The Night Mail

[br2975]

9 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

................................ but somewhere you know there will be a police officer having to knock on a door with the worst type of news to deliver. 

 

.

Take it from me, it is one of the worse parts of 'the job' - breaking the worst conceivable news, to a total stranger.

[New Haven Neil]

7 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Probably reversed in!

 

 

It worked - he got the overtime....🤣

 

The van however was, er, Donald. 

[Dave Hunt]

A busy day here at Hunt Towers. It started at 0800 when the plumber, for whom we have been waiting for over a week, arrived unannounced to fix a leak in the kitchen before I'd even had muggocoffee #1 and promptly turned the water off. Next up was the list of, "I've been trying to get you to do for months now," items from the management followed by clearing the contents of the utility room ready for the laminate flooring fitters due to arrive tomorrow. This took matters up to lunchtime, after which the debris from yesterday's gales had to be cleared from the pond then it was my turn to make the dinner. What a fun day! The brightest spot was getting in the ingredients for the manufacture of some LDC to be made over the weekend in readiness for the visit of the North Hipposhire Gum Bashers next Monday.

 

Dave      

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

The van however was, er, Donald. 

 

You mean it got trumped?

 

Dave

[newbryford]

13 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I've managed to get into the doctor's call queue.  After about three months of trying!

 

 

Did it take so long as you were struggling to use one of these?

 

[SM42]

Inspired by DH's mention of LDC, I approached Mrs SM42 (currently making soup) requesting a tasty snack. 

 

Surprisingly, she said

 

"NO"

 

Oh well. Worth a try 

 

Andy

[New Haven Neil]

45 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

You mean it got trumped?

 

Dave

 

Errr, no.  Ducked.

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, SM42 said:

Mrs SM42 has returned from work  announced that the hedge needs trimming, the bin needs to go out ( it's raining) and then she has waltzed off to the pictures. 

 

Dinner it seems is in the freezer. 

 

At least the walls have been painted. 

 

Andy

At least the dinner wasn't in the dog or you un the freezer

2 hours ago, br2975 said:

.

Take it from me, it is one of the worse parts of 'the job' - breaking the worst conceivable news, to a total stranger.

Oh so true, various death warni gs will live with me forever. One was to tell a police officer that his son was dead. Not nice.

 

On a lighter note, I made tea tonight. Chicken in honey and mustard sauce with mashed potato, carrots and leeks. All from fresh ingredients.  It even got the seal of approval from the domestic goddess. It must have been OK as I was allowed over to the shed afterwards.

 

Jamie

Edited November 3, 2022 by jamie92208

[Tony_S]

We got to Enfield and the floods had drained away except for a short stretch of the A10 which was about 6” deep. Everyone was being sensible. 

We had a nice day with the small nieces. MiL, although Aditi had asked her not to, raised various issues she had discussed with family in India about the trip to the family wedding . She had tried to arrange accommodation with a relative who doesn’t live near either the wedding venue or the family home of those organising the wedding. MiL wasn’t too happy about not being involved. All her information about travel and visas is way out of date. Aditi’s sister is letting her older son organise everything and she will pay for it. 
Tony

[Happy Hippo]

52 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Inspired by DH's mention of LDC, I approached Mrs SM42 (currently making soup) requesting a tasty snack. 

 

Surprisingly, she said

 

"NO"

 

Oh well. Worth a try 

 

Andy

I hope that request wasn't a euphemism 

[SM42]

1 minute ago, Happy Hippo said:

I hope that request wasn't a euphemism 

 

Nope

 

I was hungry 

 

Andy

[AndyID]

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Errr, no.  Ducked.

 

Pretty much the same thing.

[AndyID]

Time to winterize the travel trailer (AKA caravan) I thought. Actually a bit past time but better late....

So off to the dump station we did go. That went quite smoothly except that while we were there a neighbor called to say there was a burst pipe at the house above us. Fortunately I was able to stop it by isolating their water line.

 

Then it was time to drain the water from the trailer's plumbing. That went reasonably well except that was a really bad smell of hydrogen sulfide. MrsID came down to see what was going on. She thought I might have been experiencing severe intestinal distress 😃

 

I think the problem was in the fresh water holding tank. It had been in there for too long. Or it might have been the water heater. The sacrificial anodes sometimes include alloys of sulfur. Fortunately the aroma has finally dissipated.

 

Snow and high-winds expected tomorrow. It's likely we will lose power.

[polybear]

8 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We got to Enfield and the floods had drained away except for a short stretch of the A10 which was about 6” deep. Everyone was being sensible. 

 

On the A10??

Or is that bold (see what Bear did there?) statement relative to their usual C0ckwomble** antics?

 

(** Actually that's being pretty unfair to C0ckwombles)

[AndyID]

Speaking of H2S

 

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/09/20210913-h2s.html

 

It would be brilliant if this could be made to work on an industrial scale. Literally turning sh1t into gold 😀

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by AndyID

[Happy Hippo]

I see the acceptable standards at Exhibitions is drifting like a rudderless yacht.

 

My only surprise is that no one has yet raised the  real standards of  how one should dress, manners, how one conducts ones self in the company of strangers and that age old complaint of attendees personal hygiene.

[jamie92208]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I see the acceptable standards at Exhibitions is drifting like a rudderless yacht.

 

My only surprise is that no one has yet raised the  real standards of  how one should dress, manners, how one conducts ones self in the company of strangers and that age old complaint of attendees personal hygiene.

Perhaps have some sort of sniffer dog at the entrance and turn away those that fail. Coupled with a Ryanair luggage gauge for rucksacks.  It would make things much more pleasant.  Issuing stewards with Tasers might be a tad OTT along with a ban on any green things with copper round the chimney.

 

Jamie

Edited November 4, 2022 by jamie92208

[polybear]

43 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Issuing stewards with Tasers might be a tad OTT.....

 

Oh, I dunno - I reckon it'll soon solve that age-old problem of getting people (or Bears) to volunteer for door duty.  The idea of zapping one or two kinda has a certain appeal somehow.....

[Tony_S]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

 

On the A10??

Or is that bold (see what Bear did there?) statement relative to their usual C0ckwomble** antics?

 

(** Actually that's being pretty unfair to C0ckwombles)

I must admit I was a bit surprised too. Driving in Enfield is often “interesting “. 

[SM42]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

I see the acceptable standards at Exhibitions is drifting like a rudderless yacht.

 

My only surprise is that no one has yet raised the  real standards of  how one should dress, manners, how one conducts ones self in the company of strangers and that age old complaint of attendees personal hygiene.

 

We use to have such standards

 

It was after all an exhibition in our club's name, so any scruffy oiks behind a layout meant no invite. 

 

Reasonable, clean attire was all we required. 

 

Once they were in though  not much we could do. 

 

Eating behind the layout was also frowned upon when there was a perfectly good mess area with lunch provided and no-one wants to watch or hear someone eat at an exhibition. 

It detracts from the modelling

 

Drinks were fine, although not alcoholic. 

 

We took the look of the whole quite seriously and requested our guests helped us in that regard.

 

As a club we like to make a good impression when out on the road too.

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Perhaps have some sort of sniffer dog atvthe entrance and turn away thosecthat fail. Coupked with a Ryanair luggage gauge for rucksacks.  It would make thi gs much more pleasant.  Issuing stewards with Tasers might be a tad OTT along with a ban on any green thi gs with copper round the chimney.

 

Jamie

I only have one green thing with a copper cap, and whenever I take it out, it's fully harnessed and wears a muzzle.

[Tony_S]

15 hours ago, br2975 said:

.

Take it from me, it is one of the worse parts of 'the job' - breaking the worst conceivable news, to a total stranger.

When my son died in Dublin it was very confusing. We had said we hadn’t heard from him so the University got one of his friends to go to his house. His housemates just said he had gone to Brussels. His friend said that he hadn’t so she she called the emergency services as the house-sharers didn’t want to. The paramedics said they would take Matthew (who had probably passed  away a couple of days previously) to the hospital. However when we were trying to contact the hospital to confirm that unresponsive meant “was deceased” the hospital knew nothing. The senior nurse who checked everywhere for us said we should phone the local Guards (police).  They knew nothing either but the sergeant we were speaking to said he would find out. Then as he was about to go and do so, they just had a radio report from the address (we had given) where the Guards had attended. The sergeant was so kind, he said normally they would have asked our local Essex police to come and break the news but it  was all happening while we were talking. He told us what to do, he said if we couldn’t get a flight, it could be arranged for us. He met us airside at the airport and got us escorted through the vip short cut. We had to be in contact with the police for over a year as they had held some of Matthew’s property until the final death certificate was issued. This took a year, not unusual in Ireland, but we had a named officer to contact and he was always helpful and kind. 
Tony

[Dave Hunt]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I see the acceptable standards at Exhibitions is drifting like a rudderless yacht.

 

My only surprise is that no one has yet raised the  real standards of  how one should dress, manners, how one conducts ones self in the company of strangers and that age old complaint of attendees personal hygiene.

 

Back in the day it was taken as read that exhibitors would be 'properly' dressed and behave in a socially acceptable fashion. The first time we took Dewsbury out Bob Essery required all the operators to wear jacket and tie, not to eat whilst operating, respond politely to members of the public (even if just to say, "A moment please", if busy) and to wear badges proclaiming their association with the layout. This would probably be laughed at today but being and old dodderer I do find it regrettable that things have slipped to the extent seen in some instances.

 

Dave  

[Dave Hunt]

42 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I only have one green thing with a copper cap, and whenever I take it out, it's fully harnessed and wears a muzzle.

 

That's no way to treat Mrs. H.

 

Dave

[NHY 581]

16 hours ago, br2975 said:

.

Take it from me, it is one of the worse parts of 'the job' - breaking the worst conceivable news, to a total stranger.

 

Indeed. Some, more than others, stay with you.