Anyone else learning a new skill?

[dylanisabaddog 4,864]

4 minutes ago, Herman said:

Yeah. Had a skeleton crew in. Got about 3 acres each. Got some nesting buzzards for company though. 

The buzzards in the woods close to me are very vocal at the moment. My small dog casts nervous glances upwards and sticks very close to me 😂

[FenwayFrank 2,456]

12 hours ago, TIL 1010 said:

I hope you are playing all the right notes FF.

 

 

That is classic comedy 

[Alastair 4]

On 24/03/2020 at 08:48, FenwayFrank said:

Trying to learn the piano, slowly getting there, I need to put a bit more practice in really.

Fenway, I don't often feel sufficiently bothered to recommend things but I've also started 'borrowing' my son's keyboard and using joytunes' simplypiano app and it's brilliantly addictive!

Had a couple of evening sessions and now using both hands to a point. I could vaguely read music from my childhood killing the recorders but hadn't touched a keyboard/piano before.

I finished the trial and paid for the year now but since I've not watched TV since starting, felt I could more than justify it.

Good luck!

[FenwayFrank 2,456]

5 minutes ago, Alastair said:

Fenway, I don't often feel sufficiently bothered to recommend things but I've also started 'borrowing' my son's keyboard and using joytunes' simplypiano app and it's brilliantly addictive!

Had a couple of evening sessions and now using both hands to a point. I could vaguely read music from my childhood killing the recorders but hadn't touched a keyboard/piano before.

I finished the trial and paid for the year now but since I've not watched TV since starting, felt I could more than justify it.

Good luck!

Just downloaded, thanks

[Herman 9,710]

2 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

The buzzards in the woods close to me are very vocal at the moment. My small dog casts nervous glances upwards and sticks very close to me 😂

I wasn't sure if it was trying to scare me off or just a noisy beggar. Turns out they just like making a racket, mornings and mid afternoon mostly. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,864]

12 minutes ago, Herman said:

I wasn't sure if it was trying to scare me off or just a noisy beggar. Turns out they just like making a racket, mornings and mid afternoon mostly. 

Don't know if Buzzards do the same thing, but at Walberswick around this time of year the male Marsh Harriers perform aerobatics to impress and attract a female mate. 

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

16 hours ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

I'm continuing with what I have been attempting for a while, and trying to learn Icelandic 

Not easy 😟

Eek! I learnt a few words when I was in Reykjavík. Currently learning Japanese, though, so you think you've got problems...! 😉

 

[vlad666 203]

I’m trying my hand at sobriety. Not that great at it though. 😁🍺

[FenwayFrank 2,456]

22 hours ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

I'm continuing with what I have been attempting for a while, and trying to learn Icelandic 

Not easy 😟

I’m supposed to be going to Iceland at the end of May ☹️

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I’m supposed to be going to Iceland at the end of May

Oh No FF. You have opened up the floodgates with that post.

Get me some peas will you?

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

6 hours ago, Herman said:

I wasn't sure if it was trying to scare me off or just a noisy beggar. Turns out they just like making a racket, mornings and mid afternoon mostly. 

We didnt  have any Buzzards round here until about 3 years ago,  now a common sight in the Valley. One often sits on a post overlooking  the Valley floor , I drive past the post every day as it's on the 250m track to our house from the road. It only takes off when I'm very close to it,so I get a terrific view of it from above as it swoops down off the post before getting  lift and wheeling away. The adults have bred successfully  every year, since they arrived and numbers are increasing in the wider area year on year.  A friend of mine was very nearly facepalmed by a sparrow hawk last month as it flipped over a whitethorn hedge he was  working  on. Said it was only a couple of feet from his face when it saw him. Lovely piece  on irish radio this .morning about the Dawn Chorus in Dublin not being drowned out by background traffic noise as things slow down.  Where I live is very quiet  normally,  lately  every day is like Christmas day....virtually silent apart from the sounds of nature.  I could get used to this.

 

[Mello Yello 2,278]

Ey ham getun quoit gud art srcabble

[TIL 1010 4,718]

34 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

I’m supposed to be going to Iceland at the end of May ☹️

Anglia Square or Queens Road ?

[Herman 9,710]

23 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

We didnt  have any Buzzards round here until about 3 years ago,  now a common sight in the Valley. One often sits on a post overlooking  the Valley floor , I drive past the post every day as it's on the 250m track to our house from the road. It only takes off when I'm very close to it,so I get a terrific view of it from above as it swoops down off the post before getting  lift and wheeling away. The adults have bred successfully  every year, since they arrived and numbers are increasing in the wider area year on year.  A friend of mine was very nearly facepalmed by a sparrow hawk last month as it flipped over a whitethorn hedge he was  working  on. Said it was only a couple of feet from his face when it saw him. Lovely piece  on irish radio this .morning about the Dawn Chorus in Dublin not being drowned out by background traffic noise as things slow down.  Where I live is very quiet  normally,  lately  every day is like Christmas day....virtually silent apart from the sounds of nature.  I could get used to this.

 

We've had a large group of buzzards near work for quite a few years now, spreading around and making a nice home for themselves. Then about 5 years ago a couple of red kites turned up and also patrol the area. No punch ups between them and a seemingly mutual respect.

We've had birds trapped in the greenhouses before. Kestrels, having a modicum of intelligence, are easy to persuade to leave. My boss had to handle one once and it took it in good grace. Pigeons and pheasants on the other hand are dumb as dust and go full pelt into the glass if even slightly startled.

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,181]

1 hour ago, FenwayFrank said:

I’m supposed to be going to Iceland at the end of May ☹️

Most flights cancelled, but there are still a few running. No quarantine required for tourists, yet 

A handful of bars still open, maximum of 20 people per establishment allowed, and people asked to maintain 2m social distancing 

I am posting from The Lebowski Bar, the barman had a quick count up before he served me 

We have a high number of positive tests here, though. I don't know if tourists have to quarantine when they go home. There are very few of them around at the moment (unsurprisingly), it's like a different country...

[Mello Yello 2,278]

I remember going to watch us play Wycombe away quite a few years ago and walking down from the station to their ground and seeing a huge wake of Red Kites above.....The nearby  Chilterns are apparently a common area of their habitat.......Graceful birds.....

I have a resident busy Jenny Wren I like to watch from my kitchen window.....and the usual Blue T its and a cheeky Robin flitting about.....A pair of Grey Squirrels are regularly bouncing around and aren't fazed by my presence when I hang the washing out.... 

The things you find time for, when you have time.....

[Block Y Seat 176 80]

On 24/03/2020 at 09:39, Mello Yello said:

I have been working on increasing my lung capacity and can now hold my breath longer than an experienced pearl diver.....It's in preparation for when I go up and down the supermarket aisles...... 

One of the test re CV is to be able hold your breath for 10 seconds, or not (advice from a paramedic)

[Block Y Seat 176 80]

Paradiddle and it’s variations for drums........

Paradiddle Variations

These exercises show the Single Paradiddle and it's varia;ons (#1-3). 

Each varia;on is created by beginning the paradiddle a division later. 

Firstly on the "ra", then the "did", and finally the "dle".

#Single Paradiddle

pa- ra- did- dle pa- ra- did- dle

RLRRLRLL

     ra- did- dle- pa ra- did- dle pa
    

LRRLRLLR

     did- dle- pa- ra did- dle- pa- ra
    
RRLRLLRL

      dle- pa- ra- did dle- pa- ra- did
    
RLRLLRLR

 

     

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

55 minutes ago, Herman said:

We've had a large group of buzzards near work for quite a few years now, spreading around and making a nice home for themselves. Then about 5 years ago a couple of red kites turned up and also patrol the area. No punch ups between them and a seemingly mutual respect.

We've had birds trapped in the greenhouses before. Kestrels, having a modicum of intelligence, are easy to persuade to leave. My boss had to handle one once and it took it in good grace. Pigeons and pheasants on the other hand are dumb as dust and go full pelt into the glass if even slightly startled.

Correcttomundo Hermano, freshly released pheasants  have to be the dumbest of all Birds. Years ago in Sloley one refused to get off my motorbike,  every time I pushed it off, it hopped back on. I think it was totally freaked out by being in the countryside and just wanted to be near a human. Got rid of it in the end by driving off with it on board then removing it on the move, then accelerating  away, phew ! Had visions of being stuck with the thing for life. Any idea of the natural lifespan of a pheasant?

[wcorkcanary 4,329]

31 minutes ago, Mello Yello said:

I remember going to watch us play Wycombe away quite a few years ago and walking down from the station to their ground and seeing a huge wake of Red Kites above.....The nearby  Chilterns are apparently a common area of their habitat.......Graceful birds.....

I have a resident busy Jenny Wren I like to watch from my kitchen window.....and the usual Blue T its and a cheeky Robin flitting about.....A pair of Grey Squirrels are regularly bouncing around and aren't fazed by my presence when I hang the washing out.... 

The things you find time for, when you have time.....

That's what I meant in an earlier post.... I could get used to this. Jeez I'd go mental couped up in a flat somewhere, fair play to anyone hacking it in that environment. 

[Mason 47 1,373]

At the start of Jan, I started a self-imposed 90-day plan to try and improve my lot. I wanted to lose weight and get fitter, read more, write more and learn a language. So I guess now it's going to be 90 days and a little bit 🙄

[Mello Yello 2,278]

I'm watching the whole series of "Breaking Bad"......I think I'm learning some new skills......Just wish the kid's had a bigger chemistry set.....

[kick it off 1,948]

On 24/03/2020 at 09:18, kick it off said:

also losing weight - got about 2 stone to go (lost 1 already).... so glad we splashed out on a decent standard treadmill a year or so back.

Knocked 6 minutes off my time over 3.5km now.... building back up to doing 5k per day... had to take two weeks off due to an issue with my heel (Think it's plantar fasciitis but not prepared to waste NHS time finding out for sure with everything going on).... haven't weighed myself in 3 weeks but my rule is only weighing myself on Saturdays so gotta wait a few days to see where I'm at in relation to my goals.

[Herman 9,710]

18 hours ago, wcorkcanary said:

Correcttomundo Hermano, freshly released pheasants  have to be the dumbest of all Birds. Years ago in Sloley one refused to get off my motorbike,  every time I pushed it off, it hopped back on. I think it was totally freaked out by being in the countryside and just wanted to be near a human. Got rid of it in the end by driving off with it on board then removing it on the move, then accelerating  away, phew ! Had visions of being stuck with the thing for life. Any idea of the natural lifespan of a pheasant?

It was a quail today. They make pheasants look like potential Mastermind contestants. 😀

[Mason 47 1,373]

1 hour ago, kick it off said:

Knocked 6 minutes off my time over 3.5km now.... building back up to doing 5k per day... had to take two weeks off due to an issue with my heel (Think it's plantar fasciitis but not prepared to waste NHS time finding out for sure with everything going on).... haven't weighed myself in 3 weeks but my rule is only weighing myself on Saturdays so gotta wait a few days to see where I'm at in relation to my goals.

Plantar is awkward, I did too much in January and ended up with tendonitis which put paid to leg exercise for a good 30-40 days. Luckily a lot of my process has been looking into the nutrition side of things so despite a drop in exercise the needle has kept moving in the right direction. Monday is my penultimate weigh day and from just breaking 18st end of December I'm optimistic in 11 days the weight will start with a 15.

[kick it off 1,948]

12 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

Plantar is awkward, I did too much in January and ended up with tendonitis which put paid to leg exercise for a good 30-40 days. Luckily a lot of my process has been looking into the nutrition side of things so despite a drop in exercise the needle has kept moving in the right direction. Monday is my penultimate weigh day and from just breaking 18st end of December I'm optimistic in 11 days the weight will start with a 15.

That's a cracking effort buddy - especially with the exercise hiatus. I've not focussed too much on the nutrition side, I'm just making better food choices without killing myself on a diet that I can't stick to. If I want a burger, I'll have a burger, but I'm making sensible choices most of the time and have cut portion sizes pretty much in half which has been really positive for helping me to sort it out - massively upped the exercise too. If I try and stick to a full blown diet then I end up crashing and burning, so I've focussed more on changing my mindset into not wanting to eat junk.

It's a process but I'm hopeful that I can get down to my target weight or close to it by my birthday at the start of May. Target weight for me is back at what I weighed 10 years ago in my early 20s so I'll be pretty chuffed with that.... I've dropped one T-shirt size already. I was up at 15 and a half, but my last weigh in was 14 and a half so we'll see what the next one brings... as long as it keeps trending in the right direction I won't worry too much about it... 12 and a half is the goal for me.

Edited March 26, 2020 by kick it off

[......and Smith must score. 1,332]

Supermarket shopping is a fascinating skill to learn.

I always have wondered how food got into our house 😀😉

Edited March 26, 2020 by ......and Smith must score.

[FenwayFrank 2,456]

Apparently I need to learn how to use one of these

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

31 minutes ago, kick it off said:

That's a cracking effort buddy - especially with the exercise hiatus. I've not focussed too much on the nutrition side, I'm just making better food choices without killing myself on a diet that I can't stick to. If I want a burger, I'll have a burger, but I'm making sensible choices most of the time and have cut portion sizes pretty much in half which has been really positive for helping me to sort it out - massively upped the exercise too. If I try and stick to a full blown diet then I end up crashing and burning, so I've focussed more on changing my mindset into not wanting to eat junk.

It's a process but I'm hopeful that I can get down to my target weight or close to it by my birthday at the start of May. Target weight for me is back at what I weighed 10 years ago in my early 20s so I'll be pretty chuffed with that.... I've dropped one T-shirt size already. I was up at 15 and a half, but my last weigh in was 14 and a half so we'll see what the next one brings... as long as it keeps trending in the right direction I won't worry too much about it... 12 and a half is the goal for me.

You guys are smashing it! I've been on a health kick too. Was north of 16st 7lbs stone at Christmas, and I'm now 15st 10lbs. I've been doing weights alongside the cardio, though, so a lot of fat has been converted to muscle. Jogging was the most difficult thing for me, and I still don't enjoy it, but at least I can keep going for a little while now.

Best thing I ever did was go up to Sportslink at Taverham and get my gait analysed for a tenner; they then recommended me the ideal pair of running shoes to match my gait. The shoes were about £90, but worth every penny.

Another thing that's really helped my jogging is calf-strengthening exercises - when you're carrying excess weight, the calves and shins take a huge amount of pressure. I do 30 'toe stands' every morning - up, stand on tiptoes for a second, down - and then 30 more standing on a stair, so as well as standing on tiptoes, you then lower the heel below the step, which stretches the other end of the calf muscles (if that makes sense?). Also, lean back against a wall with your feet together about a foot in front of you, and then raise your toes. This stretches the muscle on the front of your calf (tibialis anterior). Just squeeze in 10 or 20 any time you can, and the calves will become a lot more durable pretty quickly.

Oh, and one last thing - I massage my calves with oil before I go out, really give them a good knead and rub down until they're sore... I find this loosens them up no end.

Any other running tips would be gratefully received, as I'm still a complete novice and haven't even managed 5k yet!

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

Just now, FenwayFrank said:

Apparently I need to learn how to use one of these

What the actual f**k is that?!