Early Risers.

[New Haven Neil]

You could have called it Richard

 

I don't know where the story about Cornish treacle mines started, but I it rattled around the Railway Modeller for a while about fifty years ago. Somebody even had a tank wagon for its transportation.

 

The famous Sabden Treacle Mines.  John someone?  Harrison, or Houghton, ???m Had a little Cornish GWR branchline called Torpoint?

[NGT6 1315]

Speaking of asparagus, I read green asparagus is much more frequently served in the UK than the white variety. Is that true?

[roundhouse]

Today was Totnes.

We found a bookshop.

We didn't go anywhere else.

There is a rather nice bookshop in Falmouth where we were very content to spend quite some time in.

It has a bar with some very nice beers on hand pumps.

[petethemole]

The famous Sabden Treacle Mines.  John someone?  Harrison, or Houghton, ???m Had a little Cornish GWR branchline called Torpoint?

 

John Harrison's Torpoint was one layout featuring treacle but I think there were others.

 

To quote, "Now uz got trouble with zum Lunnon volks whut down yer laike Lunnon volks du, tellin uz em ad tu ave a ziding put in and twadn no use uz zayn uz cudn.

"Zee," they says, "uz got our vine niu tank cars what uz be goin to run up tu Lunnon. Uz got to ave ziding zo as can load they."

Theseyer volks they rackon tu open up ole Wheal Clidgy mine tu St. Piran, er whut bain knacked these many years. Whut they specs tu get vrun thisyer ole bal they won't say. There wuz zum talk bout zume laace they called Sabden, and whut Sabden could du they could du better. Dunno where Sabden be though. Up narth zumwheres. Pretty var narth tu I rackon. Barnstable maybe."

(John Harrison, Railway Modeller, Dec 1963).

[New Haven Neil]

Spot on Pete, I remember the words now!   Was that the 'update' article?

 

Mrs H is Cornish, but prefers honey.....

[Coombe Barton]

Tamerton Treacle Mines were always mentioned in my family around Plymouth.

[New Haven Neil]

I went down to the Pre-TT classic racing 'paddock' - aka field - today to photograph some old things for Jock....  ;-)

 

A Matchless twin, no idea what model

 

 

Aermacchi - yum.

 

 

Coventry Climax (Imp) engine outfit

 

[petethemole]

The article title was "Progress Report". It also featured a footnote from CJF:

 

"The reference to Wheal Clidgy may mystify those not versed in the intricate history of treacle mining in Britain. Mr Harrison refers to the erroneous claim of certain northerners that this valuable commodity was first discovered somewhere north of Bristol in a place called Sabden. This is of course ludicrous. treacle has been mine here in the west since Neolithic times, and was exported at the dawn of history. We do not, however, favour the theory that the Phoenicians preferred it to tin."

 

Pete

[Tony_S]

Speaking of asparagus, I read green asparagus is much more frequently served in the UK than the white variety. Is that true?

Green asparagus here. I don't recall ever seeing white asparagus. Is it naturally white or forced under pots?

Tony

[southern42]

Less humidity today and a bit cooler at 29C.

 

Wall to wall Sunny.

 

Thundershowers last night which were refreshing.

 

Have a nice day, as the locals say.  

 

http://www.nyharborwebcam.com   (Jersey City to the left then Hudson River. Manhattan then East River to the right)

 

Best, Pete.

 

Just watched a container ship go by.  Wow.  Piled up so high.  Amazing when you think it's probably crossed an ocean or two.

 

Edit typo

Edited May 29, 2015 by southern42

[Tony_S]

Just watched a container ship go by.  Wow.  Piled up so high.  Amazing when you think it's probably crossed an ocean or two.

 

Edit typo

The unloading cranes at the London Gateway port for such vessels are visible for miles.

[Sidecar Racer]

 

 

 

Coventry Climax (Imp) engine outfit

 

P1030338 (Medium).JPG

 

Not quite the same as mine .

 

 

[jamie92208]

Are you sure? Looks more like Carlos Irwin Estévez  (aka Charlie Sheen).

Not had that one before,  Peter Sutcliffe once and at LAX Bruce Reynolds.  However I've perused the photo a bit more and one of the ladies brings back some rather happy memories but I will not name names to protect the innocent. So it was worth digging out the photo.

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

Just watched a container ship go by.  Wow.  Piled up so high.  Amazing when you think it's probably crossed an ocean or two.

 

Edit typo

 

I had an office about ten floors up in Newport. It's one of the blocks on the left. The cruise ships used to sail right past my window. Looked like a floating block of flats. I vowed nobody was ever going to get me on one of them! That was twenty years ago, and they have got much bigger since then.

[PhilJ W]

Green asparagus here. I don't recall ever seeing white asparagus. Is it naturally white or forced under pots?

Tony

The society for the prevention of cruelty to asparagus got the practice banned.

[petethemole]

This afternoon at Eastleigh a load of earth and spoil was being removed from the north end of the virtual quarry, possibly to make space for more ballast. It was loaded into a train of Sea Urchins, two of which were not empty and had clearly been standing loaded for some time.

 

 

 

Might inspire somebody?

 

The Railvac was lurking opposite Lidl

 

 

Pete

 

 

 

[bluebottle]

The article title was "Progress Report"...

 

Good Lord; I'd nearly forgotten about that! CJF asked for a progress report on his new layout, and John Harrison's response was a sparkling piece of comic writing. It began with something like "What's all this yer prawgress report, m'dear? Us don't 'ave prawgress down 'ere, us goes on like us always 'as done..." I'd love to read the whole thing - and anything else from him - somehow!

[trisonic]

Just watched a container ship go by.  Wow.  Piled up so high.  Amazing when you think it's probably crossed an ocean or two.

 

Edit typo

Was that the “Maersk Chicago”? You can click on the vessels on the map to id them....

 

Best, Pete.

[Jock67B]

Evening all,

Neil(NHN), thank you so much for the lovely images - it is possible to see from the side view in the first image of the first set just what transpired to be the handling problem with our first Kawasaki 500cc triple, the front fork rake angle was wrong, and promoted 'tank slapping' under heavy acceleration. This is what caused our rider to crash in the TT as mentioned in my earlier post. The problem was soon corrected and by the time the Z900 came along, it was a fine all-rounder. The Matchless in the first image of the second set looks to be a G50 chassis and running gear, but that came with a 500cc single cylinder unit so, either this was a rare special or a tuned road bike engine shoe-horned in. More research required! Incidentally, you couldn't get much closer to my first (legal, ie when I was over 16 years old) racer - the AJS 7R I rode in 1963, was an identical machine to the G50 in looks, but with a 350cc engine and black and gold rather than red and gold. Neither was quite as quick as the twin overhead camshaft Norton of equivalent size! Thanks for bringing back the memory Neil. The Imp engine was an obvious choice for the 'chairs', being originally designed by racing car engine specialists Coventry Climax - sadly, reliability became an issue when Rootes Group cut back on the specification to save money! Don't know if Mike, our very own sidecar racer, has found this to be an issue but I seem to recall that the most successful car engined outfit was the mini engined one piloted by one Owen Greenwood! The Aermacchi was a superb handler, with the centre of gravity lowered by having the one cylinder horizontally mounted, and although well down on power compared to the Japanese multi cylinder machines, a gifted rider could place quite high because of the superior braking and cornering performance - I had a brief attempt at that kind of racing with a 250cc Bennelli which was designed in the same way but with a more conventional single cylinder configuration. It unfortunately blew up in spectacular fashion!

By the way, I guess that Chris is 'minted', or at least, was until he invested in that lot?

Once again you've brought vibrant memories flooding back, and again I have to say that I consider myself very lucky indeed to have had my first race on sand in Scotland on a 50cc Itom at age eight (there was a junior class but I had by far the best bike thanks to dad!). It's been quite a ride for the following almost sixty years!!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[trisonic]

My “Bike Era” bike I’d like to own would be a Triton - I always wanted one at the time, my “accountant” would not let me. She also said I’d kill myself on it (or off it)...

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyID]

Good Lord; I'd nearly forgotten about that! CJF asked for a progress report on his new layout, and John Harrison's response was a sparkling piece of comic writing. It began with something like "What's all this yer prawgress report, m'dear? Us don't 'ave prawgress down 'ere, us goes on like us always 'as done..." I'd love to read the whole thing - and anything else from him - somehow!

 

You might find some further correspondence on the matter here.

 

https://ia700707.us.archive.org/16/items/RailwayModellerFebruary1964/RailwayModeller1964Feb.pdf

[Jock67B]

Hello again folks,

That was a marathon catch-up today but worthwhile - apologies to non 'bikers' for my ramble above, triggered by Neil's superb photos!

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for the supportive comments, ratings etc. - anything is bearable with that kind of support! DD, you made me think with your kind comments as, although I think I'm laid back and not really frightened or worried about anything, the night before I go for my monthly chemo check is often difficult to sleep through - I guess I want to stay on it as long as possible and we don't have much control over the sub-conscious!

Stewart (when you do get a chance to look in!), hope your pre-op check goes well and the procedure is soon successfully completed - please keep us posted!

Dave(TG), thanks for the lovely video, really nostalgic having lived in Cornwall for a time - Joanna and I are also familiar with North Devon and Exmoor/Dartmoor, having placed our son in a 'public' school in Bideford. We always took the opportunity to take a break down there when transporting him back and forth at term ends and functions requiring parental attendance!

Mal, I well remember the John O' Groats you describe, but it seems that Mr DeSavary decided to buy that as well as Lands End, and turned it into an 'attraction' before his company went broke some years back. It certainly looks better in the web site you recommended!

Station Cat, hope the holiday goes well and I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping for a nice set of images, like those we got last trip,on your return.

Dom, I'm truly delighted to see that you've finally been able to make the announcement about your new post - I now look forward to noting an improvement in your health, as the last career appeared to be really dragging you down! I wish you the very best of luck, it's always difficult to adjust to what will be a completely different challenge!

Grahame(bgman), I'm truly very sorry that you have had to go to such lengths to secure the treatment that should have been your lad's by rightI I do really admire your tenacity, and hope that whatever ails him can now be resolved rapidly.

Andy(ram), hope you can get yourself fully fit before the grindstone starts to spin again next week.

Ian(Abel), thank you once again for some nice images, I hope you and your party continue to enjoy the busy schedule, despite the good old British weather!

Have a great weekend all, especially those with an interest in the soulless motorised boxes at DEMU!

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all!

[southern42]

A few pics of our day in Chester yesterday (Friday)where we met up with daughter and nephew.

 

We went by train which was filled with half term holiday-makers returning home.  Chester was also quite busy while the miniature railway in the park seemed to draw a gentle flow of customers.  The sun was quite pleasant when it came out making the cold wind more bearable.  Are you sure it's May?

 

We started with a mixture of clothing outlets, book shop and Chester Models according to individual taste, then popped into our favourite coffee shop for lunch.

Daughter then googled us to the park, passing the Roman amphitheatre and an elegant footbridge.  After a circuit of the park we had a wander down to the river before popping back to the coffee shop for afternoon tea before catching our trains back home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another busy day tomorrow.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2015 by southern42

[laurenceb]

Night all

[Two_sugars]

A thought for tonight . . . . . How many times have you thought "I'm beginning to sound like me dad"?. . .. 

 

Goodnight all . . . . . . . Sleep well.