Early Risers.

[BSW01]

That's it training over for this year. I had 2 written assessments today not the one that I thought as well as my practical, passed that but I'll have to wait for the results of the other tests, but I'm pretty confident though. Managed not to fall asleep today as it was a little more involved than yesterday, (so no need to try the pen trick Jock), but I'll remember that for next time, because there will be a next time.

It took me over 2 and 1/2 hours to get home, thick fog all the way, until I got to the highest point of the M62, then it cleared.

We've had some homemade spicy coconut and butternut squash soup for tea. I made a huge batch (5 litres) a few weeks ago and we froze most of it, so whenever we fancy some, we just get some out of the freezer.

Edited December 15, 2015 by BSW01

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.  I hope things have improved chez Jock - sheesh, what a tough time you guys have been having.  Good wishes to all those others in need of support too.

 

Mad still at work, we thought the busiest time would be last week, but apparently not!  This is of course a good thing, but I'll be glad when it calms down a bit.

[BoD]

........ the guys there bend over backwards to help me out with anything I need.

Well you have, single handedly kept them in business these last ten years.

[gordon s]

Anyone else had cold calls to their front door from the RSPCA today?  As animal lovers, we donate to the RSPCA each month.  Mid afternoon a young guy came to our front gate and introduced himself and said he was fund arising for the RSPCA and could he speak with me.  I said no as I was busy, but that we already donate each month.  He thanked us for our support and left.  Just got back and found another guy in our driveway, so went through the whole thing again.

 

I know they need to raise funds, but I don't want cold calls at my home, particularly in the dark and when I may not be here and Jackie is on her own.

 

I want to write to their CEO but can't track down any easy way to complain.  I will sort it, but it does annoy me this whole thing of cold calling no matter how good the cause.

[New Haven Neil]

Reading Jamie's post about the girl answering the door just with a towel puts me in mind of a story told to me by a girl I worked with here some 12 years ago.  A tall, shapely blonde with a wicked sense of humour, let's call her Julie - oh that is her name!!! - once worked as a trolley dolly for Manx Airlines, back when we had one.  I digress - so, Jules is woken in the wee hours by a really high wind blowing, and decides to get up and rescue her pride and joys, a pair of  (steady...)  those silly pom pom shaped bushes either side of her front door - she has just bought the house and is very proud of it.  Being Jules, she opens the front door completely naked, having decided at 3am or so, there would be no-one to see, and she's not a shy girl.  Except the milk man walking up her drive.......!!  So being Jules, she just said good morning to him, brought the bushes in and shut the door.  The milk man's gast was flabbered, I think.

 

Most all of her other tales cannot be repeated here, she is certainly a 'character' that's for sure.  Friday afternoons in that office were never grey and gloomy, despite it being HR.  she's a married mum of two now, hubby is a lucky lad.

[AndyID]

Anyone else had cold calls to their front door from the RSPCA today?  As animal lovers, we donate to the RSPCA each month.  Mid afternoon a young guy came to our front gate and introduced himself and said he was fund arising for the RSPCA and could he speak with me.  I said no as I was busy, but that we already donate each month.  He thanked us for our support and left.  Just got back and found another guy in our driveway, so went through the whole thing again.

 

I know they need to raise funds, but I don't want cold calls at my home, particularly in the dark and when I may not be here and Jackie is on her own.

 

I want to write to their CEO but can't track down any easy way to complain.  I will sort it, but it does annoy me this whole thing of cold calling no matter how good the cause.

 

We didn't get a lot of people showing up at the front door when we lived in Paisley. As soon as they set foot on the gravel drive our Heidi would be up at the window barking like mad. Heidi was a rather large German Shepherd. People would to cross to the other side of the road when I took her for a walk.

 

She was a really big soft lump, but they didn't know that.

[jamie92208]

Totally agree.  I use Travis Perkins and you can get a Trade Card which gives some pretty good discounts on timber.  The quality of wood is so much better and the guys there bend over backwards to help me out with anything I need.

Likewise for me.  I use Arnold Lavers main warehouse in Bradford.  They're excellent and have a huge range of sheet materials including my favourite 3mm birch ply that comes in 5' by 5' sheets at very reasonable prices.  It's always nice and flat and is approved for laser cutting, having the right type of glue in it.

 

Jamie

[NGT6 1315]

I remember the days when wood just grew on trees.

They just don't do them like this anymore.

[PhilJ W]

They just don't do them like this anymore.

Just as well.

[NGT6 1315]

Cheers all! Just on my break. Haven't been on Line 12 for a while, so a bit excited during the first two rounds or so, but fine now. Depot return at 12.35 am, so a bit to go yet.

[AndyID]

Around here we just buy lumber by the truck-load

 

A slight exaggeration of course, but wood isn't exactly a scarce commodity here. People are burning stuff in their stoves that could be used to make pretty good furniture in other parts of the World.

 

The lumber yards here are "drive-through". You pay at a desk then drive your truck into the yard and they load it up. They let you select the bits you like.

[NGT6 1315]

Just remembered, I might have mentioned I had written up a personal route manual with things to keep in mind for each individual lines, as well as various general procedures. To give you an idea of what kind of knowledge this contains, here's my page on Line 12:

 

 

 

This manual is filed in a folder I always carry with me while driving, and which also contains various form sheets and other such stuff.

Edited December 15, 2015 by NGT6 1315

[Simon G]

I did simplify! Our Team visits were:

Team 1 came over from Newcastle to install the gas pipes from our house to the lane using mole techniques

Manager comes and checks the work.

Team 2 come on Sunday to do a pre-check on the services in the lane

Team 3 come at about 2am and offload all the road closure and diversion signage into our drive.

Team 2 come back to do the connections in the lane and install meter box, along with Teams 4 and 5 who are doing the same for 2 other installations in the lane

We next anticipate Team 6 (known as the reinstation team) to arrive to fill the holes in the lane and at the bottom of our drive.

When all this is done, we also anticipate the Return of Team 3 in the middle of the night to collect all the road closure signs and barriers.

Phew!

How could I be so naive? Team 6 turned out to be about 3 teams! The first filled in the holes in the road with a concrete mix up to about 4 inches From the road surface, then said that another team would be along shortly with the Tarmac to complete the road reinstatement. This duly happened, then another guy turned up with a batch of concrete to reinstate the bit of my drive that leads into the road. Despite the three teams, the job still isn't complete, as another team will come tomorrow with some topsoil to reinstate part of my garden. Then it will probably be another team to finally collect all the barriers still around the place.

 

I have covered over the fresh concrete in the drive with bits of timber to stop the local dogs from leaving their footprints, after a neighbour had a new concrete drive recently, which ended up with dog footprints, much to his annoyance!

[New Haven Neil]

If only my knowledge of German was as good as Dom's English.... in fact if my English was as good as Dom's I'd be happy!

[Jock67B]

Anyone else had cold calls to their front door from the RSPCA today?  As animal lovers, we donate to the RSPCA each month.  Mid afternoon a young guy came to our front gate and introduced himself and said he was fund arising for the RSPCA and could he speak with me.  I said no as I was busy, but that we already donate each month.  He thanked us for our support and left.  Just got back and found another guy in our driveway, so went through the whole thing again.

 

I know they need to raise funds, but I don't want cold calls at my home, particularly in the dark and when I may not be here and Jackie is on her own.

 

I want to write to their CEO but can't track down any easy way to complain.  I will sort it, but it does annoy me this whole thing of cold calling no matter how good the cause.

Try this Gordon:

'Chair' of the RSPCA is Mr Mike Tomlinson,

 

e-mail : Mike.Tomlinson@rspca.org.uk

 

Good luck, and kind regards,

Jock.

[DDolfelin]

Newer residents of ERs may wonder at the hilarity surrounding the mention of Shed in connection with Gordon.

 

BoD will explain the history.

This includes Shergar, an angler named Sam and various other surprises.

 

Over to you BoD.

[lightengine]

The Brie is excellent Jock. My wife suggests that you try the Vacherin. It is available now but she says it is not in the shops after about February(ish) as it is seasonal.

Another of our favourite cheeses is Montagnolo Affine a German blue, a creamy blue not a dry blue.

[Barry O]

Totally cream crackered so off to have a bit of eye lid resting.

 

Night night.

Baz

[BoD]

Newer residents of ERs may wonder at the hilarity surrounding the mention of Shed in connection with Gordon.

 

BoD will explain the history.

This includes Shergar, an angler named Sam and various other surprises.

 

Over to you BoD.

The only bits I remember are Sam's.

[gordon s]

Well, here's the scene of the crime.....

 

Got a bit distracted thinking about Sam.  No doubt she'll put in an appearance soon....

 

 

 

[gordon s]

As you know as a pensioner I am on a small budget but always try to have a few lights at Christmas – then I got a new neighbour who just decided to take the mickey out of my small selection of lights …………..but I am getting my own back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BoD]

Well, here's the scene of the crime.....

 

Got a bit distracted thinking about Sam.  No doubt she'll put in an appearance soon....

 

 

You wouldn't believe what went on behind closed doors.

 

[emt_911]

Evening all. Absolutely shattered to the point of falling asleep while trying to write a report.

 

Night all

[The Stationmaster]

How could I be so naive? Team 6 turned out to be about 3 teams! The first filled in the holes in the road with a concrete mix up to about 4 inches From the road surface, then said that another team would be along shortly with the Tarmac to complete the road reinstatement. This duly happened, then another guy turned up with a batch of concrete to reinstate the bit of my drive that leads into the road. Despite the three teams, the job still isn't complete, as another team will come tomorrow with some topsoil to reinstate part of my garden. Then it will probably be another team to finally collect all the barriers still around the place.

 

I have covered over the fresh concrete in the drive with bits of timber to stop the local dogs from leaving their footprints, after a neighbour had a new concrete drive recently, which ended up with dog footprints, much to his annoyance!

Concrete?  Cor, no way is that allowed round here - holes have to be backfilled to meet the council's spec hence contractors are not even allowed to backfill more than a bit at the bottom/around any pipes etc with materials of their own choice.  Everything else is done with limestone scalpings, which happen to meet the spec of course even if it costs more than backfilling with local tuff which was there originally.  The scalpings have to be firmly tamped then a top coating of several inches of black top tarmac (approved spec of course) goes in on top of that to be rolled in.

 

However in the land of council spec's all is not rosy because contractors are not allowed to seal the edges with hot liquid bitumen (apparently it's a safety hazard for cyclists - according to the council).  thus on any roads with heavy traffic the holes although backfilled and surfaced to spec gradually start to break down at the unsealed edges and water gets in, then we get frost, then we get potholes (which presumably in the logic of council highway engineers are not dangerous for cyclists?).

[BSW01]

Time for bed. Early start tomorrow as I'm back at work after the rest that was training course.

Wonder where I'll be sent to?