Early Risers.

[Judge Dread]

She is far more too pretty to be your offspring judge.

Oh she is of that there is no doubt. When I was in hospital last year, she came to see me and during that visit she examined my chart on the bed end. "Damn",she said, "You are my father", when she saw my blood group.

Do you think I should warn Dutch_Master as she is 5ft 13ins tall and she can disable anyone with one of her looks!

[Killybegs]

That is for the routine 10 year photo renewal. The renewal for the over 70 age is free.

Same here. Licence is free for over 70's but has to be renewed (with medical) every three years but that may just be because I have a C licence which requires a medical anyway.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Killybegs

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Still in the process of emptying the shed, in one corner is a small shelf on which stood a plastic bottle of brake fluid. When it was first put on the shelf it was full with an unbroken seal, now half the contents have gone, mostly over the shelf. The plastic bottle it came in is unbroken and the liquid appears to have forced its way out through the cap. I've put the container with the remaining contents into a stout cardboard box and added it to the pile marked 'tip', the shelf will be joining it shortly as it is saturated with the stuff. One thing that I had forgotten that I 'found' in the shed was an old coffee table top. This consists of a solid chunk of elm four feet long, 15 to 18 inches wide and more than an inch thick. I have no use for it that I can think of has anyone any suggestions please?

[bbishop]

 Having spent 8 years restoring the last remaining Leeds horse tram to running order I have some interest in this subject.

 

Jamie

A bit cruel on old dobbin.  Walking order might have been better.

 

Bill

[AndyB]

Morning all,

So, as I was proceeding on foot the other day accompanied by my youngest on his bicycle. A van drives straight between us, with the driver using a handheld mobile phone, steering the vehicle round a corner one handed about 3 feet from my lad.  

All I get is the rear view of this van as my son is herded down a dual-use footpath/access road by said mobile-phone using van driver. 

I expressed my dissatisfaction with him (AndrewC would have been proud), but obviously not loud enough. 

Head home and file a complaint against the large corporation whose van driver was responsible.

(Dedicated "How sh1te are our drivers?" complaints form failed to submit with anything apart from one sentence of details)

Response comes back....

"We take our corporate image very seriously but unfortunately you didn't provide a VRN so we can't do anything...."

Red rag to a bull!

"Dear Corporate Apologista, I am starting off by trumping your corporate image concerns and H&S policy with what UK law says on this subject (illegal, fine and points). Your vans are equipped with trackers and have been for half a decade, so it IS possible to find out who was driving the van. You currently use these data to determine if your employees have sloped off for a coffee break at home etc. If by some strange coincidence this was the one van that your tracking technology did not work on, then you will, no doubt, keep records of work undertaken in given localities, allowing you to identify who was on a particular job (time, postcode provided). I assume you do keep records, unless you happen to claim that your employees just drive around the countryside randomly all day without any list of jobs to do....Once you have identified the individual you can discipline him. I await to hear your progress on this and to be able to thank your CEO (name provided) in person. Now scurry along and manage this properly!

 

And on that note, I shall away to my office....

 

Have a nice day everyone.

[Rugd1022]

Morning all,

 

Coasting down the gradient past Whitnash into Leamington last night with 6M28 I caught a glimpse of a Christmas tree in someone's back parlour.... it's October for gawd's sake! October!!!

 

As you were!

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Today has thus far involved telephonic contact with two widely differing (in helpfulness) sections of the NHS as i need to cancel a blood test on Monday in order to attend an important (private) event at Didcot (for reasons which I am unable to divulge but you'll know about in due course).  

So Stage 1 is contact the anticoagulant clinic to see if it's ok to defer my INR test - very helpful, thoroughly human lady answers 'phone, hears what I have to say, checks my records and is agreeable.

Stage 2 involves contacting the GP surgery and cancelling my two appointments on Monday - which in fact turns out to be only one appointment (so why did they give me two different times 20 minutes apart for two different things but only record one?) and then make a new appointment; first available appointment is in, exactly, two weeks time but i then get a load of twaddle about the delay to my INR test (from someone I know has no medical training, she's just a receptionist) and how serious that is.  So I tell her that I've spoken to the INR clinic - which sort of deflates her pomposity but leaves me feeling that she's been cheated out of telling me what I should do.

Stage 3 - call the INR clinic and again talk to the helpful Kelly advising her new date of INR test, she couldn't be nicer, tells me that's quite ok and thanks me for calling and saving them the bother of contacting me if I miss the date they have put on their records (which was the 31st - in the hope I could get an appointment a mere week after the cancelled one.

 

One day our multi-million (non) hospital might undertake a wider range of 'services' and I can but hope they'll have a walk-in phlebotomy clinic instead of having to deal with the dumbcluck appointment system and its guardians in the GP surgery; those who actually do things like test are lovely, it's just the effin inefficient, barely capable, cockwomblettes who are the interface between them and us.  I wonder if there are any vacancies on the patients' panel?

 

Have a good day one & all

[Tony_S]

I think from all the terrible tales of how ( not) to manage blood tests I think we are very lucky in our little corner of South Essex.

[laurenceb]

not a good idea to upset our receptionists (who are very good) as some of them double up as phlebotomists!

Mornin all

[Ohmisterporter]

Well it seems I may have over reacted regarding the driving licence fee, or lack of. Isn't it lucky that we do not as a rule carry firearms in this country? On the bright side, I take it as a compliment that the PO clerk appears not to have thought that I look seventy. Good luck to AndyB with his complaint which I thought was well reasoned and worth pursuing. Stay safe all.

[81C]

I was booking an appointment in the reception at my doctors and had the misfortune of Madam Dead Brain behind the count, she tried to log on the the PC about ten times in the end I said call me on my mobile when you have achieved logging on then walked out true to form I got a call Dead Brain to say she had finally got logged on ten minutes later and booked me an appointment I said I didn't want one it was for my wife had you listened to what I was saying, the phone went dead 5 minutes later she phoned the wife on her mobile and told her appointment was booked, it's beyond beggars belief how they employ this woman 20 minutes plus just to get one appointment booked.

 

 

 

 

Yours lost for words.

[emt_911]

Home in time for lunch but it was a close call.

 

The survey went according to plan but the traffic for the return trip, especially the last 2 miles was hell.

 

Time for a coffee, a bit of food and then back to the keyboard.

 

Back later

[The Lurker]

Greetings to all, the year end is in full swing but half term is upon us. Younger Lurker was particularly happy this morning as he was off today. Elder Lurker has requested a curry for tea tonight so that pleases me too.

 

I enjoy Christmas, the decs come out in our house the weekend before Christmas or possibly two weekends before if Christmas is at the beginning of the week. The one exception to this is the advent calendars which come out not at the beginning of advent but for 1 December. The boys have one each, cloth scenes with Velcro backed figures to slowly build a nativity I was about to say Elder Lurker is probably too cool now he's 14 but I remembered that Mrs Lurker fills the pockets with sweets too so he might overlook his status to fill his gob.

The decs come down before the boys go back to school.

 

Have a good weekend all

[jonny777]

Well it seems I may have over reacted regarding the driving licence fee, or lack of. Isn't it lucky that we do not as a rule carry firearms in this country? On the bright side, I take it as a compliment that the PO clerk appears not to have thought that I look seventy. Good luck to AndyB with his complaint which I thought was well reasoned and worth pursuing. Stay safe all.

 

 

I am grateful for your over reaction (if that is indeed what it was - I think I would have done the same) because it made me check my old paper licence which runs out of validity on the day before my 70th birthday.

 

I wonder if they will allow me to have 2 days licence-less, and then apply for a free photocard the day after my 70th rather than pay a fee to upgrade before then?

 

(That is of course if I am still here, and in a fit state for driving at all).

[AndyB]

 Good luck to AndyB with his complaint which I thought was well reasoned and worth pursuing. Stay safe all.

 

Ta. Probably just as well he outpaced me, otherwise I may have opened his van, reached inside, and given him a bit of a  Anglo-Saxon British Talking to. 

[Ian Abel]

POETS and given it's also escape from dungeon day, I will POE, at least from Long Island.

 

Normal dungeon dwelling/working the remained of yesterday with no activity to report whatsoever.

 

Today sees me at 10:30 doing the second presentation to a large group (40-80 depending on who bother to show), hopefully as successful as yesterday.

 

Heading out by 2PM for the airport and flight home - this week the flight appears to be something of an "oddity"!

Usually the flight is an Airbus A319/320, approx. 122 capacity. For some inexplicable reason, unable to research to find ANY explanation (Jemma using her internal access to check when I booked the flight) this evening it's a Boeing 777 international seating configuration approx. 290 pax!

 

Booking the flight weeks ago, first class was only $40 more (round trip) than my regular fare, so the hell-with-it, that's what I booked. I'm therefore in a sleeper seat, first class cabin for a 3 hour flight! More strangely the plane shows FULL, and 20 pax. overbooked in the main cabin. WHAT THE HELL!!

 

It's the only flight to MSP that has changed a/c for a larger capacity and there's nothing that major going on at home to warrant so large an influx!

Jemma figures they are re-positioning it as this time of year the schedules change around and they probably need the a/c "somewhere" from MSP.

There is ONE long-haul to Japan that warrants that equipment but summer is an Airbus A333 so it may be that.

 

Good news is the plane was inbound from Tel Aviv and landed a couple of hours ago already, so we won't be delayed waiting for the plane.

Bad news is it's foggy here and expected to be foggy/low clouds much of the morning, JFK already showing "red" on flightaware maps. So likely will be traffic delays departing <sigh>

Also, since there are no internal flights that are that large an a/c into MSP, the domestic baggage claim carousel (there are 12 of them but they're all for much smaller capacity equipment!!) will be a total flustcuck I'm sure, with almost three times the normal compliment of folks on this flight!

 

Already 19 driving in, patchy fog(forecast) low clouds(reality). Expecting a high of 22 and low clouds some rain today.

 

POE people an make a start on the weekend.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Ian Abel

[Ohmisterporter]

I am grateful for your over reaction (if that is indeed what it was - I think I would have done the same) because it made me check my old paper licence which runs out of validity on the day before my 70th birthday.

 

I wonder if they will allow me to have 2 days licence-less, and then apply for a free photocard the day after my 70th rather than pay a fee to upgrade before then?

 

(That is of course if I am still here, and in a fit state for driving at all).

 

The paperwork that accompanies the application states no fee to pay even though I have a month to go until my seventieth birthday. If my application is returned because the fee has not been paid I will let you know.

Edited October 21, 2016 by Ohmisterporter

[Tony_S]

Robbie has been taken to kennels. As usual he seemed very happy to go off with his new best friend. She had his food supply so I think that was the main attraction.

Now at Mil's.

I have just had an email from Hornby and they mention people on websites fretting about B12 wheels. Apparently fear not the final product will have bossy tapers.

Tony

[AndrewC]

Afternoon all. Bit p1ssed off at the moment.

 

SWMBO has had an on again off again eye problem for the past couple of weeks. I think I ranted about the N in NHS standing for NO. Well 3 weeks ago after calling in and getting called back and told to wait for another call for an appt with the emergency eye clinic at Queen Mary's, nothing happened. No call back, no appointment, nada. Even the formal complaint seems to have vanished into neverland. Well the eye sort of improved a bit on its own. Appt with her local GP quack done for this coming Monday. (earliest she could get 15th working day) Yesterday the problem was back with a vengeance. Last minute appointment with new quack at the old practice was "arranged". Home she comes with a gigantic envelop and a teary request to drive to the emergency eye clinic. Off we go. 2 hours later she gets called, poked in the eye, shuffled into Dante's next level of hell the next waiting room with the same bunch from the first waiting room, and told it could take several more hours. We grab lunch and I'm back home waiting for a call to pick her up. (eventually) 2 Doctors in the whole department. 6 people on the various and multiple reception desks scowling at patients, hospital seems to have a different NHS trust for every department with the resulting administrative overhead, 1 poor nurse running about like a blue arsed fly. I've seen how top heavy the NHS is but this is idiotic. ARRRGGGGHHHH bunch of w*nkpuffins.

[Tony_S]

Andrew. Sounds awful. I have had eye problems in the past which have needed rapid treatment and been seen same day at the local hospital eye unit. It does seem that postcodes do affect treatment.

[lightengine]

Morning all,

 

Coasting down the gradient past Whitnash into Leamington last night with 6M28 I caught a glimpse of a Christmas tree in someone's back parlour.... it's October for gawd's sake! October!!!

 

As you were!

Good to see that company that advertise solid wood and not veneer has screened the first tv commercial with a Christmas lunch this year. It seems they have taken over from Allied Carpets 365 day sale. Only slightly more bearable than those poxy Eastern European rodents in a motorhome advertising something or a bloke with a twirly moustache singing.

[BoD]

I have just had an email from Hornby and they mention people on websites fretting about B12 wheels. Apparently fear not the final product will have bossy tapers.

Tony

I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear that.

I shall be able to get some sleep this weekend after all.

[Tony_S]

The Triang B12 that was my brother's must be around somewhere in our house. I know I "modified" it so it could run on the train set Matthew had about 20 years ago. The dead smoke unit and motor were replaced and I also replaced the Triang wheels with something finer. We then painted it green but Matthew didn't want a face putting on it to represent Henry.

[NGT6 1315]

A'noon, troops. Not much to report really as following food purchases and putting a display cabinet on the wall, I'm having a laze now. Decidedly unappealing outside in any case, so, what the hell. I did stock up on Belgian beer, so one of them will be had after dinner!

 

Cheers, everyone...

[lightengine]

The Post Office is a strange animal isn't it?

There I was yesterday in the queue whilst the counter sales woman exchanged pleasantries with a customer whilst my feet kept the flooring warm under them. I looked around me at the vast array of merchandise to buy. Apart from stationery there were luggage locks, passport holders, parcel tape etc etc. On the glass frontage of the counter were ads for insurance, home broadband etc etc but there was not one advert for the 2016 stamps that are issued throughout the year that the counter sells, this being the reason that I have no Pink Floyd stamps from earlier this year.

 

A couple in front of me wanted to return a mobile phone battery that was wrongly bought from ebay. I know from experience 2 weeks ago that this cant be done. So I advised the couple that they either needed to place it in an old mobile phone and the Royal Mail will transport it or they needed to contract Herpes oops I mean contact Hermes who will take said battery as is. Strange that Royal Mail wouldn't return the battery as was because it was them that delivered the battery to the couple in the 1st place. Obviously the ebayer didnt tell the post office about it being in the parcel. Apparently phone batteries can be pierced whilst in transit but in a phone they can't be. Well let me tell you, Mr Royal Mail counter clerk, I practised this morning. I put an old mobile in a padded envelope and easily put an axe into it. Having tested it thoroughly I have decided to take the axe with me to the post office next time. So that when the old lady in front of me wants one 1st class stamp but the counter clerk tries to sell her travel insurance, household insurance, broadband that glitters, euros, signed for passport service, vehicle tax or some such other extraneous service I, can finally bury the hatchet!