Early Risers.

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, Northroader said:

They look ok in O, too

 

Central Locomotive Works?

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by J. S. Bach

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all from a Hill of Strawberries where two squirrels are currently beating the living daylights out of each other over nut-gathering rights. Tree rats they most certainly are and very noisy ones at that when angered. 
 

Chaotic morning at the House of Fun with embuggerances, various, preventing progress through Wokingham, Axminster, Leatherhead and Redhill. Try running a network with those all blocked. And try explaining to everyone who had been sent by the (GatEx) staff at Gatwick Airport to Clapham Junction in order to change for Reading and points west that not only was their intended route blocked but so was their diversion; both would route them via Wokingham. 
 

Ah yes but some could get the SWR Exeter train ..... no ...... that can’t go further than Yeovil. Via Waterloo and Paddington?  Not if your ticket says “Not via London”. So off they set towards Basingstoke for a roundabout way from Gatwick to Reading while I mentally recalled some of Mr. Fiennes’ words in his book “I tried to run a railway”. 
 

It has been sunny. It is still cold. And the daylight has shifted by an hour which seemed to catch a few people out on the first business day of British Winter Time. GMT if you prefer. 
 

Now it is time to perform menial tasks about the Hill and to enjoy a muggertee. I shall return. Meanwhile best wishes to all. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

Must be getting old. Junk mail this morning from a company offering me live-in domestic help. It  said that in addition to cooking and cleaning they would remind me to take my medication and help with washing, dressing and getting me into bed.

I did think of asking if they had any attractive young Russian blondes on the books but Mrs SE wouldn't be amused.

[Northroader]

39 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

 

Central Locomotive Works?

 

 

Yes, quite an old kit, the nose and cab are a single bronze casting, much more fun than 3D printing, though I fancy the cab roof and windows aren’t quite the right profile, like it’s had a fright from an EMD.

[Ian Abel]

16 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I may be a heretic. I grew up on Heinz Beanz in Oz, but having lived in the US for three decades I am very partial to Bush's Homestyle (labeled a "Tangy sauce with bacon & brown sugar"), which does not lack for sugar, the third and fourth listed ingredients are brown sugar and sugar respectively, tomato paste and bacon come in next.

 

All this talk of baked beans is making me think of some trans-Atlantic travesty for breakfast - like baked beans on a bagel - with eggs.

 

My son and daughter in law have developed a strong preference for Australian tomato sauce over ketchup. I brought some home for them last week. I am partial to both.

Indeed, I've become rather partial to the Bush "Countrystyle"  variety, try those also  

I find Heinz rather bland and tasteless now (blasphemy, string him up I hear them cry )

 

[Ian Abel]

Mawnin' awl.

 

Busy weekend in the end, added "pleasure" of a few last minute chores at the old place, and continued clean-up/box unpacking at the new.

None of the boxes unpacked unfortunately anything to do with trains

 

We gained Whitney back again yesterday as Jemma was off for her next 3-day OJT/qualification flights.

Then a last minute "would it be OK for <Mrs Neice and family> to come over for dinner...", there's only EVER one correct answer

"whoosh... that was the weekend... do I get another.. no sorry mate you'll have to wait another 5 working days..."

 

-3 first thing, still only -2 at 10AM, maybe reaching 4, cloudy all day.

 

Tally ho...

[Happy Hippo]

51 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

 

I find Heinz rather bland and tasteless

 

I don't think all Germans are that bad!

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, Barry O said:

Email the picture to yourself from the phone. You can resize it before you send it..simples!

Baz

I misread that and sent myself a selfie.

 

Simples is right there!

[roundhouse]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Afternoon all from a Hill of Strawberries where two squirrels are currently beating the living daylights out of each other over nut-gathering rights. Tree rats they most certainly are and very noisy ones at that when angered. 
 

Chaotic morning at the House of Fun with embuggerances, various, preventing progress through Wokingham, Axminster, Leatherhead and Redhill. Try running a network with those all blocked. And try explaining to everyone who had been sent by the (GatEx) staff at Gatwick Airport to Clapham Junction in order to change for Reading and points west that not only was their intended route blocked but so was their diversion; both would route them via Wokingham. 

My other half just made it out of Redhill before the online departure board went full of red - ie delayed or mostly cancelled bar one Reigate to Victoria service.  Luckily things seem to be getting back to normal - ie just a few canellations.

[Simon G]

Evening all,

 

More wall painting done today, so with luck it will be finished tomorrow.  After that, I took my car in to have its battery replaced, as it has had starting problems for the last week.  That turned out to be more expensive than I had expected as the car has a Stop-Start system, which apparently requires a type of battery which is about twice the price of a normal one.  Put in simple terms, the additional cost of the battery more than wiped out the cost savings in fuel from using the Stop-Start system.

 

Todays local news has been full of the story of some muppet who got stuck overnight on a 290 foot chimney in the middle of Carlisle.  Latest I heard was that a large crane was being brought from Scotland to rescue the person, while three roads under the chimney have been closed all day.  At one point, local radio was asking anyone if they had a 90 metre cherry picker that could be used in the rescue.  An earlier attempt with a helicopter failed.  Goodness knows how much this has all cost, just to rescue the guy who presumably was only on the chimney for an illegal climb, and a bit of thrill seeking.  Having been stuck up there all day, I would imagine the idiot has hypothermia by now.

[AndyB]

Evening all.

Well today's funeral didn't go quite according to plan.  Although I got across to Essex with a couple of hours in hand the A127 was completely blocked with me stuck watching the clock tick by. 

Got there about 15 minutes late, so wasn't able to either carry, or read the poem I'd been asked to.

I wasn't the only one caught in the traffic jam; the eulogy was delivered by mobile phone on "speaker" by a relative sat in traffic miles away. 

 

[Happy Hippo]

52 minutes ago, Simon G said:

 

Todays local news has been full of the story of some muppet who got stuck overnight on a 290 foot chimney in the middle of Carlisle.  Latest I heard was that a large crane was being brought from Scotland to rescue the person, while three roads under the chimney have been closed all day.  At one point, local radio was asking anyone if they had a 90 metre cherry picker that could be used in the rescue.  An earlier attempt with a helicopter failed.  Goodness knows how much this has all cost, just to rescue the guy who presumably was only on the chimney for an illegal climb, and a bit of thrill seeking.  Having been stuck up there all day, I would imagine the idiot has hypothermia by now.

At least he won't be emulating Stefano Longhi. (Who hung from the north face of the Eiger for nearly two years before his remains were recovered.)

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Sadly the person trapped in the chimney has died before he could be rescued. He's now a candidate for a Darwin award. I got in touch with my energy supplier re. my not-so-smart gas meter. Apparently it is working after all except that its not telling me how much gas I'm using. Time to get the dinner on, be back later.

Edited October 28, 2019 by PhilJ W

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

I gave up on Heinz Baked Beans a few years ago when they changed the recipe. Branstons are on the menu here at GDB Towers.

Several hours spent in The Shed. A small amount of track laid, taken up, relaid. Several burns, bumps on head and creaking Knee later.......I gave up and came in for a beer. I thought hobbies were supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable.  Close to giving up again. 

Beer drunk, pasta dish eaten accompanied by red Aussie plonk. Feeling slightly better. More plonk on the way.

Edited October 28, 2019 by grandadbob

[Tony_S]

19 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Sadly the person trapped in the chimney has died before he could be rescued. He's now a candidate for a Dawin award. I got in touch with my energy supplier re. my not-so-smart gas meter. Apparently it is working after all except that its not telling me how much gas I'm using. Time to get the dinner on, be back later.

On our smart meter display unit there is a button that allows the display to show electricity or gas or both. We usually have it showing both. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

Today has been a day of medical stuff. 
GP rang early. She started off telling me that liver,,kidneys, blood sugar and cholesterol results were fine. So I asked what about the heart stress test. My levels on that were “quite high” and a heart ultrasound/ECG appointment will be arriving shortly.

The dermatology hospital appointment was at a time when traffic could get out of Benfleet heading west (huge delays heading toward Southend as reported by AndyB ). Seen right on time. Evidence of some skin damage (age, sun), no malignancy, ointment prescribed.  
As we get home the phone rings and it is my GP again. She has had the X ray results and I am being fast tracked for a CT scan as there seems to be fluid on one lung. She didn’t want me to be worried when the hospital ring to make an appointment. 
Good job I am retired...

Tony

[Gwiwer]

3 hours ago, Ian Abel said:

I find Heinz rather bland and tasteless now

Beanz Meanz Phartz.
 

Heinz were a staple in the house during my younger years. Then for some reason, possibly cost, the preferred brand became HP. After a bean hiatus of many years Heinz have returned to the kitchen in recent years. 
 

The hours-long festival of fireworks last night turns out to have been largely unrelated to Mr. G. Fawkes and was much more to do with Diwali. No wonder they went on so long. At least the cat was unconcerned.

 

Which for a slightly nervous cat was surprising indeed. 
 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

A gratuitous and self-indulgent post from me this morning. The busy or impatient should move on to the next post.

 

Amidst the 30lbs of mail I retrieved at the post office last Tuesday, was a bill, due last Wednesday, which I only noticed when I paid the bills on Wednesday. (This was for mobile telephone service, transferred from a corporate account to a personal account - less than a month ago!) This morning I awoke to mobile text and voicemail messages threatening late fees if the bill was not paid. By the time I called the provider, the billing person chirpily informed me the bill was paid. (Thanks to the efficiency of the US Postal Service, of course it was.)

 

Little things seem to set me off. I gave the billing person my assessment of his company's service - no signal at home, forcing me to use WiFi calling, poor technical support that torched my access to voicemail while in Australia and the mystery over why all but one of my relatives in Australia can receive MMS messages (with attached photographs) from my 'phone.

 

Ever since I returned from Australia I am having problems with my sleep schedule. Jet lag had an impact at first but I've been home for a week now and the one day per hour of time change offset should now be satisfied. On alternating nights I cannot fall asleep until well past the wee hours (almost literally living out the old Chicago hit 25 or 6 to four) and compensate by sleeping in until very late in the morning. While in Australia I was retiring early and rising with the light but back in my own bed with effective black out blinds, a late sunrise (we don't "fall back" until Sunday), warm covers and cold mornings, plus being newly unemployed with no morning commitments, it is easy to sleep late. I'm consequently not getting a lot done.

 

This morning's weather is beautiful - if chilly. (We were probably very close to freezing, but by the time I surfaced today, the sun had been out for some hours.) Now it is time for some baked beans, eggs, bagel and coffee!

[brianusa]

13 hours ago, Barry O said:

Ey up!

Flu jab has kicked in. Pah!

I am acting as a Ferry Unit today as hr indoors needs to have one of her car wheels refurbished.

I also need to put all of my railway stuff away and build a modified control panel for the new fiddle yard.

 

Great to hear and see that John and Kerry had a good day with Debs yesterday.

 

Positive thoughts to all who ail or are missing.

Mugatea calls!

Baz

 

Never heard of wheel refurbishing!  What doe that entail?

     Brian.

[grandadbob]

Alloy wheel having some dinks taken out?

[Tony_S]

12 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

Alloy wheel having some dinks taken out?

I watched one being done for a neighbour. Machining wheel and respray. I have an insurance policy to cover wheel damage. Mine are refurbishable  but some alloy wheels can’t be repaired,  Diamond cut alloys, whatever they are, can’t according to my policy terms. 
Tony

[pH]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

That reminds me of when my dad was on the buses about 55 years ago. One of the clippies always carried the Setright by the strap instead of over her shoulder. One Saturday night a drunk tried to attack her. To protect herself she swung the Setright and he caught it with his face.

 

Way to make me feel old! Your dad was on the buses 55 years ago - I was on the buses 53 years ago!

 

That was the use of the Setright I was referring to. They were supposed to be worn to the front at waist level. We wore them on a long strap over the right shoulder, bouncing off the left thigh. If necessary, you could grasp the strap at about waist level and swing the machine. I can't find a picture of a Setright being worn this way, but here's one showing a conductress with her cash bag on her right knee - the machine would be at the same level on her left. https://www.flickr.com/photos/guy_arab_uf/5419846404

 

One night, one of our conductresses was subject to "inappropriate touching". After a warning, which he ignored, she hit the guy once with the machine to stop him, then gave him a couple more on his way to the floor. They diverted past the Royal Infirmary, dropped the guy off and kept on going. Tough ladies, those conductresses!

Edited October 28, 2019 by pH

[Barry O]

43 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

Alloy wheel having some dinks taken out?

Yep

 

herself swears bling she hasn't hit anything so must have been a previous owner...

 

Baz

[J. S. Bach]

6 hours ago, Northroader said:

Yes, quite an old kit, the nose and cab are a single bronze casting, much more fun than 3D printing, though I fancy the cab roof and windows aren’t quite the right profile, like it’s had a fright from an EMD.

I forgot to ask; what drive is in it?

[Coombe Barton]

How many handbags?

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/10/28/acceptance-and-coping-11/