Early Risers.

[Pacific231G]

32 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

When we had the Video Shop in Buckfastleigh (Sight and Sound), it was opposite the Ratio Factory, and I would often walk down to the Railway with our 3 Dogs.

The Shop down there was rubbish at the time (1987 - 1990) and I never rode on the Train as I had no real interest in British Railways as I was modelling Continental HO at that time.

The Line was in its infancy back then, and I have been on it since, and it was lovely.

 

We had a Bungalow in Buckfast just along from the Abbey, but again we never went in, as our Shop seemed to take up most of our time, but we did get to know quite a few of the Monks when they came into our Shop.

 

Happy days.

 

 

Hi Andrew

I did some volunteering on the Dart Valley for a brief period  around 1968 when I was at college in Plymouth.  That was before it opened and I mainly worked on PW riding out to various sites on a Wickham trolley. On one occcasion I did get to walk up to Ashburton on a track inspection when they were sill hoping to include it . Unfortunately, the MofT had other designs on the route- well, you've got to build bypasses haven't you.   

[Barry O]

A gentle stroll to the butchers has been made. As well as some smoked back bacon a lamb and mint, a meat and potato and a large growler has been procured.  

 

Now to make clean things dirty...

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

29 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

I did some volunteering on the Dart Valley for a brief period  around 1968 when I was at college in Plymouth.

@Pacific231G Did you know Wally Watson?

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

It is sunny here but I have been informed that gardening will take place this morning as rain is forecast for this afternoon. Yellow thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow. 
We had thought about going for a walk at Hyde Hall this afternoon but instead there was a plan to walk round the bird reserve on Canvey but perhaps not if the rain is heavy. We have just had a quick call from MiL.Calls now are often “what time is the tennis on and who is playing today?”

Tony

[PupCam]

1 hour ago, Pacific231G said:

well, you've got to build bypasses haven't you

Not certain Arthur Dent agrees with that sentiment

 

Alan

[petethemole]

Mornin' all, turned out nice again.

 

I had a very restless night with little sleep, not helped by being woken from one doze at 5.30 am by somebody shouting abuse not far away, for about 15 minutes. 

 

The usually mundane shopping trip to Eastleigh was enlivened yesterday when my return trip was blocked by a bus on fire on Southampton Road.  Fortunately my bus was still in a position to turn at a roundabout and go round the houses to regain our route.  It turned out to be one of the same company's buses. which was completely destroyed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-57684381

It's knackered the road surface, https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19415298.southampton-road-closed-weekend-eastleigh-bus-fire/

 

I'll be off there later for more supplies, via the alternate route, which isn't much longer.

 

Stay elfy.

[polybear]

5 hours ago, chrisf said:

With some fellow students, I visited Snibston Colliery at Coalville in Leicestershire.  On that occasion I found myself lying face down six hundred feet below ground in a very confined space as coal-cutting machinery was approaching – just a little scary, if I’m honest.

 

The trick that underground maintenance workers use of lying in the trench beneath the rails as trains go over the top has always rated as being pretty low on this Bear's wish-list....

 

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

It all depends what you define as “an inflated price“, my dear tight pawed bear.

 

Tight pawed?  TIGHT PAWED??  Moi?

Especially as having just had a visit from Tom the Roofer to settle up.....

 

4 hours ago, TheQ said:

UK

Go outside.  Fall down. Break hip. Call 999. Go to hospital.  Go to bed. Wake up, hip fixed.  Now the long rehab begins!  A little less than twelve hours, all free on the NHS. Not me ... but emergency treatment in the UK is still very quick.

 

Alternatively, if you're not so lucky:

Go outside.  Get knocked over by some scrote riding a leccy scooter on the pavement - who fails to stop - and the Police are "too busy" to investigate, despite being told who he is.  Break Hip.  Call 999.  Wait four hours for an ambulance cos' it's Friday night (= p1ssed up fight night in the town centre).  Get taken to a Hospital that's further away than your preferred one, all because of what postcode you live in.  Wait in the back of the ambulance for ages cos' it's all kickin' off in A&E (fight night again...).  Wait on a trolley in a corridor for hours before you are seen.  Then wait for hours before the X-Ray is available (fight night....).  Get told your hip is busted - and you'll have to be admitted.  Wait for hours in a corridor cos' there's no beds.  Discover the Surgeon qualified last week - from a med school in Ouagadougou (he's working on his English...).  Get an infection.  Get told the wait for physio is six months. Get discharged too early cos' they need the bed, despite the fact that home help has yet to be arranged.  And to cap it all, discover the mice have scoffed that LDC you've been saving.....

Cynical?  Moi?

 

Bear's off to the chippie, to console myself after paying for the roof....

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Excellent news about Dave's dad - a good upward trend there so here's hoping it continues.  thoughts too with Chris and others waiting results 'some time' - when we had out r various diabetes tests a month or so back we were told the conversation with Sister Diabolical would take place (by 'phone) within two weeks of the tests to allow time for the results to come back from the lab.  In my experience both then,  and in the past, the results are usually back from the lab within a week but the 'phone conversation duly took place exactly on the advised 2 week date and no need to go in to the surgery.

 

I do wonder if some of the NHS appointment making procedure is very much (too much) in the hands of the non-medics who deal with such things?  When I was under the Chest Consultant she said on one occasion that she wanted to see me again a fortnight later.  So I duly went to the gate guardian/booker of appointments and asked for an appointment two weeks hence - only to be told that there was no appointment available for six weeks.  So I said well she wants to see me in two weeks time so you'd better tell her that, not me.  Strangely I was immediately offered a choice of appointment times exactly two weeks forward from that day and after that every time I asked to make a new appointment I got the day I asked for.  The online booking systems seem to avoid that sort of pitfall.

 

Sky definitely brighter today and breaks in the grey are forecast for later - we'll see (if we see the sun).  On a similarly bright note I can't get the thought out of mind of monks popping into a video shop in Buckfastleigh as i wonder precisely why they were hiring videos (and what sort of videos they were)   Main task today is to bring in various commodities from the 'quartantine store' and the list keeps growing as there are two days worth of shopping plus cat litter, kitchen paper, and water softener salt on the list so far.

 

Have a good day one and all and stay safe

[Andrew P]

9 minutes ago, petethemole said:

Mornin' all, turned out nice again.

 

I had a very restless night with little sleep, not helped by being woken from one doze at 5.30 am by somebody shouting abuse not far away, for about 15 minutes. 

 

The usually mundane shopping trip to Eastleigh was enlivened yesterday when my return trip was blocked by a bus on fire on Southampton Road.  Fortunately my bus was still in a position to turn at a roundabout and go round the houses to regain our route.  It turned out to be one of the same company's buses. which was completely destroyed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-57684381

It's knackered the road surface, https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19415298.southampton-road-closed-weekend-eastleigh-bus-fire/

 

I'll be off there later for more supplies, via the alternate route, which isn't much longer.

 

Stay elfy.

I wont go that way into the Station then, Cheers

[Barry O]

Just heard that someone who @Dave Huntalso knows has died suddenly.. been asked not to mention who he was but he will be missed 

Baz

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all.

 

Lorry driver shortages are in evidence here too.  The recycling bins haven't been emptied in three weeks.  They typically refill in 4-5 days under current circumstances with everyone having everything arrive in boxes etc .....  So the Hill of Strawberries is holding its collective breath and as soon as the bins are emptied there will be an almighty rush to recycle before they become filled until the next collection.  BIN Day the Domestic was observed as normal however.

 

In other news two stand-out moments from a significantly busier day at the House of Fun: one a chap seeking confirmation that he was about to board the correct train received the reply from me "Hampton Court, Sir?  Yes" ..... to which I got the surprising response of "No mate - it's just a splash - does it show?  " 

 

The other was Mrs Frump of Clarm who arrived on the platform at 10.30.  We had a slight delay with the 10.27 Exeter train because it was packed to the doors and already we had redirected some folk to later trains because it was full.  And I mean really full, not just Covid-full.  We had just managed to get the doors closed and give the "Right Away" when she ran towards the doors screaming "Wait WAIT!!! I have a reserved seat on that train!"  We don't offer seat reservations but some tickets / fares are specific to a designated train.  Toys were thrown from her pram as she persisted in demanding that we halt the train so she could board.  In the end she stormed off to see the manager demanding to know why a train upon which we "knew" she had a reserved seat" hadn't waited for her arrival.  Unrealistic.  Much.  She was late and the train which she had missed was already full and under way.  Had she been aboard she might well have been standing in the gangway crushed between other people, bags, buggies and bikes to Salisbury at least. 

 

I'm afraid post-Covid intolerance is a growing menace.  Some of us have to re-learn how to behave among others.  As more people are using the railway (around 40-50% of normal levels, we think, but some trains are now running well and truly at capacity) so there are more, mostly minor, incidents of frustration, misunderstanding and general intolerance.  

 

And now it's Afternoon Drinks on the Lawn as Dr. SWMBO is making a rare trip to Work From Work for a few hours leaving me home alone to enjoy Friday Afternoon.  

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from Sidcup where it has been sunny all day and I have managed while WFH to get two loads of washing outside to dry which might earn some brownie points - or might not.

 

Football is to be watched tonight and Elder Lurker and I will indulge in a curry. Ocado performed better than last week but I was disappointed that some of the wine I had chosen (not our usual) was not delivered and not replaced. First world problems eh?

 

My dreams were unusually vivid and I woke from them twice - which is very unusual for me as I rarely remember any of my dreams. They're fading now which is probably just as well; they were quite confusing!!

[Barry O]

feels like a thunderstorm is brewing around here..

 

ooops.. cricket.. Yorkshire 2nd XI v Lancashire 1st XI..

 

Baz

[The Stationmaster]

Common course of customer/intending passenger telephone enquiry -

 

Caller 'What time is the next train to London?

Duly told

Caller 'What time is the one after that?'

Duly told

Caller 'When did the last one go?'

Duly told - among much gritting of teeth and imagined thunderbolts delivering retribution to such idiots.  

 

Until on one occasion a passenger buying a ticket to Paddington at Slough Booking Office on afternoon went through the same pattern until the answer he got to the third question when the, by then thoroughly disgruntled, Chief Booking Clerk snapped back 'Why do you want to know that, you've bl88dy well missed it!'   (And he got away with saying it, but he usually did.)

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

In other news two stand-out moments from a significantly busier day at the House of Fun: one a chap seeking confirmation that he was about to board the correct train received the reply from me "Hampton Court, Sir?  Yes" ..... to which I got the surprising response of "No mate - it's just a splash - does it show?  " 

[jamie92208]

2 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

That had me chuckling for quite a while.  

 

Jamie

[Coombe Barton]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

"Hampton Court, Sir?  Yes" ..... to which I got the surprising response of "No mate - it's just a splash - does it show?

And the obvious 
 

 

[Tony_S]

We didn’t get our walk round Canvey bird reserve. This morning I heard a voice asking if I could come and look at something. This usually means something is broken. It was a 6inch diameter hole in the shed roof. Bits of osb roofing and felt were on the lawn mower. I think we have some overweight squirrels.  I will make a new roof soon but have patched it. While cutting a piece of ply for the patch, my circular saw emitted much smoke and made a nasty smell. So I thought I will use the jig saw but both batteries were flat. I was going to get a handsaw but noticed the multipurpose cutter scraper bodger tool which did the job. Now trying to decide whether to replace osb roof with osb or tongue  and groove timber. I will use better felt than that supplied with the shed originally. I think the patch will last for the predicted rain over the next few days. 
It hasn’t rained as initially forecast this afternoon but I have taken advantage of the dry weather to sit out and study shed roofing materials. Our WiFi does cover the patio area quite well.

Tony


 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Note to self, check the bl@@dy TV program early enough to make sure your not missing anything. I only picked it up just now to see that the news was on at four instead of six. Pah! as Baz would say.

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

news was on at four instead of six.

It is on all the time on the BBC News channel…

 

[New Haven Neil]

And I'm back in the room ....err.....thread.

 

85 miles ride was really nice, a touch misty in places but not enough to wet the humans.  Knackered now.  Which is an issue as we're 10 pin bowling in an hour....oh-oh.  The opposition team weren't on the ride...pah!

[Coombe Barton]

... and "not the Master of the Universe you purport to be" (not me, a politician) ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2021/07/02/doubling-in-fewer-days/

[southern42]

' evening all from red dragon land.

Sunny...fair amount of hazy cloud.

 

Toot on the flute better than expected. Satisfying, even.  Looks like I might get there, after all. 

Some pulling up more Crocosmia under the guise of the G word. So, no M word - again! Tut tut! Maybe tomorrow - some rain expected!

 

Fitt  and  Elfie warning off the sniffs & sneezes.

 

Take care all and play safe.

Will try and catch later.

_________

Best wishes

Polly

 

[simontaylor484]

Evening all

 

A bit of pottering in the garden has taken place in view of the upcoming poor weather forecasts. Tomorrow there is a special Haribo market in Pontefract in lieu of the usual liquorice festival that has inevitably been cancelled due to this bl**dy virus. @Erichill16 Haribo contract out haulage to Great Bear logistics so they could well be short of drivers.

     I could write pages on the lorry driver shortage having worked in transport for many years. Back in the early 2000s there were anticipated driver shortage s when the licencing routes were changed so you couldn't go straight for your class 1 then there was the working time directive which caused a massive fright throughout the industry that there wouldn't be enough drivers.

 

The driver shortage  would possibly be regional too, there used to be loads of driver vacancies around the M25 area but we always had a waiting list of drivers wanting work in the Barnsley area. Wages have been squeezed as haulage rates have been squeezed to keep prices low for the end consumers.

[The White Rabbit]

5 hours ago, Barry O said:

feels like a thunderstorm is brewing around here..

 

We had one. (We're upwind of Baz, make of that comment what you will...). It felt like a storm was due for a while, then just after four, the rain started and increased as if someone was turning a dial in a shower. Then cue the theatricals, son et lumiere. Blue sky now... 

 

 

Another day earning LDC/muddling tokens. Saw the blackbird having his daily bath in the morning. Chief Acolyte fell over some stone later, did the same yesterday, so in a foul mood, I didn't think it advisable to comment about CA's timing of deliveries for a week when I have to spend most days working (and therefore couldn't put in place) would go down well...