Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Pleasant surprise in this mornings post, the next 'World of Stobart' model has arrived. A nice little Komatsu bulldozer, a pretty good model, I'll give it 8 out of 10. We never did metalwork at school although the school had a fully equiped workshop/classroom but no teacher. Our woodwork master was an 'old school' craftsman who went into teaching in later life. A strict disciplarian but very fair and woe betide any boy who mis-used any tools. My woodworking skills though are minimal, in woodworking class I made the best firewood, though I have made myself a couple of baseboards that have stood the test of time.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Late on parade due to going to the Preston Show first thing this morning, which I enjoyed. Whilst there I met Mick (Newbryford) who was operating Towcester and Alan (Shedman5) and as Alan said earlier, it's always nice to put a face to the name.

 

Quite a good show, my wallet did not take too much of a battering, I mainly bought little bits and bobs. But I did pick up a couple of bargains whilst there, an unmade, boxed etched brass kit of an Adams O2 0-4-4 by Jidenco, for which I paid the princely sum of £15.00. I also picked up a Bachmann GWR crocodile, loaded with a Hornby 0-4-0 loco for £12.00. I tested the loco when I got home and it runs very well. Both are a little bit battered, but a few modifications, the loco will end up as a little industrial shunter.

 

Indian takeaway night tonight, chicken karahi was tonight's choice, now it's time for a sit down with a nice cup of earl grey, pretty soon it will be wine o'clock, hic.

[edcayton]

NHNeil. Whilst you are laid up is the perfect time to organise the IoM model railway exhibition. There must be enough modellers on the island to make at least a small show, There may even be sponsorship from your employer. I'd come!

 

Ed

[New Haven Neil]

Ed, I don't know of sufficient portable layouts to stage a show here!  There are three layouts owned by three of us at work, all very permanent!  There is also a sort of a club, really it is a private individual who hosts a meeting in his house..... with a permanent layout!

[Coombe Barton]

I'm trying to use Siri on Mac, iPhone and iPad - opening with "Hey Siri" as you can.

 

Trouble is, when you do all devices respond at once.

 

This is the result.

 

Edited March 4, 2017 by Coombe Barton

[pH]

Glasgow is almost at the 56th Parallel (which explains why I was able to cut the grass at 10 PM.)

 

OK - but why would you want to?

[Horsetan]

OK - but why would you want to?

Because he can?

[lightengine]

J

OK - but why would you want to?

X Factor final on tv.

US Presidential election

Missus having a moan.

how many excuses would you need?

[pH]

A few years ago, I went to a talk by a successful local author. During question time, a lady stood up and asked him if he could confirm her interpretation of a specific part of his latest book. He replied that there was no hidden meaning, he would prefer it if people read what he had written at face value and not try and interpret it as something else. One of the reasons I gave up on a local book club was the 'intellectual posturing' of some of the members. But then I'm just a thickie!

"I Am The Walrus" is supposed to have been written, in part at least, in response to that kind of attitude on the part of an English teacher in John Lennon's old school - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_the_Walrus

[emt_911]

Yet another fustercluck by the client. They certainly wouldn't be out of place in a circus. I did go and help another team get their job back on track instead. At least there is no work tomorrow.

 

An extraordinary number of cockwomble drivers were encountered on the way home. In fact, there were that many that it would take over an hour just to post them.

 

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be reasonably dry so that I can sort out how I want the back of the van laid out.

 

Back later

[Tony_S]

I only drove down to the local park today. No crazy drivers encountered.

Some near neighbours moved a few days ago. Much interest in who is moving in. The previous residents "kept themselves to themselves, very quiet" didn't tell anyone they were leaving but thanks to various property websites everyone knew anyway. Aditi just interrogated the people moving out (she should work for MI6, people tell her everything). The new neighbours are not moving in for a while as they are in a rented property at the moment, the Poles who are redecorating the property are just decorators. I think I have seen the new owner. I think the only horrible person in the road is going to be slightly upset!

Tony

[TheQ]

Evening Awl

Awoke an hour early at 04:00,

Left the house 06:00,

Picked up compatriot at 06:50,

Set off for Ally Pally,

Arrived Ally Pally about 08:45

 

Made the climb up to the top of the hill not too out of breath ( what do you expect, I live in Norfolk, I'm not used to hills).

Waited to 09:30 before they opened the outer doors, last year they were opened the outer area at 09:00 and then you could use the conveniences and or get a coffee.

Actually gained entry 10:15 having had an expensive latte coffee at £2.50 in a cardboard cup..

 

It was a good show, I only spent £7:50, whereas my compatriot spent £350!!!

Met several members of clubs I used to belong to, but only one from my current club.

Got information useful and parts catalogues for our current projects.

 

Left the show at 15:00 ish, going down the hill is easier!!! Then all the cockwombles came out, in the few miles to reach the M11 there were more attempts to run me off the road than I've had for years. Mostly by non indicating lane switchers not noticing I was there.

 

The worst being a hijab wearing woman who could barely see over the steering wheel of her Renault kangoo. Who went down a slip road, and realising she was going the wrong way switched back across the solid white lines, just in front of the concrete divider pushing me as far right as I could go without hitting the cars in the next lane.

 

We spent a long time in a traffic jam, on the North circular, after several miles we found it was caused by rubber neckers looking at a car fire on the other carriageway (two fire engines spraying water on it).

 

Once we got moving again to the Motorway merger lanes I was doing the 50 limit, with solid traffic in the lanes merging from the left going slower, when a transit lorry came up behind me about 2 feet from my bumper then slowed dropped back and the repeated it several times including flashing his headlights. Then we reached a seventy limit so I sped up, and he was still tailgating eventually a gap opened up in the left hand side and I moved over and he shot off. But then I noticed, about 400 yards ahead he dropped into the traffic and went no faster than I was going (70) for many miles until he turned off!!!

 

Meanwhile all the Audi and BMW cockwombles came out weaving from lane to lane undertaking / overtaking, you just didn't know where they would come from next...

 

Got to compatriots house 17:30, my house 18:30.

 

The show? The RYA National Dinghy Show. My compatriot bought a new dry suit, £50 off normal price and a few other minor items. I bought the latest RYA racing rules book ( with members discount)

 

 

Tomorrow, 08:30 at the sailing club, my compatriot should turn up about 09:30 just in time for bacon butties

[AndyID]

OK - but why would you want to?

I don't remember, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Ozexpatriate]

My home appears to be on the shores of the Caspian Sea (along with a cluster of cities) whilst Miami seems to be closer to Mecca than anywhere else, putting Anchorage to the South West of Iceland and Vancouver is situated nicely at Cherbourg.

 

On the other map London would be transposed to somewhere north of Calgary......

 

Thank God for the Gulf Stream is all I can say.

Quite so. New York is much further South than London. I'm pretty close to the Canadian border (49th Parallel) and I'm at the same latitude as Zurich. Glasgow is almost at the 56th Parallel (which explains why I was able to cut the grass at 10 PM.)

 

When we lived in Arizona, we were at the same latitude as Tel Aviv.

Here in northern Oregon we are slightly north of 45°N. 

 

The local wine growing region is exactly the same latitude as Burgundy, which is perhaps the reason that the emerging Oregon Pinot Noir winegrowers established themselves in head-to-head blind tastings versus French Burgundy wines back in the late 1970s.

 

Most people wouldn't expect it with our (usually) mild winters but we are actually north of Boston (MA), Chicago and Toronto, and very close to Ottawa and Montreal in latitude.

 

Snow at elevations above the valley floor is forecast for tomorrow. I'm flying out in the morning so I hope it doesn't come down from the hilltops.

 

Fascinating. I would like to see a map where one side of the World is overlaid on the opposite side. ie as if a line was drawn through the centre of the Earth and the two points were overlaid.

As in flipped about the equator you mean?

 

In the southern hemisphere, most of the areas where we are accustomed to land masses are ocean. Antarctica will dominate the top of the map. Draw a line through Iceland (65° more or less) and everything from there to the pole is Antarctica.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

I don't remember, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time.

I asked Matthew (normally a sensible sort of person) what on earth possessed him to do a rather big bungee jump in New Zealand. "Well, they wouldn't let me do a parachute jump so it seemed like a good alternative ".

[lightengine]

Here in northern Oregon we are slightly north of 45°N. 

 

The local wine growing region is exactly the same latitude as Burgundy, which is perhaps the reason that the emerging Oregon Pinot Noir winegrowers established themselves in head-to-head blind tastings versus French Burgundy wines back in the late 1970s.

 

Most people wouldn't expect it with our (usually) mild winters but we are actually north of Boston (MA), Chicago and Toronto, and very close to Ottawa and Montreal in latitude.

 

Snow at elevations above the valley floor is forecast for tomorrow. I'm flying out in the morning so I hope it doesn't come down from the hilltops.

And lots of the French vineyards had their vines replanted from US vines after serious disease. Perhaps its the soil.

[Ozexpatriate]

And lots of the French vineyards had their vines replanted from US vines after serious disease. Perhaps its the soil.

Mais non, c'est terroir,

 

It is soil, micro climates and south facing hillsides. In particular it is cool wet winters, warm sunny summer days with cool nights where the grapes have to struggle to ripen before the rains and rot set in.

 

Places like Australia, California and Chile are fine for very robust grapes to blow out and ripen quickly in the heat but Pinot is a finicky thing.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

Mais non, c'est terroir,

 

It is soil, micro climates and south facing hillsides. In particular it is cool wet winters, warm sunny summer days with cool nights where the grapes have to struggle to ripen before the rains and rot set in.

 

Places like Australia, California and Chile are fine for very robust grapes to blow out and ripen quickly in the heat but Pinot is a finicky thing.

Aditi's uncle grows grapes in California. Most of the produce goes off to some cooperative winery. A small amount is kept back for bottling for distribution to family and friends. My non-expert verdict, it doesn't "travel well". Nice label though. Edited March 4, 2017 by Tony_S

[newbryford]

Nice chat with Brian and Alan at the Preston show today.

 

Good job I was there, as there were a couple of electrical gremlins at play on Towcester.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[trisonic]

Here’s the Antipodes transposed to North America (same rules as before):

 

 

Yes, they have to be upside down, silly....

 

Best, Pete.

 

 

[Smiffy2]

In France.

It was a long journey...

Delays at the Tunnel, which meant that after we arrived early (booked on the 9:20) we got put on the 8:20, but that then became the 9:20, which left about 9:45...

 

Journey fine, except my co-pilot took us through Rouen. Where there were huge traffic problems due to the access roads to the autoroute being closed. No idea why.

Then the oil level light came on - seems that checking your oil in the dark the night before isn't ideal... Thrash around finding somewhere that sells oil in the Rouen hinterland. Fill up, no problems since. Realise that I haven't put any oil in for about a year...

 

Got to the house - yay! - no leaks! But the bathroom shower is dripping. Looks like the cartridge has gone. All else reasonably OK apart from the feckin' cluster flies.The work on the pointing and rendering looks excellent. Note to phone the plumber on Monday.

 

So then off to a local restaurant for steack frîtes and a chat with madame, and then out this morning for a galette complète and a chat with madame! Currently sat in the glow of the woodburner, but it is cold here at night, and looking to get colder.

 

Tomorrow might involve storms and gale force winds or it may involve a vide grenier. Or possibly some painting of 1/43 figures. Then côtes de veau a la normande for dinner.

 

It's all been full on and I haven't read everything properly, and I don't know if I passed my condolences on to Rick. You have my thoughts, I wish you well. Always the hardest of times.

 

A tout a l'heure, mes copains.

[Ozexpatriate]

Here’s the Antipodes transposed to North America (same rules as before):

A very nice illustration Pete.

 

Having previously looked up latitudes, my hometown is the same latitude south as Orlando Florida is north and I presently live at the same latitude north as Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand is south.

 

Frankly the climates are quite comparable north to south.

 

It also explains Melbourne (which is habitually the most "livable city in the world") having a climate comparable (latitude-wise) to San Francisco - which if it weren't quite so crowded is a very livable place. I suspect that Melbourne has less microclimate variation than the Bay Area does despite it's "four seasons in a day" weather reputation in Australia.

 

It's not just coincidental that the population cluster in south-east Australia is very comparable to California, latitude-wise.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[Tony_S]

In France.

It was a long journey...

Delays at the Tunnel, which meant that after we arrived early (booked on the 9:20) we got put on the 8:20, but that then became the 9:20, which left about 9:45...

 

Journey fine, except my co-pilot took us through Rouen. Where there were huge traffic problems due to the access roads to the autoroute being closed. No idea why.

Then the oil level light came on - seems that checking your oil in the dark the night before isn't ideal... Thrash around finding somewhere that sells oil in the Rouen hinterland. Fill up, no problems since. Realise that I haven't put any oil in for about a year...

 

Got to the house - yay! - no leaks! But the bathroom shower is dripping. Looks like the cartridge has gone. All else reasonably OK apart from the feckin' cluster flies.The work on the pointing and rendering looks excellent. Note to phone the plumber on Monday.

 

So then off to a local restaurant for steack frîtes and a chat with madame, and then out this morning for a galette complète and a chat with madame! Currently sat in the glow of the woodburner, but it is cold here at night, and looking to get colder.

 

Tomorrow might involve storms and gale force winds or it may involve a vide grenier. Or possibly some painting of 1/43 figures. Then côtes de veau a la normande for dinner.

 

It's all been full on and I haven't read everything properly, and I don't know if I passed my condolences on to Rick. You have my thoughts, I wish you well. Always the hardest of times.

 

A tout a l'heure, mes copains.

Rouen has been our undoing on a couple of occasions. I think last time we went past the big rail yard a few times.

[Smiffy2]

We've seen that a couple of times. I almost wish I knew more about French locos, there were hundreds, presumably off for scrapping.

 

 

This is why we were held up for hours last time...

Edited March 4, 2017 by Smiffy2

[grandadbob]

It has been rather a good day here, quite peaceful in fact, possibly because you know who was out for most of it.

The trains ran well and I enjoyed a good game of rugby.

It would appear that my security light adjustments were fine as it has come on three or four times, presumably for cats or foxes and then gone out again. The other one on the side of the house also seems to be working properly.

Whilst sitting here watching the lights go on and off I have been sampling and surrounding some Rémy Martin.  My samples are quite generous so I'm feeling quite content. As I'm in a contented and generous mood I might surround some more.