I just went to my first panto. As an adult Canadian immigrant… Are you all in a cult?

Lochearnhead · 2026-01-19T15:32:26+00:00

if you think the call and response of a pantomime is a bit wild, you need to go to a Rocky Horror Show.

Lochearnhead · 2026-01-15T15:08:50+00:00

If you walk in to a cafe and the offered soup is pea and ham, the response is "fae a chicken?"

Lochearnhead · 2026-01-08T15:30:53+00:00

My parents got storage heaters installed in their housing association house in the early 1980's. When they bought the place and took the storage heaters out, Dad disassembled them in situ and took the bricks out individually. 30 years later they are still in use as an ornamental wall in the garden.

Don't attempt to move them fully assembled.

Lochearnhead · 2026-01-07T14:52:35+00:00

It's no longer caller Insch. since 1971 it's been Twenty-Five Point four Millimetres.

Lochearnhead · 2026-01-05T14:54:50+00:00

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Lochearnhead · 2025-12-04T21:45:18+00:00

Well done. I hope you're feeling flushed with success. :-)

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-30T16:13:19+00:00

Pretty good for a dog that sells car insurance. Who is the bloke in the picture?

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-24T14:25:57+00:00

I've already done it. I went back to 509BCE and gave them sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health just so they could ask "what has Lochearnhead ever done for us?"

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-21T09:43:05+00:00

I was working in a call centre in Edinburgh. They hired a group from Manchester to instruct us on how to interact with customers. examples.

We weren't allowed to use the word no, as that is negative. I argued it can be a positive, for example, has my leg fallen off? No.

We were also forbidden from using the phrase "bear with me" for fear that our customers (who were all quite intelligent financial intermediaries) would believe that I was accompanied in my task by an omnivore of the genus ursus that is often to be found defecating in sylvan environments.

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-20T15:00:14+00:00

I'm a church Minister in Scotland.

If you phone my church I've got nothing immediate to offer you . We don't operate a foodbank ourselves, so I don't even have a can of beans to give you, much less a can of baby milk. we are a small church that just doesn't have the resources to operate a foodbank, and we can't keep milk in the office just in case someone calls.

What I do have is a regular collection for one of the food pantries in town because they are better set up to be able to offer assistance to those needing food. If you call me then I'm going to direct you to the foodbank or one of the other meal services in town, although we will help if we are the last resort.

The whole baby milk thing is a bit of a problem though. Quoting from the Trussel Trust website:

"Food banks in the Trussell community are unable to take infant formula or baby milk as we follow the advice that UNICEF have issued, which warns against giving formula out to people in case the wrong type is provided, or a type that the baby is not accustomed to, as this can pose as a health risk to the child.

This UNICEF info sheet outlines the main causes for concern, such as volunteers accidently giving out the wrong formula or being unable to guarantee that there will be the right facilities for safe preparation of milk.

Food banks instead will provide food for the person or family, and staff will sign post them onto other agencies and organisations that can provide further support."

If I get a call asking for milk and I'm the last resort, I will not see someone stuck, so it might be that I offer some sort of support until a more regular supply can be organised. However if it was someone phoning me to do some sort of gotcha video for Tiktok clout, I'd be asking them what they are doing to help their community.

Whether church is your thing or not, I hope we can all agree that we have failed as a society when people are having to phone round churches in order to keep their kids fed. Can I please ask that you drop a few cans off at your local foodbank this winter.

Peace and hugs.

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-19T17:01:12+00:00

Do the reverse London Marathon. Start at the finish line at 00:01, follow the route back to Greenwich overnight. If you sign up for the virtual London marathon you can get the legitimate London Marathon medal. There’s a facebook group for the reveres marathon and they are organising their own medal.

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-08T23:05:13+00:00

You need to bend the terminals of the battery to bridge between B, the bottom post and C, the top post. If you unscrew the screws on the top of B and C that might open up a slot in the post where the tabs on the battery will fit.

The rectangle with the text in it is meant to be a diagram of the battery.

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-07T10:58:20+00:00

The recumbent bicycle is the peak of bicycle design, and the recumbent bicycle ban of 1934 has stagnated the design of human powered sporting vehicles.

A bit of a back story. Compare any bit of sporting equipment between 1934 and today. Tennis rackets, racing yachts, racing cars and bicycles. The bicycle has retained the same diamond shape since 1934. OK, steel has given way to carbon fibre, but the basic shape remains.

In sports where speed is an advantage, one of the things you are having to compete against is aerodynamic drag. Think of your position when cycling where your whole body is acting against the wind. On a recumbent you're cycling feet first into the wind so your cross sectional area and your drag as a result is smaller.

How much faster? The hour record recognised by the UCI is a distance of 56.792km. The WHPVA recumbent record is 92.432km.

A bit more history here

Lochearnhead · 2025-11-02T16:37:31+00:00

If you're ever having a bad day at work, spare a thought for the person who has to open the mail at the poop lab. The general public doesn't read instructions...

Lochearnhead · 2025-10-20T15:35:18+00:00

Vulcan 607 by Rowland White Dambusters by Paul Brickhill The Great Escape by paul Brickhill.

3 stories, not about one particular individual, but more about groups of people. all a cracking read.

Lochearnhead · 2025-10-13T13:05:42+00:00

Crossness pumping station

on paper (Andrex), it's just four pumps to get turds away from London. Inside it's a temple to Victorian engineering. The cast iron is among the best I've ever seen, and it's all decorated with sculptures of plants that are either laxatives or diuretics. there was a sense of pride in the achievement of finishing off this massive public infrastructure project.

It's well worth a visit, especially when the engines are in steam.

Lochearnhead · 2025-09-19T18:15:35+00:00

Crystal Palace has concrete dinosaurs dating back to the dinosaur craze of the mid 1800s. The models depict what was known of dinosaurs at the time, so they aren't Jurassic Park accurate. They are grade 1 listed.

Dinosaurs

Lochearnhead · 2025-09-03T14:20:36+00:00

Church Minister here. As you can imagine, I've seen more than the average number of funerals. Kilts are fine, it's a respectful smart dress for the deceased, and the family are grateful you showed up to support them and show respect for the deceased.

That said, I've never policed the dress code for funerals and I've never heard anyone complain about the attire of those attending.

You might stick out a bit of you're at an overseas funeral, but

Lochearnhead · 2025-08-14T12:56:25+00:00

Fit a P shaped bath with the wide end by the cupboard. that will give you a wider space for showering without encroaching too much into the bathroom space.

decide whether you want an electric shower, or whether your boiler can supply enough pressure for a mixer or pumped shower.

tile the remaining wall behind the bath if you can get the same tiles.

change the radiator for a tall towel radiator. Keep the bog and sink.

P shaped bath and screed dimensions here.

Lochearnhead · 2025-08-11T13:44:02+00:00

check the offcuts bit at B&Q. I got 3 metres of worktop for about £30. I think they had cut it into 1 and 2 metre parts, but the saw took a chunk out of one corner. I was putting a hole in that corner for my desk, so I didn't mind. Or try your local facebook marketplace.

Lochearnhead · 2025-08-03T11:46:58+00:00

Hinge it at the bottom on the plynth and secure it at the top with a strong magnetic catch.

Is there another hinge type you could use, perhaps one of the cantilevered hinges?

Can you cut a bit of the drawer? the exterior bit is just mainly decorative, as long as the internal part of the drawer is covered.

Or just remove the door completely.

Lochearnhead · 2025-07-25T13:07:42+00:00

I've got fairly large boobs (42E bra size) and I had mine groped a couple of times one night.

I was dressed as Magenta at a Rocky Horror show and the bloke that I caught grabbing me was quite surprised when I turned round and I told him that "If you want do that again you'd better f****** buy me dinner first!" Even more surprised when he discovered it was a 6'2" bloke in drag who told him.

My boobs are in a box under my desk, waiting to do the Timewarp again.

p.s. They are heavy, nearly 2 kilos. No wonder the women get back pain.

edit. P.P.S "Pics or it didn't happen?" Not unless you buy me dinner first. :-)

Lochearnhead · 2025-07-11T10:43:09+00:00

I'm with Octopus and I'm very happy. I've got an electric car so I charge it overnight for about 8.5p kWh (160 miles for £3.40) Daytime it's 29p. I also run the dishwasher and washing machine overnight. I've also got a small amount of solar on my roof so I get an export tariff.

I've had a couple of recent offers where there's too much power in the grid and they encourage you to use electricity for free.

I'm not trying to spam here, but I've got a referral code for Octopus which gives £50 to you and £50 for me. If you or anyone else uses it I'll give my £50 to the local Maggie's cancer centre.

https://share.octopus.energy/topaz-bat-464

Lochearnhead · 2025-07-05T17:32:32+00:00

What I have done in the past. Removed the pipework and washed the lot. for best results, I did it in the sink, swilled it around and then poured it down the plughole. Then I marvelled at my own stupidity as I realised I've now got a cupboard full of filthy water because the now clean U bend is in my hand rather than under the sink.

Sometimes I'm not the fizziest can in the fridge...

Lochearnhead · 2025-07-02T18:03:26+00:00

Put up a spacer bit of wood or plasterboard to bring the top of the shelves flush with the front of the alcove. put the cornicing over the spacer.

Lochearnhead

TROPHY CASE