Early Risers.

[roundhouse]

A few repair bits arrived from Bachmann USA today. Duty and RM charges of 11 quid on value over £15. It was 44p over. At least the shay has new bevelled gears that had disintegrated and I took the opportunity to swap out the old speaker for a sugar cube one and it now sounds so much better. Just need to replace the coal load. That will have to wait till we are back as now sitting on our Norwegian Dreamliner replacement aircraft operated by the Spanish carrier Wamos. After reading many not so good reports, so far all looks fine as we have a window and aisle seat and this plane does have seat back entertainment screens unlike others that have bern reviewed.

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl,  

To change a battery on a Yamaha x Max 125...

Remove 13 bolts and screws of Phillips or Allen head,  2 dress panels,  and the windscreen. 

Change battery. 

Then put it all back together again

Time 1.5 hours... 

 

After a coffee break,  

 

Layout 100ft of extension cable, 

plug in 

Cut about 10ft of one side 

Then the rain started.. 

 

Redeployed extension cable to tin shed. 

Produced a kit of bits for muddle railway pelmets not for full construction, just for the supports. 

 

Returned to house to work on drawings of keel,  

But first.... eyelid inspection, 

When I awoke no SWMBO or Ben, they had departed for the long walk as it had stopped raining. 

 

Prelim keel drawings done, 

Pretty keel drawings, fully dimensioned to be done. 

 

 

[grandadbob]

BBQ successfully built but needed the help of my mate Russ from next door and even then it took the best part of 2 hours.  Tested OK but won't be cooking until tomorrow. 

 

 

 

 

 

Last photo shows the all important bottle opener. 

 

 

P.S.  Almost forgot. We had the great pleasure of seeing The Red Arrows flying (almost) over the top of GDB Towers after they visited Trafalgar Square and Wombledon.

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by grandadbob

[BoD]

Well done.

Can’t see the blood spots at all

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

photo shows the all important bottle opener

My barbecue doesn’t have one of those. Perhaps because it comes from a land where twist off caps for beer are a thing. 

[Coombe Barton]

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/sandys-treatment-day-200/

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Many happy returns Pete, its my turn tomorrow as my 71st circle of the sun begins. Our exhibition seems to have been well attended and it appears to be a bit up on last years, we will find out at the inquest. I didn't see Tony but with the exhibition spread out between the two halls its no surprise. Thats it for now, be back later.

[tigerburnie]

A dry and slightly cooler day today, once my eyes were functioning again I shortened and fitted a blackout blind in the bedroom window, the sun blazes in around 4 a.m. and wakes us up, a tad early for a retired person of idle persuasion(unless I am going fishing), so that will be the kiss of death and we won't see the sun again all summer lol. Wife's gone to bingo with her pal, so I adjourned to TOSH and started papering, I bought some Peco generic "clouds in the sky" sheets for pennies years ago with the intention of using them and never did, so they're up, then began the detail of the fields below with a paint brush, I have no pictures of what it looked like in 1950, so it will look like it does today, I doubt much has changed. I bought some flower arrangers foam that they use as an oasis, I thought I'd try using it contouring the railway bridge, I'll give it a go, it's got two chances.

[PhilJ W]

Oops, I nearly forgot. When I returned home from the exhibition I deliberately parked the car across my own drive meaning that next door would not be able to park their bl@@dy great Transit van. As I was getting out of the car another large van turned up to collect one of the couples living in the house and their belongings. They were forced to park further down the road. So it looks as if the driver of the said Transit has departed with family and his belongings.

Edited July 6, 2019 by PhilJ W

[bbishop]

Evening awl,

 

So I did get the train up to London about lunchtime, to the National Gallery, then to the Old Coffee House to do my German homework, delayed in the Charing Cross Road assisting an LAS truck to do a three point turn and found a perch in Trafalgar Square about 5:15.  Didn't spot anyone I knew, a slightly worrying note was the number of buses taking part in the procession .....

 

Off to bed, Bill

[NGT6 1315]

Evening, folks. Was I just reading a raucous story about a van?  

 

Coincidentally, we had rented a van ourselves today to get a bunch of stuff we packed up in recent days over to the new home. At least the oppressive heat we had a couple of days ago has gone, so it wasn’t too bad a job. I can assure you I strictly adhered to the highway code, of course.

 

There‘s also a few bits of stuff we want to discard ahead of our move, such as the life-expired printer we replaced a couple of weeks ago, so I guess I’ll be doing a trip to the recycling yard next week.

 

Thankfully, the counsellor (whom I had found during the misery of working at school here) has been able to give me an appointment as early as Monday, meaning I‘m hopeful to be able to get my nerves back in order soon.

 

i think I’ll call it a night in a few, so, sleep well, everyone...  

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Bazk

[Tony_S]

I did look for Phil at the exhibition but didn’t find him. I didn’t spend anything other than the entrance ticket and a programme. There were some nice layouts. I liked the one where the coffee table layout was in a recreation of the exhibitors living room. I had seen it on Facebook this morning as it was in a post from Chris Nevard of Model Rail.It was very warm in the halls, I wouldn’t like to sit exams in them at this time of year. 

Tony

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well the sun finally showed itself just before dinner, but it was still quite warm, low 20’s, but it got even warmer after the sun came out. I was glad I used the wheelbarrow right from the start, as once again I filled it. However, it wasn’t all rose cuttings, I did do a bit more weeding. I also planted half a dozen foxgloves and an evergreen fern in the shady garden. I also put a couple of other plants into the ground instead of them being in pots. This now means that I am getting a rather large stash of large empty pots. 

 

After dinner I made a finally got round to starting work on the patio, but I only managed to do about a quarter of it due to an unscheduled break mid morning. This was due to being called in part way through this morning’s activities, because we had visitors. Vickie and Ian called round with some news, they’ve finally decided to tie the knot and will be getting married in October. They’ve been together over 20 years and have lived together for over 19 of them. We’ve always thought of Ian as our son in law, but now they are getting married it will be official, we’re both really happy for the two of them. It’s going to be a very small low key affair and will take place at the same registry that Sheila and I married 40 years ago.

 

Tonight’s tea was what we call a ‘Blue Peter’ tea, yesterday I raided the freezer and got out some chilli that I’d made a few weeks ago and left it in the fridge to defrost. So it was a nice quick and easy meal, which was washed down with a glass of red. 

 

Goodnight all 

[Gwiwer]

Evening all. 

 

Good to see a serious BBQ in our midst. If it needs any attention from a serious BBQ fan who misses the ability to cook and eat in the Great Outdoors please allow me to volunteer

 

I built both BBQs we owned whilst in Orstralya. Both came flattish-packed. The first was a wooden trolley affair which went together quite easily in a half-hour.  Its successor was an all-metal beast with side-burner for a wok (for BBQd noodles???) which took me several hours over two days to build. The places I was expected to get a spanner to hold and tighten a nut would have defied even the deftest and daintiest of Chinese hands. 

 

We were obliged to leave it behind after little over a year as it could not be shipped to Blighty. 

 

In other news SWMBO found enough reserves of health to ask me out tonight. So off to Barnes we went and moderately enjoyed the movie “Yesterday” before significantly enjoying dinner both of which were at Universal Studios. 

 

The former and famed recording studio now operates as cinema and restaurant. They include a short between ads and feature showing the Rolling Stones recording and with the caption “Abbey Road got The Beatles - we got everyone else”. 

 

The irony of then watching a Beatles-themed movie in that location wasn’t lost on me. 

 

No spoilers. Let’s just say I scored the movie 6¾ out of 10 and the food 8½. If you have already seen the Freddie Mercury movie you might draw parallels. I did. SWMBO told me they were not similar at all.  I would have agreed with her but then we would both have been wrong  

 

There is unscheduled rain falling which will be a relief to thirsty gardens. It is still warm. 

 

G’night all. 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

 

Happy birthday Phil

 

Happy birthday for yesterday Pete

[BR60103]

15 hours ago, grandadbob said:

*I nearly said erection but then realised some of you lot would take that the wrong way!  

 Story I was told nearly 50 years ago.

A folk dance teacher from Eastern Europe was in the United States. He hadn't formally learned English, but was making do with badly pronounced French. In choreographing one dance he said, "Ze boys will approach ze girls viz great erection."  I don't think the dance was finished.

 

[BR60103]

We brought the motor home over to stock for our trip -- depart Tuesday after the bins are emptied. It was hot and SWMBO insisted on running the engine to have A/C.

After the last trip we had to have a new microwave installed. I opened it today to take out the plastic packing to find that the door wouldn't open. The metal surround was too far forward. Four screws to take it out of the cabinet, then the surround is fastened to it with four more. But there's only one set of holes. A bit of pushing and the surround will go back 3/8" and the door opens. So back home and drill holes in sheet steel. But the surround won't fit the new holes. Finally use two new holes on the hinge side and old holes on the other. She says it's OK. Door may open enough now for most cooking, but I don't think a casserole will go in. 

Gassed the unit up first time since August. $100 and it's just over the half.

 

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all, with belated birthday greetings to Pete and timely ones for Phil

 

Before I reflect on yesterday’s march it would be remiss of me not to thank Stewart for his kind words.  I valued his support greatly when the coming out process, if process it be, began almost a year ago.  Then, as now, I did not know what would happen next.  I suppose that the principal reason for attending Prides and taking part in parades is to show my support for the family of which I have become a part.  The various items of rainbow regalia – boots, tie, bobble hat, whatever – serve to remind others of my affiliations and show that I have nothing to hide now.  Others are a little more coy and probably have better dress sense.

 

I arrived at the designated assembly point for the march in good time to get a feel for what was happening.  Those told to assemble round the back of Broadcasting House were, it transpired, not confined to the individuals group.  A man with a megaphone told some when to join the parade but there was some confusion and I ended up surrounded by representatives of Middlesex University – never mind, I was there in the thick of it.  The parade made very good progress and, far from reaching Trafalgar Square between 5 and 6 pm as had been predicted, landed me there shortly before 3 - sorry I missed you, Bill.  This was just in time for the speeches from the stage by Sadiq Khan and Sir Ian McKellen, without the first of which at least no Pride in London would be complete.  The atmosphere engulfing the parade – over 30,000 strong, apparently - as it progressed from Portland Place to Trafalgar Square was terrific.  Many hands were shaken or touched and the greeting “Happy Pride” was uttered many, many times.  One young lady in the crowd reached out and handed me a condom - how kind.  Several photographs were taken of my boots and admiring comments made.  I have to say that by 5 pm the boots were making their presence felt on my feet.  They are supposed to be coming with me to Bristol next weekend.  We’ll see.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, 

About 6.5hours sleep,  but much broken by coughing.. 

 

Barbeques we were extremely lucky getting ours,  a "Focus do it all" was closing down in 2011,  so we went in just to see any bargains, this was the last BBQ,  ex display, no box, but built, 5 burners one of which is a hot plate. It has a lid for smoking. 

Price?  Under. £ 100..

We got it into the car by putting down the back seats,  and taking off the legs, bottom shelf  and side shelves. 

 

As for today,   boat work, 

Compare my prelim drawings with the boat,  check that the  keel mounting positions are correct.

Fit some mounting brackets for the seat. 

Some sanding ,  then a protective coat of glassfibre round the cockpit. 

Cut to size and fit some trim on the outside of the cockpit. 

Measure up and see if my revised control panel ideas would work. 

Brown eyes is stareing

 

Time to,  take Ben the Border Collie on patrol. 

Then bacon butty and coffee.. 

 

[Barry O]

Happy birthday  Phil!

[Barry O]

Morning to most, afternoon/ evening to others.

Woken at 2pm by some credit riding a very loud motorcycle very fast up the road outside the house. Got back to sleep to be woken again by a loud motorcycle going the other way. Pah!

Off to knaresborough to 7mpire a match , which I have been told by two players is a 50 overs a side trial match for Yorkshire U14s.

No contact from the manager..black mark there.

We shall see how it goes.

 

Glad you enjoyed Pride yesterday Chris. A bit of feet up R&R required today.

 

Have as good a day as you can

Baz

[Ozexpatriate]

Am spending the weekend in Central Oregon. 

 

Visited the "Painted Hills" unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument today. (Many fossils from the period centered around 30MYA were discovered in this region. which encompass many extinct mammals including a particularly nasty looking bear-sized pig ancestor.)  I relearned that many ancient "horse"species lived in North America before their extinction ~2MYA only for Equus to be reintroduced in the 16th century CE by the Spanish.

 

The highlight of the painted hills unit is illustrated below. The different colours stem from different kinds of forestation as the climate changed ~40 - 20 MYA.

Nice drive today, particularly as a passenger, Good food. Too much fermented beverages. Golf Sunday, home Monday.

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by Ozexpatriate