Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[NoVetec]

OpulentBob said:

I need a pigs pancreas for a poorly cat with an enzyme production problem. Where the hell will I get one from? I can't even think where my nearest butcher is, or if they'd have one. Assuming tesco butcher would only have bacon and sausages. Any abbatoir workers or anything from Essex reading?

(Vet's advice, she is too small to tablet and just won't eat the food if we try and blend/hide it so the pigs pancreas is a viable if rank alternative)

Not sure about butchers but found these:

https://landywoods.co.uk/product/pigs-pancreas-2-3...

https://www.daf-petfood.co.uk/raw-frozen-food/67-d...

[br d]

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

br d said:

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

Not sure. Which part of the A13? If Grays, Thurrock or Southend then I have no idea - they are their own authority. Essex don't have any major improvements along there as far as I know. There is always talk of something happening at M25 J30 but that's HE and all done up in Bedford.

Let me know where you mean and I'll have a dig.

But in answer to your questions: Dunno, probably, and please don't.

[br d]

OpulentBob said:

br d said:

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

Not sure. Which part of the A13? If Grays, Thurrock or Southend then I have no idea - they are their own authority. Essex don't have any major improvements along there as far as I know. There is always talk of something happening at M25 J30 but that's HE and all done up in Bedford.

Let me know where you mean and I'll have a dig.

But in answer to your questions: Dunno, probably, and please don't.

Thanks for your prompt attention!

Orsett to Basildon I believe.

[poing]

br d said:

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

I never understand how any construction work can take 2 years, surely that's how long it takes to build a completely new road from Edinburgh to London?
I do think a lot of it is paperwork and tea drinking, I guess that per 8 hour shift there has to be at least 4 hours of tea drinking and 2 hours of paperwork. Then they need time for the legally required breaks.

[theplayingmantis]

OpulentBob said:

I need a pigs pancreas for a poorly cat with an enzyme production problem. Where the hell will I get one from? I can't even think where my nearest butcher is, or if they'd have one. Assuming tesco butcher would only have bacon and sausages. Any abbatoir workers or anything from Essex reading?

(Vet's advice, she is too small to tablet and just won't eat the food if we try and blend/hide it so the pigs pancreas is a viable if rank alternative)

cheales. just try not to pay too much attention...may turn you vegan!

[anonymous-user]

poing said:

br d said:

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

I never understand how any construction work can take 2 years, surely that's how long it takes to build a completely new road from Edinburgh to London?
I do think a lot of it is paperwork and tea drinking, I guess that per 8 hour shift there has to be at least 4 hours of tea drinking and 2 hours of paperwork. Then they need time for the legally required breaks.

Lots of stuff you don't see, like utility work (a biggie, they usually want sole possession of the site and will put as few people on it as they can get away with), accommodation works (sacrificial or temporary widening to allow traffic management), ground dewatering, piling, concrete curing, steel fixing, weather delays, timing delays (you wouldn't want to do bridge steel work overnight), noise restrictions, environmental restrictions, delays on delivery of tarmac for various reasons, plant breakdowns and limitations (there aren't many wick drain rigs that can pierce 50m, or many UXO detection rigs in the UK), geotechnical monitoring, etc etc etc.

Then there's the intricacies of operation. You may have to strip the topsoil separately to bulk earth and store separately, which would take time. You may have to have ecologists carry out hand surveys of the land before you can dig it. You may uncover an underground spring or other uncharted pipe/thing. You can't dig around utilities with machines. You have 4 or more separate materials for building a road, and therefore 4 potential sources and delivery trucks, and there aren't that many tarmac plants. Not to mention needing curing time. The concrete can only be laid in certain conditions. Get it wrong, an unexpected frost or settlement or something and you could need to rip it all out and start again. You may uncover something that needs further attention - damage to a bridge foundation for example. There may need to be large buried structures for drainage attenuation. There could be loads.

Balance all of the above with the requirement to keep roads open with enough lanes to keep traffic flowing, sufficient safety zones that knobs on phones or dealing with kids have wriggle room (and it means they're less likely to hit you with whatever they throw at you). Trust me it's not pleasant to be on a motorway in mid-feb, concentrating on some. Hole in the ground while you've got an angry TDi driver doing 80mph past your head thinking you're just a time-wasting tea drinker.

Some operations are simple and can be done in bulk while everyone is at work - they do miles of surface dressing (regardless of the reputation of it) during the day for very little disruption indeed.

Paperwork is done in parallel to the site stuff by QS, clerk of works etc and doesn't affect the works programme particularly. Tea drinking is good for morale and in winter I regularly have a thermos mug of tea in each front coat pocket. 2 bags of tea per cup, splash of blue top.

Simple, no?

[poing]

OpulentBob said:

Lots of stuff you don't see

To be honest I was being a bit silly. My sister works for a large construction firm that does everything from roads to power stations, she just does the bit where she invents a price. I like to give her grief about how hard can it be to fix a bit of road or knock together a building. She will happily explain the huge amount of grief that goes on in the background, it's actually a miracle we ever build anything in this country.

It's funny passing roadworks with her though because she'll remove my man card by naming all the heavy kit, then her head flicks round and she says something like "what's that doing there, you don't need that for 2 weeks!"

[ajprice]

Rumbledethumps is a Scottish dish made of potatoes, cabbage and onion, add or mix and match swede, cheese, leek, bacon... there isnt one definite way if doing it. It's a version of bubble and squeak or colcannon mash.

How do you say rumbledethumps though, is it say what you see... Rumble-der-thumps? or is it a weird proniunciation.

[anonymous-user]

poing said:

OpulentBob said:

Lots of stuff you don't see

To be honest I was being a bit silly. My sister works for a large construction firm that does everything from roads to power stations, she just does the bit where she invents a price. I like to give her grief about how hard can it be to fix a bit of road or knock together a building. She will happily explain the huge amount of grief that goes on in the background, it's actually a miracle we ever build anything in this country.

It's funny passing roadworks with her though because she'll remove my man card by naming all the heavy kit, then her head flicks round and she says something like "what's that doing there, you don't need that for 2 weeks!"

it's cool I was in a waffly mood, all typed with a smile.

[anonymous-user]

br d said:

OpulentBob said:

br d said:

Bob, pigs Pancreases notwithstanding.

1. What on earth are they doing to the A13 that is going to take 22 months?

2. Will it be an excuse to drop the speed limit another 20 bloody miles per hour?

3. Seeing as I have to use the thing everyday and seem to have spent about half of my life sitting on it should I just off myself right now?

Thanks.

Not sure. Which part of the A13? If Grays, Thurrock or Southend then I have no idea - they are their own authority. Essex don't have any major improvements along there as far as I know. There is always talk of something happening at M25 J30 but that's HE and all done up in Bedford.

Let me know where you mean and I'll have a dig.

But in answer to your questions: Dunno, probably, and please don't.

Thanks for your prompt attention!

Orsett to Basildon I believe.

Right, had a look. It's outside the Essex network so I can't see any real details, but it looks like they're widening the carriageway to 3 lanes each way and replacing the Orsett Cock roundabout and 4 x bridges, so quite a significant amount of work, I'd guess that the existing Cock bridges are pretty much knackered by now. Traffic management estimated until 31 Dec 2020, but that's obviously so far away that it's finger-in-the-air time, and hopefully they can get the civils done early if we have another "winter" like this. They should currently be demolishing existing bridges this/coming weekends.

I've found this on their website:
https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/a13-roadworks/widening...

and this traffic order:
https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/public-notices/a13-bet...

A13 will go to 40mph, average speed cameras obvs. Everything else surrounding the Orsett Cock Roundabout will be 30mph. Various bits can be closed at pretty much any time, which isn't hugely surprising given the scope of works.

Sounds like a worthwhile project, and a step in the right direction for that corridor. So the engineering and works required to add an extra lane, at this one junction, includes 4 new bridges (I wouldn't blink at paying £2million each) and probably another 7 figures on utility diversions. That's why it's so difficult/frustrating to hear people (not you) just say "Just make it 3 lanes all the way to London" - this is probably a massive chunk of Thurrock's budget for the next 3 years.

[V8mate]

OpulentBob said:

StevieBee said:

OpulentBob said:

I need a pigs pancreas for a poorly cat with an enzyme production problem. Where the hell will I get one from? I can't even think where my nearest butcher is, or if they'd have one. Assuming tesco butcher would only have bacon and sausages. Any abbatoir workers or anything from Essex reading?

(Vet's advice, she is too small to tablet and just won't eat the food if we try and blend/hide it so the pigs pancreas is a viable if rank alternative)

Try Cheale Meats in West Horndon.

Thanks, I will!

We do have butchers in Colchester!

This is the best one on our side of town

https://www.google.com/maps/place/John+Coleman+But...

[anonymous-user]

V8mate said:

OpulentBob said:

StevieBee said:

OpulentBob said:

I need a pigs pancreas for a poorly cat with an enzyme production problem. Where the hell will I get one from? I can't even think where my nearest butcher is, or if they'd have one. Assuming tesco butcher would only have bacon and sausages. Any abbatoir workers or anything from Essex reading?

(Vet's advice, she is too small to tablet and just won't eat the food if we try and blend/hide it so the pigs pancreas is a viable if rank alternative)

Try Cheale Meats in West Horndon.

Thanks, I will!

We do have butchers in Colchester!

This is the best one on our side of town

https://www.google.com/maps/place/John+Coleman+But...

I'll ring them now... thanks, they're only 10 mins away from me!

And ordered. Thanks V8

Edited by OpulentBob on Wednesday 20th February 09:19

[V8mate]

OpulentBob said:

I'll ring them now... thanks, they're only 10 mins away from me!

I know!

[Roofless Toothless]

Humphreys at Blixes Farm near Fairstead, just north of Chelmsford, is a great butcher with an abattoir on site. I would imagine they could find you just about any part of a pig you care to mention. Just a matter of rummaging in the bin. Unless the pancreas goes in the sausages!

[lord trumpton]

Dr Jekyll said:

48k said:

Who refers to a Boeing 777 as a "seven seventy-seven" ???

I've heard people refer to the 'seven forty seven'.
Also everyone seemed to refer to the BAC 'one eleven', never to the BAC one one one (or to the General dynamics F one one one or Porsche nine one one), Also it was 'Boeing seven twenty' not 'seven two zero'.

A Porsche 911 is a hybrid - Nine eleven rather than a nine hundred and eleven or nine one one.

[paua]

lord trumpton said:

Dr Jekyll said:

48k said:

Who refers to a Boeing 777 as a "seven seventy-seven" ???

I've heard people refer to the 'seven forty seven'.
Also everyone seemed to refer to the BAC 'one eleven', never to the BAC one one one (or to the General dynamics F one one one or Porsche nine one one), Also it was 'Boeing seven twenty' not 'seven two zero'.

A Porsche 911 is a hybrid - Nine eleven rather than a nine hundred and eleven or nine one one.

Mine's a nine nine three & no hybrid, thanks.

[Flibble]

lord trumpton said:

Dr Jekyll said:

48k said:

Who refers to a Boeing 777 as a "seven seventy-seven" ???

I've heard people refer to the 'seven forty seven'.
Also everyone seemed to refer to the BAC 'one eleven', never to the BAC one one one (or to the General dynamics F one one one or Porsche nine one one), Also it was 'Boeing seven twenty' not 'seven two zero'.

A Porsche 911 is a hybrid - Nine eleven rather than a nine hundred and eleven or nine one one.

That type of saying numbers is pretty common for roads though? Or maybe it's just me
e.g. How would you say the A556?

[thismonkeyhere]

Flibble said:

lord trumpton said:

Dr Jekyll said:

48k said:

Who refers to a Boeing 777 as a "seven seventy-seven" ???

I've heard people refer to the 'seven forty seven'.
Also everyone seemed to refer to the BAC 'one eleven', never to the BAC one one one (or to the General dynamics F one one one or Porsche nine one one), Also it was 'Boeing seven twenty' not 'seven two zero'.

A Porsche 911 is a hybrid - Nine eleven rather than a nine hundred and eleven or nine one one.

That type of saying numbers is pretty common for roads though? Or maybe it's just me
e.g. How would you say the A556?

Five-five-six, surely?

[Shakermaker]

48k said:

Who refers to a Boeing 777 as a "seven seventy-seven" ???

Lots of people do, because they don't really know, or care, whether its right or not. It still gets the message across to most people.

In other contexts, you would say each number separately, for example you wouldn't say "There's an emergency! Call Triple 9!" and that annoying TV advert is not for "Triple 8 Casino"

But then my mate's girlfriend, I tried to give her directions once and despite the fact that we had both grown up in a similar area, when I told her to "Take the A Twenty Four towards Dorking" she looked very confused until she clicked "Oh! You mean the A Two Four?"