WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Marilyn]

The bones of a murdered child have been found beside the highway in country South Australia, along with a suitcase of belongings. No news yet as to gender or age. Reports say it is obviously murder though.
Terribly sad. (More than one person must know a child is missing) Hope they find lots of DNA in that suitcase...

[Cathy]

A child aged 2-7yrs. Police are looking for a well dressed man as seen in the vicinity by 2 women, 6 weeks ago.
They'll get him!!

[plaques]

On a brighter note. The Tour of Britain cycle race Stage 2 planned for Monday 7th September. can be found here.Stage 2. Not only does it go through Barlick but follows a torturous route through some brilliant Pendle countryside. I hope there is some good TV coverage. I was surprised to see that it passes my front door. In fact I think it passes everybody's front door. Wendy shouldn't have far to go to see it climb up Stony Bank Rd.

[Wendyf]

It's coming down the "big dip" on Skipton Old Road and past the end of our track so I shall be watching it from there. I've already got visitors booked in!

[Stanley]

How dark it was at 04:00.....

[Stanley]

See THIS for a BBC report on the death of Jules Bianchi nine months after he crashed and hit a recovery crane at the Suzuki GP in 2014. This reminded me that we have had no good news about Schumacher since his freak skiing accident....

[Stanley]

What a good start to the day a couple of hours on the site is! Like walking into a room full of interesting friends. Thanks to all of you for making my early morning so enjoyable....
I shall be crossing the Manorial Boundary today, a rare event! Susan takes me to Burnley to have tea with grand children in their own house! Now that's what getting old is.....

[Tizer]

Keep watching your change - it pays to be observant! LINK

[Stanley]

Lovely roast beef dinner at Jess and Mo's yesterday. Lovely kids, good house and so easy to be with....
Word from Mick the Shed that he has found the last small piece of equipment I have been seeking for the shed... Wonderful what mates can do for you.
Word from my friend Daniel that his film about me has been included in his latest contribution to an international presentation of notable short films. He informs me that I am now Big in Vienna!!

[Stanley]

A friend in Geordie country rang me to say he has two steam engine cylinder castings for me.....
Friday is a day closer.....

[Wendyf]

No water. Someone, and thank heaven it wasn't me, forgot to turn off an outside tap yesterday and it ran for 4 hours emptying the holding tank up the hill. That should have refilled now but we have the usual airlock. The old stirrup pump has failed so Col is just trying to rig something up that will pump water back up the pipe....

[Stanley]

Wendy, I have a very well made force pump used for pressure testing large boilers. That would definitely do the job but is not very big capacity. It could take a while to force back to the tank but would definitely do the job.



Tell Col if he wants it it is his, just call in during the morning any time.

[Wendyf]

Thank you for the offer Stanley, much appreciated but Col fixed the stirrup pump (a blocked valve) and got the job done yesterday morning. It's hard work but the simple solution works well, he has various electric pumps but none of them can cope with the 100ft head.
Water supplies are running low in the area, our spring is just a trickle at the moment and our neighbours are having to bring in water for their livestock. When we moved here 16 years ago they only had sheep, so it was only lambing time when the sheds were used and a water supply needed. Now they have a good herd of cattle, inside from October to May and have recently started to fatten pigs...hundreds of them in 2 huge sheds. They must need large amounts of water and though they have their own springs it will all be coming from the same source.

[Tizer]

Wendy, they'll be using lots of water but what happens to the large amounts of dung that the pigs produce. Apparently there are big problems in parts of the US due to a vast increase in demand for pork from the rising middle class in China. The US pig farmers have increased their stock many fold and have to collect all the waste into vast pools. Now and then they spray it over the fields, much to the annoyance of the people living downwind.

On a different matter, there are some great historic photos on this BBC web page....LINK

[Wendyf]

We get some pretty strong smells from the sheds when the wind is in the East, and the squealing (more like screaming) can be awful. On the bright side, they have found something they can do that's profitable, and with the price of lamb dropping like a stone that has to be a good thing for them.

[Stanley]

Wendy, a tip for Col.... When I had to pressurise a large boiler to sometimes 500psi for testing I used to use a small power washer. If you take the jet off and just use them as a pump they can easily overcome that head. Makes things a lot easier and indeed, could be permanently plumbed in to the line.
Pig muck. When Joe and Edgar Dickinson expanded their operations at Longley Farm Holmfirth they dealt with the large amounts of skim milk the dairy was producing by building a large piggery, piping the skim over to it and feeding it as part of a very good diet to the pigs. They had a large slurry tank and came to an agreement with neighbouring farms whereby they piped the slurry to their land and spread it. A very elegant solution all round to the waste problem and for a while all went well, that poor land on the tops loved getting the muck! However I think they eventually hit a problem in that too much of a good thing is dangerous. From memory I think the problem was a build up of Boron in the pastures which acts as a block on the action of other chemicals, I think the main one was lime. If your neighbour wanted any advice based on experience Edgar would be a good man to approach. His name and address is on every pot of their cream!
See THIS for the BBC report on the death of the young woman in a bungee jumping accident. Not sure whether accident is the right word actually. Thrill seeking like this is a symptom of our over protected society. See the accident at Alton Towers.... I have always refused 'white knuckle' rides and experiences on the grounds that I have had more than enough of them in my life and for free!
I'm sorry she died, even more sorry for her family, but if you throw yourself off a 250ft high bridge you have a certain responsibility for your own actions. Include me out!

[Wendyf]

Great advice Stanley, we upgraded our power washer last year so have a spare one to play with. Will remember that when the next emergency comes along!

[Stanley]

Tell Col it works like a charm, biggest faff is making the connection between the washer and the water pipe. A job for a rainy day for Col so he is ready.....
I remember they had a similar water supply to yours at Green Farm on the Gisburn Track. Abel Taylor had a specially made force pump, I suspect they'd be quite common on the old days.

[Stanley]

You'll never guess.... How wonderful the world looks through good eyes. (I shall stop going on about it shortly!)

[Stanley]

Four young lads and lasses sat on the pavement next to the toilets in the car park at 6AM. Were they early risers or late stay-outers? I think I'd lay my bet on the latter......

[Stanley]

See THIS for a report of the case of Lord Sewel who has been caught with his trousers down in more ways than one. As chairman of the standards committee in the Lords he recently made a speech about the dangers of being caught up in any form of scandal. We know our 'leaders' are human but we do expect certain standards and evidence of common sense. The noble lord seems to have failed on both counts.

[Tizer]

He says he's not going to resign...and there he is on the front of The Sun wearing a prostitute's bra. I wonder what Vladimir Putin makes of all this? He'll be telling the Russians that it confirms everything he's said about the West. I wonder if the House of Lords has a convenient garderobe overhanging the Thames down which they could dispose of John Buttifant Sewel? (Which may be a quite appropriate end for the man who gave his name to the `Sewel Motion'.)

[Stanley]

What struck me was that the action took place in a flat at Dolphin Square. I once stayed there for a couple of nights and now wonder what the hell was going on there in those days....
The current theory yesterday was that he was keeping stum and hanging on so he could collect his £200 a day attendance fee but I see he has now been suspended pending a verdict from what was his committee on standards.... I think he has blown it.
Re. Putin. I see he has endorsed Sep Blatter and blamed the affair on the US attacking him because they lost the World Cup to Russia....

[Stanley]

The Noble Lord seems to have realised just how deep the hole is that he dug and has retreated from all his previous positions. Good. However, what this affair has highlighted are the flaws in the present guidelines used by the Lords Privilege Committee. It is very doubtful if he could have been sanctioned under the present rules. Perhaps they will have another look at them in the light of this scandal.
Nigel Farage surfacing again in the light of the latest developments with the immigrants at Calais....

[Tizer]

I've just had a phone call, sounded like a scam with a lot of office noise in the background, a woman asking to speak to the person of my name. I asked who they were and couldn't understand the quickly gabbled response. She demanded again to speak to the same name so I apologised for not understanding her the first time and asked again who they were. The answer was the `national workers office' and again she demanded to speak to the same person. I asked her "What is the `national workers office' and what does it do? She then terminated the call.

I did an Internet search and it seems the `national workers office' claims to get compensation for people who have suffered hearing loss due to their occupation. A few people on forums say it's genuine but most say it's a scam. So watch out!