Early Risers.

[Andrew P]

I've wished for a few of those over the years.

 

Today saw a trek over to LLandrinio for the Borders MRC monthly meeting.

 

Met some who had trekked over from the Gresley and Wychnor club, but not our own AP.  It is alleged he did not know they were coming over.

 

The usual fancies were consumed and money departed from my wallet to purchase quite a few bits and bobs from the bring and buy stall.

 

It was a welcome break form yesterday's weeding fest in the garden, although I was back at it  late this afternoon.  This involved clearing the last of the eating apples off the tree (Worcester Russet), and cutting back the raspberry canes.

Who, what, where? I know nothing.

[Barry O]

Cricket...umpired

Tired so ...

 

Goodnight all!

Baz

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[PeterBB]

An update has occurred and access is back, but so many pages … hope all are progressing well.  See ChrisF has managed to get a place on his long wished for 'journey of a lifetime' and hope it goes well. John DMU - you certainly haven't had the best recently but again hope all gets back to normal soon.  Nice to see 'Pizza Pete' back on line - do not seem to have remembered much else so must be tired - Gresley and Wychnor in Wales but not Andy P, just what is the world coming to.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

Well it’s been a day of mixed fortunes in the workshop. I made a box for one of the new speakers and when I tested it, it sounded awful, almost like a bag of crisps! As I’d bought 5 of them (they were cheap) I checked the rest, they all sounded the same. So a drastic rethink was in order. I had another look at the original speaker and the loco and found that if I shaved off a bit from each side of the housing and removed a bit more from a metal block that secured the valve gear in place, it would fit. So, I removed the metal block, cut it in half and shaved the sides of the speaker housing. I also added a plug a socket in the wires from the DCC chip and the speaker, which made the work required a lot easier. Once all this was done I fitted everything back together and tested it. Oohhh, what a lovely sound nd when the body was refitted it was sooo much better too! This work was concluded just as it was time for dinner. So after dinner I made a start on the second loco. The same modifications were made, so once they were completed, I tested the loco only to find that it ran very intermittently. So, like the one I worked on yesterday, I stripped it down, removed the drive wheels and cleaned them up, as well as the pick-ups. It was then all put back together, but it was still acting up. By this time I was getting a wee bit frustrated, so I called it a day, packed up and went in for tea. I suspect it’s a pick up problem, namely the side that takes it’s feed from the chassis, so I’ll have to have a good think about how to sort it out.

 

Goodnight all

[newbryford]

Weather forecast is looking good for outside activities tomorrow.

 

FORE!

 

That is all.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[southern42]

' Evening all from red dragon land.

My was it windy, today. Shame because the sun shone most of the day.

Busy with new layout again but I did manage to catch up a little this morning and your accounts of big ships set my memories of close encounters with the big guys in our sailing days, though nothing as large as those cruise ships - thankfully.

 

A few drawings from our Millennium Cruise with the North West Venturers YC.  Weather scuppered our chances of getting to the Clyde but we made Bangor, Co. Down via a big island in the middle of the Irish Sea, although we did not see it at all until we reached it!  All the drawings were done onboard, occasionally having flat water.

 

Loading up

 

Off the coast of Anglesey

 

First port of call

 

Off to find shelter...

 

Ashore, watching out for our boat as the Ferry churned up the water whilst turning against the wind..  

 

Not leaving Northern Ireland anytime soon...

 

Back on our mooring, not going home anytime soon...

 

 

So what do we do, now, instead?  Sit astride a trolley giving rides to passengers in the wind (and the rain)...watching the yachts go by...

 

' Night all and nos da.

 

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

Quite a good day's m*d*ll*ing was had yesterday.followed by a mushroom risotto at 'Spoons which was good and a talk in the evening which swiftly became tedious.  The car is partly obstructing Mrs Electric-Chair's gate again and will be moved once I am washed and decent.  Tonight I am in London for a concert at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell featuring Greg Russell and Jack Rutter, seldom seen as a duo.  This will mean another late night and tedious Thameslink trundle through the darkness.  Oh, what I do for my music.

 

Many thanks for all the thoughts on the journey of a lifetime.  I'll have a proper look later because they merit serious consideration.  Something tells me that Bill's reason for me taking The Tie to Sydney is not entirely related to my birthday which falls while I am there.  I suspect that what and where I explore during the so-called free days may be influenced at least partly by other members of the group and I won't know who they are until shortly before we depart.  One unexpected but very welcome consequence of securing a place on the tour is that I feel much more confident than of late.  To be honest, that wouldn't be difficult.  Let's see what happens.

 

Warm thoughts to the ailing, distressed and missing

 

Chris

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Been awake since 4.30 with a splitting headache and aching hip and knee so some parrotseatmall have been deployed.

Still dark outside but seems dry apart from the dew and a fine warm sunny day is forecast.

I may venture to the interior  exterior today and do some weeding, mowing and pruning and hope that this unusual activity will ease some of the stiffness from various joints. Knowing my record it'll probably make things worse.

We can't leave the premises as a parcel is due (for her Bossness). Latest reports put it at my local Hermes depot. Unlike many I've never had much of a problem with them apart from the time the regular guy was on holiday and the temporary idiot left a parcel in the pouring rain in full view sticking out of a plant pot by the front door. Luckily the railway model inside was well wrapped and the water did not seep through the packaging. Over the past few months if I've anything from eBay I get it delivered to our local Argos in Sainsburys which saves a lot of hassle.

Muddling has gone on the back burner for now. There are some thoughts of major works to the house in the New Year which might mean demolition, re-siting and rebuilding of the layout. However a lot of thinking and planning needs to be done before or if that happens.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited October 10, 2018 by grandadbob

[Barry O]

Good morning from a slightly misty North West Leeds Highlands.

I am, at long last, seeing the eye specialist tonight to check his handiwork with a laser some 9 weeks ago. If all is well I need to get a new pair of glasses asap.

 

I need to have a flu jab as well. Apparently I can book an appointment any time so long as it's a Saturday...great! ...not! I am due a visit to nurse Drac so will chance it getting her to administer the jab.

 

Hopefully today will be fine and dry. I have some spray painting to do.

 

Have as great a day as you can

 

Baz

[roundhouse]

Good morning and a sunny here too. SHould really be in the garden but I have been in the loft looking for my 50 year old Triang Jinty to take to BIF this weekend - nothing like finescale running!  I know the box it is in but cant find that box so far but did find tow other even older 2nd hand ones plus tidied up various N scale USA boxes.

 

Off to Santander branch this morning to have another go at setting up online banking. They tried a few weeks ago but I never received the verification code via txt.

 

Then its to Mums to sort out various tasks.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone

 

It’s sunny here too in the northwest, once I’ve finished my breakfast I’m off to the pool for my weekly dip, so that will take up most of the morning. Once I’m back and showered it’ll be dinner time, after which I’ll make a start on getting potatoes and veggies prepared for tonight’s tea, which will roast chicken, followed by a chocolate orange cheesecake.

 

Back later

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Here,

A reasonable nights sleep of the usual 5 hours + 1.5 dozing on the sofa..

 

A whilst it was clear up above, at home so Ben the Border Collie did take a morning Patrol in the star light, down the garden with Orion off to the right a bit..

 

As soon as I started driving it was low cloud, just above the car.. later as I drove up a bit,  I was driving through the cloud, and so it continued all the way to work with the low cloud at that point being building height..

 

This could take some time to type as I'm running one semi Automatic equipment run , measuring those 1G ohm resistors again, and measuring manually ACI on the First major system..

 

SWMBO has bought a felting machine, think sewing machine with 12 needles!!, She's broken two needles on her first try. She bought a Spinning wheel a short time ago too.. I think I have a bargaining point for muddleing tokens...Though she may not take that as, 4 X casters arrived yesterday for the layout support / carriages, as did a jockey wheel and mudguards for the boat trailer..She doesn't know about the £100 worth of cut ply in the back of the landrover..

 

The final design is made of the layout support / carriage, hence the cut ply, but there is provision to raise the layout should it be too low.

 

A black dog walked past yesterday, just before packing up at work, giving me a feeling of doom, something bad going to happen.. it probably won't, but anyway it keeps reoccuring and I don't know why..

 

The 1 Gohms are done, one needs paper work for Shipping. But I'm tending to the other equipment at the moment... not helped by a piece of test equipment Dying, I'm having to re-write a section of speadsheet for an alternative method..

 

We have another of those online company "trainings"  to do.. This time on Sexual Harrassment.... I should be so lucky..

 

This afternoon once I Get home, we have to drop the car in for it's MOT, service, fix the advisories from last year, to add to that on the way back the from Scotland when braking, there felt a distinct feeling that one of the discs may have warped slightly.. This could get expensive.

 

Well that took 2 hours to type...

 

Time to... take more measurements..

Edited October 10, 2018 by TheQ

[bbishop]

Morning all,

 

I read that The Tie is now entitled to capital letters.  I'm concerned that Santander Bank and on line banking appear in the same sentence: I steer clear of both.

 

Looks like a lovely day and I shall be stuck inside preparing a set of charity accounts.

 

Keep well all, Bill

[iL Dottore]

Good to hear that ChrisF has managed to bag a berth on the Ghan. I haven't been to Oz too many times, but greatly enjoyed each trip. One thing I must warn ChrisF about: the Ozzies love to wind up poms (and - probably - most individuals from the northern hemisphere). I once was at a meeting in Barcelona, for a study I was running with some researchers - who included a lass from Sydney. When she learnt that I was heading to Sydney in a week's time for another study related meeting, she promptly regaled me with stories of the many and varied toxic flora and fauna that are to be found everywhere in Australia. So convincing was she, that when I arrived in Sydmey a week or so later, it saw me carefully checking the toilet for Sydney funnel web spiders on the 14th floor of a 4-star hotel in downtown Sydney! However, Australia's reputation for having dangerous flora and fauna is very much justified. Depending upon how paranoid you are, there could be as few as 10 animals to beware of (https://www.planetdeadly.com/animals/australias-dangerous-animals), 25 if you are a wee bit apprehensive (https://list25.com/25-most-dangerous-animals-in-australia-you-dont-want-to-mess-with/) to a massive 72 beasties if you really believe that the only way to survive Oz is to permanently live in a "Noddy Suit" (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46997649).

 

Presumably the flights will be in economy (I have looked at the FT website for trips to Japan and they don't refer to any other class of flights but economy). Making the journey in Business and First (the latter courtesy of a BA upgrade to First given to at the Bangkok stopover) was gruelling enough, I wouldn't be able to do it in economy. However, I think it would be worthwhile for ChrisF to explore upgrading to the so-called "premium economy" - which is very much equivalent to business class in the early 90s and will provide the legroom needed and a better recline (both critical for such a long flight - as I have posted earlier).

 

On the GMRC thread there is a (very much off topic) "mini-discussion" about the use of what used to be called "foul language" with some arguing that "hey, it's the way the kids speak nowadays". Two thoughts if I may: firstly if the overuse of the "F" word or the "C" word (others are available) is acceptable in speech - replace these words with the "N" word or the "P" word. Is that still acceptable? Second, regarding the use of "foul language"; for the most part it is unnecessary and furthermore, such language should be used with the care and attention that one uses when seasoning food. A little, used judiciously and in the right place, can have an amazing effect in discourse or writing, but when used routinely becomes tedious and betrays (to my mind) a spectacular verbal and mental ignorance. Furthermore, some of the most caustic and wounding comments, critiques and insults have used nary a mild expletive (one of my favourites is "he has low standards and consistently fails to live down to them")

 

And on the #@#$ linguistic @#$% note, I bid you $@##$$ a really ##$#@ awesome %$#@ day.

 

iD

Edited October 10, 2018 by iL Dottore

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Will have to make the most of the Indian summer, retribution is on its way for the weekend which is predicted to be wet and windy. Hope you have a great time Chris on your trip down under and hopefully you can keep in touch while your there. C & C's where neccessary, be back later.

[jamie92208]

Good morning all from a rather cloudy little village. Yesterday the logs got split and stacked. I then chain sawed the remaining big logs till I ran out of petrol and energy. In the afternoon I helped our elderly friends move furniture. They value my trailer. 2 loads became three loads and over refreshments we had a 'Lost in translation moment'. Delia, the elderly wife asked told me she was going to Angouleme (45 miles away) on Saturday with all the family and mentioned "Emprinter le Diable) literally borrow the devil. However I thought it meant bury the devil. I asked in all innocence if they were going to a church festival. Lots of puzzled faces and the dictionary was brought out. It turned out they wanted to borrow the sack cart as the remaining furniture is being moved in a van on Saturday to their daughter's in Angouleme. You live and learn.

 

This morning I got stuck into a mountain of ironing and when complete made coffees for us both. Then the district nurse called to give us out flu jabs. I only rang up for an appointment yesterday afternoon. The combined cost was 14 Euros, including a small charge for travelling. The service is excellent. The three of them are self employed but work under a state regulated system. We get the fee back in due course. Tony I hope that Aditi enjoys these two little vignettes from La France.

 

Apart from that Beth is going out this afternoon so I will be heading for the shed. As soon as I've filled the trailer with rubbish for a tip run tomorrow then it will be out with the soldering iron.

 

 

Regards to all.

 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

As to ID's comments about language, I couldn't agree more. The overuse of certain words diminishes their impact. I'm obviously politically incorrect as I am a great fan of Churchill. His use of language was peerless, allegedly due to doing several years in the Remove at harrow where the only thing he was thought fit to study was English Language. Some of his put down in Parliament are fabulous and somewhere in his History of WW2 he spends two lines describing the fact that Hitler emerged onto the world stage. No profanity or repeated words but at the end of it you knew exactly what Churchill thought of him. I'll try and dig it out.

 

Jamie

Edited October 10, 2018 by jamie92208

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It would appear to be a pleasant morning.

Preparations are in hand for the overnight stay of the French Circle lecturer. Also we are ready for our departure tomorrow afternoon to Ireland.

I don’t think we have ever been so prepared!

 

Jamie. Aditi does enjoy the stories of life in France.

 

Tony

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

The sun is shining, a man is coming to attend to a minor (we hope) problem with the smoke proofing above the wood burner and I hope to get the concrete mixer out of the garage without too much impact on my hernia.

 

Now to Australian beasties - one rather innocuous looking one (i.e it wasn't bright red) bit my arm while I was up in the Blue Mountains one Saturday and produced a lump of sufficient size to be interesting.  Fortunately Mrs stationmaster had given me a tube of ointment she'd obtained the previous month while in the USofA and that dealt with said lump most effectively - but I suspect said ointment would only be available on prescription in Britain as it was basically an antibiotic.   And as iD has said the Aussies do like to target Poms, even to the extent of anti-pPom jokes on breakfast tv but they 're great folk once you get the drift and give as good as you get and get along with them.   I agree very much with iD about flights and where to sit - on my first trip I was upgraded to Business outward from LHR but came back in Economy Plus - which was horrendous (rubbish BA catering although the seats were the previous Business Class version and weren't too bad).  The second time I went over to Sydney I refused point blank to fly in Economy and went Business Class with Cathay Pacific but it's worth noting that I did all my flights with only a short break of a few hours at either Singapore,  Bangkok, or HK so the extra comfort on the aircraft was even more welcome - but I'd definitely splash out on an upgrade if travelling that far again and at least with BA (and others) Premium Economy offers better seats and more legroom.

 

Have a good day folks

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day already <muffled yay>

 

Yesterday was a comedy of errors - none interesting enough to recount, but resulted in a day when I was glad to be back in the hotel.

ONLY to discover the take-out meal I'd picked up wasn't mine - handed the wrong one apparently by the yob boy distributing the offerings, even though they were "called by name", so there was no presumption that it should be meticulously checked for errors!! Sadly, given it was picked up 10 miles from said hotel/temporary residence, I wasn't about to go back - result, something I didn't order, that tasted less than wonderful and wasn't a full meal, rather some small mini-serving.   

Roll on today !

 

19 and foggy/cloudy here with a high of 26 and rain expected.

 

Over the hump towards the weekend we go...

[PeterBB]

I too enjoy Jamie's French experiences and it seems to me that he/they did a lot of work prior to the move and as a result of that and his willingness to help, as also exemplified on RM, has meant that he/they have been very well accepted by his/their new community.  Long may it continue for them both.

 

iD and profanities, totally agree with both him and Jamie in terms of its unnecessary use and also agree with Jamie on the quality of the language used by Churchill.  I also well remember the General Election in 1951- Festival of Britain year - at the point in mid afternoon when the magic figure was reached.  This was probably because Group Captain Ryder VC's agent lived next door and he gained a seat.

 

Festival of Britain.  On the day when it was officially opened the whole school was assembled to listen to the radio because, the head said, such a great event was unlikely to happen again during our lifetime.  On February 6th 1952 he came into class, asked us all to stand and announced that the King George 6th had just died and asked for a minutes silence.  As you may imaging the teachers made the new Queen who was away in Africa at the time a topic and asked us all to bring in newspapers in the next few weeks in term of Her Majesty's return and the funeral.

 

Going on again 2nd June 1953 was a horrible wet/cold day but we all found a television to watch the coronation.

 

Edit = more memories following Jamie's reference to Churchill.

and Edit 2 = spelling correction

Edited October 10, 2018 by PeterBB

[roundhouse]

Ah flights to Oz, we have only been in Economy but we were a lot younger then. One trip was via Japan which was very cheap and included overnight accommodation in Tokyo on way out and Narita airport on way back. Well worth that longer trip just to see Japan.

 

We have use Economy premium across the pond in the past but recently even Economy basic is working out a lot dearer. Our Xmas avoider is over £1k return.we paid less than that for return in Economy plus on Virgin a couple of years ago to same destination.

 

So with current earnings it’s going to be Economy for foreseeable future but carefully picking plane seating arrangement