Early Risers.

[81C]

Evening All 

in the olden days the slapped #rse done the household accounts I let her do it to keep the peace but I did say don't keep overpaying the utility companies but she like to light up the house like Blackpool 

I spent every night once it had sloathed off to bed going round turning the damn things off I started to undo the screw bulbs so they wouldn't work in the end I gave in we left huge amounts on the electricity bill

to cover her wastage of leaving all the lights on I didn't give it much thought but did have the payments reduced by 50 quid on the standing order once she had moved out I got a small refund as I would only

have one bulb on at any one time I reckon her wastage amounted to 1K per year as I've just got a refund of £681for the final bill on the house and that was money I had managed to save, It will pay for the

central heating repair bill I had last week with a new pump and radiator all that money down the pan for her pigheadedness you can't make it up.

Neil I've had a Biker bird chase me on the dating forum she's the size of a house she makes big machines look the size of a monkey bikes and I bet she can crack walnuts with her belly button.

I've also see some of the biker birds at the Ace café in London slug it out with the men when I was very young the men always lost.!!!.

 

Mike the gates are always open there very early to let some of the traders in I normally get there just after 9:30 when the kids have just finished their football on the field and all the big 4X4 truck

jobbies cart them out the gate and free up the spaces. 

Onwards and upwards hope to see those of you who are going to Alton tomorrow.  Adios. 

[Coombe Barton]

24 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Muvch better than the newish Escort I had to use a Newport a month or two later - the gear lever on that came off in my hand in the middle of Newport High St (the actual street, not the station of that name).

Oh, you had one of those as well? The Cortina Mk 3 had a similar gearstick 'fixing'.

[leopardml2341]

G'night folks.

 

Had a read through today and I really don't know how to respond to some posts, so please make your own choice where I've not reacted?

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

.....

 

All is set, I think , for an earliyish start in the direction of alton tomorrow, I see the doors don't open until 1030 but i wonder when the carpark gates open?

 

 

The car park opposite the school doesn't have gates but is quite small.  The school car park is not much bigger tbh. I normally park in Holybourne but it is a 5 min walk. 

You can also park across the rec. over by the scout hut where there is plenty of parking;  bit more of a hike though. 

A 10.30 start should allow me to get a hair cut in town beforehand. 

Edited January 31, 2020 by AndyB

[Kingzance]

If we are travelling back in time to 01-01-1970, as seems to be the fashion today for some reason, I was a senior watch-keeper either entering or leaving The Mona Passage on an old 15,000 DWT tar boiler making probably 11-12 knots in a generally northerly direction from Curacao towards New York. The difference in temperatures was extreme, our loading port of Curacao would have been around 30degC whilst our discharge port of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was -10degC. At least the engine room stayed around the upper twenties, as long as some b'tard didn't start up the engine room vent fans. The reason for the slow speed? We needed most of the output from one of our two boilers to run cargo heating and keep the bl**dy stuff from solidifying. We could make about 15.5 knots when empty.

 

To NHN, I see it has indicators and would guess your advanced lady would actually use them too. Have you got shares in Muck-Off or do you have a man who does for you?

 

Just had a shock from Austria where sister-in-law, nephew, his spouse and their two-year-old are on their second of two weeks skiing: Our nephew's spouse is gluten intolerant and has a severe anaphylactic reaction if given certain nuts. In preparation for their evening meal, Amelia dosed herself with insulin, their canapes this evening contained just such nuts, even though the staff had been previously and constantly reminded of the need to avoid them. She is now in a local hospital under close observation and I don't know if an offer to fly out to help bring them back will be necessary, given my nephew broke his humerus last Friday. I certainly hope nothing more goes wrong!

[Kingzance]

28 minutes ago, AndyB said:

The car park opposite the school doesn't have gates but is quite small.  The school car park is not much bigger tbh. I normally park in Holybourne but it is a 5 min walk. 

You can also park across the rec. over by the scout hut where there is plenty of parking;  bit more of a hike though. 

A 10.30 start should allow me to get a hair cut in town beforehand. 

If you're anything like me Andy, 5 minutes seems extremely long for a trim!

[tigerburnie]

Early night tonight, G'night all

[AndyB]

22 minutes ago, Kingzance said:

If you're anything like me Andy, 5 minutes seems extremely long for a trim!

5 mins for the haircut but longer for them to put the scaffolding up.  Haven't had time recently to get a cut so starting to look a bit like my avatar!  

[Dave Hunt]

Just back from our Dutch friend's funeral in Aberystwyth. It went as well as such things can and we saw some other Dutch friends that we haven't met in a long time but overall not the greatest of days.  The drive back home was a tad wearisome.

 

I'm looking forward to going to Stafford on Sunday for a bit of light relief, even though it will mean missing the England/France game. Much to my surprise Jill has said she would like to come with me to see what the show is like, even after I warned her that the Muddy Hollow Gang will be in attendance.

 

Hope to see some of you there. If I remember I'll wear a name badge.

 

Dave   

[AndyB]

So after some 18 years my sports car will be swapped for a more practical car this coming week. Sad to see it go, but the Thwaites glacier melt is largely down to me.

 

The new car is more like a computer with 4 wheels. I don't understand the manual so there's every chance many of the fancier features will pass me by. No doubt the kids will suss it out.

 

I think my favourite feature is the cup holder. I always wanted a car with a cup holder.  

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Still a ytad unhappy with qantas and our delivery firm..pah!

Balcony view from the 19th floor very good. Cann see the River.

 

Youngest herbert has posted my new driving licence.. postage cost...how much! If it doesnt arrive on time a small claims court beck9ns as he got the people in charge to sign to say it will be deliverd on time.

 

As its bright and sunny we need to 

 

Find breakfast

 

Find other food supplies

 

 

Watch the rugby (apparently it is on!)

 

And from here..

 

WHITE RABBITS!

Baz

[Two_sugars]

1970? . . .I can't remember much about it  . . . .apart from summer nights in the sand dunes of Crimdon beach with . . . . . . a few mates,  a couple of crates of Newcy broon/amber, a few bottles of cider , a bag of . . . . . and a radio tuned in to Caroline (i think.. . . or maybe North sea International) and . . .Gowk.

 

Gowk was 2 years younger than me and she was . . . .well , . it's a long time ago.

 

Tonight ? celebrating? (or not). with a tot or two of Cardhu . . .  .how did you find it, HH

 

Goodnight all, , , . . . sleep well

 

 

John

[TheQ]

Evening awl, 

Just back from the MRC via soggy roads,  we had heavy rain sometime today,  but it's only light drizzle now. 

The latest package from the nhs has arrived with the bi annual game of poo sticks. However I arrived home to find the evening meal was a massive flame thrower curry,  I think I miss starting the game till Sunday,  I don't want to be accused of sending biological weapons through the post... 

 

The work at the MRC went very well,  slartybartfast had to smooth some excess ripples so Minis of the early 1960s could drive down the tarmac , ditches were dug either side of the tarmac to remind drivers to keep on the bendy and very narrow. 

For some reason the clubhouse seemed excessively warm, one of our Elder statement succumbed, and ended up resting in a cold car for a while before going home early.  The heat had the advantage of drying the tarmac aka polyfilla, and other bits quickly . So further smoothing and painting continued. 

 

Providing nothing else happens,  tomorrow should see the first wood cut for the keel. 

 

The snow drops have been out for a week,  the most sheltered daffs should be out in the next week and on the way to the MRC there is a fruit tree fully out in flower.. 

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Ozexpatriate]

We've had one rainless day this January and have caught up some of our annual deficit with about 2.7" more rainfall than "normal" in January. (We're still behind on our "rain year" but now by significantly less.) Today saw very little rain, and was overcast with high temperatures chasing 15°C.

 

Imbolc, Candlemas and Groundhog Day are now close - and at least one has arrived in the Antipodes. According to TheQ the stirring has begun. I have many weeds to pull in my garden and the moss is tall between my paving stones on the patio.

 

Still a gentleman of leisure, I have watched a lot of the Australian Open tennis. With the semifinals, the featured matches begin at 12:30am local time. I am not keen to watch these live and attempted to record the two men's semifinals with inadequate results. ESPN only allocated 3 hours on the schedule* and I forgot to add extra time, so my recording stopped at the penultimate game in the Federer v. Djokovich match.  There were no fewer than three rebroadcasts (between ESPN2 and Tennis Channel) so I eventually caught up after an afternoon casting rock sculptures for a friend's unmentionable.

 

* They broadcast the full match irrespective of their published schedule.

 

Last night I miscalculated and made sure there was enough time to record a three set match (thinking of the Women's final). The recording stopped half way through the fourth set, so now, hours after watching my recording I am catching up with Thiem v. Zverev in the Tennis Channel rebroadcast.

 

I was feeling a little stir crazy and got out of the house to run an errand while the Tennis Channel was broadcasting the 3.5 sets that I already watched but it hasn't really been a productive day.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

The Trafford Centre wasn’t too busy and WHS was almost like a ghost town, but I managed to pick up the latest MR whilst there. When I got to the butchers they had no pasties left, so I had to make do with a pork pie, it’s a hard life sometimes!

 

After dinner I carried on with the circuit boards and finished the prototype of both the solenoid driver and the point indicator control boards. 

 

This is the point indicator control board and each relay controls the LEDs which will indicate which way the point is set, regardless of the switch position, as it gets its feedback from the point frog. The large orange connectors are temporary fittings to aid quick disconnecting during the testing process, they will eventually be screw terminals when the production models are made. As yet I haven’t added the LED sockets, which will be beside the outer relays, 4 on each side. 

 

This is the solenoid control board, the relay not only powers the solenoid, but it switches the polarity of the point frog and also both of the closure rails.

 

Goodnight all

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Managed to catch up on my Farcebook and a couple of TV programs quite early this evening. Whatever date we joined the EU, or the Common Market as it was then the 70's for me personally were quite enjoyable. Being young and single I was able to take holidays in what was then quite exotic places. One year I went to Malta with a mate and the rage was swimwear that allowed the sunlight through to give an all-over tan. It was on that holiday that we became aware of one big drawback of the material that the swimsuits were made of, when wet it became transparent, we watched the young ladies getting out of the pool very closely!  Another holiday to Greece was with Musical Beds Club 18-30. Lets just say that I was in a different bed almost every night. 

[pH]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Balcony view from the 19th floor very good. Cann see the River.

 

A couple of views of the Brisbane River from the 25th floor of a high-rise near the Story Bridge:

 

 

 

Brother-in-law was there on a long-term contract, and our son was sent there by his company for training, so we had to go! B-i-L was being shown round prospective rentals, walked to the balcony in this apartment and said "You don't need to bother with any more!". 

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, AndyB said:

5 mins for the haircut but longer for them to put the scaffolding up.  Haven't had time recently to get a cut so starting to look a bit like my avatar!  

Currently my hair is rather akin to the population of Australia - not much in the middle and a lot round the edges.

Edited February 1, 2020 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[J. S. Bach]

16 hours ago, roundhouse said:

...snip... He has loads more to do. I think he has cornered the supply of Bachmann locos in this scale!!

Not quite all, I do have several:

These are being run on a friend's HO layout:

But we had an oops when using the turntable :

 

 

 

 

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, pH said:

A couple of views of the Brisbane River from the 25th floor of a high-rise near the Story Bridge:

That view has changed a lot in the 34 years since my days at Gardens Point (the green bit in the middle distance of the image) ended. (Actually that view would not have been possible back then, except from the Story Bridge.)

 

They say (accurately) that you can never go home again, but Brisbane is still "home". 

[BR60103]

Michael

Our TV recorder has a program guide and records programs by the name on that. And by the times that it shows.  If you record a series that is called "Downtown Abyss on Masterpiece", you will not get the following series of "Inspector Morris on Masterpiece" despite its being at the same time and part of the same program group.  The guide is not occasionally at odds with the actual program being shown. I was recording one short filler program and the recording started a bit before the desired program; people recording the preceding item would miss the ending.

We seem to be getting a bit more snow.

[pH]

19 minutes ago, BR60103 said:

If you record a series that is called "Downtown Abyss on Masterpiece" ...

 

I like it!!!