Early Risers.

[andyram]

Evening all and best wishes. Safe trip to Rick (Gwiwer) and his feline friend. Here in our small, and currently sunny, corner of South Derbyshire we are also awaiting our first General Election canvassing knock on the door. Prior to the local elections we only saw the Labour Party around our area despite there being five political parties in the race. Clearly their efforts brought no reward as they were booted out of office.

At work another day has passed by with no issues. Not that I trust the powers that be at the moment. At least I mustered a good night's sleep last night which I meant I felt much more alert and less tired all day. I also received an email response from the other school today. They are showing potential deputy head candidates around tomorrow afternoon. That means there could be plenty of people there. I really hate it when schools do that. I will go for a look around though. I need to push on with looking again because it seems certain I have failed with all of other three jobs. I have heard, via the grapevine, that an ex colleague got one of the jobs. I don't want to sound arrogant or big headed, but I am bewildered how she can get appointed over me. She is on the same payscale as me yet less experienced and, over the years, has proved to be a much less effective teacher. This is not sour grapes you understand. I am glad she got out of our place because she was the previous bullying victim and she certainly has landed in a nicer place.

[Horsetan]

.....we are also awaiting our first General Election canvassing knock on the door. Prior to the local elections we only saw the Labour Party around our area despite there being five political parties in the race. ....

 

Hendon (formerly Hendon South) has flipped between Labour and Conservative in the last couple of decades. Formerly the preserve of Andrew Dismal (Labour), he narrowly lost out to former local councillor Matthew Offord in 2010 by just 106 votes, and again by a wider margin in 2015.

 

This time round, Mike Katz (another former local councillor) will be trying to knock Offord out of the seat, but I think there is an outside chance that voters in this constituency might vote LibDem if only to extract a form of revenge for the Brexit Leave vote (it went to about 67% Remain here, I think).

[PhilJ W]

I'm not going to speculate on the result of the election around here. We kicked out the UKIP county councillor, and not before time. My ward used to be a Lib-Dem stronghold but they seem to have disappeared. I'm not sure what partys have leafletted, they are binned that fast in this household.

[Tony_S]

My new shelf is up. I have started putting stuff back too. The imported Fischer fixing plugs worked perfectly too. You drill a 1cm hole and whack them (they are considerably larger diameter than 1cm) into the wallblocks with a hammer. Then you can just insert a screw as normal. Every other type of plastic plug product has failed.

 

I may have mentioned Aditi was thinking of booking a holiday to Sicily around the time of our Ruby wedding anniversary. Somehow that got turned into Tuscany but after chatting to a nice man on the phone this morning she has completely changed her mind and we are going to Switzerland. There will be a 3 hour train ride from Zurich to get to wherever we are going so that should be nice too.

Tony

[newbryford]

Hi All,

Just a quick pop-in as we're safely on land in Vancouver with a decent wifi connection.

 

6000 plus miles at sea, 16 days eating and drinking, one extra day due to crossing the dateline, one hour forward for 6 days, two hours in one case, 6 port stops, a day cruising Glacier Bay and I'm not quite certain what time of day/day of week it is.. and it feels like the ground is moving whenever I stand still

 

38 pages may be difficult to catch up...

 

Now off to do some sightseeing finishing with a seaplane trip from Vancouver Harbour.

 

(Try and ) Catch up later.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[New Haven Neil]

I really enjoyed Swizzerland, Tony - The RhB in particular, but the whole deal of railways WORKING really did it for me!

[Ozexpatriate]

Now off to do some sightseeing finishing with a seaplane trip from Vancouver Harbour.

I hope the weather in Vancouver is as nice as it has been in Portland these last four days. We should almost reach 25C today in bright sunshine.

 

It is expected to rain tomorrow, with a steep drop in temperature.

[Ian Abel]

Hi All,

Just a quick pop-in as we're safely on land in Vancouver with a decent wifi connection.

 

6000 plus miles at sea, 16 days eating and drinking, one extra day due to crossing the dateline, one hour forward for 6 days, two hours in one case, 6 port stops, a day cruising Glacier Bay and I'm not quite certain what time of day/day of week it is.. and it feels like the ground is moving whenever I stand still

 

38 pages may be difficult to catch up...

 

Now off to do some sightseeing finishing with a seaplane trip from Vancouver Harbour.

 

(Try and ) Catch up later.

 

Cheers,

Mick

Mick,

  Sounds like you had fun.

 

If you see Jemma  (HAR HAR) say hi She lands there in about an hour 12:30 local time, and will fly the outbound back to Minneapolis tomorrow at 0640, I expect you'll NOT be at the airport then!!

[grandadbob]

I do not have a chainsaw as I have no need for one so everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. Having spent all my working life in the building trade, albeit on the supply side, I have seen and had to investigate and report on many accidents (some serious) involving tools, plant and vehicles. Believe me when I say although I may seem to be accident prone it's not normally when wielding tools or driving and I do take a lot of care.

Not ducking low enough is the most common of my mishaps, followed by walking into something when looking in the wrong direction. 

As far as the fence post goes I've managed to straighten it up for now although it will need replacing along with another. I actually erected it about 20 years ago so it hasn't done too badly! It's a small fill-in section of fence that was only ever going to be temporary but I never got around to finishing it. All the other fencing I've done has concrete posts and is still standing up straight .....

 

.....I suppose that's asking for trouble saying that. 

[emt_911]

Back in digs in the Midlands again tonight but at least it means that I can get an early night before leaving at 05:00. Otherwise I'd have got home at about 21:00 and still have to leave by 05:30.

 

Don - Many happy returns. May there be many more.

 

Rick - Welcome back to the UK

 

I may be back later

[Tony_S]

I really enjoyed Swizzerland, Tony - The RhB in particular, but the whole deal of railways WORKING really did it for me!

We have been in Switzerland on the way to other places and popped in for the odd day so when staying in adjacent countries. However I have only been on one rail journey there, from a big car park up to Zermatt.

Tony

[BoD]

Oh dear. (Minor) woe is me.

 

I have been given a parking 'ticket'. My first ever traffic/motoring misdemeanour.

Silly thing is I had paid for a ticket and, I thought, peeled the back off and stuck it on the windscreen as you do. It fell off leaving the sticky bit on the windscreen and the ticket on the car seat, printed side down.

 

The parking officer has even written on the penalty notice. 'Ticket appears to have fallen. Cannot validate ticket' and signed it.

 

I have the valid ticket although the 'offence' is failing to pay AND display a valid ticket - so do I appeal or pay up before 14 days to get a cheaper charge?

Fair play to the warden they needn't have written anything. Was he/she hinting that I should appeal?

The penalty is issued by the County Council and not one of the national parking franchises.

 

What does the panel think?

[Coombe Barton]

Oh dear. (Minor) woe is me.

 

I have been given a parking 'ticket'. My first ever traffic/motoring misdemeanour.

Silly thing is I had paid for a ticket and, I thought, peeled the back off and stuck it on the windscreen as you do. It fell off leaving the sticky bit on the windscreen and the ticket on the car seat, printed side down.

 

The parking officer has even written on the penalty notice. 'Ticket appears to have fallen. Cannot validate ticket' and signed it.

 

I have the valid ticket although the 'offence' is failing to pay AND display a valid ticket - so do I appeal or pay up before 14 days to get a cheaper charge?

Fair play to the warden they needn't have written anything. Was he/she hinting that I should appeal?

The penalty is issued by the County Council and not one of the national parking franchises.

 

What does the panel think?

 

Appeal - the sticky but wqsn't sticky enough.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Coombe Barton

[laurenceb]

Birthday greetings to Don

I am probably about as trustworthy with a chainsaw as GDBob so I wont even try one ( I can do enough damage with a hand saw! )

Evenin awl

[Horsetan]

I really enjoyed Swizzerland, Tony - The RhB in particular, but the whole deal of railways WORKING really did it for me!

Isn't it nice when things just...work?

[Smiffy2]

Happy Birthday, Don! - Happy Backday, Rick!

[JohnDMJ]

There will be a 3 hour train ride from Zurich to get to wherever we are going so that should be nice too.

Tony

 

I'm guessing you'll change trains and gauges at either Landquart or Chur!

[Tony_S]

I'm guessing you'll change trains and gauges at either Landquart or Chur!

I have only just looked but it seems that we go from the Airport to Bern, change trains to get to Interlaken and then go on a BOB service which I think is metre gauge for the final bit.

Tony

[JohnDMJ]

I have only just looked but it seems that we go from the Airport to Bern, change trains to get to Interlaken and then go on a BOB service which I think is metre gauge for the final bit.

Tony

 

BOB service is metre gauge. So you're heading up the Jungfrau! Nice! Probably Wengen or Grindlewald. Sounds good; enjoy! (Lauterbrunnen to Wengen on the WAB is 800mm gauge so if Wengen is the target, that's two gauge changes!)

Edited May 10, 2017 by JohnDMJ

[emt_911]

Totally shattered and on the road at 05:00 so time for bed.

 

Night all

[BSW01]

 

Goodnight all.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Barry O]

Evening all.

 

Umpiring today = sun burn day! Warm and sunny so shirt sleves order. Luckily the game didn't take long!

 

Managed to fit in a dental check up today...all ok.

Sleep well all.

Baz

PS noticed a post from Debs on another place with an update. Fingers crossed that passepartout gets though his illness.

[jamie92208]

Oh dear. (Minor) woe is me.

 

I have been given a parking 'ticket'. My first ever traffic/motoring misdemeanour.

Silly thing is I had paid for a ticket and, I thought, peeled the back off and stuck it on the windscreen as you do. It fell off leaving the sticky bit on the windscreen and the ticket on the car seat, printed side down.

 

The parking officer has even written on the penalty notice. 'Ticket appears to have fallen. Cannot validate ticket' and signed it.

 

I have the valid ticket although the 'offence' is failing to pay AND display a valid ticket - so do I appeal or pay up before 14 days to get a cheaper charge?

Fair play to the warden they needn't have written anything. Was he/she hinting that I should appeal?

The penalty is issued by the County Council and not one of the national parking franchises.

 

What does the panel think?

 

Certainly appeal and send them a scan of your ticket.   You do stand a very good chance of having the penalty waived.  Send the letter by special delivery so that it's signed for.  As long as you lodge the appeal within the 14 day period you will still be able to pay at the reduced rate if it gets rejected.

 

Jamie

[The Stationmaster]

Ah, a trip up the BOB for Tony and Aditi, excellent stuff and not a bad journey to there from Zurich airport (have they still got the 'planes suspended over various public areas I wonder?).  I spent a week in Grindelwald at 'Forum Train Europe' getting on for 20 years ago and found it a very pleasant place but it was made even more pleasant by having a 'Letter of Authority' for travel on the BOB plus they and the other concerns involved extended us the rather nice offer of a letter authorising purchase of a quarter price journey to the top of the Jungfrau and back, only spoilt by finding Anthea bloomin' Turner larking about posing for a photographic shoot 'at the top of Europe'.  My hotel room looked out right at the Eiger but I'd been there for three days before  the cloud lifted sufficiently to reveal it.  Smashing area for a break and plenty to see and do but not exactly cheap alas.

 

Really nice part of the world but I think most of the shops in Interlaken selling model railway items have ceased to do so (probably just as well judging by the prices in one) and the local preservation group based in a shed at Interlaken Ost used to have open days on Fridays but I don't know what the situation is now after their shed burnt down some years ago.  There used to be an excellent burger stall just outside the station at Interlaken Ost but the last time I looked it had been take n over by a Vietnamese and had rather gone down hill.

 

 

G'night all