The Night Mail

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon all,

 

 

This arrived today:

 

 

 

My new (to me) drawing kit. I had been using my grandfathers old one from his misspent youth at Old Swan Tech in Liverpool (Dave may know it), which is more or less falling apart now after 60 years of use by him and dad.

 

This one is by Stanley’s of London and was made in 1897, and is mostly complete with a few replacement parts from a 1903 German set. Everything is in good condition just needing some attention with Brasso bar the pen knife which is in awful condition, covered in thick rust and missing the handle.

 

Douglas

[PhilJ W]

On the subject of graves. My maternal grandmother died in 1972 and was buried in the family plot in Brentwood (Brook Street) cemetery. The only others in the grave are my great grandfather (died 1904) and great grandmother (died 1921). There was no room for any more in the grave so when my grandfather died he was cremated and his ashes spread on the grave. I have the grave number but when I visited it a couple of years ago the number wasn't visible and I had great difficulty in finding it.

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That's what you get, anyway, not the originals.

 

On the grave plot question, my understanding is that the rules depend on who the proprietor of the cemetery is. In this case, one option is renewal on the termination of the lease but that will probably be for some grandchild of mine (if there are to be be any) to deal with.

 

The burial authority is usually either the local council - district, metropolitan or city, or the church. However some church's have closed churchyards in which the maintenance is via one the councils.

 

Some grave deeds are in perpetuity ie. for ever but that is very rare nowadays. Most are for hundred years as the assumption is that by then the remains will have decomposed enough. However I have heard of this being reduced to seventy five or less. For ashes it can be considerably less - 10 years and for memorial crypts as little as five.

 

The only reason I mention this is often wives wonting to be o buried with a husband but find they can't as there's insufficient room or they dont have the deed and often relatives move away and it can prove difficult to verify ownership.

 

I know this sounds morbid but cemeteries were included in my job description and I can't tell you the number of problems that arose - ex-wives refusing to allow current wife to be buried, deeds included in wills (its an asset). I could go on but you get the picture.

[BR60103]

15 hours ago, bbishop said:

I need to be careful of fluid intake, because Mahler 3 is very long and there ain't no interval!  Then the return trip about 9:30pm.

 

As I told my wife,  Don't stand and applaud; they might play it again.

 

[BR60103]

13 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

The bank concerned won't tell me even if the account is still open until I send them a certified copy of Dad' death certificate and, since it was a joint account, a copy of my mother's death certificate from five years ago plus a copy of Dad's will naming me as executor. I'm going to get the death certificates tomorrow, the rest I have to hand.

 

 

When my grandfather died, my father discovered that the house was still in the name of my grandmother's father, whom I had never met.

 

Grampa had a heart attack, but insisted on walking out to the ambulance by himself.

 

[jamie92208]

Yes, cemetries.

 

We own a plotbon Gildersime, though there are thoughts of whether we will use it.

 

Many cemetries/crematoria are nowcownedcby a grasping and avaricious firm calledd Dignity  plc.they wanted £700  to put my fathers ashes in with my mum's and to put a new pkaque on for 10 years whilst keeping the same rose bush.  My brother and I let the rsidual estate pay for that but after 10 years the plaque mysteriously moved to France.

 

I had an uncle who was buried in my grandoarents grave at Leathley just north of Leeds.  Before my aunt died several years later she was asked if she wanted to go in the same grave. 'No way' shecreplied. 'I want to be as far away from the b*****d as possible.  She's on the other sidevof the churchyard.

 

Jamie

 

 

[rockershovel]

I inherited a "perpetual" grave plot owned by the last member of a now-defunct branch of the family - cousins of my grandfather who died without issue in the 1930s.

 

To my surprise it proved to be quite a pleasant location in one of those small rural churchyards you occasionally see beside the road. 

 

However the location (Shropshire) and the fact that only one more interment could be permitted, rendered it of little practical value... probably why it has passed unregarded through the family, these many years. 

 

An old friend died suddenly around that time (1990s), estranged from her family and indeed, from most who knew her by then. I had been involved in the circumstances leading to her death and was aware that her debts and assets were probably approximately equal, and would take some time to unravel. 

 

The original headstone had long since fallen, and been re-set against the boundary. I managed to agree with the Sexton of the managing Church that I would pay for a new headstone, so I donated the remaining vacancy.

 

I hope she likes it there. 

[SM42]

We laid dad to rest in a green burial ground and mum is there with him now. 

 

The sheep roam, the memorial tree produces apples and the location is peaceful and quite beautiful especially in spring when the daffodils are out.

 

The cost was very modest c £100 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

The usual start to the morning with sunshine, which has now degraded into a grey overcast.  How often this happens in this neck of the woods.

 

Yesterday's trip to Blist's Hill went without a hitch, and being midweek we avoided the huge crowds.  Thursday must be their school trip day as there were  a few school groups wandering around.

 

We sat in the 'Fairy Glen' cafe for coffee and cake whilst one such party was taken into the old school house.  I had hoped to hear the swish of a cane and the cries of anguish from within the school house as a result of some minor misdemeanour. But it would seem that old fashioned discipline is sorely lacking in this facsimile of Victoriana.

 

Even more fun was finding a stretch of 18" gauge track and a 'working' turnout. (it's been there for some time, but was hidden from sight under grass and weeds.)  Sadly there were no suitable wagons to push through it otherwise I might still be there now.  My suggestion that such an embellishment to the garden would be an asset and a talking point fell on deaf ears.

 

The afternoon was taken up on various tasks around the garden.  Making pigeon proof fences for our veg ought to be an Olympic sport, then I could offer the hippodrome as a training centre of excellence!

 

This morning's efforts have been fixing a broken lamp, and now I'm off back to the garage to clear up my workbench.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[SM42]

The West wing of SM42 Towers is being boarded out.

The railway room is getting closer 😀

Not long now before I can measure up to see what I can fit in. 

 

But before carefree modelling can take place it will have to be temporary storage for furniture and other stuff from the lounge whilst the ceiling gets replastered and  general redecoration takes place.

 

There will be a lot of furniture moving going on this autumn. 

 

I'm hoping to be sole occupier in the West wing by Christmas. 

 

Andy

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, SM42 said:

We laid dad to rest in a green burial ground and mum is there with him now. 

 

The sheep roam, the memorial tree produces apples and the location is peaceful and quite beautiful especially in spring when the daffodils are out.

 

The cost was very modest c £100 

 

Andy

I thought that would be more expensive. How long ago was that?

[SM42]

1 minute ago, PhilJ W said:

I thought that would be more expensive. How long ago was that?

 

2003, and mum earlier this year. It was £ 100 for mum. 

I can't recall the exact figure for dad. I suspect it was a little more, but I didn't deal with it at the time

 

Andy

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

@Winslow Boy Thank for the photo of your DD. My mother had two miniature schnauzers. My Dad really wanted a dog and my mother would only have one that didn’t shed hairs and make the house messy. The first one called Jason wasn’t heroic like his name, but he did become a handy excuse for my Mum not to go anywhere she didn’t want to go after Dad died. She was very upset when Jason died and wasn’t going to have another dog. However her younger brother also had a schnauzer (Scott). Mum’s brother was terminally ill. His partner couldn’t cope with the dog so had it put in kennels. My uncle begged Mum to look after the dog. She wasn’t going to but agreed to visit the kennels. When she saw the state of the dog she took him straightaway and so acquired her second schnauzer.Though initially he didn’t look like one as the kennels had shaved his coat and removed the characteristic beard. Scott lived for many years and was a more interesting dog than Jason. He was more intelligent and lively. 

If you like Schnauzers a very good book to read is 'The Black Marble' by Joseph Wambaugh.  It's worth it just for the first two pages.

 

Jamie

 

 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

The West wing of SM42 Towers i

I have a “wing” story. Years ago I was unwell and had been absent from work for a while. The college vice principal phoned. Instead of a “how are you?” or similar opening conversation he said “you took your time answering the phone”. Instead of saying I had been in the loo or whatever my reply was “terribly sorry, we only have a phone in the north wing and there are no staff here today.” He was not amused.

[simontaylor484]

The Mil was interred with FIls parents in Pontefract Cemetery, the last to go in. Iirc the bill for digging the grave using a mini digger was just under 700 quid. It was originally an unmarked grave the headstone was only put on about a year after. The only marker till then was an oak cross that I made using a half lap joint and exterior glue and a couple of dowels the edges of the wood were chamferred by a couple of passes with the router and a rounding over bit. 

I had to go to Boroughbridge for the oak to a now sadly defunct sawmill all the timber was individually stamped with the relevant price.

Darrington church yard is closed and maintained by Wakefield Council but cremation plots are still available all 4 of my grandparents ashes are buried there

[Happy Hippo]

A certain resident of North Hipposhire made a diversionary landing here on his way back from his Telford trip.

 

Coffee was drunk and gums did a lot of bumping. (Which is normal for ex military gentlemen.)

 

Among other things, we were able to discuss the finer points of the new Dapol lower quadrant signals.

 

Once Dave had departed for home, I returned to fixing the pedal tractor I'd been working on between tidying up.  

 

The tractor was rescued from a skip by my brother-in-law and was sent to me to see if it could be repaired, as it needed a new handle and lifting mechanism to make the front bucket workable.

 

It's now repaired thanks to a strip of metal I kept back from an old desk that recently went to the local tip, so my grandchildren will now benefit when they visit during the summer holidays.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[jamie92208]

Preparations for the forthcoming family visit are in full swing. I set out after lunch to attempt to complete one of the jobs on my list.  This is to make a 140cm length of moulding to go along the front of the work surface where the new sink is.  This needs to match the mouldings either side of where the old sink was. No ready made mouldings were available.  Never fear I have a router and found a pack of bits with the right two sizes.  I set off to make the moulding in two parts.  Then it all went pear shaped. The new bits are 1/2 inch ones and the only collet with the router is a 6mm one.  Never fear.  A new collet has been ordered from the south american river, delivery is promised for next Chewsday.  Just time for me to do the work begore the tribe arrives.  That at least is the plan.  We can only wait and see.  Rather amusingly Beth got her 2nd French speeding ticket and I can prove that I wasn't driving that day.  

 

Jamie

Edited June 24, 2022 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Once Dave had departed for home, I returned to fixing the pedal tractor I'd been working on between tidying up.  

 

The tractor was rescued from a skip by my brother-in-law and was sent to me to see if it could be repaired, as it needed a new handle and lifting mechanism to make the front bucket workable.

 

It's now repaired thanks to a strip of metal I kept back from an old desk that recently went to the local tip, so my grandchildren will now benefit when they visit during the summer holidays.

A nice bit of recycling there.

[Tony_S]

49 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

A nice bit of recycling there.

The “when the grandchildren visit” and are put to work with the tractor hauling cement for the summerhouse foundation was my first thought. 

[Dave Hunt]

As HH reported, after my trip to the Registrar's, which involved negotiating my way through the depths of Telfland with its attendant dangers, I was in dire need of a restorative coffee so a diversion was undertaken to the Muddy Hollow. On arrival a figure in a fetching black overall appeared from the inner recesses of the Tardis* and we commenced the aforementioned gum bashing. The Dapol signal that he showed me is really quite good and would only require a few small tweaks to make it into a thoroughly impressive little piece of machinery. 

 

On returning to the far reaches of North Hipposhire I visited the solicitor - something that has now become such a normal part of each day that I will probably go there automatically even after our current machinations are completed - then went to a local hostelry to arrange the wake. While there it seemed churlish not to take care of the inner man with a bacon sarnie and a pint of the local brown brew so I did.

 

Apart from all that, the latest news from Hunt Towers is that some of the tadpoles have developed back legs.

 

Dave 

 

*From the outside the building looks like a normal garage but the amount of stuff inside could only fit into something far bigger.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Dave Hunt

[Winslow Boy]

The wheel of life continues to turn no matter what happens.

[J. S. Bach]

36 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

The wheel of life continues to turn no matter what happens.

Odd timing, I just returned home from being a pall-bearer at the Celebration of Life for a dear lady at church. I decided to "take care of the inner man"* at the Cyclone Restaurant on the way home with a "Super Spud":

BTW, half of it came home, it IS a meal!

 

*Thank you Air Vice Marshall Hunt.

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by J. S. Bach
To do a minor edit.

[iL Dottore]

All this discussion about burials has brought back memories about a terrible fight I had with Mrs iD recently. It got so ugly, that at one point she said to me that “I wish you’d drop dead” to which I replied “I just might do that, just to spite you“; “great“ she replied, “I’m going to dance on your grave“. I responded “fine by me……

….…. I’m being buried at sea”

 

Hat, coat, gone…

Edited June 25, 2022 by iL Dottore

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

All this discussion about burials has brought back memories about a terrible fight I had with Mrs iD recently. It got so ugly, that at one point she said to me that “I wish you’d drop dead” to which I replied “I just might do that, just to spite you“; “great“ she replied, “I’m going to dance on your grave“. I responded “fine by me……

….…. I’m being buried at sea”

 

Hat, coat, gone…

 

Ah the old ones are still the best.

 

I'll leave you to work out whether I'm referring to the joke or the person telling it.

[Happy Hippo]

Today is likely to be a full on train day.

 

After getting a bacon breakfast, it will be out to the garage to try and set up the 3 point motors and two signals that await installation.

 

Do I put the board outside and work in the sunshine, or remain in the garage and benefit from my efforts earlier in the week under the LED batten lights?

 

This afternoon I'm off to a local 7mm Scale Society get together just south of the river.  The outdoor line is multipurpose so I might get my act together and dig out a live steamer for a trot around.