Early Risers.

[tetsudofan]

Hello from the far south east corner. Been a busy day starting with a drive to Faversham for some retail therapy at The Hobby Shop accompanied by the guy I got talking to on my weekly shops at Sainsburys who I seem to have got interested in N-gauge. My first real convert!!

 

One of the things that I did get at Faversham was a Fleischmann HO gauge coach pack which was very clearly marked "Made in Vietnam". This is the first time I've got something from any of the mainstream European ranges made in Vietnam. Only got one of the SECR Birdcages but was told that the other two coaches were expected today

 

On the way back decided to pop into Sainsburys to get a couple of items that I forgot to get on the main shop done on Wednesday. As my normal weekly main shop is done at 8:00am on a Thursday in relative peace and quiet, the place today was like a madhouse. I as in and out within minutes.

 

Upon reaching home realised that the car (collected at the end of last month) has just clocked 100 miles (journey from dealer to home, 4 trips to local Sainsburys and one round trip to Faversham). Cheekily my brother asked if the car needed new tyres yet!!

 

Steam, in the form of Black 5 45212 on a "Cathedrals Express", returned to Folkestone West this afternoon for a scheduled water stop:

 

 

15 minutes later she was on her way back to Victoria just as a Dover-bound Cl.375 approached the station. The 375 gave 45212 a real fanfare on his horn (also reminding those of us on the down platform of his presence) and only entered the station once 45212 had cleared the up platform.

 

 

Bringing up the rear was a Union Jack Cl.47:

 

All in all, a busy day. That's all the Christmas excitement been and gone. Yipee!!

 

Keith

[emt_911]

All the shopping until the middle of next week has been done including the local paper.

 

My afternoon of modelling was replaced with an afternoon of making cinnamon biscuits. The house does smell good.

 

Maybe some modelling this evening.

[newbryford]

Lie in until 11am!!

 

Probably not good for the sciatica though.

 

Not all set tasks completed, so not too many brownie points received. Although bonus points were on offer for trying to make sense of our holiday itinerary involving airport parking, 4 flights, 2 transfers, 1 ship, 1 car, three hotels and numerous events including two hockey games.

 

Only now need to sort airport parking and accommodation for two nights and a couple of related activities on those two days (they are partially arranged - one of which is a bucket list item for all three of us), but that will wait until tomorrow so it goes on the next month's credit card statement......

 

Mad Friday beckons although working tomorrow, so won't be "going for it"

 

Maybe catch up later.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Coombe Barton]

There's been a lot of rearranging going on.

 

Places to put 'stuff' has been found by sacrificing some accessibility. 

 

However the tree's still not up.

[Horsetan]

Ivan, I'd change that belt!  It still has to drive the fuel pump, which is a heavy load, regardless of how you drive the car.  (I presume it has mechanical injection?  IIRC it's a fairly old vehicle?).  Regardless of that, the belts perish on the root of the teeth where you can't see it - and if it goes, it'll cost a lot more than replacing it - in fact it would be uneconomical to do so in that car......

Noted. It's the diesel Bora, dating from 2004, so fairly modern. The garage has quoted £380 to do the job, and that includes a new water pump.

[Ozexpatriate]

... the milkman delivered two litres of the white liquid this morning so that ought to see us through until shops reopen.

Mike, when do the shops close?

 

Many larger grocery stores here operate on abbreviated hours on Christmas day, but they do open in the morning.

 

I've had what I think a rather clever idea.

Why don't we use glass bottles, pay a deposit, return them after use whereafter they can be cleaned, sterilized and reused.

Is that option not available to you.

 

It is an option here, though I've only noticed it in the high-end grocery shops. The deposit on the glass milk bottles is $2.00 so they're pretty serious about you bringing them back.

 

Excepting milk containers, all the plastic, metal and glass, water, soda and beer bottles or cans have a deposit as well - usually $0.05 or in the case of 2l bottles, $0.10, and these are recycled. The deposit is enforced incentive to recycle them.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[BoD]

Most shops here close for a whole day which explains the panic buying and empty shelves.

It's the smaller local convenience stores that may open here rather than the large stores.

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

Forgot to mention an amusing incident whilst shopping at Sainsbury's earlier. Once again we were held up by chatting to ex workmates of The Boss and also customers.  Whilst standing there a lady asked one of the staff where a couple of items were. Before she could answer Chris chipped in and told her. Lady smiled sweetly, thanked her and then  said "You ought to get a job here!" She gave me a strange look when I burst out laughing until Chris explained the reason for my merriment.

In other news an email from the North has arrived telling me that the order for my other 2 dark lake birdcages has been processed......wonder when they'll be despatched/get here.

It seems that it's still Firework night around here, yet again there a major explosions in the neighbourhood. I wish they'd ban the bloody things, I'm getting a bit pissed off with them. Can't find out where they're coming from either.

 

G. F. Awkes

Edited December 22, 2017 by grandadbob

[pH]

Excepting milk containers, all the plastic, metal and glass, water, soda and beer bottles or cans have a deposit as well - usually $0.05 or in the case of 2l bottles, $0.10, and these are recycled. The deposit is enforced incentive to recycle them.

Same here. It really does help to keep public areas clean. In addition to the shops where these things are sold, there are 'return depots' whose only business is accepting returns for cash. There are people on welfare etc. who make a job of picking up cans and bottles and returning them for the deposit. They're known as 'binners' and often have their own territories in towns. One of my sons had a nodding acquaintance with his local binner. He reckoned he didn't need the deposits on his bottles and would put his empties out in a separate bag on bin days to save the binner digging through the bins.

 

About bags - not only do most supermarkets charge for bags, you also get a 5 cent discount for each bag of your own that you bring and use. More symbolic than anything else, but it does make a point.

[grandadbob]

Back in the "good old days" one of our lorry drivers (a Yorkshireman) was renowned for stopping his vehicle and picking up empties from the road and returning them for the deposit. I can also remember one or two local kids* climbing over the gate behind a pub, nicking the empties in the yard then taking them to the off licence for a refund. (And no, I wasn't one of them) 

 

 

 

Edit. * Forgot to mention that one of them became so enterprising as he got older that he had several vacations in Her Majesty's holiday camps.

Edited December 22, 2017 by grandadbob

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Looks as if I might be spending Christmas at home after all, my sister phoned to tell me that my brothers wife is unwell so they will not be going to my sisters on Christmas day. I could go in my car but it is low on petrol and the filling stations are chocker but I've got until Sunday to decide what to do. Bob, I buy nuts ready shelled, little danger of injury unless you manage it opening the bag. When I was a youngster we had nuts with the shells on and Brazil nuts were the worst to crack open, usually with some difficulty and the inevitable crushed broken nut. An interesting program a few years ago on Brazil nuts, they grow packed together in a gourd about the size of a coconut. When ripe the gourd drops from the tree and starts to ferment. Gases from the fermentation build up and the gourd explodes like a hand grenade scattering the nuts over a wide area. They can have the same effect as a hand grenade, people standing to close have been injured by them.

EDIT. Good news, my neighbour has moved his flashing Christmas lights, the ones disturbing my sleep. They were at the side of his house which faced the front of mine. He has now moved them to the front of his house which is not visible from the front of mine.

 

Well Bob (GDB) SWMBO got the ultimate X### present today and it made me think of your attack earlier today.  

 

WP_20171222_14_54_08_Pro.jpg

I want one of those!

Edited December 22, 2017 by PhilJ W

[BoD]

I can also remember one or two local kids* climbing over the gate behind a pub, nicking the empties in the yard then taking them to the off licence for a refund. (And no, I wasn't one of them) .

You would only have fallen off the gate and hurt yourself.

[grandadbob]

Funnily enough I did do that once climbing over the gate to the back yard of my Dad's pub when I was about 10. Only thing hurt though was my pride.

Used to climb a lot of trees in those days but never came to grief.

Edited December 22, 2017 by grandadbob

[Ozexpatriate]

Most shops here close for a whole day which explains the panic buying and empty shelves.

It's the smaller local convenience stores that may open here rather than the large stores.

Is it just Christmas day or Boxing day as well?  (For grocery shops.)

Edited December 22, 2017 by Ozexpatriate

[PeterBB]

Well guys, skimmed through pages - comfort and commiserations as needed together with a related birthday wish.  Andy- hope Amber enjoyed her Butterly Santa Special.  On a personal I have just finished 8 day sessions at the GCR- the weekend I 'missed' was the snowbound one and was the day that we had to cancel our Gresley Open day 2.  One wonders about being a Santa but when you see the reaction both of the children and, on many occasions the parents, and grandparents it is worthwhile. 

 

Cheers have a great Christmas - there I've said it.  See you afterwards.

 

Cheers, Peter

 

Edit = spellings

Edited December 23, 2017 by PeterBB

[Tony_S]

Is it just Christmas day or Boxing day as well? (For grocery shops.)

Shops will open on Boxing Day. Perhaps with reduced hours.

Just checked, Our nearest big supermarket is open 9am to 6pm on Boxing Day instead of 24 hours normal opening.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Tony_S

[New Haven Neil]

That's not a bad price, Ivan.

 

Nighty night folks, too tired to stay up, woke at 5 this morning.  Typical on my day off!

[AndyB]

Get thee behind me Satan  Andy!

FYI I already have on order a Stirling Single & Dean Goods (both sound fitted) from Locomotion, 1 more olive green Birdcage and 2 dark lake, a Southern H Class, an SECR P class , 2 Pecketts, Dumbleton Hall and a Dynamometer car. How on earth can I justify anything else?  

 

 

PS. What couple of things did you spot then? 

 

As ever I'm behind the drag curve and relied on the modelling press to read the latest - smuggled into the house under cover of numerous Crimbo vegetables. So my thoughts were on the H and P class to complement your collection and recent M7 purchase. I'd need to do some reading but I'd have been tempted if they all were likely to have been in the same place together at the same-ish time. 

 

Meanwhile, I'm 4-CEP'd up and ready for London viaducts. Now hoping for some plywood for Christmas - gift wrapped. 

 

Just discovered that my Santa jumper has a sound card in it. I may have discovered this in years gone by but my middle age-spread- memory lets me down. 

 

Anyway, the holiday started about 17:00 and a snooze and lie-in are scheduled. zzzzz zzzzzz

[Barry O]

I heard a loud bang this afternoon. Transpires there was a gas explosion in a house up the hill from us. Two men carted off in the air ambulance..hope they are OK.

 

Her indoors went off to play Recorder "quartets" tonight so a return to the work bench means I have almost completed a Brass kit for an LMS Period II suburban third coach and got some handles welded onto 3 sets of sides for LMS Period III Third Open Coaches. At this rate I may run out reduce the number of coach kits to build.

 

Ian Abel, if you want a real challenge try building a Parkside Grampus....I had forgotten how bad it was.

 

Sleep well all and keep your eyes peeled for some of our missing ERs.

 

Baz

[roundhouse]

A great day out today despite loads of delays on Southern / Thameslink.

 

I am now a proud owner of a Hornby H class in late BR livery.

 

Looks superb

[roundhouse]

reduce the number of coach kits to build.

 

Ian Abel, if you want a real challenge try building a Parkside Grampus....I had forgotten how bad it was.

Those grampus were good for their time though, despite the amount of flash you had to carve off

[Ozexpatriate]

Ian Abel, if you want a real challenge try building a Parkside Grampus....I had forgotten how bad it was.

Those grampus were good for their time though, despite the amount of flash you had to carve off

For a moment my addled brain (in holiday mode) saw "Krampus". That's a holiday challenge of a different kind.

 

Perhaps useful to keep naughty children in line if threats of coal, LaBefana, Zwarte Piet, or Père Fouettard don't do the trick. 

 

A Krampus wagon might be an amusing Christmas train addition. A Grampus with some demonic beast aboard might take a little explaining though.

[Simon G]

A very busy day with shopping all morning (well it certainly felt like it!), fighting our way through the car parks as well as the shops. Then the afternoon was last minute preparations for the weekend and beyond. No 1son and wife duly arrived after a surprisingly good journey from Cambridgeshire. They brought a couple of bottles of mulled wine, to add to the couple we already had, all from different supermarkets, so we will be doing a taste test of mulled wine over the next few days. It is a hard life, but someone has to do it!

[newbryford]

 

Used to climb a lot of trees in those days but never came to grief.

 

But you're certainly making up for it now............

 

 

Mad Friday survived without any excesses.

 

Hoping for a quiet phone call day at work as I have lots of other stuff to do.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Horsetan]

A very busy day with shopping all morning (well it certainly felt like it!), fighting our way through the car parks as well as the shops.....

 

I dunno....

 

 

....but I'm convinced we now have a "can't be *rsed" society