Early Risers.

[The Lurker]

Congratulations Dick, and good news Tony.

[newbryford]

Congrats to the new grandparents (and parents of course)

 

I "stayed up" to try and watch the election results coming in. I was stirred from my slumber of the comfy sofa at 0350 by NB junior who simply couldn't sleep after the previous day's operation.

 

As I went to bed at about 4am, Mrs NB was readying to depart at 0430 for a meeting in London. Eventually got up about 10am with NB junior who is recovering well and I'm awaiting the request for ice cream. We have a rather nice pear drop flavour in the freezer.

 

Good news on the modelling front - Network Rail have lifted the ban on West Coast Railway Co, so I can now happily proceed at pace with my WCRC railtour rake!

 

Cheers,

Mick

[The Stationmaster]

G'day all,

 

Recovered from a late night; as I said on another thread I expected the election results to be interesting - seems they are, but perhaps not exactly as many pundits expected.  Laugh of the night was various politicos who want us to take them seriously claiming the BBC exit poll was a load of nonsense; it seems such folk do not credit us with any intelligence when looking at poll results during election campaigns and they seem to expect us to be different from them and tell the truth tp pollsters.   I wonder if the electorate might be becoming too sophisticated for our politicos? 

 

Anyway on more interesting matters congratulations to Smiffy - the granddads round here seem to be doing well lately!

 

We're off to Wallingford in a while to meet a former work colleagaue of Mrs Stationmaster who we haven't seen for many years.  The lady & her husband are coming down (from Edinburgh) for him to accompany their daughter to a regimental 'do' so she's meeting us halfway; be interesting to hear how their daughter is doing as she was in munitions disposal the last we heard and is presumably currently in a logistics regt, always nice to see old friends.

 

Have a  good day one & all.ob

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

The electorate are certainly too sophisticated for our political punditry 'experts'. Need some resignations from that team too?

 

All the best to everyone afflicted, keep soldiering on. My FiL has been recalled following his bi-annual progress check now twelve years on from bypass surgery, as his results from earlier this week are unexpectedly good...

[Robert]

Great news, Tony!

[DDolfelin]

My computer was nearly defenestrated on its way to consider its future following Interweb problems.

May take time to catch up.

 

Seems some politicos will be pleased that job opportunities are on the increase.

[NGT6 1315]

Great news Dick - welcome Rose

Second that, and best wishes to you and yours!

 

Edited to say, that is good news indeed, Tony!

Edited May 8, 2015 by 1216 025

[shortliner]

Congrats Dick. Cute little monkey.

ERRRRR! ... you have to be careful when saying things like that!......http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/07/monkey-princess-charlotte-macaque-japan_n_7229110.html

....but my congrats to all concerned in both sets of families

[New Haven Neil]

Sun has done a runner, now overcast and cooling.  My brunch run covered just short of a hundred miles, not bad on a little rock.  There are a LOT of minor roads here, which I enjoy riding much more that the faster roads and the TT circuit roads which all get a bit samey after a while. 

 

Your election seems to have proven that TV pundits are full of, er, hot air.

[Happy Hippo]

In a conversation with an acquaintance about the election, I have just inadvertently referred to the prime minister's wife as Spam Can .

[New Haven Neil]

Raining.  :-(

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all. Although there is something obviously amiss with the steering on the car no cause can be found. I've now booked it in for a laser alignment test for next Tuesday with a specialist company (very expensive equipment) at £75 + VAT. The mechanic said that if it had been caused by a pothole it would have either shattered the alloy wheel or burst the tyre. Apparently the cause of the problem could be something out of line by a fraction of a millimetre hence the laser alignment test. Congratulations Smiffy on the new addition to the family.

Edited May 8, 2015 by PhilJ W

[roundhouse]

Just rang the garage where we had one of our cars serviced recently to pay them - £660 but that was for a cam belt change, MOT service, new windscreen wipers which were starting ot perish, fix a tyre that had a nail in it etc. So, not too bad really.

[grandadbob]

Afternoon all,

Here late because after having only about 3 hours sleep I was up again at 6.00 and had to go out for a few hours this morning.

Great news Dick & congratulations on the arrival of  the lovely Rose Delilah.

Apparently Abbie is a bit tense after her photography exam yesterday because she's got the second half (another 5 hours) today! This is where she finds out if what she tried to do actually worked. All fingers crossed for her.

Now watching VE day service as I type so bye for now,

Bob.

Edited May 8, 2015 by grandadbob

[trisonic]

Just rang the garage where we had one of our cars serviced recently to pay them - £660 but that was for a cam belt change, MOT service, new windscreen wipers which were starting ot perish, fix a tyre that had a nail in it etc. So, not too bad really.

Just think of the money you saved by not having a Ferrari.......................about ￡6,500.00

 

Best, Pete.

[trisonic]

ERRRRR! ... you have to be careful when saying things like that!......http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/07/monkey-princess-charlotte-macaque-japan_n_7229110.html

....but my congrats to all concerned in both sets of families

I always think that all babies are related to Winston Churchill....................................

 

I prefer children when they reach the age when you can reason with them i.e. about 30.

 

Best, Pete.

 

Best, Pete.

[iL Dottore]

Afternoon All,

 

I've been following the UK election with some interest and comparing it with our "local" politics here. A Swiss friend of mine is involved in local politics and is a village council member. Unlike many a politician elsewhere, he knows most of the electorate (and they him) and when I asked him about being involved Kantonal politics, he told me that he had decided against it as "the best way to get things done was at the local level" and is happy to remain a local councillor. And, ASFAIK, he is unsalaried (maybe gets expenses???) and shoehorns in his activities on the Gemeinde between time spent in his job and with his family (he has more energy than I have!).

 

Although far from perfect, one of the things I like about the political set up in Switzerland is that with the required number of signatures (at least 50,000 valid signatures of opponents) an unpopular or unjust law can be put to a referendum law and decided upon by the voters. And although how Switzerland ensures all parties are involved in government seems fiendishly complicated (at least to me), it does ensure that the ship of state doesn't lurch to far in one direction or t'other with a change of the crew on the bridge.

 

Could the Swiss combination of representational and direct democracy work elsewhere? Perhaps, but maybe it only works for a smallish country like Switzerland (Greater London alone has 8.4 million people, the whole of Switzerland has about 8 million inhabitants).

[Ian Abel]

Congratulations Dick and family, Rose looks lovely...

 

 

POETS day is here, and end of last full work week before vacation - YAY!!!

Nothing of note yesterday at all, when most of the day is taken up with working, there's not often a lot else done, just more gathering of the "clutter" we'll be taking on holiday and more plans for house care etc.

One curiosity - checked, as I always do, that our medical insurance covers us while away. Indeed it does, but apparently only for emergencies, i.e. visits to Urgent Care/Emergency rooms in the event of "accidents like broken bones, car accidents, or other urgent or life threatening needs". It DOESN"T cover us if we want to make an appointment to see a doctor!?!? Not sure I'd EVER just decide to make an appointment to see a doctor while on holiday! Guess there's no accounting for what some folks like to do on holiday

 

Tonight marks the last official meeting of the "holiday team", finalizing everything before we make our separate ways next Wednesday and Thursday. Definitely will be much food and wine to celebrate

 

9 here this morning and overcast. Following the forecast slow downward trend that is supposed to continue until next Tuesday with assorted light rain to storms...

Edited May 8, 2015 by Ian Abel

[Ian Abel]

I always think that all babies are related to Winston Churchill....................................

 

I prefer children when they reach the age when you can reason with them i.e. about 30.

 

Best, Pete.

 

Best, Pete.

Hah!! If you'd asked my dad, I'm not sure he'd agree that 30 was old enough yet to reason with me  

[roundhouse]

Congratulations Dick and family, Rose looks lovely...

 

 

POETS day is here, and end of last full work week before vacation - YAY!!!

Nothing of note yesterday at all, when most of the day is taken up with working, there's not often a lot else done, just more gathering of the "clutter" we'll be taking on holiday and more plans for house care etc.

One curiosity - checked, as I always do, that our medical insurance covers us while away. Indeed it does, but apparently only for emergencies, i.e. visits to Urgent Care/Emergency rooms in the event of "accidents like broken bones, car accidents, or other urgent or life threatening needs". It DOESN"T cover us if we want to make an appointment to see a doctor!?!? Not sure I'd EVER just decide to make an appointment to see a doctor while on holiday! Guess there's no accounting for what some folks like to do on holiday

 

Tonight marks the last official meeting of the "holiday team", finalizing everything before we make our separate ways next Wednesday and Thursday. Definitely will be much food and wine to celebrate

 

9 here this morning and overcast. Following to forecast slow downward trend that is supposed to continue until next Tuesday with assorted light rain to storms...

I remember a group of us who were gonig on holiday to make final arrangements then went out for the evening. We then forgot what we all had discussed and agreed

Edited May 8, 2015 by roundhouse

[New Haven Neil]

Tipping down now.  Glad I had a ride earlier, the whole weekend looks rather dubious weather-wise.

 

Settling down with 'Steam Days' mag, 'Southern Continental Boat Trains in the 20th Century' header, and industrial steam in colour - two of my major interests, whoopee.

 

So, who has noticed how much Nicola Sturgeon looks like Mary-Hen from Rab C Nesbitt?????  And Rab like Alex Salmond??     The Ned party...

[railsquid]

In a conversation with an acquaintance about the election, I have just inadvertently referred to the prime minister's wife as Spam Can .

 

Last time round - bear in mind I was living outside the UK mediasphere with very little passive exposure to the whole news cycle - I got the impression a "SamCam" was some kind of party-political live video streaming service.

 

As election night was election morning here in the Orient, and BabySquid's grandparents - of whom at least one has stood, albeit unsuccessfully, as a parliamentary candidate (and not for the kind of party for which candidature involves wearing a humungous rosette and decorated top hat) - are here, ended up watching the whole thing on ITV's live feed, which worked very well. Which tragically meant that video of classic grandparent-babysquid action also includes the smarmy/depressed visages of various politicos in the background.

 

Congrats to Dick et al!

[Judge Dread]

Just rang the garage where we had one of our cars serviced recently to pay them - £660 but that was for a cam belt change, MOT service, new windscreen wipers which were starting ot perish, fix a tyre that had a nail in it etc. So, not too bad really.

I wouldn't like to say if £660 was cheap or not. I had the misfortune to have a cambelt snap on my Citroen Berlingo which wreaked the engine. The charge for a second hand engine with a new belt fitted and also a new clutch was the thick end of £900.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Judge Dread

[NGT6 1315]

Flavio, I think the aspect of forming governments out of all parties represented in parliament does have merit as it offers at least the potential for broader acceptance of government policies.

I but have wondered the same thing concerning the direct democracy model as implemented in Switzerland being immediately transferable to other countries. I do think any such endeavour should still devote sufficient thought to means for preventing political nutcases such as neo-Nazis from "playing" such a system to their advantage.

[roundhouse]

I wouldn't like to say if £660 was cheap or not. I had the misfortune to have a cambelt snap on my Citroen Berlingo which wreaked the engine. The charge for a second hand engine with a new belt fitted and also a new clutch was the thick end of £900.

Considering it should have bene changed every 6 years and its long time over due I decided not to take the chance (cam belt was approx £350 + VAT). Car is now 20 years old and still runs well.