Early Risers.

[Happy Hippo]

I have been watching yet another ongoing GB success in the Limp pig games (Well done the Ladies hockey team).

 

Could anybody explain why Great Britain excels in so many sports, yet the obsession (TV coverage and newspapers) seems to be with Association Football which apart from a glitch in 1966, never lives up to expectations?

[newbryford]

Evening all,

 

A very strange evening.  First having duly tired herself gardening (it was darned hot out there)  Mrs Stationmaster decreed that we should eat out so we duly went to the relatively recently opened, and pretty good, Italian restaurant.  I decided to have a stone cooked steak but being an unsophisticated fellah I didn't realise that this meant they handed me a piece of steak sitting on top of a very hot piece of stone (all on a suitable tray) so it was in fact a do-it-yourself steak.  Rathe nice actually although a piece of very hot stone under your nose on a warm evening is hardly the best idea in the world and of course you can't eat it all at once so with nowhere else to put it once done how i like it the next slice off was done slightly differently.  But overall not a bad experience.

 

 

 

Mrs NB's work does stone steaks. The trick is to cook it a bit at a time, so you're eating one piece as the next is frazzling away. I find it a very sociable eating experience and you can't blame the chef............ ( I will be partaking of the aforementioned stone steak in about two weeks time)

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Coombe Barton]

 

Could anybody explain why Great Britain excels in so many sports, yet the obsession (TV coverage and newspapers) seems to be with Association Football which apart from a glitch in 1966, never lives up to expectations?

 

££££££££££

[AndyID]

The VW diesel mess is drawing to a close here. VW are offering us $23,300 to buy-back our 2013 Jetta TDi. Alternatively, if they can come up with an emissions fix, they will fix it FOC and give us $6,400 in "restitution". We can decide what to do within the next two years.

 

They are not allowed to resell the cars they buy-back in the US or anywhere else. They will be scrapped although the parts can be recycled.

 

EDIT: Additional info.

 

I registered online to participate in the class-action lawsuit. Had to answer various questions one of which was essentially "do you think you will prefer the fix (if available) or a buy-back"?

 

I suspect there will be no fix for our particular model if enough owners prefer the buy-back, so I said we'd prefer the fix. We can still opt for the buy-back.

Edited August 18, 2016 by AndyID

[BR60103]

We went up to Fergus today to the Scottish shop as Dayle can't locate her TCP.  Shop lady said it's on that shelf. When she looked herself, she said "Someone's bought the lot, and taken the box as well." Last weekend Fergus had one of the largest Highland games in Canada. She sold us some Germolene instead and we got our Frank Cooper's Marmalade.

So we headed for Acton. Sweet Molly had the TCP in stock.

And then I glued down a foot of track for possibly the third time; I think the weather affected the Homasote and the rails.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Up and out at 4.30 taking The Boss to work (who is now talking to me again)

 

Bob,
Sister drac told me to cut out caffeine. My body went into denial and i felt awful then I saw her and she said she said reduce not remove ..doh!!

 

Caffeine withdrawal can be quite severe, headaches, raised anxiety, lethargy, sleeplessness, irritability, dizziness among them. When on the Isle of Wight after two days of my decaff coffee, the builder couldn't take it and switched to strong tea because at least he was getting some caffeine.

Caffeine is addictive in a manner similar to many drugs. I found that once I had adjusted to Decaff it was fine.

Don 

 

I really didn't realise the effect that no tea or coffee at all would have.  After about 50 hours without I think I had most of the above symptoms and was nearly crawling up the walls    which culminated in a couple of "disagreements" with management. After taking note of your comments I thought sod it and had a couple of cups of strong tea and everything was almost OK again. Have now decided to reduce intake slowly. As I was having my cuppas things improved even more because Nicki & Gemma popped in with flowers for Chris. She always does this on this particular day as it is the anniversary of the loss of Chris's best friend ( 7 years ago) to leukaemia. As usual there were a few tears and then lots of laughs as reminiscing took place. 

I cheer up when any of my grandchildren visit but Gem being the youngest and who I looked after a lot when she was a toddler always makes me smile.

 

Tonight we're all going out for a meal with Abbie's boyfriend Jack and family, hopefully to celebrate some AS level exam success for the two of them. They are both rather apprehensive but knowing how much work they've put in hopefully all will be OK.

Even more good news arrived in the shape of my eBay purchase of a T9. The seller had said that it was hardly used and it is immaculate. When first running it was very hesitant and stuttered a bit but after 30 minutes each way it was going beautifully even through my "dodgy" scissors crossing. Still waiting for another purchase (from the same seller) which may arrive today.

There is some shopping to be done this morning but after that I will be playing with trains,     

Have a good one,

Bob.

[emt_911]

Morning all. A day in the Merton area beckons but only 2 sites to visit so an early finish is on the cards

 

Have a good day everyone

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all, with salutations to Rick for his kindness

 

I could have sworn that I just heard Susan Rae, newsreaderine extraordinaire, announce: "Usain Bolt reached the final with E's".  It is too early in the morning to be certain.  It is also too early for me to remember to resize photos before trying to attach them.  Yesterday I finally downloaded my Sidmouth photos and I was so pleased with one [there are 208 others] that I vowed to share it with you.  Never mind, it will keep till tomorrow.

 

Area Group was good, as was the journey there and back.  The worst bit of the outward run was actually getting on the M1 at Junction 13, where the relatively new roundabout finds it difficult to cope with traffic coming from so many directions.  An incidental remark at the meeting has got me worried.  Can it really be true that VW no longer put CD players in their new cars?  If it is, I'm screwed.  One may talk of MP3 and other 21st century technology till the cows come home but answer me this: how can I get a recording artist to autograph a download?  More of this, I suspect, after my trip to the dealership on Friday.

 

Susan Rae is announcing again.  This time she said: "Usain Bolt eased through to the final".  That's better, Susan, you had me worried for a moment.

 

Anyone in England and Wales thinking of a lunchtime pint would do well to remember that the A Level results are out today.  I'm tempted to venture out just to watch the fun but if you are uneasy in the presence of massed trainee drinkers it would be best to stay at home.

 

Lots more to read so best wishes to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving, missing, depressed and A Level candidates.  Tomorrow might be a good day to add car sales executives ...

 

Chris

Edited August 18, 2016 by chrisf

[pH]

A short trip on a BC Ferry today to visit a friend - beautiful weather and great scenery:

 

 

 

 

and a couple for Canadian RMwebbers of a certain age:

 

 

 

 

[Barry O]

Hello from the North West Leeds Highlands. A bit murky outside but hey ho nearly time for our holidays.

Her indoors has a gardening plan involving me and some transfer of large stones around the garden. Humph.

 

I need to tidy up the workshop before the holidays. I am missing some vital components from a couple weeks f vehicles so it just needs to be done.

 

Have a great day/evening!

 

And yes, soccer's money gives it top billing despite the fact that it seems to have lower skills standards year on year.

Baz

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin' awl. Fortifying myself mentally for the dentist later. Weather looking good, so we may be in the garden for a BBQ in the evening!

 

And just to make sure I don't forget, hats off to you, Rick. A very generous gesture indeed.

 

 

A couple of images from the rail profiler demo last night:

 

 

 

This road-rail profiling unit had been procured by Goldschmidt Thermit just briefly ahead of it having been booked for an extensive ribbling removal campaign throughout our network. Built in Switzerland, the profiler has hydrostatic propulsion for both its road and rail drive units, allowing a maximum speed of 40 kph on roads and 25 on rails. As delivered, it is configured for standard gauge, but can be easily converted for our 1,458 mm gauge or Dresden's 1,450 mm using spacer plates to be inserted between the rail wheels and bearings. Conversion to metre gauge is possible also but requires more extensive intervention.

 

 

 

 

 

The rail head treatment unit utilises six pairs of grinder heads per rail, which can be adjusted independently to allow for uneven wear.

 

 

 

Grinding sessions take place at night, obviously, to avoid frequent off-and-on-railing.

 

 

 

While profiling, the unit is controlled by a pair of operators outside the vehicle, utilising remote control boxes

 

 

 

 

Noise and sparks are surprisingly well contained by the valances. I'd certainly have expected a rail grinder to be much noisier!

 

 

Enjoy what you do, folks…

[AndrewC]

A short trip on a BC Ferry today to visit a friend - beautiful weather and great scenery:

 

IMG_0826.JPG

 

IMG_0836.JPG

 

IMG_0849.JPG

 

and a couple for Canadian RMwebbers of a certain age:

 

IMG_0844.JPG

 

IMG_0845.JPG

Now that's a blast from the past. Nick, Jesse, & Relic. A Sunday night staple. Along with Wayne and Shuster.

 

Morning all from the boring borough. Little to report today.

 

John, meant to say this earlier but IBS and co-codimal? That is a recipe for plumbing stoppage. When the quack in A&E mis-diagnosed IBS for me, he forbade any codeine based pain killers. Believe it or not my specialist prescribed flax seed oil for my digestive issues and the knee specialist recommended glucosamine for the knee. With the latter I've had the knock on effect of it reducing the pain and osteoarthritis symptoms in my shoulder, hip, and elbow. (yea I'm falling to bits, shoulda bought the extended warranty).  They both need at least 2-3 weeks of use before I noticed anything but what a difference.

 

Another quiet day of waiting for the phone to ring so I can tell the person 'no' when they ask for a change request or implementation date. I love playing IT God.

 

Have a good one all. Remember, Thursday is the new Friday.

[HeeleyBridge]

It's good old cod liver oil for me, and anything else that they think up. Codeine and Naproxen have virtually stopped me taking painkillers. I'd rather have the pain from the arthritis.

 

I was contemplating taking up offline spoon whittling (no not really) when PlusNet offered me £7.50 a month off my 80Mb/20Mb unlimited in exchange for a new 18 month contract. They lost an arm there ..

 

And so out into a grey, damp and rather restful morning. Have a good one all.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone.

 

Today see another solar circuit completed, that makes 60 successfully completed so far. The house is now very quiet, Mrs W has gone to Zumba so I'm making the most of it, by fitting chips into my two latest locos.

 

Back later.

[DDolfelin]

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear BSW01

Happy birthday to you.

 

... and many more of them.

[skipepsi]

Morning all, Karen continues to progress still sleepy but otherwise OK. I am taking DD2 to Preston today to pick up her house keys for her last year in Preston originally she was going to complete a Masters in archeology but is now leaning more towards forensics. Have a good day despite afflictions. 

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Not sunny here but still quite warm. There may be rain later which will be good for the garden allegedly.

Aditi's sister bought a VW Golf just before all the emissions revelations. I must ask what people in the UK have been offered. I think she mentioned modifications and a lower mpg.

Tony

[Tony_S]

Happy Birthday Brian.

[Jol Wilkinson]

 

and a couple for Canadian RMwebbers of a certain age:

 

IMG_0844.JPG

 

IMG_0845.JPG

Gibsons, I believe.

 

Dined in Smitty's last year. Nice location and food.

[Killybegs]

It is always advisable to have at least one conventional phone ie wired in case of power cuts . Remember there are plenty of mobile phone black spots I can`t use my mobile phone unless I go into the garden   

 

You should be so lucky, we have to drive a mile up the road! I don't mind having no reception at home but it's a pain when more and more on line transactions ask for a mobile number not a land line.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The weather forecast has changed again and now they're predicting heavy rain for tomorrow and the weekend. Still waiting for a bit more wind in Rio so they can complete the sailing (and another gold for GB). An interesting piece of machinery Dom, but those things still make a lot of noise and I wouldn't want one around working in the early hours near my bedroom. As I mentioned some time ago I've laid some old carpet down as a weed suppressant prior to covering it with shingle or crushed stone. A few weeks ago a small hole about 4 inches diameter appeared in it which I put it down to a fox foraging for insects. Last night when I put the bins out I noticed it had been opened up again and appeared to be moving! a close examination with a torch proved it to be an ants nest and it appears that they are responsible for the hole and the carpet appears to have been shredded. I have some 'ant-gel' which will be applied shortly.

EDIT Happy birthday Brian.

Edited August 18, 2016 by PhilJ W

[lightengine]

Happy birthday Brian, have a good day, mate.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Happy birthday Brian.

 

I think we might be going shopping today but I'm still awaiting instruction.  Garden due to be drenched tomorrow according to Exeter's seaweed so the hose can stay on the reel.  No further unexciting news - have a good day everybody.

 

PS And as I said that there was some exciting news - fresh tea and toast now arriving in the kitchen.

Edited August 18, 2016 by The Stationmaster

[Tony_S]

I would be concerned if a rail grinder were working outside my bedroom. The nearest tracks are about a mile away!

[sixoh8sixoh]

Morning all from a grey Scottish HQ.

 

I've never quite understood why Scottish school summer holidays are so early. Yes, it means that parents can possibly get marginally cheaper holidays while the English schools are off, but it seems perverse to lock the kids back in school from mid-August when the Book Festival and Fringe are taking place in the Capital... Hey ho...

 

Must say happy birthday to Brian, a huge thumbs up to Rick for an amazingly generous gesture, and greetings to everyone else.

 

We took part in the pub quiz last night. Going into the total wipeout round we were tied for 4th place in last night's quiz, 5 points behind the leaders. We knew for definite 6 of the 10 questions on the wipeout round, but decided to risk the four answers we weren't 100% certain of in a brave all or nothing attempt... and we got full marks! This left us only one point shy of the winners, so an excellent second place was secured. And we won £40 on the "guess the random number between 1 and 1000" competition - it had rolled over 7 times and we shared the £80 jackpot with another team that had got it spot on. That leaves us 3rd in the league on 50 points, 7 behind the 2nd place team, but miles behind our friends who are on 74.