Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

Interesting to see the spaceport will be nice and handy for London (not) - maybe a sign of how the third runway debacle will be sorted?

 

G'night all. 

[big jim]

great afternoon in london, dinner in planet hollywood, then went on a london bus along regent st towards oxford st (but obviously didnt get off there as it was far too busy) then back to covent garden where my wife got selected by a street artist as his assistant, great birthday pressie for her, then charlie and the chocolate factory where we got moved forward by the ushers for or already decent seats to some great ones with a fantastic view, the only downside being the youngest was sick from too many sweets, luckily into an empty pint glass i had as i saw it about to happen!

 

home tomorrow on the london midland stopper, then a mad rush getting the pressies to santa

[andyram]

Evening all. Glad to hear that BoD's op seemed to go well. Good news.

Here in Derby things have been a bit mixed. The pet hamster is not well. I think she suffered a stroke in the night and is struggling. I doubt she will make the big day. That said she is over 2 and a half which is old. Meanwhile the 20 year old Burmese cat is still suffering the snot problem. Now there is clearly blood coming out which is a worry. Hopefully it is just a case of the nasal polyp bleeding and nothing more serious.

As for the rest of the day - we managed to get to and from the Cats Protection without acquiring another cat. Later I wrestled with the construction of a go kart for Amber's Christmas present. It would have been easier if the holes were drilled in the correct place!!!

This evening saw an enjoyable night in the pub with a couple of old college friends, one who is over from Oz for a couple of weeks. A few beers and a Christmas themed quiz too. Great stuff.

[Tony_S]

Andy, one of our hamsters had a stroke one night. She seemed to lose a lot of movement and her head was tilted to one side. We were going to take her to the vet but she seemed better in the morning and was able to move normally. She lived another couple of months.

[trisonic]

Evening all.

 

First reports from the consultant was the the surgery itself went very well so it looks as though all of your kind thoughts have worked. For that, many thanks. It wasn't an unpleasant experience and once they' d started with th laser, a quite fetching shade of green, the effect was quite relaxing. In truth the worst part oncez the local anaesthetic had started to work was the quite heavy cloth that was placed over the face. Goodness knows how those poor people who are tortured in this way feel.

 

Much more unpleasant was having to lie face down for two and a half hours after the operation. I must be one of the first to start developing bedsores on my nose. Now I can lie on my side, fifty minutes on one side, a ten minute break, and then fifty minutes on the other side. This goes on for a week. After that time will tell how successful it has been. We ar looking at 4 to 6 weeks for the gas which holds the retina in place to diffuse.

 

On the downside I don't think much of their bespoke tailor. Those white socks have ruddy great holes where the big toe pokes through

 

Good health and rest to others in need of either.

I sympathize with your plight BoD - as I nearly broke an Opthalmologists arm when he once tried to put in a contact lens.... I’m not good with things near my eyes and become irrational.

One question, though, why do you need special socks for an operation on an eye?

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyID]

Would it not be possible to take heavier payloads with the same power, or the same payload with less power, if the takeoff started along a runway, using wings for initial lift? 

I think, ultimately, it boils down to the energy consumed to lift the mass of the vehicle and the mass of the remaining fuel against gravity, plus the energy required to accelerate those masses to the required orbital velocity. While the vehicle is still in the Earth's atmosphere it is dissipating energy as friction which is a dead loss. It may be better to exit the atmosphere as soon as possible, but I'm not a rocket scientist

[lightengine]

Just to remind you all only 3 days until the after Christmas sales start and Easter eggs are on sale!

[andyram]

Nice one LE. Some are even advertising post Christmas sales starting on Christmas Eve!!!

[Jock67B]

Morning All,

I would like to say a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New year to you all and your families. At the same time, I want to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you for your tremendous kindness and support throughout the issues that my family and I have endured in the past year. Both Joanna and I really appreciate it and your input has really choked us and lifted our spirits on many occasions. We both hope that everyone enjoys the festive break, regardless of beliefs!

AndyID, your post of images from the snow storm took me back to my childhood days in Scotland when snow was a feature for several months. Imagine my surprise when we moved South, the snow here has only been that heavy a couple of times in all the years I've lived here.

Geoff, I believe you have every right to celebrate your news - I shall raise the glass to you tonight.

Dave(TG), thanks for the update on 'Is', although my problem was from a different type of tumour which caused lots of secondary issues, my oncologist concentrated on the primary source to try to prevent further rapid spread. After that, three periods of radiotherapy were applied to 'mop up' the remaining issues - nodules in the lungs, small tumours on two ribs and a shadow on my right thigh. The theory was that they would gradually disappear, and that has been the case! The main bone tumours are sadly too advanced and simply can't be cured, but the radiotherapy slows down the advance which is why I'm back in the booth in January. I imagine that the oncologist looking after 'Is' has made a similar decision, especially as deep surgery can in fact cause further spread, whereas the radiotherapy will slow that markedly. Keep us posted, the fitness issue sounds promising. Is - keep up the positive approach!!

Warren, good news on the op. and I'm sure the few days discomfort will be worthwhile to get your eye back in full working order. I agree on the TED socks, I had to have the nursing sister daughter attend to mine - I can't pull normal socks on, let alone those super-tight stockings! Do your toes feel extra cold?

Polly, good luck with the molar - I hope any suffering is short term.

Bill, hope you have a great break and look forward to reading your posts again in January.

Duncan, sorry to hear about the extra work being forced on you, but you still found time to think of the poor souls in Cumbria who are back in flood trouble again! It was bad enough having to clear up the first lot, without their work being undone so soon.

We hope all those ailing can at least get well enough to enjoy themselves throughout the festive season - I had thought I'd be doing nothing (other than paying for a fair chunk of it!) but that isn't to be - I'll post about that tomorrow all being well.

Climbing the hump now, it will soon be downhill to Santa's arrival. I really look forward to watching the faces of the wee ones as they unwrap their presents.

Nightcap time so it's kind regards,

Jock.

G'night Pete! G'night those who can't sleep for excitement!

Edited December 23, 2015 by Jock67B

[Two_sugars]

Goodnight everyone . . . . . Sleep well. . .

 

John

[southern42]

Goodnight all and nos da from red dragon land.

 

Best wishes

Polly

[newbryford]

I think, ultimately, it boils down to the energy consumed to lift the mass of the vehicle and the mass of the remaining fuel against gravity, plus the energy required to accelerate those masses to the required orbital velocity. While the vehicle is still in the Earth's atmosphere it is dissipating energy as friction which is a dead loss. It may be better to exit the atmosphere as soon as possible, but I'm not a rocket scientist

 

Where's the "confused" button? I think it is rocket science.

 

Only 12 days before we get back to normal (roll on 4th Jan)

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited December 23, 2015 by newbryford

[Jock67B]

Evening everyone, and thanks to all the good wishes I've received. It's been a wet and windy day, very dull, heavy and grey skies.

Well I never did hear from my boss today, so I had a very quiet day, up until this afternoon that is. I've managed to do a couple of small jobs after dinner and before 3 of our grandchildren were dropped off this afternoon for tea. They're all very boisterous but we love them to bits. Doesn't help when you're starting with a cold though.

This evening saw us dropping the grandkids back home, posting the last few Christmas cards and completing the final pre-Christmas Sainsburys Grand Prix, so hopefully that's it now until after the festive celebrations are over. As I said last night, I'm really looking forward to my week off work. Who knows I might even get a bit of railway modelling done, well we can all dream can't we?

Dave (LSWR 1951-71). The best advice I can give is to trust the specialists, they are marvellous and dedicated people who know what they are doing. My own cancer was in-operable. But after 2 years of chemotherapy (1 dose every 4 weeks), 3 years hormone treatment, and 7 1/2 weeks of radiotherapy, the cancer appears to have gone. I'm still having regular 6 monthly check ups, and trying my best to get back to some sort of normality. I imagine this what Is wants to do, just being there for her will help immensely I'm sure. I know that it worked for me. I think I now how Sheila felt whilst giving birth to our children, all I did was sit there and hold her hand, but she said that it really helped her.

BoD. Glad today's surgery not only went ahead that it as the an unpleasant experience. I've had several surgical procedures and I've found that the worst part is waiting for the anaesthetic to wear off.

Polly. Sorry to hear about your tooth, this does seem to be a common thing at the moment doesn't it? In all the commotion and the grandkids excitement, I forgot to attend my own dental checkup this afternoon. So I think I'll have to go round tomorrow and grovel and hope that I can rearrange another appointment.

And on that little faux par, I'll bid you all goodnight.

Brian,

You must have posted as I was typing! That is indeed good supportive advice to Dave and Is. It was only after I was diagnosed that I began to research what 'cancer' meant, and I was surprised to discover the large number of different types of tumour, all with different ways of affecting tissue. As you rightly pointed out, these consultant oncologists are very experienced and I have complete faith in mine, as everything he has predicted so far has happened and I'll soon have been alive for double my original prognosis!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[AndyID]

AndyID, your post of images from the snow storm took me back to my childhood days in Scotland when snow was a feature for several months. Imagine my surprise when we moved South, the snow here has only been that heavy a couple of times in all the years I've lived here.

 

Hi Jock,

 

This year, the "Winter Wonderland" is getting a bit beyond a joke!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

[Jock67B]

Hi Jock,

 

This year, the "Winter Wonderland" is getting a bit beyond a joke!

 

Cheers,

 

Andy

Andy,

I can guess what you mean - it looks beautiful in photographs, but is no fun at all to live with?

Hope you manage to do all you need to for Christmas,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[trisonic]

On this side of the USA we’re expecting 73f for Christmas Eve......

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyID]

Andy,

I can guess what you mean - it looks beautiful in photographs, but is no fun at all to live with?

Hope you manage to do all you need to for Christmas,

Kind regards,

Jock.

 

It's not really a problem. I really love a bit of snow. Comes from reading too many "Oor Wullie" cartoons where he was pushing snow around on a tractor. I might even strap the planks on to my feet and do a bit of skiing this year. 

[AndyID]

It's been a few years since I put lights on this tree at the end of our driveway, but I bought some new-fangled LED lights this year to give it another go. Unfortunately, the tree has grown about 12 feet in the meantime. Took some "creativity" to get the lights up to the top.

 

After I put the lights up I realized I should have attached a lanyard at the top so that I can haul them up next year with less chance of GBH.

 

[Tony_S]

On this side of the USA we’re expecting 73f for Christmas Eve......

 

Best, Pete.

11C and rain is forecast here and similar temperatures for Christmas day. The lawns need cutting but they are too wet. A very very minor inconvenience compared to the problems caused by the rain in places like Cumbria.

Tony

[emt_911]

Morning all. Another dry but breezy start to the day but at least I shouldn't be blown about as much as I was yesterday.

 

Have a good day everyone

[roundhouse]

On this side of the USA we’re expecting 73f for Christmas Eve......

 

Best, Pete.

I amjust packing T-shirts!

 

Morning all from a dry Surrey this morning. Still a bit breezy

 

Finished work yesterday. Trains were bad last night. Ours left LBG 5 late but crawled part of the way to home making us 15 late. Missed the bus and the next one cancelled just as it was due ot leave. Raining hard so we had to wait for the next one rather than walk.

 

Southern have now posted on their website about expected delays till end of service tomorrow due to driver shortage but last nights delays continued with some services just saying delayed due to congestion. I wonder whether the driver shortage or the new timetable is the main problem.

 

So a bit of  tidying up this morning before heading out for a few pints this afternoon and early evening.

[NGT6 1315]

Morning all. Forecast for tomorrow says 12°C and partially sunny, so I suppose we're all in this together!   Thankfully, we have all presents secured by now. Though my impression from the past two evenings of driving is that last week has, in fact, been busier, so perhaps others have done wisely and obtained their presents in time, too.

 

Have a good one!

[BoD]

I sympathize with your plight BoD - as I nearly broke an Opthalmologists arm when he once tried to put in a contact lens.... I’m not good with things near my eyes and become irrational.

One question, though, why do you need special socks for an operation on an eye?

 

Best, Pete.

They are the white socks (sounds like it should be a baseball team) used to prevent DVT. The same as some use on long haul flights. Not so much for the operation, aalthough that involved lying still for over an hour, but for the amount of time I need to be immobile over the next week or so.

[Barry O]

Morning all.

 

BoD you can always put red stripes on the socks if they get a bit boring?

 

Mick B ... As I have been a rocket scientist all I can say is you need a lot of umph to get anything into space. Of course the major rule to be wary of is what goes up must come down...

 

Off on a train trip to Harrogate today. Hopefully this will go well as I am meeting some friends there.

 

Have a great day. Duncan hope today's travelling and work goes well.

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

Morning all from a slightly windy but still dark village.   From reading all the posts it seems that there is some good news around.  

BoD good news about your op and hope the recovery goes well.

Dave(TG) you and Is seem to be dealing with things very well.  I hope that the treatment continues well.  Fitness can only help.  Jane Tomlinson, who I met once, was a great believer in that, and an inspiration.

 

Anyway the ironing basket is full and needs to be emptied before the hordes arrive.   The turkey needs to be picked up along with various other items need to be collected.   After that, hopefully a bit of modelling will be done.

 

Regards to everyone else.

 

Jamie