Early Risers.

[polybear]

2 hours ago, jonny777 said:

A dry, sunny and frosty morning in North Somerset. 

 

I may be absent for a while, as I have bought an app called Train Station Simulator (yes, I know - but it is an American offering) and am having trouble with the station cleaners and getting people to travel on my trains. 

 

This could take a while.....

 

Passengers are just a pain in the ar5e anyway, and if you get shot of them the station won't get dirty.  Job done.

 

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Today is expected to be a quiet one Upon the Hill of Strawberries. Neighbours (next door) have moved out and kindly knocked our door last night to let us know they were gone. We were also awarded a box of chocolates and a card thanking us for being good neighbours.

 

Is that another lot you've driven out?  What's the count now - do you put little silhouette stickers on your front door for every one "shot down"...

 

39 minutes ago, PeterBB said:

Maybe the same happens with the military as waste seems to have become considerably worse since civilians became responsible for ordering and therefore paying attention to cost rather than suitability for purpose ... just a thought. 

 

Bear is aware of a certain company that charged six hundred quid for a bag of 100 13A domestic mains fuses in the mid-1990's, as well as sixteen hundred quid in the 1980's for a canvas haversack (think very, very basic here - 3 bits of canvas sewn together, plus some webbing straps for securing the flap and acting as a carrying handle)......

 

25 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

I got £5.10 from the Euro Millions on Friday, it must be ER's lucky week.

 

Bear had a email from some bloke called Ernie a couple of days ago.  I know it's not the milk bill, cos' the Co-op sort that number.  No idea what the score is though, as Bear will wait to see when it lands in the bank account as logging on to Ernie is a pain.

Just think:  "This time next year Hippo, we  sorry, Bear could be a millionaire".  Can you bathe in LDC? 

[Bulleidboy100]

Good afternoon

 

I noticed frog spawn in the pond this morning - Spring must be getting close?

 

Lottery awarded me £8.30 - life changing? I don't think so.

 

Stay safe,

[Tony_S]

15 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear is aware of a certain company that charged six hundred quid for a bag of 100 13A domestic mains fuses

I can remember working in a screw, bolt and rivet factory one summer in the 1970s where Dad worked. The screws and rivets were for aircraft. Some bolts were supplied individually boxed with certificates to prove everything the end user needed to know about the batch, how many had been tested from that batch etc. I remember one of the bolts was something that if it failed the helicopter it was fitted to would crash. Very similar fasteners were supplied to the Ford Motor Company but without documents and not individually wrapped. However on arrival at Dagenham if a random sample didn’t meet Ford’s standard the whole batch was rejected. 

[tigerburnie]

Afternoon all, we have dull and drizzly rain, been at it since dawn, so not much likely to happen today, daily Mahjong challenges to do to limber up the brain cells then lunch, I know how to live in the fast lane......................................take care all.

[iL Dottore]

14 hours ago, trisonic said:

I bet not many people here have heard of Harold Hill.................

Best, Pete.

Well I certainly have. Along with other names that live on in infamy: Romford, Gidea Park, Hornchurch, Billericay, Chelmsford, Brentwood or that sink of iniquity: Basildon. And whilst we are dwelling in the east for a moment or two, let’s not forget the chic, celebrity adored, bathing resorts of Clacton, Southend and Canvey Island.

At the age of 12, I couldn’t wait to leave Gidea Park and travel to, what was for me at that time,  sophisticated Bologna. When I left (in 1968) Gidea Park, like Hornchurch and Brentwood (to name but three) were still firmly rooted in the late 50s.

 

It is only now, in my sixth decade, that I am starting to appreciate Essex anew. The various cultural, familial and emotional baggage of my teens to forties have vanished into memory and it’s time to reappraise where I spent a good chunk of my childhood.

 

Despite the intervening teens to forties,  I never lost the  fond memory of taking the semi-fast train from Gidea Park to Liverpool Street station. The station names; Gidea Park – Romford –  Ilford – Stratford - London Liverpool Street; all still have a resonance with me.  As do the EMU rolling stock I travelled in: the class 302s, 305s, 306s, 307s (although most of my journeys away in the class 306s. Never did ge to travel on the Clacton Express [Class 309s]).

 

iD

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl, 

Christmas happened, the house of strong ladies delivered, and for a change, it was a lady and British...

Rechargable Batteries for the PMR radios, 50 angle grinder cutting disks, a replacement CD for one that went missing between warehouse and delivery depot last week, and...some glue ..

 

I was just arriving back from the Big walk, as instructed by Ben the I want a walk Collie.,

Yesterday 1 daffodil was thinking about opening, today about 50 or 10% of the growing wild total en-route. Also flowering, wild primroses, and celandine. The farmers ditches are now well down on water levels, there are big piles of dredgings along the main dykes, I bet he wishes he'd had that done before this years heavy rain.. it will be tested heavily this week looking at the forecast.

 

Today however we set off with 100% cloud and returned with 100% blue skies..

 

Last week's 160  £200 fines seem to have paid off , yesterday just one car, today 1 other a 4x4 new ish Audi first registered in Wales.

 

Today's work,

One unit of shelving installed,  more bits made, and painted for the next section. But I'm out of MDF, so that's a landy trip tomorrow, later in the week the forecast is too wet and windy.

 

Trailer, 3/4 of the undersides and side, of the rear 2/3 is now wife brushed, and painted with zinc paint.

Next week fit the new axle, and then wire brush and zinc the front 1/3 .

 

Time to finish this glass of red, inspect eyelids. , Then a long soak in the bath.

 

 

[NGT6 1315]

A'noon all. Happy to report Livia said hello to the world at 11.53 and is well!

 

Due to COVID regulations, no visitors are permitted until discharge, so I made the most of the time we had today. I'll see if I can get a couple of days off on short notice as I didn't book in all of my annual leave yet.

 

But, now I, too, need some rest. I didn't get a lot of sleep this past night.

 

Have a good one, whatever you're up to!

[sixoh8sixoh]

Congratulations Dominik!

[sixoh8sixoh]

2 hours ago, BSW01 said:

 opto-interruptors. 

Is that a posh term for eyelids? 

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, sixoh8sixoh said:

Congratulations Dominik!

Congratulations from us too.

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

Is that another lot you've driven out?  What's the count now - do you put little silhouette stickers on your front door for every one "shot down"...

Yes.  Something like that  

 

Many of our neighbours are students.  They typically stay for a year and move on, often assigning their tenancy to a friend which effectively means the student presence rolls on.  It has been uncommon for a flat to be "all out" and re-let entirely.  But this past year has changed a lot of things.  Many students spent a long time with their families and have only recently returned.  The university is still closed to many lectures but as it specialises in sports a significant number of students requires face-to-face time which they are permitted.  Next door has moved earlier than they planned.  They were due to leave in June but arranged deals with the agent to suit their circumstances.  The couple has moved into a flat of their own in the same block which was ready and would otherwise have been re-let to someone else, one has moved in with her partner a few miles away and the third has departed for her family home.  I don't quite know how one graduates in trampolining or hockey, nor even rugby coaching (female rugby coaches coaching mixed groups at that) but apparently they do.  

 

I shall carve another notch on the door-frame as they sign the keys back on Tuesday!   In turn we inherit a mother-and-kids from a first-floor flat who have requested ground-floor accommodation.  In the great merry-go-round of all things it works in everyone's favour.  

 

Sorry to hear the news from Baz.  Delighted to hear the news from Dom.  Heliopaws Theofrastus Willoughby Pussycat (to give him his full name) remind Mike that his kind are wont to wander at times and turn up hours, days or even weeks later as if nothing has happened.  At least all's well in the Stationmaster household.  

 

 

[laurenceb]

Congratulations Dom

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Sorry, been AWOL for almost a week, but mojo for anything computerised has gone down the pan - I'm just getting sick of it now, and yesterday, I logged on for the first time in days, to have a notification of a very large W10 update, and I felt that I had to let it happen right away - good job I did, as it took a good 3/4 of an hour to download and apply it - mind you, I should have known better that to choose to so it on a Saturday morning, when the broadband speeds were abysmal anyway.  God knows how long it would have taken pre fibre when I was only gettting about 8mb.

 

Then today, I got ANOTHER W10 update notification, and that luckily only took a few minutes.

 

Anyway, heartiest greetings and congrats or commiserations are offered from this quarter.

 

Not a great deal to report from here.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

And whilst we are dwelling in the east for a moment or two, let’s not forget the chic, celebrity adored, bathing resorts of Clacton, Southend and Canvey Island.

In  Victorian Times “Canvey on Sea” was for a time “the” place to enjoy the sea breezes. A local entrepreneur even built a monorail to transport tourists to the ferry crossing to Benfleet Station. The bridges came much later. 
Southend almost became what Brighton did. The Prince Regent visited a few times but settled on Brighton for some reason eventually. Southend was originally the south end of Prittlewell Parish. All I can say about  Clacton  is that I once was served the worst fish and chips I have ever seen. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Tony_S

[chrisf]

Happy families to Dom and Elise!

[Andrew P]

46 minutes ago, NGT6 1315 said:

A'noon all. Happy to report Livia said hello to the world at 11.53 and is well!

 

Due to COVID regulations, no visitors are permitted until discharge, so I made the most of the time we had today. I'll see if I can get a couple of days off on short notice as I didn't book in all of my annual leave yet.

 

But, now I, too, need some rest. I didn't get a lot of sleep this past night.

 

Have a good one, whatever you're up to!

Congrats Dom, nice one.

[Gwiwer]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Let’s not forget the chic, celebrity adored, bathing resorts of Clacton.....

 

Despite the intervening teens to forties,  I never lost the  fond memory of taking the semi-fast train from Gidea Park to Liverpool Street station. The station names; Gidea Park – Romford –  Ilford – Stratford - London Liverpool Street; all still have a resonance with me.  As do the EMU rolling stock I travelled in: the class 302s, 305s, 306s, 307s (although most of my journeys away in the class 306s. Never did ge to travel on the Clacton Express [Class 309s]).

Clacton-on-Sea : God's waiting room (Essex Division) along with its neighbours Holland-on-Sea, Frinton-Keep-Off-The-Greensward and Wart-on-the-Noze.   Both my father's parents ended their days there.  My aunt and uncle too, though after aunt obliged by medical circumstances to leave her bungalow and remove to a home in Holland-on-Sea we declared Clacton "safe"   

 

We therefore paid a number of visits.  We holidayed as a family in that hell-hole of all hell-holes the caravan park at Jaywick Sands.  It wasn't good then and it is utterly dire now.  But we did get to ride on the Class 309 "Clacton Electrics".  Including having morning tea in the Griddle Car when such facilities remained on offer.  They were as fast as their reputation suggests and were maroon when we first knew them; the only BR EMU sets ever to be so liveried.  I timed one at slightly above the "ton" once.  As with iD the place-names still roll off the tongue stating with Liverpool Street - Stratford - Maryland ....... and ending with Thorpe-le-Soken (splitting front six cars for Clacton, rear four for Walton) and Clacton-on-Sea.  As iD regrets never having enjoyed the 309s so I regret having missed the Britannias by just a few years on the same run.  

 

306s ran the Gidea Park stoppers and occasionally ventured out to Shenfield.  They were LNER style and comfortable if already showing some age.  The 302 / 305 / 307 / 308 fleet was as mundane as the Southern's EPB / HAP types and were both inwardly and outwardly quite similar to casual eyes.  Boring.  I never gave them much thought.  I haven't been to Clacton in years now.  The last trip was my aunt's funeral.  I remember the trip back was aboard a class 321 unit (not even the "express" 360 that were bought for the Clacton run) which was very much a suburban unit and which also had problems.  The suspension bottomed out on numerous occasions one of which was severe enough to cause an emergency brake application.  We limped into Liverpool Street shaken but not stirred.  I wonder if I shall ever have cause to turn right at Colchester again.  

 

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon.  Firstly congrats to Dom and Elise!

 

4 miles walk has been had, hips absolutely knackered now.  It is actually sunny, for the first time in days, the grey overcast was getting a touch monotonous.  Should be OK tomorrow by the look of it (Mrs NHN's first day in her new job!) then it looks as if it is going to be very wet indeed.

 

PhilJ, yes, I got terrible achey joints, anywhere that arthur itis has his interests in, hips, knees, fingers.....3 days worth.  Pfizer jab.  Preferable to having covid though.  An old police colleague has long covid now, and is really quite ill indeed.  Big tough bloke, ex-forces, 28 years in the police, brought to his knees with it.  Deniers should take a long look.  

[New Haven Neil]

Here's something for our guitar playing music lovers.

 

The toccata from Widor's 5th is well known as one of my favourites preferably played on a Cavaille-Coll pipe organ, but I came across this, and was intrigued!

 

 

[The White Rabbit]

Firstly, a confession: 

 

18 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

A throwback to the earlier chat about tea and coffee - I'm one of the unusual people who doesn't drink either. I tried but couldn't find anything I cared for, so stopped bothering.

 

17 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear doesn't drink either; when I finished my apprenticeship and joined the Trials Dept.  (= lots of Jollies, Hotels etc etc) and mentioned I didn't drink, one of the guys responded with "Well, you can't be a Trials Engineer if you don't drink....".  Then another said "Hang on lads....he can drive....".  Sorted.

 

I didn't phrase this very well. I don't drink tea or coffee. 'Anything' was the range of teas and coffees on offer, rather than alcoholic beverages, my apologies for any confusion. 

 

And that's probably why I didn't learn how to drive a minibus before I was 21! 

 

What might shock people is that I don't drink beer. Despite being a Yorkshireman by both birth and upbringing, I have never been able to enjoy ale. Cider, yes, wine, mais oui monsieur, but ale (or lager) I cannot drink. 

 

17 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear would like a kitty, but situations like this (not that there are many Coyotes around here, just plenty of cars) puts Bear off the idea, along with the complications of care when going on holiday.

 

Not many coyotes round here either but work and holidays can both be difficult for four legged companions. At the risk of provoking the awl, I know Metcalfes have had many cats at their place but with a railway line on one side and a road on the other, sadly there have been quite a few fatalities over the years. I did know one family with a Manx cat, it was much more part of the family than the stereotypical aloof cat and behaved more like a dog, even to the extent of going on holiday with them. Caused some surprise when booking self-catering cottages, the firms were very used to people asking about dogs but taking a cat on holiday? Sorry, I think I've misheard you. Oh, no I haven't. Errr.... 

[The White Rabbit]

Congratulations to Dom.  

 

Mushrooms and bacon had for breakfast. One unscientific benchmark of the quality of the bacon seems to be the detritus in the grill pan - that from our local butcher and some of the premium material from the local Waitrose doesn't leave much at all. The cheaper rashers leak an awful lot of water and fat. I'd sooner it was in the pan than inside me but even so, it's a poor advert for the quality of the meat. 

 

No lottery win for me but I think that's due to the very unreasonable rule about having to enter to win. Tut tut... 

 

The weather's been fairly grey but the sun's starting to emerge. Lumberjacking completed this morning, several loads of brushwood destined for the local tip. Several substantial logs destined for next door, who have a log burner. And yes, we did get to shout 'timber' a few times. Next door's dog was ever so impressed... didn't know which stick to chase. 

[Barry O]

Congratulations to @NGT6 1315 and Elise!

 

Been for a "routine" eye check up. Same guy who lasered one of my eyes saw me. Pressures OK, optic nerve fine in both eyes,  "vision test OK.. sounds like me and the "specialist " at the local GP/eye clinic need to have  chat... perhaps he should take up origami??

 

For some reason going into surgeries really take sit out on me... now totally whacked!

 

Baz

[BlackRat]

Jabs booked.......apparently now they are jabbing anyone over the age of 56......... who knew?

 

Not us apparently, and many others as well I suspect. Luckily a mate messaged us about it so we went on line and tried and.......success!

 

Got in before the deluge of over 56ers so next Thursday it is.

 

Good day all round, lovely walk along the estuary, 2 toots from two different choo choos and a wave from a nice lady driver into the bargain.

 

Even managed a blast on the bike, ahem purely to go and buy a pint of milk of course!

 

Stay safe one and all.

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Here's something for our guitar playing music lovers.

 

The toccata from Widor's 5th is well known as one of my favourites preferably played on a Cavaille-Coll pipe organ, but I came across this, and was intrigued!

 

 

Brilliant.

Our Lead Guitarist has a Roland thingy for when we do Dire Straits and House of the Rising Sun etc.

[TheQ]

My forepaws are screaming in pain just watching that video..  good skill though..

 

It seems one half of the family supporting a blue team are very happy, the other half of the family supporting a green or green and white hooped teams are not so happy.. I added to the messages with a comment about 22 overpaid men.

 

One thing...

SAFETY.

 

Today I de caked the rubber element of the face mask , that is, it was brought into the house , washed, washed with a thin bleach solution, then rinsed, it's now hanging to the workshop to dry.

 

Today's replaceable filter was black after use ( white new), this is just with an hour and a halves wire brushing outside in the open air.. The thought of red lead and rust down your lungs!!!

 

Also I found a piece of wire embedded in my padded overalls from the brush.

I'm very glad I was wearing, the overalls, goggles , gloves, face mask and ear defenders.. Those tubes don't half ring!!! 

Had that bit of wire been at my eyes and  had they been unguarded  it would have been disaster...

 

Wear your safety kit...

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by TheQ