Blog Posted, Exercises Completed,

a shower and a shave,

and I was out into a nice warm day, 

first stop of the day, Godfrey Shoe Repairs & Locksmiths, I needed new irons on the heels of my shoes, I wear out the heels so quickly, also one of my shoes needed stitching as a part of the upper was becoming detached, the good news was they would be ready in a hour or so, which as I was going to do some shopping in town was great, 

a walk past the green,

and the Travelodge, which still shows no sign of being completed, 

my first stop into the post office, I had found some 6 X 4.5cm and some 35mm transparencies, that I want to have scanned, so I was here to post them to a scanning company, my printer/scanner does not scan transparencies,

next into Sainsbury's, with winter approaching we were getting low on soups,

they only had chicken noodle, 

and spring vegetable in stock so several each of those, if you have not tried these, give them a try, they are so tasty, I also wanted to buy 4 cartons of beetroot juice,

if it does half what it is supposed to do, it is worth taking! I have a glass a day in the afternoons, 

shopping completed, so back to pick up my shoes, £27.00 later and I was on my way, 

into the park and home, where Diana was already home, in the evening we decided on a meal out, 

so glad rags on, and on to a number 54 bus to, 

our favorite Indian restaurant Kathmandu Masala, 

a sherry and a couple of poppadum's, 

Diana's starter lamb samosas, 

for myself a prawn puri, a coke for Diana and a red for myself,

our main courses arrived, a Kathmandu kukhura, lamb Punjabi and a prawn delight, along with a mushroom bhaji with mushroom peas rice and a garlic nan bread,

what a feast!

for our desserts a matka kulfi, 

for Diana,

a Jamaican coffee for myself, 'Cheers!', our bill came to £113.00 including a 10% service charge, as we always say, "we will be back!" we were lucky with the bus home so a nightcap or three as we watched a Ain't Half Hot Mum before we were both off to bed, another early start for Diana tomorrow.

This Is A,

"what is it?" post,

and that is the question, what is it? a few clues, 

it has a total of 32 propellers, all of which work,

it has 1,520 individual components and measuring in at 60cm in length, 60cm in height and 35cm in width, 

it weighs 17kg.

it also has three barrels inside, 

to provide energy to various sections of the Albatross, (that is what it is called), 

it has a nautical wheel, so what is it? what does it do? it is a modern reincarnation of the airship of the same name from Jules Verne’s novel, Robur the Conqueror, only the Albatross does not fly, what it actually does is to tell the time, it is a clock! 

the 15th collaborative project between L’Epee 1839 and MB&F the 32 propellers apparently spin for seven seconds each time the clock - which is nestled somewhere in the middle of all that metal - hits the hour-mark, the inner mechanicals consist of two winding systems: one to power the time and the other to drive the striking hour, the Albatross is claimed to be the first-ever clock to have a propeller hour,

 

it was no simple feat to achieve either, as L’Epee CEO Arnaud Nicolas explains: “We had to make several attempts to find the correct power and speed for the propellers as our initial experiments caused chaos in the workshop. It was like a helicopter ready for take-off!” 

 a choice of five colours can be had in total and will be limited to eight pieces per finish, that means a total of just 40 will ever be built, with prices starting at £107,000 (plus VAT) per unit, for the full article have a look here.

We Have All Seen Road Bridges,

supported by brick pillars or suspended from cables, 

but this is a new one for me, one using water for a road to travel on! Shiziguan Floating Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Dreams, is an innovative 400-meter bridge that allows cars up to 2.8 tonnes to drive across the surface of the Qingjiang River in China, it is between the forest-covered mountains of Enshi Prefecture, in Hubei Province, the Shiziguan scenic spot is one of China’s most breath-taking natural attractions, built using German technology to prevent rollovers, the Shiziguan Floating Bridge has been operational since 2016 for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The bridge is made from high-density polyethylene floats filled with water for extra stability, so if the drivers respect the imposed speed limit of 20 km/h, they should only feel the gentle sway of the river beneath, the bridge is only wide enough for one-way traffic, accidents can still occur,

in 2023, a multi-purpose vehicle carrying eight passengers crashed through the railing and plunged into the deep waters of the Qingjiang River. Five people lost their lives that day, while three managed to get out of the car and swim to shore. The circumstances of the accident were unclear, but a surveillance camera caught the vehicle driving onto the floating bridge and causing serious swaying, before crashing through the railing, the bridge was temporarily closed following last year’s tragic incident, but it has since reopened and is still as popular as ever, what an amazing way to solve the problem of a water crossing in an area of natural beauty.

I Had A Lazy Day,

Diana had already left for work, 

one of the crows soon found me in the garden, 

and came looking for peanuts, 

I had brought a few downstairs with me,

just in case he called round, I spent the day in the company of Kenneth Horne, in a number of shows, 

after each one that was about a half an hour, long I moved the sprinkle around the garden, then upstairs for my evening meal, after which a Deadliest Catch, no BattleBots this evening, horse racing was being shown, after which a couple from the Antiques Road Trip, then a programme about a actor we both like,

  Discovering John Malkovich, which was most enjoyable, just as it ended Diana arrived home form work, so it was feet up for a chat and a coffee, then a reminder that Christmas was just around the corner, if this photograph is to be believed, 

it was taken by Anna Blewer and is of the Christmas tree in Bromley High Street, well it is only 116 days to go! Diana found it on her Facebook feed, after which a Have I Got More News For You, and then as Diana has a early start tomorrow we were off to bed.

Considering That English Is My Only Language,

after 74 years I would have thought that I had a pretty good knowledge of it, but I was wrong as the list of items and things I did not know shows, 

found on English in General via Swiss Miss, by the way number 17 is just so me, many times I really can not read my own handwriting! keeping to lists here is another one, as I was born in 1950 I am in the middle of the group, 

They call us ”The Elderly”

We were born in the 40-50-60’s.

We grew up in the 50-60-70's.

We studied in the 60-70-80's.

We were dating in the 70-80-90's.

We got married and discovered the world in the 70-80-90's.

We venture into the 80-90’s.

We stabilize in the 2000’s.

We got wiser in the 2010’s.

And we are going firmly through and beyond 2020.

Turns out we've lived through EIGHT different decades...

TWO different centuries...

TWO different millennia...

We have gone from the telephone with an operator for long-distance calls to video calls to anywhere in the world.

We have gone from slides to YouTube, from vinyl records to online music, from handwritten letters to email and Whats App.

From live matches on the radio, to black and white TV, colour TV and then to 3D HD TV.

We went to the Video store and now we watch Netflix.

We got to know the first computers, punch cards, floppy disks and now we have gigabytes and megabytes on our smartphones.

We wore shorts throughout our childhood and then long trousers, Oxfords, flares, shell suits & blue jeans.

We dodged infantile paralysis, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, swine flu and now COVID-19.

We rode skates, tricycles, bicycles, mopeds, petrol or diesel cars and now we drive hybrids or electric.

Yes, we've been through a lot but what a great life we've had!

They could describe us as “exennials”; people who were born in that world of the fifties, who had an analog childhood and a digital adulthood.

We've kind of “Seen-It-All”!

Our generation has literally lived through and witnessed more than any other in every dimension of life.

It is our generation that has literally adapted to “CHANGE”.

A big round of applause to all the members of a very special generation, which will be UNIQUE.

-Author unknown

Gen Z as I thinks it is called, just do not know what they have missed!

Drive Through Food Outlets Are Everywhere,

and are considered pretty normal wherever you go,

 

photographs Vintage Everyday, but back in the late 1940s there was an alternative, the “Motormat” in 1948, a drive-in located in Los Angeles implemented a unique system using conveyer belts to deliver food, this innovative idea, patented by Kenneth C. Purdy was known as the Motormat,

20 stalls arranged like spokes around the central building, ingeniously a metal bin on a conveyor belt played the roles of a waiter, busboy, and server, Purdy stated in 1949 that this system saved customers 30 to 50% of the time it would take at a typical drive-in, 

customers would find glasses of water, a menu, a pencil, and a pad, they would fill out their order, push a button, and send the bin back to the kitchen, located at the centre of the circular structure, whilst the food was being prepared, the bin would return with the bill, once paid the order was delivered, 

although it served an impressive number of customers, with 3,000 meals sold on its opening day and nearly 40,000 served in the first two weeks, the Motormat concept never truly gained widespread popularity, as it happens I can see one reason many customers would not return, the chances of someone getting a fender bender must have been pretty high, with customers reversing out of their space to then have a minor ding with a car circling looking for a space, but there it is, it must have seemed a good idea at the time!

Blog Posted And I Was Out,

into a bright sunny day,

I was going to wear a jacket, but in moments I was glad I did not, 

onto the number 54 bus and I was soon hurtling past Peter Pan's Pool,

looking towards Catford a slight haze, 

as usual the bus detoured around Lewisham as the road works continued, 

a huge queue leading back into Lewisham, 

I was going to buy next months tickets to visit Duncan, but you guessed it, no one in the ticket office at Blackheath, but I had a cunning plan, 

some good news, the train was continuing through Dartford so no changing trains there, then my cunning plan swung into action, I would buy the tickets at Gravesend!

but, the rail system at its best, the ticket office also closed at Gravesend, the problem being that my senior  card is not recognised at the ticket machines, I have to see someone in the ticket office, or I should say they have to see me to make sure it is me in the photograph and I am over 65 years old, 

lovely skies over Gravesend, 

no detour on the bus today, so I was soon walking up the hill to the nursing home where Duncan stays, 

the silver birch trees at the entrance looking so nice, 

in to the home where Duncan was in good spirits, we chatted away about the sunflower farm we visited last Sunday, and then a pleasant surprise, Alan had a day off and came down on his motorcycle, Duncan was spoilt for choice when it came to chocolate! when Duncan's lunch arrived we said our goodbyes and started our journey's home,

Alan on his Triumph Rocket III it has a 2.3-litre engine which gives you around 150ft lb of torque, in other words it is fast, very fast,

I started walking to the bus stop, passing the apple tree,

Alan soon caught me up, 

the bus arrived on time and again no changing trains at Dartford, on to the number 54 bus, then it happened, 

solid traffic all the way into Lewisham, 

I thought it must be road works or a accident, 

but it was these, the traffic lights letting just 3 or 4 cars before changing back to red, 

going through Lewisham High Street, 

work still continuing on the pavement, 

it was so hot and sunny in the bus that the flower beds opposite Lewisham hospital, all I could photograph was the reflection from inside the bus,

this was a tad better, but the bee garden on top of this bus shelter completely dead,

this one better, 

but it is a pity that watering the gardens was not included in the original plan for them,

off of the bus and into a very hot park, Diana had already left for work, so for myself a couple of quiz shows before my evening meal,

 

but first a sherry and a read, by good fortune the latest copy of Private Eye had arrived in today's post, 

for tonight beef stew and dumplings, 

'Cheers!', after which a BattleBots, 

and then The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Vincent Price plays a "dead" man avenging the surgical team that lost his wife on the operating table, nine doctors in all (one of them a nurse) are treated to nine of the most innovative, creative, outlandish deaths imaginable, the deaths loosely follow the Ten Plagues of the Old Testament, but each with a new twist, I particularly like the one with the frog, the victim a psychologist, describes himself as a shrink, a enjoyable comedy horror, after which a very old film which I have watched a few times before and enjoyed it every time, 

 Traffic staring of course Jacques Tati, writer, director and star as Monsieur Hulot, who in the film is a car designer and has to deliver the concept car to the Rai Centre, (I went to the centre for a large oil and gas exploration show many years ago with Duncan, the centre was huge), naturally the truck transporting the car has a nervous breakdown on the way! during which Diana returned home from work, so feet up for a coffee and a chat, after which a Wycliffe, before we were off to bed.