Early Risers.

[BokStein]

Good evening all,

 

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Evening all,

 

No major news about anything apart from the GD and herself carrying out a raid on Tesco this morning duly securing - among other things - my prescription which opens an interesting and explains how the NHS wastes money.  I  Take two tegretol every day and have been doing so for over 20 years with an annual review by the GP who just asks if they are still doing what they are supposed to do (they are, hence I'm allowed to drive a car). My last lot of pills were supplied on 19 June but today I received only enough to last one month, I used to get them every 3 months.  Irrespective of the quantity each lot I get equals one prescription charge to the NHS so once every 3 months equals 4 prescription charges a year but supply on a monthly basis equals 12 prescription charges per annum.

 

My Practice rang me to tell me that they would only be giving me one month's supply instead of the usual 2 months as "drugs were in reduced supply due to Covid"!

 

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Net result is that it costs the NHS three times as much to provide this particular medication for me, i wonder which over-promoted (beyond toilet attendant) idiot thought up that bit of cleverness? 

 

Does it? I guess the answer to that is by how much the Practices are contributing towards the real cost of the drugs. I suspect this is likely to be higher than the associated admin costs incurred through generating more repeat scripts.

[roundhouse]

7 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

 

And another thing.  We received our first steam-hauled charter since lockdown with something big, green and called "Braunton" putting up a magnificent display on its way to somewhere else.  We were due to have had a charter a couple of weeks ago but that was cancelled probably due to low post-lockdown bookings.  

 

I went to my nearby footbridge north of Redhill to photograph it. Good job that I didnt intend ot video it as there were two rather noisy sheep dogs giving their handler a hard time. Two Eastern European women with a chair were,  also there along with two other chaps, so it was busy but all socially distanced. Braunton was on its way to Hastings.

[Gwiwer]

7 minutes ago, roundhouse said:

I went to my nearby footbridge north of Redhill to photograph it. Good job that I didnt intend ot video it as there were two rather noisy sheep dogs giving their handler a hard time. Two Eastern European women with a chair were,  also there along with two other chaps, so it was busy but all socially distanced. Braunton was on its way to Hastings.

I did manage a slightly naughty video of it passing through the House of Fun.  

 

I am not permitted to use the private phone on duty and not permitted to use the work one whilst dispatching trains.  I happened to be at the very end of platform 12 (Up Brighton Fast) dealing with a 12-car Electrostar and fending off the protests of several camera-toting persons when it appeared.  I thought we might be "bowled" but the up train cleared just in time for an interesting clip with the tail end of a modern electric unit departing to reveal a chuffing, whistling and grey-smoking beast thundering towards us.  

 

Unfortunately I can't upload it here because (1) the site won't accept a video directly meaning it needs an external host and (2) the audio includes a staff message captured from my two-way radio which should not be placed in the public domain.  

 

If I can edit it another time then maybe.  Until then it's goodnight from me.  

[simontaylor484]

Swmbo went into town earlier i needed a.bike puncture repair kit to fix an airbed she went into Wilko can't get a picture repair kit but I  could have had a selection box though as a consolation prize of i wasn't diabetic.

Not long after calming down after a rant over its not even mid September and Xmas stuff 

A delivery arrived for the Mrs it was some artificial fox tail grass i ordered her off Ebay. Damn it looks nothing like the picture of was only 2 quid from China 

Luckily she saw the funny side i did think I would be having a trip to A&E to have them surgically.removed

[Erichill16]

Evening,

Day spent mostly gardening but a friend popped round to bring me a belated birthday present. Other than tha nothing much to report. 
Just like to mention that in April there was a real supply issue with some medical items as people were ordering items ‘just in case’ and that did lead to problems for others. Don’t know how much Brexit will be an issue on supplies, just another item to contend with I suppose. Roll on next year.

Goodnight,

Robert

 

[Coombe Barton]

Moonshot?

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/09/10/a-hundred-and-ten-years/

[simontaylor484]

John 

The Psalm 23 chant was rather good looked like it was filmed in Denmark?

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I've been sorting through a pile of books and found a few that I'd forgotten I had. One thing that I must do is get another bookcase, or maybe two as I think one will fill up rather rapidly.

[tigerburnie]

Evening, not a bad day at all, after the MOT on the car we went over the hills to Aboyne, as there was no one in the Whisky shop I ventured in and bought a bottle, first time I've been in a shop since the beginning of March, unless I run out of whisky, I may not bother again until next March lol. The ice cream shop was shut in Stonehaven, so we didn't linger, massive crowds from a few weeks back have vanished too. On the subject of prescription meds, I get a thing called "CMS", no need for repeat scripts, I just turn up once a month at the chemist and there they are, no bothering Docs or the dragon on the desk, no signatures, not even mine, been on it for a couple of years, works for me.

 

G'night all

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Well I didn’t get much done on the platform I intended to build, the only thing I managed was to alter the kits handrails, which was left taped to a wooden block so it sets square. In the meantime, I made a new insulated sprung plunger. The kit was originally designed to collect power via 2 sprung plungers running on a 2 part split slip ring. I’ve altered the slip ring making it now a continuous one piece slip ring, which feeds one rail, the second rail now gets its power feed from the central axle. With only the one plunger is required, the spring, which pushes up against the underside of the rail as it is supposed to, but this made the bridge lean slightly to one side, so needed sorting out. So I designed and made an insulated plunger, this acts on the slip ring the same way as the other, pushing against the underside of the other rail, but isn’t electrically connected to the slip ring, resulting in the bridge no longer leaning.

 

Here’s a photo of the plunger and connecting lead, the black line close to where the lead is connected is a 1mm plastic washer, which ‘electrically’ separates the two ends. The thinner pip runs on the slip ring, the wider part with the lead soldered on to it connects (via the original bronze spring) to the underside of the bridge rail. 

 

Goodnight all. 

 

Brian. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

I once rode a motorcycle from Tyneside to Plymouth with the potential Mrs NHN on the back, 1982 or 3.

in 1954 my Uncle had a 125cc BSA Bantam. He and a mate travelled from Birmingham to Gorran Haven, about ten miles south of St Austell, to join us on a family holiday. We had travelled on the Friday night train and had our breakfast in St Austell at 7am on Saturday morning. They took over 24 hours to get there including a sleep and it was almost dark when they arrived. Unfortunately they arrived at high tide, a very high one, and didn't realise that at such a time the water came up past the top of the beach and up the road. They managed not to drop the bike in the sea but got their boots full of water in the process.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

1954 my Uncle had a 125cc BSA Bantam. He and a mate travelled from Birmingham to Gorran Haven, about ten miles south of St Austell

Not quite as far but my grandfather and my Dad once had an interesting trip to Somerset from Birmingham on a Lambretta. 

I was three and my parents were planning to move to Clevedon in Somerset. Dad had to go down for some reason so he and Granddad set off after work. I can remember my mother being really anxious as they didn’t get back until early the next day. I can still remember my father's complaint that his father refused to accept he had taken a wrong turn. It was only when they got to Bridgwater that he accepted he was wrong. Strange how Bridgwater stuck in my memory. 

Tony
 

[brianusa]

Don't remind me!  I had one once and got stuck in the tramlines in Plymouth long after the trams had gone!

My only bike and after that incident, it was cars.  Much safer!

    Brian.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all.

[simontaylor484]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

Don't remind me!  I had one once and got stuck in the tramlines in Plymouth long after the trams had gone!

My only bike and after that incident, it was cars.  Much safer!

    Brian.

According to family legend my Grandad got a trailer wheel stuck in the Leeds tramlines he had to drive to the depot to get the trailer jacked up as there were iron castings in it making it too heavy to lift out.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Goodnight all, from Greencountry.

 

Douglas

[BR60103]

7 hours ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

 

Then I wondered how to tell the difference between a girl pigeon and a boy one.

Even more so, how do pigeons tell the difference?! 

 

The turtle lives twixt plated decks

Which totally conceal its sex.

I think it clever of the turtle

In such a fix to be so fertile.

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by BR60103
remembered poem

[BR60103]

We once came back to Toronto from Florida in 2 days. That looks like 1370 miles total. There were two of us driving but we never tried that again.

One year we were coming back (this time in the motorhome) and started in southern Kentucky. Instead of stopping at Detroit, swmbo kept going due to snowy weather -- she didn't want to get off the motorway -- and she drove from there home. That day was 637 miles.

I'm lucky in that there are always 2 of us on any major trip. The only times there weren't were the first years of our marriage, when I didn't know how.

 

[Ozexpatriate]

Hello everyone. I hope you are all keeping well.

 

This is a quick drop-in from troubled Portland. I haven't kept up with you all. If I have missed any injuries, illnesses or personal tragedies, please accept my sympathies / condolences in absentia.

 

By "troubles" I'm not referring to the >100 consecutive days of overly politicized but relatively isolated protesting. Even 100 days of deliberately provocative fires mostly set in the middle of the road using mattresses and dumpsters are nothing compared with the destructive forces of climate change.

 

After a mostly delightful summer, and with warmer than average September temperatures, on Monday the wind changed to the east. Instead of Mary Poppins and a spoonful of sugar, the offshore airflow brought smoke, 50 mph wind gusts and explosive wildfires on the west slopes of the Cascade Mountains. 

 

On Tuesday afternoon I ran an errand southeast of here. The easterly winds exploded the Beachie Creek wildfire on the west side of Mount Jefferson down the Santiam River valley. Running an errand, looking south, from south of the Willamette River and the Portland metro area the wildfire smoke looked like this:

By Wednesday the combined Beachie Creek and Lionshead fire complex ripped down the Santiam River valley largely destroying small towns along the very scenic Oregon Highway 22 like Detroit and Mill City. There have been reported fatalities. It is unclear whether there additional fatalities amongst people who have refused to evacuate. Wildfires are capricious. Often a home will be totally destroyed while an adjacent structure is intact. Even local TV reporting is uneven with the difficulties of accessing the fire damaged areas.

 

Wednesday saw eerie dark yellow skies. Interior lighting was needed even in the middle of the day.

 

The Portland area is literally surrounded by fires to the southeast, west, and southwest. There is even a fire at the coast.

 

The weather has been hotter than average. The combination of high forecast temperatures, topography and the heavy wildfire smoke created a temperature inversion. Due to heavy smoke aloft, sunlight did not heat up the air at ground level, such that the smoke which the east wind had earlier carried aloft, dropped today (Thursday) to ground level. (Despite forecast temperatures of 35°C, we didn't get above 25°C with the heavy pall of wildfire smoke today.)

 

Very close to home (literally out my front door) it looked like this earlier today:

Air quality is expected to be bad through Monday when we might see a little rain for the second time since the beginning of July.

 

Two fire complexes southeast of the Portland metro (the Riverside and Beachie Creek fires in two different counties) are combining this evening. With the temperature inversion, visibility is so bad that fire fighting crews have been withdrawn for their own safety and in the absence of VFR flying, the air tankers are grounded.  Based on local TV reporting, and including fires in southern Oregon, almost 1,000,000 acres of land in Oregon has been burnt in the last three days.

 

I had two alerts on my mobile telephone this evening that the town I visited on Tuesday afternoon (about 8 miles southeast as the crow flies) was under a Level 2*, "be set" evacuation order.  I saw some reporting that more than 10% of the state population (~500,000 people out of 4.2M) is currently under evacuation orders.

 

My previous home, a few miles away, is under Level 1 "get ready" evacuation orders. I believe these are precautionary and mostly related to county boundaries. It is hard to imagine that the wildfires southeast of the metro will actually cross the Willamette River but until there is a meaningful change in the weather, it's not over.

 

Throughout the western US, across California, Oregon and Washington, wildfires are widespread. Meanwhile after >100°F temperatures in Colorado on Saturday, it snowed there yesterday.

 

I hope things are less distressing for you all. Bring on the La Niña weather pattern!

 

 

 

* Oregon wildfire evacuation orders are:

1. Be ready (to leave)
2. Be set (to leave at a moment's notice)
3. Go! Leave now

Edited September 11, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all and welcome back to Ozexpatriate

 

Once in a while Radio 4 gets it absolutely spot on.  Yesterday morning listeners heard Sean Cooney of the Young’uns describe the process by which he comes to write songs about real people and real issues.  “Be The Man” is one of his and has had a profound effect on many people, me included.  Thanks to BBC Sounds I shall be listening to the programme again.  It is called “Art of Now: A Life in Song”.  It reminded me of one of the things I used to do for a living, which was to draft replies to letters from MPs to Ministers.  Although I say so myself, I got pretty good at seeing the issue through the eyes of whoever was to reply to the original letter.  I am just thankful that MPs did not raise issues like terrorist incidents on trains and religious homophobia in their letters to the Minister.  Those are just two of the topics tackled by Sean Cooney in his songs, with outstanding success.

 

Already I am nostalgic about my recent uninterrupted night’s sleep.  I am sure I will get used again to being wide awake at 3 am, as is so often the case.  There are still plenty of books full of trolleybus pictures to help send me to sleep with a smile on my face.  At least I did not drift off into a dream about the ironing that needs doing today.  That is truly a topic for the cold light of day.

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

Edited September 11, 2020 by chrisf
typo

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner temple Hare, 814/509

3 hours solid sleep, 3 hours interrupted sleep , an hours semi dozing..

 

Very cool Clears skies for Ben the happy Collies patrol. Nothing to chase but he found a scent to follow.. I suspect the deer that crossed my path soon after I left the driveway this morning..

 

Cockwomble..1 

Driving round the NDR at the limit.. 70mph, I pull out to over take the lorry in front of me.. the car catching up from behind accelerates heavily, undertakes and squeezes across in front of me..

Cockwomble 2, on the Industrial estate High speed white van man (probably from UPS) pulls out to pass a parked lorry causing me coming the other way  to brake to avoid him..

 

Although We don't have as big fires as the USA, I'm always slightly worried when we have a corn crop around out garden just nearing harvest.. I've seen many cornfield fires over the years else where.. The muddling shed and Mobile home wouldn't stand a chance..

 

Mid 1970's while I was attending the Civil Aviation Authority College in Bletchley Park, there was a guy there who would go home to, I think it was Grimsby way on a 50CC moped every weekend.... 150 miles at 30mph.. and he'd be back for class on the Monday morning...!!!

 

Time I went and saw the results of the next cross check..

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from a rather warm Charente.  And it's forecast to get warmer, 36 degrees on Tuesday.  Strange weather.  

 

Welcome to Ozexpatriate but not a good situation. I hope that you and our other west coast correspondents stay safe.

 

I got the tip run done yesterday but stupidly managed to post one of my gloves into a container along with some small cardboard boxes. I'll have to get a new pair. Then an excellent afternoon and evening out trainspotting at Poitiers.

 

This morning it's off with a mate to collect a trailer full of seasoned oak firewood from the barrel stave factory. The owner's retiring so it's down to €20 a stear. I'll be sorry to lose this source of wood. Not a lot else to report.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

Edited September 11, 2020 by jamie92208