Blimey, no Café 04/18.

[Upt' North]

Well, I spose its my turn. The French Roast is awaiting your delectation. Buttermilk pancakes, stewed apples and mascapone are also available if desired. They're good, stewed in demerara sugar and cinnamon. Hmmmmmmm. Pffffffftttttt.
Now where's that article........
"As the price of coffee soars, those who wince at being charged £4 or more for their flat white might want to look away now.

Britain’s most expensive cup of coffee, at Shot – a small, dimly-lit Mayfair coffee bar with marble walls and tables – costs £265.

It is made using typica beans – a high-quality variety of arabica – from the Nakayama estate in Japan.

Despite the high price, those who fork out should expect few frills, with the brew available as an espresso, macchiato, flat white, americano, cappuccino or latte – no different to a standard London coffee shop"!

Pffffffftttttt, I'll charge you nowt, but after listening to me you might pay that to get away.
Woolerumnal weather continues, we had sleet and 40 yesterday and a hard frost this morning. Probably similar today. It should pick up a little tomorrow and in the excitement I've booked The B into Tim's at Berwick-upon-the-Tweed for its MOT test. One down, 5 up I think. It's been a while.
Av a gud un and remember, don't go to Dubai Airport unless you've confirmed. Pffffffftttttt.
Upt.

 

[Upt' North]

They'd be better off in Seaplanes. I feel much better about Woolerumnal now.

 

[nicksacco]

Good Morning Ray and All!
A Wooler with no Woolercafe? Whew, you had me scared there for a moment, Ray!
Thanks for getting the world started again! I'll have a mug!

A hiking we will go! Yes, this hike was about geology.
My friend had a book by a local guy all about the geology of our particular region.
"Heck", I said; "let's just invite the guy next time to go with us - it would save a lot of reading!"
I'll let y'all know if that becomes a reality.

We followed the Eno River for a few miles, enjoyed the scenery and now are truly geologist-wannbes!
Anyway, It was nice catching up since our hikes had been postponed for a time.

So, Happy Thursday and Y'all and have a winderfilled day!
But be careful gardeners about what your seeding.

 

[Sadlsor]

Thanks, Ray, and good morning Nick and all who will follow. I'm up early because I didn't get all my paperwork done for our meeting today.

S'posed to be raining here when we get off work, so I reckon well be driving, darn it. I finally have all the Fahrenheits I have been whining for, but seems I didn't specify dry weather while I was bitching and carrying on.

Pfffttt.

So after taking over a week to get my kitchen sheetrock finished, I told Roz she could hire someone to hang the wallpaper if she wanted to. The friend she found (the artist gal) texted her yesterday to ask about some specific measurements, which is reasonable, and said it had been 20 years since she did it, so she would watch some YouTube videos to recall the details.

I'm not full of confidence upon learning this, and maybe it's just me, but I'm seeing red flags o'plenty.

YouTube? Really? That's what I was going to do!

There will be more to this story, we can be sure.

So if you have to hang wallpaper, use both hands, and if you have an itch -- scratch carefully.

 

[Obo]

Morning all and thanks for the coffee Ray.

At least it's not Kopi Luwak, the world's most expensive coffee bean.

What is Kopi Luwak? — Kaya Kopi Luwak (Civet Cat Coffee)

Kopi Luwak is the world’s most exclusive (and most expensive) coffee.

www.kayakopi.com

Currently 0C and sunny with a hard frost overnight as well. Should see a cloudy 12C by this afternoon.

Almost rode STella to work this morning. I had her out for her first ride of 2024 after work yesterday. We did 18.2km, after I topped her up with about 0.5L of 10w40. Must have been low when I laid her up as there was nothing underneath on the floor and oil doesn't evaporate like that... The new battery worked like a charm, but then again that's what I paid for.

I guess all that's left is the random sentence generator for the day, so here it is: "He decided that the time had come to be stronger than any of the excuses he'd used until then."

Hope you all have an excellent day.

Obo.

 

[nicksacco]

Ever done this operation before Dr. Jones?

No. But I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

Good Morning All!!
Been a while since I posted, but the $$$ coffee woke up my inspiration as well!
I've been caught in the rain twice this week....darned stop lights.....and may do so again this morning.
Speaking expensive coffee, remember Kopi luwak, the weasel poo coffee popular in Vietnam? Apparently there is a world wide counterfeiting industry as the real stuff goes for $5000US per kg. or so. My first thought was a gang of alkies sitting around a tire fire at night, paid to swallow Kroger beans whole. I'll stop there.
Have a good one!!

 

[Obo]

Ever done this operation before Dr. Jones?

No. But I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

I'd rather they got a good night's sleep before an operation than watch a YouTube video....

 

[steve3b3]

Good morning, and thanks for the coffee and goodies, Ray.

It's cloudy and 45 in MA this morning, and that's as warm as it'll get.
We'll see rain and rain showers pretty much all day.

Yesterday's hour-long visit to the VA took most of the morning, with interviews, blood work and X-rays.
I've got to get registered in the online portal, and get audiologist and Rheumatologist appointments.
It looks like I'll be moving all of my doctors over to the VA system, except for the Urologist.

I also stopped by the local race track, and did the paperwork so I can work there. They offered the opportunity to visit some flag stations, and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing that.

Today, Brenda's going into work late, so we can talk with a potential contractor.
Afterwards, I'll head over to my friend's restaurant with the trimmed light panels, and install what I can, before the kitchen crew arrives.

Gym, maybe.

Have a great day,
Steve

 

[Nashcat]

Good morning, everyone. Buttermilk pancakes, washed down with a cup of French roast. Ray, you deserve a hug.

69 to start the morning, at 98% humidity. Partly sunny, with a high of 83, before storms move in tonight.

Looks like a yard work morning. String trimming and then pulling a couple of stumps, left over from shrubbery removal. Pffffttt, might even pressure wash the deck and outdoor furniture. Or not.

John

 

[Obo]

String trimming

Is that how they make thread?

 

[970mike]

Good morning and thank you for the morning start.

68 and breezy outside of Turkey Texas where I camped last night going to 90 later in the day. Does @Mellow live around here!?

I have had some great roads in Arkansas and Oklahoma yesterday, 8 and 1.

I saw a high of 93 yesterday. Today I will be heading down the road again.

Enjoy your day and be safe out there.

 

[ibike2havefun]

<yawwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnn> "G'morning everyone", he mumbles sleepily, "and thanks for the French roast and pancakes Ray. I've put my £2.65 in the cup next to the carafe as requested."

WHAT? TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE POUNDS? I was sure you'd just missed hitting the decimal point. <He's now WIDE awake.>

It's a pleasant 58°F and cloudy in Rockville but the clouds haven't diminished the usual morning symphony of bird song, which I always enjoy hearing. We expect partly sunny skies and a high around 75.

My first thought was a gang of alkies sitting around a tire fire at night,

That would be pretty much any STOC event, wouldn't it?

I have had some great roads in Arkansas and Oklahoma yesterday, 8 and 1.

Are those highway numbers, or a score (8 great, 1 not so much)?

Yesterday, after several failed experiments in screw stump removal, I abandoned the project for a while and took a bicycle ride down to Union Station in DC and back home. My train tomorrow is at 11:08 and I wanted to get a sense of how much time I might need, and therefore what time I'll need to leave home, if I'm to get there in time. Despite what the Amtrak website says ("arrive 30 minutes early") I was advised by two Amtrak employees that an hour is a better / more preferable margin. REALLY? They can't run their trains on time but still insist on wasting an hour of my time?

I'll have another go at getting those screw stumps out today. I've established that neither a hand-held drill nor the drill press is going to get the job done, and also that I WILL have some type of patching or filling to do before all is said and done. Today I'll have a go with the Dremel tool, and if that doesn't get it done I'll probably resort to chiseling out the wood around the stumps, using a vise grip or pliers to remove them, then fabricating a larger patch to restore the mortise to the proper depth. The "good" news on that approach is that I've been down that road once already and know I can do it, if it comes to that. The other good news is as @Sadlsor mentioned: in the end the hinge plates will cover and hide all the sins underneath and nobody will know just by looking. I'm sure I can trust all of youse guys not to mention it to anyone, right?

Stay safe and well everyone and tell your dear ones you love them.

 

[Peppermint]

Good morning, folks, and thanks for the coffee and...ooh, yes, please! Yummy! Thanks Ray!

The sun is shining and will continue to shine, until it doesn't. The clouds are already encroaching on the blue bits, and we shall have rain for the rest of the day; heavy-ish this afternoon, tapering to light rain this evening. The proverbial mercury currently sits at 7°C/45°F with a feels-like of 4°C/39°F, and will climb to a high of 12°C/54°F.

Ah yes, Kopi Luwak - made famous by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List. I'll pass thanks. I don't think I'll be putting any Argan oil in my hair any time soon, either, as it seems to be made in much the same way, except that the animals are goats, not civets, and they're not ingesting coffee beans.

On that note, everyone have a marvelous day, stay safe and go safely. And please tell me that none of Ray's fancy concoctions are made from something that comes out the back end of a woolly sheep! That would be ba-a-a-aaad.

Patty

 

[Mellow]

Good morning and thank you for the morning start.

68 and breezy outside of Turkey Texas where I camped last night going to 90 later in the day. Does @Mellow live around here!?

I have had some great roads in Arkansas and Oklahoma yesterday, 8 and 1.

I saw a high of 93 yesterday. Today I will be heading down the road again.

Enjoy your day and be safe out there.

I wish, I'd go for a quick ride everyday at lunch... wouldn't be fun to do that around here.

Have a safe trip in your way home.

 

[STinner]

 

[Obo]

<yawwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnn> "G'morning everyone", he mumbles sleepily, "and thanks for the French roast and pancakes Ray. I've put my £2.65 in the cup next to the carafe as requested."
WHAT? TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE POUNDS? I was sure you'd just missed hitting the decimal point. <He's now WIDE awake.>

Is this a hop on the scale and pay by your weight type of scam? If so I'll pay BEFORE I have multiple cups.

I'll have another go at getting those screw stumps out today. I've established that neither a hand-held drill nor the drill press is going to get the job done, and also that I WILL have some type of patching or filling to do before all is said and done. Today I'll have a go with the Dremel tool, and if that doesn't get it done I'll probably resort to chiseling out the wood around the stumps, using a vise grip or pliers to remove them, then fabricating a larger patch to restore the mortise to the proper depth. The "good" news on that approach is that I've been down that road once already and know I can do it, if it comes to that. The other good news is as @Sadlsor mentioned: in the end the hinge plates will cover and hide all the sins underneath and nobody will know just by looking. I'm sure I can trust all of youse guys not to mention it to anyone, right?

Keith, could you use a dowel cutter that's larger than the screw width? (so you don't hit the screw) - like a tiny deep hole saw.
No fighting with the broken screw as you'd just remove it in the plug.
You'd then have a nice neat hole to glue in a dowel for the new screw to finally rest in.

 

[Mr ed]

good morning all. thanks for the coffee Ray. 56F on the dog walk with clouds and stars. saw a flash of white light go across the sky. falling star? not sure didn't get a good look at it. wife's birthday is today so we are going to do a brunch at a new restaurant that opened a few months ago. will see how that goes. the door hinge that we ordered came yesterday so that might be on the to do list for this afternoon. the high should be 93F. believe today is the first 90+ day of 2024 in Tucson. enjoy the day

stay safe

 

[ibike2havefun]

Keith, could you use a dowel cutter that's larger than the screw width? (so you don't hit the screw) - like a tiny deep hole saw.
No fighting with the broken screw as you'd just remove it in the plug.
You'd then have a nice neat hole to glue in a dowel for the new screw to finally rest in.

I've thought about that. I may look into finding a suitably-sized plug cutter. The one I have now is too big- 1 inch- but if I could find a 1/4" version it might do. I could also use it to cut the plugs themselves, to backfill the holes.

 

[ibike2havefun]

saw a flash of white light go across the sky. falling star? not sure didn't get a good look at it.

Maybe a piece of space junk from the ISS or elsewhere...