Winning on another dull Thursday in the highlands, except for the dull throb in my shin.

We got off to an 11C (felt like 8C) start with 19C expected and currently it's 15C (feels like 11C).

Time now for a 2nd coffee with my leg up.

Cheers.

The sky is ablaze with stars... Dazzling so in the inky blackness.

By 'eck it's frigid chilly out there...

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Rather frosty!

And the countdown to shutdown rolls on...

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Well we've made it to 17C (feels like 13C), but if the sun doesn't come out I don't think that we'll get any further than that.

Anyhow I think that I'll get my throbbing leg up further than it is while binge streaming so I'll do a bit of reading for a bit.

Cheers.

We got a little bit snow during the night and it`s rather cold 2C.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

And the countdown to shutdown rolls on...

What shutdown? Snowfall? Financial? electric? gas? stop working???

When Martin gets to flip the big red switch and turn off the power where he's working so a man can do what a man has got to do?

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Yep...

National Grid have decided that they they are installing a new circuit breaker for us on the only one supply line here... Part of supporting some new equipment to be installed.

And all our backup supplies died long ago and for 'various reasons' have not been maintained or replaced...

And so... Friday morning, 9am prompt, we get cut off while the linesmen do their stuff. All good interesting stuff...

I'm kicking off the shutdown properly at about 1am Friday... Hopefully no damage will be done...

The really interesting part is getting everything running again without anything/anyone getting too upset...


... And for added fun, it's frigid chilly cold with a whiteout of hailstones at the moment.

Full kudos to anyone working outside!

And ya can bet there'll be much unseasonable grumping about not being able to make a cuppa/brew for an hour or so come Friday morning...


(Edit: I do have a 150kW 3-phase power generator 'to hand'... Except it's a chicken-egg game to get that to be wired into circuit in a useful way... Best is to get the mains fixed before fixing things to add that juicy extra...)

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

National Grid have decided that they they are installing a new circuit breaker for us on the only one supply line here... Part of supporting some new equipment to be installed.

Best time of the year and the most suitable weather to do that...

Winning on a blowy Good Friday morning where it's 12C (feels like 9C) with 21C our expected target for today.

Anyhow it's time for a coffee.

Cheers.

@Martin
My dad knows how to wire a generator up to the mains power. He has a small 5kw generator that will supply 240 v to his residents. Just have to have to shut off the main breaker to avoid energizing anything but the house. Then just turn off all breakers the generator can’t handle. All that is left is to start the portable generator and hook up the 240 volt extension cable.

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... Just have to have to shut off the main breaker to avoid energizing anything but...

Yep... That's called operating in "Island Mode"... That is an option to be added... (Note the "added" bit...)

Any sort of interruption lasting more than a few cycles (up to 500ms) causes an immediate automatic shutdown/biff-wallop-bang-OFF(!) of various bits. It's then a case of untangling the ensuing train wreck...

This place needs an automated switch-over, but arranged such that we maintain safety. There's some new bits and careful thought and test needed for that... Nothing 'rocket science', but just awkwardness to accommodate all the bits to avoid anything going inadvertently awry...

(I might yet be arguing to add some small UPSes into the mix... But that's another step. Big cables to be put in place first...)

All good fun, in the snow, hail, wet, and semi-frozen mud... And the murky darkness...

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

...and 150kw 3-phase transfer switches are "fun" when they go wrong. (I could provide you with the appropriate tee-shirt, but it's somewhat singed round the edges after the last "event")

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

This is getting to be really boring real fast being hobbled and not being able to do much at all.

We also reached 18C (felt like 16C) here before scattered showers and lite rain started to show up around the area.

Oh well I guess that I'll take a break from streaming catch ups and go back to my book again.

Cheers.

The sun is going down too quickly. It's not giving the snow a chance to melt. Oh well guess I am not driving over the pass anytime soon.

Well that weather soon headed north so that we could make it to 19C (felt like 17C) and as the sun is about to set we're back to 15C (feels like 13C) with 9C expected in the morning.

Anyhow it's back to being bored.

Cheers.

The DARK times are upon us all. The predicted low here is 37F.

No... I don't think so... as the Australian summer soon will also begin in Wiggo's Highlands.

Yes from Sunday for a few days we'll certainly be treated to some late spring/early summer weather before more rain returns cooling things off again.

I also got sick of trying to keep this bandage up on my leg so this late this afternoon I decided to take it off and re-wrap the thing back on a bit tighter so that it wouldn't slip down again before tomorrow's removal and a proper shower and in doing so I soon sprung a leak, but at least wasn't a bloody 1 this time and those stitches arn't pulling so much now. Oh well I've taken my antibiotics of which I still have 3 days worth of and added an absorbent pad over the leak so that I can go to bed without worrying about leaking onto my nice new sheets.

Anyhow that bed part sounds good right now.

Cheers.

So the Australians have stolen our sunlight?

You just can't trust these antipodeans!

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?