Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

I calls 'em like I sees 'em. 

Regurgitated '80s Tandy-Radio Shack pseudo-industrial design aside, they're decent enough as long as you don't need CC along with your CV and provided the particular one you get doesn't suffer embrittlement from being left too close to a sunny window for a few years. Nice quiet linear design. No "me too!" cheap digital displays of dubious accuracy/linearity.

Pretty is as pretty does; I am the biggest proponent of "It's ugly but it works!" engineering and design out there. But I don't kid myself that it ain't ugly. 

mnem
Now y'all know how I felt when youzz were raggin' on muh hooPTy Cruiser...

Ahh, but the 621 even-numbered-X ones ARE CC/CV supplies!


And they're 1968 HP actual-industrial design - the Shack of the Rat may have copied it later, but...  And I happen to think they're rather cute.   

-Pat

I feel the same aboot FrankenCruiser.    And if I do stumble across a deal on a ragtop model, I'll prolly own one again.  As long as it isn't beige. 

And now I think of it, I did know those little plastic boxes came in a CV/CC version... I just thought they were a different product series altogether. 



Ahhh, well. Before long, y'all will get to point and laugh at how butt-uglee my bench supply is. My first project once I have my bench back together will be to build some kit linear CV/CC power supply PCBs I bought off AliEx to turn that hideous monoblock amp into something useful.

mnem
 

[bd139]

As for daily drivers, none of my scopes are used that often, they are more of a tool that I like to have in my tool kit rather than me actually needing them. If I could have my PM3390B in the same location as my TDS210 is, directly in front of me, beneath my monitor shelf, then it would be the that I use more, but because of its size, it has to sit on a small computer desk to the left of me. There is a walk way between it and my main desk / bench which is the only way into and out of my small lab (box room really) so to use, involves having leads spanning the gap, and then I'm stuck at the desk and unable to answer the front door etc, less than ideal, hence my interest in the TDS210. I really envy those that have a decent sized space to set up their benches in.

Oh wow, sounds you are really short of lab space, my condolences ! 

Sucks to have to select gear based on footprint rather than specs and value for money ! 

As for me lab is currently occupying the living room for now, temporarily. Was thinking of using the entire attic to host the lab, once I get to making the attic a livable space... however I changed my mind, attic has wooden floor, not beefy enough to stack dozens of boat anchors at the same place... poor floor would collapse. That, plus it's not practical to have to go through stairs whenever you want / need to take a large and/or heavy item to/from the lab. Like when restoring a boat anchor, or when someone gives me a mega large 50" LCD TV to look at as I had to do earlier this year ! 

So I think I will change my plans, and install the lab downstairs instead, in what was supposed to be my bedroom. Bedroom will be in the attic then ! Plenty of space ! LOL  ....
Bedroom was too small anyway, only 10m2 or there about. Moving it in the attic will be much more conformable.
Lab will be so much more practical/comfortable if on the ground floor ! I can just wheel heavy/large items around on a little cart or something ! 

Of course 10m2 even for a lab is tight, so will have to think the "design" of it carefully, and make the most of every cubic meter of space in there....
Luckily once I will be done building the (large, 60m2) garage, I will have enough space to store all my boat anchors and "for parts" this and that. This way the small 10m2 lab can focus on hosting only the gear that actually gets used, rather than doubling as a storage unit...

That's how I am hoping to make it work...  we shall see how that goes ! 

Bit attic won"t be done until 3 years at beeest, so in the meantime lab will be the living room, so plenty of space ! 

However it's clear I won't have enough space above the bench to stack boat anchors or full width rack mount stuff like old HP power supplies or things of that size.. so it's clear that I will want to favour acquiring gear in a more compact form factor, half width stuff, that is mostly newer stuff that is.... kinda expensive... unless I resort to buying some chinese stuff ! 
So I will want the usual HP VFD items that every one wants...counter, sig gen, 4 wire bench DMM.. a DC load, RF synth, the whole shebang...

We're all a bit short of space in the UK so it's living room here as well. Apart from the cupboard of doom in my hall which is stacked with gear, this is both my day time work desk and my workbench (and occasionally dining table if the food is messy enough to risk the sofa). Action shot from this evening...



I only get out what I need at any time.

[Specmaster]

As for daily drivers, none of my scopes are used that often, they are more of a tool that I like to have in my tool kit rather than me actually needing them. If I could have my PM3390B in the same location as my TDS210 is, directly in front of me, beneath my monitor shelf, then it would be the that I use more, but because of its size, it has to sit on a small computer desk to the left of me. There is a walk way between it and my main desk / bench which is the only way into and out of my small lab (box room really) so to use, involves having leads spanning the gap, and then I'm stuck at the desk and unable to answer the front door etc, less than ideal, hence my interest in the TDS210. I really envy those that have a decent sized space to set up their benches in.

Oh wow, sounds you are really short of lab space, my condolences ! 

Sucks to have to select gear based on footprint rather than specs and value for money ! 

As for me lab is currently occupying the living room for now, temporarily. Was thinking of using the entire attic to host the lab, once I get to making the attic a livable space... however I changed my mind, attic has wooden floor, not beefy enough to stack dozens of boat anchors at the same place... poor floor would collapse. That, plus it's not practical to have to go through stairs whenever you want / need to take a large and/or heavy item to/from the lab. Like when restoring a boat anchor, or when someone gives me a mega large 50" LCD TV to look at as I had to do earlier this year ! 

So I think I will change my plans, and install the lab downstairs instead, in what was supposed to be my bedroom. Bedroom will be in the attic then ! Plenty of space ! LOL  ....
Bedroom was too small anyway, only 10m2 or there about. Moving it in the attic will be much more conformable.
Lab will be so much more practical/comfortable if on the ground floor ! I can just wheel heavy/large items around on a little cart or something ! 

Of course 10m2 even for a lab is tight, so will have to think the "design" of it carefully, and make the most of every cubic meter of space in there....
Luckily once I will be done building the (large, 60m2) garage, I will have enough space to store all my boat anchors and "for parts" this and that. This way the small 10m2 lab can focus on hosting only the gear that actually gets used, rather than doubling as a storage unit...

That's how I am hoping to make it work...  we shall see how that goes ! 

Bit attic won"t be done until 3 years at beeest, so in the meantime lab will be the living room, so plenty of space ! 

However it's clear I won't have enough space above the bench to stack boat anchors or full width rack mount stuff like old HP power supplies or things of that size.. so it's clear that I will want to favour acquiring gear in a more compact form factor, half width stuff, that is mostly newer stuff that is.... kinda expensive... unless I resort to buying some chinese stuff ! 
So I will want the usual HP VFD items that every one wants...counter, sig gen, 4 wire bench DMM.. a DC load, RF synth, the whole shebang...

Its like bd says, most of us in the UK are limited on space, houses are so expensive here that they tend to be smaller to reduce the cost of them, even then, it is looking almost impossible for young people to be able to afford to buy their own and will be like me, renting for all their life.

To put it into context for you, my room where I spend most of my time is only 1.6M wide by 3.3M long with a door at one end and a window at the other and I sit next to the window, my back to one wall (in the 1.6M part) and in front I have my bench / desk with loads of wall shelves, which again like bd, used to be my work desk during the day and lab bench in the evening. Now that I've retired, its my lab bench 24/7 and also my dinner table apart from Christmastime when we all use the dining table, the rest of the year that is where SWMBO does her cake decorating (sugarcraft) making flowers from icing for cakes etc.

[Vince]

Wow BD I admire your motivation ! Working in these conditions I don't think I could ! 

Compared to you I am spoiled, even in my living room ! 

Looking forward to seeing what your new life will be about once you have amassed enough £££ from your current IT job.

Hopefully you can move to the country side where it's much cheaper, and get a nice large house in a peaceful place, where you can afford to have a large room dedicated to EE duties !  Looking forward to that ! 

[bd139]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

[Vince]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Modest requirements well OK but this is way below "modest".... OK so you like it in the city... you doing long walks and showing us pictures of the country side, I thought you preferred cows to human beings, and where trying to escape the city life every time you could ! 
Thought you endured the city life only to make it practical for your kids to go to school etc...
But no... you actually like the city life  ..... even if it means you severely lack space 

Well at least you know you will have more space as soon as the kids are grown up and you can reclaim their bedrooms ! 

When I said "country side" I didn't mean the DEEEEEEEP country side where all the weirdos hide as you say !

I was just thinking : BD can afford a tiny house in the city, close to an airport and London city.... so if he moved just a LITTLE bit farther , like 5 or 10 miles, house prices logically should decrease progressively, and you could for the same money have an extra room dedicated to the lab...

[Cerebus]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

What did I tell you about sitting on those railings? Look what you've done to the poor things!

[mnementh]

Only people like you and me who've actually relied on a saw to provide the wood used for primary heat understand. A daily driver chainsaw is like your favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns; you get comfortable with it til its a part of you, you get to know all it's good and bad habits, and you don't lend or borrow them.

The difference is people might want to borrow your chainsaw. If you can find anyone who wants to borrow your "favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns" I hope you would get them the psychiatric help that they would so clearly be in sore need of. 

While I cannot comment from personal experience, seems to me there must be a reason for the old adage "What happens in the woodshed stays in the woodshed..."

mnem
meh. Who am I to judge...?

[xrunner]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Wow that's an awesome shot. I can almost see Jimmy Page sitting out there with his guitar!

[tautech]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Modest requirements well OK but this is way below "modest".... OK so you like it in the city... you doing long walks and showing us pictures of the country side, I thought you preferred cows to human beings, and where trying to escape the city life every time you could !
Thought you endured the city life only to make it practical for your kids to go to school etc...
But no... you actually like the city life  ..... even if it means you severely lack space 

Well at least you know you will have more space as soon as the kids are grown up and you can reclaim their bedrooms ! 

When I said "country side" I didn't mean the DEEEEEEEP country side where all the weirdos hide as you say !

I was just thinking : BD can afford a tiny house in the city, close to an airport and London city.... so he moved just a LITTLE bit farther , like 5 or 10 miles, house prices logically should decrease progressively, and you could for the same money have an extra room dedicated to the lab...

Vince you overlook BD's home situation with 3 daughters....the man for his sanity needs some time out !

[Cerebus]

Only people like you and me who've actually relied on a saw to provide the wood used for primary heat understand. A daily driver chainsaw is like your favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns; you get comfortable with it til its a part of you, you get to know all it's good and bad habits, and you don't lend or borrow them.

The difference is people might want to borrow your chainsaw. If you can find anyone who wants to borrow your "favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns" I hope you would get them the psychiatric help that they would so clearly be in sore need of. 

While I cannot comment from personal experience, seems to me there must be a reason for the old adage "What happens in the woodshed stays in the woodshed..."

mnem
meh. Who am I to judge...?

Erm, I think that's just a saying in your family.

For most people the place where things 'stay' is "Vegas", "Amsterdam" or some other well know place of debauchery. Just sayin'.

[mnementh]

Its like bd says, most of us in the UK are limited on space, houses are so expensive here that they tend to be smaller to reduce the cost of them, even then, it is looking almost impossible for young people to be able to afford to buy their own and will be like me, renting for all their life.

To put it into context for you, my room where I spend most of my time is only 1.6M wide by 3.3M long with a door at one end and a window at the other and I sit next to the window, my back to one wall (in the 1.6M part) and in front I have my bench / desk with loads of wall shelves, which again like bd, used to be my work desk during the day and lab bench in the evening. Now that I've retired, its my lab bench 24/7 and also my dinner table apart from Christmastime when we all use the dining table, the rest of the year that is where SWMBO does her cake decorating (sugarcraft) making flowers from icing for cakes etc.

I'm trying to imagine what it would be like for Unka BumbleButt in a space like that... fuck, the casualties would be in the double digits by the end of the first week.

mnem
*thanks Ifni for small favors*

[Vince]

Its like bd says, most of us in the UK are limited on space, houses are so expensive here that they tend to be smaller to reduce the cost of them, even then, it is looking almost impossible for young people to be able to afford to buy their own and will be like me, renting for all their life.

To put it into context for you, my room where I spend most of my time is only 1.6M wide by 3.3M long with a door at one end and a window at the other and I sit next to the window, my back to one wall (in the 1.6M part) and in front I have my bench / desk with loads of wall shelves, which again like bd, used to be my work desk during the day and lab bench in the evening. Now that I've retired, its my lab bench 24/7 and also my dinner table apart from Christmastime when we all use the dining table, the rest of the year that is where SWMBO does her cake decorating (sugarcraft) making flowers from icing for cakes etc.

WHAT ?!   1.6x3.3m... 5m2 ?! That's a closet not a room !  Granted a closet with a Window but still 

It's a prison cell no more no less 

I don't know what to say, I sure gathered that London city center, like Paris or any big fancy City, is only for rich people, but BD is not in the fancy parts of the London City, he is near an Airport runway !   So even outside the city centers it's also so expensive ?! 

I guess if you were used to this life in the UK ever since you saw the light of  day, you find it "normal", everyone there endures the same shit so I guess people kinda accept it as the norm there. Still 

Kinda ruins the fun of TEA... knowing what condition you people live in in the UK, it's hard to be in a fun mood now 
I guess the proverbial British phlegm helps a lot with that, but still...... 

[mnementh]

Only people like you and me who've actually relied on a saw to provide the wood used for primary heat understand. A daily driver chainsaw is like your favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns; you get comfortable with it til its a part of you, you get to know all it's good and bad habits, and you don't lend or borrow them.

The difference is people might want to borrow your chainsaw. If you can find anyone who wants to borrow your "favorite pair of perfectly broken-in long johns" I hope you would get them the psychiatric help that they would so clearly be in sore need of. 

While I cannot comment from personal experience, seems to me there must be a reason for the old adage "What happens in the woodshed stays in the woodshed..."

mnem
meh. Who am I to judge...?

Erm, I think that's just a saying in your family.

For most people the place where things 'stay' is "Vegas", "Amsterdam" or some other well know place of debauchery. Just sayin'.

You seem to have a lot more detailed knowledge of what goes on "in the woodshed" than I do; I figured it was just the usual cards and booze.   

mnem
 

[bd139]

That’s also my bedroom 

I’m disinclined to move if I’m honest though. My requirements are modest, transport and facilities here are amazing and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside. Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Modest requirements well OK but this is way below "modest".... OK so you like it in the city... you doing long walks and showing us pictures of the country side, I thought you preferred cows to human beings, and where trying to escape the city life every time you could ! 
Thought you endured the city life only to make it practical for your kids to go to school etc...
But no... you actually like the city life  ..... even if it means you severely lack space 

Well at least you know you will have more space as soon as the kids are grown up and you can reclaim their bedrooms ! 

When I said "country side" I didn't mean the DEEEEEEEP country side where all the weirdos hide as you say !

I was just thinking : BD can afford a tiny house in the city, close to an airport and London city.... so he moved just a LITTLE bit farther , like 5 or 10 miles, house prices logically should decrease progressively, and you could for the same money have an extra room dedicated to the lab...

Spending time outdoors is great. I love it. But I’m a pragmatist at heart. Suburbia and most orbital towns here suffer from about a 30 year backward shift in thinking and an an abhorrent social decay. On top of that as you get older your dependency on convenience increases rapidly. I’ve seen lots of older people move to their utopian retirement property in the countryside and end up completely isolated and in trouble. It’s not a nice way to live your life and I certainly wouldn’t want to force that dependency of care on my children one day.

Plus it’s about variety. I’ve lived in the countryside and there’s bugger all to do if you live in one place. Even the good bits get boring after a bit. Thus it’s better to travel to different bits from somewhere.

[mnementh]

Vince you overlook BD's home situation with 3 daughters....the man for his sanity needs some time out !

I suspect that "sanity" in this case is a very fugitive thing... as in "The Fugitive"... with 3 dogged pursuers instead of just the one. 

mnem
"With three you get egg roll."

[tggzzz]

... and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside.

Mensch ist mensch.

Stranger walks into a shop and says "I'm wondering about moving here, what are people here like?". Shopkeeper replies "what are they like where you come from?". "Oh, happy and gregarious", to which the shopkeeper responds "Yup, they are much like that here too".

Next week another stranger walks into the same shop and says "I'm wondering about moving here, what are people here like?". Shopkeeper replies "what are they like where you come from?". "Oh, standoffish and miserable", to which the shopkeeper responds "Yup, they are much like that here too".

Or maybe you are just concerned that country folk have real physical muckspreaders and arsenals, not merely virtual/metaphorical ones?

Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Living under the flightpath in Clapham wouldn't bother me, but then I'm deaf and they are lower in Isleworth.

[xrunner]

WHAT ?!   1.6x3.3m... 5m2 ?! That's a closet not a room !  Granted a closet with a Window but still 

It's a prison cell no more no less 

I don't know what to say, I sure gathered that London city center, like Paris or any big fancy City, is only for rich people, but BD is not in the fancy parts of the London City, he is near an Airport runway !   So even outside the city centers it's also so expensive ?! 

I guess if you were used to this life in the UK ever since you saw the light of  day, you find it "normal", everyone there endures the same shit so I guess people kinda accept it as the norm there. Still 

Kinda ruins the fun of TEA... knowing what condition you people live in in the UK, it's hard to be in a fun mood now 
I guess the proverbial British phlegm helps a lot with that, but still...... 

Man I ain't telling what it's like where I live - Vince will apply his analysis and I'll be bummed all evening. 

[bd139]

Vince you overlook BD's home situation with 3 daughters....the man for his sanity needs some time out !

I suspect that "sanity" in this case is a very fugitive thing... as in "The Fugitive"... with 3 dogged pursuers instead of just the one. 

mnem
"With three you get egg roll."

Depends on if they’re hungry or the WiFi isn’t working 

[bd139]

... and it’s full of the wrong kind of weirdos in the countryside.

Mensch ist mensch.

Stranger walks into a shop and says "I'm wondering about moving here, what are people here like?". Shopkeeper replies "what are they like where you come from?". "Oh, happy and gregarious", to which the shopkeeper responds "Yup, they are much like that here too".

Next week another stranger walks into the same shop and says "I'm wondering about moving here, what are people here like?". Shopkeeper replies "what are they like where you come from?". "Oh, standoffish and miserable", to which the shopkeeper responds "Yup, they are much like that here too".

Or maybe you are just concerned that country folk have real physical muckspreaders and arsenals, not merely virtual/metaphorical ones?

Plus it’s a nice bit of the city. This is but a few minutes walk away. Photo taken on my weekly exercise lap a couple of weeks back…

Living under the flightpath in Clapham wouldn't bother me, but then I'm deaf and they are lower in Isleworth.

I’m more worried about walking into a local shop for local people. Although recently I’ve been surprised that even all of those places have electricity and contactless terminals now as well.

As for the flight path the frozen illegal immigrants tend to fall out around Clapham. It’s pretty safe here.

[tggzzz]

Suburbia and most orbital towns here suffer from about a 30 year backward shift in thinking and an an abhorrent social decay.

You should try the Forest of Dean or the Fens; much more than 30 years there! Weren't you considering moving to the Fens?

On top of that as you get older your dependency on convenience increases rapidly. I’ve seen lots of older people move to their utopian retirement property in the countryside and end up completely isolated and in trouble.

Completely agree, and add in that they haven't got any friends there, and then one of them dies, and... The Costa Geriaticas fill me with dread!

I certainly wouldn’t want to force that dependency of care on my children one day.

That's only a problem if they move "near" to you.

Plus it’s about variety. I’ve lived in the countryside and there’s bugger all to do if you live in one place. Even the good bits get boring after a bit. Thus it’s better to travel to different bits from somewhere.

I certainly enjoy living near a decent university town; the students bring a buzz to places that is simply missing from places like Epsom (where I grew up), and I suspect Isleworth too.

I live 4 miles from the city centre, with wild deer, buzzards, peregrines and sparrowhawks between me and the city. Plus there's forestry commission woodlands 100 yards away. Here's the view from my "lab" window, and a local resident having lunch.

[mnementh]

Vince you overlook BD's home situation with 3 daughters....the man for his sanity needs some time out !

I suspect that "sanity" in this case is a very fugitive thing... as in "The Fugitive"... with 3 dogged pursuers instead of just the one. 

mnem
"With three you get egg roll."

Depends on if they’re hungry or the WiFi isn’t working 

Speaking of which... how's the household-wide iPwn/iPud exorcism working oot...? 

mnem
* imagining actual scenes from The Exorcist *

[mnementh]

[Vince]

Spending time outdoors is great. I love it. But I’m a pragmatist at heart. Suburbia and most orbital towns here suffer from about a 30 year backward shift in thinking and an an abhorrent social decay. On top of that as you get older your dependency on convenience increases rapidly. I’ve seen lots of older people move to their utopian retirement property in the countryside and end up completely isolated and in trouble. It’s not a nice way to live your life and I certainly wouldn’t want to force that dependency of care on my children one day.

Plus it’s about variety. I’ve lived in the countryside and there’s bugger all to do if you live in one place. Even the good bits get boring after a bit. Thus it’s better to travel to different bits from somewhere.

Ah OK I see.... you really like it where you are ! 

Great, I don't have to feel sorry for you then, and instead I can make fun of your tiny combined office/lab/bedroom, yeah ! 

The space issue will be solved as soon as your kids start leaving the house....

As for me I ahjd no choice but start life in the city, renting various flats ... it was hell on earth as we say... people just are noisy, sell drugs, shit on your car, scratch it, climb on it, piss on your windows (I was at the ground floor next the building's entrance... not good), stole my bike, twice. Party all night long all days of the week, etc etc...  That's where I developed a strong repulsion towards human kind. I dreamed of only one thing : SILENCE AND PEACE !!!
So when I my employer, well ex-employer asked me again to move from one town to another... I though if I move I might as well try to find a HOUSE for rent this time, in a little village. Found one, old a crappy, inconvenient... but..... no drug dealers, no partying any more, just animals and PEACE. I could actually REST  on my bed, any time of day or night, any day of the week.. I found this so priceless that any other material considerations went out the window ! I also grew fond of the little village this house was in, so in 2017 or so, when interest rates plummeted down to 1% or so, I was able to borrow just enough money to build a little house... and it so happened that the only place not too far from town, that had lands I could afford... was the little village I was actually renting in. So that's cool, I could stay in that village I like.   I would rather kill myself than go back to the city in a flat.

It's win-win : I live far enough from the city to surrounded by nature, with everything I need (groceries, several doctors, pharmacy, baker...), yet only 5 minutes from the motorway, 10 minutes from the airport/Airbus/work, 15 minutes from town center if I ever need to go there...
I also have a fire fighter house in my village just 500m from my house...

Living far away in the country side I agree is a pain... be it when you are old because hospital and emergency services are too far away.... but it's also a pain when you are younger and still working, because the cost of petrol and car maintenance these days is astronomical, and living 50kms away from work would steal 30% of your salary. Not to mention the TIME you spend driving which is wasted ! You will never get it back !

[Vince]

I live 4 miles from the city centre, with wild deer, buzzards, peregrines and sparrowhawks between me and the city. Plus there's forestry commission woodlands 100 yards away. Here's the view from my "lab" window, and a local resident having lunch.

AH that's more like it  ! 

Only a few miles from the city, yet, plenty of space, peaceful and beautiful nature. That's what I call life