On Tue, 29 Aug 2023 17:06:16 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
scrawled in the dust...

>In message <r6qpeidc1cdtd1576ohsjkqu85bniu299t@4ax.com> at Mon, 28 Aug
>2023 19:36:41, Penny <spam@labyrinth.freeuk.com> writes
>[]
>>I obviously had the wrong map with me that day :(
>>Still, I'm sure the exercise did me good, and I did bump into the brothers
>>Giliver in the hospital.
>
>Wow, that must have been a while ago! Last time I can remember being in
>a London hospital - and certainly if brother was there too - was during
>Mum's terminal illness, which (fires up genealogy software to check) was
>2004.

Sounds about right. I remember you were visiting your mother. (Apologies
for misspelling your surname.)

Ray had been lying around in Medway Hospital for weeks (or that's what it
felt like), waiting for a transfer to St Thomas's to have an ICD fitted
(which was good of them really). He wasn't there long, and when it came to
discharging him, they proposed to kick him out to make his own way home (or
wherever), which was madness. He had arrived by ambulance, was not familiar
with London, and probably had about £5 with him, if that. After some
negotiating over the phone, I discovered they did have a patient being
delivered home to Sittingbourne and persuaded them to take him too. I can't
now recall if we had to pay for the lift, which we would certainly have
been happy to do.
--
Penny
Annoyed by The Archers since 1959

On Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:06:42 +0100, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

>On 29-Aug-23 18:33, Vicky wrote:
>> On Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:08:39 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver"
>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> In message <dp7sei5mj6ng7fpb26d7fajjhfjlctdceu@4ax.com> at Tue, 29 Aug
>>> 2023 17:39:54, Vicky <vicky.ayech@gmail.com> writes
>>>> On Tue, 29 Aug 2023 17:09:09 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver"
>>>> <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In message <kl3q64F4m7hU1@mid.individual.net> at Mon, 28 Aug 2023
>>>>> 14:44:20, Sally Thompson <thompson.stonybrook@gmail.com.invalid> writes
>>>>>> Steve Hague <stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> On 28/08/2023 12:28, Sally Thompson wrote:
>>>>> []
>>>>>>>> ZapMap shows you which kind of charger.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Does it tell you if the charger is working? Quite a few don't seem to be.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes. I can also recommend ABRP (A Better Route Planner) and PlugShare.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Just out of curiosity at the moment: what proportion of chargers can
>>>>> _only_ be used with a smartphone, or do most have at least a contactless
>>>>> card reader? (I appreciate having a smartphone will help you _find_ a
>>>>> working [and maybe unoccupied] charger in the first place.)
>>>>
>>>> I just checked and you can register on a PC and then login there. But
>>>> CBA to do so just to confirm it :)
>>>
>>> I was bemused by your answer at first, then I realised you meant
>>> register _with ZapMap or ABRP_. I'm still curious though: assuming
>>> you've found a working and not-in-use charger, either by using one of
>>> those app.s or just by good luck, can you pay for your charging with a
>>> credit card, or do you _have_ to have a sp?
>>
>>
>> I meant register and sign in on this
>> https://mybluelink.ca/register
>>
>> We get very slow charging at the Asda close by and that's free. Also
>> the local pub/diner has a fast charger that we are registered with to
>> use. Think it is with BP and you probably use your credit card to pay
>> via your smart phone. Yes there is an icon on my phone called BP
>> Pulse. And the website is
>> https://www.bppulse.co.uk/charging-on-the-go?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=local-map-pack
>
>I don't know if John was thinking of this, but I was wondering what
>would happen if you were some distance from home, and your phone either
>died or was stolen/misplaced?
>
>i.e. Is a working phone needed so you can recharge the car and thus make
>it home?

B has the same stuff on his phone. I think we can just plug the car
into a free charger without needing the phone.

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
> In message <kl3q64F4m7hU1@mid.individual.net> at Mon, 28 Aug 2023
> 14:44:20, Sally Thompson <thompson.stonybrook@gmail.com.invalid> writes
>> Steve Hague <stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 28/08/2023 12:28, Sally Thompson wrote:
> []
>>>> ZapMap shows you which kind of charger.
>>>>
>>> Does it tell you if the charger is working? Quite a few don't seem to be.
>>>
>>
>> Yes. I can also recommend ABRP (A Better Route Planner) and PlugShare.
>>
> Just out of curiosity at the moment: what proportion of chargers can
> _only_ be used with a smartphone, or do most have at least a contactless
> card reader? (I appreciate having a smartphone will help you _find_ a
> working [and maybe unoccupied] charger in the first place.)

I've no idea. The maps show you what is needed for each charger. I've only
used a card.

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK

In message <kl786cFncrfU1@mid.individual.net> at Tue, 29 Aug 2023
22:01:48, Sally Thompson <thompson.stonybrook@gmail.com.invalid> writes
>J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:
>> In message <kl3q64F4m7hU1@mid.individual.net> at Mon, 28 Aug 2023
>> 14:44:20, Sally Thompson <thompson.stonybrook@gmail.com.invalid> writes
>>> Steve Hague <stevehague82@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On 28/08/2023 12:28, Sally Thompson wrote:
>> []
>>>>> ZapMap shows you which kind of charger.
>>>>>
>>>> Does it tell you if the charger is working? Quite a few don't seem to be.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yes. I can also recommend ABRP (A Better Route Planner) and PlugShare.
>>>
>> Just out of curiosity at the moment: what proportion of chargers can
>> _only_ be used with a smartphone, or do most have at least a contactless
>> card reader? (I appreciate having a smartphone will help you _find_ a
>> working [and maybe unoccupied] charger in the first place.)
>
>I've no idea. The maps show you what is needed for each charger. I've only
>used a card.
>
That's reassuring, thanks. So you can roll up at one of these chargers
with only a credit/debit card, no phone, and still get a charge.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I don't see the requirement to upset people. ... There's enough to make fun of
without offending. - Ronnie Corbett, in Radio Times 6-12 August 2011.

On 29/08/2023 15:55, Chris J Dixon wrote:
> Steve Hague wrote:
>
>> Is electricity free in Shropshire?
>
> BOFE's Nissan Leaf covered 284 miles in June, all achieved by
> solar charging. In July the 192 miles only needed this to be
> supplemented by one small night time top-up, giving an overall
> cost that month of 1.1 pence per mile.
>
> Chris

284 miles in a month. I do more than that in a day on occasion. Electric
cars might work for some people, certainly not for others.

On 28/08/2023 15:32, Jenny M Benson wrote:
> On 28/08/2023 15:15, Penny wrote:
>> If I did have a bus pass (which I don't) it would not work in London,
>> since
>> they are, for no good reason I can fathom, country specific.
>
> Just because they can, just to be different.  Like the ridiculous rules
> that had people from England thinking they could drive into Wales when
> *their* Covid restrictions were lifted.
>
>  (Although I
>> believe I could get a bus to Shrewsbury Hospital and back, if I did
>> have a
>> pass, thereby doubling my travel time.)
>
> It annoys the heck out of me that I can get to the garden centre at
> Chirk for free and I can get further to Oswestry for free, but I can't
> make best use of my time by stopping at the garden centre on the way to
> or from Oswestry, unless I'm prepared to pay for the C/O section.
>
> Likewise, I can get to Chester for free but then have to pay to get to
> the Zoo or anywhere else interesting.  There is very little of interest
> in North Wales that is accessible when one is restricted to return
> travel on a bus within a day:-(
>
I have a bus pass, but don't use it very often due to the length of time
it takes to get anywhere. We sometimes go to Perranporth from Redruth
for a meal, it takes about 15 minutes to drive there, on the bus it's
about an hour and a half. You have to balance that against the
difficulty and expense of parking there, and how much time you have
available.

On 29.8.23 12:57, krw wrote:
> On 29.8.23 12:09, Kate B wrote:
>> On 28/08/2023 22:43, krw wrote:
>>> On 28.8.23 17:09, Kate B wrote:
>>>> On 28/08/2023 15:48, Nick Odell wrote:
>>>>> On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 3:02:12 PM UTC+1, krw wrote:
>>>>>> On 28.8.23 13:35, Nick Odell wrote:
>>>>>>> On Monday, August 28, 2023 at 10:54:31 AM UTC+1, Vicky wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Sun, 27 Aug 2023 23:17:10 +0100, Penny
>>>>>>>> <sp...@labyrinth.freeuk.com>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On Sun, 27 Aug 2023 08:46:25 -0700 (PDT), Tony Smith
>>>>>>>>> <agsmit...@gmail.com> scrawled in the dust...
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I must get up to London again soon, before Those Marbles are
>>>>>>>>>> sent to Elgin or stolen.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I sometimes think I'd like to go to that London again. I loved
>>>>>>>>> it in my
>>>>>>>>> youth. I would travel around on the Underground for hours - all
>>>>>>>>> for 2d as
>>>>>>>>> long as you got off within two stations or where you got on.
>>>>>>>>> And then I
>>>>>>>>> remember how exhausting it could be to spend a whole day there,
>>>>>>>>> walking
>>>>>>>>> around above ground, getting grimy from the air.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Now I no longer understand how the transport works. Possibly
>>>>>>>>> the last time
>>>>>>>>> I was there, I arrived at Victoria Station and needed to get to
>>>>>>>>> St Thomas'
>>>>>>>>> Hospital. Doubtless a bus could have taken me but I'd no idea
>>>>>>>>> what an
>>>>>>>>> Oyster card was or where I could get one. People in London are
>>>>>>>>> not known
>>>>>>>>> for being helpful... It's a long walk.
>>>>>>>> Just checked and Camden Town tube to Hyde Park Corner tube cost
>>>>>>>> £2.80
>>>>>>>> using the Oyster card. You can keep funds on it and they don't
>>>>>>>> seem to
>>>>>>>> expire. You just top up as needed.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Is the price of travel around London the same whether you use
>>>>>>> your Oyster Card or just tap in and out with a bank card? I don't
>>>>>>> live in London but I've had an Oyster Card for years and always
>>>>>>> keep it topped up for my visits to the capital. But the trend
>>>>>>> seems to be towards using the ordinary bank card on public
>>>>>>> transport and I wondered if there is any price difference?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nick
>>>>>>> nicko...@yahoo.ca
>>>>>> If you have an old gits railcard from National Railways and
>>>>>> register it
>>>>>> on your Oyster card you get a 34% discount on standard fares for an
>>>>>> Oyster. You cannot register a railcard against your bank card and so
>>>>>> for most travellers the Oyster/ bank card charges are the same. When
>>>>>> Khan drops TfL out of the Travelcard settlement scheme it is
>>>>>> unclear if
>>>>>> the railcard discounts will disappear - but I am guessing they will.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You have to re-register your railcard when you get a new one and
>>>>>> not all
>>>>>> ticket office replacement staff on TfL seem to know how to do this.
>>>>>
>>>>> I wasn't aware of any of that before you wrote the above and it's
>>>>> well worth knowing, so thank you KRW.
>>>>>
>>>>> My next visit to London just involves getting out of one train and
>>>>> into another at St Pancras so not much use for the Oyster card
>>>>> there. But unless the rules change in the interim, it might be
>>>>> worth my while following up those points before I go there again.
>>>>
>>>> You can register a railcard on the Oyster website, and you can also
>>>> register a contactless bank debit card. I did this last time I
>>>> ventured into the smoke and got all the discounts - and even a
>>>> refund from the last time I had used the bank card.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I don't believe you can get the railcard discount with just a bank
>>> card - it has to be against the Oyster card as far as I can see?  I
>>> cannot see a way of doing it without an Oyster card.
>>>
>>
>> Is your Oystercard registered on the TFL website here?
>> https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
>>
>> You can also register a contactless card there.
>>
>> I have only been to London a few times since I moved but I certainly
>> had the impression I was getting a discount using my contactless card.
>> The last time was in May so all the details have now disappeared and I
>> can't check them.
>>
>>
>>
>
> My Oystercard is registered and it has a linked payment card - but the
> latter cannot receive discounts.
>
> I believe this indicates that a contactless card on its own (without an
> Oyster) does not gain railcard discounts:
> https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/national-railcard-discount#on-this-page-2
>
>

By the way to read this piece of nonsense I have restarted Thunderbird
several times and it eventually resolved - but until it downloaded
nothing else downloaded. I assume the problem is Thunderbird - but no
idea who or what.

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

On 30/08/2023 10:19, krw wrote:

>
> By the way to read this piece of nonsense I have restarted Thunderbird
> several times and it eventually resolved - but until it downloaded
> nothing else downloaded.  I assume the problem is Thunderbird - but no
> idea who or what.
>

No problems with Thunderbird here. How big is the Thunderbird folder?
Are you running into difficulties with swap space or something?

--
Kate B

On 30.8.23 11:48, Kate B wrote:
> On 30/08/2023 10:19, krw wrote:
>
>>
>> By the way to read this piece of nonsense I have restarted Thunderbird
>> several times and it eventually resolved - but until it downloaded
>> nothing else downloaded.  I assume the problem is Thunderbird - but no
>> idea who or what.
>>
>
> No problems with Thunderbird here. How big is the Thunderbird folder?
> Are you running into difficulties with swap space or something?
>

That is possible - the size of my Thunderbird folders is huge because of
my charity work. When that ends I have downsize the folder sizes.

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

On 30/08/2023 13:49, krw wrote:
> On 30.8.23 11:48, Kate B wrote:
>> On 30/08/2023 10:19, krw wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> By the way to read this piece of nonsense I have restarted
>>> Thunderbird several times and it eventually resolved - but until it
>>> downloaded nothing else downloaded.  I assume the problem is
>>> Thunderbird - but no idea who or what.
>>>
>>
>> No problems with Thunderbird here. How big is the Thunderbird folder?
>> Are you running into difficulties with swap space or something?
>>
>
> That is possible - the size of my Thunderbird folders is huge because of
> my charity work.  When that ends I have downsize the folder sizes.
>
My entire TB folder is about 13GB but half of that is in archive folders
so not online. Perhaps that makes a difference? Also I never use the
preview pane.

--
Kate B

On 30.8.23 14:49, Kate B wrote:
> On 30/08/2023 13:49, krw wrote:
>> On 30.8.23 11:48, Kate B wrote:
>>> On 30/08/2023 10:19, krw wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> By the way to read this piece of nonsense I have restarted
>>>> Thunderbird several times and it eventually resolved - but until it
>>>> downloaded nothing else downloaded.  I assume the problem is
>>>> Thunderbird - but no idea who or what.
>>>>
>>>
>>> No problems with Thunderbird here. How big is the Thunderbird folder?
>>> Are you running into difficulties with swap space or something?
>>>
>>
>> That is possible - the size of my Thunderbird folders is huge because
>> of my charity work.  When that ends I have downsize the folder sizes.
>>
> My entire TB folder is about 13GB but half of that is in archive folders
> so not online. Perhaps that makes a difference? Also I never use the
> preview pane.
>

Mine is 13.6 Gb - but the Archives have been moved elsewhere and are not
within the folder - I have to put them back to search them. I do use
the Preview Pane but have turned it off and so will see what happens.

--
Kosmo Richard W
www.travelswmw.whitnet.uk
https://tinyurl.com/KRWpics

On 30-Aug-23 9:26, Steve Hague wrote:
> On 29/08/2023 15:55, Chris J Dixon wrote:
>> Steve Hague wrote:
>>
>>> Is electricity free in Shropshire?
>>
>> BOFE's Nissan Leaf covered 284 miles in June, all achieved by
>> solar charging. In July the 192 miles only needed this to be
>> supplemented by one small night time top-up, giving an overall
>> cost that month of 1.1 pence per mile.
>>
>> Chris
>
> 284 miles in a month. I do more than that in a day on occasion. Electric
> cars might work for some people, certainly not for others.

As charging points become more common, but the number of electric
vehicles rises even faster, there may be room for the return of the
'petrol pump' attendant.

When you arrive at a charging station and find a half dozen cars ahead
of you in the queue, you could hand over your keys.

You are then free to go into the attached slow food emporium and relax
over a good meal, secure in the knowledge that the attendant will charge
your car (when it's turn comes up) and contact you when you are able to
continue your journey.

--
Sam Plusnet

On 30-Aug-23 9:55, Steve Hague wrote:

> I have a bus pass, but don't use it very often due to the length of time
> it takes to get anywhere. We sometimes go to Perranporth from Redruth
> for a meal, it takes about 15 minutes to drive there, on the bus it's
> about an hour and a half. You have to balance that against the
> difficulty and expense of parking there, and how much time you have
> available.

Also factor in the time of the last bus. Quite early, for some of our
local routes.

--
Sam Plusnet

Penny <spam@labyrinth.freeuk.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Aug 2023 17:06:16 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
> scrawled in the dust...
>
>> In message <r6qpeidc1cdtd1576ohsjkqu85bniu299t@4ax.com> at Mon, 28 Aug
>> 2023 19:36:41, Penny <spam@labyrinth.freeuk.com> writes
>> []
>>> I obviously had the wrong map with me that day :(
>>> Still, I'm sure the exercise did me good, and I did bump into the brothers
>>> Giliver in the hospital.
>>
>> Wow, that must have been a while ago! Last time I can remember being in
>> a London hospital - and certainly if brother was there too - was during
>> Mum's terminal illness, which (fires up genealogy software to check) was
>> 2004.
>
Thinks hard, yes, BBQ years, 20 yrs ago now.

Mrs McT