The Night Mail

[simontaylor484]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

My old college, the UK's last remaining mining school fell under the influence of a major University some years ago. That institution has "paused" recruitment after 2019 and clearly has no intention of resuming. 

 

Technical courses, REAL ones teaching REAL skills are expensive to run. They need REAL facilities and REAL contacts in the world of employment. They need REAL staff who know their subjects and must be attracted from industry through a revolving door; distressingly  independently minded individuals who are the antithesis of the intimidation of academic staff now widely practiced.  

 

I saw this process in action forty-odd years ago, I don't care to think what it must be like mow. 

I had an interview there mid 90s Camborne School of mines I ended up going to Sheffield Hallam University. A choice I look back on with a certain amount of regret that I have mentioned on these pages before. I wish I had done Mining and electrical engineering or just plain old mining engineering. My main reasons for deciding on SHU were 

a  big city student life

b a lot closer to home 45 mins on train compared to 9 hours

C SHU offered a Sandwich course with a years placement in industry for the 3rd year.

A similar thing happened and they changed the course rumors that the course was stopping and the mid 90s recession meant the sandwich year places dried up I ended up going straight in to the 4th year with a class full of unknowns.

Again I wish once I got to SHU I had changed course on to Urban Land Economics and been a Chartered Surveyor in the property market instead of mining and quarrying 

I was lucky I left Uni and walked straight in to a job and kept working until my first breakdown i had 2 years recovery then worked 7 years before my second breakdown and early retirement 

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

Forget the patent WB, Bear has been there n' done that; my own particular version featured a metal grid shoe scraper placed immediately in front of the door (let's call that one the, er, Neutral) and a nice shiny brass door knocker (let's call that one the, er, Live).  Hook 'em up to 3ph from the nearest lamp post and the job's a good 'un.

I did move on from that some time ago, cos' cleaning up frazzled black lumps off the doorstep was getting rather tedious; the Plod were getting suspicious at the number of cases of spontaneous human combustion occurring on Bear's doorstep too......

Your just sending the JW's and Mormons to the place they most want to be so whats wrong with that? And as for double glazing salesmen and travellers you can put it down to pest control. 

[PhilJ W]

12 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

 

9.6% AVB.

 

11 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

You could fuel a mission to Mars on that stuff

Actually its a very good beer but you get drunk very quick on it.

[Tony_S]

The JW visitors seem to have calmed down a bit from the ones who terrified my mother in the 1950s. She only got rid of one lot by saying come back later my husband would love to speak to you. Dad was always up for a discussion about such things but was very unhappy about boot in the door techniques being used on Mum earlier . According to what my mother told me later was that the chap,was give the choice of removing his foot from his boot or not, but it was staying where he had inserted it. Haven’t seen a Mormon for years now. Nor door to door household goods sellers with dodgy pedlars certificates. Perhaps due to Covid they are working from home?

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Have you had the “you have done such a lovely job of the painting, it seems a shame to use it for trains, what about an additional guest room instead?”  

 

Bear's money is on a playroom for the kids being suggested.....

 

15 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

The JW visitors seem to have calmed down a bit from the ones who terrified my mother in the 1950s. She only got rid of one lot by saying come back later my husband would love to speak to you. Dad was always up for a discussion about such things but was very unhappy about boot in the door techniques being used on Mum earlier . According to what my mother told me later was that the chap,was give the choice of removing his foot from his boot or not, but it was staying where he had inserted it. Haven’t seen a Mormon for years now. Nor door to door household goods sellers with dodgy pedlars certificates. Perhaps due to Covid they are working from home?

 

Bear gets very, very few such visitors - anyone suggesting stuff to do with Bear Towers gets the standard "Council House, Mate", which kills them dead (they are ex. council - seven still are, out of forty houses).

The last was a tree surgeon (yeah, right....so he had a chain saw from Screwfix....) got out of his truck then put his hard hat, ear defenders and face mask on before he knocked on the door.  Looks like Bear's reputation preceded him....

[SM42]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Have you had the “you have done such a lovely job of the painting, it seems a shame to use it for trains, what about an additional guest room instead?”  

 

She's the one insisting I build a layout. Even suggested moving house so I had a railway room.

 

I took a cheaper option 

 

Andy

[SM42]

15 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Bear's money is on a playroom for the kids being suggested.....

 

Unencumbered as we are by small people, I can rule that one out. 

 

The only child ( one nephew) we have visiting regularly has an allocated room.  Most of the time he's off on some outdoor adventure rather than play indoors.

 

When it comes to various missionaries at the door, I find it good to talk if I have the time. 

 

They are after all following their calling, rather like any other religious person. 

 

I've had some good conversations with the local JW on the doorstep ( at least 90 minutes) as we tried to convert each other. 

They steer clear now as it's not a very efficient use of time to knock on our door.

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

She's the one insisting I build a layout. Even suggested moving house so I had a railway room.

 

I took a cheaper option 

 

Andy

That is very nice. Actually Aditi is very tolerant and supportive of my hobby and doesn’t mind at all if I cover the dining table with modelling stuff. However years ago I had a railway room but when she started her doctoral research Aditi needed somewhere she could work. I was told I could have the room back when she finished. She did graduate, room is still a study, I moved the layouts to the garage. 

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

4 hours ago, rockershovel said:

I had an interview there mid 90s Camborne School of mines I ended up going to Sheffield Hallam University.

I applied to Camborne School of Mines in 1975. 
 

Despite having a part-Cornish family and having been at school in Newlyn I was declined.

 

We were living in Sussex at the time as father had been put off by Holmans of Camborne - ironically themselves heavily reliant on mining - and could not get any other work locally

 

I ended up in London where I was advised later by staff that Camborne was always over-subscribed and gave preference to Cornish residents and those with A-grades. 
 

I hadn’t qualified on either count and it was another 17 years until I could make a “permanent” move home. 

[Tony_S]

My brother applied to do some sort of mining engineering course at a south coast polytechnic. He had done A levels in geography, maths and physics with electronics. He failed maths and even though he got full marks on the electronics paper failed physics. So no mining course. He saw an advert from GEC asking people who had somehow failed their A levels to come for an interview and bring something along they had made to show their ability or interest in communications. He took along a microwave transmitter and receiver board he had recently made. It was a fantastic piece of p,umbing as well as electronics. He studied on their work placement and college study course as soon emerged as a junior commissioning telecommunications engineer a few years later. So his amateur radio hobby became his career. 
When he came down to visit us in Devon recently, he recalled being in the area, years before. We said where, and he said “up that tower, in winter”. 

[simontaylor484]

I was offered a place but the pull of Steel city was too much.

I shouldn't dwell on it because what is done is done.

My maths isnt brilliant but i managed to juggle figures for surveying thats another thing that put me off.

The advice I would certainly pass on to young Douglas @Florence Locomotive Works is to never sell yourself short and dont let things hold you back.

[pgcroc]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Bear's money is on a playroom for the kids being suggested.....

 

That happened to me, only it was for the grandkids to play in and have sleep overs.

Took me 3 years before I gained vacant possession of the garage.

 

[simontaylor484]

I saw some JW's stood in the park the other week handing out leaflets.

I used to  see some on Fridays when I was based in Castleford town centre some near the Bus station others near the old Market hall.

 

I have seen Mormons in town identified by a large black name badge. Pre pandemic one of them offered to carry the wife's shopping home.

Now if a kind young lady offered to assist me well the fall out would make WW3 look like a playground scrap

[polybear]

2 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

She's the one insisting I build a layout. Even suggested moving house so I had a railway room.

 

I took a cheaper option 

 

Andy

 

Ahh, so SWMBO played the old "persuade him to get his wallet out by dangling a carrot" trick......

And you fell for it.

Oh dear......

[Tony_S]

Matthew travelled to many places by himself. Quite often he was approached by various missionaries. He did feel sorry for the Australian Mormons in Cork who followed him all round the city. He wondered what they had done to be sent there. He said they really believed if they started a conversation they had a chance. He quite liked a religious discussion. Although he was a geographer his tutor was always concerned about him going over to the dark side (sociology). 

[Tony_S]

23 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Ahh, so SWMBO played the old "persuade him to get his wallet out by dangling a carrot" trick......

And you fell for it.

Oh dear......

That wouldn’t happen here. All funds are common though Aditi contributes significantly more than I do.  

[simontaylor484]

All funds here are common too.

 

All common to Swmbo

[SM42]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Ahh, so SWMBO played the old "persuade him to get his wallet out by dangling a carrot" trick......

And you fell for it.

Oh dear......

 

Hmmm yes. But I was I a model shop in Poznan  at he time. 

 

Double carrot it seems

 

Andy

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

That wouldn’t happen here. All funds are common though Aditi contributes significantly more than I do.  

Dr. SWMBO has often out-earned this humble scribe but we are not in competition. 
 

We are a partnership of equals. 
 

So long as the bills get paid, there is food on the table, a little put by for future rainy days and some spare for causes we choose to support then it matters not from which account it comes. 
 

We have our own finances and we have a joint “pot” for the bigger things into which we contribute what we can rather than fix a monthly amount. As she gets paid monthly and I am on the somwhat archaic railway four-weekly pay cycle there is no fixed date or amount going in. 
 

And we also have a house in Australia as an asset which can be capitalised (given a little time) should the need arise. Or it could revert to being our own home but neither of us is planning for that. 

[br2975]

5 hours ago, simontaylor484 said:

 

I have seen Mormons in town identified by a large black name badge. Pre pandemic one of them offered to carry the wife's shopping home.

 

.

My nephew, Stephen (son of 'naturol' of this parish) , is a member of the West End cast of the outrageous musical "Book of Mormon" - whilst his girlfriends is currently touring with the same production.

.

I advise anyone (with a broad mind) to see the show.

[Oldddudders]

I think it was Blaster Bates who had the classic joke about Mormons. 

 

There is a knock at the door.

”Yes?”

”Madam, we are Mormons.”

”Mormons? Aren’t you the people who have multiple wives?”

”Madam, we are.”

”Well I think you should be bloody well hung!”

”Madam, we are!”

[br2975]

".....e-passport gates, make entry into Great Britain quicker, and easier"

.

Which buffoon at the UK Border Force thought that one up ?

Obviously doesn't land at Bristol.

.

Or - "Welcome  to GREAT Britain" proclaims another large screen as you patiently wait for a machine to decide if you are worthy of entry into your homeland.

I mean "GREAT Britain" - surely someone, somewhere will be offended at this 'elitism'  and drag out the tried and tested  'days of colonialism and empire' diatribe.

.

Having spent the last seven days chillin' (no 'g') in Santorini, our reception on arrival at Bristol didn't take me long to realise there is not much 'great' about Britain today.

.

Then there was the 'forced labour' poster - but I'll save that for another day.

Edited July 12, 2022 by br2975

[simontaylor484]

Oh the times I have landed at Leeds Bradford or Doncaster and wished for a sign saying Welcome to the Republic of Yorkshire and being full of posters of Geoff Boycott as President.

Soon to be replaced with feelings of why the bl00dy hell did I come back here.

[Flying Fox 34F]

14 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Oh the times I have landed at Leeds Bradford or Doncaster and wished for a sign saying Welcome to the Republic of Yorkshire and being full of posters of Geoff Boycott as President.

Soon to be replaced with feelings of why the bl00dy hell did I come back here.

Simon,

 

I totally agree, which why I moved abroad!

 

Paul

[polybear]

58 minutes ago, br2975 said:

".....e-passport gates, make entry into Great Britain quicker, and easier"

.

Which buffoon at the UK Border Force thought that one up ?

Obviously doesn't land at Bristol.

 

 

Nip across from France in a boat and they'll come out and collect you halfway - you won't even need a ticket.  Or a Passport.  They'll even arrange coach collection upon arrival.

Is that a Rant?