Early Risers.

[Ian Abel]

BIN day...'ello, 'ello

BINs placed, NOT exactly happy about the turn the weather has taken, only +1 when the BINs when out

 

Another quiet day yesterday, today much of the same.

Later an early evening "happy hour" meeting with the folks whose job we've taken over for our fund-raising committee. They've some additional information that may be of use. After many years doing the job they decided it was time to take a rest.

 

As noted +1 and drizzle first thing, maybe make 9 later - what happened to Spring?!?!?

 

Enjoy the day.

[Ozexpatriate]

5 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

I'm six foot four tall and used to drink in an old pub in Blaby that had beams on the ceilings, they all had names, funnily enough it was the same one, began with a "B" and finished with a "D".

Brad?

 

Edited May 9, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[Kingzance]

Well and to paraphrase the late David Frost “that was Miniatur Wunderland that was” and summarised in one word - inspirational. It is so big that 300 people are employed by the site, although that includes tour guides, cleaners and catering staff in addition to builders, maintainers and operators. There are vacancies in every department for those with a good use of German and no desire to model British railways. So far Miniatur Wunderland has cost €20M and it is still growing. The standard of modelling is very high but (and this is my big get-out) the old adage of less is more has been totally ignored. There was one piece of kit that I found extremely interesting but couldn’t get details for, that is their 60, yes 60, maintenance trains. These run almost continually, sucking up dust and debris and gently polishing the rail heads. Even SWMBO was impressed but not so much that we will go there for a second day.

Feet being refreshed with a cool beer right now, I’m not sure if one will be sufficient to reach both feet. PS - no heads were bumped in the compiling of this mini-travelogue GDB as our guide was constantly bringing low overheads to our attention. Numerous photos in the camera but will download / edit / post when back home.

[Dave Hunt]

7 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

I'm six foot four tall .......

 

Ah, someone else of normal stature. Isn't it a shame that the built environment has been designed in general by short sorry Q, persons of another stature?

 

Dave

[JohnDMJ]

39 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Ah, someone else of "normal" stature.

 

Dave

 

It all hangs on your definition of 'normal'

[Kingzance]

41 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Isn't it a shame that the built environment has been designed in general by short sorry Q, persons of another stature?

 

Dave

Once I woz 6’2”, now I have been ground down to 5’11” - the joys of marriage! ;-)

[New Haven Neil]

Evening.  From some one of average stature....ish.  As long as we're not talking diameter.

 

Stressy day at work, one staff member off poorly, another went home poorly....and busy busy busy.  Not complaining about the busy bit, but a steady day would have been easier to cope with!  Such is life.

 

A miserable 5C this morning, and not that much more through the day, maybe 9 or 10 and wet.  It was supposed to get nice later today, total seaweed twirling failure.

[Dave Hunt]

8 minutes ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

It all hangs on your definition of 'normal'

 

Someone whose line of sight to the horizon over a calm sea is at least 2.9 miles 

 

Dave

[JohnDMJ]

6 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Someone whose line of sight to the horizon over a calm sea is at least 2.9 miles 

 

Dave

 

Ah, but how do you know it's 2.9 miles?

[lightengine]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Ah, someone else of normal stature. Isn't it a shame that the built environment has been designed in general by short sorry Q, persons of another stature?

 

Dave

My nephew is 7'2".  A one off!

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Thanks for the information about DB, it was all over the news this evening. My thoughts on it are 'What a pillock.' I cant see him being employed on the radio again. Now kettles on so its be back later.

[The Lurker]

48 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Thanks for the information about DB, it was all over the news this evening. My thoughts on it are 'What a pillock.' I cant see him being employed on the radio again. Now kettles on so its be back later.

Yes, more what a prat than the man’s a racist.

[Dave Hunt]

Today's section of the mystery tour was along the Solway Firth and back to Dumfries via the Galloway Forest Park. Highlights we're feeding red deer and bullfinches that we're so tame they would take crumbs from the picnic table at which we were sitting. Tomorrow it's back home with another, brief, stop at friends' place in Culgaith then off to Derby on Saturday morning for the Midland 175 and possibly a visit across the railway to the model exhibition, maybe even seeing a few ERs at one or both.

 

Quite agree with the recent comments on DB.

 

Have a peaceful night everyone, wherever you are.

 

Dave

[tigerburnie]

Early night for me as I plan to be up early and out with my camera if the light is good enough, g'night all

[Coombe Barton]

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/05/09/sandys-chemo-day-135-of-147/

[Tony_S]

I am not quite 6 foot tall but I seem to be taller than many people who claim to be. 

[laurenceb]

Night awl 

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

It all hangs on your definition of 'normal'

Yes, when I go to the hospital, although my blood test results are not “normal” they are normal for me. 

I think “normal” was used for perpendicular when I did geometrical and engineering drawing at school. I may be wrong I didn’t get a good grade.  

[Tony_S]

29 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/05/09/sandys-chemo-day-135-of-147/

I thought the infant mortality may have been due to the reduction caused by putting babies on their backs to sleep but that came later than the mid 70s it would seem. 

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, lightengine said:

My nephew is 7'2".  A one off!

My one-time Aussie neighbour, now resident in the Never Lands, is 2.25m tall at age 20 which is apparently out of gauge even by Brunellian standards at 7 feet 4½ inches.  His sister, now 22, is a mere 6 feet 8 inches.  I am a puny 6 feet 0¾ inch with the¾ being significant because I never achieved 6' 1" but am more than 6-feet-nothing.

 

Other statures are available.

 

My late ex was 4' 10" which made for some interesting moments and has provided me with some experience I have been able to share with the two ex-neighbours aforementioned.  I'll leave your minds to work out the rest!

 

The East Anglian trip occurred today as planned.  The 10.00 Liverpool Street - Norwich was lightly loaded and pushed by 90008.  Along the way I was able to see some new-ish class 345 units which might one day b able to work through trains beneath London to Reading but are for now captive to the Liverpool Street - Shenfield locals.  Then a surprise at Diss where a brand new "Flirt" class 755 unit was on driver familiarisation in the other platform as we arrived.  Around ten more were spotted at Norwich either on the depot or moving slowly about the station again on test / familiarisation moves.  The central power unit is an odd beast.  Four fairly short passenger cars are paired either side of a box-like power vehicle and the whole lot is on articulated bogies à la Quad-Art.  Very different.  But they look nice inside.  Also dotted around Norwich station were five class 37s including two working top and tail on passenger services to Great Yarmouth with just two coaches between!

 

Onwards to Peterborough where for the hour I was waiting between trains the procession of movements was non-stop.  Freights came and went, passenger services likewise and those varying from the single-car 153 to the 12-car 700 which seemed very out of place when announced as the Horsham service!  Grand Central and Hull Trains paraded their class 180 Adelante sets with the former looking very smart and the latter very tatty.  A test run of brand-new "Azuma" class 801 sets also appeared looking magnificent in their red, white and pin-stripe black livery though GWR experience suggests they may not be a patch on the HST or class 91 / Mk4 stock to ride in.

 

And so back to Kings Cross, a swift transit to Vauxhall c/o that subterranean conveyor-belt known as the Victoria Line and a walk up to the platforms as the Shepperton-via-Richmond semi-fast pulled in to take me home.

 

SWMBO was waiting and apart from having apparently developed a cold has had another anxiety-free day.  

 

Tomorrow the plan is to lunch with some fellow RMwebbers near London Bridge then meet SWMBO for our customary Friday Drinks at the Coach & Horses, Kew Green.  

 

Sleep well.  It's time I did just that.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone

 

We’ve had rain for most of the day, it started quite heavily around 10:00 but it lightened up just before dinner. It stopped for some short spells during the afternoon, but always started up again, it finally stopped sometime after 7:00 this evening. 

 

Anyway, back to today, more progress has been made in the cellar today, not only have I managed to get all the ceiling panels up, I’ve also made a start on cladding the wall beside the upstairs door. Disappointingly, I couldn’t fit the last two ceiling panels as a single units, both needed to be cut in two. I half expected to do this to the panel that was going up under the stairs, but I also had to split the one above the stairs too, it was just too big and unwieldy to manage on my own. To be honest, I don’t even think I’d have managed it even with assistance, the area in question is just too narrow an area to work in. It’s really starting to look a lot brighter down there now.

 

After tea I decided to do a bit of eyelid inspection for a few minutes. 90 minutes later, I came to the conclusion that my eyes are ok!

 

Goodnight all 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BR60103]

5 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/05/09/sandys-chemo-day-135-of-147/

John: I get the joke.  Now to see if I can use it...

 

 

I think Bernard Shaw claimed to have that unusual condition: "normal" eyesight.

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by BR60103

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all

 

Yesterday I said goodbye to Jim the butcher, one of the casualties of the decision by Tesco so-called management to close the fresh meat counters in their stores.  Apparently, now is the time to ‘drive the business forward’.  I don’t know about you but if you’re going to do that it’s not a good idea to select reverse gear. 

 

Later this morning I will hit the road, bound for Exeter Pride.  I still feel pretty bad at having to send my apologies to Flavio and the Brains Trust, who will be in conclave at what I hope is a convivial hostelry near London Bridge.  When I accepted the invitation I was convinced that I could attend both events, a mere 200 miles apart, but it soon became apparent that the logistics were against me.  So, Brains, have yourselves a fruitful day.  I’ll be thinking of you.  It is some small comfort to me that Exeter promises to be interesting for all the right reasons!    

 

Back on Monday.  Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

25 minutes ago, chrisf said:

Apparently, now is the time to ‘drive the business forward’.  I don’t know about you but if you’re going to do that it’s not a good idea to select reverse gear.

 

As soon as Buzzwords like "drive the business forward" start to appear, it is usually a sign that the decision is the wrong one. 

 

It is a nice bright morning today.  However, the low sun was a bit of a pain on the drive to work.  Although, I shouldn't complain about the sun after two days of almost continuous rain!

 

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