Early Risers.

[andyram]

Morning to most   

 

Andyram.. do you mean this?

 

Baby Scot 3 quarters (3000x1476) (2400x1181).jpg

 

Have a nice night/morning!

 

Baz

That looks like the one to me. What a great looking model.

[Coombe Barton]

I'm off shortly to get ready for tonight's livery yard Christmas p*ss-up. Champagne apéritifs.

 

 

It's not really that you're there just for the horses, is it?

Edited December 16, 2016 by Coombe Barton

[newbryford]

It's not really that you're there just for the horses, is it?

 

Neigh..........

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land.

 

Phil and Chrisf - and anyone else having problem finding zip-fly jeans - go to J D Williams catalogue and look for Union Blues Jeans - relatively cheap, have Zip flies,  Lycra stretch built in so they are comfortable, and come up on special offer for around £10-£12 then - I buy them in multi-pairs then - I find the first part to wear out is the front pockets, mainly because I have coins in them

 

EDIT - Currently offering 10% off first order and free delivery to on-line customers

Thanks for that Shortliner, I've ordered a couple of pairs though the offer seems to have changed to £20 each or two for £30 so I ordered two pairs. I notice that they also stock gilets, something that seems to be hard to find in the local shops so I'm going to have a look later on.

Edited December 16, 2016 by PhilJ W

[New Haven Neil]

A nice day orf, but still busy - sneaky things bought for Mrs NHN, a mega clean of the bathroom to try isolate an odd smell - not the usual exhaust fumes - found some mould in a very out of the way hidden place, hope that has sorted it.  A job on the car done, old farts bike club attended, cooked dinner for Mrs NHN coming in - I need a day off to recover from my day off!

 

Up early tomorrow as driving at Groudle, 7am book on, first Santa train 10 am.  If I haven't let the fire go out.....  It will be a full day, although we share these turns now with two drivers as it is constant hard work, no stopped time, just up and down without a break. Hard on engines and drivers!  I will be out of it tomorrow evening.

[Ian Abel]

A little secret to share;

 

Jemma has been looking for a dog for several weeks now and had two very annoying/awkward setbacks in dealing with a rescue dog adoption agency - both due to screw ups by the agency - including one where they said "congratulations..." then change it contrary to their policy because the foster couple had another viewing schedule. Massive disappointment, but we're going to ignore all that...

She and the Mrs went on a search to the local Human Society locations this week and saw several likely candidates, then found this little lady;

 

 

 

 

 

Her name is (now) Whitney, she's just over one year old seems to be a Dachshund/Beagle mix and is about 15lbs. Loves running around our fenced yard in the snow

She seems to be settling in quite well already even though today is only the third day at home here. Bob not exactly amused/accepting, but not causing a problem either.

She's the sweetest little dog and is happy to curl up and sit with Jemma, and sleeps on her bed already. We're hoping it'll continue that way but still early days of course. 

 

-11 still/now and beginning to snow "seriously", so far only an additional 1/2 inch but definitely looks like we're going to get several inches of accumulation by the morning.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Ian Abel

[laurenceb]

Very nice Ian

Night all

[Tony_S]

Ian. Fortunate that Whitney likes snow. When Robbie first saw snow he was jumping in the air trying to catch the snow flakes.

[emt_911]

Good food and a couple of pints of real ale consumed and now I'm totally shattered.

 

Night all

[The Stationmaster]

We have finally found the chink in the armour of Green's of Pangbourne.  Picking up the Christmas Eve pies - which turned out to be much larger than the ones we thought were 'large' (that will not be a problem) we also purchased some other oddments such as braising steak (steak casserole this evening) and some marinaded lamb (Sunday dinner) plus some 'traditional pasties'.  

 

Mrs Stationmaster duly enquired before purchase if they were 'Cornish' pasties and that was confirmed - they were intended for a lunch time snack for the two of us.  On consuming them we found that

1. They contained minced beef - oops ,

2. They contained seasoning (not unpleasant but hardly 'Cornish' or traditional),

3. We could not find any trace of swede in either of them,

AND WORST OF ALL

4. They contained carrot - anybody taking one of those west of the Tamar would be shot if its contents became known.

 

We shall be collecting our Christmas order on Friday and I have something of a suspicion that Mrs Stationmaster will instruct the staff of this otherwise absolutely excellent concern that too suggest their pasties are in any way 'Cornish' in nature would not so much be contrary to the Trades Description Act but amounts to defamation and woeful ignorance of culinary good taste.  I think I shall hide just along the road in the chip shop.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Well the day didn't pan out as planned, although I did have a nice walk this morning, but disappointingly, when I called at the butchers they had no pasties, however, I did purchase a couple of very nice rump steaks. By the time I'd got back from my walk it was almost lunch. This was then followed by the school carol service, I don't usually attended these things, but as it was getting late I ended up giving Sheila a lift to the church, by which time it was 2:00pm so I decided to defer using up my brownie until tomorrow when I'll have a full day to use them, which upon reflection is probably better anyway.

 

I also earned a few more this evening as Sheila wanted to go to the Trafford Centre to get a few last minute things. Thankfully we weren't there long, but upon our return, I duly opened up a bottle of red, something which I've not done for a couple of weeks and very enjoyable it was too.

 

Goodnight all

[Ohmisterporter]

Our get together went very well and a good night was enjoyed by all. So much so that the noisy karaoke in the bar didn't intrude one bit. I got a shock when one of our number walked in; grey hair and beard and about three stone heavier I didn't recognise him at first. Still, none of us is getting younger. Did a bit of taxiing and enjoyed the evening.

 

Stay safe all.

[BR60103]

Stationmaster:

We had a situation in our previous house (40+ years old at the time) where the inlet pipe to the toilet let go. When I finally figured out what the noise was (the neighbour was not washing our wall), i dashed downstairs to turn off the main valve -- and twisted the handle off. I went back up and found a shut-off valve right below the toilet.

Subsequent actions: replace main valve. Required city attendance before and after to turn the outdoor main valve.  Insurance company was called and they covered tearing up the bathroom floor, taking out all the fixtures, replacing floor and fixtures. Replacing the ceiling below -- most of the garage and a corner of another room. The company doing the work said that the insurance company didn't care if they put back the original fixtures, so we bought new ones and updated the bathroom. I think the people that bought our house a few years later had them stripped out and replaced.

 

Pasties: one book in The Cat Who... mystery series involved a pasty contest in northern Michigan. Due to an unreconcilable difference of opinion, there were categories for pasties with and without turnip. 

Pasties are a regional dish in Northern Michigan, coming in with the imported miners.

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

Thanks for the thoughts on jeans with and without fly buttons!  It shows how often I go clothes shopping.  As with association football, I know nothing of fashion and care even less.  For now the cords will do fine.  The most recent pair of jeans have been laundered and not a moment too soon.  They will not be accompanying me to Switzerland as I have a pair of thermal trousers just in case there are low temperatures.

 

Today I am bound for London again in the face of ongoing Thameslink frailty.  The main objective is a meeting of a music appreciation group in Holloway but before it starts I hope to have bought a new book on Cardiff trolleybuses.  On the way home there will be a slight diversion.  A  friend has invited me to an official birthday celebration in a tandoori house.  I am not familiar with such a place and am apprehensive as to the cuisine on offer.  If korma is on the menu I should be able to cope but my unfamiliarity with curry and fear of its legendary consequences have together excluded me from many potential social opportunities.  Could this be a turning point?  I hope to be able to tell you tomorrow!

 

Warm thoughts [not too hot, now] to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers, especially those confronting industrial action, and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing.

 

Chris

[TheQ]

Of course legally Cornish pasties can only come from Cornwall, they are a protected species...

[Barry O]

Hey up.

Hope you are all safe and well.

 

Today involves yet more parcels, layout and stock testing at the club and......

 

But first Tea!

 

Baz

[jamie92208]

Morning all from the Charente where the first rays of sun are lighting up the horizon in a great display of colours. Some interesting comments yesterday. I buy my jeans on the market in Morley at between £10 and £15 per pair. It is also the pockets that go first. I think that it's either coins or keys that do for them.

 

Yesterday the boss went on a cleaning blitz but fortunately I was declared persona non grata for this task on the grounds of serial incompetence displayed of many years. After sorting the bedroom lights and setting up a printer and having lunch I retreated to the shed/railway room. Much success was achieved and power was got to my modelling desk and I even did some modelling as detailed on my layout thread. This is a major first and good progress. The Electrician then came back and discovered that it wasn't a broken wire but a failed 32A circuit breaker that's causing the trouble. The day was brought to a close with a modicum of Scottish Medicine.

 

Breakfast has now been consumed and I will be of to the Brico to purchase a new breaker and also make the most important call at the winery. The boss has just announced that she will be accompanying me on this journey. Hopefully I'll be able to some more work in the shed and also the sparky is due after lunch to finish the job off. After that is the main event, the village Repas. The Christmas meal for the whole village (all 60 of us) in the salle de Fetes. We are looking forward to it and Beth has been strongarmed into taking her guitar to do a couple of carols. The menu is fixed but looks great and apparently there is much local liquid produce consumed as well.

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

 

Mrs Stationmaster duly enquired before purchase if they were 'Cornish' pasties and that was confirmed - they were intended for a lunch time snack for the two of us.  On consuming them we found that

1. They contained minced beef - oops ,

2. They contained seasoning (not unpleasant but hardly 'Cornish' or traditional),

3. We could not find any trace of swede in either of them,

AND WORST OF ALL

4. They contained carrot - anybody taking one of those west of the Tamar would be shot if its contents became known.

 

Must have been Cornish-ish pasties.

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin' awl. Clear skies at dawn, looks like. Now on a twelve days of end of year leave over Christmas, including two days of overtime and bank holiday compensation I was able to get approved for Monday and Tuesday. Much as I like my job but I do need some rest…

 

 

Blue hour at Knautkleeberg last night with 1348-1326 after braving the madness of peak hour traffic.

 

 

Speaking of which, I did promise to relate a few impressions from the interview I had yesterday. As I let on earlier, this was part of a programme aimed at understanding the most common causes for stress and at finding means for allowing drivers to drive safely and with as little pressure as possible.

This programme has been ongoing for about a year now and in a first round of interviews last year, the team had focused on senior drivers as well as those who had been involved in an unusually high number of incidents such as accidents or false routings in a short time. Participation but has always been voluntary as these interviews and the monitoring rides which they are followed up with had never been intended as a disciplinary measure but as an offer for assistance. In the current phase, the project team then opted to focus on new drivers, with the goal of understanding whether junior staff may experience different causes for stress than more senior staff do.

 

As I learned, one of the factors which have already been found to be common across the majority of all drivers interviewed so far is a growing concern of being involved in accidents – possibly with casualties – which I suppose is quite understandable, given the ever-increasing volume of urban traffic.

 

However, it but was also found that many drivers, both junior and senior, are afraid of not being backed by the company if for any reason they should become involved in any sort of conflict with passengers, as well as following more trivial customer complaints even when these are factually baseless – such as the classic situation of "the evil driver closing the doors in my face" with the passenger themselves having been late. I guess I do not need to tell any of you that if we want to at least more or less meet the timetable, we simply cannot wait for any and all dawdling passengers. Or, in the Vulcan manner of saying, in public transport, the needs of the many already aboard outweigh the needs of the few.

 

As a result, the project team was, among other items, able to receive management approval for a publicity campaign for going to bat for us driving staff. This is to be complemented by more intensive and varied customer communication, including, but not limited to, improved technical means aboard our trams and buses such as a set of easily accessible pre-recorded service announcements for frequently occurring situations.

 

The monitoring ride-alongs will also continue, with the continued goal being for the project team to gather real-life examples for demanding or, indeed, critical situations causing stress. These rides will generally be followed by a debriefing where we can share and discuss our perceptions.

 

 

Right, I think I'll get me another cuppa now. Have a good one!

Edited December 17, 2016 by NGT6 1315

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Tea made, doggy released for morning garden patrol. I slept well but I am convinced another 8 hours of sleep would be about right.

Tony

[trisonic]

Am I the only one to find the Star Wars series unwatchable? It certainly isn’t science fiction (the science isn’t science) it’s not even particularly entertaining as I seem to be acutely aware (in the couple I tried to watch) that it is a launching site for potential games (or marketing ideas) to kids.

The only redeeming entertainment factor is checking out all the old English actors taking part - and good luck to them for cashing in their “chips”.

 

My only problem with jeans is that my new ones seem to be as wide around the waist as the legs are long - own up anyone whose waist is more in inches than their leg length!

I can’t understand how this change happened. It used to be interesting, “32/34 please.” Tons of choice!

 

Sorry, I haven’t had a “rant” for several months...... It’s my turn.

 

Best, Pete.

[Barry O]

Pete,

Despite losing weight my waist size is some 6" greaterthan my leg measurements. I must have shrunk in the wash!

Tea D unk, breakfast and ablutions completed, parcels wrapped...off to the Post Office then down the Leeds Model Railway Society.

 

Andyram - it's a Millhome kit, weighs a ton and will pull the side off a house.

Baz

[Killybegs]

Evening all from Estuary-Land.

 

Thanks for that Shortliner, I've ordered a couple of pairs though the offer seems to have changed to £20 each or two for £30 so I ordered two pairs. I notice that they also stock gilets, something that seems to be hard to find in the local shops so I'm going to have a look later on.

You can get zip fly jeans very cheaply at Pennys in Ireland. They trade as Primark in the UK. Yes I know people turn their nose up at Primark/Pennys but I have always found their clothes very good value.