Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

I used my card at the airport (the old one) in Singapore and then carried on to Aus where i was due to be working for a month (which turned into 6 weeks.  Fortunately my bill arrived about a week or so after I got to Aus  - where I had used the card only twice, in bank cash machines, so when talking to Mrs Stationmaster on the 'phone one evening and she was intrigued to know what I had been buying in Texas (the state of, not the d-i-y retail concern) I was equally intrigued.  Barclaycard duly refunded the amount as she was onto them pdq.

[AndrewC]

The 'mob' in Sidcup is the same (not successors of sorts, the same crowd!) as was in Rochester although I note they now boast 128 bit security on card transactions!

Only partly accurate. Invicta was started by 2 former employees of Engine Shed. Nothing to do with the former management or ownership. (Modelzone)

[The Lurker]

Before anyone worries, I want to make it clear that I don't blame anyone at Invicta (or indeed Signal Box in Rochester, who were acquired by Modelzone). In fact, I would recommend Invicta as a friendly helpful and reasonably priced place to visit.

 

Although it is in Sidcup...!

[shortliner]

I had this this morning - no idea what it is as I have not ordered anything from them. Postie has been and he knows nothing about it either except that the From address is NOT the Post Office, and the number is NOT a Post Office reference - It specifically tells you NOT to reply and the phone number is the correct one for Post Office enquiries. I assume it is SPAM, but can't see what it is in aid of! All I have done is remove my address. If anyone knows please advise.

Edited April 13, 2016 by shortliner

[BoD]

I suspect that if you click on the link - which is what some people tend to do - then it will take you to a rogue page that could download a nasty to your computer.

[shortliner]

I'm not about to play with either addy but the linked website (if you hover over it) is the Royal Mails website - The only address that appears as though it might be "hookey" is the from one - which I'm not intending to post "just in case!" The whole thing is VERY odd!

[shortliner]

Strange email problem resolved - I ordered something from ebay this morning and it is a receipt for it - the address was not the one I expected it from

[BSW01]

Strange email problem resolved - I ordered something from ebay this morning and it is a receipt for it - the address was not the one I expected it from

Doh!

[sixoh8sixoh]

Afternoon all from a grey and slightly damp Scottish HQ (though it seems to have stopped raining for now).

 

We're now starting to get the manifestoes through to analyse. Joy...

 

Later I gave Joe some driving instruction on the APT-E.  Dunno what's wrong with kids these days because it took him at least 35 seconds to get the hang of it.

I took my new Bachmann Highlander set down to Mum and Dad's with me and Jamie had a go with a sound-fitted 37. Interestingly, she found it too noisy and preferred the model on silent running. She did pick up the driving reasonably quickly too!

[AndrewC]

Before anyone worries, I want to make it clear that I don't blame anyone at Invicta (or indeed Signal Box in Rochester, who were acquired by Modelzone). In fact, I would recommend Invicta as a friendly helpful and reasonably priced place to visit.

 

Although it is in Sidcup...!

Nothing wrong with that. Only a 10 min schlep for me. Much easier than faffing with parcels. Closer than driving to bloody Crayford to Parcel Farce. Also BBQ Barn across the street to pick up meat grilling supplies.

[Ian Abel]

I sleep well after beer.

Ack! I don't - spend the night waking too many times to pee <sigh> one of those ageing problems of course... wine and G&Ts seem to fare better so that's usually my poison of choice.

 

 

Rather late check-in today, continuing with lots of phone calls from oh-crack-sparrow-fart to various clients keeping me from doing my morning peruse/response on ER!

 

Thoughts go out to everyone ailing/suffering/comforting loved ones with issues and I'll add my thoughts/worries about hearing from Jock to everyone else's', having finally read through most posts and realizing he's been AWOL rather too long for comfort.

 

Early enough driving in to avoid ALL the cockwombles, then managed to get 3/4 of the way here and discover they've made one of the bridges on the route (almost impossible to find an alternate route) ONE LANE in each direct for the foreseeable future whilst they do bridge work - only about 10 minutes delay as I was early - heaven help those later than me, probably upwards of 30+ minutes for them!

 

Tomorrow is my POE day as we're headed to Washington DC on Friday. Mrs has a relative being buried at Arlington Cemetery on Monday so we're going a couple of days early to take in the sights and also give her time to visit with a large group of relatives, some of whom are otherwise only seen once in a decade... we'll be returning Tuesday.

 

Weather on the turn here, 5 and sunny driving in to the office this AM, 18 for a high and 20's the rest of the week.

 

Enjoy what's left of HUMP day.

[Coombe Barton]

bloody pedants.   Carpe carpet doesn't have the same ring to it.

 

 

Two Ronnies thing - hear about the painter and decorator who al=ways made love on the bedside rug because they preferred a mat finish.

[Oldddudders]

Two Ronnies thing - hear about the painter and decorator who al=ways made love on the bedside rug because they preferred a mat finish.

 

Well done John. I had tried to come up with something about 'rug day' as the opportunity for a mature couple to relive former passion before the bambini arrived. 

 

As for credit card fraud, in 2008 Barclaycard rang me to ask about the holidays in Japan - while Deb was in the early stages of recovery from her accident, and 3 months before she saw her home again, and then only for the weekend. What seemed odd is that a holiday booking can be traced, and when you turn up to take your places on the plane presumably they put the bracelets on you! There were also some cases of posh wine, apparently. BC were perfect in their response and I lost nothing overall. I blame a supermarket petrol station in Le Grand Lucé, the only time in previous weeks when my card had been out of my hands.

 

Sherry's temperature seems to have remembered where the normal zone is, so perhaps she may now start to recover. Fingers crossed, and thanks for all the kind wishes. Flu is flu and no more for a reasonably healthy person, but very debilitating, as she has found. 

[newbryford]

My first thought was the Nick of Pendle! A modern pub building on a bit of a bend on a steep hill? Deb and I took refuge there in some weather. Nobody seemed to mind our muddy boots etc. 1998. She was born in Colne.

 

All of it is either bendy or steep.....

 

Sounds like The Wellsprings. Glorious views across the Ribble Valley and Duchy of Lancaster (and especially for Andy Leopard - some of it used to be in the West Riding of Yorkshire....)

Cheers,

Mick

[New Haven Neil]

Oddly quiet chez NHN this evening, as Mrs H is out at an IED AED course, learning how to electrocute people better, or something like that.  I think automatic defibrillators are a great idea, but apparently you can learn to use them to better effect than just the instructions on the label.  Debs did an advanced first aid course a few weeks ago, and St Johns were offering this 'upgrade' for free, so she went along.

 

Which makes me think we aren't often apart, other than work.  I suppose the odd hospitalisation and one brief girly holiday is the only time we have been apart of an evening for 34 years.

[emt_911]

What should have been an easy day with only 2 jobs went totally wrong and I couldn't complete either of them. To cap it all, tomorrow has the potential to go horribly wrong which will mean a very late finish.

 

Still absolutely shattered after last nights excitement even after having a nap when I got home

[Happy Hippo]

 

 

By the sound of things young HH is in need of a French Drain

 

 

I'm not encouraging the bloody frogs!

 

Next thing you'll know they'll be leaving their spawn in both muddy hollows, and there will be me half asleep thinking it's tapioca pudding!

[Happy Hippo]

Oddly quiet chez NHN this evening, as Mrs H is out at an IED AED course, learning how to electrocute people better, or something like that.  I think automatic defibrillators are a great idea, but apparently you can learn to use them to better effect than just the instructions on the label.  Debs did an advanced first aid course a few weeks ago, and St Johns were offering this 'upgrade' for free, so she went along.

 

 

I tried to renew my Emergency first Aid at work, but the Council were no longer running the free courses.

 

I happened by the local scuba diving centre where I get my tanks for the air rifles filled, and I enrolled on one of their 1st aid courses.

 

It was slanted slightly towards diving, so I got trained on AED and how to use emergency oxygen systems.

 

A few days later I received a credit card sized plastic qualification card with my details on it, including my qualification to use an AED and oxygen:  apparently there have been cases where  knobheads  officious jobsworths have refused to release an AED because; 'You don't know how to use it'.

 

Our course director told us that in this event, remember to insert the card sideways into the appropriate orifice which will then automatically release the AED into your care.

[BSW01]

I had an interesting conversation with my manager this afternoon. He asked if I could he could send me a job in St. Helens, as I'd already got some work in the area I said yes, I'll do it Friday as I planned to go there anyway. He said he'd arrange for the job to be dispatched to me, however, it never arrived, stuck somewhere in the ether. The next thing I've got the dispatch department asking if I could send them the job information to the dispatch department so that they could close it down me. I told them that I was still in Blackburn, miles away from St. Helens and I've not done the job yet. I also said I know that I'm good, but even I can't be in two places at once.

[roundhouse]

Another signal problem at Purely tonight but luckily we made it home before that happened.

 

Lost another pair of glasses getting out of the blue car I guess at the petrol station on the way to mums. Good job I buy cheap glasses!!

 

Blue car swapped for red car at Mums with the blue one safely tucked away in her garage.

 

Sorted a few jobs out for Mum and now back home.

 

So no modelling tonight.

[leopardml2341]

All of it is either bendy or steep.....

 

Sounds like The Wellsprings. Glorious views across the Ribble Valley and Duchy of Lancaster (and especially for Andy Leopard - some of it used to be in the West Riding of Yorkshire....)

Cheers,

Mick

Nice part o the world that, had a mate that lived in Padiham so used to get out there quite a bit. Also when I lived in Lancashire (holds head in shame) I used to do some part time work for Border Buses in Burnley. One route was the B28 to Barlick (Barnoldswick), I recall well the sign welcoming you to said town and it's association with the West Riding, local inhabitants were not impressed after April 1974.

 

Can't seem to find a pic on tinterweb now though

[Donw]

When we moved home recently I duly phoned the CC co to give them the new address. I then started to change billing address on various accounts however we had one or two glitches then when ordering some items for a few hundreds we twice had payments declined followed by a text asking whether it was us ordering and an option to just reply yes. It was by then (10pm Sat night ) too late to speak to anyone so phoned next morning to speak. After some time they realised they had changed the address on both cards ( probably failed to assume my wife had moved with me and didn't think to ask. I would have started the conversation with 'we have moved' but by the time they had done there security checks they had probably forgotten that). Re-tried one of the failed transactions and it failed again got back on to the CC co at which point a helpful lady suddenly realised that no one had told VISA who do their own checks. Slightly worrying is that some of the smaller transactions went through despite the billing address not matching!

Don

[newbryford]

Nice part o the world that, had a mate that lived in Padiham so used to get out there quite a bit. Also when I lived in Lancashire (holds head in shame) I used to do some part time work for Border Buses in Burnley. One route was the B28 to Barlick (Barnoldswick), I recall well the sign welcoming you to said town and it's association with the West Riding, local inhabitants were not impressed after April 1974.

 

Can't seem to find a pic on tinterweb now though

 

Barnoldswick - I believe it's joint holder of the longest place name in the UK that doesn't repeat any letters.

 

Apart from the local Rolls Royce aero-engine factory (the site is an offshoot of the development of the jet engine in Clitheroe during WW2), the most exciting thing to happen there is the flashing of the lights on the Belisha beacons at the zebra crossing......

 

Locals call it "Barlick" and the inhabitants are called........ Barlickers.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[emt_911]

Night all

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Club night tonight and one of our long term members had found a pic of one of our meetings of about 19 years ago and there centre stage was yours truly, not a grey hair in sight and a lot more of it (except for the face as I was beardless back then). At the time we didn't have a clubroom and we were meeting in the club treasurers shed which was full of his layout which made it a bit cramped to say the least, if all the 16 members we had at the time showed up at the same time no one would be able to move.