Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Afternoon awl, 

I arrived at the sailing club to find the flags already at half mast?  It turned out a club member had died.  So the flag control got more complicated... 

10:59 flags to full mast. 

11:00 flags down silence and last post. 

11:02 flags back up

11:03 flags back to half mast for club member. 

 

Prior to the above we had the crane lecture,  mostly on the fitting of the ball hitch adaptor to make it pin hitch.       

 

  After it was off home and marquee roof fitting,  that only took an hour.  However fitting all the bungy bobbles to hold it on took nearly another hour.       

After that six side panels were fitted. This took nearly another hour,  by which time my back was screaming at all the reaching up to attach things. 

 So now it's just the end panels to be fitted,  but reaching up to the peak was beyond my back today. 

 

Meanwhile SWMBO and the hippy were clearing more jungle.  The hippy is now with us till Wednesday due to the floods,  not because they are actually flooded up there , but some access roads are doubtful at the moment. 

 

Dinner and a long soak in the bath has been had,  a Muggacoffee is on its way then,  it's settle in for the evening... 

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by TheQ

[TheQ]

I note you've lot are following me around,  from. California, Caister,  near me now,  through Sutton near me,  through Sutton bridge on the way north to California, falkirk, near my parents  ( dads in falkirk hospital) .

Then back down Pennsylvania,  Bath.  Bath being where I spent the first few months of my life. 

[New Haven Neil]

Evenin'

 

Been quite for a few days as we're on a long weekend away.   What used to be called a dirty weekend, now at 60 and some it's just a weekend...... 

 

Met Baz today, which was nice, at Newcastle show, which wasn't that great, but OK.  Baz's clubs layout was good though (Chapel-en-le-Frith).  Wasn't a planned visit, we're in Ambleside, it just 'happened'!  Sorry M'lady, mentioned those things.

[AndyID]

10 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

 

We could always use the site of New Zealand sidings in Lancaster.

 

Good morning all from a quite bright Charente. Once again thanks for all the thoughts and concern.  The first parts of the cunning plan have worked well.  I'm off train watching in about an hour and after picking Joan up should get to Beth at about 2pm.  Fingers are crossed. 

 

I like the idea of a moisture meter, I may well invest in one.  At the moment our logs are stacked on pallets and I have to remember the provenance of each pallet load. Here they say that timber must have been felled at least 2 and a half years before it's burned. What we burn is mostly oak. We tend to use a mix  of offcuts from the barrel naking industry and logs bought from neighbours in the village. However we have ash, sycamore, fir, pine and plum from our garden. I try to not use too much of the pine and fir at the same time. It's very different from just turning on a gas boiler.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

 

Probably more than you ever want to know about water content here

 

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr06.pdf

[Ozexpatriate]

It is curious that there are so many places named "California" in the UK.

 

The origin of the name "California" is shrouded in some mystery. The etymology has its very own Wikipedia page. It's worth a read or at least a quick skim. It appears to be a reference to a fictitious island from a novel Las sergas de Esplandián first published in 1510.

 

Many people forget (or did not know) that the current US state of California was known as Alta California to the Spanish, (officially a province of New Spain in 1804) which along with Baja California had previously formed the province of Las Californias. Permanent European settlement in Las Californias began 153 years before Alta California was ceded to the US during the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848. Permanent European settlements in what would become Alta California did not begin until 1769, in part to prevent Russian incursion.

 

The Russians would open Fort Ross in 1812, north of the future Spanish settlement in Sonoma where there would later be a mission and presidio.

 

North of Las Californias, Fort Astoria was constructed in 1811. (It was named for it's owner, the proprietor of the Pacific Fur Company - John Jacob Astor.) During the war of 1812, assets of the PFC were sold to the British Northwest Company and the location was claimed as a British possession and fort renamed Fort George at the end of 1813.

 

Even further north the Spanish established the Nootka Sound settlement of Santa Cruz de Nuca in 1789 - in the presence of competing fur traders from Britain and the US leading to the Nootka Crisis.    

 

The history of European settlement on the west coast of North America (Drake's New Albion) is a bun fight of commercial and colonial interests from the Spanish, British, Russians and the Johnny come lately colonizer, the nascent United States. Interestingly (and different from most land grabs by European colonial powers) there was rarely any armed conflict between the protagonists in the region.

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[Coombe Barton]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

It is curious that there are so many places named "California" in the UK.

 

Would it not be that the US State is named from one of these locations, rather than the other way round?

Think New England, New York ...

Edited November 10, 2019 by Coombe Barton

[Gwiwer]

On 09/11/2019 at 19:05, Northroader said:

Didn’t the kids at school used to go “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours?”, I thought that was something to do with it.

They certainly did. Behind the bike sheds or in the gym showers. At an all-boys school with an all-male staff

[Dave Hunt]

When I worked in California (North Island on Coronado, San Diego) my American colleagues were highly amused when I told them that when I lived in Boston I used to drive to work via New York and the trip took me about 25 minutes. The Boston, of course, was the one in Lincolnshire and I worked at RAF Coningsby. New York is a little village that you would miss if you blinked on the way through.

 

Have a peaceful and restful night everyone with thoughts for those having troubles.

 

Dave

[brianusa]

11 hours ago, Kingzance said:

There is a newly established memorial to The Merchant Navy on The Hooe which I hope to visit at some time. I would be very obliged if you could doff your beret on my behalf to the very many that memorial finally represents. Thanks in anticipation.

 

With the passing of the years as well as the passing of the participants, it will take a dedicated response to keep these events in the public eye.  I well remember such parades on Plymouth Hoe, even bands in the bandstand (long gone) on the Hoe and the military marching on Royal Parade and down Tavistock Rd.  I can no longer witness these events in person but we always watch the Ceremony at the Cenotaph on the BBC which was usually televised in full but all we get now is an excerpt lasting about two minutes.  The same over here; very little on Remembrance Day, war films on TV, and not much on Dec.7th (more war films); even Trumps plans for a grand parade ala May Day in Moscow, fizzled when it was found there was not enough military might to be found and it cost too much and ruin the Washington boulevards!

    Brian.

[Coombe Barton]

2 minutes ago, brianusa said:

 

With the passing of the years as well as the passing of the participants, it will take a dedicated response to keep these events in the public eye.  I well remember such parades on Plymouth Hoe, even bands in the bandstand (long gone) on the Hoe and the military marching on Royal Parade and down Tavistock Rd.

I remember those as well - I have some photos somewhere from the Western Morning News. They'll turn up someday

 

[brianusa]

59 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

They certainly did. Behind the bike sheds or in the gym showers. At an all-boys school with an all-male staff

 

Our school never had showers gym or otherwise; come to think of it there wasn't any at home in those days.  Friday night, bath night and that was it!  Now we have three bathrooms, two upstairs and one down and we're all clean as a pin!  Hard to believe though in this day and age!

     Brian

[jamie92208]

Evening all.   The house is quiet.   I can hear Joan snoring gently upstairs, the fire is going well.  It's been a very good day.   I got away about 10am, had a very pleasant hour on the station at La Rochelle, where I quietly watched what trains there were, ate a nice croque monsieur and read a book.   Then off to the airport to collect Joan and by 14.00 was at the hospital to pick up Beth who has been released.  They decided that the abscess was too deep to drain surgically without major risk so she had been sent home with lots of antibiotics and should be back there to have the thing drained under local on Thursday.  She and Joan are both in very good spirits.  They were both very tired, Joan had got up at 05.00 to be driven from Staffs to Stanstead.   She has already been to their house twice.  She can't do much until the results of the autopsy are known on Tuesday.

 

Tomorrow we have to wait in till I get a call to go into the Gendarmerie to give a statement.  I may or may not get to the village remembrance day event.   Over here the 11th is a public holiday and each commune holds it's own event.  

 

Just to prove that I actually did see some trains here's a TGV Atlantique at La Rochelle.   This series is being withdrawn quite rapidly.

Regards to all and thanks again for the virtual support.   I have also had a lot of supportive comments on a post I did on the retired West Yorks Police site. Though one ex colleague has asked why I didn't fill in the Form 49 myself and save the Gendarmes the trouble.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Evening!

Back home, layout back in club rooms ..van will be returned very early tomorrow. 

Nice to meet Two Sugars and Mr & Mrs NHN. But no Donk....never mind...

 

Nice meal in an Italian pub restaurant over the road from our Campanile Hotel in Washington last night. 

 

As it happens California is not far from The Q......

 

In discussions with Two Sugars today I forgot about Canada, no mention of Philedelphia, and Kirkstall in Australia plus Newcastle. ..

 

Time to have a sleep..

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I forgot to mention earlier some of the items I obtained from the swapmeet. First off was a 1/43rd scale Bedford OYD army truck from a French partwork. The other items were 1/72 scale diecasts, the first a Winnebago motorhome that when I dismantled it proved to contain some sort of electronic gubbins. What its purpose is and what it does is a mystery. It will be going into my pile of code 3 projects. The last item is a diecast replica of a Nissan Cube, similar to Cararama models but by a company called Epoch, no I haven't heard of them either. Tea to be drunk, be back later.

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Would it not be that the US State is named from one of these locations, rather than the other way round?

Think New England, New York ...

Not in this case. Las Californias were named by the Spanish and not for a location in the UK.

 

Now the city I live in (Portland) was certainly named for the island in Dorset by way of the town in Maine. It was almost named Boston for the town in Lincolnshire by way of the town in Massachusetts.  The story goes that two early residents (one from Maine and one from Massachusetts) tossed a coin to decide how to name Portland, Oregon in 1845. Prior to that, the locals called it, (accurately it appears) "Stumptown". 

 

Actually, New York is not named for the city of York. At the conclusion of the third Anglo-Dutch war in the Treaty of Westminster (1674), the Dutch traded  their North American colony (New Netherland, which included New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island) for Suriname. The colony of New York and the city were named to honour the person of the future King James II, while Charles II was king and James was the Duke of York. At the time he was also styled the Duke of Albany (his Scottish title). The capital city of New York state is consequently Albany rather than Orange. 

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

Of the 13 North American colonies, no fewer than six were named for royal personages.

 

Virginia - Queen Elizabeth I

New York - King James II (as Duke of York)

Maryland - Queen Henrietta Maria (consort of Charles I and known in England as Queen Mary)

North Carolina - King Charles I / Charles II

South Carolina - King Charles I  / Charles II

Georgia - King George II

 

Delaware was named for the Delaware River which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr who had been Governor-for-life and Captain-General of the Colony of Virginia.

 

Pennsylvania (Penn's wood) was named to honour Sir William Penn (who captured Jamaica). His son (also William Penn) was given proprietorship of the colony to settle his late father's case for prize money.

 

New Jersey was named (by James II as Duke of York) to honour Sir George Carteret who had been the Governor of Jersey. 

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

As it happens California is not far from The Q......

I suspect that is no coincidence, since it was he who suggested it.

Edited November 10, 2019 by Ozexpatriate

[Kingzance]

28 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Not in this case. Las Californias were named by the Spanish and not for a location in the UK.

 

Now the city I live in (Portland) was certainly named for the island in Dorset by way of the town in Maine. It was almost named Boston for the town in Lincolnshire by way of the town in Massachusetts.  The story goes that two early residents (one from Maine and one from Massachusetts) tossed a coin to decide how to name Portland, Oregon in 1845. Prior to that, the locals called it, (accurately it appears) "Stumptown". 

 

Actually, New York is not named for the city of York. At the conclusion of the third Anglo-Dutch war in the Treaty of Westminster (1674), the Dutch traded  their North American colony (New Netherland, which included New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island) for Suriname. The colony of New York and the city were named to honour the person of the future King James II, while Charles II was king and James was the Duke of York. At the time he was also styled the Duke of Albany (his Scottish title). The capital city of New York state is consequently Albany rather than Orange. 

 

I knew about the New Amsterdam / New York but had never heard the origin of Albany!

 

Little to report from NEHerts, a day full of pottering, entertained the two grandsons who temporarily ran away from home as their eldest sister was in a foul mood and mother was consequently affected, face-timed my sister in Crete and then some idiot box later on. After last night’s delayed bedtime, I shall turn off the light shortly and see what tomorrow brings. Nice to hear Jamie’s update is positive and I hope the same is true for other strugglers.

[monkeysarefun]

On 10/11/2019 at 04:32, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Thanks Michael for explaining gender reveal, I didn't know what it was. I just hope that it doesn't catch on this side of the pond.

 

 It will - Its spread down here and is popular with natures  'special' people like these ones.

 

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, brianusa said:

... even Trumps plans for a grand parade ala May Day in Moscow, fizzled when it was found there was not enough military might to be found and it cost too much and ruin the Washington boulevards

Avoiding the politics, this parade concept was originally instigated by a Bastille Day event the President attended - not a solemn remembrance by ceremonial troops suitable for either Memorial or Veterans' Day.

 

The President's vision was for a gratuitous demonstration of might, with heavy weaponry, similar to something that the DPRK or Russia might stage. In particular he really wanted tanks. The District of Columbia insisted that any street damage had to be paid for by the Federal Government.

[tigerburnie]

Evening all, busy day in Perth and a long and late drive back, it was trying to snow on the way back, 2 degrees and falling, had a nice day with the grandkids and SWMBO had a nice day out being spoilt by the daughter in Auld Reekie. My old rugby teamhad a good win at Sutton & Epsom (seems to be in the news on here today), the less said about the Tigers the better...…………….

G'night all

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The sun has been shining all day, but the temperature has been quite low, however, that didn’t matter as I’ve been inside all day. However, it I’d start to rain around 8 o’clock this evening, but it isn’t very heavy, yet!

 

Today has been pretty much like yesterday, a couple of loads of washing have been done and several more MERG kits have been built. 4 single servo control modules and 7 laser train on track indicator modules.

 

Below is a DCC train on track indicator 

 

 

Below is a single servo actuator, the 3  small ‘pots’ are used to set the rotation speed, start and stop positions.

 

Below is a Laser train on track indicator 

 

Goodnight all 

[Two_sugars]

As reported above (by Baz) I attended Newcastle show today and had a good bit natter with Baz . . . Even managed to see all the exhibits . . .all to a very good standard.

 

I didn't see our Manx  representatives . . . . and I spent nowt but the entrance fee..

 

AH DIVN'T like driving in  Newcastle.

 

Baz . .you still missed Toronto.

 

Goodnight all . . .Sleep well.

 

John

 

edited for spelling.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Two_sugars

[southern42]

' night all and not da

___________

Polly