Early Risers.

[AndyID]

"Have to"? More like "Can you?" in my book.

 

Irrespective of the fact that no one wants to see my knees or psoriasis patches, I'd rather be in short trousers, unless of course we are not cruising somewhere warm.

 

To this day, as soon as I am home from work the shoes come off, followed by the long trousers. No differently than as a school boy when we were expected to change from our school uniform into 'play clothes'. It's funny (interesting) what personal habits linger from childhood.

 

Some of us wore kilts to school, and to Boy Scout meetings/hikes/camps. They were brilliant "ice breakers", particularly with young French ladies we met at youth hostels on the Rhine. There are photographs, but you ain't going to see any of 'em here.

[Ozexpatriate]

... today on the Maple Leaf we had to get off the train with all our bags then go into the Via rail station where we and our bags were sniffed by a labrador before going through passport control.

After that we thrn went outside and back into the station waiting room whilst the train was checked. Takes about two hours. I guess that the same happens in the other direction at the new Amtrak station just over the bridge on the USA side.

What a chore.

 

I imagined something tedious like that. Thanks for explaining it.

 

There's a lot of extra-legal border crossings from the US to Canada in the last year or so - many of these are by people who are undocumented in the US (including many Africans) and want to seek asylum in Canada. There's a whole theatre of the absurd where at known 'unofficial' crossing points, the RCMP is waiting and warn them that they will be placed under arrest and have marquees set up to process their asylum requests.

 

In a different spin, with airfares from Mexico to Canada actually cheaper than hiring a 'coyote' to smuggle you into the US, enterprising Latinos fly to Canada and them present themselves at a legal crossing point (the airport) to request asylum to enter the United States. This is far more civilized than dealing with the situation on the US / Mexico border.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Today been a day when, although we’ve been busy, not a lot has been done, although we’ve had lots of visitors. The reason for all the visitors is that tomorrow I celebrate my 62nd successful solar orbit. I’ve had cards a presents brought round today, as their all busy tomorrow, which, is quite understandable as they’ve all got kids etc. and it means that tomorrow, I can get on with doing what I want without any interruptions.

 

James and Amelia came round for tea as is the norm for a Friday and once they’d gone home we had a quick tidy up, then opened a bottle of red as we sat and caught up with some recorded TV.

 

Boing, Zebedee time, goodnight all

[Gwiwer]

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Brian

 

Time for bed, said Zebedee. Boing.

 

Night all

[laurenceb]

Birthday greetings for the morrow Brian

Night awl

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

Happy birthday Brian.

 

And g'night all

[southern42]

Went to town for a second copy of the magazine (for little sis - it is times like this when I miss sending things to Mum) and popped into Tess Coe's on the way home. Passing the grapes and strawberries I spotted some blackcurrants for a quid*. A tray went straight into the trolley.  

It was only when I got home that I wondered what I was going to do with them?  Out came the oats, flour, apple juice and golden syrup.  Mix in half the blackcurrants (top and tailed as my Nan used to tell me)  and bake in shallow tin in the oven.  Cool and cut into wedges.  I will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what they taste like.  No doubt I will get peckish at West Shore so I will not have to wait long.  

 

*  Now sharing the lap top, and since having my own account, the pound key now gives me the # hash tag and the # hash tag key is the back slash \.   Can I find the quid key?    

 

Looks like I may be in the drivers seat again tomorrow  but since Ray will be tied up sorting the signals before play public running, I will be getting the Brigadier ready on my own.  

This     or this?    Need I ask?  

 

 

' Night all and nos da.

Time for bed said Zebedee.

Boi_ng...

[BR60103]

 

But surely once you've seen one castle [*] you've seen them all?

 

 

[*] insert stately home of choice....... if the locos look the same, then surely the buildings do?

 

Cheers,

Mick

My uncle was taking us around Scotland about 40 years ago and drove us to Stirling Castle. He reported back to the car, "They want twa pund tae get in! Och, ye've seen Edinburgh Castle; it's bigger and it's free!"

[TheQ]

Mooring awl, inner Temple here.

A very good 5hours something solid sleep, and I intend to try for more shortly.

 

Shortly? Yes I had to wear shorts everyday to primary school, rain, sun, or three feet of snow. Since then I've never wanted to wear shorts for anything other than sport. As for kilts, none of the schools I went to in NI, ENG or Sco, wore them. The noted effects on women would have been useful 40 years ago, however I couldn't afford them then.

 

Sadly Edinburgh castle is no longer free, the Advanced ticket Is £17, + £5 for the guide book, I think they wanted £25 on the door a couple of years ago. You can't even get on the esplanade for free. I've been to the castle many times, as dad worked there, his allocated parking spot was very useful.

 

Zebedee or Zebulon as he was in France, did say "time for bed" in the English version. I've not found out what he said in the original French, as the UK storylines did not follow the French ones.

I said time for sleep, as I was already In Bed, and Florence was not joining me.

So putting more words into Zebedee's mouth

 

Boing!! "time to try to sleep again" said Zebedee

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

That's the easy bit.  I am beginning to think that writer's block has struck, since inspiration has for once all but evaporated.  The noted epigrammist Alexander Pope once wrote: "You beat your pate and fancy wit will come.  Knock as you please, there's nobody at home".  Make no mistake, there are stories to be told but the words will not come.  One in particular would justify the word "turmoil" so beloved of at least one ER but, appropriately, it is very difficult to express coherently right now.  One day ...

 

I pre-ordered a CD from Amazon back in November.  This is so long ago that I cannot remember what it is called but an overnight e-mail tells me that its release date has been brought forward (!) to the first week in September.  Ah, there it is - "Folk Fever" by the Band of Love.  It's a bunch of folkies fronted by Jim Causley straying from the straight and narrow to venture into more popular music.  [Now here's a thing.  The sentence I just typed did not appear on the screen.  I will not be censored!  Take two.]  Said Band of Love are due to appear in Hyde Park on 9th September in the massive outside broadcast which ruined the set by Wildwood Kin last year.  I can hardly wait.

 

Today I plan to have breakfast out and do the fodder run while I am about it.  Later I shall go to London for a meeting of a music appreciation group.  Tomorrow I hope that the piece of steak I hope to buy this morning will be nicer to cook and eat than the last one.  Then there will be unspecified pottering, since it is high time that calm descended on the world of Chrisf, however fleetingly.

 

Gosh, I got through it.  Warm thoughts and best wishes to all in distress and missing

 

Chris 

[jamie92208]

Good morning to all from a sunny corner and happy birthday to Brian.

 

I had a good day out yesterday at the second meeting that I've attended of the local model railway group. We met as usual in a café and had an excellent lunch for the princely sum of 12 Euros then adjourned to Andy's house to chat, eat cake and drink tea/coffee. He has converted his cellar/barn into a U shaped workshop/railway room where he is recreating a scene on the Lotcheberg line of the BLS. It was stunning and as the scenery is developed it will only get better. On two levels with a Helix at each end it became a backdrop to good conversation for the afternoon. Then home and I took the bike that I'd mended round to it's owner. Beth and I just had to accept a glass of wine each.

 

Not a lot on the agenda today but no doubt various tasks will be allocated but I might even get the Hi Fi system working and my collection of Vinyl brought over from the shed and filed in it's proper place.

 

 

Regards to all.

 

 

Jamie

[pH]

Just in from friends' golden wedding celebration. Met lots of people we've not seen in a long time, had some good food and the bar was free. There was also entertainment: bellydancing, pipes and drums and finally - bellydancing to pipes and drums. Now that's what you call cultural fusion!

[Barry O]

Happy Birthday Brian!

 

Morning to most (good night/good evening/good afternoon to others around the globe).

Bit cool here this morning. My match today is at Otley so I need to leave here by 11am for a 1pm start.

Have a great day everyone!

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Happy birthday Brian and many more of them. Talk of The Magic Roundabout always makes me think of  the Jasper Carrot version. The BBC banned it but had a problem when the record went to # 1 in the charts. Got to go now, on my way to Bishop's Stortford shortly.

[JohnDMJ]

Mooring awl, inner Temple here.

 

Zebedee or Zebulon as he was in France, did say "time for bed" in the English version. I've not found out what he said in the original French, as the UK storylines did not follow the French ones.

I said time for sleep, as I was already In Bed, and Florence was not joining me.

So putting more words into Zebedee's mouth

 

Boing!! "time to try to sleep again" said Zebedee

 

The BBC bought only the animations for the Magic Roundabout, not the scripts. Eric Thompson had a free hand in writing to suit the action and nearly caused an international incident by naming the dog Dougal; when seen in France, they took this to be an insult to their President De Gaulle!

[chrisf]

Talk of The Magic Roundabout always makes me think of  the Jasper Carrot version. The BBC banned it but had a problem when the record went to # 1 in the charts. 

 

Jasper's Magic Roundabout appeared on his first LP, "Jasper Carrott In The Club", published in [gulp!] September 1973.  It was a good 18 months after that, probably more, when it was officially the B side of "Funky Moped", which charted.  I met Jasper when he appeared in Bedford some time later and took a pile of LPs for him to sign.   He offered me £10 for "In The Club" because he did not have a copy himself.  I declined and got him to sign it.  I have it in front of me.  He wrote: "To Chris,  Boing!  Jasper Carrott".

 

Happy days ...

 

Chris

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.  Breezy on't rock.  Dry though, for now but not a great prognosis from the seaweed twirlers.  Oh that'll be because practice for the Manx Grand Prix starts tonight.....bu££er.

[Gwiwer]

Morning all.

 

That amusingly smutty Jasper Carrott track also appeared on his live “Rabbits on and on” album. I reckon I can still recite it verbatim. I could never manage that for any Shakespeare.

 

Muggertea is required. More toast likewise. I’ll be back later.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all and a very happy birthday Brian,

Quick look in as we have a full house and breakfast is imminent.

Great night had here with Nicki and the kids albeit tempered with a bit of shock news about some friends on holiday in Gozo.

Haven't got the full story yet but it's reported here:

 

https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180810/local/man-hit-by-falling-bollard-at-xlendi-restaurant.686508

 

Luckily he is now out of danger,

 

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited August 18, 2018 by grandadbob

[laurenceb]

Nasty!

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, all my cards and presents have now been opened, I’ve mostly had modelling tokens, which will no doubt be spent at the EM EPO in Partington next month.

 

Muggertea No 2 has just been finished, so I’m off to spend the day in the workshop.

 

Back later

[Simon G]

Morning all, and a happy birthday to Brian.

 

No ill effects from maintenance treatment yesterday, so we now intend to go to North Wales tomorrow. Packing is in full swing, with Mrs G packing half her wardrobe to plan for every weather eventuality! As we tend to largely self cater, half the kitchen cupboard contents are also being packed. This is why I have an estate car!

 

Cool and breezy here so far today, with the likelihood of more rain later today. Washing is out on the line, so hopefully the rain will hold off until it is dry.

[andyram]

Morning all. A quick check in to offer generic good wishes and greetings.

 

Cat still in the vets after a delayed operation.

 

Black Dog has broken out the kennel and is running amok.

 

Best Wishes

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

Morning all, and a happy birthday to Brian.

No ill effects from maintenance treatment yesterday, so we now intend to go to North Wales tomorrow. Packing is in full swing, with Mrs G packing half her wardrobe to plan for every weather eventuality! As we tend to largely self cater, half the kitchen cupboard contents are also being packed. This is why I have an estate car!

Cool and breezy here so far today, with the likelihood of more rain later today. Washing is out on the line, so hopefully the rain will hold off until it is dry.

Aditi is encouraging me to pack for every weather and dining situation for our departure next week. The Evoque is a bit smaller than the Freelander but it should cope. I think I have everything sorted except for some Euro currency. I did find our bag of loose change. The loos on the Autobahns were 50c last time we went. Though you did get a voucher to spend in the shop.

Tony