Early Risers.

[trisonic]

rather than let my bowel condition flare like it did.

I

Tony

I’m sorry Tony, I know it is serious BUT I had a very nasty visual when I read this............................

 

 

The appointment went well, then.

 

Best, Pete.

[iL Dottore]

Pop in to Aldi or similar and you can buy microwaveable ready to go egg fried rice which is oddly enough edible and cheap. Prefer to cook my own however!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Oh dear, Jock, I am so, so sorry, but I absolutely had to give you a disagree on your statement

 

From long experience (and from being an enthusiastic amateur chef) I must assert that the words "ready to go" "edible" and "microwaveable" really do NOT go together

 

I confess, Sir, I find myself disappointed, from an erudite discussion on what wine to use instead of a Barolo to this... I am saddened

Edited June 5, 2014 by iL Dottore

[trisonic]

Morning all,

 

And now you know why I steer clear of (anti)social media - I'm on Farcebook (under a false name as several of you know) purely for the occasions when RMweb drops off the ether,

.

It’s “Vinnie Caligula" - should you want to look Mike up.

 

Sorry, Mike, I could not resist....

 

My problem is that other people update my site on FB - usually with extremely unflattering photos...I hate  the place!  I have made contact with people I knew decades ago, though (sometimes that is not so good, either). I did enjoy putting my birthplace as London, Texas.

 

Best, Pete.

Edited June 5, 2014 by trisonic

[Debs.]

.........I had a very nasty visual when I read this.........

 

Don`t worry, Pete............to prevent Tony suffering such an event; highly qualified-doctors are hot on his tail!

 

Edited June 5, 2014 by Debs.

[iL Dottore]

Interesting link from Trisonic regarding the D-Day landings. The ill-informed and, quite frankly, half-baked comments in the comments section are quite eye-opening. I think the best short summary of the war in Europe was made by my history teacher many years ago:

 

"The British contained the Nazis (a), the Russians bled them white (b] and American material, manufacturing and logistics gave the Allies the tools to win ©"

a: e.g. Battle of Britain, Western Desert, Crete (a Pyrrhic victory for the Germans); b: e.g. Stalingrad, Kursk, Operation Bagration; c: e.g. Liberty ships, Sherman tanks, dehydrated food.

 

As an amateur historian (one of my many interests), the more I delve into the politics and military history of WWI, the interwar years and WWII, the more I realise that - at best - the history taught at school is very superficial (and frequently very simplistic).

Edited June 5, 2014 by iL Dottore

[Barry O]

Morrisons do a microwaveable rice as do Uncle Dens.. they are reasonable edible and very quick..

 

I too am on Linkedin.. and I read some of my erstwhile bosses inputs as if I sat and did nothing while they did my work for me.. as Ian A would say <sigh>

 

My Dad never rated American kit - he hated flying in Liberators (prone to break their backs on landing), Marauders .. he watched two of these crash on take off after an engine stopped...but he did love the Dak.  He managed to clock up a lot of different aircraft types during his time on the Ferry Units in Africa/Middle East and India - his real favourite .. the Mossie!

 

Must go and get ready.. T20 umpiring beckons - its blowing a gale but no rain at the mo... Yippppeeeeddooooo!

[shortliner]

Interesting link from Trisonic regarding the D-Day landings. The ill-informed and, quite frankly, half-baked comments in the comments section are quite eye-opening. I think the best short summary of the war in Europe was made by my history teacher many years ago:

 

"The British contained the Nazis (a), the Russians bled them white (b] and American material, manufacturing and logistics gave the Allies the tools to win ©"

a: e.g. Battle of Britain, Western Desert, Crete (a Pyrrhic victory for the Germans); b: e.g. Stalingrad, Kursk, Operation Bagration; c: e.g. Liberty ships, Sherman tanks, dehydrated food.

 

As an amateur historian (one of my many interests), the more I delve into the politics and military history of WWI, the interwar years and WWII, the more I realise that - at best - the history taught at school is very superficial (and frequently very simplistic).

 

Perhaps an excellent example of " History is always written by the winners!"

[shortliner]

  He managed to clock up a lot of different aircraft types during his time on the Ferry Units in Africa/Middle East and India - his real favourite .. the Mossie!

 

A pair of Merlin engines in close formation with several trees!  Love that sound!

[Tony_S]

I mentioned recently the excitement when a lorry got stuck in the park. Robbie didn't seem interested but then it rained...

 

Edited June 5, 2014 by Tony_S

[laurenceb]

Re Tony touching the floor, years ago a bloke I knew on being told his cattle had leg that were to short replied that they all touched the ground.

Laurence    Who cant type today!

Edited June 5, 2014 by laurenceb

[Tony_S]

That rather muddy bit of the park where Robbie is paddling used to be an army camp in the 1940s. When we moved here my father mentioned he had spent some time on Canvey Island learning all about machine guns. I wonder if Benfleet was where he was stationed. He never said but I suspect it was rather different then anyway.

[andyram]

Good afternoon - the sun is shining and the sky is blue, and for once there is signs of good news on the horizon. A lunch time call from the builders has set our "welcome" meeting for the 18th June, with the promise of completion soon after. Sadly though the solicitors are still working to the 27th June which means I will face moving in at one of the busiest points of the final half term - just as the student needs all her final reports written and I return to the classroom full time. In every silver cloud......

 

 A day out of the classroom saw me frantically trying to plan the school's forthcoming "Sports Week" which has landed on my shoulders. At the same time I was trying to make more progress on this photo book which is rapidly becoming a real pain in the rear Neither job has been finished, frustratingly because I am waiting for contributions and replies from other people - patience is being stretched a little bit.

 

 Trying to keep up the good news feel, Sarah and Amber are back this evening so that she can go to the local playgroup session in the morning. She will be pleased to see the new fridge freezer which has just been delivered, but now seems to have a need for a new microwave because she has seen one in the sale. Yes, the current one does need replacing, but finances are not infinite!!!

 

Oh well - hold onto the positives. The house move is closer and there is only one more day until the weekend and a chance to go to the Bakewell Model Railway show.

[trisonic]

That rather muddy bit of the park where Robbie is paddling used to be an army camp in the 1940s. When we moved here my father mentioned he had spent some time on Canvey Island learning all about machine guns. I wonder if Benfleet was where he was stationed. He never said but I suspect it was rather different then anyway.

Maybe Shoeburyness?

http://www.academia.edu/1473819/The_Shoeburyness_Complex_Military_space_and_the_problem_of_the_civilian_body

 

I was firing  machine guns down there as late as 1970 (it opened in 1847, I think). Big complex including Gunnery School.

 

Best, Pete.

[Tony_S]

Maybe Shoeburyness?

http://www.academia.edu/1473819/The_Shoeburyness_Complex_Military_space_and_the_problem_of_the_civilian_body

 

I was firing  machine guns down there as late as 1970 (it opened in 1847, I think). Big complex including Gunnery School.

 

Best, Pete.

Some of Shoeburyness/Foulness area became part of AWRE and then Qinetic. They still get stuff by rail.

I know when we took Dad onto Canvey once he did say it looked a bit different compared to his previous visit. 

[The Stationmaster]

 

As an amateur historian (one of my many interests), the more I delve into the politics and military history of WWI, the interwar years and WWII, the more I realise that - at best - the history taught at school is very superficial (and frequently very simplistic).

In which case may I recommend 'Catastrophe Europe Goes To war 1914' by Max Hastings which I bought recently and started reading at the weekend.  I've only got to page 314 so far, and about to see the French 'miracle on the Marne' (not that I think Hastings will describe it as such) and it is without a doubt the best book I have come across as both a scene setter for the start of that war and the for covering the land war in Europe in that year; a smashing and highly objective, widely researched, read.

[Barry O]

Maybe Shoeburyness?

http://www.academia.edu/1473819/The_Shoeburyness_Complex_Military_space_and_the_problem_of_the_civilian_body

 

I was firing  machine guns down there as late as 1970 (it opened in 1847, I think). Big complex including Gunnery School.

 

Best, Pete.

I was there when we had the "Big Storm" .. watching an M109 SPH being lifted off the ground by the wind was interesting to say the least! Never did get to see a live shoot there. They had all sorts of interesting bits of gear including a Conqueror chassis with a special gun mount for testing guns...

[Debs.]

I mentioned recently the excitement when a lorry got stuck in the park. Robbie didn't seem interested but then it rained...

 

mud mud glorious mu.jpg

 

The Spaniel; at one with nature!

[Tony_S]

I was there when we had the "Big Storm" .. watching an M109 SPH being lifted off the ground by the wind was interesting to say the least! Never did get to see a live shoot there. They had all sorts of interesting bits of gear including a Conqueror chassis with a special gun mount for testing guns...

When we first lived in Benfleet you could hear the gun testing. If you heard a bang and then nothing happened it was safe to assume it wasn't Canvey gas storage or the Richard Montgomery.

 

Tony

[Ian Abel]

 

As an amateur historian (one of my many interests), the more I delve into the politics and military history of WWI, the interwar years and WWII, the more I realise that - at best - the history taught at school is very superficial (and frequently very simplistic).

I'm sure you're aware, given the statement above, but one of my favourite documents that I would class as "objective and factual" on the subject is Winston Churchill "The Second World War". Whilst the volumes can be daunting (as can his "History of the English Speaking Peoples"), his recounting of the build up to WWII in book 1 "The Gathering Storm" is beyond enlightening IMHO.

There is so much that was not done, and that remained unspoken, unmanaged and ignored that the outcome could have been possibly even no war with a lot more concious intervention by the then British and French governments. Quite eye-opening, especially as written by the man himself.

 

If anyone hasn't read it, and can manage through a highly detailed minute-by-minute documenting of history, it's well worth the enlightenment on the subject IMHO. I wish the US included more of this aspect of history in their education. Whilst they were banging on about Prohibition and gansters here and enjoying night-clubs and speakeasys, the rest of the world was exactly as Churchill put it "A Gathering Storm" and by most accounts this wasn't really on any US radar at all!! 

[Barry O]

pah Humbug!  T20 off due to flooded pitch....

[Oldddudders]

Whilst they were banging on about Prohibition and gansters here and enjoying night-clubs and speakeasys, the rest of the world was exactly as Churchill put it "A Gathering Storm" and by most accounts this wasn't really on any US radar at all!! 

One of my favourite poems.

 

http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/september-1-1939

[PhilJ W]

Talking of Shoeburyness. A friend of mine back in the 70's was first officer on a gravel dredger which was basically a large floating vacuum cleaner. The normal practice was to drop the suction pipe over the side and see what comes up (mostly for the quality, they know it should be sand and gravel). He found what came up was very good so he started dredging. Half an hour later he had a visit from the military security, he was in the restricted zone off of Shoeburyness. He was fortunate his boss only gave him a dressing down, he could have sucked up a bit more than sand or gravel!

[gordon s]

Evening all.  Trying to catch up on the news, but was stopped in my tracks by Neil's post.  Apologies that this is a few days late, but my thoughts are with everyone who is having to come to terms with this tragedy...

 

Been golfing today at Tidworth Garrison Golf Club.  Great course and really interesting as it was well and truly in an Army base.  The sound of gunfire went on for most of the day, but the biggest surprise was coming over a hill and there were several tanks rattling over the rough stuff a few hundred yards away.  Add to that the sight of a helicopter suddenly appearing behind some trees and then flying over our heads at an altitude of 150' or so and it made for an interesting round.

 

Sitting in the dining room after the game and we all counted our blessings.  28 of us well and fit enough to enjoy the game, the food and drink and the comradery.  Got home and there was a mail from Jackie's first husband.  He went to the hospital for a routine endoscopy today only to be told afterwards they have found cancer.  We don't know which type or how serious it is, so wait for more news.  Another sobering bit of news as he is in his mid 50's.

 

I can't recall so many people being found with this disease in my youth, so is it a reflection of our lifestyle or perhaps it just wasn't talked about back in the 60's?  Otty is the fourth person in our close friends and family that have been diagnosed in the last two years alone.

 

It certainly put today in perspective...

Edited June 5, 2014 by gordon s

[Tony_S]

Talking of Shoeburyness. A friend of mine back in the 70's was first officer on a gravel dredger which was basically a large floating vacuum cleaner. The normal practice was to drop the suction pipe over the side and see what comes up (mostly for the quality, they know it should be sand and gravel). He found what came up was very good so he started dredging. Half an hour later he had a visit from the military security, he was in the restricted zone off of Shoeburyness. He was fortunate his boss only gave him a dressing down, he could have sucked up a bit more than sand or gravel!

One day in the mid 1970s a pupil in my science lab pulled out from his rucksack, what even to my untutored eye looked like a mortar round he had found bait digging "near Shoeburyness". He asked me what I thought it was as no-one in the playground seemed to know. It was something from the research establishment and they did want it back and sent a man in a van to collect it. I hadn't been teaching very long and I was somewhat surprised at the initial management reaction of (after I'd moved the class to another room) "tell him to take it home and not bring it to school again".  Fortunately I did know who would do the "right thing". This was in a school where a head of year disarmed a knife wielding intruder and got told off for calling the police himself rather than clearing it with a deputy head first.

[New Haven Neil]

Evening all.

 

Thanks once again for the support and advice.  A trying day again arranging 'things' that one must in these times.  I had a bit of a wobble this morning after taking Jayne to the funeral directors, but that is only to be expected - I try not to let her see when I'm upset as I don't like to 'set her off in sympathy', afterwards with just Debs and myself is different, I'm not 'testosterone man' that won't cry when overwhelmed with emotion.  I have worked with social workers for a long time.....they are looking after us.  The police have been great, and it's not just because Jayne and myself are known to them, they have been very professional and helpful despite being run off their feet with all the TT still going on around us.

 

To lighter things.  Jock, that's great news, and others health situations seem to be well under control.  I even photographed a train when we took Jayne out for a few hours, may upload it tomorrow, Manx Electric 16 which is the only green car, it's my favourite but I hardly ever see her.  Also car 7 which has been repainted into the original Douglas & Laxey colours, blue and cream.  The rest are in the varnished wood/white/red standard livery.