The Night Mail

[PhilJ W]

I too like to see whats going on in front of me when I'm driving but as cars and vans seem to be getting bigger and you are unable to see around them. Also many have blacked out rear windows which just adds to the problem.

[MrWolf]

47 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I too like to see whats going on in front of me when I'm driving but as cars and vans seem to be getting bigger and you are unable to see around them. Also many have blacked out rear windows which just adds to the problem.

 

They're definitely getting fatter. I've owned a lot of cars from the fifties and sixties and apart from liking the styling, something that is probably a revelation to anyone brought up on post 1980 cars is the fact that very often you can see all four corners from the driving seat, even on cars that are eighteen feet long.

I loved driving my 1989 Astra GTE, but hated parking it. The high rear end, boot spoiler, rear wash wipe, tinted glass and thick screen pillars made manoeuvres a leap of faith at times.

Don't get me started on chunky Fisher Price steering wheels...

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

I had a similar experience, or rather, my father did at a wedding reception over twenty years ago. Everyone was suited and booted, so you couldn't tell what anyone did for a living.

Some chap had buttonholed father at the bar and was sawing on about his new company BMW, best car he'd ever had, all the bells and whistles, blah blah and of course, they got a good deal on it at a tidy £57,000 on the road. 

He went on to casually and somewhat condescendingly enquire as to whether my father's company provided him with transport?

Father went on to calmly describe his new Mercedes, V8, supercharged, tiptronic gears, air con, cruise control, etc, etc.

 

Because they were a major company and had bought four, it was an absolute steal at £92,000....

 

Mr BMW made his excuses and withdrew.

 

My father never got the chance to boast about the eighteen wheels including the box trailer...

 

 

 

 

That's a bit like 

Her: "I went out with you (other "more direct" terms are available) because you told me you are paid to travel and have an ever changing view from the office window

And you drive a £200,000 company vehicle.

Now you tell me you're a bus driver........."

Edited August 23, 2023 by newbryford

[Hroth]

1 minute ago, newbryford said:

 

That's a bit like 

Her: "I went out with you (other "more direct" terms are available) because you told me you are paid to travel and have an ever changing view from the office window

And you drive a £200,000 company vehicle.

Now you tell me you're a bus driver........."

 

But not a lie, as such...

 

[Compound2632]

8 minutes ago, Hroth said:

But not a lie, as such...

 

And I suppose a reasonable response would be: "If I was a jet-setting corporate executive I wouldn't be going out (or other more direct term) with you." 

[pH]

8 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

That reminds me of the man who was in a pub, and saw the landlord's dog licking it's own knutsac.

 

'I wish I could do that' said the man to the Landlord.

 

The Landlord replied:  ' Give him a couple of crisps and he'll let you!'

The famous economist JK Galbraith told a story like that against himself.

 

He grew up on a farm in rural Ontario. One evening, as a young man, he was taking a countryside walk with a young lady. They passed a field on the family farm where the bull had been put in with several cows, and was doing what he had been put there to do. Galbraith, seizing the opportunity to raise the subject, said “That looks like fun - I fancy doing it.” To which the young lady replied “Go for it - they’re your cows!”

[Oldddudders]

24 minutes ago, pH said:

The famous economist JK Galbraith told a story like that against himself.

 

He grew up on a farm in rural Ontario. One evening, as a young man, he was taking a countryside walk with a young lady. They passed a field on the family farm where the bull had been put in with several cows, and was doing what he had been put there to do. Galbraith, seizing the opportunity to raise the subject, said “That looks like fun - I fancy doing it.” To which the young lady replied “Go for it - they’re your cows!”

A splendid retort! Rather like the chap who walks into a pub, orders a pint and while standing at the bar sees another punter's dog lying on the floor licking its bits. "Coo, I wish I could do that!" "Well, give him a bag of crisps and he'll let you!" 

[Compound2632]

19 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

A splendid retort! Rather like the chap who walks into a pub, orders a pint and while standing at the bar sees another punter's dog lying on the floor licking its bits. "Coo, I wish I could do that!" "Well, give him a bag of crisps and he'll let you!" 

 

9 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

That reminds me of the man who was in a pub, and saw the landlord's dog licking it's own knutsac.

 

'I wish I could do that' said the man to the Landlord.

 

The Landlord replied:  ' Give him a couple of crisps and he'll let you!'

 

Bears repetition?

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

 

Bears repetition?

 

N'owt to do with me.....

 

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

A splendid retort! Rather like the chap who walks into a pub, orders a pint and while standing at the bar sees another punter's dog lying on the floor licking its bits. "Coo, I wish I could do that!" "Well, give him a bag of crisps and he'll let you!" 

That's funnier than the one I wrote about🤣

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

 

Bears repetition?

Sorry! Must have speed-read & missed Richard's deathless prose!

[Winslow Boy]

Oh dear are things that desperate as we appear to be recycling Jasper carrot jokes. Personally I prefer the one about the alsatian with the hare lip or what about the mother in law's driving lesson with the choke that puts oil into the ashtray.

[Dave Hunt]

Or what about the little girl who was leading a cow along the lane when the vicar approached. "Hello Maisie," he said, "Where are you going?" Maisie replied, "I'm taking Buttercup to farmer Brown's to be serviced by his bull." The vicar looked a bit flustered. "Couldn't you father do that Maisie?" he said. "Oh, no Vicar," said Maisie, "It has to be a bull."

 

Dave

[bbishop]

I agree about black humour - it certainly extends to volunteers.

 

I'm getting old.  I decided to put on a long wash (2½ hours) then go out for a walk.  Unfortunately both sets of house keys were in the wash.  Walk cancelled.  Bill

[MrWolf]

7 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

A splendid retort! Rather like the chap who walks into a pub, orders a pint and while standing at the bar sees another punter's dog lying on the floor licking its bits. "Coo, I wish I could do that!" "Well, give him a bag of crisps and he'll let you!" 

 

I think that we all remember that joke from childhood, but when you get older, you realise the possibility of being able to lick one's own is nowhere near as fun or fulfilling as having someone else do it for you...

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Flying Fox 34F]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

I think that we all remember that joke from childhood, but when you get older, you realise the possibility of being able to lick one's own is nowhere near as fun or fulfilling as having someone else do it for you...

Oooooh Matron!!!!!!!!🤣

[polybear]

7 hours ago, bbishop said:

I agree about black humour - it certainly extends to volunteers.

 

I'm getting old.  I decided to put on a long wash (2½ hours) then go out for a walk.  Unfortunately both sets of house keys were in the wash.  Walk cancelled.  Bill

 

Look on the bright side....it could've been your mobile phone in a jacket pocket (ask Bear how he knows....)

It did survive though, after drying out with silca gel crystals for a few days.

 

 

 

 

[SM42]

7 hours ago, bbishop said:

I agree about black humour - it certainly extends to volunteers.

 

I'm getting old.  I decided to put on a long wash (2½ hours) then go out for a walk.  Unfortunately both sets of house keys were in the wash.  Walk cancelled.  Bill

 

You don't have to lock the house when you go out. 

 

Some years ago,  I was on a week of nights and on the morning after the last shift went out the back door to put the rubbish out 

That's when I discovered it wasn't locked. 

 

After brief  trawl through the memory, I deduced it had not been locked since I mowed the lawn  9 days earlier. 

 

Did similar with the car. 

 

Hadn't used it for 4 or 5 days and couldn't work out why it wouldn't unlock. 

Concluded thd batteries on the key fob were flat and dug out the spares. 

They didn't work either. 

 

It was while wondering how to get in, I pulled the door handle in one of those futile gestures of frustration  only to find it wasn't that futile at all.

 

Andy

[SM42]

I got home from work this morning to be informed by Mrs SM42 that her cousin died suddenly yesterday whilst on holiday in Spain. 

 

I don't think there is anything that can quite prepare you for news like that.  

 

The atmosphere at  The Towers this morning is understandably sombre

 

I still can't quite beleve it.

 

Andy

[Winslow Boy]

12 minutes ago, SM42 said:

I got home from work this morning to be informed by Mrs SM42 that her cousin died suddenly yesterday whilst on holiday in Spain. 

 

I don't think there is anything that can quite prepare you for news like that.  

 

The atmosphere at  The Towers this morning is understandably sombre

 

I still can't quite beleve it.

 

Andy

 

Sorry to hear this Andy. I also have had a death in family. The poor chap had been on a bit of a downward spiral as he had cancer that had spread. But it was still a shock to hear that he had gone. There are times when I wonder whether passing quickly is better for all concerned, especially if it's done whilst doing something enjoyable. My father had a terrible time when he went.

My condolences to all.

[Mike Bellamy]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

I got home from work this morning to be informed by Mrs SM42 that her cousin died suddenly yesterday whilst on holiday in Spain. 

I don't think there is anything that can quite prepare you for news like that.  

The atmosphere at  The Towers this morning is understandably sombre

I still can't quite beleve it.

 

 

I know just what you mean and can imagine how you feel. As reported elsewhere on RMweb my close friend Neil Blair collapsed and died a few months ago. We had worked together in the administrative offices at the university and were both members of the small but active local group of 7mm narrow gauge modellers. Neil was like my apprentice and took on many of my jobs when I retired just before lockdown and we continued to meet every two weeks - but on zoom instead of in the pub. The zoom meetings continued as it allowed more friends to join in who couldn't get to the pub - one from York and on from South Wales.

 

Neil's layout was photographed by Andy York and was published in BRM - he got his advance copy a few days before it was due in the shops and was so proud to have seen his work across 10 pages of the magazine as he held it up to the camera for us all to see at our last meeting. Four days later he collapsed and died with a suspected blood clot to the heart - at the age of only 35.

.

[jamie92208]

I think it was on here that I mentioned that a lightning strike appeared to have tripped a circuit breakers that fed the pool via an underground cable.  Two days ago it tripped again and I went into the pool shed to investigate.  There were signs of burning on the top of the little consumer unit and the ELCB would not reset till I isolated the pool circuit.  This is what I discovered.

The earth wire had welded itself to the short length of busbar above the two breakers.  I replaced the breakers yesterday. Not fun in a metal shed in 37 degrees, rerouted the earth wire and everything is working correctly now.  The pool was 37 degrees even without the pump.  I wonder if the initial damage was done by the lightning  strike and then the short occurred. It had worked for 2 weeks or more but I hadn'/t taken the cover off the breakers to check. Lessons learned. I'm going to reinstall the earth spike by the little shed.

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

Many years ago we returned from two weeks holiday to find that the back door was unlocked. One of our neighbours came round to tell us that not only had we left the door unlocked but it had been wide open! They had spotted it from their back garden just after we had left so had come round and closed it then kept an eye on the house for the time we were away. Since it was on the RAF married quarters at Valley I suppose it was relatively unlikely that anyone would enter but even so it taught us a lesson that so far has never been forgotten.

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

I can sympathise with Polish Andy and family. Our worst sudden death experience was probably when we were on our silver wedding anniversary holiday in Mauritius and received a phone call at the hotel reception from one of our sons telling us that Jill’s brother had collapsed and died.

 

Dave