Early Risers.

[Simon G]

Visit to Sister Drac completed, with minimal discomfort for once.

 

I am now supposedly waiting for Curry’s/PC World to deliver a new laptop for our MRC. I got an email late last night saying that it would be delivered today, and that a further email would give me a 1 hour time slot. The only other email I have had has given me the DPD delivery tracking number. From that, the DPD website is giving me no useful information at all. By this time of day, I don’t think it is actually going to arrive today, which then means waiting for a good part of tomorrow I suspect.

[jamie92208]

That's the story of my life.....

 

I was just getting dressed and idly listening to Radio 4 (internet - terrific quality). It was an interview with a musician (later found out it was Duncan Lamont from Greenock), he was eulogising someone from the sixties who I actually knew too, Johnny Keating, a fellow Scot from Edinburgh. I only knew him from London (I was secretly in love with his Wife - I was 16 at the time). What pleased me was that Duncan Lamont (who had played Sax with Sinatra) was saying how he felt like a kind of fraud and was worried that he would be found out - I've always had the same fear! Now my fingers don't work probably it's truer than ever.

 

Best, Pete.

Afternoon all from a very sunny corner of the Charente. Perhaps I should buy a hat but as I spent 30 years, having to wear headgear of various designs, I don't like wearing them now (Like ties). Fortunatley mother nature has provided me with a reasonable durable head covering.

 

 

A bit late today. We had a great evening last night with a neighbour who is over from the UK for a week on his own, but it was past midnight before we retired. Then this morning I had to set off to go t a seminar about life in France run by some financial advisors. That went well and I learned some interesting stuff. Then it was off to Niort to sort out where to park overnight when I head up to the show at Orleans in a fortnight. On the way there I listed t, and enjoyed the same programme that Pete listened to though the quality on Long Wave was appalling. Now I'm back home.

 

 

Regards to all.

 

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

I think the last time I had measured size headgear was for a crash helmet when I had a motorcycle.

I think my new hat size is a little larger. Perhaps my head has got bigger. My feet are slightly larger than they once were. However with footwear it seems to depend on the manufacturer. Knowledgeable retail often advise that certain brands tend to be large or small “for size”.

[Tony_S]

Visit to Sister Drac completed, with minimal discomfort for once.

I am now supposedly waiting for Curry’s/PC World to deliver a new laptop for our MRC. I got an email late last night saying that it would be delivered today, and that a further email would give me a 1 hour time slot. The only other email I have had has given me the DPD delivery tracking number. From that, the DPD website is giving me no useful information at all. By this time of day, I don’t think it is actually going to arrive today, which then means waiting for a good part of tomorrow I suspect.

DPD have in my experience been very reliable. Perhaps they have only just received the shipment. They usually have a little graphic showing the parcel location once it is out for delivery.

[Ozexpatriate]

I think the last time I had measured size headgear was for a crash helmet when I had a motorcycle.

I think my new hat size is a little larger. Perhaps my head has got bigger. My feet are slightly larger than they once were. However with footwear it seems to depend on the manufacturer. Knowledgeable retail often advise that certain brands tend to be large or small “for size”.

Sizing is such a vexing topic. The sensitivity to hat sizing is a function of design and materials. Some fall into a M / L / XL labelling (at least in the US). For me, these seem to be the 'best' in terms of getting a comfortable fit. "One size fits all" does not work for me - they are uncomfortably small. There are radically different measurement approaches for hats. Some are circumferential (usually in cm) even in the US. Despite careful measurements, I struggle with comfortable fit based purely on circumferential measurements that fall into a narrow range.  Fitted wool, American baseball caps have a measurement of the inside of the cavity from front to back in increments of a quarter of an inch. (While I'm now happy to ignore baseball caps, I do have a collection from years ago in various fits from comfy to unpleasantly squeezy and most of these I tried on before I purchased them. (They shrink.) Fitted baseball caps require a very exact fit.

 

Generally I know what size shirt I wear, but depending on the manufacturer sometimes the exact same labelling is too big or too small - particularly in outerwear where there is even more variation. With some outerwear (like jumpers) I often need a whole size down and in the recent case of a jacket I needed a whole size up from my normal shirt size. According to the label, three sizes constitutes up to a 10" variation in chest measurement. Some years ago I was surprised to learn that in US 'big and tall' labelling, 2X and 3X are actually different sizes than  XXL and XXXL.

 

Lately I am finding shoe sizing to be very difficult. It feels like my feet are now bigger (at the width) or at least that is where my feet hurt at the end of a day spent wearing shoes. I was thinking I needed wider shoes, and after having them measured was told my foot was actually a narrow width. The shape of standard lasts seems to be quite different from the shape of my feet. I have been experimenting and now own far too many shoes in three different half sizes - all of which actually fit at some level, but most of which get uncomfortable after wearing them all day. The shoes made with a one piece mesh are really comfortable.

Edited October 25, 2018 by Ozexpatriate

[roundhouse]

Had a productive day at Mums. Block detection and sone signals linked to the blocks.

 

Also some work on mums house. Flashband fitted to joint between copings and asphalt roof over conservatory. Hopefully that cures a small leak.

 

Awaiting other H slf at station thrn we load the layout at Mums before heading home. Taunton tomorrow.

[The Stationmaster]

Due to waiting the remover of the log splitter faux Friday was late start.  In addition amended working was issued by the management and the three centre excursion was reduced to a visit to the 165 spotting branch of Tesco where it turned out that she managed to get almost everything she wanted including some new baking trays of various sizes which were originally what had put the Bhowani Jcn branch of Tesco on her list.  I, of course,. had managed to completely forget to check what sort of printer cartridges we need so after coming home from visit 1 I duly returned for visit 2 and cleaned them out of both the twin packs they had on display - well at 20% off I would have been daft to have left them there they had in stock, plus the local 'paper which had been forgotten on visit 1.  Unusually neither visit produced a passing Class 165 hiding behind the trees.

 

Visit 1 was slightly marred on the return trip by a pr*tt in a Porsche who decided to be an extremely rude pr*tt and carrying on driving straight down a road with cars parked on both sides towards the car in front of me - when the Porsche had been in a suitable place for us three coming the other way to pass, snotty little git just kept coming towards us.  I trust his lip reading skills were up to scratch as he had to pull into a vacant space to allow us to pass - after the car in front of me had been forced to reverse to let him get there - so was stationary as I drove slowly past him and told him exactly what I thought of his stupid pr*ttish behaviour (i.e I called him a stupid pr*tt to his face).  Selfish scum like him are what makes driving a car much less of a pleasure than it could be.

[Barry O]

I wear a hat while umpiring outdoors. A large white hat bought in Australia for red and pink ball cricket, a blue one for white ball coloured clothing cricket.

I too have a Kangaroo soft skinned hat. As Mike says very useful in hot weather.

 

Pah! If LNER is the future of rail travel god help us. Staff good but the ttains are already seeing reductions in maintenance. Our 9 coach train this morning was 7 coaches. Then network fails signals broke so we explored the view from Sandy station for a while. No mention of the 15 minute delay...and now the 9 car set home has just had a full both anchors out speed reduction. Mark 4 coach brakes do pong a bit when applied hard on.

 

Mind you a friend was delayed getting to our reunion. A DfT presentation over ran. They managed to mis spell the names of both presenters. Other than his delay our reunion went well. The world has been put to rights.

Now for some Scran!

Baz

Edited October 25, 2018 by Barry O

[Tony_S]

I wear a hat while umpiring outdoors. A large white hat bought in Australia for red and pink ball cricket, a blue one for white ball coloured clothing cricket.

I too have a Kangaroo soft skinned hat. As Mike says very useful in hot weather.

Pah! If LNER is the future of rail travel god help us. Staff good but the ttains are already seeing reductions in maintenance. Our 9 coach train this morning was 7 coaches. Then network fails signals broke so we explored the view from Sandy station for a while. No mention of the 15 minute delay...and now the 9 car set home has just had a

WiFi failure?

[Barry O]

WiFi failure?

Yep..just enough drop out..now fixed

Baz

[Tony_S]

I have spent much of today being convinced that it was Friday. I thought it seemed quiet in Waitrose this morning. I went to collect some items ordered from John Lewis (in their sale, items I had nearly purchased full price last week). I was also provided with a little list. I added a couple of bottled items too. I then headed away from Southend to collect the jacket I had ordered. The cruise line we use has a jacket required on “informal nights”. I am not overly enamoured of dress codes but if I am going to wear a jacket I like it to fit. Some of the ones I possess are a bit tight now (they haven’t shrunk).

Tony

[Coombe Barton]

Pleasant surprise this morning. The group I was teaching at 9 were there before me, and I'd arrived at ten to, and worked well. They worked well again when I had them in the afternoon.

 

Makes a change.

 

As for the others I taught today ...

 

Debs - more tests - more waiting.

[AndyID]

Anyone interested in a Range Rover Convertible?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-45964816

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.

 

Ian A I am sure the aches were related to the 'flu jab - 6 days! 

 

Mad busy at work Ch&^%$£s rush has begun.  Not complaining.

 

I too have one of those Aussie looking leather hats, think it's a Toggi (posh clopper clothing suppliers) so is an impostor.  Looks like kangaroo leather or something.....not a smooth shiny one, it's my 'camping hat'.  I have a reasonable head of hair but as I keep it very short (3 in winter, 2 in summer) a hat in summer is desirable.  I have to wear a baseball type cap when the sun is low as I have eyes that do not cope well with direct light, I don't much like that sort of cap but it is a necessity. I also wear a thinsulate wooly hat when it's 'proper cold'. 

[AndyID]

Due to waiting the remover of the log splitter faux Friday was late start.

 

Mike,

 

You did such an impressive job on your back garden. Have you considered offering your services to Network Rail?

 

 

Andy

[New Haven Neil]

Simon, prepare for an achey week too!

 

I was wondering if you know a local enthusiast to you - surname begins M, 4 letters?

[BoD]

Mad busy at work Ch&^%$£s rush has begun. 

 

I contributed to that this afternoon.

Nothing to do with Christmas though, just decided to use this new fangled bullhead track on the branch.

Now will wait to see if you got it off 'The Island' tonight or if it will be Saturday now. It's not important, it's really amazing how quickly you do manage to do it.

[Tony_S]

Anyone interested in a Range Rover Convertible?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-45964816

I wonder if they would let me have the alloys on the front one cheaply for a set of winter tyres!

[Ozexpatriate]

Mad busy at work 

The alternative might seem preferable sometimes, but there are always consequences.

 

I hope you have a profitable season.

Edited October 25, 2018 by Ozexpatriate

[New Haven Neil]

I contributed to that this afternoon.

Nothing to do with Christmas though, just decided to use this new fangled bullhead track on the branch.

Now will wait to see if you got it off 'The Island' tonight or if it will be Saturday now. It's not important, it's really amazing how quickly you do manage to do it.

 

Not sure on that one (I don't know your name, sorry) - if your order payment came down from the Bank before 4 then it went out as we cleared all todays orders that came in by 4 (we always aim to do this but don't always manage when its busy, the last postie van collection sets the time!) - you would have had a dispatch e mail - if you didn't get one then it didn't get to us by 4, sorry.  It'll go tomorrow though.

[Simon G]

DPD have in my experience been very reliable. Perhaps they have only just received the shipment. They usually have a little graphic showing the parcel location once it is out for delivery.

Just back from the MRC this evening, and DPD have updated their tracker saying that as of 19.25, it was on its way from Birmingham to Carlisle. This means that I should get it tomorrow. So much for its supposed delivery on 25 October!

[New Haven Neil]

That alternative might seem preferable sometimes, but there are always consequences.

 

I hope you have a profitable season.

 

 

Thanks - that's why I said I'm not complaining! It offsets the dead time Feb - April.  We'll never be rich, but it pays the bills - it is an incredibly competitive market.  Beats working with young offenders though....(previous job).

[The Stationmaster]

Mike,

 

You did such an impressive job on your back garden. Have you considered offering your services to Network Rail?

 

 

Andy

 

As it happens the firm which did our back garden this week, and several years ago, do  a fair amount of a work for Network Rail or as subbies for contractors working on NR.  However at present they aren't doing much railway work as they are a bit short handed (they can't get the staff, apparently the yoof of today generally aren't interested in working out of doors and I know they're not the only ones suffering that problem as the chap who recently renewed my neighbour's fence suffers from that problem too and has found it difficult to recruit reliable people who will stick with the work).

I have spent much of today being convinced that it was Friday. I thought it seemed quiet in Waitrose this morning. 

Tony

Ah, we're in balance then Tony as I thought Tesco was rather busy for a Wednesday on our first visit this morning 

[Simon G]

Simon, prepare for an achey week too!

 

I was wondering if you know a local enthusiast to you - surname begins M, 4 letters?

Thanks for the warning. Fortunately (for other reasons), I have some reasonably heavy duty painkillers should the side effects occur!

 

I do know the gent concerned, assuming we are talking about the same person. He is a fellow Ratty guard and also the owner of a garden railway layout. Am I right in thinking that he had some connection to you relating to teaching in the North East?

[Barry O]

Home, just about on time.

 

I have noticed the last few parcels delivered hereby DPD have been knocked around a bit. The last one came by Yodell via three falls and a submission!

 

Baz