Early Risers.

[Simon G]

Morning all,

 

A nice sunny day here today, so outside thingys will be done today.  Asda have just delivered the supplies, with about 20% of the order being substituted.  As it was only finalised on Thursday, when everything on the list was apparently in stock, I was surprised how much substitution there was.  At least some of it was positive.  The Asda own brand white bread and wholemeal flower were replaced by Allinsons Extra Strong Wholemeal, so at least we managed to get some bread flour.  On the down side, spring greens were replaced by the smallest savoy cabbage I have ever seen, and the large chicken by a medium one.  I suppose in our position, we cant be too choosy though.

 

Now off outside to start thingys, whatever they may be!

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

On your bike!

 

They won't pay me  despite my having a world wide reputation for extremely high quality and immense quantity in that department.

You have just given me an earworm because some new words for part of this song came into my head (and they scan in the right places( -

 

'Dung dung dung went the hippo'

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln3sNwccHxI

 

[Barry O]

@PhilJ W .but I am retired!

 

Hoovering. .done

Floors ....swabbed...

Coffee drunk

Bugggrrrriittt no rain so some grass mowing is required..pah!

 

Baz

[BSW01]

Good dafternoon 

 

Late on parade today, I think Thursday nights interrupted sleep caught up with us both, we didn't wake up until after 10 o'clock, having missed the radio coming on at 8:30! I'm now in the workshop where I will continue working on the turntable drive mechanism. 

 

Back later 

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Cleaning of the vacuum was performed yesterday (or was it the day before? - dunno, all days seems much the same to me not that I'm complaining).  Going back to breakfasts I tend to get proper job breakfasts on only a few occasions per annum and always have one the first day onboard when we're on the ship - so that's two I won't be having this year and i only hop Tony 'our' cook survives the loss of income to be back next year.

 

The lad has just gone shopping because there are local rumours of various things being available at Boots the chemist - I presume he will be joining along queue.  The sun is shining (most of the time) but i'm not sure if the grass or anything else will be dry enough to cut.  The Good Doctor has a nice gap in her roster which means she won't be back on the ward for several days so she can get some outdoor exercise weeding the veg patch at some stage because the weeds are doing as well as the various veg.

 

I've found from some ONS  map that a total of 8 folk locally have died of the virus although I don't know any of them and it's not clear where/how they caught it.   Looking at the 2011 census figures that equates, if my maths are right, to an equivalent of 68.85 per 100,000. (8 deaths out of a population of 11,619) which makes the rate more than twice that for the South East which is c.25-28 per 100,000.   Although I know the base figures are correct because the 8 deaths are the total for the two local council wards and correspond exactly with the 2011 census total for the same area.  So what could well be wrong is the number of deaths because according to local sources (the Mayor) there have been no Covid-19 deaths of local people.   Seems that yet again we are back to , damned lies and statiisticians.

 

The ONS map can be found in this article - part way down the page, the one with the green dots, it can be enlarged (sorry about the source) -

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8277273/Coronavirus-deaths-TWICE-high-poor-areas-England-Wales-Official-figures-show.html

 

Enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe.

[tetsudofan]

5 hours ago, roundhouse said:

Good morning.

 

 

 

As its a nice morning I may well run some larger trains in the garden. Digging for the patio extension has commenced but at present I am working around the track for as long as I can till I have to lift that section.

 

 

 

Went out to check on the azaleas and bluebells in the garden and just happened to see one of my smaller trains toodling around:

 

 

The original of the little thing above used to reside in the LGB factory in Nuremburg which I saw whilst attending the 125th Birthday celebrations of Lehmann Brothers, the owners of LGB just before they went bust:

 

 

I've still got the white hat I was wearing, that came from Disneyland. Don't wear the blue shirt anymore, I'm not a member of the G-Scale Society anymore....

 

Keith

[TheQ]

In my sister late husband's mine they All carried their "piece" tin with them, due to too many " jokers " around..  Unfortunately he was famous for blowing up his tin on more than one occasion... 

 

Garage exterior shelving half constructed,  actually because the plan grew, work will continue tomorrow. 

 

A post work cheese and bacon toasty  accompanied by a Muggacoffee has been consumed. 

Ben the giving the stare Collie,  wants his long walk. 

 

On return I shall return to radar building. 

 

Boots on.. 

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Kingzance said:

Shipyards were also a place where Not So Little Richards could appear in dark corners. There is a tale I can tell regarding an Italian dry docking experience but it’s a little early in the day to upset readers’ delicate feelings.

 

 Some time last year, one of the offices at work reported the presence of an intermittent & extremely distasteful smell, the origins of which could not be traced.  Eventually someone twigged that the smell appeared to start up whenever someone was printing off a large document.  Further investigation revealed that someone had neatly deposited a t*rd on top of part of the works that warms up....

 

2 hours ago, Chris116 said:

SWMBO asks me every evening to wake her up at 9.30am but come the morning says she wants an extra 30 minutes sleep so when I arrive with her mug of coffee at 10am she complains about me waking her up too early. Then I ask her what she would like for breakfast she asks for me to wait for half an hour and then once we have eaten it becomes my fault that we have not done anything before midday! Hopefully she will allow me to get breakfast soon as I am starving. You have to love female logic, as they call it. 

 

Wait till she goes to bed, then put all clocks in the house forward by one hour, such that an indicated 9am is actually 8am.....

[Shedman5]

Afternoon,  dry with a breeze here, lawns to wet today to mow  ( in my opinion) so will leave that till tomorrow , hmm its Sunday tomorrow think I will leave it till Monday.

 

Cancelled flights to Washington in September, refund made no issue, not sure when my other half will be confident enough to endure a flight more a trans Atlantic one. We have flights booked to Miami in late November will leave that for a while to make our minds up/see what transpires etc.

 

Family Zoom call this morning, really nice to see my grandson (born in January)  hoping its not to long before we can see him in real life again. My youngest sons other half the Dr was on the call which was good but she  looks knackered and emotionally drained. Hopefully 3 days away from the front line will do her good.

 

Otherwise not a lot to say 

 

Enjoy your day and be safe,

Edited May 2, 2020 by Shedman5

[Natalie]

18 hours ago, Andrew P said:

 

Hi Andrew

 

Out of interest, check this guy out, he plays with Bruce Welch on Shadowmania.

 

 

 

That is Justin Daish who started off on the Shadows forums sending in videos of him playing to backing tracks. As he has got older he seems to have morphed into Hank Martin and is very well regarded on the Shadows scene. He played lead in a group 'The Shadowers'. He is more Hank than Hank is nowadays it seems and is a very talented guitarist. The clip above is not from Shadowmania but there are clips of him playing with his group and guesting with others at those events.

 

I attended every Shadowmania and really miss them. A lot of the groups were semi-professional but all really, really good. Coupled with a great sound in the venue (Lakeside Country Club Frimley Green) it gave me the chance to hear the Shadows' music played live and to a high standard, something I wasn't around for in the 1960s. It has given me the chance to meet some of my 'heroes'. The only Shadows not to appear were (not including Ian Samwell (RIP) and Terry Smart were Hank himself, John Rostill ((RIP), John Farrar and Tony Meehan- although hevhad veen in the audience. There is a lot of of YouTube footage of Shadow mania featuring the likes of the Rapiers,  Bruce Welch's Moonlight Shadows amongst others.

 

It was nice to see the Shads on national television and not being mocked. There is a tale of Mark Knopfler appearing on Parkinson who kept trying to dismiss the Shads and Hank but Mr Knopfler was having none of it.

 

There were two previously unseen bits of film from 1957 with Bruce playing a Gretsch/Gibson (sorry not sure which) and Hank with his unloved Antoria which was used pre Strat. Was mildly amused at the references to Hank and Bruce being founder members as Move It was played underneath.. Technically I spose they were founder members of the Shadows but that is only because they had changed the group's name from The Drifters. Founder members were Cliff, Norman Mitcham, Ken Pavey and Ian 'Sammy' Samwell on guitars with Terry Smart on drums. When it came to Move It only Cliff, Ian Samwell (who played rhythm) and Terry Smart were on it aided by Ernie Shear (a session guitarist) on lead and Frank Clark (another sessionist) on upright bass. 

 

Overall though I think the film was very good although maybe mentioning how Hank came to adopt the echo unit unit would have been included. This was from Joe Brown, the ex-Plaistow fireman who was a session guitarist and played lead for Billy Fury on the sublime 10' "Sound of Fury" which was self written before the Beatles apparently invented such a thing... The Shads- particularly Hank and Bruce were also prolific song writers but this wasn't touched on. They contributed most of the numbers for Cliff's 'Me and My Shadows' LP in 1960 again before the Beatles 'invented' such a thing as the BBC seem so keen to point out. 

 

Looking forward to hearing something Shadows-like on that magnificent guitar Andrew- played through an echo unit and Vox AC30 amp (there is a good doc on Vox-from Dartford- on YouTube.). Thanks for sharing.

[Andrew P]

32 minutes ago, Natalie said:

 

That is Justin Daish who started off on the Shadows forums sending in videos of him playing to backing tracks. As he has got older he seems to have morphed into Hank Martin and is very well regarded on the Shadows scene. He played lead in a group 'The Shadowers'. He is more Hank than Hank is nowadays it seems and is a very talented guitarist. The clip above is not from Shadowmania but there are clips of him playing with his group and guesting with others at those events.

 

I attended every Shadowmania and really miss them. A lot of the groups were semi-professional but all really, really good. Coupled with a great sound in the venue (Lakeside Country Club Frimley Green) it gave me the chance to hear the Shadows' music played live and to a high standard, something I wasn't around for in the 1960s. It has given me the chance to meet some of my 'heroes'. The only Shadows not to appear were (not including Ian Samwell (RIP) and Terry Smart were Hank himself, John Rostill ((RIP), John Farrar and Tony Meehan- although hevhad veen in the audience. There is a lot of of YouTube footage of Shadow mania featuring the likes of the Rapiers,  Bruce Welch's Moonlight Shadows amongst others.

 

It was nice to see the Shads on national television and not being mocked. There is a tale of Mark Knopfler appearing on Parkinson who kept trying to dismiss the Shads and Hank but Mr Knopfler was having none of it.

 

There were two previously unseen bits of film from 1957 with Bruce playing a Gretsch/Gibson (sorry not sure which) and Hank with his unloved Antoria which was used pre Strat. Was mildly amused at the references to Hank and Bruce being founder members as Move It was played underneath.. Technically I spose they were founder members of the Shadows but that is only because they had changed the group's name from The Drifters. Founder members were Cliff, Norman Mitcham, Ken Pavey and Ian 'Sammy' Samwell on guitars with Terry Smart on drums. When it came to Move It only Cliff, Ian Samwell (who played rhythm) and Terry Smart were on it aided by Ernie Shear (a session guitarist) on lead and Frank Clark (another sessionist) on upright bass. 

 

Overall though I think the film was very good although maybe mentioning how Hank came to adopt the echo unit unit would have been included. This was from Joe Brown, the ex-Plaistow fireman who was a session guitarist and played lead for Billy Fury on the sublime 10' "Sound of Fury" which was self written before the Beatles apparently invented such a thing... The Shads- particularly Hank and Bruce were also prolific song writers but this wasn't touched on. They contributed most of the numbers for Cliff's 'Me and My Shadows' LP in 1960 again before the Beatles 'invented' such a thing as the BBC seem so keen to point out. 

 

Looking forward to hearing something Shadows-like on that magnificent guitar Andrew- played through an echo unit and Vox AC30 amp (there is a good doc on Vox-from Dartford- on YouTube.). Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Natalie, Some really great info. Although were a 50's / 60's covers band, the only Shads stuff we normally do is Apache, but normally open the evening with Move it.

I've never owned an AC30 as much as I would love to, but I couldn't even lift one these days, but I did have a Vox Tonelab with all the sounds from many Amps, Cabs and pedals on board.

My main rig of course is the Bass so I do have Squire Jet Harris look alike for Giging.

 

 

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Again, I started to read and rate the posts hereon, and I was going great guns when Firefox crashed for the fifth time this week - this time I had to shut the laptop down and do a reboot - then this site was running slowly for me, so as I am about to go and make the dinner, I have managed to miss many posts and again I apologise - ERs is really moving too fast for me, I'm afraid.  

 

Todsy was bookwork this morning, as I got a bank statement yesterday, and it appears that 30747's furlough has gone through, as she got a payment of 80% of her normal monthly pay (and oddly, she was paid for Easter, which she isn't if paid by her boss) - then a trip to WCF to get 30747 some compost - expensive, but it's just up the road, so not a massive detour. then a walk round the block - these hills are still steep, then I pressure washed the garage door - so I'm pretty kn*ckered now.

 

However, tomorrow is my birthday, and I hope to be able to do a little more leasure than I have been able to do of late.  It marks the start of my 69th trip round the sun, so yes I'm 68 tomorrow.  I will be looking in here as much as I can.

 

Meantime, it's pork shoulder steaks with stuffing, new potatoes, and veg to be prepared, with a glass of something - possibly a nice port afterwards.

 

Back tomorrow

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited May 2, 2020 by 45156

[Tony_S]

Aditi announced at lunchtime that pizza was almost ready, there were ants swarming and the Sky remote wasn’t working and she couldn’t turn the tv off. She had only turned the tv on to record a film. Anyway we have now eaten pizza , powdered ants and have not one but three working Sky remotes. I looked up how to fix Sky remotes on YouTube and practised on a couple of old ones that were in a spares (junk) box. Then I tried the latest failure and that now works too. Each one was different. The latest one was actually easiest, only one screw to find. 
We had a post delivery today, no letters just a small parcel. I did have a letter yesterday from the cardiologist. She confirmed I do have a heart (though a damaged one) but she is going to refer me onwards to an intervention team. The intervention team do stents and bypass surgery but she had said previously she thought I was beyond stenting so I suppose I will be hearing from Basildon soon. Basildon is the regional centre for heart surgery.  It does seem that the NHS is getting back on track for things other than Covid 19 stuff. However I can’t have my heart meds changed as planned as there are no routine blood tests taking place locally. 
It has stopped being sunny now. 
Tony

[Andrew P]

28 minutes ago, 45156 said:

Afternoon All

 

 

 

However, tomorrow is my birthday, and I hope to be able to do a little more leasure than I have been able to do of late.  It marks the start of my 69th trip round the sun, so yes I'm 68 tomorrow.  I will be looking in here as much as I can.

 

Meantime, it's pork shoulder steaks with stuffing, new potatoes, and veg to be prepared, with a glass of something - possibly a nice port afterwards.

 

Back tomorrow

Regards to All

Stewart

Have a goodun Stewart.Many Happy Whatsits.

[Simon G]

My garden thingys turned out to be digging out a grisolinia bush in the hedge and placing it in a different part of the hedge.  It had layered from the existing bushes and we have a gap caused by a deceased escallonia.  Digging out the escallonia was very hard work, as it was old and woody, but eventually a suitable hole was dug.  Then I dug out the grisolinia, only to find that it was in fact two separate plants.  One has gone into the dug hole, while the other has been potted up for probable future use.  Having completed that, I then decided to plant some beetroot and pea seeds, so those have gone in.  We just love the fresh peas, so a further two rows will be planted in due course.

 

After all that, I am quite knackered, so am taking a break before making tonight’s dinner, which will be a risotto, and which will use some of our peas (from the freezer) and the last of this year’s leeks, as well as a small packet of salmon trimmings.  Just the thought of it is making me hungry (which admittedly doesn’t take much!), so I will go and start it shortly.

[Barry O]

Afternoon all. Grass mown, tidying up complete. Tea is Fishcakes with Green Beans and a sauce (parsley)..Stationmaster Mike may have noticed that in one particular thread someone  is living in a sort of dream world.

 

TTFN 

Baz

[Tony_S]

6 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Stationmaster Mike may have noticed that in one particular thread someone  is living in a sort of dream world.

Is it iD’s breakfast thread?

[grandadbob]

Evenin' each,

Beer o'clock and I'm finishing the last of the Ruddles. Still got plenty of Tribute but probably need to get another order of something in. Ian (RH) would you recommend that Dartmoor Jail Ale?

Sainsbury's order came early and was mostly there, only a couple of items completely missing but a couple of substitutes were, shall we say to be kind, not quite right  but we'll keep them anyway. 

Another few hours spent in The Shed and everything now neat and tidy and I can start thinking about painting and ballasting track. Actually that's a lie, I've been thinking about it for a couple of days now.

Lovely neighbour Ali left another present today. 2 big hunks of parsnip cake and very tasty it was too. Didn't last long!

Pizza tonight, not one of my favourites but The Boss likes it so bearing in mind she normally cooks everything I like I mustn't complain.

Time for more beer 

Edited May 2, 2020 by grandadbob

[The Stationmaster]

Evening all,

 

Some interesting shopping tales today from the lad.  On a trip down to the town having heard that hand sanitiser and wipes were available at Boots (they still were when he got there) I asked him to get me some Optimist type eye spray.  He found the latter in the little chemist next door to WHS - £18.50 a throw - he came home without it sensible lad.  Anyway he decided a second walk was in order so headed for Tesco where, among other things, he got the eyespray, for £8.50!

 

He also brought home my prescription which I only ordered yesterday morning - so maybe things are quietening down a bit at the surgery?  But the interesting thing is yet again i have only been doled out one month's worth of most of the prescribed items instead of the usual 2 months or 3 month's worth for some of them.  This is supposedly to stop folk stockpiling medicines although quite how you do that when you can't get the stuff without having your script signed off is a bit beyond me.  But what it does mean for one of my medicines is that instead of having 4 prescriptions a year it is now 6 while for another it is now 12 instead of 4.  I don't pay of course but the NHS does - on the basis of one charge per prescribed drug so what it is now paying for ordinary prescription medicines has in some cases increased threefold, and that's before all the extra work it has created at ec very level in the system - weird.

[The Stationmaster]

29 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Is it iD’s breakfast thread?

As you were (if you read it before I started again).  Baz means this one, and there's some even stranger things said in here than anywhere else on RMweb (which takes some doing) 

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/149392-kr-models-announce-the-fell-in-oo-and-n/page/11/#comments

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by The Stationmaster

[Gwiwer]

Good prevening all.  That's the pre-evening time after afternoon and before evening.  According to Dr. Sheldon Cooper.  

 

A poor night was spent arguing with pillows and failing to sleep as hoped.  That resulted in a slow morning and a return to sleep another hour after breakfast but all seems well now.  

 

A tray of plants arrived from Kew Gardens which was anticipated and is a deal they are running to clear their shop of stock which would otherwise simply die and go to waste.  We are blessed with orange poppies, saxifrage, primulas and a purple flowery thing called pulsatilla which is new to me.  All have been immediately transferred to the beds around our block for which we now hold gardening responsibility.  

 

Also delivered was a half-dozen 0.5mm drilly-bits whihc has allowed me to spend a boring afternoon, quite literally, with tiny parts which require tiny holes made.  

 

SWMBO is dealing with kale and pinto beans which I am assured will taste much nicer than they sound in a smoked paprika sauce and enhanced by roasted sausages.  I'll let you know.  

 

[Erichill16]

I only want to explain and don’t want to upset anyone but putting my pharmacy hat on for a moment I’ll try to explain a little regarding supply issues of prescription medication.

At the moment there are SEVERE shortages of some medicines that are life saving. To give you an example one type of inhaler is in such short supply that I don’t order what I want/need for my patients, I get what I’m given (allowed to purchase) and am made to feel grateful. Now if I have Mrs Bloggs coming in with a prescription for two of these inhalers and I have two in stock, do I give her them both or do I save one for someone else? In fact it may not be quite as simple as that, what if I have one owing to Mrs Miggins and one to Father Edward? Who gets the inhalers now. Perhaps I should save them for the ‘owing’ patients, but perhaps they built up a stock and don’t really need them at all, so Mrs Miggins, who may be desperate does get one.

This is the sort of issues that are causing concern to me, who gets what and it shouldn’t be part of my job.

Dont want to scare monger,it’s only a few drugs but it does matter if you need them.

Anyway, All enjoy the rest of the day.

regards ROBERT.

 

[AndrewC]

Evening all. Bit o work done in the shed. Shopping secured. Have to go back to the vet on Monday as they changed their hours but forgot to update their website. Stopped in on the beer mile and grabbed a shed load of beers. 

 

Dinner was slow smoked cross cut bbq ribs, bacon wrapped asparagus, dirty courgettes. Most of the afternoon was patio and beers. I think we both needed the down time. 

 

Enjoy the evening. Knight awls. 

 

 

[Barry O]

Yes Mike..there are some people on there who must be slightly doolallying. ..or just plain daft.

 

That  may,  or may not, include me.

 

Baz

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. A package arrived today from Hong Kong. A couple of diecast Ford Transits, a police minibus and an ambulance, both in 00 scale. Only thing is they took nearly 2 months to arrive as the Chinese authorities only allow essential items to go air mail at the moment. I placed a second order for some other models a few days ago, this was a larger order and I was keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn't get stung for customs duty/VAT but it looks as if I've no need to worry as the customs declaration gives the cost of each model as 19HK$, a bit under £2. Done a 'big shop' today, the fridge was nearly empty, its not now. When I was in the store one of the assistants told me I was wearing my mask upside down, I wasn't even aware that there was a right way and a wrong way to wear a mask. Once I turned it over though I did notice a difference, my glasses didn't steam up.