Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[MrWolf]

16 hours ago, Barclay said:

So true - the scrappage scheme saw thousands of perfectly useable cars turned into washing machines, while even more of the world's resources were gouged out of the ground to make replacements. But it was good for their friends in the car industry and put more people in debt to 'The Man', so what the hell, eh?

 

Not to mention those cars being baled and shipped halfway around the world for processing as our steel mills had been sold off.

 

You can't recover half the materials and you'll never get back the energy expended.

[MrWolf]

Back in the woods, new shoots are growing.

 

 

Dry brushing and stippling acrylic paints that have not been thoroughly mixed.

 

 

I found that the layering spray wasn't a fine enough mist, so reverted to extra hols hairspray. When all is dry I'll take the trees outside for a good misting of Halfords acrylic car lacquer.

Possibly a lethal concoction, but it will work.

 

First layer of foliage is a bit sparse. 6mm wild meadow for the fronds.

 

 

Special permission was given to do this in a corner of the kitchen as it's easy to clean up.

 

Apparently this absolutely does not set any sort of precedent.

 

 

Save the sticky clods that build up on the area you're working on. These can be worked into the crown of the tree.

 

Getting there, layer by layer, each one blown downwards with the hair dryer.

 

[MrWolf]

2mm spring blend added, paying extra attention to the crown of the tree and elsewhere a general dust over.

 

 

Next I sprinkled on a small amount of Woodlands Scenics fine turf, summer blend to give the impression of the small cones that turn dark brown in winter.

 

 

Two down, ten to go.

 

But not tonight!

[NHY 581]

Nice bush. 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

Nice bush. 

 

Fnaar fnaar.....

[Siberian Snooper]

2 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

Nice bush. 

 

Makes a change from "beaver".

 

The manageress of one of my regular pubs had been out in the beer garden came in and said "she'd been trimming her Bush", when we all burst out laughing, she went a lovely shade of red as she realised what she had said.

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

Cruel close up of a bush (Sometimes referred to as an "Ant & Dec"...) even at this range it's not easy to see the smaller fibres and cones.

 

 

I think that once planted, which in itself is going to be a challenge, as the canopies will overlap some, they will create the look I'm after. Another twenty years practice and I'll get the hang of it!

[Winslow Boy]

6 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Cruel close up of a bush (Sometimes referred to as an "Ant & Dec"...) even at this range it's not easy to see the smaller fibres and cones.

 

 

I think that once planted, which in itself is going to be a challenge, as the canopies will overlap some, they will create the look I'm after. Another twenty years practice and I'll get the hang of it!

I think your alright with the cones as there pretty small in real life. Personally I prefer cones with ice cream and a flake in them but that's just me.

[MrWolf]

1 minute ago, Winslow Boy said:

I think your alright with the cones as there pretty small in real life. Personally I prefer cones with ice cream and a flake in them but that's just me.

 

Ah, can't beat the simple pleasures. 

You really don't need any more than that.

Bohees take note, it's an ice cream, not a wedding cake.

 

I sometimes get funny looks when I reply "coffee" to a drinks request in cafés.*

 

*Any description beyond that is possibly"Americano", all designer coffee descriptions are at least a pound per word. 

[St Enodoc]

57 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Ah, can't beat the simple pleasures. 

You really don't need any more than that.

Bohees take note, it's an ice cream, not a wedding cake.

 

I sometimes get funny looks when I reply "coffee" to a drinks request in cafés.*

 

*Any description beyond that is possibly"Americano", all designer coffee descriptions are at least a pound per word. 

Used to be black or white, with or without (in the CCF, white with was always called "Standard NATO"). Life was simpler then.

[Annie]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

I sometimes get funny looks when I reply "coffee" to a drinks request in cafés.*

 

*Any description beyond that is possibly"Americano", all designer coffee descriptions are at least a pound per word. 

As someone who drinks black coffee and doesn't want their coffee messed about with I always disliked being dragged into posh cafés by my friends.  Being stared at like I'm a peasant for asking for black coffee instead of whatever the fancy money making codeword the café was making use of on that day was something I did not appreciate.

[St Enodoc]

1 minute ago, Annie said:

As someone who drinks black coffee and doesn't want their coffee messed about with I always disliked being dragged into posh cafés by my friends.  Being stared at like I'm a peasant for asking for black coffee instead of whatever the fancy money making codeword the café was making use of on that day was something I did not appreciate.

Over here I always order a long black - although I learned quickly that long isn't a synonym for large...

[Annie]

2 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Over here I always order a long black - although I learned quickly that long isn't a synonym for large...

'Long black' is the café code word for getting ripped off for a plain black coffee that you could make better for yourself at home.

[MrWolf]

23 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Used to be black or white, with or without (in the CCF, white with was always called "Standard NATO"). Life was simpler then.

 

A lot of my friends still call it Standard NATO. Milk, two sugars.

[MrWolf]

17 minutes ago, Annie said:

As someone who drinks black coffee and doesn't want their coffee messed about with I always disliked being dragged into posh cafés by my friends.  Being stared at like I'm a peasant for asking for black coffee instead of whatever the fancy money making codeword the café was making use of on that day was something I did not appreciate.

 

Fortunately, I'm not swayed. Coffee with milk.

 

Even more fortunately, if Miss R is with me, she doesn't drink coffee, so it's tea, a pot of, not a cup or a mug.

 

Mugs and paper cups are perfectly acceptable in transport cafés, roadside stalls or one day events.

 

A lot of "posh" cafés get that wrong.

[Siberian Snooper]

In the posh places, I ask for a black coffee with a splash of milk, I'm not allowed a NATO standard any more, being type 2 diabetic.

 

 

[St Enodoc]

9 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

In the posh places, I ask for a black coffee with a splash of milk, I'm not allowed a NATO standard any more, being type 2 diabetic.

 

 

Ah, but what sort of milk? Cold, hot, frothed? Raw, full cream, reduced fat, low fat, skimmed, organic, lactose-free, UHT, sweetened, unsweetened, goat, sheep, soy, oat, almond, macadamia, cashew, peanut, coconut, rice, pea protein?

 

PS I only made one of those up...

[Siberian Snooper]

2 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, but what sort of milk? Cold, hot, frothed? Raw, full cream, reduced fat, low fat, skimmed, organic, lactose-free, UHT, sweetened, unsweetened, goat, sheep, soy, oat, almond, macadamia, cashew, peanut, coconut, rice, pea protein?

 

PS I only made one of those up...

 

WOW, you down under types sure get a choice, most places I visit only have semi skimmed, hot or cold.

 

[Winslow Boy]

43 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, but what sort of milk? Cold, hot, frothed? Raw, full cream, reduced fat, low fat, skimmed, organic, lactose-free, UHT, sweetened, unsweetened, goat, sheep, soy, oat, almond, macadamia, cashew, peanut, coconut, rice, pea protein?

 

PS I only made one of those up...

You forgot camel and horse. You're obviously being visiting those transport cafes that Rob mentioned.

[Captain Kernow]

43 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

WOW, you down under types sure get a choice, most places I visit only have semi skimmed, hot or cold.

 

Ah yes,

milk = milk

semi-skimmed = milk flavoured water

skimmed = milk coloured water

 

[Captain Kernow]

Back in the day, when I first started working for British Rail, you could go into a Travellers Fare outlet and ask for a cup of O.C.S. (On Company Service) tea. I recall that it was either free, if you presented your BR ID or at least discounted.

 

We never asked for coffee in those days....

 

[Tim Dubya]

39 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Ah yes,

milk = milk

semi-skimmed = milk flavoured water

skimmed = milk coloured water

 

 

Oat milk...

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Captain Kernow said:

Back in the day, when I first started working for British Rail, you could go into a Travellers Fare outlet and ask for a cup of O.C.S. (On Company Service) tea. I recall that it was either free, if you presented your BR ID or at least discounted.

 

We never asked for coffee in those days....

 

1p off, when I started. Tea only, not coffee. Had to show an OCS pass, not just a PT card.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

WOW, you down under types sure get a choice, most places I visit only have semi skimmed, hot or cold.

 

 

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

You forgot camel and horse. You're obviously being visiting those transport cafes that Rob mentioned.

That's why I drink long black.

[Blinddog]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, but what sort of milk? Cold, hot, frothed? Raw, full cream, reduced fat, low fat, skimmed, organic, lactose-free, UHT, sweetened, unsweetened, goat, sheep, soy, oat, almond, macadamia, cashew, peanut, coconut, rice, pea protein?

 

PS I only made one of those up...

I assumed it was the last one that you’d made up, but apparently it’s a thing. Pea protein milk, sounds yum.