Early Risers.

[Debs.]

Morning all, I'm home! Finally got back around 8 last night. If they hadn't discharged me I'd have done it myself. It's good to get back to some peace and sanity, although the garden is a mess after nearly four weeks away and I'm in no state to do much about it at the moment.

The home PC ain't half slow after the iPad mini I was using in hospital. Moving the internet to the Virgins hasn't made any difference, so perhaps I'll have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. Should I buy the little Apple one?

 

Cheers

 

Ed

 

Welcome home. Ed............Take it easy; the garden can wait.

[travelintrev]

Welcome home Ed!   Stay chilled the gardening can wait!,

 

 

 

 

Trev.

[Debs.]

Welcome home. Ed............Take it easy; the garden can wait.

 

 

Welcome home Ed!   Stay chilled the gardening can wait!

 

Snap!!!!!

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Glad to see you up and running Ed - or maybe that should be up and walking?  Slowly does it!

Busy day for me as parting request from Chris as I dropped her at work was "Do you think you could run the hoover over this morning?" I did intend to take her literally and lay the bl##dy thing in front of the car but I don't think that's what she meant!

The reason for this burst of activity is that offspring and grandchildren are visiting for dinner tonight so that'll liven the place up.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[martin1]

morning all,cool and damp,rained in the night,we had a visit from the police helicopter in the early hours,though me and jack were blissfully unaware! hey Debs how about myford,not too bad for a boy!,my missis wanted dante for a middle name,she was shocked when I agreed without questioning it.......I did eventually tell her it was livido porters middle name,i got the should have known look !! condolences alan,I have only just caught up on here....I like Barrys pest control idea.....every home should have one,me ive allways wanted a landrover 101..... 

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Raining here. 

Just some pre-holiday pottering about and possibly a trip to the shops (Lakeside or Basildon) today. 

I did have a few minutes playing with a loco yesterday after setting its decoder number.

Still raining.

Tony

[Barry O]

Morning all. Its chucking it down here.
Ed stay calm and forget the gardening until you are 100%.

Youngest Herbert intends to take us out for lunch with his young lady....I guess that means I am paying.

Off to parcel some fleabag sales up before lunch....
Have a really great Wednesday everyone!
Baz

Edited August 6, 2014 by Barry O

[The Lurker]

morning all from a rainy Borough Market Junction - although as I look out the window I can see patches of startling blue through the grey clouds.

 

In catching up, condolences to Alan, and good to see Ed has "escaped".

 

Busy days at work at the moment, largely because I am in my summer holiday mode - basically I try to have at least 1 day a week off during the school hols (and this eyar including a full two weeks off). I think the Mrs appreciates someone else refereeing bickering boys!

 

However, time off doesn't mean the work goes away and so it makes work days busier! My in-laws (both ex VAT people!) can't understand - when they fot near to holiday, they and all their colleagues wound down. Guess that's the difference between private and public sector....

 

The Mrs took the boys shoe shopping yesterday. Elder has increased 1 1/2 shoe sizes in about 3 months (just turned 12) and the youngerwas in shoes 2 1/2 sizes too small. Bad parents! Still, now she's bought school shoes each, PE trainers/plimsolls each, football boots for the eldest, casual shoes and garden trainers for the youngest, a bill of well over £200. And there's still casual shoes for the elder to buy. Aren't there times when you're glad that Hornby and Bachmann are suffering from delays to deliveries?!!

[Simon G]

Morning - it was extremely wet here an hour ago, but has passed over a bit now, so I was able to get to work dry.  I was soaked going home yesterday, just after being outside for a couple of minutes, and that was with a coat on!  Typically 15 minutes after I got home, the rain stopped!  Spent a happy hour or so last night fixing non-runners bought off ebay - I do enjoy it when they finally spring into life again.

[Purley Oaks]

Good morning all

 

Sincere condolences to Alan - the grieving process is never easy.

 

Returned from Sarajevo via Vienna and Brussels - there are no direct flights from the UK - from regional airports, such as Edinburgh, you can connect in about 7 hours via Frankfurt or Brussels then Vienna, all migration routes. Course you could fly to Dubrovnik or Split in Croatia, but we didn't fancy the 6-hour bus ride from there.

 

Sarajevo itself is a wonderful place, sad and resilient, still showing signs of the 1992-95 siege, bullet holes in walls and a few shelled buildings. It's a very vibrant place, too, where east meets west. The small mosques and their calls to prayer are the normality alongside the Christian catholic and orthodox cathedrals. Bosnian Muslims are very westernised, more so than in Britain.

 

The olympic bobsleigh track is still there, worse for wear and graffitied; think there are plans to resurrect it for a youth games in 2016.

 

Took a train ride to Mostar along some beautiful Alpine scenery. The train itself was donated by Sweden, all 1950s first class coaches, and the return fare is just £8; the journey takes around 3 hours. Will try and post some photos later. Mostar is another beautiful town with some incredible 16th century architecture; must have been quite some trading place in 1600. The rebuilt bridge is fabulous, too.

 

You can't visit Sarajevo without doing war, whether it's the place where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated which caused immense geo-political upheaval for half a century and more, or the break-up of Yugoslavia. There is an excellent, yet harrowing, photographic exhibition of Srebrenica. The first room consists of six hundred black and white photos of men's faces. I never did look each one of them in the eyes. A guide tells you what happened. Over 8,000 men were killed. Very, very sad.

 

So, if you get a chance to visit Bosnia take it. The food is inexpensive, likewise the beer and wine. Bosnian wine is surprisingly good. Just be prepared for a trip that will make you think a little more than a hot beach in Spain.

 

Hope you have a dry day - thistling down here

 

Mal

[Pete 75C]

Morning all from a damp Norf Norfolk. Must catch up with ERs. 2 days absence will probably mean 8 pages+  and take at least 3 cups of tea.

As a kind of therapy after plasterboarding for what seems like FOREVER, I've finally been doing something I want to do and have achieved the mini-milestone of actually getting a train running on my new mini-layout.

After the Sheringham Carnival street races last night (we came home soaked and covered in flour) the funfair is in town today for one day only. Kids will no doubt want some cash so they spend a few hours happily throwing up on the Waltzer...

Have a great day.

 

 

Be honest... you've never seen a nun in a wheelbarrow before, have you...?

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all, not as many visits to the bathroom last night but when I did I had to be quick! 

[DonBradley]

Hi all,

           Had sad, though not unexpected news this morning.

           When I started my last layout in March 2001 (Tim was 11, now 23) I also started correspondence with Fred whom I came across in an American forum on layout scenery. It proved a very animated correspondence based on each of us commencing a new layout simultaneously, but incorporating South African/American life styles, life in general, politics, religion, philosophy etc. He was as far right wing Republican as one could imagine whilst I rather favoured the Democratic line. I used to infuriate him by sending him Bush Jokes, he retaliated by sending me Obama scurrility! I also became acquainted, third hand, with his wife Carlyn.

         Before either layout was complete Fred developed Altheimers. The onset and development was sudden and totally debilitating. Carlyn maintained a nominal correspondence, just keeping me abreast of Fred's progress (regress).

             Today I received news from Carlyn that Fred had gone to sleep and just not woken. In a way I am glad for both of them. Fred had totally lost interest in life and Carlyn was totally tied down as his carer.

              So I am not sad, but nevertheless sorry to have lost a friend.

 

            Weather today an improvement on the last few days, but still cloudy with a possibility of some rain and a forecast max of 18C.

              Happy hump day. 

Edited August 6, 2014 by DonBradley

[Pete 75C]

I think I've kinda caught up. Apologies if I've missed anything but sympathies to Alan and welcome home to Ed.

[Happy Hippo]

Just been reading about Bernie Eccleston paying £60M to avoid going to gaol for 10 years on bribery charges.

 

Please correct me if I'm appearing stupid, but paying a vast sum to avoid prison sounds like................................a bribe?

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Re the nuns....'Two mules for sister Sarah' with Clint Eastwood at the weekend also had a few racey nun scenes.

 

Dave

[skipepsi]

Morning all, kittens are running riot but not bugging me much they have grown a lot but not finished yet their ears are still too big for them. I am hoping the rain holds off as the roof is leaking again, what with a plague of birds nesting up there I have gone off dormer windows no matter how big they are. The young adults are getting restive again I think two need to find somewhere else to live, only two months before they are at university I hope. Have a good day all I am going to do my best. 

[Shedman5]

Morning, Firstly many thanks for the support shown here regarding my father in law, much appreciated by myself and my other half.

 

On that front the ball is starting to role as they say, funeral director, registering of his death etc etc. Having done it for both my parents helps a bit in the sense of whats needed ie copies of the death certificate, how to deal with the bank etc.

 

Moving tack as they say welcome home Ed, the garden as said that can wait, maybe a neighbour could mow the grass for you?

 

Pigeons not a problem here, just squirrels of the grey variety but that's another tale.

 

Enjoy the day, light drizzle here clearing up later on to sun or so they say.

[Coombe Barton]

Just caught up after a bit of Internet downtime at the campsite courtesy of BT.

 

Condolences to Alan - no matter what age it's always a wrench.

 

Ed - glad you're home and as other's have said - don't do too much.

 

Peeing blood is also not unfamiliar to me - multiple causes and needs specialist advice and tests. Good luck.

 

Yesterday's forecast for today was rain, but that changed and we're now sitting in sunshine for the next couple of days (unless they change it) but Bertha may have a trick of two for the weekend. Which is when we pack up and go home.

 

Which got me to thinking - in many engineering shops there's often a "Big Bertha" - I've seen and used sledgehammers, saws and spanners given that name. So a question - if you have a Big Bertha, what is it? (And looking forward to Debs' answer)

[DonBradley]

Phil, Glad a degree of normalcy has been restored. I have been experimenting with quantities of liquid drunk after supper with the result that I have come to the conclusion that it makes very little difference to the number or frequency of night visits. Even limiting to one cup of cocoa after supper  (soup with and coffee after as part of) nevertheless results in two hourly visits right through until 6:00 am.

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

...I once knew a 'Big Bertha'....she was a popular girl with the lads!!

 

 

Dave

[Pete 75C]

On reflection about the Eccleston thing, on the promise of £60m cash at the end of it, I might seriously consider going inside for 10 years... 3 square meals a day. luxury hotel room cell, satellite TV and I'd miss all the traumas of the kids troublesome teenage years. Result. Only joking (I think)...

[DonBradley]

Ed, If you get some Sunny days and you have a hammock, Get out into the garden and laze. Maybe you could get a Boy Scout to "do" the necessary under your supine supervision!

[Ashcombe]

Re the nuns....'Two mules for sister Sarah' with Clint Eastwood at the weekend also had a few racey nun scenes.

 

Dave

 

As did the musical: "Sister Act".

[DDolfelin]

 if you have a Big Bertha, what is it? 

 

I've never given it a name.