Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Almost forgot to visit Smiffs for my copy of Back Track, normally I would have got it last week but I was up at Warley. The host server is playing up a bit, I've had one time out this evening and RMweb is rather slow so I'ii be off until later.

[BoD]

30 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Ah, I see that we are now "experiencing performance issues - I sort of knew that about 20 minutes ago.

It seems very similar to how things were just before previous versions collapsed. Hopefully though, the software and data storage facilities  will have improved since then.

[Debs.]

"We are experiencing performance issues.......Any changes will have to hold on until tomorrow."

 

Always with the same old story! 

 

[leopardml2341]

Turn it off and turn it on again; that's what I say

[The Stationmaster]

Evening all,

 

Up has been caught and good to hear that GDB has been suitably enjoying his day - many happy returns and plenty more of them Bob.

 

Today we introduced the cats to the great outdoors.  Well we tried to but notwithstanding her frequent patrolling of the (locked) cat door Poppy seemed fairly disinterested although eventually she ventured out during the second  opportiunity.  Charlie on the other hand showed considerable interest in exploring the most inaccessible places he could find such as the middle of the front hedge and the second largest bramble patch in the back garden and has spent a lot of time since his second excursion demanding to be let out again (he hasn't been).

 

Train times have been sorted for tomorrow's expedition to an OFs' lunch at The Ship Anson in Portsmouth.  As we decided to shift our Christmas meal this year to there from The Imperial in Exeter It was no doubt inevitable that some bunch would decide go on strike on SWR thus producing a need for creative journey planning.  Seemingly SWR are intending (hoping???) to run various services tomorrow but if they don't there is an excellent alternative which not only totally avoids their trains but is also a bit quicker - all it needs is for Cross Country and GWR to deliver what they are supposed to deliver when they are supposed to deliver it; we shall see.   Regrettably my trip involves me spending 8 minutes on one of makes me very cross rail's non trains but no doubt the standing (In order to avoid the low seat backs) will probably do me more good than harm.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day one and all.

[AndyID]

7 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Oh, Debs aircraft - there's a similar pusher machine flies from the airfield over the back to us on occasion, must pay more attention next time, it has a very distinctive sound that generally makes me look up (well hopefully up!) for it.

 

Next door neighbors had an amphibious pusher when they lived in Alaska - a Republic Seabee. Interesting little plane although I'm not sure I'd want to go up in one as they are all even older than me.

 

At the moment I'm abed with a stinking cold. Hope I didn't give it to Stewart.

 

My previous doctor told me EKG tests are not very effective in many cases. IIRC he said the best diagnostic involves an MRI.

 

My best man died of a massive coronary at age 57. He had not been feeling well for quite a while. His NHS doctor prescribed an EKG but it did not reveal a problem.

 

Snow expected here quite soon and pretty cold. I think I'll stay in bed

[Barry O]

Belated Happy Birthday Bob.

 

Been fighting with a gearbox.I may have won..

 

A bit of soccer watched// what a complete pile of carp. Skill levels low, refereeing weak .. apparently head butts are OK in professional soccer.Watching American football. One game (In New York) being played in snow, 49ers playing the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and it is mega chuckinitdarn.

 

Time for more locomotion system fixing!

 

baz

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, 45156 said:

Q - I think that 30747 must have been trained by your RAF people, as her attitude to the heating is somewhat similar to theirs - although maybe not quite so bad.

I think that Black Rat and myself would consider RAF heating in the hotels they always appeared to stay in, to be far superior to a partially flooded ditch on Sennybridge or Dartmoor which was our allocated accommodation.....................  It made us the men we are today................................. Arthritic, grumpy, old  but still Welsh.

[Tony_S]

14 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think that Black Rat and myself would consider RAF heating in the hotels they always appeared to stay in, to be far superior to a partially flooded ditch on Sennybridge or Dartmoor which was our allocated accommodation.....................  It made us the men we are today................................. Arthritic, grumpy, old  but still Welsh.

I had a tutor group at the sixth form college I worked in. I asked a couple of my students what they had been doing over the weekend. It was apparently their ATC Arctic survival training. They had been to Norway and had to survive in a small tent. They failed at catching their dinner but Flt Sgt threw a bunny in for them to eat. They seemed to enjoy the experience. 

[Happy Hippo]

23 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

 They failed at catching their dinner but Flt Sgt threw a bunny in for them to eat. They seemed to enjoy the experience. 

Knowing Crab Air it was probably a bunny like this!

[BoD]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

......a partially flooded ditch ..... which was our allocated accommodation.....................  It made us the men we are today..........................

Or in your case, the hippo you are today.

[Coombe Barton]

Blog - Advent Sunday - 1st December 2019

This series at the special request of the wielder of the Awl.

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/sounds-of-the-season-1/

[polybear]

50 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

They failed at catching their dinner but Flt Sgt threw a bunny in for them to eat. They seemed to enjoy the experience. 

 

Poor little fluffy bunny didn't....

[81C]

39 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Knowing Crab Air it was probably a bunny like this!

I wouldn't mind a nibble. 

[AndyID]

17 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Poor little fluffy bunny didn't....

 

Hare, hare.

 

[leopardml2341]

Prep almost complete for next week's visit to Die Hauptstadt Der DDR. Wending mi way to our capital and flying LCY-TXL.

 

Will likely be a bit incommunicado next week, so best wishes to everyone and even though I might not post here, I'll be thinking of you lot - no misbehavin' mind

Edited December 1, 2019 by leopardml2341

[tigerburnie]

Evening all, well I survived 2 days of grandad duty with no visible scars, though watching the movie "The Adams Family" did it's best to bore us to death, what a load of rubbish that was(that was the 5 year olds opinion, one I share). Went to watch them in a swimming gala yesterday and ended up with a stop watch timing races, must remember to thank SWMBO for volunteering me for that one...…………….

Belated Birthday wishes to GDB and hope you fully get back to doing daft things as soon as possible, did I tell you it is seriously cold up here.

G'night all.

[brianusa]

13 hours ago, grandadbob said:

and was able to drive off without windscreen scraping

 

Don't you guys ever keep cars in the garage? This seems to be a frequent occurrence this time of year and while we keep both ours in the garage, our neighbours seem more intent on keeping 'stuff' warm and dry than their $40K cars.

   Brian

[Barry O]

Brian, garages are for somewhere to store offsprings spare furniture, booksand kitchen items, crated model railway layouts, barbecues,  wood to build model railway layouts, garden furniture and her indoors car. Beast is allowed in there to recharge his batteries on occasion..

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

 

Don't you guys ever keep cars in the garage? This seems to be a frequent occurrence this time of year and while we keep both ours in the garage, our neighbours seem more intent on keeping 'stuff' warm and dry than their $40K cars.

   Brian

Our first house had a garage but if I put our Ford Cortina in it I couldn’t open the doors enough to get myself out.
When we first moved here my Astra was such a favourite target for thieves my insurance insisted it was garaged overnight. We did keep one car in and one car out of the garage. It is only a two car garage for original Fiat 500s.  When my indoor model railway space was required I moved it to the garage and I promised  to de ice Aditi's car if necessary. However shortly afterwards she got a car with an  electrically heated windscreen. Also it isn’t that cold very often here in Estuaryland. 
Tony

[laurenceb]

Birthday greetings Bob

[Dave Hunt]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think that Black Rat and myself would consider RAF heating in the hotels they always appeared to stay in, to be far superior to a partially flooded ditch on Sennybridge or Dartmoor which was our allocated accommodation.....................  It made us the men we are today................................. Arthritic, grumpy, old  but still Welsh.

 

Extract from RAF application form:

 

1. Are you arthritic?

2. Are you grumpy?

3. Are you Welsh?

4. Are you in the habit of sleeping in partially flooded ditches?

 

If you have answered 'yes' to any of the above, please go next door to Army recruitment.

 

Good night all.

 

Dave

Edited December 1, 2019 by Dave Hunt

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. As Tony said it doesn't get very cold here, its because of the tidal estuaries that abound in Essex. This means that Essex has the second longest coastline of the English counties and all that moving water raises the temperature by a degree or two. When I lived in Burnham-on-Crouch if it snowed we would only get a dusting in the town and within half a mile of the river but several inches elsewhere.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

When we extended our smallish semi in Tilehurst we definitely made far better use of the garage - most of the space it had occupied was taken over by the new dining room with a bit left over for part of the kitchen.  Since we built the garage here I haven't even bothered to ramp up the drive the necessary 5 inches or so to get a car into it, there wouldn't be room for one and it would mean I'd have to keep my concrete mixer in the wood shed (which has a far better use in its intended purpose).