Monday, May 28, 2012

Upstairs downstairs

Monday, May 28, 2012 0

 

oldbearnews editor 

 

 

 

 


I distinctly remember a British TV program called "Upstairs, downstairs" - it was a tv series that run for several seasons.  Guess the modern version is
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Downton Abbey

The Original TV series "upstairs, downstairs' is set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War, Belgravia in London, and the series depicts the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters - the family "upstairs".  The series stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. In short all about how the rich and famous live and how their lives interact with the other rich and famous and also with their servants.  Cut a long story short - we sort of had our own up and down.

After a very long time and several earthquakes we decided that we would finish the upstairs bedroom / living-room / walking wardrobe and bathroom with a preferred choice of flooring.  That necessitated that everything had to be cleared - and I do mean everything.  The marital bed got shifted to the lounge downstairs and - and, oh yeah, I have this 180 liter fish-tank that needed shifting - no small feat.
sleeping on the floor
Kinda weird having the bed back down here - and hehehe would not be the first time.  All in all I think we slept here 4 x since we had shifted in to our House.  It makes for an interesting evening of watching TV.  Actually - I ALMOST wanted to keep this bed there- watching TV in Bed and just being a couple of steps away from the kitchen - what more could a bloke want??!!
getting ready = floor sanded
The bed frame - yes it is a slate-bed.  It is supposed to be the best way of sleeping.  Eagle eyed folks will notice the running repairs on one of the slats.  This was the only thing I could not shift out - it being to big to store anywhere and way to big to go down the narrow and  a hair raising 90 degrees left turn down the staircase.  Ah well - no harm done.
Where did I put . . . . . that . . . . .   hmmmm is it in here?
Urm - well - yes  - one does collect quite a bit of stuff.  Luckily for us when the additions where done, we ended up with this bonus store room - very convenient for storing stuff - either temporary and/or permanently!!  Only problem was - erm - see - it was so full you needed a mountaineering expertise to get to any stuff - either that or wait until it see's the daylight again.
There is a whole lot of other stuff that made it into Micky's room - with him being away on a 4 month Army training course.  Very convenient - only to be told he's coming home n sick-leave - having busted his knee.  This means that  HE will have to sleep in the garage for a week or two - again not a first for our family.
Vinyl planks laid out for glue-ing to the floor
Meanwhile the flooring guy worked away and here you can see the beginning of something beautiful.  We so love the look of timber and these 7mm Vinyl planks are almost the next best thing, easy to wear and care and almost as warm on the feat. They certainly look the part and you could be forgiven for mistaking this as timber.  
almost there
Progress in the bedroom.  All in all it took him 3 days to lay the planks.  Come to think of it - they still not finished - with the bull nose on the staircase yet to be nailed in - but yeah - I soon can shift the bed back upstairs - and claim my lounge back.  Oh and yeah - we do not need to worry about making any erm - hehehe  inappropriate noises that could carry to the other people living here ^^
Vinyl in the ensuite bathroom
The en suite - all finished!!  It does look great and Mamabear is impressed!! - I am glad I paid someone to do this - firstly I could not have done a better job (in fact probably a more lousy job) and secondly It would have taken me more then 2 weeks to complete the job!!  This morning we started shifting stuff back upstairs - the bed and other bits and pieces.  Had fun shifting the aquarium - all 180 liters (ok I emptied it as much as I could but even so), and busted my lower back (I am having a 'loose disk' that sometimes goes out of alignment and causes referred pain).  But yeah - no servants to help. Although son numero uno was of great help - he's got youth and more muscles to his credit!

So now we can live upstairs again in our hideaway. Let the upstairs, downstairs lives re-start and begin.
Hmmm I see they are making a revival with Jean Marsh reprising her role as Rose alongside a new cast in the same Eaton Place household, with the first series aired on 26 December 2010.  Wonder if Mamabear knows . . . . . 


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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Prevention of Cruelty to Teddy Bears [SPCTB]

Sunday, May 27, 2012 1
oldbearnews editor
The prevention of cruelty and misuse of comfort and stress relieving soft animals which look like the family of animals know as 'Bear'  and have the common name of Teddy Bears.  I belong to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Teddy Bears [SPCTB]!  It asks for the immediate dismissal of foster parents for cruelty and neglect of our beloved teddy bears [normally nonliving character which can and so will in any form be anthropomorphized into living, breathing, feeling individuals] if they mistreat one of our members (teddy-bears). 
The rules are set out as follows: 

1. Teddy Bears are not inanimate objects 

2. Teddy Bears are to be cuddled and hugged as much as needed, but they are not to be used as pillows. 

3. Teddy Bears have the right to as much bed space as they need. Any human sharing the bed with the Teddy Bear is to have any room that is left and must not in anyway force the Teddy Bear from its rightful place on the bed. 

4. Teddy Bears shall always be given names. This name shall let the Teddy Bear hold its head up high at any picnics that it attends. Names such as Fluffy Wuffy, shall not be allowed. 

5. Teddy Bears have the right to be dressed in suitable clothing and are not to be denigrated by the wearing of dolls' clothing. 

6. Teddy Bears do not fly (without the aid of an airplane), unless by express permission of the Teddy Bear involved. 

7. It is recommended that Teddy Bears should not be given any alcoholic drink. If at any time such drink is given to a Teddy Bear, then no responsibility will be taken for anything that happens after that. (See Rule 9 for cases where your Teddy Bear insists). 

8. Teddy Bears are omnipotent and their word is final on all matters. 

9. If you witness a Teddy Bear being abused then you are to report the matter to your nearest TBPO (Teddy Bear Protection Officer) who can be contacted through your local branch of the SPCTB (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Teddy Bears). 

10. No abusing your Teddy Bears, another's teddy Bears, or homeless Teddy Bears in any way or form, whether physically, sexually, or neglectfully. 

11. No posting rude comments towards ro about Teddy bears or photos of abused Teddy Bears or your comments will eb deleted and the Teddy bears will ban you.

12. Be entirely too philosophical for your own good. Eccentricities are highly admired.

13. Post any form of media that you wish as long as it doesn't harm, or show the harming for Teddy bears in any way, shape, form or manner. 

14. Do not feed the Teddy Bears [They are already stuffed].  

15. The diet of your bear is vital to his or her very existence. Teddy Bears should be allowed a choice of what they are fed, no matter how ridiculous that choice is. (See Rule 9). 


If you do not follow the rules in full, then you may be risking the chance of your teddy bear leaving you and if he/she finds that any breaches of the rules have occurred then he/she will have no choice but to leave you and go to another home. As there are many families that have not had your good fortune and yearn for a Teddy Bear of their own, I am sure that he/she will have no problem. Be grateful you even have a teddy bear to love and cherish because others may not have that opportunity. If anybody wishes to register as a foster parent for a battered and abused Teddy Bear, or would like to own a teddy bear of your very own, then please contact us and, we will then carry out a full check into your suitability as a candidate, making sure no past teddy bear abuse is on your record.If nothing shows up, we will then send you your brand new teddy bear friend, free of charge.

 bear print

Monday, May 7, 2012

Westcoast recon trip for Knife making in Barrytown

Monday, May 7, 2012 0
oldbearnews editor uhu

so we are going to take a group of scouts over to the Westcoast again form some serious knife making - ok same as last year - different youth though!!
In any case - that is  just the excuse we Leaders (do not) need to go over for a bit of recce and personal good fun time.


A katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning "going downhill", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. Such winds are sometimes also called fall winds. Katabatic winds can rush down elevated slopes at hurricane speeds, but most are not that intense and many are on the order of 10 knots (18 km/h) or less.  Examples of true katabatic winds include the Bora (or Bura) in the Adriatic, the Bohemian Wind or Böhmwind in the Ore Mountains, the Mistral, the Santa Ana in southern California, the Tramontana and the Oroshi in Japan. Another example is "The Barber," an enhanced katabatic wind that blows over the town of Greymouth in New Zealand when there is a southeast flow over the South Island. It is a wind that is known in the area for its coldness.   Oh and believe-me,  while really spectacularly to watch - it is COLD!!  I saw it for the first time on this trip and just had to snap this.
They say you can measure its width by literally the street your house is on - eg - the house on the left will feel its cold air - while the house on the other side of the street will be untouched and warm.  wicked

The other sight worth seeing was the mist rising from the see.  There were distinct areas that created more mist then others - pity that for both cases I had no video cam with me.



 Part of the trip is pre-walking the track we want the youth to hike on (check out the conditions etc.) and on this day the air on location was so still it gave perfect mirror conditions!  I was glad I dragged my cameras with me - despite the weight they had to the hiking gear!!
 Seeing I carried so much (personal) weight (and 6 litres of water) I sweated so much - that I   L O S T  weight!!!!! So much so that there was nothing left of me and I became a former shadow of myself.
 I F only.
 My hiking staff made for a convenient place to rest the bush shirt - made from wool and of course in Canterbury colours.  They keep you warm and dry and are often seen being worn by the farmers in NZ - but are equally good to go hiking in. I am not sure how popular they are in the rest of the world but here in New Zealand they are a real institution!!
 Lunch - yussss - home made brew - lamb / vegetables / garlic / a bit of pasta - uhhhh yummmmy!!  ( ok - so I boiled up some pork/beefbones at home for 3 days to get the stock - but hey - preparation is the key - right!?!?)







On the return trip we stopped at Arthurs Pass and slogged up to the aptly named Devils Punchbowl waterfall.  The local Maori have a different name for it (which escapes me now) but it is a spectacular fall (again I was glad I carried the camera gear)
Sadly this is also the place where a tourist decided to ignore safety warnings and 'disappeared' presumed to have drowned and washed away in/with the water.  Her body sadly has never been found despite extensive searches - which just gets to show that despite the beauty - there is danger in places like these, and are best admired from a small distance!! 
After the slog up to and back from the waterfall, it was time for a well deserved lunch.  We got good at making our own Subway sandwich and I dear say was, urm, better tasting! 
Brush's knife came in handy to cut up various fillings.  Pity - he had it just cleaned the previous day at the Barrytown knife-making place!!  Still nothing a good wipe could not fix on the day!! I am so gonna go over there and make another one! This time they have access to Damascus steel - so that will be fun to make!!












Further on, after the lunch we saw the place where some people 'manufacture' the famous wind.  Actually it was between Arthurs and Porters pass - a scenery worth in their own right - just breath taking. I thought I did well snapping this from a moving car.







Guess not many of you know the story of the giant Moa.  This used to be a large flightless bird - with the females of the largest species standing 3.6 m (12 ft) tall, and one of the most massive, weighing 230–240 kg.  The giant moa, along with other moa were wiped out by human colonists who hunted it for food. All birds in this genus were extinct by around 1500 in New Zealand. It is reliably known that the Māori still hunted them at the beginning of the fifteenth century, driving them into pits and robbing their nests. Although some birds became extinct due to farming, for which the forests were cut and burned down and the ground was turned into arable land, the giant moa had been extinct for 300 years prior to the arrival of European settlers.  WELL so the story goes.  However the local publican recons he spotted one bird from afar one day somewhere in the national park - and - well - you guessed it.  The story took on  a life of its own and to this day the truth is still a casualty.
Moa sightings remained fairly thin on the ground until the late 20th century, when hiking became popular in the more isolated national park areas of South Island. In 1993 the most infamous moa encounter yet emerged when former British Army commando Paddy Freaney, along with two friends, claimed to have come across one whilst bush walking in Arthur's Pass. Described as having brown and grey feathers and a wingless, tailless torso, the man-sized bird was spotted lurking on a valley floor. According to Freaney, ‘It looked straight at us, and then it was off.’ Freaney pursued the big bird with his camera, managing to snap off three photographs, one of which was to resurrect the moa controversy. Although indistinct, the photograph shows a spooky birdlike shape amongst the valley brush. Doubters have claimed the photograph actually depicts a large scrub turkey. Although the trio has stuck to its claim, no Moa sightings of any note have been lodged in the region since. Nevertheless, a curious entry was found in a log book in a nearby trailside shack. Discovered the week after Freaney’s sighting, it was actually made a year earlier, when a pair of German backpackers had scrawled: ‘We were very surprised to see two moas in the Harper Valley (adjoining Arthur's Pass). We had heard they were almost extinct.’  So who knows - some Moa may yet lurk around in the vast bush that is National Arthurs Park. 

Time to unpack and wash up - have fun




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