RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) The problem is that no-one is accountable, civil servants and those in the utilities that "serve" the public are frequently anonymous or, at best, known by their first name alone. Compare that to my experience in renewing my Swiss ID card - I went to the Gemeinde, spoke with a nice lady (who had a very visible name plate on her desk) completed a form, which we then checked together, handed over my passport-sized photos and the fee and two weeks later I had my new ID card - all perfectly correct and accurate. Not much different from that 20 years ago - I needed a new passport fairly quickly so combined applying in person with a work trip; off the train at Newport and a fairly short walk to the Passport Office, filled in form and handed over various documents for checking, checked form with the PO personage to make sure all was correct and was told, apologetically, that it wouldn't be ready for about 90 minutes. Equally apologetically I asked if it was ok to come back later and advised my ETA, I returned to station went on to my site investigation in Swansea, got back at appointed time and was handed passport with a smile and please check it to make sure it's ok sir' - it was. Back to station and caught train home. That was British state bureaucracy at its best I thought - quick, accurate, polite, and helpful, the words 'public servant' meant exactly what they said. And that was only 20 years ago this year. (BTW Mrs Stationmaster has found another error on her new passport and has now established that it didn't come from Peterborough but Durham - her letter accompanying its return makes interesting reading.) Edit to correct trypos Edited February 12, 2014 by The Stationmaster 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 45156 Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Where's that Alan? Met office now estimating "only" 68 mph gusts for the highest part of Lancaster Edited February 12, 2014 by 45156 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2014 Keeping my fingers crossed for those of you who are in the path of that foul weather you've been describing! It did turn out to be fairly sunny by about noon, which was nice. Forecast looks unsteady, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2014 Howling here now, I think it's the peak. Of the wind, not a class 44/45/46........ Not nice out, stuff blowing all around, raining trampolines etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2014 The main Leeds to Otley road has had a tree blown down onto a car... not nice... city centre U/S so gave up on trying to get to the club tonight... Hatches battened, lead boots fitted.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
station cat Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 We have hail. Makes a change from rain anyway 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted February 12, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2014 We have hail. Makes a change from rain anyway We had the hail yesterday coming at you horizontally. This morning in a fearsome storm, looking at the waves trying to break onto Minehead beach the tops of the waves were being blown backwards as a fine spray never seen the like. It has been rather rough. We made the descision to move into the bungalow yesterday although the work is not finished. At least you cannot hear the roaring of the wind like you could in the motorhome.( Plus the rocking). Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonBradley Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 A lot of non threatening cloud above but warm, even this early. Today promises to be cooler at 25C but it's going to heat up to a forecast 34C by Sunday. Stay dry if you can! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Fans of Corvettes should probably not click the link below: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/automobiles/sinkhole-beneath-national-corvette-museum-devours-8-cars.html?_r=0 Edited February 13, 2014 by pH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelintrev Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Good morning all, 25c at the moment, forecast to go to 30+c later , with thunderstorms. Not much else to report from here, try to stay dry, warm and safe. Trev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2014 Morning all That picture of the Corvettes would quite happily go in the 'real life photos that look like models' topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2014 Good morning all, Dry at the moment & 4oC. Sunny periods & showers forecast with possibly sleet &/or hail. Nothing planned today except still waiting for a parcel and then a shopping trip later. Have a good one, Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Still afloat here. Just. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Morning All, After a rather wild night, with driving rain and wind, it seems to have calmed down a little bit now. I hope those of you in the UK have weathered the storm Ok. I spoke to my parents last night, and my Mum described the wind as "Quite frightening really" which means it really must be bad as they have lived on the channel coast for years! Don't get me started on the Passport Office. What I can't understand is why you have to send the old passport away - which is then gone for weeks on end. Given that UK citizens don't have ID cards, it takes away the only official form of ID. The British Consulate used to do passports in Germany, and that only took a couple of days as a rule - now you have to send it back to the UK (they call it progress). German citizens apply for their new passport, and then pick it up from the Gemeinde in exchange for their old one (as iD said) which is much simpler. As for ferries, I have been out on the channel in a similar storm - but the hovercraft was certainly an experience. I used to love crossing the channel on it, and even with the channel tunnel it was still the fastest way to cross. However, given that it burnt over a ton of Kerosene for a crossing, it wasn't the most efficient! Plus, when it arrived in Dover - everyone knew! Have a good day everyone... Edited February 13, 2014 by Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonBradley Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 When I saw the Corvette heading I immediately thought of the Compass Rose; The Flower Class 2nd World War Submarine protection vessel featured in The Cruel Sea (The novel by Nicholas Monserrat for those of you who are too young to remember it) You mean there's another type of Corvette! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2014 Morning all. Sun burning through right now. If I could do anything about it, I'd gladly donate some of the relative calmness of our local weather to you guys in the UK! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2014 Morning all, Hatches unbattend, lead boots removed. Too dark to inspect for damage.... Hope you have ridden out the storms.and if you are somewhere nice and warm send us any excess heat you may have.. Have a good Thursday everyone. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonBradley Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Barry O You have mail, I have e-mailed a bucket of 25C fresh air from outside my window. I hope it arrives as warm as it left here 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Still afloat here. Just. Wind, tossed and ravaged? Couldn`t resist the comma! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Funny how Staines has gone up market. In my day Staines was in Middlesex. Now it's called Staines upon Thames and is in Surrey. Very posh... Slough must be dead jealous..:-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Looking at the news, perhaps it should be Staines in the Thames or Staines under the Thames... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2014 Morning all Weather here remains a very pale copy of the UK version. Hope all have survived again. Hovercraft? In 1979 I was one of several on a project to improve retail income on board and at the terminals. Must have crossed the Channel 6 times in 2 days - after all, we needed to know what others were up to, too! We made about 80 recommendations and the initial response was that at least 60 were worth implementing. All part of a middle-management course. Others looked at freight operations in S Wales - Cwmbargoed, was it? - and something in or around Manchester, for which the sponsoring officer, a miserable soul, was not impressed. Didn't like the cut of his jib, was glad not to have been on his project! Corvettes have loomed large at Le Mans for many years, and the new C7R will be there this year. Talking to Danny Binks, senior engineer with Pratt & Miller, who run the team, at last year's race, he was very pleased with the way the new model was shaping up. Those that have tumbled into the hole will "polish out nicely" I'm sure! Hope the weather calms down and we can all live our lives a little further from the edge. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2014 Looking at the news, perhaps it should be Staines in the Thames or Staines under the Thames... A Stain upon the landscape? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Talking about Slough (as in plough), my sat nav told me to turn left towards Slough (as in rough) the other day. Perhaps the programmers knew something... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted February 13, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2014 Morning all. Not very windy here but it has just started raining. It is supposed to be dry later. I don't usually watch breakfast time television but I did this morning. I must admit to be not really knowing much about the places that the Thames is currently flooding so I did look. They had reports from Worcester. My brother will be returning from his holiday in Florida this morning and will be driving from Gatwick to Droitwich (near Worcester). I think he won't be using the M40. I feel like hibernating but I suspect a certain spaniel would wake me up for walkies! There was sponge (not the cake type) all over the hall carpet yesterday. At first I thought Robbie had eaten a cushion (not the sort of thing he would do) and I couldn't recognise what it had been. Aditi immediately said it was a pan scourer. I'm not sure how he got it or why he needed to kill it. Tony 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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