Chit Chat and All That...

[UKBloke]

The two dogs are having sex. The third one on top is waiting for his or her turn. Tey are being paid by the cat for a doggy orgy. The cat is a porno film maker, his phone is hidden under his tail. The dogs earn 3 bones to perform.

You know me, E, I don't like to come here and complain when the tinnitus and hyperacusis are at searing levels (as they have been for the past 3 weeks). Instead I prefer to try and have a bit of a laugh when things are OK, as they had started to be today and were until this evening when I saw this at Sycamore Gap:

Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall cut down by 'vandals'

They're saying it's "vandals". You know your wood, does your average vandal hike 3 miles at night in the outer wilds carrying a chainsaw to perform a near surgical tree felling?

For anyone who doesn't remember, Mrs. UKB and I hiked to Sycamore Gap last year. Seeing what has happened to this beautiful and iconic national treasure has really fucking boiled my piss.

Earby for tinnitus makes me think the universe has a sense of humour. Anyhow... hope you're good, E, and the ears are behaving.

Ended up at this place the other day. Milecastle 39 and Sycamore Gap (aka The Robin Hood Tree).

Can still feel Hadrian's army pounding the ground there...

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[Daniel Lion]

You know me, E, I don't like to come here and complain when the tinnitus and hyperacusis are at searing levels (as they have been for the past 3 weeks). Instead I prefer to try and have a bit of a laugh when things are OK, as they had started to be today and were until this evening when I saw this at Sycamore Gap:

View attachment 55882

Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall cut down by 'vandals'

They're saying it's "vandals". You know your wood, does your average vandal hike 3 miles at night in the outer wilds carrying a chainsaw to perform a near surgical tree felling?

For anyone who doesn't remember, Mrs. UKB and I hiked to Sycamore Gap last year. Seeing what has happened to this beautiful and iconic national treasure has really fucking boiled my piss.

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That is evil. Heartbreaking to see this.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

You know me, E, I don't like to come here and complain when the tinnitus and hyperacusis are at searing levels (as they have been for the past 3 weeks). Instead I prefer to try and have a bit of a laugh when things are OK, as they had started to be today and were until this evening when I saw this at Sycamore Gap:

View attachment 55882

Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall cut down by 'vandals'

They're saying it's "vandals". You know your wood, does your average vandal hike 3 miles at night in the outer wilds carrying a chainsaw to perform a near surgical tree felling?

For anyone who doesn't remember, Mrs. UKB and I hiked to Sycamore Gap last year. Seeing what has happened to this beautiful and iconic national treasure has really fucking boiled my piss.

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That my friend is a disgrace. I'm wondering why some kid would even consider doing something like that. Lock him up, feed him tree bark, and the whole tree.

Question is why and what purpose.

As I look closer, it may have been vandals, but if you look at the stump, the cross cut is a perfect level cut. Vandals or kids would not have the experience to cut like that. Whomever did it knew more than some young kids.

You're not the only one. My tinnitus has been on the ramp for over a week, this morning it's backed down.

But I went through one hell of an ordeal a week and half back. The Mrs. and I were out shopping when my phone rang. I answered it but couldn't hear anyone. When I came from the doctor, it rang again and still couldn't hear anyone. Then a text came in. The doctor had sent a prescription to the pharmacy for blood pressure because a monitor I wore for 12 hours showed high. This medication had a diuretic in it to wash salt out of the kidney to lower blood pressure. I refused it once before because I pee enough already. Anyway, I took it, and let me tell ya, the fucking headache was unbearable, along with feeling uncontrollable. The next morning I took it again and that evening the same thing. So I made an appointment to see another doctor. A young lady. She immediately took it off and redid the prescription stating that the one had side effects of headache. Honestly I thought I would wake up dead. Then the tinnitus went mad for a week.

Damn quack.

 

[UKBloke]

That is evil. Heartbreaking to see this.

It is, D. I spent last night trying to find a suitable word to describe this act and just kept returning to that one: evil.

As I look closer, it may have been vandals, but if you look at the stump, the cross cut is a perfect level cut. Vandals or kids would not have the experience to cut like that. Whomever did it knew more than some young kids.

That was my immediate thought when I saw the cut. It's too precise and the trunk has even been marked out with spray first by the looks of it. That operation is far too surgical for it to be some random act of vandalism.

Question is why and what purpose.

People will say "it's just a tree", but it's a UNESCO site ffs. The tree fell across the Wall. I'll bet it's even taken a chunk out of that. The only purpose I can think of for such spiteful destruction is, to attack a people's culture, heritage and history. But most of all to assault their spirit and collectedness. It truly is a wicked act.

the fucking headache was unbearable,

Something that's powerful enough to have washed the salt out of your kidneys sounds like a similar mechanism underlying the hangover from hell. Hope you're having a better day.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

It is, D. I spent last night trying to find a suitable word to describe this act and just kept returning to that one: evil.

That was my immediate thought when I saw the cut. It's too precise and the trunk has even been marked out with spray first by the looks of it. That operation is far too surgical for it to be some random act of vandalism.

People will say "it's just a tree", but it's a UNESCO site ffs. The tree fell across the Wall. I'll bet it's even taken a chunk out of that. The only purpose I can think of for such spiteful destruction is, to attack a people's culture, heritage and history. But most of all to assault their spirit and collectedness. It truly is a wicked act.

Something that's powerful enough to have washed the salt out of your kidneys sounds like a similar mechanism underlying the hangover from hell. Hope you're having a better day.

If you take a look at that tree, it is not the only thing being destroyed. A lot of places that are centuries old are being attacked by vandals. You are correct in saying they are destroying cultures.

The US in the south has been torn down destroying statues of men who fought in the civil war, men who fought for their beliefs in freedom. Again taking the culture away.

 

[Joeseph Stope]

You know me, E, I don't like to come here and complain when the tinnitus and hyperacusis are at searing levels (as they have been for the past 3 weeks). Instead I prefer to try and have a bit of a laugh when things are OK, as they had started to be today and were until this evening when I saw this at Sycamore Gap:

View attachment 55882

Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall cut down by 'vandals'

They're saying it's "vandals". You know your wood, does your average vandal hike 3 miles at night in the outer wilds carrying a chainsaw to perform a near surgical tree felling?

For anyone who doesn't remember, Mrs. UKB and I hiked to Sycamore Gap last year. Seeing what has happened to this beautiful and iconic national treasure has really fucking boiled my piss.

View attachment 55883

Take a look at the lower picture. The one with the tree standing alone.

Now imagine what the place will look like without it. Just plain barren and devoid of a beautiful addition of Nature. Just grass and rocks.

Criminal energy is what I'd term it. Hiking all that way with a chainsaw in his backpack, and for what?

Have some pity on the birds too. I'd say the housing accommodation problem for them will be more intense this winter.

 

[UKBloke]

Take a look at the lower picture. The one with the tree standing alone.

I don't know if you were aware or not, but that lower picture you mention is one I took. Here's another below snapped from the B6318 while leaving the area.

Mrs. UKB and I hiked there this time last year; we'd both wanted to visit the Sycamore for a while. The entire area resonates with an energy that's difficult to put into words. There is just a heck of a lot of ancient history there.

It's hard to believe the tree's gone; and so sad because it's everyone's loss, birds and all. "Criminal energy" is a very good way to describe the forces at play.

I'm not religious in the slightest, but I do feel an inherent connection to nature and the cosmos. Have a search for some of the images of the Sycamore by night. The alignment of the landscape hinged around that tree reaching out into the night sky inspires a deep sense of connectedness to something higher; bigger than us. I'm trying to understand the motive for destroying that but I can't.

 

[Joeseph Stope]

I don't know if you were aware or not, but that lower picture you mention is one I took. Here's another below snapped from the B6318 while leaving the area.

Mrs. UKB and I hiked there this time last year; we'd both wanted to visit the Sycamore for a while. The entire area resonates with an energy that's difficult to put into words. There is just a heck of a lot of ancient history there.

It's hard to believe the tree's gone; and so sad because it's everyone's loss, birds and all. "Criminal energy" is a very good way to describe the forces at play.

I'm not religious in the slightest, but I do feel an inherent connection to nature and the cosmos. Have a search for some of the images of the Sycamore by night. The alignment of the landscape hinged around that tree reaching out into the night sky inspires a deep sense of connectedness to something higher; bigger than us. I'm trying to understand the motive for destroying that but I can't.

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Wow!

Hollywood?

Duh... no, just Northumberland.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

In Malta on a bit of holiday. I came across this small boat moored. It will carry 6000 passengers and 3000 crew. Looks top heavy to me.

 

[Juan]

You know me, E, I don't like to come here and complain when the tinnitus and hyperacusis are at searing levels (as they have been for the past 3 weeks). Instead I prefer to try and have a bit of a laugh when things are OK, as they had started to be today and were until this evening when I saw this at Sycamore Gap:

View attachment 55882

Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall cut down by 'vandals'

They're saying it's "vandals". You know your wood, does your average vandal hike 3 miles at night in the outer wilds carrying a chainsaw to perform a near surgical tree felling?

For anyone who doesn't remember, Mrs. UKB and I hiked to Sycamore Gap last year. Seeing what has happened to this beautiful and iconic national treasure has really fucking boiled my piss.

View attachment 55883

That's horrible. Why would anyone do that?

Is there a real estate interest behind that horrible act? Like re-classification of land etc?

In Spain summer fire "happens" because sometimes the land is re-classified and turned into buildable land (not exactly urban, but still a place where developers can build).

 

[UKBloke]

That's horrible. Why would anyone do that?

Is there a real estate interest behind that horrible act? Like re-classification of land etc?

In Spain summer fire "happens" because sometimes the land is re-classified and turned into buildable land (not exactly urban, but still a place where developers can build).

It really is horrible. I've been scratching my head wondering why anyone would do that. One thing's for sure though, I don't believe for a minute it was a disgruntled 60-year-old lumberjack with a 16-year-old accomplice as the press has made it out to be. That makes no sense at all.

Regarding any kind of corporate interest I think at one point a company was actually attempting to build a wind-farm nearby. My understanding is that those plans were shelved after a public outcry and our "National Trust" got involved. I believe they secured the land around there for the nation and ultimately the world as it's a UNESCO site.

I wasn't aware of those Spanish "fires" but can absolutely believe that kind of stuff happens all the time. The thing with Sycamore Gap is, it's so specific. Destroying it just seems too coincidental and synergistic with all those other incidents happening at various sites of religious and historic importance in Europe; like the fire at Notre Dame for example. I can't quite shake the feeling that there's some really dark force at play here.

 

[Juan]

Regarding any kind of corporate interest I think at one point a company was actually attempting to build a wind-farm nearby. My understanding is that those plans were shelved after a public outcry and our "National Trust" got involved. I believe they secured the land around there for the nation and ultimately the world as it's a UNESCO site.

There are some wind farms in "empty Spain" which is basically the whole inner country aside from Madrid metropolitan area. We have population living along the coast, in Madrid and also in Zaragoza, and the rest of Spain is empty.

The wind farms have a visual impact, they use up a lot of land, and apparently they may be noisy too. It's not a great thing to have in your backyard...

Actually in Spain green energy is not as prominent as it could. Solar farms had their moment but then our crazy government decided NOT to pay investors... Go forward a few years and the Spanish government is losing lawsuits all over the world and foreign investors are seizing Spanish assets abroad because the radical communists who now "run" Spain still decided not to pay, despite court rulings against them...

Anyway... Spain is not a great place to invest nowadays. And yes, the fires happen because then there are developments and the land is re-classified and used for more lucrative purposes. There are fires every summer.

 

[SamRosemary]

Found this cool pretty spot while exploring and checking out all the pretty fall colours.

 

[Joeseph Stope]

Now it's November. The trees here are nearly bare... but still leaves all over the place.

 

[Juan]

I am back from a short vacation only to see Spanish politics are getting worse and worse. The country is heading towards a disguised dictatorship and things are looking pretty bad here.

Mass protests over amnesty deal in Spain as hard-right condemns 'coup'

 

[Daniel Lion]

I am back from a short vacation only to see Spanish politics are getting worse and worse. The country is heading towards a disguised dictatorship and things are looking pretty bad here.

Mass protests over amnesty deal in Spain as hard-right condemns 'coup'

I have seen some footage in the news feeds, didn't look good. Stay well, stay strong, and stay clear of the riots (bad for the ears.)

I hope you enjoyed your vacation, where did you go?

 

[Juan]

I hope you enjoyed your vacation, where did you go?

I went to the French Riviera. It was really nice there!

In Spain everyone is against the Catalan amnesty, which is portrayed very favourably in media like The Guardian... but here everyone is against it, the army, the judges, the citizens. Actually Pedro Sánchez did not have that "proposal" in his party's agenda, and there are statements against the amnesty by the radical communists that now run Spain.

However, when Pedro had to decide between selling the whole country to stay in power or just leaving... he chose to try to become a dictator like Nicolás Maduro. People, and specially foreign investors, have to be aware of all this... as Spain is no longer a safe place to invest. Next step will be seizing property from people...

 

[Juan]

I have seen some footage in the news feeds, didn't look good. Stay well, stay strong, and stay clear of the riots (bad for the ears.)

I hope you enjoyed your vacation, where did you go?

Here there is an accurate take on what's going on:

A New Far-Left Dictatorship Is Coming to Europe - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

 

[bobvann]

There is a new TV show that's kinda like Dragon's Den where people present products and ideas. A panel has to decide whether it's legit or snake oil. Perhaps Pawel Jastreboff, Julian Cowan Hill, Dr. Bruce Hubbard, Ben Thompson etc should all demonstrate their tinnitus "treatments..."

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

There is a new TV show that's kinda like Dragon's Den where people present products and ideas. A panel has to decide whether it's legit or snake oil. Perhaps Pawel Jastreboff, Julian Cowan Hill, Dr. Bruce Hubbard, Ben Thompson etc should all demonstrate their tinnitus "treatments..."

I'm sure that would be snake oil.

 

[UKBloke]

@Elmer B Fuddled, here you go, E, just installed the new log burner.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

@Elmer B Fuddled, here you go, E, just installed the new log burner.

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What the F, are you heating the whole neighbourhood?
Damn you had that going, here the wood cops put ya away and toss the key.

What is that?

I had been thinking of you as I hadn't seen you on lately, but like you said, when the tinnitus goes crazy, it's time to find quiet.

Mrs. E and myself are headed to Denmark this Friday for a wedding. The bride to be wanted us to be her parents as she has no mother or father.

So of course we will.

@UKBloke, take good care of yourself and be sure to hug the Mrs.

Elmer

P.S. I had another look and the woodstove is hanging out the window??? Are you sure you know what you are doing. Looks very suspicious, very suspicious.

 

[Joeseph Stope]

@Elmer B Fuddled, here you go, E, just installed the new log burner.

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I've got you klicked!

You're taking your revenge on the noisy neighbours next door, right? Not only are they noisy but the spread breadcrumbs to feed the birds and bring mice & rats. A blast of a wood-burning stove should clear that one up.

 

[UKBloke]

Mrs. E and myself are headed to Denmark this Friday for a wedding. The bride to be wanted us to be her parents as she has no mother or father.

So of course we will.

@UKBloke, take good care of yourself and be sure to hug the Mrs.

Elmer

P.S. I had another look and the woodstove is hanging out the window??? Are you sure you know what you are doing. Looks very suspicious, very suspicious.

You're a good bloke, E, and enjoy Denmark, sounds like a trip worth taking. FWIW, I recently survived a return 3-hour flight. Musician's earplugs helped as the announcements were very loud, especially the one from the speaker at ear height in the toilet that caught me off-guard!

Time to go chop a couple of logs

I've got you klicked!

You're taking your revenge on the noisy neighbours next door, right? Not only are they noisy but the spread breadcrumbs to feed the birds and bring mice & rats. A blast of a wood-burning stove should clear that one up.

I'm going to have a BBQ, J. Thinking of inviting Al Gore lol.

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

You're a good bloke, E, and enjoy Denmark, sounds like a trip worth taking. FWIW, I recently survived a return 3-hour flight. Musician's earplugs helped as the announcements were very loud, especially the one from the speaker at ear height in the toilet that caught me off-guard!

Time to go chop a couple of logs

I'm going to have a BBQ, J. Thinking of inviting Al Gore lol.

Everything was going good until the Mrs said I need to put on a suit. Hey, I thought this was informal. No, ya going looking like a hillbilly? After all the shopping, she says now you need a tie to go with this. Nope, that ain't gonna happen and here's why. Why would I put something around my neck that another person can choke me with.

 

[bobvann]

FWIW, I recently survived a return 3-hour flight. Musician's earplugs helped as the announcements were very loud

I used my OTO's for a flight this past June...

 

[UKBloke]

I used my OTO's for a flight this past June...

How have you been getting on with the OTOs? I've been using those Hearprotek with changeable filters and they've been a life-saver with stuff like flying.

 

[bobvann]

How have you been getting on with the OTOs? I've been using those Hearprotek with changeable filters and they've been a life-saver with stuff like flying.

Not bad. Unfortunately, for actually playing music like electronic drums with volume control, not so much. I guess @Michael Leigh has a point. To a certain degree, even with protection, vibrations through bone can still aggravate things and cause spikes. For simpler things, like flying and avoiding loud situations, they can be useful. I have a set of 15 & 25 dB filters but they are very difficult to get in and out. I just have the 15 dB in them. I find that with using stronger earplug filters and earmuffs, you get more low end and bass frequencies which can be aggravating as well. This is so whacked at times...

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

How have you been getting on with the OTOs? I've been using those Hearprotek with changeable filters and they've been a life-saver with stuff like flying.

Here's a weird one. My tinnitus used to sometimes go over the top. After my blood pressure went out of control, my ears really started ringing, which high blood pressure will do. Now that the high blood pressure is under control, all ringing has become very mild. Some days I don't have any ringing going on. The hell's going on here?

 

[Elmer B Fuddled]

Not bad. Unfortunately, for actually playing music like electronic drums with volume control, not so much. I guess @Michael Leigh has a point. To a certain degree, even with protection, vibrations through bone can still aggravate things and cause spikes. For simpler things, like flying and avoiding loud situations, they can be useful. I have a set of 15 & 25 dB filters but they are very difficult to get in and out. I just have the 15 dB in them. I find that with using stronger earplug filters and earmuffs, you get more low end and bass frequencies which can be aggravating as well. This is so whacked at times...

@Michael Leigh has had tinnitus for a number of years. His knowledge of tinnitus is very accurate, although some may not agree, but if you read what he has contributed to tinnitus on here, it explains a lot.