The Night Mail

[jamie92208]

I did have lunch with HH and DD.  Whilst there my other half came and introduced  herself.  For some reason thete seems to be a reluctance to return to the UK.

 

Jamie

[SM42]

I am fully prepared for meeting @Happy Hippo and @Dave Hunt.

 

I have my full hazchem suit and kevlar vest ready to go. 

 

I also have my real tree camo net just in case i need to disappear before they spot me. 

 

 

My pass out for Warley has been put in the diary.

As is usual I will be somewhere near an SM42

 

Andy

Edited September 5, 2022 by SM42

[SM42]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Perhaps Managers should ask to see receipts?

 

 

What was his reaction when told where to go?

 

 

...

 

We did ask for receipts, but you don't have them for things yet to be bought such as fuel to get home.

 

One layout never got past the info gathering stage as they wanted 40p per mile. it would have been cheaper to hire a van and collect it ourselves.

 

His reaction is unknown as we sent a letter saying sorry we are too full, perhaps another time. 

 

Andy

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

 ...snip... P.S.  I'm not seriously suggesting physical violence on an elected representative.  Some laxatives in his tea, just before a hustings meeting, will do fine.

Maybe the stuff they give you before a colonoscopy?

[AndyID]

5 hours ago, SM42 said:

I am fully prepared for meeting @Happy Hippo and @Dave Hunt.

 

I have my full hazchem suit and kevlar vest ready to go.

 

 

You could always employ a cunning deception by having someone at the other end of the hall shout CAKE!

[Sasquatch]

10 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

That's amazing. I never knew there was such a thing although I did know a guy who collected them. I imagine they are gradually disappearing -  the old telephone ones anyway.

Guessing you haven't been to Portland. Food truck on every other corner! All great food too.

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

You could always employ a cunning deception by having someone at the other end of the hall shout CAKE!

No need to shout, a whisper is sufficient for cake.

 

Our Staffordshire Bull Terriers were all very capable of hearing a crisp or biscuit packet being opened at a range of about 100 yards.

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

No need to shout, a whisper is sufficient for cake.

 

HH's cake detection circuitry is akin to a dog's sense of smell but in all five senses. At a small exhibition in Telford I once took some cake for him in a sealed polythene box and when I arrived at his stand he had his back to me. Without turning round he said, "Ah, Dave, you brought the cake then?

 

Dave

[Winslow Boy]

12 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

HH's cake detection circuitry is akin to a dog's sense of smell but in all five senses. At a small exhibition in Telford I once took some cake for him in a sealed polythene box and when I arrived at his stand he had his back to me. Without turning round he said, "Ah, Dave, you brought the cake then?

 

Dave

 

That's his army training - that and the third eye he has!

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

No need to shout, a whisper is sufficient for cake.

 

 

Poly's don't even need that - Bear can whiff it from miles** away.....

(** The precise distance being a closely guarded secret - classified Top Top Top Secret, in fact)

[SM42]

AWOOOOGAH AWOOOOGAH!

 

Mrs SM42 is due back this afternoon. 

 

DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC!

 

Can't stop too long. 

 

Tidying to do you see.

 

AWOOOOGAH,  AWOOOOGAH!

 

 

Andy

In a bit of a rush

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, SM42 said:

AWOOOOGAH AWOOOOGAH!

 

Mrs SM42 is due back this afternoon. 

 

DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC!

 

Can't stop too long. 

 

Tidying to do you see.

 

AWOOOOGAH,  AWOOOOGAH!

 

 

Andy

In a bit of a rush

I am sure she will be so pleased to see you she won’t notice the state of the house for many days. 

[SM42]

14 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I am sure she will be so pleased to see you she won’t notice the state of the house for many days. 

 

You've never met her, have you?

 

Andy

Still rushing.

Where did I leave the vacuum cleaner?

Edited September 6, 2022 by SM42

[Re6/6]

On 05/09/2022 at 11:07, bbishop said:

Was that the exhibition organised by the English Riviera Model Railway Club?

Bill

It could have been but I don't know who it actually was I'm afraid.

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

AWOOOOGAH AWOOOOGAH!

 

Mrs SM42 is due back this afternoon. 

 

DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC!

 

Can't stop too long. 

 

Tidying to do you see.

 

AWOOOOGAH,  AWOOOOGAH!

 

 

Andy

In a bit of a rush

I am SO spoilt…

 

As both Mrs iD and I have no kids and we have always been working full time (often being away on weekends), we have been extremely lucky in finding our Portuguese putzfrau Ana Maria. Not only is she an absolute treasure, but the dogs really adore her. On Thursdays, when she comes to the house, I am normally out walking the dogs; upon my return as soon as I open the front door and unleash the doggies they shoot through the house at high speed looking for her. Lucy in front. Although treats are handed out, they still hang out with AM after treats just for the sheer pleasure of her company.

 

Thanks to this, my only real bona fide luxury, my domestic duties are reduced to emptying the dishwasher, putting my books back in place and ensuring that my magazines – once read – are put it into the appropriate pile for recycling.

 

I also cook all the food and do the shopping, although this is a pleasure and a hobby so it’s not classified as a “domestic duty“.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

 

You've never met her, have you?

 

Andy

Still rushing.

Where did I leave the vacuum cleaner?

Aditi came back from a couple of weeks at her mother’s and didn’t notice that I had replaced the 40” television with a 55” tv. Well not until she went into the front bedroom and noticed the old one on a dressing table. Now if I had been wearing one navy blue sock and a black one she would have noticed immediately. 

[jjb1970]

It's when wives get the hump simply for agreeing with them that I find annoying. Many years ago we went to watch some Bond movie and the villainess was some French actress called Sophie Marceau, after it Mrs JJB said 'oh, she's so beautiful, I wish I was that beautiful', so I naturally agreed with her by saying 'yeah, I do too' and the reaction I got would lead you to believe I'd said something terrible. As Basil Fawlty so aptly said, no capacity for logical thought.

[bbishop]

15 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Fortunately there's just the one. All I can say is the tories in Gravesend must be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Cess pit, more like.

[SM42]

Disaster has struck

 

The vacuum cleaner battery is flat

 

Yikes!

 

Andy

[bbishop]

On 05/09/2022 at 21:43, Northmoor said:

So he's started out in life by exploiting voluntary organisations (he'll be claiming to have supported all these groups for N years on his first election leaflets) for personal gain, while skating round the edges of the law on representing charitable organisations?  Sounds like an eminently suitable candidate for high office which we'll probably be hearing more of in future.......

 

Or someone could save everyone a lot of trouble in future and "explain things" to him, out the back, by the bins?

 

P.S.  I'm not seriously suggesting physical violence on an elected representative.  Some laxatives in his tea, just before a hustings meeting, will do fine.

Near enough happened already.  Two of us (and both ex-front row forwards) held him against a wall at an exhibition and explained what we would do to him, unless he stopped inventing fictitious model railway clubs.  

Edited September 6, 2022 by bbishop

[Happy Hippo]

3 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Disaster has struck

 

The vacuum cleaner battery is flat

 

Yikes!

 

Andy

Well pump it back up!

 

You'll have a pump for the tyres on your bike.

[SM42]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Well pump it back up!

 

You'll have a pump for the tyres on your bike.

 

It's got  a puncture. 

 

The pump that is

 

Andy

Edited September 6, 2022 by SM42

[jjb1970]

Just now, SM42 said:

Disaster has struck

 

The vacuum cleaner battery is flat

 

Yikes!

 

Andy

 

Many years ago I was on a container ship scheduled to go into drydock near the end of the trip. The electrical engineer basically had one job to do in the entire trip leading up to going into dock, make sure the shore side breaker and interlocks were working and that he was ready to supervise connection and changeover. For three months the chief engineer was saying 'have you done it' and the lecky was adamant everything was ready, tip top, all systems go. Come the day, the ship went into dock, the shore supply was connected and I got the instruction to open the generator breakers and black out so the breakers could change over. Nothing happened, cue two hours of faffing about in the dark on emergency lighting as the dock was being pumped out and we were losing SW suction to cool the auxiliary engines. Eventually one of the dry dock electrical engineers pointed to a gap in one of the interlocks and said he thought there should be a capacitor there. Any normal person would have shuffled off, wasted ten minutes and came back to say 'I found one, hopefully this will fit'. Not fearless Wilf, he exclaimed loudly in front of the chief engineer, superintendent, dry dock engineers and everone '****** he**, that's been on my bench all trip, I wondered what it was for!!'. How to impress. Not.

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, Re6/6 said:

It could have been but I don't know who it actually was I'm afraid.

If it was at a leisure centre near South Devon College a few years back, then Ray Heard? Legit ebay seller and trader, but the exhibition was heavy on tables full of secondhand, and a little light on layouts and other traders. 

[TheQ]

15 hours ago, polybear said:

 

A guy called "Dakota Dibben" (I kid you not) by any chance?  There's discussion here:

 

 

I also discovered this whilst searching for the above - surely there can't be two of 'em - can there??

 

https://democracy.gravesham.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=4265

Yep That was him.. I remember seeing the later mentioned Sheringham Show being on, but having already seen comments about his shows, I decided I'd not spend my time and money by going..

If gets anywhere with his chosen career you can be sure the opposition / press will drag this up....

 

I have no objection to commercial shows, where we know about it.. Providing there is a good reason for it,, Such As I believe Warners has taken over the running of the Bristol show because it became too much work for the club to run.

 

We've lost several shows locally due to aging /  reducing club membership, Quite what is the future for shows I don't know..

I suspect that next year the price of hall rental will rocket putting many more shows in doubt.

 

I'd love to visit the NEC show again, but I find it very crowded, and expensive by the time you pay for parking as well. It also took me 5 hours to drive there last time due to fog... and 5 hours back again..  Just worked out it's £36 each way just for fuel as well.. So heading for £120 with ten hours driving for a day out.....

 

Online it says it's 4:50 hours each way by rail  so that's no better...

 

Hmm they've parked a lorry outside my lab again... The radio is giving snap crackle and pop as it blocks the signal..

 

It seems as they can't find a qualified person to replace half of me, they are looking at a school leaver to take that role. If they get one he'll be untrained unqualified and unable to do the job when I leave in December..

Then they'll still be looking for a qualified person to replace the other half of me.