Early Risers.

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Misty start again here and some heavy spells of rain are forecast.

Because I saw yesterday that rain was forecast today I decided not to wash the car hoping that the weather might do the trick today. I live in hope.

I used to wear suits and of course ties for most of my working life apart from the last year or so when I started going into retirement mode. Still got about 20 ties but only wear one on special occasions, mainly funerals these days. I threw all my company ties away along with umpteen others from my youth.

Great rugby match (Bath v Exeter)  watched last night. Really entertaining and seven tries scored, five by Exeter. Once again I think the championship will be between them and Saracens. What with two matches being televised today and another tomorrow along with the Japanese GP I suspect that not a lot of work will be done. Brownie points that were in abundance last week will go into deficit and I will be unpopular for a while.

I've already lost some by taking The Boss a cup of tea up too early as apparently she'd "only just gone to sleep." Must have been someone else snoring all night beside me then! 

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited October 6, 2018 by grandadbob

[Horsetan]

.... after three days of the beer festival, with one more day to go. So far I have managed 19 pints of real ale. ...

That's about six pints a day. Is that all?

[Purley Oaks]

Thank you. I am feeling much better now that I am home again. I appreciated all the 'friendly/supportives'.

 

While passing through the Detroit metro / Wayne county airport a small crowd had gathered around an elderly man lying prone at the end of a "moving sidewalk" / horizontal escalator contrivance. (I don't know the British expression). Some minutes earlier I had noticed him with his cane struggling to leave a stall in the Gents'. He apparently fell. The machine was off. I didn't linger, there were more than enough people present to tend to him.

 

I mention it only because it reminded me that while we go through our days, tragedy strikes all the time - much like it did to Chris' late friend. My uncle (married to my mother's sister) died a couple of weeks ago. It was his time. He had fought cancer of the liver for a while. Dropping everything to be there for the funeral was possible, albeit a significant undertaking, but I decided not to go. It did reinforce the need to visit my parents again soon. My aunt lives remotely from most of my family, but three generations made the trip there to support her.

 

Morning all and Michael (Oz)

 

When a moving sidewalk was installed at, I think, Bank station in London in the late 1960s, it was called a Travel-ator. As Edinburgh airport has expanded from a nice little aerodrome to a crowded hulk we have moving sidewalks even here to get us to the gates at the opposite end from the security control area. Where once we had 9 gates and a pleasant stroll, now it's over 20 and everywhere seems to be packed with people because the bulk of the place is still just made for passengers from 9 gates because the whole building isn't wide enough. Hope that makes sense to someone.

 

It's tricky with funerals but great that you're visiting your parents, Michael. The only time I ever wear a tie now is for funerals, chucked a load out a year or so ago. I guess they developed from scarves which are a good way to keep your neck warm in cold weather. Then some bright spark thought we needed to wear them for 'business'. So thanks Georgians, Victorians and Edwardians, and thanks modern-day employers for finally deciding ties are not necessary - unless you're a male working in a bank, where they are necessary for some reason.

 

We have some scaffolding up in front of our house today; storm Ali - a couple of weeks ago - started a leak from our roof, so getting that fixed. The catflap window that blew out in the same storm has been replaced with the double-glazed unit we kept for the purpose. Just a day's work apparently.

 

Meantime, Gabe is recovering from a cold; doc's have advised flu-jags in two weeks. Usually the jags keep colds at bay and colds are not so early in the season.

 

Have a good day

 

Mal

[lightengine]

The insurance appraiser looked at our motor home today. He came at the same time I was at the dentist, so Dayle was with him.

 

FourWinds_4677.jpg

 

Since the back panel goes up and forms the roof and wraps around over the cab, he feels that the unit may be a write-off.  We will have to wait until we get the full report. It may be possible to have the back part replaced.

 

I still have a large selection of ties but only get to wear one a couple of times a year, depending on who gets married or dies. I'm never allowed to wear the interesting ones.

Written off? Give me a lump hammer and some gaffa tape and I'll have that fixed in no time.

[lightengine]

That's about six pints a day. Is that all?

The first day he only had 1 pint.

2nd day he had forgotten his wallet.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Cloudy here with rain forecast later.

I may try some housework later. Vacuuming the lounge carpet shouldn’t strain my back too much.

Have a good day.

Tony

[BoD]

Morning all.

 

And so yet another orbit begins. As it isn't particularly nice today Mrs BoD has decided she doesn't want a 'run out' so the day is mine. After the dog and I have had our morning constitional I may pop to the Shildon model railway exhibition which is based at NRM Locomotion. Or I may just watch the aforementioned two rugby matches on TV. Whatever a family 'meal out' is on the cards for this evening.

 

Have a good weekend peoples.

[New Haven Neil]

Morning.

 

Have a look at Alwinton if its there, BoD - my old club colleagues. Lot of clever electrickery by my pal Tony.

 

Off to collect Mrs NHN's new (ish) Picasso soon, then lunch out at a location currently not decided upon.  Had to order a spare wheel for the car, they just come with that foam stuff and a CO₂ bottle - useless.

 

Been a loooong time since I could match Chris's beer intake, I have had two this week.  None, last week.  I've lost the habit.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

It’s another dull day here in the northwest. The overnight rain means the ground is wet, so I won’t be doing much digging today, but I may put the last bits of hardcore down, assuming it doesn’t rain. But I do have a contingency plan, the speakers I ordered the other day have arrived, so I’ll take them to the workshop and if rain does stop play, then I’ve got something else to do!

 

BoD. Happy birthday

 

Back later

[Purley Oaks]

Morning all.

 

And so yet another orbit begins.

And a Happy Birthday from me, too!

[iL Dottore]

Morning All,

 

Mrs iD comes back with the Wolfpack from the Holiday Hovel today, so from now on I'll have to be on my best behaviour....

 

I watched the Great Model Railway Challenge yesterday and, to be kind it is very much the proverbial curate's egg. But if it gets the youngsters involved in our hobby, then more power to it. Unfortunately, the time constraints imposed by the production company results in "train set" like layouts despite the excellence of many of the components created.

 

There is a thread on this (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/138126-great-model-railway-challenge-channel-5-starts-05-oct-2018/) and our esteemed leader has been very vigorous in pruning away negative comments. From one angle, I can understand why AY has done so, but from another I would like to have seen the negative comments in order to decide for myself whether or not said comments were a load of old b o l l o c k s or apt and incisive.

 

And on another note: the new, female, Dr Who makes her debut tomorrow evening. I really do not envy Ms Whittaker in her role. I hope that the scripts, directing, special effects and editing are as good as her acting . If they are on a par with those of dumped on Peter Capaldi (who was criminally wasted. Better scripts/directing etc would have made him an amazing Doctor) then I fear that she may be forever known as the "Politically Correct female Doctor who killed off the much loved programme".

 

We shall see

 

Have a good Weekend

 

iD

 

edited due to stupid puritanical censoring software

 

p.s. Happy Birthday BoD

Edited October 6, 2018 by iL Dottore

[grandadbob]

Many Happy Returns Warren!!

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Happy birthday BoD. I haven't touched a drop of booze since the Christmas before last, and that was only a bottle of cider. In fact I do have plenty of ciders, beer, wine and spirits in the house but I've almost forgotten that they are there. Baz, it looks as if you are suffering from predictivetext-itis, I think I can understand what you wrote though.

[grandadbob]

I haven't touched a drop of booze since the day before...   er.... today!  

I may touch another drop later today. 

 

I too have plenty of beers, lagers, ciders, wines and spirits in the house and know the precise location of every one. Oh yes! 

Edited October 6, 2018 by grandadbob

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

And a happy birthday to BoD, plus many more of them of course.  We have rain although the forecast 'heavy rain' seems rather desultory so far although it is still very wet looking.

 

As I didn't got to uni my drinking of beer, which started in my school days, was continued in the rough & tumble of the railway world plus various evenings in a local pub.  I think my one day record was established on the day the GW Society ran their auto-train on the Wallingford branch and various of us with either BR involvement or GWS involvement retired to the pub just up the road from Cholsey station.  Having spent the previous night successfully persuading a very recalcitrant 6998 to steam I was in the mood. for a bit of relaxation but decided that I'd had enough when I'd got through 12 pints, a couple of locally well known railwaymen were both on their 16th at the time I decamped and they were both on duty (I regularly got through 8 pints on a Saturday night in those days.   Lots of big drinkers on the railway back in those days, very different from the abstemious railway of the 1990s. 

 

Today I'm told we need to restock certain basic items so there will be a trip out to Tesco in the rain.   Have a good day one and all.

 

PS. I was surprised how different 'The Great Model Railway Challenge' was from what I thought C5 might deliver.

Edited October 6, 2018 by The Stationmaster

[Barry O]

Hope you are having a great birthday Bod!

 

Perhaps a trip for fish and chips at Seaton Carew or ice cream from moscadinis or Dononnis? (both probably long closed?)

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

I watched 'The Great Model Railway Challenge' last night. A bit of a curates egg as others have said. I thought that the program that followed it 'Walking Britains Lost Railways' was very good.

[lightengine]

I watched 'The Great Model Railway Challenge' last night. A bit of a curates egg as others have said. I thought that the program that followed it 'Walking Britains Lost Railways' was very good.

As iL Dottore said, if it draws youngsters in all well and good. Let's hope that the "cheating" is caught everytime. The blatant ignorance and total disregard of the simple rules spoilt it.

[lightengine]

Wet day here at present but not too windy

Edited October 6, 2018 by lightengine

[Tony_S]

Happy birthday Warren. I wasn’t too sure at first if it was your birthday or Mrs Bod’s birthday but re-reading your post has helped. I have cleaned my glasses too.

I watched the Great Model Railway Challenge too. I quite enjoyed it. I would have preferred the scrap box challenge to have been coffee stirrers and bits of plastic sprue based. Aditi smiled when someone mentioned the anachronistic carriage in the Dunkirk film. She also liked my comment I made about reaching for a green aerosol to finish about 10 seconds before they did.

Tony

Edited October 6, 2018 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

As iL Dottore said, if it draws youngsters in all well and good. Let's hope that the "cheating" is caught everytime. The blatant ignorance and total disregard of the simple rules spoilt it.

Aditi seemed to approve of Kathy and Steve’s view of the rules. She has frequently had to interpret such things on disciplinary panels in her former career!

[Horsetan]

....Been a loooong time since I could match Chris's beer intake, I have had two this week. None, last week. I've lost the habit.

To be fair, I think Chris is capable of sinking a far higher daily average than only six pints, real ale fan that he is.

 

Through my Probate work, I'm acquainted with Chris Holmes who used to run Castlerock Brewery,

 

https://goo.gl/images/2t3RJ6

 

(the fella on the right of the photo link) and he can sink ten on a day. He taught me a lot about the real ale game.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Horsetan

[Simon G]

Afternoon all,

Quite a bit of gardening done today with a load of weeds removed from a rather neglected garden! Plenty of potatoes also dig out. Now settled down to the rugby for a while, to give my aching back a chance to recover.

[Purley Oaks]

Through my Probate work, I'm acquainted with Chris Holmes who used to run Castlerock Brewery, and he can sink ten on a day. He taught me a lot about the real ale game.

One of Willam Hague's pals is he?

Mal

[BoD]

Morning.

 

Have a look at Alwinton if its there, BoD - my old club colleagues. Lot of clever electrickery by my pal Tony.

I ended up going to the Shildon exhibition.

 

I have seen Alwinton a couple of times before. It is a very good, entertaining layout. When I mentioned you to one of the operators he described you as the one with more metal in his body than the Forth Bridge.