Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

I had a Santorini Black Freelander that looked very nice when clean. It wasn't clean thst often. My present car is one of those metallic grey colours that don't look too bad when grubby. Aditi's white Fiesta used to get very grimy when she travelled up to London and back. It was a very sticky dirt.

The Fiesta is going in for its annual service later this week. Aditi has booked it in as "while you wait" option. If it takes longer I can go and get her. I could I suppose look at cars but I haven't been looking at Ford cars during my recent car replacement research. On one hand I know it may be sensible for us at the moment to change the car but that is competing with "can't be bothered". I have been thinking like this since the beginning of the year. Aditi thinks it is a good idea for me to keep my mind active doing something rather than just sitting about at the moment.

Tony

[Gwiwer]

Evening all.

 

A long tiring day draws to a close. The usual stint at the House of Fun was made busier thanks to the Green Train Railway once again liberally interpreting the timetable and choosing to deliver their customers onto my platform between 15 and 40 minutes late. Cue the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth and mutterings about missed connections.

 

That was followed by a trip to the late parental home for cleaning purposes. Dad smoked a pipe all his adult life. The first and least pleasant task is to remove around thirty years-worth (we think that was when it was last repainted) of staining from the artex ceiling in the lounge. He seldom smoked anywhere else indoors but the corner above his chair has gained a thick brown residue over the years. And if you have ever painted artex you might know what a *** it is to clean.

 

That task will be continued next Tuesday. I was fed and watered at Sister’s then had to wait until later than planned for Brother in Law, being my parents’ executor, to get home and write me a cheque. He had been delayed by - wait for it - Southern cancelling his train. And the one after it.

 

Short story: I am finally back Upon the Hill two hours later than intended and having to deduct those two hours from the imminent eyelid inspection. I still have to be up at 5am for the next delivery of Gatwick arrivals at the House of Fun. But with an interim payout from the estate now in hand I am at least a five-figure sum better off. Worth the wait, I reckon.

 

Night all.

[laurenceb]

One of our teachers found out that dark green hid the dirt very well

Night awll

[Barry O]

spent this afternoon photographing items, then putting them on Ebay. Takes ages but hopefully worth it.

 

Tonight was asked if I fancied going to see England v Australia at Old Trafford on 24h June. We are at a Sikh wedding on the 23rd (which happens to be our own wedding anniversary) so I may be a bit fragile but have now bought a ticket.

 

Youngest Herbert has started a new job. He is now working for a different alcohol selling company.. one of their products is Guiness and another is Johnnie Walker... He has collected his new car today ...in London! So he drove home to try it out

 

sleep well good people!

 

Baz

[Barry O]

I really do know who Pearl was based on... and also Howard!

 

Baz

and the old codgers were all company directors who met every Sunday lunchtime in a pub in Doncaster!.... The person who was portrayed as compo was a wealthy man but dressed like a man on a low budget.

 

Baz

[andyram]

Good evening to my fellow ER's. I hope today has treated everybody well. 

 

I thought I would check in before bed. Today has, unfortunately, been a sign that the fight with the black dog is a case of a few steps forward followed by at least one back. Today has been another of those steps back. The day started well after a decent night's sleep. I enjoyed taking Amber to school again and the visit to the coffee morning. Sadly, towards the end of the latter activity, I began to feel a little wobbly. Once home the excessive tiredness returned and I found little motivation or energy for the rest of the day. The end result was no modelling got done and the lawn remained uncut. The only positive achievement was the time spent on the phone swapping house insurance providers and saving around £15.00 per month in the process. 

 

 Typically I now feel wide awake. Hopefully though there will be a decent night's sleep.

 

Night all.

 

Andy

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Well, as I’d hoped, that stump didn't put up too much of a fight, once I'd got all my tools sorted and I got stuck in, 20 minutes later it was out. I then dismantled the old pond waterfall and then filled in the pond itself. As much as I’ve enjoyed having a pond, it was getting to be a big hassle with regard maintenance. Also during my illness a few years ago, it got very neglected and looked a real mess. Filling it in is something I’ve been meaning to do for a few years now, this was completed before dinner. There is still a lot of earth required to fill it completely, about 6-8 inches, over an area of around 12 sq ft. But I do have several bags of old compost taken out of tubs, hanging baskets etc that I’ve saved for this very purpose. They will go some way towards filling it in, plus, by the time it’s levelled off and then planted up, it won’t be bad.

 

After dinner I spent the afternoon in the workshop, doing a bit more on Max’s engine. I’ve given it a thorough clean and given it a run on my test track, albeit just the loco chassis and tender.

 

Goodnight all.

[newbryford]

Good evening everyone

 

Well, as I’d hoped, that stump didn't put up too much of a fight, once I'd got all my tools sorted and I got stuck in, 

 

Last time I removed a tree stump, I put a pickaxe through an electric cable.

This was about 5pm on a Saturday.

 

The repair guys turned up about an hour later to repair it, having to turn off next door in the process - all sorted by about 7pm.

They did say that I would get billed for the repair as I'd caused the damage, but when it was pointed out that said cable was unmarked/unprotected and about 9" below ground level, they filled in their job sheet as a "no charge fault".

I had looked after them with cups of tea during their visit and they did have to remove the final bits of stump before they could do the repair................

 

Cheers,

Mick

[BR60103]

Strangely enough, no. But it is potentially embarrassing, with a high comedy factor.

 

https://www.gocomics.com/poochcafe/2018/06/12

 

?

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is another nice bright morning in this part of the world.

 

The software tests are progressing well!

 

Time for a coffee - Have a good day everyone...

[Simon G]

Definitely an ER this morning as we are up early to catch our train down to Berkshire. If Northern are on their usual form, I may be gone some time!

[Smiffy2]

Morning all. I'm sort-of back. Actually I'm in la France profonde, and before anyone asks I've been eating whelks with abandon.

 

I've been missing because the end of last year was very hard for me. I wasn't well and my son's marital problems were weighing very heavily, and I fell into a deep period of the black dog, the worst I can remember since I was ill and 'burned out' around 2000. I couldn't really communicate much, and didn't have anything to say anyway. Andy - I know where you are at the moment.

 

But it does get better. I managed a rapprochement with my son, and we now have good relationships with both sides, although she is making life hard for him she is being considerate to us. The main casualty has been my bank balance, which has been destroyed. We are having to draw our horns in, and probably cash in an ISA for the next stage of the divorce. He has promised to pay us back, but I can't see how he will. We are even subbing his food shoop, because to have the girls stay with hyim he needs a 2 bedroom flat, and here that starts at £1000 a month.

 

Enough of that. A month or so ago I felt the dog lift a little, and I was able to get on and do a few things in the garden and here in France. I've completely rearranged the kitchen and made a new tea'n toast area. Sounds a small thing but it's made a big difference. I even made a wall-mounted bottle opener for the patio...

 

I'm sleeping much better (except for last night for some reason), but unfortunately Julie is in a bad way, and we think it might be fibromyalgia. My friend Andrew has it, and the symptoms are similar.

 

Today we are off to Fougères to visit Emmaüs, a huge depôt vente run by ex-prisoners. If you've seen any of Dick Strawbridge's Chateau TV programmes you may remember it. We go quite often, and it's good for all sorts of things, although I mostly buy candlesticks and Julie buys little chintzy coffee cups which she makes into candle holders for the Christmas market. Last time I bought some andirons in the shape of Marechal Foch:

 

The others are zouaves, probably pre-1914. I have cleaned them up and a job I have yet to do is cut off the back sections of the zouaves and treat them all to a coat of wax.

 

This is the bottle opener:

 

Just a bit of fun...

 

Next job is making a wooden mantle for the living room fireplace. So in one sense the mojo is back.

 

As to modelling - very little. But the idea of a Hornby Dublo 3-rail layout is appealing, and the 0-16.5 stuff is going ahead with a growing grey siding.

 

So best wishes to all, especially Debs and Andy. Debs - I've told you about the 'mad dog' farm which homes retired sheepdogs. They now have a 'beware of the Collie' sign, which I'll try to get a picture of. Yesterday the Guardians of the Road were an old Labrador and a very sleepy cat.

 

In a while I'll tell you about our French neighbours, not as sexy as Ian's but equally mad.

 

Toodle pip.

 

[Oldddudders]

Well, follow that from Smiffy. I can’t, but I can answer the Martin question, and it isn’t nice.

 

Back to Valentin. During the several months he worked at the farm, the mortality rate among new-born calves was off the scale. Something like 80%+. Given that François has been raising animals for more than 30 years, this is distinctly odd. And several of Alison’s animals and birds fell fatally ill, ducks, a goat - and Martin. To her credit, Alison did call the vet, a luxury she cannot afford, who diagnosed a probable stroke, also saying she thought Martin was rather older than the 21-ish we had been told by his previous owner. But it could have been poison, of course.

 

So as well as his substantial lack of responsibility where humans are concerned, Valentin may also be a slayer of animals. Nothing can be proved, of course, any more than it can be proved that he broke duck eggs over Alison’s mailbox, or turned off the incubator in one of her outbuildings. It all fits perfectly with the views of his former teachers, though.

 

He no longer works at the farm. He somehow abused one of the tractors, to the extent that it needs a mechanical repair costing about €10k. Since the farm, like many others, is rather on its uppers, this was some sort of wake-up call, and their cheap hired help was sent packing. Isabelle is now having to be a working farmer’s wife, rather than sitting in the kitchen idling all day. It’s an ill wind.....

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

A good day in the shed was had yesterday with, for once, conspicuous m*d*ll*ng progress.  The epidemic of not being able to find things has spread to my toolkit with the de-soldering braid and tip cleaner both missing in action. In the evening was an excellent talk by Robin Cullup about the GN/LNW joint line, now long gone.  What promised to be a good night's sleep was interrupted by two things.  The first was the sound of a car vacating the space outside the house not long after I had retired.  Had I been more blessed with energy I might have risen, donned sufficient clothing to achieve decency and moved my own car into the space but there are limits even to my obsessiveness.  The second was an abdominal pain at around 2.30 am.  Fortunately relief came but just to be sure I shall have prunes with my porridge today.  The upshot of all that is that I slept in so I'm not such an early riser today.

 

The gas technician is due to visit some time between 12 and 6 today.  I have plenty to do while I wait but how much of it I feel like doing is a good question.  There is tidying, there always is, and if I set about it with a will I may find some of the other things reported missing.  Later on I may try to grab another e-chat with Harry, for after a break in communication of something like seven years there is still much catching up to do.  Monday's was surprisingly candid and I might just have let the odd dark secret escape.  [Reminder: Harry is the e-friend that I have met only once and thanks to the strictures of his new relationship, which caused me much grief a few weeks back, may never meet again so we are stuck with Messenger to maintain contact.]

 

Andy P, be careful.  Andyram, hang on in there.  I'm sorry that I have nothing more constructive to say but we both know that yours is an insidious illness that too few take seriously.  Warm thoughts to you both and to Debs, Robert and his dad, Mal and all others in distress.

 

Chris

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner temple Here,

 

 A quite good nights sleep, however the radio says the wind has changed from North to South West, though it was very still this morning,  so we may tomorrow night be too hot to sleep, just before the rain arrives.

 

 

Also on the radio, a piece abut the sudden closure of the eco centre in Swaffham, built at an electrcity windmill, which has a public viewing platform near the top. The words on the radio Went .... "and over the years the centre has Teached hundreds of schoolchildren"..

 I wonder if that has anything to do with...  https://news.sky.com/story/are-we-getting-dumber-study-shows-drop-in-iq-scores-11402322

 

Wel today I have another attempt as a calbration I tried on Monday, it didn't go well. and the two men who actually know how it works are away, My boss is on a fortnights holiday in the USA, which will include a cruise. The other was off sick, he wasn't in Monday but returned partway through yesterday coughing and sniffleing...

 

Time to check the company spam and then go into battle...

[roundhouse]

Good morning from a broken cloudy skies over Redhill

 

Here is a sight we don't see as often as we should be.

 

 

The 06.59 cancelled for second time this week and next one late.

Last night wd did the Thameslink avoider, via a few pubs and bus home as ours was cancelled yet again

[Black Marlin]

Morning all. I'm at my desk and gearing up for a fight. I'm the senior quality engineer for the company I work in, which means that almost all of our output, of whatever sort, flows through me before it reaches the wider world (I am, in that sense, a sort of one-man bottleneck). Recently I've been locking horns with Marketing, who have demonstrated in spectacular fashion that they ought not to be allowed anywhere near a statistic, and my relentlessly calling them on their buffalo excrement has ruffled a few feathers. I expect that to kick off later this morning. Is it bad to say I'm looking forward to it just a little bit? I'm sure of my facts, sure of the high ground, and know how to construct an argument - three crucial advantages I'm not convinced my opponent enjoys.

In any case, I have decided to adopt a new motto for my department:

"In God we trust: everyone else gets fact-checked."

[jamie92208]

"In God we trust: everyone else gets fact-checked."

 

My late history master who had a very dry wit used to say the following.

 

"God knows and that's only a 50 50 chance."

 

He was not politically correct at all but gave me a love of History as a subject.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Morning all from a nice and sunny Bournemouth.  Not a lot got done yesterday but batteries were recharged and eyelid inspections took place.  Beth cooked a nice meal in the evening and some red French liquid was drunk and appreciated.

 

Today may be more of the same but a small shopping expedition will be undertaken this morning.

 

Great to hear from Smiffy. Very sorry to hear about your travails, but hope that things continue to improve.

 

Good wishes to all others that need them.  Time here for a shower and then breakfast.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Morning everyone! Wall to wall sunshine here..hope is the same whereever you are.

Dick, glad to hear you are getting the dog back in its kennel and back on the whelks. I hope things continue to improve especially Julie. The zoauves look very thoughtful.

 

 

Sad to hear the news Ian re martin and other animal and bird deaths. I hope that there are fewer animal deaths now.

 

AndyRam, hope the black dog can be locked away soon.

 

Today will see a parcel to be posted to a friend in Oz made up then posted. A League Management Committee will be attended later this evening.

 

Good news from my terminally ill mate. Op went well last week, no bag required, now to rest ready for chemo later this year.

 

Have a good day everyone, lets see if we can round up some ERs missing currently.

 

Baz

[Andrew P]

Last Saturday myself and two mates went to the Midland Small Layouts Show at Armitage where we met Peter BB. It's only about 25 minutes from home so we had a quiet saunter down there. On arrival the first thing we did was to have a sit down with a Coffee and Bacon Sarnie. Before leaving home I wasn't feeling that well, I had a nervious feeling, and so I was determined to have a quiet day. Once there I felt a lot better, and chatted to a few friends, old and new, and also sat down more than normal.

 

We left the Show at about 12.30 so we didn't stay very long, again ensuring I didn't over do things. Getting home about 1pm, I sat down with a cuppa and relaxed, but by this time I was feeling quite funny again, with a nervous shake now and again and feeling sick and faint. This continued though out the evening, the shakes gradually getting worse, as though I had something very serious to worry about, but with no pains I just could not understand my problem, which made me even more worried.

 

When I went  to Bed I was still shaking but I slept well, and felt fine on Sunday morning, and wondered what all the silliness was about. I went and did my Mums Shopping and was O.K. Then about Lunchtime it started again. Butterflies in the stomach, feeling sick, nervous, shaking and feeling quite funny. It carried on all evening and I really felt like it was the end, but again, when I got to bed, still shaking I slept well, and when I got up yesterday / Monday, I felt brilliant.

 

I'm seeing my GP this afternoon. I think it's the medication, as after the HA in January I felt brilliant, and no anxiety attacks at all, so I'm wondering if the Drugs have now worked into my system. as my Heart Rate is still very slow.

 

I'm feeling fine again now and could knock a wall down this morning, if I had a wall to knock down that is.

Good visit to the GP last night, the Beetablockers are helping the anxiety, but also slow the Heart Rate, and as that is already to low, they cannot be increased, but a new Anxiety tablet has been perscribed, plus a Herbal Kalms each day, and see how it goes for a Month, then another review.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Andrew P

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Lovely sunny start to the day here and hopefully it will stay that way.

Great to see the return of The Whelkman - welcome back Dick although I'm sorry to hear that some of your news is not too good.

 

There is a double celebration here. Our lovely youngest granddaughter Gemma is 14 today and Chris and I celebrate 48 years of marriage. We actually first met when we were 16, I was still at school and she'd just started work. We married at 21 and amazingly have survived a few trials & tribulations along the the way. The great thing is we can still make each other laugh.

Tonight we're all off to a local restaurant for a meal and we're also having a party for Gemma on Saturday.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Barry O]

GDB..many congratulations for the double festivities!

Baz