The Good News Thread

[Bledlow]

The lengths of white velcro you get in transducer sets for invasive blood pressure monitoring are perfect for strapping extra bits to the bike frame/luggage. Better than sending 'em straight to landfill too 

If you have any spare, I'm happy to pay for p&p.

All the velcro straps I've found on general sale are either stupidly long or stupidly expensive. Stitching up my own is far too much faff.

[hellymedic]

The lengths of white velcro you get in transducer sets for invasive blood pressure monitoring are perfect for strapping extra bits to the bike frame/luggage. Better than sending 'em straight to landfill too 

If you have any spare, I'm happy to pay for p&p.

All the velcro straps I've found on general sale are either stupidly long or stupidly expensive. Stitching up my own is far too much faff.

At one point you could buy Velcro 'Doodads'. They were useful but pricy.

[LindaG]

The lengths of white velcro you get in transducer sets for invasive blood pressure monitoring are perfect for strapping extra bits to the bike frame/luggage. Better than sending 'em straight to landfill too 

If you have any spare, I'm happy to pay for p&p.

All the velcro straps I've found on general sale are either stupidly long or stupidly expensive. Stitching up my own is far too much faff.

No probs, remind me of your address Bledlow?

Ta

[Wowbagger]

My son Graham seems to have bought himself a piano on Ebay.

He narrowly missed buying a Bechstein yesterday, for £400 or a little more: it was a model 10, dating from the 1890s (frame no 32004), and straight strung, which isn't as good as overstrung, but still a good instrument at that price.

He's just won an auction for a "Balding" piano. This was a relisting with a buy-it-now of £750 and he got it for a little over £260. It's overstrung, was given a very good write-up by the seller, and looks lovely, but I've never heard of a Balding, and neither has the internet, it seems. Baldwin certainly: excellent American pianos dating from the 1890s and owners of Bechstein Pianoforteabrik for a while.

There's an awful lot of name-recycling in the world of piano manufacture. Bechstein and Steinway (originally Steinweg, but now manufactured mostly in the US, although some are Chinese and given other names) are both very sought-after brands, so Steinmayer, Steinbech, Steinberg etc. have sprung up as imitations. The photo of the keyboard lid was perhaps a little unclear, and it could have said "Bulding", but I am far from sure. It will need to be transported from Devon. I just hope it isn't a heavy pile of rubbish.

[Kim]

I've got a Carry Freedom Y-frame you could borrow?

[andrewc]

Cue "Laurel & Hardy" piano moving sketch...

[Arch]

In one of our student houses, we ended up looking after two pianos for different friends. They both sat in my friend Tom's downstairs bedroom. He stored clothes on them.

One day, the meter reader came, and the meter was behind one of these pianos. As they shifted it a bit, the meter reader asked "So, how many of you play the piano then?"

"Oh, none of us..."

Meter Reader did his job and left rather fast!

[Kim]

I have a similar arrangement with bikes obstructing the meter.  I'll have to try that line when they ask if I'm a keen cyclist.

[Wowbagger]

Research by Graham has indicated that Balding is a name occasionally used by the Ferdinand Shaaf Pianofortefabrik company, which was, unsurprisingly, originally German, but, like a number of piano companies, changed hands a few times. J. D. Philipps owned the name until they went bust in the 1950s. They also used the name "Baldur".

I wish I could find a suitable photo to link to. My guess from the style of the piano is that it dates form about the middle of the last century. It has a few hints of art deco about it and the lettering is plain an simple.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I just did my first non-stop, continuous, no pauses, no stopping, no swapping to another stroke full 50m length of front crawl. I was hanging to the edge and gasping for breath at the end, but I did it. And then, just to prove it wasn't a fluke, I did 4 more.

[interzen]

In terms of cycle clothing sizes I now appear to be an XL rather than an XXL<sup>1 

1</sup> - at least until Endura change their sizing again ...

[Auntie Helen]

I just did my first non-stop, continuous, no pauses, no stopping, no swapping to another stroke full 50m length of front crawl. I was hanging to the edge and gasping for breath at the end, but I did it. And then, just to prove it wasn't a fluke, I did 4 more.

Well done! Real progress for you (I have been following your swimming lesson reports with interest)

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I am as excited as the first time I cycled up Ashley Terrace without bottom gear!

[tiermat]

Talking to my (younger) brother last night he said "I like being out on my bike", the bike in question being the Flying Scot I gave him for his birthday, "I get nods from other roadies now, especially the old boys who recognise the bike, despite me usually being in jeans and hoodie!"

More was said about him liking it, we might have a converted roadie...

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

One sleep!

[TheLurker]

My employer grants paid leave for jury duty. *Relieved*

[tiermat]

Parking for Friday night now booked! A bargainous £6.50 for 18:00-02:00, and only a short walk from the venue, and the pub I used to frequent far to often in my Leeds days (The Square on the Lane).

[interzen]

It's only taken nearly 2 years, but finally the personal injury claim relating to the accident I had in January last year has been settled 

The cakes are on me

[CrinklyLion]

EldestCub has been bumped off the waiting list for the school residential trip.  He got a place.  Extraordinarily happy small boy.

(who has hopefully learned to pay more attention to letters home from school... fingers crossed)

[jogler]

I'm very pleased for E.C.
 

[matthew]

Great news

(who has hopefully learned to pay more attention to letters home from school... fingers crossed)

however

*tower this is pig 1, pig 2 and pig 3 requesting permission to land*   

[Arch]

EldestCub has been bumped off the waiting list for the school residential trip.  He got a place.  Extraordinarily happy small boy.

(who has hopefully learned to pay more attention to letters home from school... fingers crossed)

Oh good!

(I hope your hope is justified too)

[clarion]

He deserves it.  If he manages to remember future letters.

[why1040]

I've had energy today!  For the first time in months, I've actually felt entirely like myself!  I've got a load of stuff done that needed doing, while at the same time trying not to overdo things so that I end up in an energy deficit again, because that's REALLY starting to get on my nerves!

I also chased my doctor, since I had some energy (via phone, not like that!    ) and he eventually rang me back.  I have a referral to a day patient facility that will actually do a proper adrenal stress test-apparently organising that has been somewhat challenging as they don't routinely do them.

I'm tired of being tired and would quite like my life back!  So today has been a lovely reminder of what that is really like! 

[Wowbagger]

Well done!

My good news is that I have a very talented young chess player in my Wednesday after-school group. I played him a couple of weeks ago and he should have beaten me: I didn't make any really dreadful blunders, just took the game a bit too casually. I had a real fight on my hands until I managed to bamboozle him in the ending. He just kept on playing good moves.

I was watching him again today. His performance against me doesn't seem to have been a fluke. He's beating kids quite a bit older than himself - good players, not rabbits. He has just started in Year 3, so he's 7.