Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

^ True that!

I'm glad to see how observant you've been.

[Joe 90]

Nice one Mendip, enjoying the update.
That shopping basket is a classic, did you have any unusual chit chat with the checkout girl over the contents?


Free the Dillinger! Poor fockers been tunnelling down not out, he had a deprived childhood you know,he wasn't sat down to watch the Great Escape at Xmas every year.
Doesn't know his Tom from a Dick or Harry when it comes to tunnelling.

Enjoy the hang glider you've earned it!

On a side note the barmaid in the pub today came around with a football card, pick a team for £2 out of 40 teams they scratch of the winner at 8pm and they get £50 and the rest to charity.
Man City was gone unfortunately, so I chose Bristol City FC and guess what......




I fooking won!

[Saint Willy]

I fooking won!

That’ll get you 1 bottle of single malt. Don’t drink it all at once.

[Saint Willy]

^ ^erm..
That's your first day back on terra firma sfter 3 months...

I was foreseeing something like those US naval ships docking in Pattaya and the trail of carnage and debauchery.

The only birds on display here are a feckin trifle

off

In England?Youre having a laff. He’s saving it up for his passport renewed trip to Bangkok in about a week’s time.

[bsnub]

Excellent updates Mendy! Love the pics!

[Mendip]

SAW was not the old international airport which was on the european side of the strait - SAW was on the arabian side and catered for some budget flights and the biz jet tribes - from my recollection of 2018-2019

That's interesting, I'd never heard of SAW before and I can confirm it is still on the Arabian side. I can't believe those tight contractors flew me to Amsterdam on a budget airline. I don't feel so bad about sneaking the cost of an extra check-in bag on my flight to Bangkok now!

That's what i thought you'd do, a handover prior to disembarking - surely worth the company paying them a day shore based and getting up to speed?

Another problem Mike is that we just don't have the bandwidth for Teams meetings on the boat. When I was meeting with the office before it was audio only which loses quite a lot.

That shopping basket is a classic, did you have any unusual chit chat with the checkout girl over the contents?

On a side note the barmaid in the pub today came around with a football card, pick a team for £2 out of 40 teams they scratch of the winner at 8pm and they get £50 and the rest to charity.
Man City was gone unfortunately, so I chose Bristol City FC and guess what......
I fooking won!

I usually try to spark up a conversation with the check-out girls but they're rarely interested to be honest. My daughter's 10 now and I figured it's time to introduce her to Angel Delight before it's too late. So long as I can find a decent egg whisk, that is...

And it's nice to see that Bristol City have made at least one person happy this year...


The main news for me is that I checked this morning and yesterday's Pfizer jab is already uploaded on the NHS App, and I've downloaded the PDF certificate. Much as I like to criticise anything UK or Tory driven, I have to accept that this service has been superb. They couldn't upload my Norwegian cert on the NHS system but they accepted the info and yesterday's jab has been listed as 2 of 2, which is perfect. In 14 days I'll be classed as fully vaccinated!

I can apply for my Thailand Pass today.

In England?Youre having a laff. He’s saving it up for his passport renewed trip to Bangkok in about a week’s time.

My next passport renewal isn't due until 2026 and even for someone as well prepared as me, that seems a little premature. I've got two medicals due before July which are 'in the bank' so to speak, but none of it matters since I've opted for the extra safe 3 day quarantine on my upcoming arrival.

[Saint Willy]

In 14 days I'll be classed as fully vaccinated!

congrats, that's good news.

[malmomike77]

I've opted for the extra safe 3 day quarantine on my upcoming arrival.

Good man, PM Chico for the latest on which Suki extra safe establishments are open for vittles.

[armstrong]

My 7 year old helped make the angel delight but refused to eat any. Although she is very picky with her food. No idea where she gets it from

[Shutree]

You will regret buying that red wine - its awful

Sadly true. Mendip, here you are, home at last having overcome various adversities and all cashed up after a long drag of night shifts. It should be Veuve Cliquot, at least.

Enjoy your time in UK.

[malmomike77]

refused to eat any

But was is Butterscotch? the only flavour !!!

[malmomike77]

all cashed up after a long drag of night shifts

Agreed, tight bugger.

Actually if you want a good drop of red and it pains me to say this, Lidl is the go to - their wine rating system ain't too far off and you'll get a very passable drop for c£8 - bargain

[Reg Dingle]

I remember PAG saying that wine was his favourite. It's that 5 pound Castillo del diablo right? I don't mind that. It's better than Blossom Hill

I bought some Angel Delight for my daughter last year. She liked the first pack we made together, then turned her nose up at it the next time.
She missed that nori seaweed stuff from 7/11, the weirdo.

[malmomike77]

She missed that nori seaweed stuff from 7/11, the weirdo.

You've not tried her on the "Crispy Seaweed" from the chinky

[Reg Dingle]

^ does that stink like Mendys bunk too?

[helge]

does that stink like Mendys bunk too?

There's that possibility that Mendip dislike soap less than you do

[malmomike77]

does that stink like Mendys bunk too

Mendip hasn't confessed yet to giving that birds seaweed a munch.

EDIT

The penny has dropped, why he was magnetically drawn to the prison. Confined spaces filled with men and a distinct whiff of piss - home from home

[Reg Dingle]

Fun fact...The name Helge is Scandi for Holy, like Mendys wicked pants.

There's that possibility that Mendip dislike soap less than you do

None of us dislike soap, it's the bloody cold water

[helge]

Fun fact...The name Helge is Scandi for Holy,

Yep

Thanks for your interest

((can't see the 'fun' part of the fact though; Doing my best to live up to that .......good and godly baptized alias )
and spare me the"holier than thou" comment))

[Reg Dingle]

That cross in your avatar.
Is that your place of worship?

[Mendip]

Sadly true. Mendip, here you are, home at last having overcome various adversities and all cashed up after a long drag of night shifts. It should be Veuve Cliquot, at least.

Enjoy your time in UK.

Thanks Shutree!

Last night I managed a couple of glasses of this Casillero del Diabolico but it wasn't easy. Luckily after drinking Ya Dong for so long I can drink just about anything these days and still find it palatable. I Must admit I thought 5 quid was quite a respectable amount to spend on a bottle of wine... there was a load of them in a special place at the end of the aisle in Tesco so I thought it would be good.

I'm persevering this afternoon and will hopefully finish it off... after some cider of course.

Mendip hasn't confessed yet to giving that birds seaweed a munch.

There's been a few allegations made today but I absolutely refute this one. I haven't been munching on any bird's 'seaweed' as you call it. I'm a married man.


Anyway, I don't know what all the fuss has been about. Yesterday I had my second Pfizer jab and by 5am this morning the details had been uploaded to the NHS App system. Later this morning I uploaded all my stuff to the Thailand Pass thingy and two hours later I had an email telling me I had been successful... with a PDF attached with my QR code.

So, I'm going home on December 6th! Or am I missing something... this has been too easy? I can't see any reason why I won't be able to go back on a regular work rota next year if things stay this straightforward.


This morning I had to go down the local shop to get some potatoes and for a moment I thought I was back in Thailand.



The potatoes were for a big Sunday roast and with my Thailand Pass application all done with, now all I have to do is relax for two weeks. My biggest problem will be to avoid putting back on all the weight I lost offshore due to my mum's cooking.

Bella, my mum's dog will be getting lots of walks. After the roast chicken I took Bella along the river down from the house. As a teenager I spent hours and hours fishing for the brown trout in this river.

I once caught a 3lb rainbow trout at this spot. A load of big rainbows escaped from a trout farm upstream one summer and I can remember catching that fish as though it was yesterday. I just freelined a piece of floating bread crust down in the current until the fish took it.



Reminiscing's a terrible thing. I can remember all these spots along the river. The b@stard farmer has put up a barbed wire fence since my time, but that wouldn't stop any fisherman worth his salt.



Another good swim. Forty years ago it would have been me swinging on that rope. Bella though about it and I must admit I was tempted but didn't want to risk my phone falling out of my pocket into the water.



Guaranteed to catch a fish under that bridge. We used to catch lots of eels as well in this river, but from what I can gather they are completely absent these days. Sadly, the European eel is heading for extinction. They hatch in the Sargasso Sea and swim all the way over to European rivers to mature before swimming back to the Caribbean to spawn. Or at least they used to...



A nicely ploughed field.



And a nice Somerset sunset!

[malmomike77]

Guaranteed to catch a fish under that bridge. We used to catch lots of eels as well in this river, but from what I can gather they are completely absent these days

I suspect farmers unregulated spraying and consequential run off, together with the useless water regulator OFWAT who seem to be allowing water companies to get away with over 440,000 individual raw sewage discharges may have something to do with it also. It beggars belief that we have these consumer regulators who seem wilfully incapable carrying out their sole purpose.

[Edmond]

That dog's well camo.

Take off the lead, move him a meter to the right, and you could post the photo in the Mendip Time's Spot The Dog competition.

[Mendip]

^^ I think that's the main problem, along with flood defenses restricting access from the sea to rivers. I think the relentless netting of elvers hasn't helped but I think that has been restricted latterly, particularly on the River Severn.

It's all a great shame.


^ Bella is a 'she'!

And while I'm about it, unless you're a continental, it's a metre!

I just can't risk taking her lead off... if she ran off my mum would go mad at me.

[malmomike77]

I think that has been restricted latterly, particularly on the River Severn.

Most of the illegally caught elvers in the UK end up in the EU - they have gangs which come across and offer large cash sums for live caught elvers and collect in person in the UK - i'll let you be a judge of how successful yet another EU regulation is

What flavour is Bella, its not easy to tell.