Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

and a happy birthdauy to Chris's aunts and hoping they get through things so that Chris can see them again.

 

It's somewhat frosty outside and the 'feels like temperature is -5 but it might warm up by the time I set off to the chiropractor fr more mangling and probably a spot of pin sticking (two od f the previous ones are still in - just as well because they do work).   stranded with - Dick Strawbridge seem the ideal candidate if i can't have Jenny Agutter.  lovely lady who I once accidentally embraced when I fell out of a taxi at Paddington straight into her arms;  i think enjoyed our accidental (honest) collision more than she did).

 

Hobbies railways in all their forms but particularly certain specialised areas of railway history and development;  collecting railway ephemera;   travel - especially on trains of course;  ships and shipping;  postcard collecting (guess the subject areas  );  photography;  reading;  some aspects of gardening particularly if it involves concrete and bricklaying (yes, I've got a concrete mixer).

 

Like NHN's latest pict -  I presume it means that I might have actually met someone who rode in the Manx GP, wow!   BTW as far as bins are concerned we are currently on a waring that collections might be delayed or cancelled due to staff sickness/staff having to isolate and garden wast bin collection has been cancelled.

 

Have. a good day one and all and stay safe

[New Haven Neil]

Badly, Mike!  DNF lap 2 due to ventilated crankcase.  Had a rod sticking through it.....Supertwins are tuned 650cc road bikes, and....unreliable.  It rains conrods.  Supposed to be a cheap racing class, well it started that way but TBH as usual you now need to spend a kings ransom on engine preparation to stand half a chance.  They're talking of increasing the class to 660cc  to allow in new Triumphs and Aprilias, this will cost even more.   My mate Gordon was once third in the TT Sidecar, silver replica.  Now that is an achievement, more than blowing up in the  slowest class in the Manx!

[BoD]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I would have liked to paint or do something musical

Our front room needs doing and I don’t mind if you try to sing whilst you do it.

[laurenceb]

Hobbies. Too many. Obscrure railways. Old books, some of which are about same. Buses, Photography. Model making (badly) . Map of all kinds

[Tony_S]

24 minutes ago, BoD said:

Our front room needs doing and I don’t mind if you try to sing whilst you do it.

I hope you like magnolia. 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

If I were to be stranded on a desert island I would like Sooty to be my companion. 

 

 

Sooty?  Not a bad choice, though not much of a conversationalist..

 

 

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

Celebs on a desert island:  Difficult one that but somebody like Dick Strawbridge would probably be a handy companion.  Otherwise as mucky thoughts aren't allowed I shall just dream on.  

 

 

Dick Strawbridge?  Yes - useful and probably an interesting guy to talk to as well.

 

Bear has started the coving work, though not bits actually cut & glued yet - just the prep work.  The best news today is....Bear has a working cooker again so proper din dins scoffed (ok, so it was a frozen pizza + fries - but compared to recent offering this really was top notch dining).

[PeterBB]

14 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

... and an unexpected cymbal or two ...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/02/10/mixing-the-message/

Nice to see/hear a bit of Tchaikovsky.

[Tony_S]

After breakfast Aditi mentioned that we were having a supermarket delivery and one of us needed to clear the path to the front door. So “one of us” did.

Later in Aditi sent a photo of our back garden to our nieces. The little one noticed we hadn’t got a snowman so Aditi has gone out to make one to photograph for Nina. I am going to phone my niece next time it snows so she can tell her auntie that she noticed she doesn’t have a clear path. 

[polybear]

8 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I hope you like magnolia. 

 

In Bear's Brother & SiL's last house they redecorated after moving in.  Bedroom wallpaper stripped to reveal "Keely is the Star Child" in bl00dy great letters painted on the wall.  B & SiL thought "weird", then papered over the lot.  Next morning you could read the words thru' the new paper...

B went nuts and was about to rip the whole lot off before SiL stopped him, saying "leave it, you're not in the mood".  Next day the lettering was much fainter, and after a few days it had disappeared entirely due to the wallpaper drying out. 

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, polybear said:

, though not much of a conversationalist..

Precisely, good listener though. 

[PeterBB]

Sitting here on ER thought turned to perhaps a hobby of too much time on RMweb ... Covid has a lot to answer for as it took time to remember that there are some things that I like to do e.g. odd time trombone, choir singing but mainly family support.

 

Played last game of rugby at 43 (out of context) but earlier did a few years as a ref.  Like (but see previous posts on SWMBO comments) watching rugby and enjoy watching cricket - was not the best but did manage 45 runs once and 3 for 6 but normally ...  and of course many years as an active event first aider that did give the opportunity to at times watch some 'famous' playing without an enormous entry fee.  That reminds me, not seen Bill Bishop on here for ages - although he is part of 'the other one' that most of our former still active event first aiders have now transferred. 

 

Desert island - haven't a clue but hope it never happens.

Edited February 13, 2021 by PeterBB
Typo corrected to Bill (not Bob)

[PhilJ W]

Hello again from Estuary-Land. A bit of a will they/won't they over todays bin bag collection on social media last night but late in the evening it was 'on', so I then put the bags out before going to bed. However last nights unexpected snow has changed things and todays collection has been cancelled. As I mentioned my back garden has its own micro-climate. As soon as the sun appeared the snow near to the house rapidly disappeared but its still hanging about in the shady spots. A couple of years ago I had fences installed both sides at the front. The fence on the east side is only a foot or so from the drive. When I went out to defrost the car yesterday I found the drivers side of the car, which was only two or three feet from the fence was completely free of snow as was the drive beneath it so I have no worries about slipping getting in and out of the car. Belated birthday greetings to ChrisF's aunts and I'll be back later.

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, BoD said:

Our front room needs doing and I don’t mind if you try to sing whilst you do it.

Don't think that would really be classed as 'essential' though.

[Winslow Boy]

So readers of this esteemed forum will no doubt recall one of my previous postings/ramblings/pile of dribble- other descriptions are available, where I recounted our loss over some 'missing' holes.

 

Well after some prodding of the slumbering giant aka Balfour Beatty. I am delighted to be able to announce that we were honoured by the presence of one of its minions bearing a piece of paper. Said minion proffered the paper and from a suitably safe distance confirmed that a date had been chosen, presumably from a hat, for holes to be dug. The chosen date is next Wednesday. So I have duly rearranged the cars MoT and we now await the appearance of digging paraphernalia- it is much akin to what the Romans used when introducing themselves to the uncivilised aka the Celt's.

 

We are still waiting and are beginning to wonder whether this might have been an 'untruth' in order to raise our hopes. Meanwhile the lumbering bemammoth of hole diggers, gas fitters and associated- danger you are about to fall into a hole, 'ealf & safety barriers, has lumbered further onwards onto more benighted souls.

 

Yours waiting in anticipation of holes.

[Tony_S]

Although there were a few comments about “the wrong sort of snow” the nieces did get a photo of their Auntie and a snowman. 

 

[tigerburnie]

I'd like to say I built them, but I didn't, the vicars lads did

 

[Gwiwer]

Hobbies eh?  

 

Enjoying ales and wines, photography especially of night-time and other hard-to-get views such as birds in flight, walking and especially the South West Coast Path, weather-watching, Cornish history and legend.  Probably covers a lot of it.  Here's a few samples.  

 

Moonrise over Lanyon Quoit near Penzance, and with reflection in the pool of water beneath.

 

 

SWMBO's favourite picture of me (she took it!) capturing something on the clifftops of Pendeen

 

 

Yes, this is a path, why do you ask?  The South West Coast Path mid-way between St. Ives and Zennor on a section graded "Severe" for good reason.  

 

 

Representing both my years Downunder and another challenging night-time capture is the fountain in the centre of Adelaide, South Australia.

 

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Although there were a few comments about “the wrong sort of snow” the nieces did get a photo of their Auntie and a snowman. 

 

Message from her indoors..

 

"Bless"

 

Baz

[Barry O]

Got to pay for the service and MoT.. beast passed with flying colours..

 

My other hobbies include reading  (fiction and non fiction) armoured fighting vehicles , Missiles/rockets, submarines/warships, travel  ( no more january or february here in freezing britain any more..), enjoying good food and drink, aircraft, walking and watching cricket...even when I am umpiring!

 

Baz

[Gwiwer]

More from the cameras ..... all low-res copies of high-res originals to avoid busting the 10mb limit

 

A rather different view of the Sydney Opera House

 

 

One from the Palace of Attendance.  Perfect positioning of train and photographer saw this reflection in a tinted window neatly captured at Melbourne Flinders Street station.  Very low-res, this one, so sorry if it appears grainy.

 

 

"Never mind the storm, dad, let's play ball"  Frankston beach, Australia

 

 

Another from Frankston this time the sun lowers on a warm night (probably around 28C) seen through the pier

 

 

Lion, Trafalgar Square, with St. Martin-in-the-Fields behind 

 

 

Motion-blur is a challenge I enjoy.  Not all that hard to capture but not everyone's "thing" either.  

 

 

Bird-in-flight shots can be tricky as a very fast shutter speed is required in addition to a suitable location.  In this case the location is the Queenscliff - Sorrento ferry in Victoria, Australia, as  a local Silver Gull comes in to land on the railing

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Most of last nights snow has disappeared, only remaining in those places where the sun hasn't penetrated. Even better the frozen slush on the road in front of my house has gone and the road is drying out. It appears to be getting warmer as well. Now to check what the use by date lottery has for dinner tonight.

[The White Rabbit]

18 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Blue water sailing has been described as being indistinct from standing in the shower tearing up one hundred dollar bills.

 

Feel free to substitute your currency of preference.

 

Some people who sail (or perhaps their spouses?) would definitely recognise that description, personally, I'd class that as firmly in the 'getting it wrong' category!

 

 

Desert island companions? Excluding mucky thoughts seems to limit the scope quite a bit but I think I'd interview Robinson Crusoe, Thomas Cochrane, Ray Mears, Tony Hawks and David Jason.

[PhilJ W]

For a change who would you want to leave on a desert island?  Don't all rush now but N***l F****e tops my list. No politicians please  (unless disguised as I have done here.)

Edited February 11, 2021 by PhilJ W

[grandadbob]

I think that could get very political very quickly Phil.

[PhilJ W]

Deleted.

Edited February 11, 2021 by PhilJ W