Early Risers.

[Happy Hippo]

I hope we don't get photos !!  My wife loves watching the TV programmes which show operations in progress for all sorts of medical procedures but I have to leave the room . . . . .!!

 

Hope all goes well.

 

.

Such a film on RMWeb would certainly make a change from the more usual 'my latest loco with a sound decoder' offering.

[AndyB]

Such a film on RMWeb would certainly make a change from the more usual 'my latest loco with a sound decoder' offering.

 

Has Ian considered chipping the new hip? 

[TheQ]

Such a film on RMWeb would certainly make a change from the more usual 'my latest loco with a sound decoder' offering.

Since they often use remote control for keyhole surgery, do they use DCC?

 

As for chipping the hip I thought the surgeon did that

Edited January 31, 2017 by TheQ

[Tony_S]

Such a film on RMWeb would certainly make a change from the more usual 'my latest loco with a sound decoder' offering.

Being in the same room as medical procedures or watching videos presentations doesn't affect me. However hearing heartbeat sounds makes me feel a little odd. I know this is silly and illogical but it does.

[Killybegs]

Talking of insurance ...

 

The renewal notice for our annual travel insurance came through yesterday, premium up by 80%. Now I have to admit that it was previously ridiculously cheap compared with one off cover. 

 

However, I did query an item on the list of sporting activities that are covered, namely, mountain biking on tarmac which struck me as a bit of a paradox. I then asked why there was no mention of cycling per se. Apparently we would be covered if we were on hire bikes but not if we were riding our own. How strange is that and I couldn't find any mention of it in the policy booklet either.

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Rick, I hope things go smoothly for your move. Sherry, hope your op is as successful as it should be, and no I do not want to see the movie. This talk of solicitors reminded me of the solicitor who dealt with my parents affairs, he trained and qualified as a doctor before deciding to switch careers, I thought that if they needed a coroner he would be well qualified to do the job. I am thinking about my own will, there are several courses of action that I can take and changes involving other family members means a rethink but I will have to consult other family members first.

[BSW01]

Relatively cockwomble free journey to the orifice this morning, why does it always take longer to get where you are going to, than to get back?

 

Far to many people in the orifice to do anything other than look like I'm busy doing some work on my laptop, oh how easy it is to fool some people.

 

Back later

 

edit

 

P.S. Sherry, I hope your op goes as well as it should.

Edited January 31, 2017 by BSW01

[lightengine]

I've given up on the telegram thing (I don't think they do it anymore anyway.) I'm just hoping I can outlive DJT so I can whizz on his grave.

 

(Oops! I hope that's not too political.)

One way or another I think he will pre decease you. Edited January 31, 2017 by lightengine

[Ohmisterporter]

Morning all. Isn't it odd how at the sight of blood some people feel queazy and want a lie down, especially their own. My granddaughter works in the operating theatres at our local hospital and from her first day was fascinated by the operations. Cutting people open and rooting about inside simply becomes "stuff". In a dissimilar vein bank workers handle large amounts of cash without, usually, the urge to scoop up armfuls of it and run out of the door. It is just "stuff". 

On that cheerful note, I hope the operation goes well Sherry, you have a good man looking after you.

Stay safe all.

[Oldddudders]

Morning all

 

Just left Gay Paree, and back out into the fog. Cab signalling is so reassuring, though. I have a Club Duo to myself, i.e. nobody sitting opposite me, but across the aisle is a chap with four seats to himself. Intriguingly he is a gendarme in full uniform! Perhaps they are keeping an eye on me. Some might consider it a mite overdue.

 

Latest news from Sherry is not awfully good - the isotonic drink has made her feel distinctly weird. Hopefully she will surface from that.

 

Lunch is due shortly. Free wine at this time of day is to be savoured!

 

Hope your day progressing well.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Oldddudders

[Coombe Barton]

... then Hobbycraft, which is going downhill like Charley Drake off a roof. I bought some balsa strips, and that was it. Julie wanted some candlemaking essentials, but they don't do candles any more. Not clear what they do, really.

 

 

Offers on Really Useful boxes last week - less than buying online and paying carriage - rolling stock boxes are increasing here as often as I can sneak them in

[lightengine]

My last day with my old hip!

I have to consume three energy drinks over the course of the day as this will help me deal with the fasting for surgery tomorrow. These are provided by the hospital in a range of flavours. I'm starting with capucinno which is delicious! Each must be consumed slowly over a period of four hours. The other two are vanilla and natural.

Ian is on his way over to spend most of the next five weeks here which I greatly appreciate. There is a reliable Wifi service available at the hospital so you'll hear regular reports of my progress, no doubt. Something for you all to anticipate!!!

Have a good day!

Enjoy your sipping drinks. Your "last day" comment made me chuckle. Never thought of it like that before. Pat was conscious when her knee was done but perhaps hip ops are different. She was given headphones and accompanying music ( maybe hip hop for you ). Good luck with the op and hopefully you will be up and about soon.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all.

 

Another soggy day with sog being promised for much of the rest of it.

 

As far as Executors are concerned there is masses of advice on the 'net - you have certain legal duties such as sorting the finances and correctly declaring them to HMRC which will also involve valuation of property and as far as houses or land are concerned you must get it professionally valued but in respect of other items you can put in an estimated value although sometimes, say with jewellery, a professional valuation can be worthwhile.  Unless the situation has changed if you put in an estimated value and subsequently sell the asset for more than that you are obliged to advise HMRC as that can affect the Inheritance Tax position.  If there is any doubt about value, or disagreement, and it is decided the item(s) will be sold it is best to do that through a professional auctioneer as they are duty bound to realise what they consider to be the best price - it involves fees of course but at least it's fair.  

 

If there is to be any major variation of the will - for other than small items you can by mutual agreement of the named beneficiaries go for what i believe is called a Deed of Variation and that is quite legal - Horsetan will know far more about that then I'm ever likely to.  The one thing to always watch is the the good old 'uncle Fred promised me this that or whatever' because unless it is specifically willed or in a written and proper codicil etc then it was not the will of the deceased to do that and the decision rests with the executors.  This is where it is critical that the executors gain early and total control of any house, sheds, garages etc of the deceased and make sure they have them under lock and key and that nobody else has access.  When my wife's uncle died she was an executor and we duly arrived at the property to find a neighbour from up the road turning up to say that her uncle had asked him to clear the house - he was duly despatched and the key he had was taken off him.  One very important thing is to get any valuables out of the property and into safer storage as quickly as possible because technically I believe the executors could become liable - Horsetan will no doubt clarify.

 

Fortunately I am an only child so in the case of my parents it was at least without competing arguments from relatives; my wife had a little spot of bother with her sister when her uncle died (she was the one demanding copies of the will) but no troubles with her when her mother died (probably because unlike her brother her mum had virtually no assets).

 

Hope that helps a bit before the professional arrives.

 

Have a good day everybody and hoping all goes well for Sherry.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all

 

Just left Gay Paree, and back out into the fog. Cab signalling is so reassuring, though. I have a Club Duo to myself, i.e. nobody sitting opposite me, but across the aisle is a chap with four seats to himself. Intriguingly he is a gendarme in full uniform! Perhaps they are keeping an eye on me. Some might consider it a mite overdue.

 

Latest news from Sherry is not awfully good - the isotonic drink has made her feel distinctly weird. Hopefully she will surface from that.

 

Lunch is due shortly. Free wine at this time of day is to be savoured!

 

Hope your day progressing well.

Ian, if you're still looking in on here contact the on-train staff and ask for a better table for yourself if any are empty, I always do (if I have got the right one in the first place!).

[Purley Oaks]

I sometimes see comments about social media.

We have been politely requesting since October a refund of £35 that Aditi was erroneously charged on her last garage bill. They happily admitted it was an error and it would be sorted, however it didn't appear. So today I put a polite comment on their Twitter page. Instant reply. Request for details by private message. Phone call, refund of overcharge.

Funny that, Tony.

 

We won a small claims court judgment  against a firm of estate agents for a few hundred pounds when they refused to return a deposit for our daughter's student flat - this happens a lot, I believe. We had it sent round by bailiffs. Nothing happened for weeks so we had it sent around by bailiffs again. Nothing. Strange, then, that when The Guardian ran a piece about it that they apologised profusely and said that they had not received it or mislaid it (I forget which) with immediate repayment. 

 

Mal

[Oldddudders]

Ian, if you're still looking in on here contact the on-train staff and ask for a better table for yourself if any are empty, I always do (if I have got the right one in the first place!).

Thanks Mike, but a Club Duo to myself, with the large folding table, suits me fine. Lunch has come and gone, as has the severalth bottle (quarter, of course) of 2015 Muscadet that I have been provided with in recent trips. The only blot on the horizon, apart from limited vision due to low cloud/mist, is a rather brash bunch of antipodeans further down the car. And I've just spotted another herd of deer having a high old time in some farmer's vegetable field.

 

Roundhouse's Southern this ain't!

[Purley Oaks]

Good morning all

 

Overcast here today but a little warmer. Yesterday was bright and sunny and a great winter's day. Course we're not out of it until we're through March!

 

Good luck to Sherry. Is it a local or general anaesthetic? I decided to really experience and enjoy my general last month and all went smoothly, waking up feeling cozy and snug. Hope the op goes well. Ian, hope your trip is very smooth.

 

Interesting to read Ivan's stuff about wills. After my father's I'll believe anything - he died 16 months ago and probate has been extended.

 

Received a very expletive-laden email yesterday from a pal in Chicago

 

Hope your day goes well

 

Mal

[BoD]

I hope we will all soon be shouting hip-hip-hooray.

[Ashcombe]

Enjoy your sipping drinks. Your "last day" comment made me chuckle. Never thought of it like that before. Pat was conscious when her knee was done but perhaps hip ops are different. She was given headphones and accompanying music ( maybe hip hop for you ). Good luck with the op and hopefully you will be up and about soon.

Thanks! Yes, the plan is for me to remain conscious so that will be interesting as I had a GA when my other hip was resurfaced in 2005. My son-in-law gave me a four CD set of hip hop music for Christmas but wasn't keen for me to listen to any in front of the grandchildren. Needless to say, the set is still in its cellophane!

 

I hope I'm given a choice of music - to be honest, I'd rather have Radio 4, but I realise that option may not be available!

 

Thank you for all the good wishes!

[Horsetan]

....As far as Executors are concerned there's masses of advice on the 'net - you have certain legal duties such as sorting the finances and correctly declaring them to HMRC which will also involve valuation of property and as far as houses or land are concerned you must get it professionally valued but in respect of other items you can put in an estimated value although sometimes, say with jewellery, a professional valuation can be worthwhile.  Unless the situation has changed if you put in an estimated value and subsequently sell the asset for more than that you are obliged to advise HMRC as that can affect the Inheritance Tax position.  If there is any doubt about value, or disagreement, and it is decided the item(s) will be sold it is best to do that through a professional auctioneer as they are duty bound to realise what they consider to be the best price - it involves fees of course but at least it's fair....

The job of an Executor can be quite onerous if the deceased left a substantial Estate. People can be quite intimidated when they realise how much legwork (and paperwork) is involved, so don't be surprised if you find that your first choice as Executor asks to be excused! Hence you should seriously consider naming another trusted person to act as a substitute, if your first choice withdraws or - worse - dies before you do. 

 

With assets that realise more (or less) than the estimated value, you generally have six months to submit a Corrective Account (that's Form C4) to HMRC. Do beware of Capital Gains Tax.

 

If there is to be any major variation of the will - for other than small items you can by mutual agreement of the named beneficiaries go for what i believe is called a Deed of Variation and that is quite legal - Horsetan will know far more about that then I'm ever likely to.  The one thing to always watch is the the good old 'uncle Fred promised me this that or whatever' because unless it is specifically willed or in a written and proper codicil etc then it was not the will of the deceased to do that and the decision rests with the executors.  This is where it is critical that the executors gain early and total control of any house, sheds, garages etc of the deceased and make sure they have them under lock and key and that nobody else has access.  When my wife's uncle died she was an executor and we duly arrived at the property to find a neighbour from up the road turning up to say that her uncle had asked him to clear the house - he was duly despatched and the key he had was taken off him.  One very important thing is to get any valuables out of the property and into safer storage as quickly as possible because technically I believe the executors could become liable - Horsetan will no doubt clarify.....

Yes, you can do a Deed of Variation. It's generally used as means of reducing or avoiding Inheritance Tax. The other alternative is to disclaim it entirely, but that could be a poisoned chalice in itself because it could then be treated as a potentially-exempt transfer, with all the IHT implications that go with those, unless certain conditions are met.

 

Executors can be made liable if they get it wrong. What has been said above about securing the deceased's property is very valid. If there are specific gifts of chattels in the Will, and those chattels have been spirited away by light-fingered relatives or other undesirables following the death, then you may have a considerable problem on your hands.

 

General rule: if you're not named in the Will, you get nothing, and Executors and their Solicitors (if any) are perfectly entitled to politely tell you to sod off. If you are not a beneficiary, you are not entitled to see the Will or any copy of it until after the Grant of Probate, at which point the Probate Registry will make it publicly accessible. It really is as simple as that.

 

Where there is no Will, so that the deceased died intestate, there are very strict rules as to who can inherit, and if none of the stated categories have survived the deceased, then the Crown gets the lot! Friends, unmarried partners, pets, neighbours, the lads you go drinking with, your "bit on the side", organisations / charities - they don't get a look in.

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks Mike, but a Club Duo to myself, with the large folding table, suits me fine. Lunch has come and gone, as has the severalth bottle (quarter, of course) of 2015 Muscadet that I have been provided with in recent trips. The only blot on the horizon, apart from limited vision due to low cloud/mist, is a rather brash bunch of antipodeans further down the car. And I've just spotted another herd of deer having a high old time in some farmer's vegetable field.

 

Roundhouse's Southern this ain't!

 

Aim for 5 bottles Ian - that used to be the norm if you were friendly to the staff and they were in a good mood.  However on one occasion on a trip to Brussels (in the old times so a longer journey) a colleague and I managed our 5 each, then drank the train's entire stock of miniatures of port (not saying a lot as we only had two each) and then proceeded to make friends with a well known grouse for the rest of the trip;  Brussels was a tad hazy on arrival.

[AndyB]

Thanks! Yes, the plan is for me to remain conscious so that will be interesting as I had a GA when my other hip was resurfaced in 2005. My son-in-law gave me a four CD set of hip hop music for Christmas but wasn't keen for me to listen to any in front of the grandchildren. Needless to say, the set is still in its cellophane!

 

I hope I'm given a choice of music - to be honest, I'd rather have Radio 4, but I realise that option may not be available!

 

Thank you for all the good wishes!

 

You could always download a Podcast of a selection of programmes? 

[edcayton]

Morning all (just).

 

Wha can explain Whatsapp? It's the only way my kids will let me keep up with granddaughter Lerryn's progress. It's free, no ad's, they can share photo's and I can talk into it with no minitryping on the phone. Surely there must be a catch?

 

Anyway, I met her for the first time yesterday. What an extraordinary experience, and one we thought wouldn't happen last November/December. A real shame that she lives 300 miles away. In other news no.2 son has bought a Honda CRZ hybrid which we pick up tomorrow.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Ed

[Oldddudders]

Aim for 5 bottles Ian - that used to be the norm if you were friendly to the staff and they were in a good mood.  However on one occasion on a trip to Brussels (in the old times so a longer journey) a colleague and I managed our 5 each, then drank the train's entire stock of miniatures of port (not saying a lot as we only had two each) and then proceeded to make friends with a well known grouse for the rest of the trip;  Brussels was a tad hazy on arrival.

Chapeau, as they say! I have noted an increasing reluctance by train staff to dole out extra booze in recent trips. Just as the champagne of yore is now but a fond memory!

[Oldddudders]

WhatsApp does pretty much what it says on the tin. Sherry, Alison and I use it extensively. As a freebie it is hard to beat. Only downside is it does require a phone - a tablet cannot provide the security feedback the software needs to start you off.