superatticman

A selection from the last month or so...

Try SLR evening photography wearing a mask!!!!! The viewfinder becomes translucent for large parts of the evening.

One thing I've noticed, (maybe its just my circle of facebook buddies etc) those who were very eager to lock us down in March are now exactly the same individuals complaining about the longer effects of lockdown. Just proves damned if you do and damned if you don't!!!

A Red Kite that I managed to snap over Ruislip.

Not two weeks ago when I first arrived. Didn't get any questions though. A month or two ago visitors were getting abused by the locals. Can understand why really. The 'local' hospital is Inverness and I think that only has 8 ICU's.

YES!!!!!!!! Am a regular as the McMissus lives there. More or less had the whole place to ourselves. The last 2-3 years has been a nightmare tourist wise.

Some images from a recent visit to the Isle of Skye. (legal through support bubble in case anyone is wondering)

A few pics from my daily 'Boris Walks'

The Moon and Venus through a Skywatcher MAK 127 Telescope. No stacking, just standard photographs.

I think my own challenge is not to hit higher numbers but to look at improving form throughout my routine. Very easy to fall into bad habits when you go out by yourself. Want to be able to extract as much return from the effort I'm putting in. My usual routine usually involves: *15 minute brisk walk to sports field *45 minute brisk walk around this large field Split up though by: *2 sets press ups (20-30 reps per set) *2 sets squats, bum back, knees not passing toes. (30-35 reps per set) *2 sets knee raises (60-70 reps per set) * 1 3 minute 'round' shadow boxing soft targeting leaves and branches * 2 sets torso twists (60-70 reps per set) *1 set standard sit ups (40-50 reps) *2 sets 'crunches' head meets knees (30-35 reps per set) * 1 plank 60-90 seconds (hate these!) * 2 sets barbell row with steel crossbar from goalpost. Harder than it sounds with wide handed grip and flexing bar! (20-25 reps per set) * 2 sets shoulder press with above (15-20 reps per set) * 25 min brisk alternative walk home including 10 minutes very steep gradient. Effort I'd say is 'moderate' overall. I like this workout because you can split up the above up and mix things up. I love being outside and I want to be able to enjoy my workout.

Standard sit ups like the ones I did are slowly but surely falling out of favour. Its not recommended to do 100's of them, not that that's ever going to be a problem for me mind. I think doing 'crunches' where you go from about 20 degrees to 40 degrees is actually a lot harder and safer?

I think military press ups are the 'correct' way to do them. Chin slightly up makes a hell of a difference. I struggled to get to 22 following this approach. However doing it this way does maximise the effectiveness of the workout. Can really feel it targeting my chest as opposed to triceps. Hope to be able to get to 30 in a few weeks.

Any takers for press ups??? How about sit ups I got to 50 using the standard technique.....

Yes there is no reason you can't exploit this to skill people up. Budget's permitting of course. Looking at Agile Project Management here. Am sure I have a Windows 10 study guide somewhere too.

Whatever it is.....its not important enough to worry about. IT at a Hospital.....yes life and death. IT at a school.......nah.

Me going in?? Zero chance. Moved back in with my folks a few years ago so am absolutely not going to risk bringing anything home to them. They are aware of this at work and are totally onside. We do have a couple of others in our team who are happy to go in if required. Only for back end IT hardware support though. Absolutely no other pastoral stuff or mixing with pupils. What will they do about leave etc??? No one will want to take leave being stuck at home. May be mandatory leave handed out. We will have to play fair here.

Can anyone clarify whether school places for 'key worker' pupils is based on one parent or both parents working in a key role?????

I agree with this. Their bubble has truly been burst. Am I supposed to feel sorry for these actors etc who suddenly find they are a luxury and not actually required for society to exist?

Ditto. I'm 46 and moved back in with them a few years ago so I could save for a deposit. I've kept well out of their way the last two weeks or so. However its getting to the stage now where I'm going to offer work from home only. If they are expecting anyone who lives with higher risk people to go in (even if the school is apparently 'closed') to assist with key worker pupils (higher chance of carrying the virus) then they are going to be in for a disappointment.

So forget the headlines......... schools aren't actually closing then?? Open for a handful of pupils who parents are key workers?? I can see the logic behind this. I presume this is more or less aimed at younger children so will be more of a 'day care' facility than structured lessons. I guess you cannot teach classroom lessons to those kids because it gives them an unfair advantage over those who are taking lessons from home. So I'm presuming that some schools will open up a small part of the school and no doubt expect some support staff to be in, maybe on a part time basis?

Well this is the other big risk. A lot of people seem to be shouting 'close down' 'lock down' etc but they may soon start changing their tune when they start losing their jobs and finding they can't feed their family.

I believe the F2 which preceded the F3 was a bit of a lame duck. Mainly because it didn't actually have a radar installed!!!!!! It became known as the 'blue circle' due to having a bag of cement secured into the nosecone simulating the weight of a radar. The F3 though was actually a far more capable platform than it got credit for. Dog fighting, in the main is a thing of the past.

Agreed re the Navy operations. They will probably be training for a number of roles. Air to air including long range interception and close quarters combat will no doubt be high on the agenda. I believe the F-35B can carry up to 6 air to air missiles including medium and short range. So you could say it's a genuine air to air platform if required. By contrast the Sea Harriers which operated in the Falklands could only carry two short range AAMs. However to say they were effective is an understatement. Still believe though, that for long range interception of enemy aircraft, sheer speed wins on most days. The RAF Tornado F3s weren't the most agile but wings back and full afterburn they could certainly shift!

The RAF F-35 is primarily a ground attack aircraft isn't it? I don't think they will use them to intercept. The Typhoon is considerably faster and has a better air to air weapons system. Speed and radar are everything in the interception role. Saying that the F-35 does have a very capable air to air platform if required. I believe the Royal Navy version of the F-35 will be a much more multi-role flavoured beast though. Similar to the legendary Sea Harrier.

How is everyone finding these for general reliability? We're having a few BSOD issues especially on login. All tablets up to date firmware wise etc. Anyone else having reliability issues?