Early Risers.

[TheQ]

The stationmasters, informative post would be why, in 1919 my Grandfather having completed his apprenticeship left the shipyards, and joined the Royal Tank Corps serving until 1953.

[Happy Hippo]

I think Aditi wants cake.

 

Great minds think alike.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Chilly here with a lazy wind - ie it doesn't go round you, it goes through you.  Just waiting for Storm B to arrive here - our speeds are estimating about 25-50 mph.

 

All posts are read and rated and generic greetings are sent as usual. 

 

Remember that bathroom light which went ping on Saturday night, well, it went ping again this morning - so a very early job with the step ladder to put the last (temporary as much lower wattage) screw in bulb into the holder.  The shop did at least give me another two bulbs, as I still had the box, and also fished Saturday's offender out of the bin and gave it a clean.

 

Apart from that, not a lot to report, so back tomorrow after the hospital visit, the domestic tasks, the dinner, and the taxi runs - I think I'm working harder now than I ever did when I was at work - no doubt all retired ERs are in a similar boat.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[The Stationmaster]

Great minds think alike.

 

Someone must have put something in the national water supply - yesterday Mrs Stationmaster mentioned making a cake for consumption at the weekend  (no, not a Christmas Cake less devotees of Ambridge suddenly question her apparent ignorance of 'Stir-Up Sunday' but something much lighter than traditional Christmas fayre).

[Barry O]

Woooopidddoooo!  Fixtures completed!....  and I have told them we won't be having 14 teams playing 22 fixtures in one division next year.....Lummy I had to engage some of my systems engineering knowledge to work it out...well Ok a set of fixture matrices...

 

 

As it happens my great grandmother taught my father Latin and Greek in his childhood (circa 1927) so someone must have taught her as well.

 

Sad times in Germany - hopefully they can find the person driving the lorry during the incident so that we can really find out what was in his/her mind.

 

Now it must be time for food...  Talking of which ..

 

Apparently youngest Herbert is taking us for lunch tomorrow in a Leeds city centre bar/eatery...may have to give the Club a miss tomorrow evening.

 

Baz

[RhBBob]

Oh dear this won't do our rural image much good - I'll put it in smaller letters 

 

 

Woman in court in Lxxxxxn on dog sex charges

[roundhouse]

Our planned DOO service to Caterham and Tattenham Corner was cancelled tonight due to staff shortage so London Bridge would be wedged with other service reductions and cancellations so decided to meet my other half in the Globe at Moorgate for some Pilsner Urquell direct from the tank which is superb beer then underground to Brewdog Clerkenwell finishing in the Jerusalem around the corner before catching a Thameslink to East Croydon where we hope to pick up a rare Southern service home (they do run after morning peaks to and from Victoria in recent strike days if there is a driver not on overtime).

 

If not then it will be more beer in Croydon before catching the bus home.

 

Isn't it ironic that the problems on the trains are reducing my ability to do railway modelling. It's really put me off at the moment including beer intake, wel except for tonight.

[iL Dottore]

Sorry Doc, but that has upset me. These barely literate and numerate, semi- and unskilled and probably unionised people won two wars against the Germans. Efficiency is not everything.

 

Ed

I didn't mean to upset. The point of that factoid was to point out how the Germans (regardless of the political and military scenarios that led to the defeat of Germany in two world wars) invested in their workforce then, something they still do. Unlike the Brits who have long been content to skip on investment (in machinery, technology and the workforce) in favour of oodles of of unskilled and semi skilled workers. And the Germans are still investing in machinery, technology and educating their workforces (and how many British companies are still running good, solid, apprenticeship courses??). Nor was my comment ment to be construed as anti-union. Far from it, indeed I would argue that the German unions have a lot more foresight and are more pragmatic than British ones (interestingly, Hamburg - very much a union city from way back - remained a thorn in the Nazi party's side from the very start of their regime).

Edited December 20, 2016 by iL Dottore

[iL Dottore]

It's also interesting to look at the outputs of their respective shipbuilding industries. We had an incredibly efficient naval programme that was able to produce 8 dreadnought style ships per year with all the long lead items such as armour plate and guns to fit them out. This is along with the necessary cruisers, destroyers and other support vessels. Thus capacity enabled us to maintain a very very effective blockade of Germany that had a major effect on their civilian population and morale. Thus after the battle of Jutland the British were still able to put an effective fleet of over 20 modern Dreadnoughts to sea within the next few days. New ships continued to join the Grand Fleet at regular intervals in succeeding years. By contrast Germany only managed to complete a few more capital ships in the rest of the war. I think they could be counted on one hand but don't have the exact info to hand. Yes the German ships were well built and proved to have very good damage control but there were never enough of them to threaten British control of the North Sea. There is a very interesting boo called 'The Battleship Builders' which examines the way that the British armaments industry achieved this superiority.

 

Jamie

Good point Jamie, and something that was seen again in WWII on the Eastern front with tanks. Once the shock of having encountered the T34 had worn off (and lessons had been learnt), Germany started producing the Panther and Tiger tanks. Superior as these tanks were, they were vastly outnumbered by the simpler to build and operate T34s being churned out in huge quantities. It's all very well and good having a tank that can wipe out with ease anything in front of it, but when you have one Panther and 200 T34s arraigned against it, there can only be one outcome (the military historian Basil Liddell Hart wrote that, in a tour of the Eastern Front taken immediately after the end of the war, he'd see one burnt out Tiger or Panther with dozens of burnt out T34s in front of it, eventually numbers prevail).

 

But it seems that German industry has learnt a lot retaining high quality engineering but marrying it with mass production. Some of the new high end AUDIs are testimony to this.

Edited December 20, 2016 by iL Dottore

[pH]

Good point Jamie, and something that was seen again in WWII on the Eastern front with tanks. Once the shock of having encountered the T34 had worn off (and lessons had been learnt), Germany started producing the Panther and Tiger tanks. Superior as these tanks were, they were vastly outnumbered by the simpler to build and operate T34s being churned out in huge quantities. It's all very well and good having a tank that can wipe out with ease anything in front of it, but when you have one Panther and 200 T34s arraigned against it, there can only be one outcome (the military historian Basil Liddell Hart wrote that, in a tour of the Eastern Fron taken immediately after the end of the war, he'd see one burnt out Tiger or Panther with dozens of burnt out T34s in front of it, eventually numbers prevail).

Ever read "Superiority" by Arthur C. Clarke? - http://www.mayofamily.com/RLM/txt_Clarke_Superiority.html A long short story. Edited December 20, 2016 by pH

[AndyB]

Evening all,

 

Dropping by after a long weekend in Salop. 

 

Christmas decorations are up now - many thanks to the Below Stairs staff....

 

 

 

Worked up a distinct appetite as a result of a brisk constitutional around the larder grounds!  

 

 

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

 

But it seems that German industry has learnt a lot retaining high quality engineering but marrying it with mass production. Some of the new high end AUDIs are testimony to this.

Especially with their VW designed emissions control

 

Hat, scarf, mittens etc

[iL Dottore]

Ever read "Superiority" by Arthur C. Clarke? - http://www.mayofamily.com/RLM/txt_Clarke_Superiority.html

Indeed, I have. And one mustn't EVER underestimate how dangerous very simple weapons can be used en-masse when those commanding the simply armed do not care about casualties taken, just the results.

 

Interesting, also, the comments about the literacy and numeracy of our Grandparents' generation. I think that there was considerable variation in how numerate and literate one was when leaving school at 12 and like today, it all depended upon the school and sometimes, like today, even upon which teacher one ended up with. So it could well be that my comment about a "barely literate and numerate" was incorrect (although it does seem that in some working class families in the first part of the 20th century, education was seen as something you had to suffer through before getting a "real" job). Interestingly enough, it would seem that the UK has gone backwards in its' efforts to educate: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/young-people-england-have-lowest-literacy-levels-developed-world-says-oecd-1540711

 

iD

 

There are NO easy answers, just easy questions.

Edited December 20, 2016 by iL Dottore

[emt_911]

Another working day done and dusted. Plenty to keep me on my toes making sure that others working on multiple projects around the site were going to achieve the targets set for today. At least I have tomorrow off to visit a few friends.

 

More washing and ironing to complete tonight

[jamie92208]

Indeed, I have. And one mustn't EVER underestimate how dangerous very simple weapons can be used en-masse when those commanding the simply armed do not care about casualties taken, just the results.

 

Interesting, also, the comments about the literacy and numeracy of our Grandparents' generation. I think that there was considerable variation in how numerate and literate one was when leaving school at 12 and like today, it all depended upon the school and sometimes, like today, even upon which teacher one ended up with. So it could well be that my comment about a "barely literate and numerate" was incorrect (although it does seem that in some working class families in the first part of the 20th century, education was seen as something you had to suffer through before getting a "real" job). Interestingly enough, it would seem that the UK has gone backwards in its' efforts to educate: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/young-people-england-have-lowest-literacy-levels-developed-world-says-oecd-1540711

iD

 

There are NO easy answers, just easy questions.

I have no scientific details of literacy rates but from empirical observations during my career they certainly declined in the 80's. When people we interviewed made what we called voluntary statements they had to write a fairly complicated addendum in their own hand at the end. In the 70's and early 80's when I took many of these. As a rough rule of thumb everyone 40 or over was capable of copying the addendum either from me dictating it or from a pre printed card. As a general rule most 'clients' under 25 had to have the addendum carefully dictated letter by letter. There was a variable ability range in the 25 to 40 age group. Not scientific but those were my observations. Certainly literacy until the 60's was very high.

 

Jamie

Edited December 20, 2016 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

I might add that the German trade unions had been virtually wiped out by Hitler. They were re-created after 1945 largely with the help of the British TUC. The big difference was instead of over a hundred different unions in the UK there was only IIRC six unions. The situation has of course changed since then and there are far fewer UK unions, not just due to entire industries disappearing but unions with a common interest merging. Union membership has of course fallen but not as much as people think. For a long time unions over estimated their membership, quite often due to retired and deceased members being retained on membership lists, not as a means of exaggerating their membership but more often due to their being no established mechanism to remove such members. It was surprisingly a piece of anti-union legislation that alerted the unions to this situation, the Trade Union Reform Act which required the unions to keep a proper register of their members. The administration of some unions was shambolic, I recall a trade union asking me about an employee who was paying his subscriptions but they said they had no record of his membership. So I contacted the said employee who informed me that he had been the local branch secretary for years!

[southern42]

' £vening all from red dragon land.

 

Now, did you spot the typo, too?  A sigh of the season?  I liked it so I left it!

 

While we were in Tess Coe, yesterday, not seeing any on the shelves, I asked if they had some of their gorgeous teacakes round the back.  In other words, have they baked any?  "Oh no," came the reply.  "Not anymore. We are doing Hot Cross Buns after C*****mas."  Aghhhhhhhhhhh!!     Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 

Went round to our local garage shop today and saw some made by a local baker (cost more though £££££££££££)

Also bought some mince pies with that home-made look made by another local baker £££££££££££.

 

 

Tess Coe also didn't have our Yorkshire Gold leaf tea (not even the red packet) and (all of a sudden!) not on the shop's list, either!  Off to Shane's Berries for them...I foresee we may be changing our shopping habits.... 

 

At least my little blue loco will be arriving, soon! 

 

 

Hope you are all taking it easy - no rushing about now....

 

Keep Calm.  Think T***ns

Er...maybe not if you're darn sarf...

 

Take care, all.

[lightengine]

Not a lot!

 

The last thing we need is governmental control of the RNLI. Amalgamate with the Coast Guards at a time when the Government is making cuts to their funding? Definitely not. 

As an ex merchant seaman I agree wholeheartedly but would like to see local payments to crews by some form of charity.

[lightengine]

I overheard one of our local post office staff saying that as she only works 3 days a week she can't afford to strike but she would if it was on Saturday as that is only a half day.  So principled!

[lightengine]

To borrow a phrase "Ich bin ein Berliner"

 

 

 

Isn't that "I am a doughnut?"  It should have just been "Ich bin Berliner."

I stand to be corrected.

[andyram]

Evening all and thoughts firmly with those affected by the terrible events in Berlin. What a truely tragic incident. I really hope that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.

I hope today finds you well. Our house remains germ ridden. Sarah has been vomiting on and off all day. I am pretty sure her rhinitis is making the bug worse. My parents kindly stepped in to have Amber today whilst I was at work. After work, and putting Amber to bed, I went out for an hour to post out a load of Sarah's Avon books. I will finish the rest off tomorrow evening.

Work was ok, a full day's first aid course. The head was feeling ill, claiming the bug, although last night was the staff party and one member of staff suggested that alcohol consumption could have been a truer reason. There was still time for said person to issue one further criticism of my practise, but allowing the message to be passed on by another member of staff. The annoying thing was this criticism was a fair cop - something that I should have done, but had placed low on the priority list with everything else that was going on. The same member of staff leaves today after similar experiences to me. To be fair, she is not the world's best teacher, but her heart is in the right place and she is busy with her husband's church. She told me today to "get out as soon as I can". She claimed she had heard the head and my fellow deputy "discussing" me from her classroom. How true that is I don't know but it is a worry.

[laurenceb]

Night all

[emt_911]

Another ER morning tomorrow out of choice. All my tasks have somehow been completed tonight.

 

Night all

[AndyB]

A pleasant afternoon nap rudely interrupted yesterday when a pre-schooler relative approached swmbo saying:

 

"Erm, I don't know your name, but your dad is asleep on the sofa."

"T-hee, well you better go and wake him up then."  

 

The punch I received moments later to the solar plexus did the trick!  

 

 

 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all