The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

@Happy Hippo realises that the brakes on his new layout transport vehicle are perhaps a touch too sensitive...

I think I'm on the run to Woodhams with a less than perfect Playcraft Xmas loco

[iL Dottore]

Some shocking revelations are emerging from Telfland.....

[Hroth]

7 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Some shocking revelations are emerging from Telfland.....

 

ALL of them......

 

[Oldddudders]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

One of my many interests is human evolution (although I’m no expert)

Which sort of reminds me of the old putdown "Well, Ian, as an outsider, what's your view of the human race?"

[jamie92208]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

@Happy Hippo realises that the brakes on his new layout transport vehicle are perhaps a touch too sensitive...

If the loco had been of his favourites he would have been Hoist by his own panneer. 

 

Jamie

 

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

40 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Some shocking revelations are emerging from Telfland.....

Where's Captain Cynical?

[newbryford]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

 

From diverse posters on TNM, it is clear that in regards to Telfland (and elsewhere) the movie  Idiocracy is a documentary and not just a dystopian sci-fi comedy…

 

 

 

I almost read that as idiocy with regard to Telfland

 

[iL Dottore]

15 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

If the loco had been of his favourites he would have been Hoist by his own panneer. 

 

Jamie

 

 

G R O A N !

[iL Dottore]

26 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Where's Captain Cynical?

He has never been near Telfland (and has a complete lack of scars, missing teeth, tattoos or communicable diseases to prove it).

 

Besides, the closest CC gets to slumming is bumming around Mayfair with select members of the Brains Trust...

Edited November 8, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Northmoor]

As there's a few South Walians on this thread I'm going to vent on here.

 

A story on the BBC Wales website about the shortage of housing in Wales (a genuine problem, it's estimated that about 10% of properties are empty) is illustrated by a young man who moved to Bargoed to start work as a chiropractor, but had to look for somewhere to live nearly 20 miles away.  This was where I had one of my "Well my heart flippin' bleeds for you, ya lazy...... ".  Does he expect to only get work on his own doorstep?

 

Firstly, I'd want to know the time, not the distance of the commute.  I wouldn't want to have to drive 20 miles across London in the rush hour (plus, that's what all the public transport is for) but a lot of 20 mile commutes are hardly stressful.  I drove a 90-mile round trip (and often further, for visits to the contractor) every day for three years; did I enjoy it?  No, having previously commuted six miles each way, but I made the most of it - listened to lots of music, Radio 4 & 5 - and I did it because it paid the mortgage. 

 

If he doesn't drive and the public transport isn't convenient, well perhaps he needs to get some lessons quick.  I've seen more than a few people in their early 20s who won't learn to drive because they think cars are the devil.  That's fine, but then they can expect to disqualify themselves from most potential employment.  Far too many of my children's generation seem to think they need to get more and more academic qualifications to make themselves employable; they need to learn there's another section on a CV called "Additional Information" that employers look at as well, and a full, clean driving licence is something many are expecting to see.

 

Rant over, back to work.

[iL Dottore]

33 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Where's Captain Cynical?

He's currently dealing with a lot of vexatious claims about paternity, put forward by various Swiss Misses in the hopes that they can get their hands on some of CC's huge fortune (estimated at about £1 trillion).

Given that he was genetically enhanced four decades ago in order acquire his supervillain abilities and as a result became sterile, any lass nowadays who "tries it on" with claims that "CC is the father" is going to have to have a serious rethink...

[PhilJ W]

2 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

He's currently dealing with a lot of vexatious claims about paternity, put forward by various Swiss Misses in the hopes that they can get their hands on some of CC's huge fortune (estimated at about £1 trillion).

Given that he was genetically enhanced four decades ago in order acquire his supervillain abilities and as a result became sterile, any lass nowadays who "tries it on" with claims that "CC is the father" is going to have to have a serious rethink...

I thought there was something missing from that six-pack.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

7 hours ago, AndyID said:

A slinky has been obtained to deter the squirrels from raiding the bird feeder. I don't want to pull up the beautifully crafted stand I welded (must have spent almost five minutes on it) so I will have to wind the slinky on to the pole...

Interesting experiment, do report how well it works. 

 

I put a sheet of slippery thick black polymer (skip salvage) around an ornamental tree trunk to keep the squirrels from gaining access to bird feeders and it survived three years determined chewing before a squirrel got through. We then took the feeders down as we were moving house later that month. How I laughed.

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

He's currently dealing with a lot of vexatious claims about paternity, put forward by various Swiss Misses in the hopes that they can get their hands on some of CC's huge fortune (estimated at about £1 trillion).

Given that he was genetically enhanced four decades ago in order acquire his supervillain abilities and as a result became sterile, any lass nowadays who "tries it on" with claims that "CC is the father" is going to have to have a serious rethink...

Either the AI was clearly struggling with the child bottom left, or he/she is a result of the sort of in-breeding we've been discussing.

[Hroth]

12 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Either the AI was clearly struggling with the child bottom left, or he/she is a result of the sort of in-breeding we've been discussing.

 

What's more concerning are the number of blokes (some with beards...) who seem to think they have a claim against Captain C!

 

I know these are modern times, and that they can identify as they desire, but still....

 

[SM42]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Either the AI was clearly struggling with the child bottom left, or he/she is a result of the sort of in-breeding we've been discussing.

 

The morher looks like she came about that way too 

 

Maybe AI wax using the bottle brush tree method of filling the space with cheap, poor quality child representations and putting the good stuff at  the front, but either ran out of good specimens or just didn't get thd concept off 100%

 

Andy

[jamie92208]

15 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

You weren't by any chance a pin ball wizard Jamie.

Sadly @Winslow Boyno, very prosaic, it's the scenic break for the Castle Branch that has some half relief terraced cottages on one side.litifts off for transport, very prosaic. 

 

Jamie who is still fan of The Who. 

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, Northmoor said:

As there's a few South Walians on this thread I'm going to vent on here.

 

A story on the BBC Wales website about the shortage of housing in Wales (a genuine problem, it's estimated that about 10% of properties are empty) is illustrated by a young man who moved to Bargoed to start work as a chiropractor, but had to look for somewhere to live nearly 20 miles away.  This was where I had one of my "Well my heart flippin' bleeds for you, ya lazy...... ".  Does he expect to only get work on his own doorstep?

 

Firstly, I'd want to know the time, not the distance of the commute.  I wouldn't want to have to drive 20 miles across London in the rush hour (plus, that's what all the public transport is for) but a lot of 20 mile commutes are hardly stressful.  I drove a 90-mile round trip (and often further, for visits to the contractor) every day for three years; did I enjoy it?  No, having previously commuted six miles each way, but I made the most of it - listened to lots of music, Radio 4 & 5 - and I did it because it paid the mortgage. 

 

If he doesn't drive and the public transport isn't convenient, well perhaps he needs to get some lessons quick.  I've seen more than a few people in their early 20s who won't learn to drive because they think cars are the devil.  That's fine, but then they can expect to disqualify themselves from most potential employment.  Far too many of my children's generation seem to think they need to get more and more academic qualifications to make themselves employable; they need to learn there's another section on a CV called "Additional Information" that employers look at as well, and a full, clean driving licence is something many are expecting to see.

 

Rant over, back to work.

Well it might be quite long with a maximum speed limit of 20 mph which almost blankets the South Wales Valleys:  Not that it is a speed one can attain due to those insisting on doing less so they don't get nicked for speeding.

 

Most roads go north to South in the Valleys, so you might only live 20 miles away, but due to the road configurations, going from one of the valleys to another usually involves a bit of a detour. Some of the cross valley roads are little more than single lane tracks.

 

As for public transport, apart from the Cardiffopolis, public transport is not plentiful.  for instance the railway up the Taff Valley to Merthyr and the Rhondda Valleys has been closed for electrification and track relaying.  It has been like this for some time and the will remain so until all is complete.  As far as I know, the trains will then be replaced with trams and the only Valleys train service will be up to Rhymney, via Caerphilly although I'm happy to be corrected on this.

 

Basically once you leave, Cardiff, Newport or Swansea, public transport is a total pile of garbage and the roads are no better.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Happy Hippo
Edit to include orientation of road systems.

[New Haven Neil]

Funnily enough, we used to have....

 

 

Williams 'Flash', a classic in pinball world.

[zarniwhoop]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

 

The morher looks like she came about that way too 

 

Maybe AI wax using the bottle brush tree method of filling the space with cheap, poor quality child representations and putting the good stuff at  the front, but either ran out of good specimens or just didn't get thd concept off 100%

 

Andy

Sounds like descriptions of places occupied by the lords and ladies in Sir Pterry's Tiffany Aching books.

[Happy Hippo]

Today has been a most busy day, of doing very little.

 

We took some friends out to lunch, and on our return had to visit the doctor's to drop off some paperwork, and then collect a 2 months supply of prescriptive medicine, which took up a lot of space on the back seat of the car.

 

I then got home, sorted out the recycling and managed to strip out  the non functioning filler valve seal on the second defective air rifle.

 

Of course, now I can't find the replacement seal kit, so that job is on a temporary hold:  Probably until tomorrow afternoon.

 

This evening, I really need to get out into the garage and set out PN with it's refurbished cassette table to make sure it works, and get it ready for tomorrow's maintenance session.

 

Normally, I'd be able to do this in the morning, prior to crony Gordon arriving, but I have an early morning dental appointment which will curtail any such pre-emptive action.

 

I wonder if a beer might help.

 

Possibly not, but it's worth a try🤣.

[Dave Hunt]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

@Happy Hippo realises that the brakes on his new layout transport vehicle are perhaps a touch too sensitive...

 

Serves him right for being daft enough to put the wrong type of truck on the rails.

 

Dave

[Northmoor]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Well it might be quite long with a maximum speed limit of 20 mph which almost blankets the South Wales Valleys:  Not that it is a speed one can attain due to those insisting on doing less so they don't get nicked for speeding.

 

Most roads go north to South in the Valleys, so you might only live 20 miles away, but due to the road configurations, going from one of the valleys to another usually involves a bit of a detour. Some of the cross valley roads are little more than single lane tracks.

 

As for public transport, apart from the Cardiffopolis, public transport is not plentiful.  for instance the railway up the Taff Valley to Merthyr and the Rhondda Valleys has been closed for electrification and track relaying.  It has been like this for some time and the will remain so until all is complete.  As far as I know, the trains will then be replaced with trams and the only Valleys train service will be up to Rhymney, via Caerphilly although I'm happy to be corrected on this.

 

Basically once you leave, Cardiff, Newport or Swansea, public transport is a total pile of garbage and the roads are no better.

Fair points, I've often noticed that Valleys folk often have very little to do with people from the next valley, sometimes not going to somewhere (even when there is a road over the top) 3-4 miles away except perhaps once a decade. 

 

However, silly speed limits or not, I remembered where Bargoed is and looked up journeys to it on Google Maps.  From the centre of Newport: by car, 40 minutes (that's with some slight disruption; by train 71 minutes.  From the centre of Cardiff it's about 50 minutes by either mode.  Millions of people commute for an hour to get to work.  The guy needs to get off his @rse.

[Dave Hunt]

Just back from a friend's funeral where I was asked to do a eulogy, which is something I don't look forward to but it went OK. He was a popular bloke and the church was packed. Tomorrow will be the first free day I've had for  while so I'm hoping to spend some time in the shed.

 

Dave 

[Happy Hippo]

10 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Just back from a friend's funeral where I was asked to do a eulogy, which is something I don't look forward to but it went OK. He was a popular bloke and the church was packed. Tomorrow will be the first free day I've had for  while so I'm hoping to spend some time in the shed.

 

Dave 

I'll soon put a stop to that!

 

Unless you can think of a good excuse, I'll call by between 1400 and 1430, and drop off the MRN collection I have for you, courtesy of Gordon.