Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

59 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I believe Dave has an as yet unbuilt D&S kit for just such a thing. (As do I.)

I've already got a part built 7mm version if that helps.

 

Jamie

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I've already got a part built 7mm version if that helps.

 

Jamie

 

What would really help is a completed example to provide hope and encouragement. Preferably not painted by Ian Rathbone (or similar) - we need to see that completion is achievable by mere mortals. Mind you, in 4 mm, by the time I build mine, folk'll just be saying: "Isn't that the Oxford model?"

[petethemole]

Ozexpatriate, those are Spanish bluebells;   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinthoides_non-scripta. I have a load exactly the same.  I had them at the old house and brought a bag of bulbs here, only to find that a lot more came up where I hadn't planted any.  At least I rescued some from the extension that our buyer had built.

 

The long weekend wasn't much different from previous years.  Lockdown isn't bothering ne over much as I don't often go out except for my daily afternoon shopping and post office run.  That's now every second or third day with PO once a week, but I find myself wondering what to do in that time slot on the other days. I must be the only RMwebber who isn't getting any modelling done.  The loft is full of stuff being temporarily or permanently stored and my desk is cluttered with junk and stuff that needs mending and also has no chair.  Mrs mole is going a bit stir crazy, she needs to swim twice a week to help her disability, which she can't do, and also goes out a lot to visit friends and play in music sessions.  She's going to join in some on-line sessions that some friends are organising.  Martyn has noticed little change apart from not visiting his friend at weekends.  He has received a response from Royal Mail so hopefully he will soon go back on as a casual sorter.

 

Recent mention of music prompted me to reconnect the Ion USB turntable to the PC and play some of the few vinyl LPs I have in the house through the speakers attached to the PC, which aren't bad.  I've mainly been playing the New Lost City Ramblers and some other country/old-time music.

 

Shopping run later, possibly also to getr a new kitchen bin. The lid on ours has broken so I reckon it's essential.

 

Have a good day, stay safe,

Pete

 

 

[grandadbob]

For the first time in weeks I've just spent an hour in The Shed looking at my attempts at muddling. Muddle is exactly what it is and I seem to have made a complete pig's ear of it. Now going back to rip up some track and will try again but I think I'm fighting a losing battle. I suspect I'll have to scale down my expectations and just settle for something simpler. The main thing is for me to be able to play with the trains  which I can't do at the moment.

 

Bob Bodge the Builder.

[grandadbob]

4 minutes ago, petethemole said:

I must be the only RMwebber who isn't getting any modelling done. 

 

 

Pete, you are not alone mate! 

[Sir TophamHatt]

Afternoon all!

 

What a mixed day.  Looks great outside, but it's still a little chilly.

 

A bit sad as I'm stuck waiting - I feel like I'm wasting the weeks going by.

Waiting for my Class 66 to be fixed or refunded.  Waiting for Hunt Couplings to get back to me about their lights.  Waiting for Bachmann to announce more liveries to their Class 158 (come on CT green!).  Waiting for another company to announce a livery of a unit they produce.  Waiting for new job stuff...

 

And slightly more sad is that we finally finished Downton Abbey last night.
While some may have not liked the end (it was happy for everyone), what a feel good TV Series.  I hate it when they carry it on and spoil the last few series (looking at Heroes, Lost...).

 

Still, at least I managed to bag a Click and Collect spot for Asda on Sunday.

[jamie92208]

45 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

What would really help is a completed example to provide hope and encouragement. Preferably not painted by Ian Rathbone (or similar) - we need to see that completion is achievable by mere mortals. Mind you, in 4 mm, by the time I build mine, folk'll just be saying: "Isn't that the Oxford model?"

Look on my layout thread tonight. I will post some photos. I live in fear and dread of the awl as I think that her harp is just a super strong bow in disguise.

 

Jamie

Edited April 14, 2020 by jamie92208

[Tony_S]

Aditi said she didn’t think Michael's plant was agapanthus, ours haven’t much leaf growth yet and no flower spikes at all (due in July). We don’t have English bluebells (flowers on one side of the stem, droopy looking) we have the Spanish variety that look rather  like the ones photographed in Oregon. Our agapanthus  is called Margaret. 
We finally finished our box set of Montalbano recently. We have been working through them for years now. However the series had been on so long the early episodes had ransom demands and robberies in lira not euro!
Tony

 

[jamie92208]

16 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

Afternoon all!

 

What a mixed day.  Looks great outside, but it's still a little chilly.

 

A bit sad as I'm stuck waiting - I feel like I'm wasting the weeks going by.

Waiting for my Class 66 to be fixed or refunded.  Waiting for Hunt Couplings to get back to me about their lights.  Waiting for Bachmann to announce more liveries to their Class 158 (come on CT green!).  Waiting for another company to announce a livery of a unit they produce.  Waiting for new job stuff...

 

And slightly more sad is that we finally finished Downton Abbey last night.
While some may have not liked the end (it was happy for everyone), what a feel good TV Series.  I hate it when they carry it on and spoil the last few series (looking at Heroes, Lost...).

 

Still, at least I managed to bag a Click and Collect spot for Asda on Sunday.

We watched the final episode of The Nest last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It ended up with a sort of feel good ending without being too soft and soapy. Also some very good acting particularly by the young lady who played Kaya. All i need to do now is to find out what the music was that featured.

 

Jamie

 

 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where I see mixed blue skies and clouds through the "office" window. I have not been out of the house yet but it is nearly time for my constitutional.

Work has been very much groundhog day.

 

Phil, if I recall, poppies grow best when the ground has been disturbed, which is why they grow so well in fields that have been ploughed, and of course in Flanders Fields.

 

Have a good day all

[Coombe Barton]

3 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

 All i need to do now is to find out what the music was that featured.

This any good?

https://www.tunefind.com/show/the-nest/season-1

[PhilJ W]

Once the poppies have finished I pull up the dead plants and dig them in. As I said they sprouted in September but the weather  didn't stay warm long enough for them to flower properly.

[Sir TophamHatt]

20 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

All i need to do now is to find out what the music was that featured.

Do you have Android?
There's an inbuilt "Search" function that allows your phone to "listen" to what music is being played.  It used to be just okay, but I tried it the other day and even with talking over the music, it managed to find what music was playing.

 

There's also a variety of websites - even youtube comments!

Edited April 14, 2020 by Sir TophamHatt

[jamie92208]

29 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

This any good?

https://www.tunefind.com/show/the-nest/season-1

Found it. Susanna and the magical orchestra's version of a Joy Division song, Love will tear us apart. Thanks John.

Jamie

Edited April 14, 2020 by jamie92208

[The Stationmaster]

G'day all.

 

Yes, those blue flowers are definitely bluebells - agapanthus have a very different shape to the flower and ours finished a little while back although the bluebells are going great guns at present.  On a more strenuous note 5 barrowloads of logs were relocated to the woodshed yesterday and the semi-collapsed outdoor log pile will be further attacked today.  Unfortunately freshly cut trees don't necessarily come with neat logs when chopped up and split and i'm not prepared to dump perfectly good bits of cherry, sycamore, and hazel when they'll all do nicely in the log burner in due course.

 

Apart from a Hornby Dublo one a long time ago my only experience with turntable was with the real thing and based on that any which which rely on some sort of mechanical bolt to hold them in position is likely to cause trouble.   However no doubt railway modellers will take greater care with their turntable than my footplate staff did with mine as many of them relied on the bolt as a sort of 'fine control'  mechanism to ensure that the table was lined up when it stopped.  But in the end that was the least of things as it got distinctly poorly when the centre casting broke and spare parts weren't exactly easy to find in the 1980s.  i understand that it went to preservationist but I can't find any record of them getting it into commission as yet.

 

Another sunny day but a little chilly out of the sun although it will probably warm up later.  As I'm out of mushrooms it looks like I'll be on baked beans and sausages for lunch.

 

Have a good day one and all and stay safe.

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

 

The turntable on my layout has an extremely hi-tech control system working on the KISS principle; it is driven by a Gaugemaster controller so I can adjust the speed and direction of rotation by a switch and rotary knob and the alignment of tracks is by eye. Possibly antediluvian and no doubt frowned on by the more knowledgeable of the wiggly amp brethren but it works. The only sop to automation, sort of, is that when power is selected to operate the table it is removed from the track so even I can't drive a locomotive into the boondocks whilst it is revolving.

 

 

The first one he cobbled together from his spin caster with disastrous results.

[chrisf]

23 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Found it. Susanna and the magical orchestra's version of a Joy Division song, Love will tear us apart. Thanks John.

 

Check out the version by June Tabor and the Oyster Band.

 

Chris

[Happy Hippo]

Well the Facebook virtual running day at Llandrinio is going well.

 

My Hymek has been out for a video run and there's been various show and tells including a workshop tour. 

 

Buffer books attended and we were tempted with cakes, the big advantage of virtual cake being they are calory free.

 

As you can imagine I've pigged out big time.

[Gwiwer]

Aft'noon all.  Checking in from the Hill of Strawberries which is rather chilly despite clear blue and sunny skies.  

 

The House of Fun has even less fun about it this week as the suburban timetable has been stepped down another notch.  Many routes are now blessed with hourly services only although Bookham, which was only being served by a bus replacement, has regained a train service.  It would be hard to say whether more people are about or whether the reduction in service levels means more people area waiting for longer and the trains are a little busier in consequence.  Either way we commented among ourselves that it may prove to be a unique moment in time at Britain's Busiest Railway Station when at 08.25 on a weekday morning not a single passenger alighted, nor was anyone waiting to board, when the train called.  Staff out-numbered passengers by a ratio of 1 : ∞

 

I was nearly asleep last night when a thought arose to check the Ocado website.  I was able to enter immediately without even the queue page, found a slot on Saturday week and promptly placed the order.  It's mostly staples again since we don't know for sure what we might need that far ahead.  But when we have been able to get a slot almost everything arrives.  Meaning I can limit my foraging to a few short-life consumables such as milk.  

 

For those playing at home who might be entertained by the folkier side of rock music here's a link to some tracks from a band I followed and promoted in Cornwall c/o the responsible individual, a friend of mine, who managed to save them from a well-worn tape.  The "Temporary" cover is actually my own and proved to be a permanent one since no other was ever produced. 

 

http://moco.davethebusker.uk/Bates_Motel-Anorak.html

 

Minor Drama of the Day occurred preparing lunch.  Half the electrics abruptly ceased to work.  The half including kettle, toaster, microwave, cooker hood and - for good measure - the electric ignition on the gas hobs!  All was swiftly resolved by means of a furtle into the meter cupboard and re-setting the trip.  All of that lot together should have been well within its safety limit but perhaps I turned on all the high-draw items more or less together creating a surge.  

 

Now it's off to play with the multimeter which I am instructed must be set to ohms and placed between pairs of metal strips to see if there is a problem preventing motion.  

 

Be good, play nice, stay well.

 

 

[J. S. Bach]

Good morning owl from the Piedmont.

 

This morning I went to Walmart earlier than normal as they are open an hour early for seniors on Tuesday and I wanted to czech it out; what a difference from the regular day. I think that Tuesday morning will now be my regular shopping day, at least as long as this lasts.

 

2 hours ago, petethemole said:

 ...snip... I must be the only RMwebber who isn't getting any modelling done. ...snip...Have a good day, stay safe,

Pete

No, there are at least three of us! Although I did just fish out a pair of San Juan On2½ trucks that I saw floating in the 'bay. When they arrive, they will, most likely, get put away and not see the light of day for quite a long while although I do have a specific car in mind for them; It is currently an On3 car.

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[Tony_S]

31 minutes ago, chrisf said:

 

Check out the version by June Tabor and the Oyster Band.

 

Chris

I was just about to mention that the only version I have is by June Tabor and Oysterband. Also available on YouTube from a live performance at the Union Chapel when their Ragged Kingdom record was released.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Caloo Calay, hallelujah, and other expressions of joy - my Broadband's finally back to 12mbs speed after three days at 2, then two at 4, and four at 5/6.  However, late on parade, as once it came back, various background but essential services, like my anti-virus and my firewall all needed to update, and it was a bit of a fight, and when each finally updated itself, the laptop had to do a complete restart, so I am just getting to the stage of all posts since last night read and rated.  I did see an Openreach engineer working at the cabinet. and I suspect that this was the final stage on the rectification - but no matter, I am back working, and I can now, hopefully, get all the rest of my followed content caught up, as I have been missing out on a lot of the pages that I normally enjoy.

 

So generic greetings are again on offer, and hopes that we are all only suffering slightly with the forced stay at home. 

 

Today was fodder run, and we were first in the queue at Lidl, and managed to get everything that we needed, ot almost everything.  As this included many eggs, bacon, ham, mushrooms, and red pepper, I think that one of my special five egg omelettes is called for for dinner.

 

Back tomorrow

Regards to All

Stewart

[Tony_S]

I did some IT support for Aditi’s brother yesterday. He has been frustrated by the poor WiFi in his house so decided he would connect his lap top with an Ethernet cable. It didn’t work. After asking a few questions I asked if he had another cable ( one was found) and it connected immediately. I could definitely  sense the reduction in tension even from afar (Northamptonshire). He isn’t using his broadband for entertainment but processing a lot of stuff from home as isn’t permitted to be at work at present. 
Tony

[Chris116]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I was just about to mention that the only version I have is by June Tabor and Oysterband. Also available on YouTube from a live performance at the Union Chapel when their Ragged Kingdom record was released.

Union Chapel is one of my favourite venues. I have seen Lainey Wilson, Josh Turner, Sarah Darling and had tickets for 7th May to see Ward Thomas but that has now been put back until later in the year. 

[chrisf]

32 minutes ago, Chris116 said:

Union Chapel is one of my favourite venues. 

 

Me too!  I was there for the launch of Gryphon's first album for 41 years and more recently for the Fire and Fleet tour by June and the Oysters.

 

Chris