Early Risers.

[Simon G]

Been out in beautiful sunshine for a walk and posting of ebay item and Christmas cards.  Sunshine now gone and rain has arrived, so washing has been brought in off the line.  Back to layout building!

[PhilJ W]

I can tell a Canadian and an American apart which is due to knowing a few Canadians one of whom I worked with for a while. If in doubt I ask "Are you Canadian", the Canadians are pleased and the Americans are not offended. A similar situation exists with Australians/New Zealanders but whatever you do don't mistake a New Zealander for an Australian. I have just ordered some items from Fraggle Rock, not from Neils Emporium but from the IOM Railway, the 00 scale models of IOM Steam Railway locomotive No. 12 and MER car No. 21.

Edited December 10, 2015 by PhilJ W

[roundhouse]

I can tell a Canadian and an American apart which is due to knowing a few Canadians one of whom I worked with for a while. If in doubt I ask "Are you Canadian", the Canadians are pleased and the Americans are not offended. A similar situation exists with Australians/New Zealanders but whatever you do don't mistake a New Zealander for an Australian. I have just ordered some items from Fraggle Rock, not from Neils Emporium but from the IOM Railway, the 00 scale models of IOM Steam Railway locomotive No. 12 and MER car No. 21.

I made that mistake once with a girl (working in reception in a London office) who was from Canada.

 

Luckily I didnt do that with Andrew C as we are still friends

[AndrewC]

trisonic, on 10 Dec 2015 - 11:30, said:

Do they still use “Eh?” as a punctuation in the West?

 

I’ve only been to eastern Canada and the Canadian accent there is about as far as you can get from the generic American (which is just as regional as any other in the World).

 

When in Halifax, I was advised by a local that we should get “oot and aboot in a boot” to go fishing.

 

Best, Pete.

Nobody in the west uses 'eh' its a more Ontario and maritimes thing.

[Shedman5]

Afternoon, Just about back to normal after returning from South West Florida on Monday,  daft as it sounds nice to see a different coloured sky other than blue for a change though it did rain on our last day there.

 

Had a problem logging on during my last three days over there, which was due to password error and delayed emails for resetting, Andy sorted this for me on my return (thankyou) so its a general congratulations and commiserations as I must be about 30 pages behind.

 

Now we are clear of all tasks since our return I can venture into the shed this afternoon and decide what to do next on my layout.

 

Enjoy your day

 

Alan

[The Lurker]

Greetings all.
 
It's been frantic the last couple of days. Not sure I even reported that all went well with the Younger Lurker's nativity - he was loud and clear with his lines and later on amusing as he danced away to some of the songs.
 
It's good to hear that medical problems are being surmounted. And nice to see Andryram surface - end of term can't be far away now!
 
Year end trundles on with last minute panic after last minute panic....
 
And tonight I meet up with a couple of friends for a meal.
 
I have a general south eastern accent - I can sound posh if needs be - one of my friends convinced his mates I'd been to Eton and kept it going for years and years until I unwittingly let the cat out of the bag - but I can also converse in the SE London lingo  and also the West Kent twang I grew up with.
 
With regards to Sassenachs - I have heard it said that the purest Anglo-Saxons amongst us are the lowland Scots.
 
Have a good day all
 
EDIT re Sassenach:

Scots Word of the Season: Sassenach

Sassenach adj. and n. English; an English person

Sassenach is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word sasunnach, literally meaning 'Saxon', and originally used by Gaelic speakers to refer to non-Gaelic speaking Scottish Lowlanders. Scots, after all, is descended from northern varieties of the medieval language known as Old English or Anglo-Saxon, and although Scots and English evolved into their own distinctive forms, they have much more in common with each other than with Gaelic. As Tobias Smollett wrote in the novel, Humphrey Clinker (1771), 'The Highlanders have no other name for the people of the Low country, but Sassenagh [sic.], or Saxons'. In modern Scotland, however, the Gaelic term has been adopted into general usage as sassenach, denoting something or someone English. Labels for specific groups of people can of course be problematic, encouraging a sense of cultural and ideological division, and evoking an air of tribalism or inequality. The assertion that 'this is our word for you (whether you like it or not)' is clearly a political statement, even when the word is not used intentionally as a term of abuse....."

This comes from an online publication called the Bottle Imp which is apparently exist to promote and support the teaching and study of Scottish language and literature - and which I found by searching the term on google

Edited December 10, 2015 by The Lurker

[BoD]

Top Tip: Stay off the Ski slopes.

Slopes are fine.

It's the skis that bagger you up.

[Ian Abel]

BIN day, and for once I'm home to be allowed requested to get the bin out to the kerb.

 

Uneventful HUMP day, decorated the Christmas tree, Bob becoming crazed in the process, we're not sure if it's the potential to destroy the low hanging ornaments or the fact that some amount of the living room has been re-arranged against his wishes - he was tearing around the house making definite attempts to knock us over as he flew by...

 

Expecting a "parcel" today, I do hope so

 

Already 6 here driving Jemma to the office - they've two potential pilots to interview today, so might have some interesting stories later - very unseasonably warm now, about 8+ degrees above normal, and of course no chance of snow in the near future. Doesn't seem like Minnesota at all!

 

Hope all BIN activities go as expected

[Simon G]

A very welcome set of deliveries from the postie today. My parcel of points etc arrived from Fraggle Rock, Mrs G got a small cheque from the Premium Bonds, and a Bachmann Jinty I won on eBay arrived, and I discovered that it was DCC fitted, which had not been In the description. It will get a good run at the club tonight.

[bluebottle]

......

I have a general south eastern accent - I can sound posh if needs be - one of my friends convinced his mates I'd been to Eton and kept it going for years and years until I unwittingly let the cat out of the bag - but I can also converse in the SE London lingo  and also the West Kent twang I grew up with.

 ......

 

I'm reminded of a line from "The Beverly Hillbillies":

 

Miss Hathaway:      "Did Jethro go to Eton?"

 

Jed Clampett:         "If I know Jethro, he went to eatin' the minute he was born!"

[DDolfelin]

Lucy, the feral cat which adopted us, finds a different box to sleep in each day.

It's almost a modelling requirement now I notice.

 

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Another letter from me published in the local 'paper today (again having a go at our useless, self-serving, MP) and mine was second from the top of the Letters Page this time but being realistic that was probably down to the best fit for editing the columns.  I'm sure I won't be on his Christmas card list as my letter suggested that we would be better off with an MP who is actually fully committed to our town.

 

That apart some excellent home made asparagus soup from Mrs Stationmaster for lunch duly accompanied by some of her bread as she's well into bread making at present.  And we have indeed had some desultory rain,  but no major weather warning - what is the Met Office coming to? After this is the Home Counties and if it rains here it is a natural disaster on a major scale.  

[southern42]

I can tell a Canadian and an American apart which is due to knowing a few Canadians one of whom I worked with for a while. If in doubt I ask "Are you Canadian", the Canadians are pleased and the Americans are not offended. A similar situation exists with Australians/New Zealanders but whatever you do don't mistake a New Zealander for an Australian. I have just ordered some items from Fraggle Rock, not from Neils Emporium but from the IOM Railway, the 00 scale models of IOM Steam Railway locomotive No. 12 and MER car No. 21.

 

When we were at the Commonwealth Games at Manchester, there was a small group of American students right behind us. They asked if they could join in with our support of the Welsh athletes rather than side with the Canadians!  Nice touch, fellas.  Nice polite and friendly bunch of fellas, too.

[Barry O]

Mal

 

many apologies, my tablet refused to use the reiver spelling.

 

Been busy rebuilding a club colleagues' Midland 2-4-0 to make it dcc compatible. Amazing the things people will do to eliminate the need for pick ups. Live tender, live loco body.. not good for dcc.

 

Been raining on an doff here all day but managed a trip to collect my prescription from our local chemist in the company of a strange orb in the sky - it was accompanied by a very thin wind!

 

Looking forwards to POETS!

 

Baz

[lightengine]

Isn't it easy to tell Americans and Canadians apart? Just ask 'when did you join the war?'

[TonyA]

So what are you are buying Vin for Christmas?

 

Bill

 

Vin is getting two Brio locos, James and Emily, and a track extension pack.

 

I was getting bored with just a figure 8 to play with. Now  I  he will have points as well.

 

All we need now is Duck, the Great W*****n engine. 

 

Tony

[jamie92208]

Mal

 

many apologies, my tablet refused to use the reiver spelling.

 

Been busy rebuilding a club colleagues' Midland 2-4-0 to make it dcc compatible. Amazing the things people will do to eliminate the need for pick ups. Live tender, live loco body.. not good for dcc.

 

Been raining on an doff here all day but managed a trip to collect my prescription from our local chemist in the company of a strange orb in the sky - it was accompanied by a very thin wind!

 

Looking forwards to POETS!

 

Baz

Standard American style pick ups. It also causes problems in some layouts where control is handed from one controller to another on analogue.

 

Jamie

[BSW01]

Well after trials and tribulations of my faulty (work) laptop and having to resurrect my old one, the rest of the day went (worryingly) to plan. Completed what work I could do, in what was left of the day, without a hitch. Makes me wonder, what the hell is going to go wrong tomorrow?

I've got quite a bit of work to do up in Cumbria, but with the weather the way it is at the moment, I'm putting off until next week or maybe even the week after that, but whatever the work has to be completed before Christmas.

[roundhouse]

Isn't it easy to tell Americans and Canadians apart? Just ask 'when did you join the war?'

They may respond which one!

 

Baz - glad it's not just me with typos...it really is the autocorrect.

 

Journey into work was Ok ish but journey home not so smooth.

 

Our train was due 10 late into LBG so decided to get an earlier train and change at East Croydon. However we got delayed 10 minutes on the approach to ECR so missed the connection. We had a back up plan but that Thameslink is over half hour late so that scuppered us. Now on our normal train off LBG which must have left LBG only a few minutes late but on time into ECR as the Thameslink isn't there to delay it today. However, after a stop outside Purley it is also now late. Doh!!!

 

Losing VDT!

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Not long after I ordered the items from Fraggle Rock this morning there was a knock at the door, it was the postman with a couple of parcels, obviously not from Fraggle Rock but the next item from the Atlas 'World of Stobart' series, the service truck model, the other parcel was the gift for taking out a magazine subscription.

[newbryford]

Looks like a POETS day in the offing. Driving test cancelled by DVSA at one day's notice.

One very miffed candidate as the current waiting list is about six weeks.

Me - at least I can claim compensation from the DVSA for my lost time - pity it'll take about 8 weeks to come through.

 

Back off out to work for an hour, then home to start stripping.

 

Catch up again later.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Purley Oaks]

Mal

 

many apologies, my tablet refused to use the reiver spelling.

 

Looking forwards to POETS!

 

Baz

Och! Baz, nae need to apologise, was just joking!

Roll on POETS!

Mal

[Oldddudders]

Evenin' all

 

My day yesterday was a little long, really. I had been awake since 4.15 GMT and by the time I got to St Pancreas that was already 9 hours, with more travel ahead. I then somehow managed 2 hrs with Deb's mother without actually strangling her. I lost count of how many times she asked when I'd be back. "In the Spring" was the consistent answer. I cut and ran at 16.30, heading for the 17.20 Waterloo to Exeter. The 18.03 from Padlington would have got me into Devon sooner, but I rightly guessed the SWT item would be lightly loaded in first class, and it was indeed so. Changing at St David's gave me 45 mins to wait, so I had a couple of pints in the Great Western.

 

Sherry met me at Torre and we came home for a late dinner, which sadly lay on my tummy for quite some hours, so I did not sleep well.

 

So today has been a dies non, with a rather tired Dudders. We are off to the Buccaneer shortly.

 

Great to hear Is has come through her ordeal, and that Simon's news is much better.

 

I thought it was jewellery, i.e. products of a jeweller.

 

Hope your day has done as required.

[Rugd1022]

Afternoon all,

 

Another letter from me published in the local 'paper today (again having a go at our useless, self-serving, MP) and mine was second from the top of the Letters Page this time but being realistic that was probably down to the best fit for editing the columns.  I'm sure I won't be on his Christmas card list as my letter suggested that we would be better off with an MP who is actually fully committed to our town.

 

That apart some excellent home made asparagus soup from Mrs Stationmaster for lunch duly accompanied by some of her bread as she's well into bread making at present.  And we have indeed had some desultory rain,  but no major weather warning - what is the Met Office coming to? After this is the Home Counties and if it rains here it is a natural disaster on a major scale.  

 

Echoes of our previous MP Mike, a man who loved nothing better than getting his mugshot in the local rag and promoting new build housing, which in true 'Ernest Marples tradition' he had connections with!

[NGT6 1315]

by the time I got to St Pancreas

 

Do tell: What's the story behind this?