Early Risers.

[AndrewC]

I second the warning about Naproxen. I was put on it two years ago. I noticed after three days that my stomach was a bit odd so I stopped taking it and went back to the quack. He said "Oh yeah, this sometimes happens. We'll have to find something else.". I'm still having to take stuff to keep my knackered stomach under control.

45156 as well, Naproxen for me is a last resort when my foot or knee goes into melt down. Normally one will reduce the inflammation sufficiently. Basically I end up taking one every 6-8 weeks these days. I do find that a pro biotic yoghurt drink as a chaser really reduces the impact they have on my stomach. Same is true when taking codeine.  Foot has calmed down now but over stressing it this week has resulted in a very stiff ankle and sore calf muscles as they over compensated.

 

All quiet in the boring borough. There is still a hole in the front path covered by a bit of plastic. No doubt this will remain for another couple of weeks or until the council gets their finger out and starts yelling at Thames Water. The mattress that was in the alleyway seems to be slowly migrating up the road. It now has a large plastic doggie bed to keep it company. Council alerted via "Fix my Street".

 

Next door gets weirder and weirder. At first there was the one couple, then a third person showed up. Now there is a rather quiet but peasant African gent in there. Technically in Bexley a house of multiple occupancy must be registered. (article 4 or some such) The fact the place is now an illegal HMO hasn't gone unnoticed by the other residents of the terrace. At the moment everyone is keeping quiet as they are the best bunch that have lived there in 5 years. Nice to know we have an ace up our sleeves if things get noisy or anti-social again. I wonder if the owners know the property management company they turned the place over to is raking in multiple rents.

 

Said newcomer has been listening to all gospel radio this morning. Not too loud but I've had to compensate on the patio with some Black Sabbath while I enjoy my coffee.

 

Today I will be mostly chauffeur for SWMBO and a trip to Brockley market. Cheese, olives, and some other local nibbles to be acquired.

 

Have a good day all.

[Coombe Barton]

We have wooden stairs, and because Sandy (K9) is now unsteady on he=r feet yesterday I went out and bought a stair gate as we don't want her falling down the stairs if she tries to negotiate them on her own. So last night I'm all ready to carry her up for bed and she slips through the gate I've just opened and nips up the stairs. 

 

This morning coming down it's a case of "first catch your dog".

 

[Edit] This dog, I have to keep telling myself, is 14 1/2 - around 90 in human terms.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Coombe Barton

[iL Dottore]

Morning All,

 

You may (well some of you... perhaps one or two of you...) be wondering why I have not been posting much as of late. The reasons are numerous, but a major reason is that I have been indulging in a major passion of mine: the theatre. The professional theatre group that I am involved with is doing 3 (yup, you read that right, three) Shakespeare tragedies: Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet... in one evening. Not the full plays, but rather adaptations: two by Tom Stoppard (Dog's Hamlet and Cahoot's Macbeth) and one by one of the directors (Benvolio and Tybalt are Dead). I have a part in each play: Friar Laurence in R&J, Polonius in Hamlet and "The Inspector" in Macbeth.

 

The latter is a wonderful role, Cahoot’s Macbeth is based on the experiences of Czech author Pavel Kohout, who was banned from performing and publishing during the cold war. To circumvent this ban, he displayed his work as a 'private' living room theatre. The risk that these would become public is the central theme in Cahoot’s Macbeth: The power of the state – and how they can and do misuse this power. The power play happens at the level of the characters in the play, as well as at the level of the performers, who in the middle of their performance of Macbeth are rudely interrupted by an inspector who questions the legality of this performance and brings it to a sudden halt.

 

So I get to play an utter bastard of a secret policeman who taunts, humiliates, terrifies and provokes the actors playing Macbeth (i.e. the [real] actors are playing actors in a play about playing Macbeth). Being a villain is SO much fun. One of my favourite lines is when I am really rubbing their faces in it, showing them the utter ruthless might of the state: "I'm the cream in your coffee, the sugar in your....... tank. ------------- and the breeze blowing down your neck." I start off playing the character as an amiable, hearty, star-struck copper and then, when the actor characters start to believe that they may escape unscathed... POW... the iron fist comes out of the velvet glove and straight into the solar plexus.

 

As far as I am concerned, I'll leave the leading man roles to the "pretty boys", give me the bad guys any time. Richard III, Hannibal Lecter, Iago, Auric Goldfinger... much more fun than the pretty boys...

 

If one of my dreams could come true, I'd love to play a Bond villain... I even have an idea for a scenario: the Bond Villain is a mad, crazed, but successful model railway magnate (Dr T.I.N. Plate), who distributes a modified DCC chip in all his "special offer famous film tie-in for Christmas" train sets. A chip which, when remotely activated, emits an electromechanical pulse which fries the brains of anyone within 10 metres of one, turning them into mindless zombies. It is 6:30 on Christmas morning and a nation of children are about to start playing with their trains... enter 007....

 

Cue crazed laughter....

 

And on that note I am off to take over the world (at least for part of the day)

 

May something unpleasant happen to you today* Mwah Ha ha ha ha. Mwah ha ha ha (giggles hysterically...)

 

iD

 

p.s. * of course I don't really wish this... it's just theatre, pure theatre

Edited August 13, 2016 by iL Dottore

[Tony_S]

It really would be too quiet for Andrew here. Woodpigeons cooing and what sounds like a gently flowing stream from next door. They have a large pool for the summer on their decking. It has solar powered filter pumps and a heater . The sound of running water is rather nice. The sound of the children is nice too. Probably annoys their unpleasant neighbour which is a bonus.

Tony

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Reasonable day so far - might get better.  No orders issued thus far so out for the 'paper and whatever shopping I'm instructed to get.  Teapot noises coming from the kitchen - luvverly.

 

Have a good day one and all

[DDolfelin]

A chip which, when remotely activated, emits an electromechanical pulse which fries the brains of anyone within 10 metres of one, turning them into mindless zombies. It is 6:30 on Christmas morning and a nation of children are about to start playing with their trains... enter 007....

 

 

I think it's already been done.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Planning the hard landscaping for the front garden at the moment though can't do much digging at the moment as the ground is too hard, Essex clay sets like concrete when its dry. A bit of gardening is essential this weekend and a chance to test out the new hedge trimmer and boosting some of the weedkiller I applied a week ago. Have a good weekend all, be back later.

[bbishop]

Morning all. I've attempted to decipher my ramblings from last night. This is where we miss Jock, because he would have written an erudite analysis of the Brahms and Webern passacagliae.

 

Sort of vertical. Need caffeine.

 

Bill

[lightengine]

Bit rude I thought of Andrew C to call the new African tenant of the neighbouring house a peasant! ;-)

 

Nice sunny day here in sunny Teignmouth. Maybe a pint in the sun later.

 

Good to see the scowling Phelps sharing the siler podium place with his 2 sworn enemies

[BoD]

Sad times, MickB.

There's not a lot we can do here, but I'm sure that if good wishes and supportive thoughts made any difference you would all be getting a lot of help from ERs.

[Oldddudders]

Morning all

 

Another scorcher here, with mid-30s likely later. The terrasse is the place to be. Alison, lover and her sons are off to the Dordogne, where it will be even warmer than here. They are welcome.

 

Roundhouse's pic of a bar looked familiar, and I'm sure I have had a couple of pints in there between trains in the last year. With a name like that, where else would an enthusiast drink?

 

My own version of hayfever seems to be upon me today. No idea why, unless the ploughing across the way has thrown up certain spores. I seemed to suffer a couple of weeks back when they harvested there. The asthma treatment is doing a sterling job again this year, despite taking half the max dose. In 1979 I needed adrenaline to get my breath back one August night.

 

While Flavio relishes being the Inspector, Sherry has unexpectedly been invited to be a Sergeant in a Christie play. The appointed director has been hit by a recurring prostate issue - I know a bit about those - and another has stepped in at short notice. A two-week stage run in early September will be fun for her. She will play sidekick to an Inspector, the part taken by the Chairman of the society, himself a retired solicitor.

 

We are talking new cars. Sherry hopes to pick hers up before the end of the month, and with the £ continuing its post-Brexit decline, it makes some sense to purchase sooner rather than later here, as prices effectively rise by becoming more expensive day by day. Neither of us seeks anything exotic.

 

I hope your weekend is relaxing and fulfilling.

[BSW01]

Good afternoon everyone.

 

The sun is shining and the granddaughters are playing quietly in the kitchen, where we have Classic FM on on the radio, one colouring and the other playing with play doh. We don't have hi-tech toys, they have to use good old fashioned imagination here!

 

This morning my sole task has been to frame a print (painted by a local artist) that Mrs W bought at the Tatton flower show last month, it is now hanging in the dining room, I also hung a picture on the landing, that WAS in the dining room so a few brownie points earned there I think.

 

After lunch the girls want to watch a film, so that's the whole of the afternoon sorted.

 

The rest of today for us will be fairly relaxed, so whatever you've got planned, have a good one.

 

Mick. I hope that Karen gets better soon and FiL prognosis is good too.

 

Back later.

[Donw]

Morning all.

Sunshine coast living up to its name. I noticed that quite a few coasts were so described on old travel posters.

Not a lot happening today, possibly a picnic.

I finally finished messing about with my pc last night. Not only did I sort out why it had ceased to play blu-ray discs, I also sorted out why the rear speakers were silent. It wasn't something obvious like cables. I found that out after crawling under desks and moving boxes.

Tony

 

The sunniest place in the UK is I think Jersey and second Shanklin.  The local council got a bit upset when there was a claim from elsewhere to be the sunniest they had only taken into account places above a certain size which excluded Shanklin. The is obviously some commercial advantage in being sunny. The best comment I heard was that being the sunniest in the UK was like being the tallest dwarf.

Don

[AndrewC]

Only on paydays.

 

Moose Drool beer is quite popular here although I prefer Bear Whiz myself.

 

I've never seen a drunk moose and I hope I never meet one. The teetotalers are dangerous enough. But like they say "If you can't stand the moose, stay out of the hairdressers."

 

 

Love Moose Drool from Big Sky brewing. I used to have a bear whiz t-shirt.  "It's in the water. That's why it's yellow"

 

Bit rude I thought of Andrew C to call the new African tenant of the neighbouring house a peasant! ;-)

 

funky autocorrupt

[DDolfelin]

If anyone fancies a Garden Railway, the Station House at Dyffryn Ardudwy is for sale.

[shortliner]

Came across this today - for all you guitar-heads who want to play like Mark Knopfler, here is the isolated guitar track with no other instruments, from "Sultans of Swing".   It can only be described as genius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh3U9iPKeXQ

Edited August 13, 2016 by shortliner

[BSW01]

Good morning one and all

 

Goodbye Covonia, hello Benylin.

Chris

Chrisf.

This may seem a bit odd, but have you tried a taking a couple of spoons of Gaviscon before bed.

I was prescribed this last year after a cough lasted around 6 months and having had various tests and cameras poked inside me etc, it worked for me!

Edited August 13, 2016 by BSW01

[lightengine]

My cough in February was put down to Losartan that I was prescribed in January. Under GP's orders I stopped taking it and the cough went. Fortunately sometime later my gp sent me for an xray and my lung lesion was discovered.

[jamie92208]

This may seem a bit odd, but have you tried a taking a couple of spoons of Gaviscon before bed.

I was prescribed this last year after a cough lasted around 6 months and having had various tests and cameras poked inside me etc, it worked for me!

My Mrs has had something similar and it was eventually diagnosed as 'Silent Reflux' where you get acid reflux without heartburn and it irritates the voicebox etc. The cure is Sticky Gaviscon. She's also been sent for speech therapy as apparently her vocal chords don't work properly. The family have suggested that the consultant be sent to Specsavers as no one else has detected that in their lifetime. I of course couldn't possibly comment.

 

Jamie

Edited August 13, 2016 by jamie92208

[45156]

Evening All

 

It's taken all day to catch up in short bursts, and there's quite a lot to take on board.  Mick, special mention to you, and best wishes for Karen's dad, and also for Karen - I had a similar experience after hip surgery, and had to have two bags of red cells, so I know exactly where she's coming from there.  Generic greetings are on offer to anybody who is ailing, celebrating, or has a sickly companion animal.

 

My day has been as taxi driver again, and will be tomorrow.  At least today I got excused doing dinner. 

 

Back at some stage tomorrow.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[andyram]

Evening all. Firstly my thoughts and wishes to Mick and family. I would also like to mention Dave (TG). Have I missed any posts from him recently? I know I have only skimmed through these pages recently but I have not seen any of his usual offerings. I do hope he is ok.

It was nice to see Jock remembered in a recent post. I do miss his daily summaries and good wishes. I am sure he will be dispensing his words of wisdom to those up there in heaven, whilst looking down upon his friends and family. I hope his wife and family are well.

 

Today has been a warm and sunny day in Derbyshire. More steam miles today after a visit to Butterley for their model exhibition. I got to ride behind the Prairie 5542, currently hiding in LT livery as L150. It was the highlight of the visit as the show was underwhelming. The theme of Network South East 30 was well represented with some decent layouts from this era / region. Sadly there was little else and the whole show seemed much smaller than some of those in the past. I was ready to leave after less than two hours and only the train ride padded out my visit. On the positive side I caught up with an old colleague and had a nice chat with him.

In the afternoon I took Sarah over to a craft fair at our local garden centre. A nice hour spent and we came away with some flavoured coffee beans - one of the flavours tasted very nice this afternoon when I sat down to sample it. Sadly Sarah has started with a migraine so our usual evening meal together probably won't happen as she will need to go and sleep it off. I hope she feels better soon.

 

Enjoy your evening.

 

Summer Steam hauled miles now over 185.

Edited August 13, 2016 by andyram

[chrisf]

BSW said:

 

Chrisf.
This may seem a bit odd, but have you tried a taking a couple of spoons of Gaviscon before bed.
I was prescribed this last year after a cough lasted around 6 months and having had various tests and cameras poked inside me etc, it worked for me!

 

 

[Where has the quote box gone?]

Thank you.  I would never have thought of that!  As a rule I prefer nature's way and seldom resort to proprietary medicine for colds and snuffles.  A cough is a different matter and I am more than happy to glug the jollop to help it on its way.  So far the results with Benylin are encouraging.  I am reminded that Dickens never wrote a book called "Great Expectorations".  Boom boom.

 

Chris

[JohnDMJ]

I am reminded that Dickens never wrote a book called "Great Expectorations".  Boom boom.

 

Chris

 To where has the 'Groan' Button disappeared?

 

For the record, when quoting, it seems you need to be careful as to what you delete and how from the original; the above took me 3 attempts to get right!

 

How I love IT - Infernal Technology!

[petethemole]

Infernal Technology! I'm so angry and p###ed off with it at the moment. On top of various carp happening, or potentially happening in the future, that's been really bringing me down, the PC decided to go t#ts up on Thursday evening after a W10 update. While it was still struggling I decided to Back it up and do a restore to W8. No doubt I made a series of bad decisions in a hurry when I needn't have been so extreme but ended up doing a factory reset. No problem in theory, BUT most of the backed up files on the external hard drive now won't open to reload them. This includes 100s of photos, mine and Mrs mole's. I can't find a way of opening them but hopefully the local computer people will, next week. I just hope the files aren't corrupted but I've a nasty feeling. We were going out today but I got overwhelmed by this and didn't keep track of time until it was too late to bother.

 

I'll go back to lurking; I'm not being antisocial, just avoiding a depressing rant.

 

Good wishes to all.

 

Pete

[Happy Hippo]

It's a Friday. Everybody who can't (and can) drive comes out on a Friday.

 

You didn't wave as you passed within eyeball view of newbryford towers..........

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

I was so busy looking out for a network rail yellow car with driving school badging that I completely forgot that I was required to come to a complete stop leap out of the car and bow three times before reversing all the way to Kendal...........it might have been quicker!