Early Risers.

[The Johnster]

6 hours ago, PhilH said:

Afternoon from a soggy bottom. Not really done a lot today, some 3d printing, but have just spent an enjoyable hour or so watching this, being recollections of railway staff who worked/ work from Kings Cross up to the present day.. Apologies if it’s well known but I hadn’t seen it before.

 

 

Thanks for posting this rather interesting film.  I certainly recognised some of the issues mentioned from my own time on the railway, especially concerning the changeover from steam to deisel and the terror some of the steam drivers had of anything going wrong that they were expected to deal with on the complex and techno-rich new engines.  A top link driver in probably his last decade before retiring had a lot of changes to cope with between 1963, the Beeching Report, and 1973, by which time much of the railway had changed drastically. 

 

Closures and redundancies, learning the new traction (although the bulk of the classes involved were in service before 1963 and the only type following that year for the next decade were the Class 50), which at most depot involved several classes of diesels and a good smattering of dmus, single manning after 1969, air brakes, fully fitted trains without brake vans, more and more MAS signalling, faster trains and faster line speeds.  It was a period that has to have been the nadir of morale in the industry; pay and conditions were miserable, public perception was low, and the Railway made massive losses and was standing media joke.  The Railway looked increasingly old-fashioned and irrelevant after the Beeching closures; one thinks of these as bucolic and uneconomic branches, but the main effect was in the closure of many hundreds of smaller stations and goods yards on main lines, which meant that for people who lived in such places no longer served by the railway but with trains passing through, railways ceased to be a part of their lives altogether and were soon forgotten; the brave new world was the motorways, and cars and lorries running on them. 

 

The appearance of the HST was more or less at the same time as the motorway network became the gridlocked nightmare it still is, and that was a sea-change in attitudes and culture, but the early 70s was a low point by anyone's standards.

[Ozexpatriate]

Being the beginning of 'holy week' broadcast television has their annual broadcast of "The Ten Commandments"*, this evening stretched out with advertising to 4 hours, 44 minutes. Thank you, no, I don't think so. (Almost as bad as their annual broadcast of "The Sound of Music".)

 

* Yes the one from 1956 with Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as "Rameses". Released running time was 3 hours, 40 minutes and the televised version does not have the prologue or intermission music.

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[pH]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

(Almost as bad as their annual broadcast of "The Sound of Music".)

 

There is a shorter version of  "The Sound of Music":

https://youtu.be/KF-c6Uf8cfI

 

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Is this the stuff?
 

https://vitactltd.co.uk/product/flexi-joint-care-gel-50ml/

 

It   looks like it’s only available from Vitact, it’s there own product and called Flexi + joint care gel.

Its not what I was expecting but if it works…………

 

Below is what I’ve pasted from their website.

 

Disclaimer

The products sold on this website are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. If you are pregnant nursing or taking any medication, please consult your physician prior to using these products

 

 

 

I had a look and apart from the eucalyptus oil and aloe vera, most of the  compounds featured either have inconclusive evidence of efficacy* (glucosamine, rosemary) or are commonly used in creams and gels as carriers, stabilisers and preservatives etc. (such as phenoxyethanol)

 

Given that it costs £34 for 50mL (well, £33.99) and the principal ingredient is water (ingredients are always listed from greatest to smallest amount), @PhilJ W might be better off trying either an eucalyptus oil preparation or an aloe vera preparation.

 

What I find particularly interesting, if not concerning, is the disclaimer Robert posted, which - to me - suggests that the product has never been tested for efficacy and/or any benefit is due to a significant psychosomatic component (it’s amazing what you can get punters to buy).

 

Ever since I did quite a lot of research into “alternative medicines“  I have been very sceptical about herbal remedies and the like (I was trying to identify which “alternative” medicines - frequently used by cancer patients - could be safely used with the new anticancer drug I was developing which was very active and interacted with a long list of compounds). Apart from no evidence of efficacy for those remedies (beyond some questionable anecdotal evidence), the fact that the FDA and other authorities have removed from sale and destroyed many “alternative” remedies due to the preparations containing such health-giving** ingredients such as strychnine, arsenic and heavy metals has put me off using such remedies.

 

* and the data on Aloe Vera is not very strong

** that’s sarcasm, by the way

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Being the beginning of 'holy week' broadcast television has their annual broadcast of "The Ten Commandments"*, this evening stretched out with advertising to 4 hours, 44 minutes.

I think that this incessant advertising, which makes a lot of American television unwatchable (unless you can fast forward through the ads) is why Cable TV took off like a rocket in the late 70s (at least where I lived in the US at the time). I remember how HBO (of the time) was particularly prized.
 

And when MTV launched in 1981 – wow! Just wow! Amazing music showcased through inventive, witty and clever music videos. (unfortunately, MTV has moved away from their all music/music video routes and now show a lot of reality TV crap aimed at an undiscerning yoof market).

For me (and for all my friends at the time), the only watchable programs on commercial TV – which were religiously watched despite the commercial breaks – were St Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues and the original (and never bettered) Saturday Night Live.

 

Those first few years (1975-1980) at SNL gave us John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray - all entertainment powerhouses (since 1980, SNL has not had such a concentration of talent as the early years)

Edited April 2, 2023 by iL Dottore
Forgot text

[iL Dottore]

 

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

* Yes the one from 1956 with Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as "Rameses". Released running time was 3 hours, 40 minutes and the televised version does not have the prologue or intermission music.

 

Well, that film would be a big flop today:

• Too long
• Multi-syllable dialogue
• Coherent, “grown up” dialogue
• Background music was, well, background.
• No CGI
• No massive explosions
• “Male, Pale and Stale” (i.e. no “diversity”)

[Ozexpatriate]

52 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Coherent, “grown up” dialogue

Have you watched it lately?* The dialogue is overblown and overly theatrical - as is the whole movie. The language is faux King James Bible style, schlock.

 

* In between programmes that I watched catching up from the DVR (where I can fast forward through the advertising) I did catch a few seconds of "The Ten Commandments".

 

This is literal, as I type, this line was delivered:

Quote

And God smote the land with all manner of plagues, but still Pharoh's heart was hardened.

 

It puts me in mind of:

Quote

And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and ...

 

On US broadcast television, there is about 16 minutes of advertising per hour, so movies will take about 136% of their normal running time.

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch

[Ozexpatriate]

47 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

since 1980, SNL has not had such a concentration of talent as the early years ...

The original cast was outstanding, but the novelty made them look even better. The early 1990s casts were very good as well. 

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl,

A surprisingly good night's sleep 

4.5 hours sleep, 3 hours sleep...

Though forepaws are a little stiff and painful.

 

Rain appears to have stopped, the forecast is sunshine..

 

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is,  at the radar museum https://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/ ,   there were copious supplies of cake, including LDC... 

 

Hopefully the forecast was correct so I can get Blue Moon finished and go sailing.

 

Ben the I'd like to go out Collie has just surfaced.

Time to go for a walk.

 

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

It's Sunday so it's...... Crackerjack  nope it's a full day of Cricket Law revision. Wooooopppppiiiidddddooo.. not!

 

Sarnie made, food box.. prepared. Coffee to be made in my handy sized flask...

 

Numbbrain next door not happy as his team were bashed by the gooners 4-1. How sad..not!

 

@TheQ did you ever had to fixa DN151set?

 

Baz

[polybear]

8 hours ago, pH said:

I may have a UK company pension that I can’t find. TBH, I left the company 47 years ago and can’t even remember if I was paying into a pension. I did manage to contact HR for the larger organization the company was part of, but they couldn’t even find a record of me having been employed. Now that I do remember - I was!

 

When Bear retired from The Great Empire I asked the Occy Health Dept. (part of HR) what jabs they'd given me over the years for various overseas travel destinations - and they kept getting it wrong, despite some of them being given only a year or so previously; it took them "several" goes before they eventually got it right.

Fortunately Cautious Bear had kept his own list - I wanted to check my list was the same as their list....

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

I had a look and apart from the eucalyptus oil and aloe vera, most of the  compounds featured either have inconclusive evidence of efficacy* (glucosamine, rosemary) or are commonly used in creams and gels as carriers, stabilisers and preservatives etc. (such as phenoxyethanol)

 

Given that it costs £34 for 50mL (well, £33.99) and the principal ingredient is water (ingredients are always listed from greatest to smallest amount), @PhilJ W might be better off trying either an eucalyptus oil preparation or an aloe vera preparation.

 

What I find particularly interesting, if not concerning, is the disclaimer Robert posted, which - to me - suggests that the product has never been tested for efficacy and/or any benefit is due to a significant psychosomatic component (it’s amazing what you can get punters to buy).

 

Ever since I did quite a lot of research into “alternative medicines“  I have been very sceptical about herbal remedies and the like (I was trying to identify which “alternative” medicines - frequently used by cancer patients - could be safely used with the new anticancer drug I was developing which was very active and interacted with a long list of compounds). Apart from no evidence of efficacy for those remedies (beyond some questionable anecdotal evidence), the fact that the FDA and other authorities have removed from sale and destroyed many “alternative” remedies due to the preparations containing such health-giving** ingredients such as strychnine, arsenic and heavy metals has put me off using such remedies.

 

* and the data on Aloe Vera is not very strong

** that’s sarcasm, by the way

 

As soon as Bear read this line from their website I started to get dubious:

"VitAct Ltd offer a comprehensive range of vitamins, minerals, and natural food & dietary supplements."

- some of the reviews on the 'net are "interesting" and if true reveal some rather dubious business practices.

I do hope that if this product is actually helping @PhilJ W then the magic ingredient can be identified and obtained far more cheaply (and safely - the words "medicine/drug" and "on-line/mail order" kinda raises Bear's worry factor somewhat).

 

Bear here....

Well last night was the very first without chemical assistance (aka Tramadol) - and seemed to work pretty well, so that's a Tick; I have whacked a Trammy this morning though.  The Paw does seem to be getting there, slowly.

Today sees a bit more on The Great H/S/L Refurb - prep for starting to hang the wallpaper.  After that it's MIUABGAD methinks.

BG.

[polybear]

31 minutes ago, Barry O said:

@TheQ did you ever had to fix a DN151set?

 

Baz

 

Bear Googled that one and got....

 

GEL NAIL POLISH 4 ML - DN151 - NEON CORAL

 

We await Q's answer with some interest..........

[TheQ]

https://www.radartutorial.eu/19.kartei/11.ancient/karte065.en.html

 

No not worked on short range stuff like that, it only has a range of 27 miles. The stuff I worked on had a range 250 miles

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from the former Brickworks.  Not a good night's sleep for various reasons so I will not be breakfasting this morning to let things settle down.  We had a visit from a bundle of long legged energy called Emily,yesterday and her mums.  It appears that she has been generous and passed on her cold. I the evening Beth went out for a meal with three friends and I went to the local multiplex to see Alleluia.  An all star cast and mainly set in Wakefield.  I suspect that the current government will not be happy that BBC films were one of the sponsoring consortium. Enjoyed it as well as the walk back. It's 40 years since I got paid for walking these very streets. 

 

Off to meet no two son this afternoon. 

 

Ttfn

 

Jamie

Edited April 2, 2023 by jamie92208

[PupCam]

Relatively Early Morning All

 

It's not raining.    Plans are a foot for a Chug (Bimble with purpose) this morning.   

The purpose being to put money into the Shuttleworth coffers and scoff breakfast.     

Thermals are being deployed 'cos it's not very warm outside!

 

Interesting website from @TheQ.   There will be another few hours lost later on then!

 

Over and Out .....

[grandadbob]

Good morning all.

Dull but dry here at the moment, some drizzle possible followed by sunny spells later.  7°C rising to 12°C.

@jamie92208 Jamie,  as somebody who in his career sold many hundreds of thousands of bricks from umpteen brickworks all over the country which former brickworks are you calling from?

The Boss wants to do some gardening, I don't as The Back feels quite good today and I want to keep it like that.

I do have a bit of work to do as the online check-in for a forthcoming short cruise is open,  I think I can manage that.

Lots of rugby watched and some enjoyed, more to view today.

Breakfast has been offered and the eggs and bacon etc will shortly be lovingly consumed.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[jamie92208]

Hi @grandadbobthe@grandadbobthe Brickworks was the A650 at Drighlington. I'm not sure of the name but it was closed by the 70's when it became part of Naylor Myers builders merchants. They shut up shop in the 90's I think and it's now a Premier Inn/Brewers Fayre but the old chimney has been incorporated into the hotel. It may have used Adwalton as it's trade name. I'll try and find out.  We are surrounded by Brickworks and former quarries. George Armitage are still active about a mile away but I think are part of Hanson. Our old house was built with Armitage bricks. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

@grandadbobI've been into the bar and had a look at the old photos.  It was the Rushforth Brickworks. Officially the Rushforth and Adwalton Brickworks.  Wik ihas it closing in 85 but the quarry was being tipped in by 81 as I found a sawn off shotgun there.  I suspect that it closed in the 70''s. I remember seeing Adwalton bricks around.

 

Jamie

[tigerburnie]

Morning all, recovery from surgery is going well, I still have a stent and a catheter, so feeling a tad odd/bruised but luckily no pain and slept well enough. My Dad was a kiln burner at Butterley Blaby Brickworks all his working life, he was offered the foremans job, but he declined the offer as they had a habit of sacking the foreman if they made a mistake and had to blame someone, I still have his old tie they presented him with somewhere.

Going back to aches and pains, I did leave a message for GDB, Piroxicam 0.5% is the wonder stuff, you will need a prescription from your GP. I have three discs in the lower spine with no cartilage along with two knees in the same state(playing rugby, sport is good for you apparently lol) so I am walking bone on bone along with sciatica etc, this gel is better than pain killers, I slap some on and then climb a 3000 foot mountain no bother at all.

[grandadbob]

@jamie I don't remember coming across Rushforth and Adwalton bricks but that's not really surprising as there were at one time literally hundreds of brickworks across the country.  George Armitage I do know of and IIRC Naylors used to manufacture salt glazed drainage ware but like many others seem to have diversified.

[grandadbob]

@tigerburnie Thanks TB.  Like you 20 odd years of playing rugby have definitely played a part in ravaging my body, knees, ankle, shoulders, neck, hip, head, face have all been battered over the years.  It REALLY is good for you!!!  🤪

I think my back problems started three or four years after moving into this house when I got rid of a garage which took up a lot of the garden and was built on a massive concrete base and there were also loads of concrete paths in front and back gardens. A previous owner had overdosed on concrete, some of the paths were 9" thick.  The slab under the garage was 6 inches thick and reinforced and the foundation walls were 13" thick with 1" thick reinforcing rod.  The old boy whose garden backed onto mine used to delight in looking over the fence and saying "You'll never shift that, old Jack knew what he was doing, he built it to last."  "Old Jack was a f###ing idiot" said I through clenched teeth as I battled on with sledges, picks, crowbars, demolition hammers, concrete breakers (I broke one, one of the springs near the bit flew off, hit the concrete, rebounded and just missed my face.  It would probably have killed me if it hadn't missed.)  Underneath the garage I found another concrete slab which I think was the base of an Anderson shelter.  Ended up having to hire a compressor to get that b#gger out. 

That summer I filled eight 6yd cu yd skips, most of it by myself but did end up with quite a nice garden.....the phrase never again has passed my lips many times since.

 

P.S.  Back in the 80s. IIRC 6yd skips cost me about  £36.  In 1966 when I started work we supplied them and the charge was just £6 each!

Edited April 2, 2023 by grandadbob

[PhilJ W]

10 hours ago, Erichill16 said:

Is this the stuff?
 

https://vitactltd.co.uk/product/flexi-joint-care-gel-50ml/

 

It   looks like it’s only available from Vitact, it’s there own product and called Flexi + joint care gel.

Its not what I was expecting but if it works…………

 

Below is what I’ve pasted from their website.

 

Disclaimer

The products sold on this website are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. If you are pregnant nursing or taking any medication, please consult your physician prior to using these products

 

 

 

It does look like it but the link doesn't work.

Edited April 2, 2023 by PhilJ W

[PhilJ W]

I've found the Vitact site by using Firefox instead of Google (algorithms?). It appears that the gel has been replaced by capsules. Thanks @Erichill16 and @iL Dottore for the advice. I think the reduction in the inflammation might be down to changes in the weather rather than any chemicals.

Edited April 2, 2023 by PhilJ W

[PupCam]

Well a mighty fine (if slightly nippy) ride to Old Warden was had.    We were the first to arrive having arrived about 10 minutes before the official opening time of 10:00.   

 

By the time we left there were "Loads of Bikes!"   Fantastic to see so many people turning up, and the cafe was busy.  It appears that I am now outside of my breakfast 😃   If they can't add to the coffers from that lot they are doing it wrong!    

 

I arrived with one group of friends (the Sunday morning Club), met up with another group of mates (ex-Great Empire colleagues) and then later met up with another bunch of latecomers (all ex-aeromodelling turned old biker mates) and jolly fine it was too.      The "interesting" Norton and the Suzzie both belong to mates.

 

TTFNQ

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Oh look. 
 

Lithofrog points!!