Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

Ah. Good morning.

 

It appears to be Saturday. Should I get up?

[grandadbob]

Rather depends on what you're going to get up to. 

[Happy Hippo]

I have reported to Debs that the varied diet of fruit and the replacement of the awl with the auger seems to have done the trick and it is now All Quiet on the ERs Front.

 

Do not let yourselves down!

 

My Brownie points for this morning, vacuuming, steam cleaning the kitchen floor and putting the washing in, as well as making the Obergrumpenfuhrer a cup of tea and delivering it to her in bed, were completely negated as I allegedly made the bed shake when I got up, thus releasing her from slumber mode.

 

Fortunately she is now in grovel mode as there is a leak from the tap in the greenhouse.

 

This will be my opportunity to recoup these lost points as well as make some newer ones.

 

This morning, the lord smiles on the self appointed righteous.

[Coombe Barton]

Not much communication from Debs this week - she’s been really unwell until the past 24 hours or so, but I wasn’t to worry anyone (!!). She’s had more major tests and investigations prior to the next stage.

 

She’s still got some way to go, with more quite long incommunicado periods. It really is a long haul. Back on RMW soon is not yet on the cards.

 

She really is appreciative of all the messages - but sometimes she finds it difficult to maintain the dexterity to respond, as at the moment she’s only on a phone.

 

Wait - hope - pray.

 

John

[Tony_S]

I have just been out to buy Leap cards to use on the Irish transport systems. As soon as Matthew arrives we will be going out. Probably a few museums today.

[Barry O]

Been sat at T5 since 4:45 am due to incompetence of a certain Mr Cruz chief eediot of Boeing Allways.

Our flights (Sydney to Singapore then Singapore to Heathrow) used two sets of crews. The did provide excellent Service despite Mr Cruz.

 

But..never sit in seat 24B on a BA 777. A great box was placed exactly where my feet should have been. And the Boeing 777 is the WORST pile of Carp I have ever flown in. It bounces round the sky like a paper plane and we had 3 , shall we say, interesting landings in them.

I much prefer the A380.

 

Back to watching the clock move, gate announcement any time now.

 

Will catch up later

Baz and her indoors

[jamie92208]

Been sat at T5 since 4:45 am due to incompetence of a certain Mr Cruz chief eediot of Boeing Allways.

Our flights (Sydney to Singapore then Singapore to Heathrow) used two sets of crews. The did provide excellent Service despite Mr Cruz.

 

But..never sit in seat 24B on a BA 777. A great box was placed exactly where my feet should have been. And the Boeing 777 is the WORST pile of Carp I have ever flown in. It bounces round the sky like a paper plane and we had 3 , shall we say, interesting landings in them.

I much prefer the A380.

 

Back to watching the clock move, gate announcement any time now.

 

Will catch up later

Baz and her indoors

 

Hope you get home safely we've laid on fist and mog specially to welcome you home.

 

Jamie

[roundhouse]

Been sat at T5 since 4:45 am due to incompetence of a certain Mr Cruz chief eediot of Boeing Allways.

Our flights (Sydney to Singapore then Singapore to Heathrow) used two sets of crews. The did provide excellent Service despite Mr Cruz.

 

But..never sit in seat 24B on a BA 777. A great box was placed exactly where my feet should have been. And the Boeing 777 is the WORST pile of Carp I have ever flown in. It bounces round the sky like a paper plane and we had 3 , shall we say, interesting landings in them.

I much prefer the A380.

 

Back to watching the clock move, gate announcement any time now.

 

Will catch up later

Baz and her indoors

Have as best a flight home that you can.

 

The Norwegian Dreamliners are very nice. We had seats between the main cabin doors and premium seating so it was very much like a small cabin area and I was second out the door at Seatac. You dont get the full meal service or free drinks through out the flight but we had a bottle of water with us bought airside at Gatwick. Unfortunately we had to get in a bus to the terminal then join the back of a queue of passengers off another international flight in immigration. However this time my other half managed to get the self service security machine to read her fingerprints but failed to get the camera to get a photo of her so she moved to the machine that I was using and all worked. You then have to queue to hand over the printout to an immigration agent who then rechecks everything. Took about 20 minutes to get through, so not bad at all compared to many other trips.

 

Picked up the car rental very quickly as we signed up to their preferred account so they already had all of our details in their system.

 

One model rail store visited but as they dont allow any bags inside it was a very quick trip with my other half waiting outside. I didnt bother looking at the rifle / machine gun section!!

 

Today more linesiding then drop the car off in downtown Tacoma and the to the brewpub a block or two away. Another beery day.

Edited March 10, 2018 by roundhouse

[81C]

Speaking to GDB yesterday we both decided not to go to the Basingstoke show at 08:00hrs this morning still not wanting to go SWMBO said go and get out of my "hair" strange I'm alway

at arms length from her to play safe, so merrily tootled of down the M3 and arrived in a rammed car park which is normally 1/2 empty still wishing I hadn't bothered I met an old friend whom I

chatted to in the very long queue I finally got inside and done 2 curcumcisions of the 3 halls I bumped into SM Mike and stolled round the layouts with him for a while but what made me glad I

went I purchased 2 coaches which I had been searching for, apart from the company of Mike and the purchases I would have been p!ssed off going it makes a change when the day goes well.

[AndyID]

Have as best a flight home that you can.

 

The Norwegian Dreamliners are very nice. We had seats between the main cabin doors and premium seating so it was very much like a small cabin area and I was second out the door at Seatac. You dont get the full meal service or free drinks through out the flight but we had a bottle of water with us bought airside at Gatwick. Unfortunately we had to get in a bus to the terminal then join the back of a queue of passengers off another international flight in immigration. However this time my other half managed to get the self service security machine to read her fingerprints but failed to get the camera to get a photo of her so she moved to the machine that I was using and all worked. You then have to queue to hand over the printout to an immigration agent who then rechecks everything. Took about 20 minutes to get through, so not bad at all compared to many other trips.

 

Picked up the car rental very quickly as we signed up to their preferred account so they already had all of our details in their system.

 

One model rail store visited but as they dont allow any bags inside it was a very quick trip with my other half waiting outside. I didnt bother looking at the rifle / machine gun section!!

 

Today more linesiding then drop the car off in downtown Tacoma and the to the brewpub a block or two away. Another beery day.

Beer-thirty will be an hour earlier tomorrow. Clocks forward tonight in US (unless you're in Arizona). Edited March 10, 2018 by AndyID

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl, just back from the Norfolk railway Society Show,

Although I arrived an hour before the show I took the last parking space, when leaving later there were cars on the grass and all down the road.

 

Not as good a show as before, 4 "toy" layouts that's brightly coloured plastic, trains and no scenery, plus a 3 rail tin plate non scenic layout. That was probably 1/3 of the layouts, which wasn't good.

With this societies aims, it's not surprising there are a lot of society and association stands and that is acceptable.

 

The good thing, was one stand had some second hand n gauge stock, so I selected a fair number of items when I was offered the lot for £120 which I accepted. 7 carriages 3 locos 29 wagons and a dozen cars tractors lorries. I've just looked at the lowest eBay prices for those items and that comes to £350. Also on another stand I bought 6 wild Swan modelling books in immaculate condition for £5 each, the Abebooks cheapest price in any condition came to a total of £99.

So although I was disappointed a bit about the show it definitely was worth while going.

 

While having coffee, in a lounge area, there was videos running, showing varying steam locos doing their stuff round the UK. I must admit I wouldn't buy the video, there are only so many locos followed by maroon coaches I can watch.

I was most irritated by modern regulations on the videos, meaning these trains were displaying a light engine headlamp code with lamp more like a search light followed up by a flashing tail light. It make the trains look American...

 

Coming home I'd just got out of the car and opened the gate. When Ben the Border Collie came bounding round the corner and leapt into the car. We took the hint and took him down to the beach. The beach has been heavily reshaped by the beast from the east. There is a huge amount of sand missing and a big hollow meaning at high tide there is a sand bank a hundred feet off shore with a 20 ft hollow before it. It used to be nearly flat.

 

 

Oh it's still boing, boing, boing, rumble, rumble, rumble, Outside, nevertheless it's time for another attempt at an eyelid inspection.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.

 

I seem to have missed that bit.

 

Little to report, slow steady recovery getting around much better now, and brief crutcheless (!!!!) trial showed things still a bit wobbly in the personal locomotion department though.  Physioterrorism to address this is ongoing.  Why do they laugh when you say it hurts when they tweak things - bunch of (attractive) sadists.

 

Had lunch out with SWMBO, then off out tonight for a posh curry too, with Jayne also. Our 34th welding (as Ian would say) anniversary is on Tuesday so it is an early celebration of that.  Don't go out on skool nights.

[TheQ]

Speaking to GDB yesterday we both decided not to go to the Basingstoke show at 08:00hrs this morning still not wanting to go SWMBO said go and get out of my "hair" strange I'm alway

at arms length from her to play safe, so merrily tootled of down the M3 and arrived in a rammed car park which is normally 1/2 empty still wishing I hadn't bothered I met an old friend whom I

chatted to in the very long queue I finally got inside and done

xxxxxxx 2 curcumcisions xxxxxx

of the 3 halls I bumped into SM Mike and stolled round the layouts with him for a while but what made me glad I

went I purchased 2 coaches which I had been searching for, apart from the company of Mike and the purchases I would have been p!ssed off going it makes a change when the day goes well.

 

Ouch painful

[newbryford]

Last home game of the ice hockey season tonight...

 

It's usually a good encounter against the Bilingham Stars and last games often throw out a few season long scores that need settling.

 

The ice arena is close to Halfords and I need some primer......

 

Catch up later.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[shortliner]

 

That is a cutting comment !

Edited March 10, 2018 by shortliner

[TheQ]

This will cheer up Deb's, first in Pastoral Group at Crufts.

 

Irish champion Nahrof Blurred Lines at Huntley

 

!!!!!!!A Border Collie !!!!!!!

 

( And 3rd to Smooth Collie, Clingstones Make My Day)

[Coombe Barton]

This will cheer up Deb's, first in Pastoral Group at Crufts.

 

Irish champion Nahrof Blurred Lines at Huntley

 

!!!!!!!A Border Collie !!!!!!!

 

( And 3rd to Smooth Collie, Clingstones Make My Day)

 

 Response from Debs

 

Yay!

 

.......would over sensitive Crufts competitors be said to be collie modelled?

[The Stationmaster]

Evening all,

 

Well as you know I've been to the Basingstoke show - where I bumped into Bob 81C among other highlights.  And by golly there needed to be some highlights - first off my day started with a mad rush down the hill to catch the 08,53 (I did) but on arrival at Reading I found all the retail premises on the footbridge closed 'due to a technical failure' and to compound the loss of the excellent 'Land's End Pasty' shop I then found the West Cornwall Pasty outlet on the concourse is in course of being rebuilt as something else (probably one of those 95 varieties of coffee that all taste tasteless places or something equally useless).  Train to Basingstoke ran on time and even boasted an area of superior accommodation so the day's first sudoku was completed in comfort.  Then catering still down hill as I made the error of using the Destino (honest, what does it mean?) outlet and paid in excess of £6 for a toasted sarnie (fair) and a tasteless concoction of something alleged to be tea, plus a packet of crisps.  When I got down to the exit I found another outlet where I could have had a full breakfast and a cuppa for only £1 more.

 

Anyway duly got to the show which while still reasonably priced was regrettably offering a generally poorer standard of layouts than has been the case in the past although there were a handful of good ones to compensate for the less than good.  Bob was met plus a couple of past work colleagues, long discussion took place with the proprietor of Lightmoor Press about forthcoming publications plus advising him of an error in one of their recent ones, something he found rather amusing because the person responsible 'never makes mistakes' so he's looking forward to pointing it out to him.  Exhibition quality, or otherwise, apart the catering blight continued as there was a queue about 20 yards long and very few seats available each time I looked, so I gave up.  Money was spent with Squires (not a lot) and Kernow (quite a lot as I bought an 'exclusive' pack of 4 wagons).  The curate's description of his egg is probably appropriate for this show; a bit disappointing compared with excellent past efforts by the Basingstoke club.

 

The day was suitably restored in catering terms once I got home by the consumption of the not inconsiderable remains of a packet of Tesco Finest bacon grilled and enclosed between slices of homemade bread accompanied by a couple of mugs of that exceeding nice Yorkshire Gold tea (which blend comes from the close vicinity of a once well known Yorkshire junction and engine shed).

 

Enjoy your evening one and all.

[AndyID]

 Response from Debs

 

Yay!

 

.......would over sensitive Crufts competitors be said to be collie modelled?

 

I think she's been saving that one up.

 

My favorite bumper sticker is the one that says,

 

"DOG IS MY COPILOT"

[Coombe Barton]

I think she's been saving that one up.

 

My favorite bumper sticker is the one that says,

 

"DOG IS MY COPILOT"

 

She's also been saving this one up  - just received an email

 

[TheQ]

[grandadbob]

Evening each,

Glad to see that Debs is perking up.

Various essential tasks completed today and it sounds like that not going to Basingstoke will not affect my future life and happiness too much.

This evening The Boss has yet again surpassed herself in the kitchen and the lamb shanks were superb. I am now finishing off the bottle of red wine, part of which was needed for the recipe..

A bit of bad news is that Nicki has been ill in bed all week with proper flu and so tomorrow's Mothers Day do at son Steve's flat which he and our grandchildren had organised for her and The Boss has had to be postponed.

Never mind, an alternative date will be found........

this wine is rather nice, I might just open another bottle.

Edited March 10, 2018 by grandadbob

[pH]

Beer-thirty will be an hour earlier tomorrow. Clocks forward tonight in US (unless you're in Arizona).

 

And Canada (other than Saskatchewan).

[Gwiwer]

Evening all. Got up, performed trip to sister’s and to the late parents’ abode in order to progress clearing and recovering of treasures. Now parked in the Hill of Strawberries’ own Thai restaurant awaiting our takeaway. There’s a queue out of the door for dine-in, the Uber-eats and Deliveroo people are coming and going every few minutes and they tell me there’s a fifteen-minute wait while my order is cooked.

 

Good to hear of Debs even if progress is a little upsan-down. Our continued best wishes to her.

 

And before I have even posted this I have our order. Mixed Thai platter for two, Pad Thai chicken and Rack of Lamb Yellow Curry. In 12 minutes AND with an apology for the wait which included free prawn crackers and a 10% off voucher for next time. Truly superb service amid whch several dishes were also taken to tables and orders taken from others.

 

Sleep well. I hope to a little later.

[newbryford]

It didn't quite turn out to be the rough game that I though it might be, but nonetheless, there was no quarter given, even though the result would not effect either team's final league position.

0-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 up to end of P1

Nothing for 9 minutes of P2 and suddenly within less than 100 seconds, we're up 5-2.

Billingham then scored 2 to make it 5-4 at the end of P3 to set up a good final 20 minutes.

Not long into P3 and we score a short-handed goal to make it 6-4 and with 6 minutes to go, one of our team receives a 5 minute major, meaning that even if the opposition score, we don't get the man back (as happens with a 2 minute minor penalty)

Solid defence and even a chance of a goal for 5minutes and the final score is a well deserved 6-4 win. A nice way to end the regular season.

There is one more away game tomorrow to end the league, but we will be 7th.

 

There are end of season playoffs with the top 8 and whoever finishes second from Hull or Sheffield will be our opponents.

 

The golf was called off due to the overnight rain, so a lie-in was called for.

Once I managed to raise form my warm duvet, some mudelling has been done.

There may be some that do not call it mudelling because I was using my Silhouette cutter to do the physical work.

They are brilliant for repetitive tasks and there's no way I could have cut out a few hundred rectangles with consistency.

 

This is one building of three I'm making'

 

Oops - problems with pic editor - will post in a few minutes.

 

Sorted.

 

Doing that lot by hand would drive me insane.

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited March 10, 2018 by newbryford