Early Risers.

[BoD]

You couldn't fit me 4 per square meter.

Edited September 30, 2015 by BoD

[grandadbob]

Where is everybody today - two hours + with no posts is very strange here nowadays.

 

I spent some time underneath the layout. I now have a power bus.

I also have several lumps, bumps, contusions and cuts on my head!     

[bluebottle]

I'm with Jock and Jamie in liking the Great Highland Pipes, at the right time in the right place and playing the right tunes of course - I can't stand "Amazing Grace": "Star Trek - The Wrath of Khan" was spoiled for me  by Scotty playing that rather than "The Floo'ers o' the Forest" for Spock's funeral. And, according to Harold Wilson, when he refused to send British troops to Vietnam, LBJ begged him to "at least send a pipe band".

Samuel Johnson was a fan: " We had the musick of the bagpipe everyday, at Armidale, Dunvegan, and Col. Dr. Johnson appeared fond of it, and used often to stand for some time with his ear close to the great drone." (from James Boswell's "Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides"). 

If you are tempted to mock the pipes, though, read (or re-read) the bit of Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" dealing with the subject. Now, that is Funny!

[Sidecar Racer]

I spent some time underneath the layout. I now have a power bus.

I also have several lumps, bumps, contusions and cuts on my head!     

 

 You missed out the  'again' .     .  

[gordon s]

Morning from a rainy Long Island - as Pete mentioned, there is a potentially expected hurricane Sunday/Monday. Doesn't bode well for a smooth return for me Sunday evening <sigh>

 

Nothing to report from yesterday, just the "work" continuation.

 

Noted with interest the mention of "...Revox reel-to-reel..." a few messages back. I purchased my Revox A77 a million years ago it seems. Now in need of a service but was one of the most brilliant pieces of equipment I've ever owned. High speed rewind was almost a party game it was so impressive! That, and flaunting those lovely 10" NAB tapes were the ultimate at the time. I transferred all my vinyl on second play to tape and still have most of it - some in serious deteriorating condition I'm sure if I tried to play them - but last they were tried about 6 years ago were "OK".

If I could find someone to service the deck without it costing more than the original purchase price, I'd do it!

 

22 and raining on the drive in to the basement, supposed to get heavier rain as the day progresses, will keep everyone updated (and waste more bandwidth  )

Ta ta for now...

 

You lucky man to have an A77.  The pinnacle of reel to reel back in my early hi fi days.  Something that was lusted over by many, who then had to settle for Aiwa or other second string makes at the time.

[laurenceb]

We need to get Bob a rubber helmet!

Was beginning to think that I was the only one here who likes bagpipes! Although I will agree that played badly they can be painful!

[shortliner]

Culloden with pipes

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrIUwo_GgmE

Edited September 30, 2015 by shortliner

[AndyID]

You lucky man to have an A77.  The pinnacle of reel to reel back in my early hi fi days.  Something that was lusted over by many, who then had to settle for Aiwa or other second string makes at the time.

 

 I had a home-made recorder with a Ferrograph deck - the old one that was built to survive a "nukular" attack.

[Happy Hippo]

Currently in Keflavik on a stop over waiting for the onward flight to Boston.

 

It's wet and cold here with a bit of fog as well.

 

Currently sitting with the Obergrumpenfuhrer (my extra baggage allowance Jock!) Contemplating fact that all muddy hollows in Iceland are volcanically centrally heated. Luxury!

 

Lots of cockwomble activity over Boston flights as there are three going out in the space of 25 minutes, and they are all overbooked.

 

I 've got my seat, and she's got hers so all is well.

 

Flight out here was by B757, must be the noisiest airframe I have had the misfortune to be in after a C130, and I've got a cold, so my ears are still at about 8000ft

[BoD]

We used to use ferrographs for the sound effects for stage productions.

Easy enough to splice the tape but when you were putting clear leader before and after each effect it could get a bit monotonous.

Now you just click on a button on a computer screen.

The old way could be more, erm, challenging at times.

[Killybegs]

John(KB), good to have you back, and what a lovely set of images! The fine detail studies of the Britannia you mention are, I assume, to help complete your very detailed model of 'Flying Dutchman' 70018? The last picture of your younger brothers' work is very interesting - could we perhaps see or read a bit more about it?

 

 

Sadly, Malcolm doesn't have a web site. His work is featured in many magazines and articles, for example this one http://howtospendit.ft.com/art/6389-harbouring-desires . The current model when completed will represent over 4 years of full time work, about 25% of which will have been spent on research. Despite being one of Nelson's favourite ships https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Agamemnon_(1781), information on Agamemnon has been hard to find. In fact she is the only one of her class for whom the Admiralty don't have the plans! All Malcolm's models are fully detailed inside. At the moment, one side and part of the stern are removable to enable internal detailing to be completed. Once the model is closed up you will need a flexible periscope to see inside, although I am sure Malcolm will be taking record photographs! We may have to wait for his next book to come out to see more pics on his more recent work. His early work can be found here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Modelling-Maritime-History-Construction-Authentic/dp/0715391380. The most recent article on his work can be found in this magazine http://www.superyachtworld.com/publication/superyachtworld/superyacht-world-45-is-here

Edited September 30, 2015 by Killybegs

[roundhouse]

Currently in Keflavik on a stop over waiting for the onward flight to Boston.

It's wet and cold here with a bit of fog as well.

Currently sitting with the Obergrumpenfuhrer (my extra baggage allowance Jock!) Contemplating fact that all muddy hollows in Iceland are volcanically centrally heated. Luxury!

Lots of cockwomble activity over Boston flights as there are three going out in the space of 25 minutes, and they are all overbooked.

I 've got my seat, and she's got hers so all is well.

Flight out here was by B757, must be the noisiest airframe I have had the misfortune to be in after a C130, and I've got a cold, so my ears are still at about 8000ft

I am not a fan of 757s partly due to their single aisle long fuselage meaning that it can take half hour to get off if you are at the back. This happened to us on a North West Airlines flight some,clears ago and to add to that they had switched off the air con..

[AndyID]

We used to use ferrographs for the sound effects for stage productions.

Easy enough to splice the tape but when you were putting clear leader before and after each effect it could get a bit monotonous.

Now you just click on a button on a computer screen.

The old way could be more, erm, challenging at times.

 

I seem to remember the Ferrograph had a ferocious rewind speed. (Maybe that's how they came up with the name?  )

[Danemouth]

You lucky man to have an A77.  The pinnacle of reel to reel back in my early hi fi days.  Something that was lusted over by many, who then had to settle for Aiwa or other second string makes at the time.

 

I show AV around camera clubs i.e. Two synchronised slide projectors with a specialist control unit made by Imatronic. The stereo soundtrack also needed a control track to drive the Imatronic so I bought a  Teac 3440 4 track recorder weighing a half hundredweight in a flight case.Had to be careful carrying it unless you wanted a holiday in Hernia Bay staying in a Truss House! The 10.5 inch NAB reels impressed the audience.

 

Switched to a Yamaha 4 channel cassette recorder when they became available. Still have a couple of them.

 

I still show around the clubs but these days it's a laptop, digital projector, amplifier and speakers - about a quarter of the size of the original equipment.

 

 

Dave

[Ohmisterporter]

Afternoon all. Back from the doctor's with my inhaler prescription changed back to Seretide from Fostair. Probably headology but I already feel better even before using it. Hope everyone else is on the up.

Stay safe all.

[lightengine]

Afternoon all,

Managed to stay awake so far today, despite another carp night's sleep.

Am I alone in loving the Highland bagpipes? I can remember my father suffering a puncture while towing our caravan on to the Isle of Skye (well before the bridge was built). This occurred outside the house of a very friendly old chap who had trained as a piper alongside the famous decorated late Bill Millin who inspired the troops on D-day by marching back and forth along the shoreline playing under fire.

This man was called Roderick Angus McCleod, and he and his wife took us in and gave us tea while dad sorted out the car. Mum admired the bagpipes hung on the wall, and we heard of all the different campaigns they had come through and, because we showed interest, he got them down and played a couple of haunting laments. That has stuck with me ever since, and I think mum was impressed enough with the old fellow (come to think of it, probably no older than I am now!) because when my youngest brother was born several years later, he was given the forenames Roderick Angus!

Subsequent visits to the Edinburgh Tattoo reminded me of the event when the lone piper up in the battlements closes the event.

Kind regards,

Jock.

Jock, I can appreciate the bagpipes and the lone piper on the castle parapet or on the D Day beach are both amazing.

However we went to Scotland in 64 and visited Dunoon where we went to the Cowal Highland Gathering/Games. We also watched marching band after marching band playing the pipes through the streets. After what semed hours of this I experienced it again for what seemed an eternity in my sleep. Unfortunately I think after hearing the first 10 tunes all the following tunes begin to sound the same these days.

LE

[pH]

Currently in Keflavik on a stop over waiting for the onward flight to Boston.

 

You have my sympathy! At one time, if we flew Vancouver-Glasgow by Canada3000, the flight would stop in Keflavik about 3 AM local time for the aircraft to be refuelled, resupplied, cleaned and recrewed. I don't know what it's like now, but then, the airport was not the most exciting place to spend a couple of hours. Even at times of the year when there was some light at that time of day, all I remember being able to see were black lava fields.

 

In WW2, one of my uncles was a flight engineer on Coastal Command Liberators operating between Northern Ireland and Iceland. The runways at Reykjavik were too short to handle a fully-loaded Liberator, so they had to operate out of Keflavik. According to my uncle, it was even more 'out in the sticks' then. So, once they had been debriefed, it was not unknown for them to take an 'unloaded' Liberator over to Reykjavik for the night. Space was available for anyone else who wanted to go. They would fly back next morning (no waiting for stragglers) to take their own aircraft out on patrol again. I find the idea of a four-engined bomber being used as a taxi quite amazing.

[Danemouth]

Talking of Bagpipes...

 

During the last war my late father was out east in the Royal Navy and was attached to a Naval Commando Unit for a while. They had been out on a gruelling patrol and on returning to their base camp the Seaforth Highlanders said they would stand guard to allow all the commandos to get a good night's sleep.

 

Anyway the Seaforth's duly changed the guard at 4 a.m. with bagpipes! Apparently said piper was hit by several boots being thrown at him!

 

Dave

[pH]

Dad said the reason he volunteered for service in WW2 was that he didn't fancy being in the infantry and it was rumoured that you had some choice if a volunteer!

I believe that was true, Tony. My father-in-law knew he was going to be called up as soon as war began, so he volunteered in August 1939 for the Navy. Despite serving all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Singapore, he survived the war. Almost all his friends, who waited till they were called up, ended up in the Army and many did not come back.

 

It didn't always work, though. My own dad was a teacher before the war and wasn't initially called up. But he knew it was coming, so he volunteered for the RAF, and specifically for air-sea rescue, having had experience of driving large motorboats. Once he'd signed, he was told "You're going to be a drill instructor, and that's an order!". It's probably a good thing he didn't get into ASR since, given the casualty rate in that branch, there's a good chance I wouldn't be typing this.

Edited September 30, 2015 by pH

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Considerable area of blackberry bramble 'reduced', one x holly tree reduced (but more to remove now I can see it as a result of 'reducing' blackberry bramble, reasonable amount of a very large buddleia 'reduced', 3 sections of site fencing panels relocated, one x pallet donated to future garden bonfire along with considerable quantity of blackberry brambles and buddleia approx 6 ft high on the first heap and not much less on the second one.  Even found time to pop down to Tesco and also to collect the good Doctor from her pony leading efforts on behalf of the RDA.  Feeling duly kn*ckered but I shall no doubt manage some beef casserole for dinner

 

I quite like both Northumbrian and Scottish pipe music but not an overload of it - Mrs Stationmaster can't stand either

[pH]

I'm off to see the Barenaked Ladies (let's see if that makes it through the software... though given Buffers model railways' advert at the bottom of the screen is showing some in OO gauge, I don't see why not...) on Saturday night at the Queen's Hall (if anyone doesn't know them, they're responsible for the music for The Big Bang Theory, though I've been a fan much longer).

 

Been a fan since 'The Yellow Tape'. The ex-husband of a friend was their first manager.

[Coombe Barton]

I, too, like the Highland Bagpipes.

 

As long as they stay in the Highlands

[jamie92208]

Interesting to read all the comments about the pipes.  On a personal level I will never forget the band of the Irish guards who have pipes.  My middle child had joined the Coldstream Guards and we went to Catterick for his passing out.  We were all seated in a sort of grandstand and the band were hidden from us at the side.   When they struck up the first we heard was several beats on the enourmous bass drum that seemed to go right through us then the pipes started as our beloved little darlings marched onto the parade ground.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house and I can appreciate how the sound would stir soldiers in battle.

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

I believe that was true, Tony. My father-in-law knew he was going to be called up as soon as war began, so he volunteered in August 1939 for the Navy. Despite serving all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Singapore, he survived the war. Almost all his friends, who waited till they were called up, ended up in the Army and many did not come back.

My own dad was a teacher before the war and wasn't initially called up. But he knew it was coming, so he volunteered for the RAF, and specifically for air-sea rescue, having had experience of driving large motorboats. Once he'd signed, he was told "You're going to be a drill instructor, and that's an order!". It's probably a good thing he didn't get into ASR since, given the casualty rate in that branch, there's a good chance I wouldn't be typing this.

Dad might not have been called up as he was in a factory making tank bits, though he was in the factory (Rover) Home Guard. He really wanted to fly but didn't have suitable eyesight. He decided to volunteer for the army and something armoured rather than doing a lot of marching. He joined up shortly after Dunkirk. He went to N Africa but after El Alamein, got injured but made D Day hence being available for the Caen battles. He left the army in 1949 as his first wife was dying from TB. Many of the people he had served with post war didn't survive Korea.

[emt_911]

LE - Definitely different and thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Pete - Your reference to 'Another Brick in the Wall' had me watching the video on YouTube closely followed by 'Comfortably Numb'. I think that tonight is going to be a Pink Floyd night.

 

petethemole - That's the first time I've knowingly heard the Northumbrian pipes. Definitely a distinct tone to them. Thanks.

 

As far as the pipes go I prefer traditional Bagpipes which was certainly influenced by spending 2 years attached to The Highlanders. I also attended many a ceilidh which were thoroughly enjoyed.

 

John - Some excellent photos of the West Country. Certainly my favourite part of the country for a holiday.

 

Shortliner - Clann An Drumma is probably one of my favourite pieces