Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

Evening all, busy old day, wet for the most part, but we've been out gadding, garden centre for a fuddle first, they used to have sales on this time of year, but not this year, usually get most of my veg seeds at half price,pah. Then had a coffee and decided to call in at another garden centre for another mooch, ended up buying lots of food for the birds for the winter and a couple of new feeders too. I think we might have foreign invaders in the district, could have grey squirrels, I am part of a team defending the resident Reds, so a trap or a rifle might be involved . No muddling today, will see what happens tomorrow, but I'm waiting for materials for making hedges from the postie, I'm at a bit of a cross roads now, I need to add more locos and I want sound, this will mean an upgrade in the DCC controller, I like the look of the digitrax, but not sure, always had gaugemaster in the old analogue days, but unsure if there's is what I need. Will have a think over the weekend.

G'night all for now.

[brianusa]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Could be worse.

 

Public television in the US is broadcasting a eight-part history of Country Music. So far six episodes have been broadcast, running to about 12.5 hours of content with a (mostly) wall to wall background track.

 

All right for some!  PBS is usually our salvation but three weeks of Kens Burns and Country is too much!  The Civil War didn't take as long!  Did see one show though, from the thirties and forties before country became all beards and tattoos and Dolly Parton lookalikes, big hair and big whatevers.  Poldark this weekend - pity its the last series!

     Brian

[Coombe Barton]

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/sandys-treatment-day-281/

[Barry O]

Evening.

Ey up Pete glad to here you are out of the desert. Did you fetch the horse with no name back with you?

Dave , tes I shall be at Warley weathering  things ..those red engines of yours could do with a bit of road grime...

 

For reasons best known by others I feel a bit carp. Headache/eye strain BUT this is nothing compared to how other ERs are suffering. Very positive thoughts to all who ail or are missing. 

John I hope Sandy gets a Zap soon.

 

Rick, hope your good lady continues to improve.

 

Now where is GDB and Smiffy??

 

Baz

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, brianusa said:

PBS is usually our salvation but three weeks of Kens Burns and Country is too much!  The Civil War didn't take as long! 

I generally like Ken Burns' documentaries so I am making a special effort. (I've never been a "country" fan per se.) Only one more to go now. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and others of the late 1970s - early 1980s, were the focus last night.

 

I tried to enjoy the "National Parks: America's Best Idea" but found it tedious. Magnificent scenery of course, but it did not engage me like his others did. His series on "Prohibition" (only three episodes) does not come around very often but I found particularly enlightening. "The Roosevelts" was outstanding.

 

"The Civil War" is nine episodes long.

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well today’s predicted rain never materialised, not that I’m too bothered by that fact. As I mentioned earlier, after breakfast I once again ventured down to the cellar and continued fixing the last of the skirting boards. I then filled in the fixing holes before making a start on the last stair riser. This had to wait until the flooring was down, as it’s height would be different. I’ve also made and fitted the frame for the drawer that will be fitted below the stairs. I now need to order a pair of heavy duty draw runners, then I can build and fit the drawer. 

 

Like yesterday, I knocked off at dinner as I needed to get changed before picking up Evie and Max from school, before going to pick up Ava. Tonight’s tea went down very well, but then again, chicken curry ALWAYS does. Once I’d taken them home, we had a quick clear up before sitting down and catching up on some recorded TV. 

 

Neil. Congratulations.

 

Pete. Nice to see you dropping in again. 

 

Goodnight all 

[jamie92208]

Very early morning to all.  Great to see Pete posting again and hope that Dave, and others, black canines stay in the kennel.  A bit of commotion here in the very damp Charente.  Beth has been having pain in her foot for a few days a d it was getti g worse. As a result a trip to A & E was in order. 22 miles each way.  She is now well and truly plastered with a broken ankle confirmed.  How and when she did it is a total mystery.   However  we have all the necessary equipment in store and life will hopefully go on relatively normally.  I may not have chance to post in the morning as various phone calls and errands are needed plus her ladyship will no doubt be setting tasks.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[The Stationmaster]

Congratulations to the prospective honorary grandad from Fraggle Rock - hope all goes well.

 

The term 'caped' is interesting because although we all used it what we had actually done was turn 'CAPE' into a verb.  The original is actually a bit more complicated than it is usually given credit for as it not only says 'the undermentioned train is cancelled' but goes in to say 'advise all concerned'. (which I suppose does make it a verb in some respects).  The codeword as a verb initiating the act of cancelling a train is in fact PINE although I think just about everybody has long used CAPE as the instruction to cancel a train rather than use the correct codeword.  All the codewords in this part of the train working section of the code book are best described as having little or no connection with anything in particulr, they are just a lot of words - perhaps plucked out of the air and intended not to be ambiguous or confused?   thus Calvin and Cicero are roughly the opposites of Pine and Cape.

 

Some of the words are however obvious, albeit now somewhat anachronistic to say the very least - 'Nonclere' is one (not to convey clerestory coaches). 'Slipper' is another (vehicles can now be slipped as booked) although 'Oglo' (for an out of gauge or exceptional load is probably still used  and was one we were regularly using in the 1990s.   But I bet most of the codewords which still would actually mean something are not used or understood by many people in the industry nowadays. 

[Ozexpatriate]

14 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

All the codewords in this part of the train working section of the code book are best described as having little or no connection with anything in particulr, they are just a lot of words - perhaps plucked out of the air and intended not to be ambiguous or confused?

Mike, how far back does this code book go? Does it encompass the BR codes for rolling stock as well? Were these telegraphic codes too, or does this not go so far back where a telephonic or telex message would be used?

 

thanks.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Could be worse.

 

Public television in the US is broadcasting a eight-part history of Country Music. So far six episodes have been broadcast, running to about 12.5 hours of content with a (mostly) wall to wall background track.

 

This morning I woke up with "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" (by Charlie Pride) in my head. I don't know why, I'm not even sure that was on any of the shows. At least it wasn't "Jolene" (by Dolly Parton) which was playing over the closing credits last night.

 

Googling "Jolene" to check the spelling, the first (and presumably most popular) YouTube video reference is Miley Cyrus. I could say "what is the world coming to?", but I know I'm just getting older. I didn't know she even covered it.

 

Burns hasn't included Sydney Devine so I'm giving it a miss.

[The Stationmaster]

31 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Mike, how far back does this code book go? Does it encompass the BR codes for rolling stock as well? Were these telegraphic codes too, or does this not go so far back where a telephonic or telex message would be used?

 

thanks.

Definitely goes back a long way - pre-war and possibly even earlier although the codes would probably have changed a bit over the years and some were added as the years went by.  They were originally intended for use in telegrams (wires to some of us) to keep the length as short as possible (and the cost as low as possible when using GO PO telegrams).  But they were used verbally as well and they definitely got into not only the telex age but we also used them on the BR internal Micromail system (and later email of course) and we used them in notices - again all  to save time and explanations - and they were used  in box-to-box messages between signalboxes.  Thinking back to my early days in the latter half of the 1960s it wasn't at all unusual for a relatively busy parcels office to be sending or receiving two or three dozen wires every day and the same would happen at goods depots.

 

The BTC/BR 1958 edition has the lot in  - from standardised abbreviations for various things such as department names and place names right down to the numerous various codes for vehicle types

 

The single and multiple needle telegraphs which could spell words probably used them but in lots of cases - for instance on the GN mainline well into the 1960s, and probably even the early 1970s, where needle telegraphs were used for train running information a lot of that used local two or three letter codes instead of the ones in the standard code book.  But there was also a  supposedly standard code for spelling and some abbreviated words on the needle telegraphs although I don't if it was used on all Companies/BR Regions - you can in fact use that one in an email as you can get quite a lot of it using the standard keyboard symbols / and \ !

[Ozexpatriate]

46 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Burns hasn't included Sydney Devine

Or Slim Dusty either! (Thank goodness.)

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Or Slim Dusty either!

 

LOL

 

[AndyID]

I must admit "country" does not do much for me but Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" always gives me goosebumps.

 

Hope Burns gives her a mention.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by AndyID
BS!

[chrisf]

Dobre rano, which is the nearest I can get in Czech to the customary salutation

 

It's been a good few days away.  I enjoyed exploring Prague and Berlin in the congenial company of Bill and to my utter relief the travel arrangements worked as planned.  Reality was waiting for me when I got back last night and I have a busy two days before decamping to Stoke Mandible for Scaleforum.  I owe Liechtenstein an apology for not realising that we would be passing through so we actually managed seven countries in six days.

 

I need to clarify certain things about me and technology.   We don't get on, true, but I get by.  Normally, communing with one and all via RMweb is a pleasure for the privacy of my own home.  I have never seen the need for constant contact with the outside world.  I pity the man at breakfast in Berlin yesterday whose phone rang at 06:30 before he had finished his meal.  The silly bu99er answered it, returning to the table 10 minutes later to eat what was left of his continental breakfast.  If we all switched on our phones only when we want to use them the world might be a happier place.  As for my RMweb password, I don't know what it is because RMweb remembers it for me.  Having said that, the thought did occur to me that having access to it on my mobile may have its uses once in a while.  Oh dear, the rot is beginning to set in.

 

Today there will be financial matters and a blood test before a trip to Stevenage in the afternoon.  I need fresh milk urgently because UHT can only be an emergency stopgap.  If I have time I need to make an entry on Trip Advisor about our hotel in Prague.  It will not be entirely favourable.

 

Until tomorrow

 

Chris 

[45156]

Morning All

 

Great to hear from Pete, and also Ian, Sherry, and Debs,

 

Another very poor night's sleep - about three hours by my reckoning.

 

30747's day off has been CAPED, so it's an early trip to take her in.  Then some jobs domestic.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Tony_S]

Morning all. 

Not much to report so far. 

 I must admit I did take my phone with me to breakfast on our recent holiday. However it was to take any photos on the walk to the restaurant. We were always hoping to see whales (not in the restaurant, in the ocean)

Tony

[jamie92208]

Good morning all.  Up and about and waiting for the call to duty so breakfast is bei g consumed. The builder is due shortly then it is time for phone calls and errands. Some rugby may be watched later. I don't need to cook tonight as it's fish and chip night in Aulnay.

 

Regards to all

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Chuckinitdarn here.

 

Last night when I arrived back from the Railway Club I was met by two eyes gleaming in the lights. We know we occassionally are visited by Foxes...this was the first time I have seen one. He stared at the car then slowly padded away. Lovely (but her indoors has asked if he can stop carping on the back lawn!).

Today is building a new layout day.  My building compatriot is already heading this way on a train (a Pacer..god help him!).

 

Her indoors is off out volunteering today so we have the house to ourselves. Should get a fair bit done.

 

Positive thoughts to all wh oail!

 

Looking forward to hearing more from our returning ERs.

Grab the Day! Time is so precious.

Baz

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare,

4.5 hours sleep, then when I lay down on the sofa, a wave of general pain and nausea swept over me, Luckily I had laid down in a comfortable position and didn't have to move for some time, by which time it had cleared. I then got about another hour and a halves dozing in..

 

Much to my Surprise, Ben the " I don't like the rain" Collie wanted out in the down pour, however at the turning point he ran back to the house.. except when I got there, he wasn't... I found him hiding under the landrover, definately a return, I think, to his roots as a farm dog. It took some persuasion to get him to come out and return to the house... All the time of course I was getting wet...

 

SWMBO saw 4 Muntjac in the Garden yesterday, with all the harvests in just about they are looking for something to eat and for cover of course..

 

With impecable timing, 3 special resistors have come in for calibration, they each take three days to do after a 24 hour settling time in the lab. Booked in yesterday, wIll they meet the 5 day turnround time? No .. I'm on Holiday next week.. Waiting for the it's the end of the month company financial pressure, we want them out yesterday... NO Chance.

 

 Dad's back out of hospital  after a 24 hour stay.. Their technical diagnosis for why he collapsed on the floor?   He stood up too quick..

 

I've just a routine dozen current shunts today..

 

One down..

 

Time too... put the next one on..

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, AndyID said:

I must admit "country" does not do much for me but Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" always gives me goosebumps.

 

Hope Burns gives her a mention.

He certainly did and specifically mentions it in a News Hour interview promoting the documentary.

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The sun is shining and the sky is blue, but we’ve had a lot of overnight rain, which, going by the amount of rain still on the windows, I don’t think stopped all that long ago. 

 

Once Sheila has left for her Zumba class I will clear the hall of stuff that might impede (chair, umbrella stand Sheila’s boots etc) the delivery of our new freezer. I will also build a temporary ramp down the cellar stairs to make it easier to get the freezer down there on the delivery trolley. 

 

After that I will continue working on the under-stair drawer, now that I have a final size, I can cut the MDF to size and actually build the drawer. 

 

Enjoy whatever you’ve got planned for the day, back later. 

[roundhouse]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Ey up!

Chuckinitdarn here.

 

Last night when I arrived back from the Railway Club I was met by two eyes gleaming in the lights. We know we occassionally are visited by Foxes...this was the first time I have seen one. He stared at the car then slowly padded away. Lovely (but her indoors has asked if he can stop carping on the back lawn!).

Today is building a new layout day.  My building compatriot is already heading this way on a train (a Pacer..god help him!).

 

Her indoors is off out volunteering today so we have the house to ourselves. Should get a fair bit done.

 

Positive thoughts to all wh oail!

 

Looking forward to hearing more from our returning ERs.

Grab the Day! Time is so precious.

Baz

Every day I have to remove the carp on the lawn. We have two foxes that visit and were making a home under one of the fir trees till I filled it in with rubble. Dont want the tree undermined and falling on the new shed.

 

This mornig off into the smoke hopefully on a GWWorm avoider trip. Beer in Euston Tap then trian to Scousepool with other half for a few beers before heading ot Chester on the reopened Halton curve. Going to be a very beery weekend.