Early Risers.

[Ashcombe]

Ian, have you had the pleasure of the guard on the Exmouth-Paignton service that announces jokes all journey? Such as "we are now approaching Exeter, anybody wishing to visit the prison ......" all the journey is taken up with such witticisms about each stop........

Yes, I have! At Torre, he said, "Alight here for the Police Station and Magistrates' Court!"

 

It raised a few smiles amongst the travellers on board.

[lightengine]

Good morning all,

Blue sky and sunshine here but there was a frost earlier. It should be a dry morning with sunny spells followed by rain later this afternoon.

Tuesday usually means kids here after school but today we're off to their house as there is another birthday to celebrate. Grandson Joe is 15 today and has requested that Nanny Chris whistles up a slow cooked curry for tonight followed by pancakes!  As Nicky & Steve are at work we're going round to organise everything. Well Chris is, I'm just going along for the ride. It will  be a low key celebration tonight followed by bigger bash at the weekend.

Needless to say my diet is going pear shaped (as am I)

 

So to continue the proud grandad theme here's Joe aged 2

 

DSCN0050 (2).JPG

 

 

 

and approaching 15

 

 

IMG_1219.JPG

 

 

We're especially proud of him because of the way he has dealt with his diabetes since the age of 4 and always keeps smiling. He is also a cheeky little so and so as well but his sense of humour means he gets away with it, (Most of the time)

 

Got to go now as I seem to have something in my eye again.

 

Have a good one,

Bob.

I'm sorry Bob but I find this post quite offensive. Letting a small child wear an awful shirt like that is verging on abuse.

 

Angry of Tottenham.

[AndyB]

Can you imagine the conversation with the train manager?

"Excuse me guv, I wanna phone all my contact list on the way to Lundun but there aint no seat left in the Loud coach. Some geezer is sat there and he aint phoned anyone yet. Just sat there reading."

"Well maybe he is sat there because he needs to receive a call."

"Yeah, woteva like. I've gotta phone Chardonnay and I've gotta talk to my probation and the STD clinic and my old lady and I've gotta find a tattoist to put **** ** on my chest and .................."

 

Obviously in my dream scenario people would be expected to be on the phone constantly with no let up. I'm sure this would be ok and no-one would get irritated as the noise level built.   

We'd need anti-phase flat panel speakers installed at the carriage ends to prevent noise propagation into the more salubrious carriages. 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Bright and sunny here at the moment but not expected to last. Andy, last time I travelled on C2C I was in the quiet carriage where there was a youth talking loudly on his mobile much to the annoyance of the other passengers, until a fellow passenger threatened to put his mobile where the sun doesn't shine. Typically the idiot refused to stop at which point I thought the guy was going to carry out his threat when he grabbed him by the belt. Instead though he also grabbed him by the collar and frogmarched him into the next carriage. When the youth threatened to report him to the police he got the reply 'I am the police'.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

I like the idea of loud carriages - just one in every 8 car HST would be about right I think (and hope).  I don't think much of Ian's 'GWR managers' - if a traincrew depot at Gatwick is anything to do with them they'd know there's one there and if it's nothing to do with them it doesn't matter whether there's one there or not;  clearly a bunch of suits looking for a role or justification of their existence (but always a good way of sussing out whose jobs could be cut out ).  

 

Currently the sun is shining occasionally but cloud and then rain are forecast so not really any idea about how the weather will turn out.  ChrisF's medication experience sounds like a typical NHS disconnect of the kind I have recently encountered - see GP, he says I'll refer you to so & so, they're not busy you'll probably get a 'phone call and see them in a few days.  Several days later letter arrives from GP's secretary with details of how to make an appointment with so & so - earliest date duly booked - in bl**dy April, 6 weeks hence.  Left me wondering about asking for a hearing test - ah well nothing we can do about it.

 

Might take a trip to the big metropolis of Reading today, maybe, perhaps - i like to be decisive!

 

Have a good day one & all.

[The Stationmaster]

Obviously in my dream scenario people would be expected to be on the phone constantly with no let up. I'm sure this would be ok and no-one would get irritated as the noise level built.   

We'd need anti-phase flat panel speakers installed at the carriage ends to prevent noise propagation into the more salubrious carriages. 

Far better to turn the whole train into a Faraday Cage - job done.

[newbryford]

 I've gotta find a tattoist to put **** ** on my chest and .................."

 

And they can't even spell.

 

There's three * in ***

 

Cheers,

Mick

[trisonic]

.  Several days later letter arrives from GP's secretary with details of how to make an appointment with so & so - earliest date duly booked - in bl**dy April, 6 weeks hence.  Left me wondering about asking for a hearing test - ah well nothing we can do about it.

 

 

That is early for the NHS......a long wait is April 2018.

I heard some heart consultant  from the NHS on the World Service this am complaining that no one wants to do intricate heart operations anymore as the Op itself is too long and they have to work on the weekends.....

 

The nearest Citroen dealer to me is 3,000 miles away - some of you don’t know how lucky you are...

 

Best, Pete.

Edited February 28, 2017 by trisonic

[Judge Dread]

Use one for a water butt.

 

I converted the two plastic dust bins we had before wheelie bins came along, into water butts. I installed them under a downpipe from the roof, one at the front of the house and the other at the rear. Then I drilled the side near the top and installed a length of plastic pipe with suitable elbow bends to carry the overflow away. The intention was to use the collected water on the gardens but the bottom of each bin  now has quite a lot of roof tile dust washed down from above and that idea has been forgotten.

By the way, the aforementioned wheelie bins in Hull are, Brown for garden waste, blue for recycling and black for land fill.

Black in week 1 and blue/brown in week 2 etc etc. Last week we had an inspection by a person whose hi-vis jacket still had the folds in it, as to the contents of the blue bin and I believe our glorious council is issuing threats to those who transgress. Am I worried ? 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Judge Dread

[trisonic]

Sadly, as usual, the major jabbering among passengers in this (first class) coach is GWR staff among themselves. Not the on-train people, but managers en route London. A phonecall elicited discussion about whether GWR have a traincrew depot and printer at Gatwick Airport. Yawn.

Surely that is the only reason that they have First Class on commuting lines. In this great nation of ours we don’t (because presumably we have Limos for railway managers).

 

Best, Pete.

[grandadbob]

I'm sorry Bob but I find this post quite offensive. Letting a small child wear an awful shirt like that is verging on abuse.

 

Angry of Tottenham.

 

Nothing to do with me Guv. It's all down to to his Dad and other (late) Grandad who are (were) lifelong Gooners fans.

Edited February 28, 2017 by grandadbob

[trisonic]

Now That’s What I Call Snow (Dept.)!

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/videos/storm-chasers/2ad234bf4f014a83a4b7d626ca63693c

 

Best, Pete.

[Tony_S]

No first class on our trains, no NHS delays encountered either, lovely climate. South Essex is clearly a good place to live.

[lightengine]

And they can't even spell.

 

There's three * in ***

 

Cheers,

Mick

Lucky you didn't spot the missing "o" in tattooist!

[trisonic]

Nothing to do with me Guv. It's all down to to his Dad and other (late) Grandad who are (were) lifelong Gooners fans.

 

I was born within half a mile of Highbury (not the Etihad or is it Emirates) Stadium. We have to put up with a lot - the most infuriating team for a supporter......

I’m even developing an admiration for Spurs - don’t tell Gordon S. though.

 

Best, Pete.

[Barry O]

Far better to turn the whole train into a Faraday Cage - job done.

wouldn't be too difficult.. if could manage doing it for a tank a coach would be easier.  Might be better just to have an electronic signal jammer.. you can buy them but they are illegal unless you can get them registered..

 

[lightengine]

wouldn't be too difficult.. if could manage doing it for a tank a coach would be easier.  Might be better just to have an electronic signal jammer.. you can buy them but they are illegal unless you can get them registered..

 

I read of a guy that had bought a jammer in the US. He sat on the train and every time a passenger close by started speaking on their mobile he would jam it. They would then re dial and he would jam it again. This went on for quite some time. Most satisfying I think.

[Horsetan]

.....I am off to New Malden ....

 

...also known as Little Korea. Probably has the highest concentration of ex-pat North Koreans (some of whom may or may not be spies) in Europe.

 

 

EDIT:

 

......Speaking of toasting bagels, I happen to really like bagels, even though the western US is a bagel desert. I've only found truly 'good' ones from a bakery in the San Francisco Mission district and on the US east coast. Their Polish cousin (the bialy) will do in a pinch when in Chicago. (Actually there are some chain bakeries that are not too bad - Panera and Einstein Brothers, as examples.)

 

Having said that bagels are a bit like pizza. A fresh warm bagel from a bakery is sublime, but when not so good they still taste OK warmed up. It's quite amazing how all it takes is a toaster to wake them up a bit.

 

The cafeteria at my office has a charming custom of sending a young lady around the offices pushing a trolley (or cart in the local dialect) loaded with breakfast options - including very ordinary bagels. Having brought a toaster to the office I frequently enjoy a bagel from the trolley at my desk for breakfast. It all works very well unless the cleaning people get very enthusiastic and clean the toaster - often moving the setting as they do so - with inevitable grumbling from me.

 

Crying over spilt milk may be proverbially prohibited but grumbling over burnt bagels is utterly understandable....

 

There was quite a lot of grumbling about bagels here

Edited February 28, 2017 by Horsetan

[Smiffy2]

I read of a guy that had bought a jammer in the US. He sat on the train and every time a passenger close by started speaking on their mobile he would jam it. They would then re dial and he would jam it again. This went on for quite some time. Most satisfying I think.

 

I hope their call wasn't important. To be honest he deserved having the device shoved where the sun doesn't shine. Unspeakable arrogance to deprive someone of something lawful because it offends a nimby.

[Donw]

Greetings all, the blue skies of first thing now have a few clouds in them. It is distinctly grey over St Paul's, but the forecast suggested the rain would all be to the north of London.

 

I suffered c0ckwomble drivers at the Crittall's Corner roundabout on Saturday, two in about 15 seconds, both caused by their inability to use the lanes correctly on a roundabout. When coming off the A20, you can go left towards Orpington, straight on, back onto the A20, right towards Foots Cray, and even further right towards Ruxley. First the Merc driver who thought that the left hand lane was for turning right towards Foots Cray and was disappointed that I chose the Foots Cray lane. And so hooted me. More dangerous was the Audi in front of me who decided to move without warning into the lane I occupied while I was half alongside him. I hooted him and was immediately hooted by the merc behind again as I had braked extremely sharply. Younger Lurker learned some words I hadn't intended him to learn at quite such a tender age. In fact I realized quite a bit later he was still shaken by the Audi pulling in front of us. He told me he couldn't get it out of his head, poor thing.

 

Best wishes to Smiffy's Laurence, hope to hear some better news from there, and also an update from NHN. I am glad that Sherry is still improving.

 

That sort of behaviour is why I avoid driving very far. I am old enough to remember when going out for a drive was a pleasurable and popular activity

Don

[Purley Oaks]

Re Muffin the Mule, at the Scotland-Wales rugby at Murrayfield on Saturday, quite a lot of the female Welsh supporters were wearing sheep head hats. After we'd been chatting to a male and female couple I thought I'd ask if she's often asked to wear it in bed at nights. She may have looked a little shocked when I said they should maybe try it sometime. Ahem.

 

One time I was travelling first class from Kings Cross to Edinburgh and was at one of those two-seat tables. A well-dressed business man got on, took out his phone and talked loudly for 30 minutes. After that I thought I'd go to the restaurant car (there was one back then) for a late lunch, sat down, ordered, and within a minute phone bloke turned up and sat at the table opposite - still on his bl00dy phone. He stopped after a further 20 mins.

 

Fabuous day here, very chilly but with bright sunshine and a blue sky. Just back from an hour-long walk on Arthur's Seat which was wonderful. First meteorological day of spring tomorrow, and some daffs are out.

 

Mal

[Horsetan]

I hope their call wasn't important. To be honest he deserved having the device shoved where the sun doesn't shine. Unspeakable arrogance to deprive someone of something lawful because it offends a nimby.

OT, but anyone remember the Nokia 8210? Now that was a handset which genuinely could be shoved where the sun doesn't shine. It enjoyed a bit of late comeback with the criminal / prison community.

[grandadbob]

Er - I had one but I seem to have mislaid it   I think it was on a chair the last time I saw it.

[Danemouth]

Yes, in 1962, a gentleman from Pakistan arrived in Cardiff carrying the smallpox virus. I remember the huge queue at the doctor's surgery, as everyone waited for their jab when this was discovered.

 

It killed 19 people, but not the original carrier!

 

Yes, I remember my mother taking us to the clinic in Llanrumney to be vaccinated - they insisted on vaccinating her as well as she had not been vaccinated as a child. I and my sister were off school for a couple of days with a reaction to it.

 

IIRC the gentleman in question worked in a curry house in Bridge Street.

 

Dave

 

 

Dave

[Smiffy2]

Laurence update: the CT scan showed nothing to worry about, and although he is still poorly he has been able to keep some water down, so that is positive. Still has the IV line for fluids, but he has been playing (and sleeping) today. Hoping for more news later.