spend more time with my mum, going for days out and nice holidays abroad together, so he chucked it when he was 62, even though he could've gone on for another 20 years (as his dad did) working in his shop, and earned a shedload more dosh...

However, his view was that he'd rather have more TIME to do what he wanted when he was still young enough to enjoy himself, and spend it with those he cared for, rather than continuing to slave away behind the counter of a fish & chip shop from 8am until 11pm - and quite right, too... It's probably why now at nearly 87, he looks and feels 20 years younger, rather than like a worn-out wreck!:cool:

Some food for thought perhaps in there for some?;)

Marco.

[Audio Al]

That will last all week Tachographs you can only drive 9 Hours, cant do 60 Hours with one. Had enough on that boring as fuc Crane course last month. im done work in less than 10 years anyway, Worked since being at school, had enough.. Over the last 20 years i have found it near on impossible to make any decent money like i did when i was younger yet i work harder these days.

I do the job and have done now for 30 years , You do combinded driving and duty time up to a max of 15 hours a day , But who wants to do that :doh:
When I do 6 12 hour night shifts it works out at 72 hours :eek:

[Audio Al]

Morning early crew :)

Brandy and Coke zero this morning in a rather large portion :eek::cool:

[Made in 1968]

Had to go to bed early last night i felt rotten. So that messed my clock up. Woke up at 2:00am

[Ninanina]

Still awake here...

[Audio Al]

And me :D

[Ninanina]

And me :D

Hiya Al... you ok ?

[Ninanina]

I'm probably the only one awake now...

[Audio Al]

Hi Bev , Yes I am OK ( AS far as i Know :eek: )

And yes I went to bed just after posing early this morning , so you had the job of nightwatch person ;)

[Audio Al]

Morning Insom's

Up at 05.00am , 1st coffee of the day going down the hatch , Thin lizzy playing :)

Have a good day if you can :cool:

[AJSki2fly]

Morning Insom's

Up at 05.00am , 1st coffee of the day going down the hatch , Thin lizzy playing :)

Have a good day if you can :cool:

Well I’m an hour an half behind you, a bit of a restless night for me though.

Have a fun day Al, and everyone else.[emoji8]

[Pigmy Pony]

Mrs. P has been up since 5am, excited about the day ahead - in a couple of hours we're driving to Morrison's car park, where she can sit and wait while I go in.

[struth]

I'm still in bed. Lazy ol me. Got TV on tho. Back won't work and one leg still dead.
But slept fairly well

[Pigmy Pony]

I'm still in bed. Lazy ol me. Got TV on tho. Back won't work and one leg still dead.
But slept fairly well

Not lazy at all. Got to do what body tells you

[Marco]

Mrs. P has been up since 5am, excited about the day ahead - in a couple of hours we're driving to Morrison's car park, where she can sit and wait while I go in.

Bloody hell, she's a fidgeter... I wouldn't get a minute's sleep!!:D

Thank goodness Del's sleep pattern pretty much mirrors mine. Enjoy Morrisons!

Marco.

[Jac Hawk]

Yep i had to go to Morrisons on Friday night, or the old folks shop as i call it, i thought i'd get in and out as i got in from work which was about 7pm, i usually shop at Asda in Clayton le Woods they carry a bit of vinyl and it's usually reasonably priced, anyway i got there to find a cue around the building and the car park half full, same at the Asda in Chorley, only bloody Morrisons wasn't busy.

[Marco]

How many times do I have to say it, folks.... USE ALDI OR LIDI...!!!:ner::ner:

:doh:;)

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

How many times do I have to say it, folks.... USE ALDI OR LIDI...!!!:ner::ner:

:doh:;)

Marco.

I don't think you need to say it any more times, we all know about Aldi and Lidl. And they're both great if they have everything you need. Unfortunately for me they don't, which means going to Asda or Morrisons as well. Then extra fuel costs cancel to some degree the savings you might make. And before you say it, yes I have tried some of the alternative brands and products, and I've yet to be impressed. Some stuff is as good as known brands, but next to no savings made on them.

Anyway, we didn't go to Morrisons after all. Went instead to an Iceland "Food Warehouse" recently opened. A big store with lots of space and only about a dozen shoppers this morning. Managed to get everything her dad wanted, and they were brands he would know.

[Marco]

I don't think you need to say it any more times, we all know about Aldi and Lidl. And they're both great if they have everything you need. Unfortunately for me they don't, which means going to Asda or Morrisons as well. Then extra fuel costs cancel to some degree the savings you might make. And before you say it, yes I have tried some of the alternative brands and products, and I've yet to be impressed. Some stuff is as good as known brands, but next to no savings made on them.

Anyway, we didn't go to Morrisons after all. Went instead to an Iceland "Food Warehouse" recently opened. A big store with lots of space and only about a dozen shoppers this morning. Managed to get everything her dad wanted, and they were brands he would know.

That's cool. What I meant was not to be 'automatically programmed' into always going to the main supermarkets, without even thinking, just out of habit, as you right now you might be better off using the likes of Aldi or Lidl, or small independent stores, as their shelves tend to be more fully stocked and there are less queues.

The queueing thing is crucial for me, as no way am I going to be standing with a bllody trolley in long queues around a supermarket, not even knowing when I get in if they'll have anything left of what I'm looking for! I've got far better things to do with my time, which is why I'm targeting places where I know I'll get what I need, including from local butchers and farm shops:)

Marco.

[Jac Hawk]

The queueing thing is crucial for me, as no way am I going to be standing with a bllody trolley in long queues around a supermarket, not even knowing when I get in if they'll have anything left of what I'm looking for! I've got far better things to do with my time, which is why I'm targeting places where I know I'll get what I need, including from local butchers and farm shops:)

Marco.

100% with you there mate, i loath shopping at the best of times, but now we have to cue, no fucking way on this planet is that ever going to happen. i agree with Steve Aldi and Lidl are ok but you can't get everything there, so back to my 1st point "i loath shopping" there's no way i'm going into 2 shops to get some food, plus i don't think the savings are as big as they once were, i think Aldi and Lidl have upped their prices a bit and Asda in particular has lowered its prices, each to their own though.

[Marco]

Yeah, totally get that mate, if you're not into shopping, which I sympathise with. I don't particularly enjoy supermarket shopping, as the experience is so soulless, but I quite enjoy shopping in farm shops and quality independent stores that sell really nice and/or unusual foodstuffs, and especially when it comes to wine:)

Marco.

[dave2010]

Darn - checking in here early tonight/today at 2am. Tried lying in bed in the hope of waking up 3-6 hours later - but didn't happen.

Now found this which is kind of Hi-Fi related - https://www.waves.com/nx/player - there's some decent jazz in the demo, and it does sound as though the plug-in does give an enhancement for those who are in to this sort of thing. It's only supposed to work with headphones though. If you try the demo notice that there's a button to turn the Nx effect on/off. It's maybe not a huge difference, but I think it is easier to listen on headphones with the Nx mode on.

Review - https://ask.audio/articles/review-wa...our-headphones

https://www.waves.com/plugins/nx#int...rtual-mix-room

Looks as though it should work with most major DAWs, and does include Logic, Reaper.

[dave2010]

Giving up now - nearly 4am - so falling asleep at last.

[AJSki2fly]

Wakey wakey, time to rise and shine, we’ll not really it’s 4:30am [emoji33][emoji31]again and I’m awake

[Pigmy Pony]

I'm guessing this must be an age thing, but I remember a time when I would wake at 7am and wish it was 3am, while these days I'm much more likely to wake at 3am and wish it was 7 :( Small potatoes compared to you career insomniacs, but still a pain.

But the real problem is my ability (tendency) to nod off at a moment's notice during the day. I have to keep moving to stay awake, rather like my little Myryad pre amp, which if it sees no activity for 15 minutes goes into standby. I can put up with this, but it gets annoying sometimes for those around me. My girls have stopped coming to the cinema with me. And last year I nodded off during a funeral service, which was embarrassing.

Has anybody here tried that Nytol stuff, and does it ever work?

[Jac Hawk]

I'm guessing this must be an age thing, but I remember a time when I would wake at 7am and wish it was 3am, while these days I'm much more likely to wake at 3am and wish it was 7 :( Small potatoes compared to you career insomniacs, but still a pain.

But the real problem is my ability (tendency) to nod off at a moment's notice during the day. I have to keep moving to stay awake, rather like my little Myryad pre amp, which if it sees no activity for 15 minutes goes into standby. I can put up with this, but it gets annoying sometimes for those around me. My girls have stopped coming to the cinema with me. And last year I nodded off during a funeral service, which was embarrassing.

Has anybody here tried that Nytol stuff, and does it ever work?

Sorry i didn't catch that last bit steve i nodded off

[Pigmy Pony]

:lol: Pigmy posts - curing insomnia everywhere!

[AJSki2fly]

I'm guessing this must be an age thing, but I remember a time when I would wake at 7am and wish it was 3am, while these days I'm much more likely to wake at 3am and wish it was 7 :( Small potatoes compared to you career insomniacs, but still a pain.

But the real problem is my ability (tendency) to nod off at a moment's notice during the day. I have to keep moving to stay awake, rather like my little Myryad pre amp, which if it sees no activity for 15 minutes goes into standby. I can put up with this, but it gets annoying sometimes for those around me. My girls have stopped coming to the cinema with me. And last year I nodded off during a funeral service, which was embarrassing.

Has anybody here tried that Nytol stuff, and does it ever work?

I started yawning half way through[emoji2960][emoji41]

[Pigmy Pony]

I started yawning half way through[emoji2960][emoji41]

You guys are so cruel, I'm going back to bed :(

Adrian, I think I've worked out your insomnia problem - the thought of Sue doing her 'Car Wash' number on whatever's under that canvas in the garage, that's what's keeping you awake at night :ner:

[Marco]

I'm guessing this must be an age thing, but I remember a time when I would wake at 7am and wish it was 3am, while these days I'm much more likely to wake at 3am and wish it was 7 :( Small potatoes compared to you career insomniacs, but still a pain.

But the real problem is my ability (tendency) to nod off at a moment's notice during the day. I have to keep moving to stay awake, rather like my little Myryad pre amp, which if it sees no activity for 15 minutes goes into standby. I can put up with this, but it gets annoying sometimes for those around me. My girls have stopped coming to the cinema with me. And last year I nodded off during a funeral service, which was embarrassing.


That's obviously because you're not getting enough sleep at night! Maybe if you told Anita to stop waking you up at 5am, and tramp around doing goodness knows what that she couldn't otherwise do at a more sociable hour, lol, you'd sleep more when you're supposed to, and less when you're not...?

Just a thought!:ner:

Oh, and I'm just up! :D Makes such a difference when Del doesn't have to set the alarm for 6.30am for work!;)

Marco.

[Audio Al]

That's obviously because you're not getting enough sleep at night! Maybe if you told Anita to stop waking you up at 5am, to do goodness knows what that she couldn't otherwise do at a sociable hour, lol, you'd sleep more when you're supposed to, and less when you're not...?

Just a thought!:ner:

Oh, and I'm just up! :D Makes such a difference when Del doesn't have to set the alarm for 6.30am for work!

Marco.

Yes it WAS nice and peaceful and now ------- :)

[Pigmy Pony]

That's obviously because you're not getting enough sleep at night! Maybe if you told Anita to stop waking you up at 5am, to do goodness knows what that she couldn't otherwise do at a sociable hour, lol, you'd sleep more when you're supposed to, and less when you're not...?

Just a thought!:ner:

Oh, and I'm just up! :D Makes such a difference when Del doesn't have to set the alarm for 6.30am for work!

Marco.

It's aches and pains that wake me up at night, and I don't know what can fix that, maybe drugs. A change of mattress may help, replacing the stupidly expensive one we currently have. It's there on my list, along with hoover bags, motorbike rebuild, lap top battery...

[Marco]

Sensible move, mate, but more seriously and I'm NOT having a dig here, that's what happens when you fuck up your body working too much, or probably more relevant in your case, doing a physical job that realistically you're now too old for...

Going up and down ladders all day (and whatever else you do in your line of work that takes it out of you physically), in all weathers, is fine when when you're younger, but for someone like you in their 60s, you get to 'know all about it' when you're lying in bed at night, and I suspect even more so first thing in the morning when you get up.

It's classic repetitive strain syndrome (combined with simple old age) and your body telling you that it's struggling to cope. A new mattress may well help, but it'll only act as a sticking plaster. If you want to effect REAL change in that area mate, in terms of reducing aches and pains, then quite simply, you need to change your lifestyle.

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

I think I may have exaggerated the amount of time I spend on ladders, I fit more doors than windows, although roofline work can be a bit hairy. I'm physically more than up to the jobs I do, although I do know I'm older than most - customers are always surprised when they learn how old I am, but that's more due to what I do rather than how I look.

My aches come from falling off motorbikes and scaffolds, rather than the physical demands of the work.

I do enjoy my job (not when the weather's shit, mind), I like the socialising with fellow workers, friends and customers, and don't want to think about when that must end.

I was chatting with a builder friend (on the phone!) the other day, and the 'stay at home' is driving him mad. He is "only" 53 and says he'll never retire, even though he's set for life financially. His work is like a hobby that pays him money (how many hobbies do that?) He sees this lockdown as a scary glimpse of what retirement may be like, and says he will never retire, not until he falls off his perch. So I will always have some work to do (with him) albeit with reduced hours. Fingers crossed my bones will carry me for many more years :)

[Marco]

I think I may have exaggerated the amount of time I spend on ladders, I fit more doors than windows, although roofline work can be a bit hairy. I'm physically more than up to the jobs I do, although I do know I'm older than most - customers are always surprised when they learn how old I am, but that's more due to what I do rather than how I look.

My aches come from falling off motorbikes and scaffolds, rather than the physical demands of the work.


Fair enough dude, but it does highlight the dangers of not looking after your body properly when you're young - it always comes back to bite you on the arse in later life...


I do enjoy my job (not when the weather's shit, mind), I like the socialising with fellow workers, friends and customers, and don't want to think about when that must end.


I get that, and enjoyed the same to an extent, but in normal times (not what we're facing currently) I can get all that without going to work, as I have plenty of friends to socialise with, but I'm still happiest spending time with Del. Quite simply, we never get bored with each other and rarely fall out. We're true soulmates, so we're enjoying every minute now of spending more time together:)


I was chatting with a builder friend (on the phone!) the other day, and the 'stay at home' is driving him mad. He is "only" 53 and says he'll never retire, even though he's set for life financially. His work is like a hobby that pays him money (how many hobbies do that?) He sees this lockdown as a scary glimpse of what retirement may be like, and says he will never retire, not until he falls off his perch. So I will always have some work to do (with him) albeit with reduced hours. Fingers crossed my bones will carry me for many more years

Good luck to him if he's happy (as that's all that matters), but that is *SO* different from how I see things, or my approach to life, which you already know and so don't need to repeat.

Is your builder friend married/has a partner or single?

What I really struggle to understand is how anyone who derives so much pleasure from work, and thus who throws his (or her) soul into it, can find the time and effort needed to maintain a healthy and loving relationship with their partners? I mean, if you're out working all the time, and your whole focus is on that, then surely something HAS to give in your relationship, unless you've never really been close?

Effectively, you're more MARRIED TO YOUR WORK, than you are to your wife or husband, and I find that quite sad.

One of the main reasons why I went semi-retired from my own business at 43, even though I wasn't a millionaire, or anything approaching that, was to spend MORE TIME with Del, as she absolutely hated me working long hours, and then when I did get home, being too tired and grumpy to enjoy her company - and that had been going on for years, because as you know, if you're self-employed you have to put the hours in to make it work!

So, we took the necessary steps to sort that problem, and now we've never been happier. And Del will retire herself in a couple of years. She could do it now, but like you, she loves her job, and as a teacher, if you're good at it like she is, you can make a MASSIVE difference to young people's lives - and that's why for now she's carrying on. However, she loves the fact that she doesn't have to worry about the house, as I take care of that, and can come home to a nice cup of tea, or glass of wine, and (sometimes) a meal prepared!;)

Therefore, each to his or her own, but I simply couldn't imagine my life being based solely around work and not having anything else to look forward to, until I was too old to do anything other than simply become an old man who's passed it!:eek::nono:

It also makes me wonder whether most marriages these days are borne more out of convenience or a 'sense of duty' (especially if kids are involved), than true love - and that's why now when couples are being forced to live together under the one roof 24/7, for days and weeks on end, that the 'cracks' in their relationships are beginning to show.

My view is that if you'd rather spend more time at work than with your wife or husband, then you probably don't have a close relationship, or indeed much in common. That's why you'll struggle when working isn't in the equation, or to quote your builder friend, it presents: "a scary glimpse of what retirement may be like". I have to be honest and say that shocks me.

Quite simply, I doubt he would feel that way if he loved his wife (or partner) as much as his work.

Marco.

[Marco]

When you get a chance, Piggurs, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the above:)

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

:eek: Bloody hell! It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other you know, it doesn't have to be total devotion to your other half or a loveless job-oriented life - there's such a thing as a work/life balance, which seems to have passed you by, seeing as you went for an 'open all hours' job with no time left over for Del, to a 'stay at home' life, with no discernible challenges.

No offence intended, and I'm not angry or anything, but I just wanted to defend my mate - much as he loves his work, he always finishes about 4pm, never works weekends, and apart from going to all the home matches with his 85 year old dad, spends ALL his time with his wife and 3 girls. They get out quite a lot, and go on two holidays to the USA every year. There's no way he could be accused of loving his work more than his wife. Any more than you spending time cooking means you love food more than your wife :)

To be too old to do what he loves is a dread for him, and I can understand that.

I appreciate most of your comments were aimed at 'wage slaves' in general and no one in particular, whereas my reply was rather more 'targeted'. Sorry about that :) It's just that the only people I know that are living life your way is you :ner: "To each their own" as you are apt to say, after telling me I'm doing it wrong!

Does my invitation to one of your future barbecues still stand? Or have I :doh:


Well you did ask.

[Marco]

Lol - not at all. I always value honesty! As usual, we're not too far apart in our respective outlooks and values, once you've put a bit more 'meat on the bone', as it were;)

I get you now totally. I guess it was the "a scary glimpse of what retirement may be like" comment that got me, as I could never, EVER feel that way!:nono:

Quite simply, as soon as I started working, every spare penny I made was viewed with the notion of being one step closer to retiring - BUT at a young enough age to still be able to enjoy life - and my dad was the same. Work was simply an unfortunate necessity, which if you applied yourself well enough and were successful in your career, paved the way for a happy future of doing what you WANTED to do, rather than what you HAD to do.. :)

Consequently he retired at 62, and look at him now at 87... You thought he was still in his fifties!:D

And that's largely because of him being able to enjoy himself and lead a stress-free life since he retired. And also as you know, he's not the type to just sit on his arse either, he's ALWAYS busy! I doubt he'd look or feel anywhere near as healthy as he does had stayed slaving away behind the counter of his chip shop for another 30 years, as my granddad did with his, although he did live to the ripe old age of 95, pretty much still fit as a fiddle until the end.

But my dad watched the life his mum and dad led, which revolved almost entirely around him being in the shop all day and night, and her being at home cooking and cleaning. They rarely went anywhere or seen anything different, other than the contents of the same four walls or their garden...It was a 'relationship' simply in name, not substance.

So my dad thought 'fuck that'; I want better for my own wife and family, and to LIVE, rather than merely 'exist'. So he worked like a dog for as long as was necessary to allow him to have enough money to retire at a reasonable age, and then spent time with his wife going out for nice holidays abroad and days out together, and never regretted a minute!! I also had a great life as kid and benefited from being raised by two wonderful parents.

So, my 'life template' was modelled largely on his. I just managed it earlier than he did, as i was fortunate enough to have made a bit more dosh early on [although it took its toll then on my relationship with Del], and have had no kids to support, plus a wife who was also working and earning good money. That's what a healthy marriage is all about: working together as a team towards achieving a common goal:)

Anyway, your invite is still open, if you'd like to come once all this crap is over (or as over as it's ever likely to be)....:cool:

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

Your garden is big enough, so you could have an AoS annual barbecue! :) It could be a bit like the Ewings' annual barbecue, form the TV series 'Dallas'. You just need a swimming pool - someone always ended up getting kicked into the swimming pool :D

[Audio Al]

Does anyone else suffer from Marco syndrome :scratch:

I take one look at the encyclopaedia Britanica reply and sneak away :door:

Oh GOD NO not another one :wowzer:

[Pigmy Pony]

I just feel sorry for his keyboard, it has to sit there and take it :(

[Audio Al]

I just feel sorry for his keyboard, it has to sit there and take it :(

Yep must take a good :spank: every day ;)

[Pigmy Pony]

It's all gone a bit quiet, he must be having his tea. Or cooking it. Or taking pictures of it :D

[Audio Al]

It's all gone a bit quiet, he must be having his tea. Or cooking it. Or taking pictures of it :D

No . He is typing his reply :lol: does take time you know :D

[Marco]

Lol...very good!:D

Nah, no chance... We were having our dinner in the backyard and enjoying a bottle of bubbly and some nice food/cheeses in the evening sun - and shock horror - TALKING to each other and having a laugh. Simple pleasures.

Do couples these days, never mind those who've been married for nearly 30 years, actually enjoy each other's company?;)

Marco.

P.S The previous pish I posted took less than 4 mins to type!:ner:

[Pigmy Pony]

Lol...very good!:D

Nah, no chance... We were having our dinner in the backyard and enjoying a bottle of bubbly and some nice food/cheeses in the evening sun - and shock horror - TALKING to each other and having a laugh. Simple pleasures.

Do couples these days, never mind those who've been married for nearly 30 years, actually enjoy each other's company?;)

Marco.

P.S The previous pish I posted took less than 4 mins to type!:ner:

That's because you have delicate little pianist's fingers, like Donald Trump.

[Marco]

Lol - no I don't have 'sausage fingers', but that's not really the reason I can type fast. I used to write stories/mini-novels, just for fun, when I was in my teens, through to early 20s, and did it with an old fashioned typewriter, and so simply got very used to using a 'QWERTY' keyboard and developed almost secretarial-type speeds of typing.

Therefore, with the same keyboard layout on a computer, I can trot out a load of tosh in no time!!:D

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

I used to write stories/mini-novels, just for fun, when I was in my teens

Marco.

I think I've seen those books in my local 'specialist' book shop - "Gay-bar Gordon" series, wasn't it? :eyebrows:

[Marco]

Lol...No it was mainly pretty gruesome horror stories. My inspiration at the time came from your love life.

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

You must be thinking of someone else, my love life is more comedy...

[Marco]

Yesh, all the girls giggling uncontrollably at your wee wiener:D

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Morning Peep's , anyone up yet ?

I think today will be used for trying to clear the garage as I used it as a dumping ground for all the " STUFF "

that came out of my boats when I sold them ,

God I have a lot of stuff :doh:

Hopefully a stress free day with lots of relaxing inbetween , a few beers and some coffee , ALL done at home as

I'm a good boy :o

What you doing today ? :)

[AJSki2fly]

Hi Al, just woke up and made us a brew. Walk Harry in the local woods first thing, then we will be cleaning and tidying in the morning. I will listen to a few lp’s later, in time for tea and a glass of red wine.

Have a happy and safe day.

[Audio Al]

Hi Al, just woke up and made us a brew. Walk Harry in the local woods first thing, then we will be cleaning and tidying in the morning. I will listen to a few lp’s later, in time for tea and a glass of red wine.

Have a happy and safe day.

Is it walk Harry or does harry walk you :D

How you getting on with the new toys ?

[AJSki2fly]

Is it walk Harry or does harry walk you :D

How you getting on with the new toys ?

Harry is getting on being 10 now, he start spritely but soon slows up.

See my last post rep the toyshttps://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?68573-Some-New-Toys&p=1179939#post1179939

[Made in 1968]

Been up since 4:50am. Ironed Chezza uniform & done her Brekki + Her pack up for work.. Got a Radiator Cover to make today.

[Scorps]

well im off to bed will bid u all goodnight :)

[cuddles]

Just been 'listening' to Max Richter's 'Sleep' broadcast on Radio 3. 8 hours without interruption! I often have the radio on very quietly all night and this was wonderful just drifting in and out and dreaming to the music. Feel fantastic and relaxed.
I've been off work now for 2 weeks and have really found it difficult to switch off work mode. I think I'll give it another go on catch up.

[Pigmy Pony]

I was busy all day yesterday doing bugger all, but didn't manage to get it all done. So I'll get that job finished first, while playing some tunes. And Anita says I can't multitask ;)

[Alex_UK]

Kids were up at about 6 excited for Easter. Egg hunt done and now opening their presents. When I was a kid I was lucky if I got a Cadburys Cream Egg.

[AJSki2fly]

PRESENTS!!!

[Pigmy Pony]

Easter presents - when did that become a thing? What did you get Alex? Hope it was something nice :)

We bought some half price eggs at Morrisons yesterday, and I scoffed all of mine while watching RED 2. Went to bed feeling a bit sick :(

[Alex_UK]

Our two have always had a few little presents (puzzles, activity books etc.) Sue started it, so guessing it was a thing for her family. My present is that I am going to listen to Bob Marley's Legend (new vinyl copy arrived this week for son, one of his homeschooling challenges is to listen to "Three Little Birds" and write about it. (See, even school's cooler than when we were kids!) I have it on CD and could also stream it, but thought a proper record would be more fun, and whilst I know I had a copy back int 80's I have no idea where it went.)

[Made in 1968]

Easter presents - when did that become a thing? What did you get Alex? Hope it was something nice :)

We bought some half price eggs at Morrisons yesterday, and I scoffed all of mine while watching RED 2. Went to bed feeling a bit sick :(

Morrisons Donated a boat load of Easter Eggs to the Hospital.. How good is that. Nice when its not always about frikkin' Religion

[Pigmy Pony]

Morrisons were giving a free Easter egg to everyone going in the store yesterday (one per customer). I was shopping with Mrs. P's lad (me getting our stuff, him getting next doors). We bought some eggs anyway for ourselves, so put the two freebies in with next door's stuff. Because I'm dead kind me :)

He has three hifi mags delivered each month, which he now passes on to me, so I'm still up on the deal.

[Marco]

Morrisons Donated a boat load of Easter Eggs to the Hospital.. How good is that. Nice when its not always about frikkin' Religion

Lol - I think you'll find it's mostly the other way round: usually *all* about vulgar commercialism, just like Christmas! How often do you see the "frikkin' Religion" side of it mentioned on the TV adverts that we're bombarded with, or anywhere else in the media?;)

Anyway, I hope the folks at the hospital enjoy their eggs:)

Marco.

[Made in 1968]

Im not a fan of Commercialism but if it makes light of things by diverting peoples attentions away from Religion, im all for that. Religion should be something kept to ones self behind closed doors like Knicker swapping, not thrown down peoples throat every time every time some Holidays comes about.

[Marco]

That's not happening. No-one's throwing anything down anyone's throats, unless you mean some wishes on the Happy Easter thread.. If you don't like something dude, ignore it and stop being disrespectful to people's beliefs. The knicker swapping comment is out of order, and I won't allow anything like that again.

You're not a religious person, and I respect that, so kindly respect others and my right to be the opposite, especially during Easter, and at a time when many people will take comfort in their faith. I don't want to fall out with you Andre, so please, let's just leave it there.

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Harry is getting on being 10 now, he start spritely but soon slows up.


You sure his name's not Allen , That's how I perform now :(

[Pigmy Pony]

What's your secret? I struggle with the 'start spritely' bit :(

[Audio Al]

What's your secret? I struggle with the 'start spritely' bit :(

The mind is willing, then the body says up yours ! :eek:

[Audio Al]

Cock a dooooooodle do , Its early o clock and as usual I am awake :)

Have some jobs to do in the garden today , Take down a old wood framed greenhouse ( before it falls down ) most timber now rotten , Should be fun trying to get the glass out without producing any red fluid :)

[Scorps]

good luck with that one mate always bit of claret involved

[dave2010]

Cock a dooooooodle do , Its early o clock and as usual I am awake :)

Have some jobs to do in the garden today , Take down a old wood framed greenhouse ( before it falls down ) most timber now rotten , Should be fun trying to get the glass out without producing any red fluid :)Probably got two options. 1. Try to remove the glass very carefully, use gloves, and maybe also suction pads to hold the glass, vs 2. just put down tarpaulins, and smash the whole thing to smithereens. Would need eye protection for that approach - might be good to have in either case. You may end up with a mixed approach anyway, if one or more panes break, or you need to free up some of the wooden frame.

I think thick work gloves would be a very good precaution, whatever you do.

[Scorps]

will agree with that one start at the top and work down

[dave2010]

will agree with that one start at the top and work downAlso, probably best to work from the outside - obvious (!!) I know, but .... Don't want bits of glass in your hair and clothes.

Sometimes the "ideal" method just doesn't work. Good luck and take care.

[Pigmy Pony]

The roof glass probably the trickiest - I'd get on some sturdy steps and smash them, letting the glass fall into the greenhouse where it will be contained. Then take out or smash sides glass. Single glaze can be unpredictable, and on greenhouses only 2 or 3mm thick. Carefully lifting out intact may well be the most dangerous option.

Goes without saying that care should also be taken with glass remnants stuck to wood frames. Canvas gloves and you should be ok :)

[Marco]

Got any contacts for fitting solar panels, Piggurs? Might be a long shot... But we're looking to have some installed in our outbuildings, in order to be more self-sufficient in future:)

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

No I don't have any contacts, but just check out local installation companies - make sure they are MCS registered.

Benefits money-wise aren't what they were, the government did away with the feed-in tariff. Ten years ago a typical installation could be expected to pay for itself within about 7-10 years, and the government guaranteed to pay this feed-in tariff for 25 years. We had older customers tell us it was much better than having their money in ISA's, with their returns being around 7 or 8% a year.But a lot of dodgy companies sprang up, offering "free solar" and the scheme became unsustainable.

These days a typical 4kW installation will set you back about £6k, and If you live to your dad's age, you may reap some benefits. Still, it is a "green" option and if this is important to you, go for it.

Goes without saying that you need a south-facing location that is not even partially shaded. If your panels array is all on one "string", one shaded panel will knock them all out. Unless things have changed in the last few years. Your installer will advise you on this.

Hope this helps.

[dave2010]

We had solar panels fitted on our previous house, and also on the one we moved in to not too long ago. The first set was about £14k. Of that we may have had about £10k back in FiT before we moved - that was over about 8 years. Was it a bad deal? Perhaps not - it may have made the house slightly more attractive to sell, but don't rely on that.

In the days when there was a FiT payment it was for 25 years, index linked. I mentioned this to a colleague at work, and he said "I wouldn't worry about that". On querying this he not so delicately indicated that I might not live that long - sadly a possibly true observation. However, we are still friends.

On the current house the panels are more efficient - only 14 panels versus 16 on the previous building for similar output - nominally rated at around 4kW. Cost of installation about £6k. It's possible to go cheaper than that - £5k is a reasonable target, but make sure that the work gets done properly. One part wasn't fitted in our new system - a wireless sender from the inverter. I did have that sent out to us, but the firm never came back to fit it. It's difficult to get to the location in the loft, so that wasn't good. I haven't bothered to crawl into the space to do it myself - but it's not essential. It was supposed to send signals to a mobile phone for monitoring the output.

Also, we are supposed to get a small FiT payment back from the DNO (network operator), but arranging for that was a complete pain, and I still need to chase that up. There is now no FiT payment offered for new installations. However, even living near the North Pole, we did notice a significant difference in electricity bills. I calculated that without any incentives it would take 15 or more years to break even. However that does depend on estimates of energy costs over the future periods. It's possible that the payback time might be better than 15 years, but it could be worse.

It's generally reckoned that the inverters need replacing after about 10-15 years. We haven't had to do this yet. There are lots of free lance companies which will offer to come and "improve" your system after a few years, and they may optimise the wiring and fit a new inverter. As far as I'm concerned this is a scam, though they may fit reasonable kit. It apparently really is the case that some systems are wired in a more efficient way, which might give a 10% improvement in efficiency with the same panels, and allows faults on individual panels to be detected. They also don't reduce power (allegedly) if part of the system is shielded by trees or other shadows. However, check this out before having any system fitted, so you can say "bog off" to any opportunist installer who comes along later and tries to blind you with science, fit a "new" inverter and walk away with another £4-6k just when you thought you were getting a reasonable return on your investment. I know people who have been caught like this - IMO - but they don't realise they've been scammed, or at least feel happy about their transactions. I don't believe it's necessary to change the inverter or modify or "improve" a system unless it obviously fails within at least 10 years of the initial installation.

There aren't really many incentives for doing this now, if one looks at it from a short to medium term financial point of view, but it is perhaps still a good thing to do if you feel you need to do your bit for the environment.

Someone we know with more roof area put up an 8kW system, though did max out on the grants and FiT payments. If you have a larger roof area you could put up a larger system. Also, the panels don't have to be on a roof. An additional factor is coupling into the electricity networks. There are constraints on the size of system you can put in - 4kW systems are easy, but for larger ones you may need to take more advice.

If you want to be more self sufficient you could investigate storage batteries. I think Tesla have the best options at the moment - installed around £6k. We could have done that when we had the new PV panels put up, but we didn't. Now we think there might be advantages, so we might go for that in a while, though we're still waiting to have electric cars delivered. The storage batteries can optimise flows, and also if you're clever enough might minimise your payments to the electricity companies. I think the new ones can now operate independently of the grid, so if there's a power failure, you should still be able to carry on for a while. Earlier systems wouldn't do that, as there was considered a risk to power workers if the grid failed, and maintenance teams were called out to fix it, due to power going back to the grid. I think that this island/isolation problem has now largely been solved, and reputable battery manufacturers and installers should be able to advise on that. There would seem to be less incentive to install a battery system if such a system could not operate while the grid fails. An additional benefit is for central heating systems - such as gas or oil fired system, as the battery will keep the pump going, otherwise in the winter a grid failure is going to shut off the heating.

[Pigmy Pony]

As an alternative (or even in addition) to photovoltaic (pv) set ups, you could look into solar for hot water. I know less than nothing about these, but I believe they are very efficient, heating water in even the feeblest of daylight. If I was in the position to have it fitted, I'd certainly be looking into that.

[dave2010]

As an alternative (or even in addition) to photovoltaic (pv) set ups, you could look into solar for hot water. I know less than nothing about these, but I believe they are very efficient, heating water in even the feeblest of daylight. If I was in the position to have it fitted, I'd certainly be looking into that.That's a reasonable idea, but it depends what kind of heating system one has. One friend has a system like that which heats up the water which would otherwise be heated by gas. However, there were problems, and when a few years later someone else came to sort things out, it appeared that the original installation had been done incorrectly. Nevertheless, there was a substantial saving in gas consumption.

We're trying to go for an air source heat pump, and the advice we've had is that trying to get hot water from roof top solar as well as using the air source heat pump for heating, is not optimum - and indeed may be sufficiently unusual that useful components aren't available. I'm not totally convinced of that, though - and we may revisit the hot water solar panel "solution".

One thing to note if different methods are used for heating water in a cylinder is that it may still be necessary to have an immersion heater which comes on maybe once a week, as otherwise there is a possibility of legionella building up. You wouldn't want that. The heat source has to get the water to over 60 degrees C to be sure of that, and for some systems there is a legal requirement to have the immersion heater to avoid that issue. I believe that the solar hot water systems tend to have a slightly different problem. If left to themselves they can boil the water - even on cold days, causing other issues.

[Pigmy Pony]

Some interesting points Dave, keep us informed how you go on :)

[dave2010]

Some interesting points Dave, keep us informed how you go on :)Will try to remember, though looks as though projects are going to be put on hold this year. Part of the plan was to put more insulation in the loft - which would be useful even if we don't do the heat pump heating this year, and we may just have to hope that the oil boiler holds out through another winter. I really don't want to replace the oil boiler with another one if we can avoid that. Gas is not really a desirable or even feasible alternative either.

If I thought that power failures in the winter were a real risk, I'd probably consider a hybrid oil/heat pump system, but they are more expensive, and an oil tank is still a requirement. It's really hard to make systems which will operate without some infrastructure connectons. Some people who are really risk averse might consider using generators for backup.

[RobbieGong]

I'm hear ..... late night tunes on the SP10 MKll got me up.... ;)

[AJSki2fly]

Spin the black circles[emoji41][emoji4]

[Pigmy Pony]

I'm hear ..... late night tunes on the SP10 MKll got me up.... ;)

This isn't insomnia though, this is "Small child on Christmas Morning" syndrome, which has similar symptoms :D

Been meaning to ask Robbie, what do you listen to when finding the "sweet spot" with your VTA? Is it a particular record? Or do you use a test disc for this? I'm just curious, though I don't think I have the courage or the ears to tinker with mine, which is a 2M Black btw.

[AJSki2fly]

VTA on a 2m black I believe can be critical to get it sounding right, you may need to take the plunge just out of curiosity, after all you don’t know what you might be missing out on.[emoji33][emoji4]

[Pigmy Pony]

Don't laugh, but I really don't know what VTA is. I just know what it stands for. Do you adjust it by raising/lowering the arm pillar? When I bought the deck the manufacturer (Robert at Inspire) had fitted the cart already, and I just assumed he'd done a good job as I like the way it sounds.

[Audio Al]

Don't laugh, but I really don't know what VTA is. I just know what it stands for. Do you adjust it by raising/lowering the arm pillar? When I bought the deck the manufacturer (Robert at Inspire) had fitted the cart already, and I just assumed he'd done a good job as I like the way it sounds.

:eek: WHAT !!! , You MUST get the angle of the dangle correct :doh:

[RobbieGong]

:eek: WHAT !!! , You MUST get the angle of the dangle correct :doh:

:lol:

[Pigmy Pony]

:eek: WHAT !!! , You MUST get the angle of the dangle correct :doh:

I assumed I'd got round that problem by sitting down when I pee.

Probably my imagination, but thick 180g pressings usually seem to sound a bit thicker and ponderous in the bass than thinner discs. Could that be a VTA thing?

[Audio Al]

I assumed I'd got round that problem by sitting down when I pee.

Probably my imagination, but thick 180g pressings usually seem to sound a bit thicker and ponderous in the bass than thinner discs. Could that be a VTA thing?

Yes taller records do affect the VTA / Sound quality

[Ninanina]

Sorry Al I've not been keeping up the insomniacs side recently... :doh: :lol:

Must try harder....

[Audio Al]

No problem Bev , I can keep it up :eyebrows::D

[Ninanina]

Good to hear Al

[struth]

I was up earlier... [emoji23]. At toilet [emoji3]

[Pigmy Pony]

Sorry Al I've not been keeping up the insomniacs side recently... :doh: :lol:

Must try harder....

Good to see you're safe and well Bev, all the Insomniacs can sleep soundly in their beds now :)

Been wide awake for an hour now, finally gave up. Needed the bog anyway

[Ninanina]

Hiya Steve....:)

You ok?

[AJSki2fly]

Good to see you're safe and well Bev, all the Insomniacs can sleep soundly in their beds now :)

Been wide awake for an hour now, finally gave up. Needed the bog anyway

Time fiddle with you VTA[emoji2]