OV9

I stayed at a recently built hotel near my office last night after the Christmas party. It's amazing how different it feels being in a building which meets current building regs standards for efficiency. Which made it all the more annoying to have to spend 10 minutes scraping ice off my car to drive the 5 mins to work

The main issue with our old place was the Gas Fire / Boiler Combo in the living room meant we needed a vent. That and hardwood floors meant it rarely felt cosy warm - best you could hope for was "Not Cold".

dinny_g wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:44 am The main issue with our old place was the Gas Fire / Boiler Combo in the living room meant we needed a vent. That and hardwood floors meant it rarely felt cosy warm - best you could hope for was "Not Cold".

A fire and back boiler is old school

Yeah we bought the place in 2005 and it had just been installed a few years previous. IT was shite from day 1. All winter long, or if you wanted a bath, you had this noisy machine running in your living room. Bloody stupid idea


By 2021 when we sold it, it had started to have issues and the heating part had stopped. So I got all of the Water Tank gubbins removed (and turned the Hot Press into a storage cupboard) put a new Combi Boiler in the attic and blocked off the fire place with a temporary cover.

The new owners could then do what they want - open the fireplace up, put in a new gas fireplace or leave it as is.

On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.





We were down to -6 last night which is pretty good going in the centre of a built up urban area. Apparently the previous record for London is -16 in 1962 so balmy by comparison

Gavster wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:16 am Heating has been pumping hard for the last 24 hours to barely keep the place above 15º. I dream of life in a modern, well-insulated apartment that retains heat.

Same same. Heating has been on all morning (and all of yesterday), air temp in here isn't even 17 deg, walls are about 12deg - solid brick walls look lovely and posh but fuck me they're a pain in the arse when it comes to heating/cooling in winter/summer.

Is that a model Saturn V Rocket in the case there GG

dinny_g wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:52 am Is that a model Saturn V Rocket in the case there GG

It is indeed - too big to fit in the display case so has to be broken into pieces!

dinny_g wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:52 am Is that a model Saturn V Rocket in the case there GG

He’s just really pleased to see you Dinny!

Welcome back GG

IanF wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 12:00 pm

dinny_g wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:52 am Is that a model Saturn V Rocket in the case there GG

He’s just really pleased to see you Dinny!

Very cool GG. Like that

First day I've managed to get out with the boy since it snowed. The old Victorian cemetery behind the house is a good toboggan run!

GG. wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:39 am On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I think BBC / Met Office do their own thing - not sure they take readouts from PWSs into account as they're obviously subject to how well you set them up re accuracy etc.

Thing is there are obviously loads of these personal weather stations (>250k on WeatherUnderground) and much closer to where you are than the commercial weather reporting stations so you find they are often nowhere near what BBC, etc. are reporting is the case.

BBC weather currently saying it is 1 deg C here... its actually -2.7!

I hate the cold, but the countryside does look very pretty, especially with some sunshine and blue skies instead of murky grey.

Some of the ice crystal growths are fascinating too.

Explosive Newt wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:53 pm

GG. wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:39 am On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I’m longing for a run. The roads and pavements are still covered in compacted icey snow and I simply don’t trust it!

Gavster wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:06 am

Explosive Newt wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:53 pm

GG. wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:39 am On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I’m longing for a run. The roads and pavements are still covered in compacted icey snow and I simply don’t trust it!

Fortunately there seems to be very little ice around here (Oxford); mostly just frosty paths! I ran through the university parks and it was actually pretty stunning in the early morning.

Looks like we had a light sprinkling of snow lastnight, which has proceeded to melt and freeze. Everywhere has a thin film of slippy as fuck ice

Gavster wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:06 am

Explosive Newt wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:53 pm

GG. wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:39 am On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I’m longing for a run. The roads and pavements are still covered in compacted icey snow and I simply don’t trust it!

Most of the pavements round here are all iced over. I went interval training on a snow covered field the other night as it was the safest place! And I felt like Rocky doing it.

Gavster wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:06 am

Explosive Newt wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:53 pm

GG. wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:39 am On other weather related topics - I finally got round to buying a weather station which arrived yesterday. Very easy to set up and links to PWS (personal weather station) reporting sites such as WeatherUnderground which then gives you tracking and forecasting information.

Pretty clever bit of kit that includes Temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed and a luxmeter / UV for about £150.

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I’m longing for a run. The roads and pavements are still covered in compacted icey snow and I simply don’t trust it!

You tried the socks over your shoes technique? It’s very effective

IanF wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 12:07 pm

Gavster wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 7:06 am

Explosive Newt wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:53 pm

Had no idea that was a thing. How cool! I want one. Does it submit data to whatever forecasting systems power BBC weather and the like?

-6 this morning for my run. My sweat froze on my head!. Crazy that we are forecast 14 degrees on Monday - a swing of 20!

I’m longing for a run. The roads and pavements are still covered in compacted icey snow and I simply don’t trust it!

You tried the socks over your shoes technique? It’s very effective

Lol, nope, never heard of that!