Patched-up

0 January

Last night I was sat here in the living room trying to read, but I kept nodding off to sleep. I finally gave up at 8.45, took my pills and off to bed I went, leaving Jan and Kile playing on the Wii. Next thing I know I’m bursting for wee and it’s pitch black in the bedroom, and the clock is showing 5.56am. Far too early to get up so having had a wee I got back into bed. I finally came to properly when Kile is calling us at 10.40 would you believe! I knew I was tired last night, but that is bloody crazy!

One would think that if a billion quid was spent on buying something, it would last longer than three years before it needs fixing. And yet that is what is happening with Royal Navy and its new Type 45 destroyers. It seems the electrical load when at full power requirement can’t be met with just two generators fitted and need a third one fitted. I can see that being not so simple a job as it first sounds. Not being a ship designer of course, but I’m now wondering how they are going to shoe horn that third chunk of hardware in what is already a very tight compartment.

And what of the engine, is that going to be big enough and powerful enough to run three generators instead of two? And how will that effect the fuel usage? Then there is all that cabling laid through the ship; is that rated for the extra power levels? The more hardware will more people be needed to service it and keep it running; where will they be housed on board? And remember folks, this will need to be done on a total of six ships. The added costs involved will be huge and there will be a large whole in our defences while this is being sorted out. I can see the Royal Navy being called the Royal Patched-up Navy before too long.

Don’t forget my friends, we are still waiting for two now 60,000-ton aircraft carriers to be finished, crewed, and tested before being deployed anywhere. And don’t forget that these two ships, the largest ever built for the Royal Patched-up Navy, still don’t have any aircraft to fly off them, and won’t have for several years yet. The replacement for Trident is an ongoing cost to us tax payers, and one that there is a growing debate as whether we need it or not. As a nuclear deterrent I’m not sure, but armed with non-nuclear missiles, they may well be need to help cover the gaps that the missing Type 45s create. So now we have a patched-up navy doing a patched-up task in our patched-up defence; oh my giddy arm-hole … … …

Rant over methinks … for now at least. This ere W10 is driving me up the wall with all the ads that keep getting through. I thought that ditching Firefox and going to Edge would stop it, no chance. As I closed down last night the PC began and update and completed it this morning when I booted up again. When it was finally open Chrome had opened up with it. That’s one I haven’t tried, but as it wasn’t needed at that time I closed it down out of the way. Later I shall open it again and give it a try, because right now I’m not doing half as much on line as I used simply because whenever I try clicking through on a stable page, the ads start up and the only way I have to stop it right now is to close down the browser. So far I’m not at all impressed with W10. If you have W7, stick with it!

Today’s photo I got on a cold and misty/drizzly day in Barrow in Furness …

Three new ships being fitted out. I don’t know type or who they were for but I’m hoping they are better than our current Type 45s.

Still no luck on the funnies but they will return as soon as I can this thing to run properly.