Early Risers.

[andyram]

Don't despair! Do you know when the shortlisting was planned? And the post can be very unreliable. Fingers crossed!

I don't know when the shortlisting was scheduled for. I am only making guesses based on the interviews being this coming Thursday. They would surely have to get the shortlisting done quickly so I was assuming that it would have been done the day after the closing date. That would have meant letters would have gone out Thursday night, arriving either Friday or Saturday. Any email alerts would have arrived on Friday. Of course I may be wide of the mark. A couple of colleagues have suggested I don't write it off until after Tuesday at the latest with most saying tomorrow is the crucial day. We will wait and see.

Anyway - I am pleased to hear you are home Sherry and wish you well in your recovery.

My condolences to Alan - life can be very cruel at times.

To John (CB) I hope that the funeral goes as well as these things ever can.

To Grandadbob - congrats on successfully adding the DCC chip without wrecking the little blue work of art. I am sure we would all appreciate pictures of it in action. That reminds me - despite the wealth of traders at the Stafford show yesterday there was an absence of Hornby Pecketts. Had either of the green liveried ones been available for sale I would have found them impossible to resist.

 

Today has been a busy family day. We all went to church this morning for what was supposed to be a family service, but wasn't. The address was very thought provoking about the drive many of us have for more and more material possessions and how such thinkers are not always a measure of happiness or even a successful life. Considering my hope of being considered for a job that would bring in less money, but a better work - life balance it rang a few familiar bells with me.

Whilst the football was on television I concentrated on school planning. Sadly things took longer than normal. Recent events have made me question, requestion and doubt all of my decisions. A simple 90 minute job took nearly three times as long as a result. Not great when confidence is at an all time low.

Later I will be off out on an Avon run for Sarah. The fresh air and exercise will be most welcome.

 

Take care all.

[New Haven Neil]

Wrestling with big red spaghetti.  Steamplex has just been lit up, hence showing no pressure.  She only takes 45 minutes or so to make steam, ready to roll.

 

[TheQ]

Evening Awl,

Just had a long snooze catching up on last weeks missing sleep.

 

Sunday being sailing day, I was not amused to find beautiful blue skies as this means not a lot of wind. So it proved, and to upset us more it clouded over later.

 

On arriving at the club, I got the rescue boats out with the assistance of a non race sailing member. The usual rescue boat compatriot was late on parade, seemingly he had a good night !!!!

I didn't lay the buoys though just put them in the boat, as there was no wind.

 

During my bacon butty my sailing compatriot arrived with the bits to sort out the problems from last week, luckily the installation of the new halyard well as while we're rigging some wind arrived.

 

Due to the unusual wind direction the starts were from the pontoon down river heading back to the club.

 

Race one, wind north Easterly, 5 mph if you were lucky, course 2P,4P,2P,3P.

 

As we approached the starboard end of the line there was the usual traffic jam and we ended heading the wrong way to go round the stern of another boat to get to the line, so we started 7th with three boats still struggling to come the other way from the club to the line.

Fairly rapidly as we tacked down river with the tide, we over took two boats. So at bouy 2 we rounded in fifth as we hauled up the spinnaker, as we had our bow overlapped on the out side of the fourth place boat we were forced to sail down the right hand bank to avoid the tide. Other chose the left bank which turned out to be quicker on this lap.

The two lead boats got clear air and sailed off the rest of us in two groups on each bank slowing each other down blocking the wind from behind. On reaching buoy 4 down spinnakers, turn and tack back, long tack on starboard, short on port til we reached the corner then equal tacks. Up to bouy two and that was it we finished 5th.

 

After a cup of coffee

 

Race two less wind ...Course 2P, 3P,

At least this time we were heading in the right direction, but another bad start meant we were in 9th. So we set off finding it hard to get past other boats in the crowd. By buoy 2 we were still in 9th, up spinnakers and again we went down the right. Now we were at the back and blocking others lack of wind. We arrived at bouy 3 in 7th and with ever reducing wind that the position we finished struggling to reach the finish line.

Normally we'd do the third Race but we don't do well in light winds, and it was getting lighter. So we packed up and went in for lunch.

 

One of the things the club has done to increase income is to start a lunch time social dinner,at the moment monthly. Members of other clubs that don't sail in the winter are also invited. Today, lasagne, in normal and haggis varieties. I had the haggis which was the most popular and good too. Then home.

[pH]

The street in front of our house only has driveways on one side of it. During the night, a plow cleared it of snow. Any time that's been done this winter, they've angled the blade to push the snow to the other side of the road. This time, just for variety, they've pushed the snow across the front of our driveways. So now, in addition to the snow on our own driveway, I'm going to have to shovel all that out of the way.

 

I may be some time.

[AndyID]

Saw Harry and Snowman last night. It's on Netflix here at the moment. I had never heard the story before - very interesting, particularly if you like horses.

[DDolfelin]

Forecast for more really cold weather.

Wonderful.

(Depends where you are of course).

[Horsetan]

....I see Black Sabbath has retired. ...

Ozzy is practically a national treasure, even though he hasn't lived here for years. My alcohack partner went to see him in concert some years ago, and she thought he struggled to get the words out in time to the music.

[newbryford]

Ozzy is practically a national treasure, even though he hasn't lived here for years. My alcohack partner went to see him in concert some years ago, and she thought he struggled to get the words out in time to the music.

 

Saw Ozzy with his band sometime in the early 1980s. It's the only gig I've been to where the audience wanted the support band to come back on.........

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Happy Hippo]

I took my roof sign off if I wanted to drive "enthusiastically"..........

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

Way back in the late 70's,  a number of us who were working in what was quaintly described as 'special intelligence' were sent to the Metropolitan Police at Hendon for some hints and tips on how to drive safely at speed(aka above the speed limit).

 

After a rather brisk drive in an unmarked car along the North Circular we were stopped at lights when a car pulled up alongside and the driver began to give us a mouthful about our speed along the highway.

 

'I'm going to report you to the police!' He yelled.

 

'I am the police!' was the short reply from the driver, (who also happened to be in uniform as was the co-driver).

[roundhouse]

Forecast for more really cold weather.

Wonderful.

(Depends where you are of course).

Snow melting here.

 

Was very cold to start with on our tour train but when the train ran round it soon warmed up.

 

Just half hour late back but they had already stopped serving food in the hotel. Luckily we expected this so now busy munching on our food reserves bought last night from Tesco Express opposite the hotel. I wonder if our UK Clubcard would work here!!

 

Tomorrow a few options on routes back to Prague then its beer o'clock

[lightengine]

Ozzy is practically a national treasure, even though he hasn't lived here for years. My alcohack partner went to see him in concert some years ago, and she thought he struggled to get the words out in time to the music.

Echoes of the Tracey Ullman show (Fridays BBC 1 21.30) "I'm Dame Judy Dench, I'm a national treasure".

[Oldddudders]

That reminds me - despite the wealth of traders at the Stafford show yesterday there was an absence of Hornby Pecketts. Had either of the green liveried ones been available for sale I would have found them impossible to resist

I think, Andy, that almost all the teachers on here recommended most strongly that you join a union. You mentioned financial issues, and the cost of subscription, and we all understand those. But to suggest puchasing a model might take precedence over securing your position in employment seems a mite, well - irresponsible, to Sarah and Amber?

 

And perhaps that sermon on material things has place here, too.

 

Sorry to be brutal.

[emt_911]

Back to the cockwomble client site tomorrow, so I need plenty of sleep.

 

Night all

[lightengine]

Is cockwomble pronounced in the polite surname likeway, Cowomble?

[BSW01]

Goodnight all

[laurenceb]

Night all

[Tony_S]

I had to sort out Aditi's PC this afternoon. It would not connect wirelessly to the Internet. Every other wifi device in the house would. Everything hardware and software seemed to be working. Reinstalling the device driver and restarting the router seemed to be the combination that worked. At least I didn't have to sit up all night doing things like I did when the Mac Mini refused to boot.

I was going to do some cosmetic work on my Wickham Trolley but watched an old Star Trek film instead, the one about the whales.

Tony

[jamie92208]

Is cockwomble pronounced in the polite surname likeway, Cowomble?

 

If it's anything like a certain school in Leeds the ck would be silent.  Pronounced Coburn.

 

Jamie

[BoD]

Is cockwomble pronounced in the polite surname likeway, Cowomble?

Perhaps we should stop being polite and just call them di heads.

[Tony_S]

Perhaps we should stop being polite and just call them di heads.

The abbreviation used by colleagues of such people was DH. Unfortunately one new colleague wrote a letter addressed to one fairly senior school manager as Mr DH Surname. She really thought the man's initials were DH and not P. Fortunately he believed whatever excuse we thought up to blame the computer or something.

[andyram]

I think, Andy, that almost all the teachers on here recommended most strongly that you join a union. You mentioned financial issues, and the cost of subscription, and we all understand those. But to suggest puchasing a model might take precedence over securing your position in employment seems a mite, well - irresponsible, to Sarah and Amber?

And perhaps that sermon on material things has place here, too.

Sorry to be brutal.

Now then Ian, I do not want to start an argument here, but let me clarify a couple of points. Because your comments, whilst understandable from how you have presented it, are a little wide of the mark.

I left the union several years ago when Sarah was made redundant and money was very tight. I had to jettison some bills at that point and made some serious cut backs. The decision not to rejoin in the past has been more a case of "not getting round to it" rather than financial. At this moment I have applied for a job that would, result in a better work - life balance, but would mean tightening our financial belts for a few months. It is for that reason I have not rushed out to join the union in the last few weeks. I do not want to commit to another direct debit bill ahead of another potential time of cut backs. Once I know where the land lies with this job I will look into the next union step.

As regards the Peckett comment it was made rather flippantly and should have read "almost impossible to resist" (Iack of IPad proof reading on my part). I did not intend to make any expensive purchases yesterday and didn't. The fact Is I was tempted by an Oxford Rail Adams Radial which, at £74, appeared a good price. However, for the financial reasons I and you have referred to, I did not make such a purchase.

The reference to the church sermon this morning was made because it very much links to my current thinking eg having money for such purchases (staying in a job that pays that money but affects health and family) v making cut backs but having more time for my family (the potential four day per week job). At no point would I suggest that I make a purchase of a model locomotive over having money for the family. I hope that clears up any misunderstanding.

Edited February 5, 2017 by andyram

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[AndyID]

Enough with the snow already!

 

I drove into town to get the 'lectric bits for the shopshed. It took a little time to find everything. On the way home the main highway had turned into a friggin' Winter Wonderland.

[Gwiwer]

Alan - Very sad news indeed. I hope that the rest of the year is better for you and some modelling can proceed.

 

 

As others have said - sincere condolences Alan and may the rest of the year be an improvement.  Whether it is or it isn't remember there's support and friendship here any time.

 

Very wet conclusion to the weekend.  Some minor flooding overnight.  A major level-crossing removal job on our trunk eastern-suburbs lines wasn't handed back on time due to the appalling weather and causing suspension of trains (which should have returned at 5am after eight weeks) until 7.30am.  Some very unhappy Jans at the Palace today - once they finally arrived.

 

Welcome to Moan-day.  May it treat you fairly and equitably.