Early Risers.

[Horsetan]

..... one of his favourite fish dishes, Russian in origin but popular in much of eastern Europe. ....

 

Carp?

[Barry O]

Joke courtesy of Milton Jones (as reported by the BBC)

 

 

 

Which author takes train sets from under Christmas trees?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(wait for it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Hornby

Yes we DEFINITELY need a Groan button!

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

Carp?

Recipe

https://youtu.be/g3yOOc47n9E

[DDolfelin]

Just had a stupid 'phone call.

"I'm from the Police.

We are doing a satisfaction survey"

Phone down!

Did the 1471 which gave a South Wales number.

Rang contact in North Wales Police and it was genuine!

But they are a Company doing the survey on behalf of the Police.

Silly b*ggers.

[Horsetan]

Recipe

 

How did I guess?

[newbryford]

 

 

Quiet Monday - took advantage of a brief lunchtime errand run with Jemma, which netted me one of those LED Laser outdoor light projector thingies to shower festive lighting over the house - couldn't pass it up as it was on sale for $11 US.

 

 

 

Next door to us had one of those last week. It isn't there now as somebody nicked it!

 

Cheers,

Mick

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl,

I feel like I've had a stressful day at work, mostly because I'm trying to get decent readings with people walking past upsetting it all. Yes you can guess they haven't fixed the A/C yet and I'm trying to get some work done in the outer lab.

 

Coming home, some henwomble decided to turn across the front of me at a mini roundabout without indicating, you could see those in the car were blaming me. Although I did stop in time to miss womble and co...

 

I've just renewed my motorboat insurance, I realized I hadn't had a renewal form, trouble is it ran out last January... Almost a year without insurance, that would have left a big hole in my pocket. It surprising how low insurance for a motorboat is on the broads.

 

We're on the turkey left overs already, So as I've been left to my own devices, fusilli, turkey and mushrooms in a cheese sauce. Ben got some turkey bits, but for some reason he's not a happy chappy today, he's curled up in a ball ignoring me.

 

Our total Christmas decorations this year will be the cards we receive.

 

Well, it's time to de-stress Highland Park beckons..

[AndyB]

Carp?

 

e diem, is presumably "catch of the day" ?   

 

I'll get me coat. 

[Tony_S]

e diem, is presumably "catch of the day" ?   

 

I'll get me coat. 

Although Cooking With Boris suggests river fish, Matthew will have to make do with cod and haddock.

[The Stationmaster]

The local Hermes delivery driver just called to collect a return parcel (item of clothing did not match the catalogue spec) and he looked half dead on his feet.  He normally averages 60-70 parcels a day here but a couple of week's back well into the Christmas rush he did 168 and thought that was unbeatable - until last week when he did over 200 in one day.  He said that unlike previous years it shows no sign of slackening off and he reckons the 'Christmas rush' has lated about 5 weeks this year.  

 

He's achieving a pretty high delivery rate by any standard which shows just how these modern businesses work compared with the sort of delivery rates BR and and the other parcels folk such as the Post Office and BRS used to hit in the past.  i don't know how many parcels he handles in total but he's got 32 drivers working for him now and he and two others start sorting rounds at 04.00 in the morning.

 

I have managed to get a not too good picture of our laser projector's output -on a lilac o plus some of the fence in the garden.  These things are not like laser pens and have nothing like the range of the pens but they still emit laser powered light and obviously can present a potential hazard if viewed at close range.  It produced the green and red specs you can see in this abysmal photo (it looks a bit better - but not a lot - if you enlarge the photo).

 

Edited December 19, 2017 by The Stationmaster

[Gwiwer]

Evening all.  Carping all the Diems I can.  Final day of classroom training completed and I am now considered competent within my role to manage conflict situations.  A further "In despatches" email was sent to my SM (by today's different trainer) so I now have two on file with my feet not even on the ground yet.

 

In other news mother has managed a few steps from bed but not out of the bedroom.  Doctor is very worried that she is not eating enough to sustain herself and we are worried that this is the exact scenario which presaged father's passing nine months ago.  SWMBO and myself are of the opinion that she is just holding on for Christmas and beyond that is in the lap of someone whose birth she has traditionally celebrated around this time of year.  

 

In other other news some olives needed finishing off and the corkscrew hasn't been out of the drawer in a few days so it's Côtes du Rhone with a slice of crusty sourdough and olives as a "Slice on the plate while you wait" prior to dining a little later.

 

DD in thoughts.  Amtrak-affected folks also and with ominous echoes of the Sandilands crash on Croydon Tramlink still fresh in mind as well as the more distant parting of a class 47 and train from the rails at Eltham some years ago now.  Both due to excessive speed entering bends.  

 

And of course in just over an hour I shall be marking the loss of the Solomon Browne and Union Star this day in 1981.

 

Many thanks for the good wishes.  My best to you all.  

[Ozexpatriate]

I see the pictures from Washington state show a right mess. I am glad the death toll was not even higher.

Amtrak-affected folks also and with ominous echoes of the Sandilands crash on Croydon Tramlink still fresh in mind as well as the more distant parting of a class 47 and train from the rails at Eltham some years ago now.  Both due to excessive speed entering bends.

A Taekwondo classmate of my colleague's daughters remains in ICU with internal injuries after the Cascades train #501 crash yesterday. She is 17 and had been visiting her brother in Seattle over the weekend. She was admitted as critical and will likely have additional surgeries in addition to one she underwent yesterday.

 

Frigyes Karinthy's 'six degrees of separation' comes to mind in the same way that despite being on the other side of the continent, I have a colleague whose neighbour died on 9/11 and I personally know two unrelated people who had a very near miss that day, changing their plans that morning to not be at the World Trade Center.

 

We share a common interest in railways and feel for the injured passengers and crew of any rail disaster anywhere in the world.  In this case it makes me reflect that all we Early Risers are separated from this even by no more than three connections, even if the first connection is a virtual one.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[New Haven Neil]

I'd agree about the 5 week Christmas rush - it has been manic.  Although Mr Angry the other day told me there was no such thing as a postal rush at Christmas and I was talking crepe.  Really? #sigh#   Had another one today - 15,000 happy customers, one a$$hole. Beats me why some people think they should be treated differently to everyone else.  Shame as it ruins the day.  We had a lot of nice messages from folk whose parcels had been delayed in the post/weather disasters of last week, which cheered me up rather.  We only seem to have one astray now - which according to sods law is one we can't replace if it really is lost as it is OOS at Bachmann.  Fingers crossed it arrives, we have only ever permanently lost one in years.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. This time of year you think you have endured all that the hen/cockwombles can throw at you when one comes along and tops the lot. Just approaching the Pitsea Tesco's there is a single carriageway road about 25 feet wide. As I approached this section of road there was a traffic hold up. The cause was a lorry driver attempting a three point turn, well more like a thirty point turn seeing as his lorry was about ten feet longer than the road was wide and using an entranceway barely inches wider than the lorry. After he'd finished he then stopped virtually on the mini roundabout giving access to the store looking at his delivery notes.

[Tony_S]

Phil is confirming that my decisi9n to shop elsewhere other than the big Tesco this Christmas has been sensible. We don't need any Christmas stuff but possibly will need milk or salad items thwt we would buy anyway. There will be an Indian meal at Aditi's sister's house on Christmas Eve. Aditi has volunteered to make gobi aloo and a chicken curry for the event. Also a cake for her sister's birthday which is today.

Tony

[Barry O]

Tony

 

any spare Gobi Aloo or chicken curry is always welcome up here in the North West Leeds Highlands

 

Night all!

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

Tony

 

any spare Gobi Aloo or chicken curry is always welcome up here in the North West Leeds Highlands

 

Night all!

 

Baz

I suspect this won't be getting further north than Enfield.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Coombe Barton]

Enfield? Chicken Run?

 

Hat, coat, gone.

Or that film about the lawyer's chicken census?

 

Brief Encounter.

 

All right, I've gone.

[emt_911]

A trip up into town is planned for the morning in the hope of obtaining a specific present. It looks like I'll be throwing myself at the mercy of southern failways.

 

Night all

[tetsudofan]

DD in thoughts.  Amtrak-affected folks also and with ominous echoes of the Sandilands crash on Croydon Tramlink still fresh in mind as well as the more distant parting of a class 47 and train from the rails at Eltham some years ago now.  Both due to excessive speed entering bends.  

 

 

 

I was a Special Constable at Eltham at the time of the derailment. Heard about it on the news and made my way to the nick to sign on to assist as directed. One of my colleagues lived close to the Well Hall Station and was on the scene soon after the derailment.

 

The sharp curve is still there but Well Hall Station has been demolished as has Eltham Park, the next station down the line, and a new station Eltham built in between them as part of the work for the A2 Relief Road.

 

If I remember correctly the sharp curve just outside Well Hall Station was not in the original plan as the idea was that the line would have gone in a straight line towards Lee but instead it was built it towards Kidbrooke and Blackheath which meant the sharp curve had to be built.

 

Keith

[Tony_S]

A trip up into town is planned for the morning in the hope of obtaining a specific present. It looks like I'll be throwing myself at the mercy of southern failways.

 

Night all

Matthew is going up to London tomorrow for breakfast with a couple of friends he made during his time at the LSE. They are trying to meet as many of their friends as possible while visiting England over Christmas. As I have to be putting the bin bags out by 7am I said I would give him a lift to the railway station. Edited December 19, 2017 by Tony_S

[BSW01]

Evening everyone

 

I’ve not been able to log on for the last few days, as we both finally succumbed to the tummy bug that, Charlie, Ava and Max have all had over the last few weeks or so. Anyway, all now seems to be back to normal, hmmmm, me normal, what AM I thinking?

 

Needless to say, there was no work done in middle earth, until this morning, when I managed to finish of the pub and give it a coat of varnish, it’s looking like cottages will go right to the wire!

 

Goodnight all

Edited December 20, 2017 by BSW01

[PeterBB]

For those who might find an hour

 

Or for those with less time then 30.00 to 41.00 will give you the idea.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=2557s&v=yeIX0VnUMKo

 

Thanks Rick - remember it well, also saw the remains of the Lifeboat and visit the old Lifeboat Station remembering whenever in Mousehole.  FiL of the time was a ships engineer and was lucky enough not to be on one of his company's ships when it was lost at sea but it affected him greatly.

[laurenceb]

Thoughts with those in distress especisally those about to lose a loved one

Night awl