Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

I found your test rather easy, Gordon. I’m quite good at finding interruptions in patterns.

 

Well, I decided to downsize  my car for local use. The front looks like a mix of an Audi and a Lamborghini - but no where near expensive. It has an enormous for it’s size windscreen which is very steeply raked. A six speed auto box - no paddles - but the gear lever moves over into a position where it can be flicked into manual - and it’s far better then an Audi - being faster to change gears, stays until almost the redline if you let it and matches revs on the down change (but not as good as a Ferrari). The engine is 2 Litre normally aspirated and the body has four doors. It is not exotic neither is it American (yet is assembled here) or Japanese. I declined a SatNav and use my iPhone, if necessary. I can talk to the car, though I don’t usually because I’m old fashioned....

It’s very low and difficult to see out of at road junctions (to the side around other cars - a Camry looks enormous next to it). That’s the worst part, actually as I have to lever myself out of it. It has no spare wheel at all (most annoying, I’m going to buy one)...

 

I fully intend to buy a V8 Camarro in three years time - towards the end of college. My daughter’s college that is.

 

See if you can figure out what it is....I can answer more questions.

 

Best, Pete.

Is it assembled in Alabama?

[trisonic]

Is it assembled in Alabama?

Very clever. How did you work that out? If I may ask?

 

Best, Pete.

What colour is it?

 

Cheers,

Mick

Silver.

 

Best, Pete.

[Two_sugars]

Mate taken to and returned from hospital with no apparent dramas, apart from a belly full of Gas. . . .Told his wife to put the policies away as there's no problems.

 

Goodnight Everyone . . .Sleep well.

 

 

John

[Gwiwer]

The Guru has taken a pause in his meditation long enough for me to drop in.  Still experiencing service à l'escargot.  It's not our fault.

 

 

 

Here's a quick test before bedtime...

 

​All completed within 1 - 2 seconds.  Do I win?  What do I win?

 

Took Arthrexin and went to bed last night.  Took more with breakfast this morning.  Those are prescribed for gout.  They have slightly reduced the knee swelling and eliminated any pain and discomfort.  They also carry a warning to not operate machinery including cars.  I get very fuzzy in the head and suffer slight loss of co-ordination from about one to two hours after taking them.  But they are having some slight beneficial effect and I shall continue taking them as I'm off work and can control when I need to drive as in the supermarket run can wait an hour or so.  

 

Worst things happen at sea and I sincerely hope that whatever is amiss at Collie Towers is not too serious.  I agree with others that sometimes one wishes to keep personal details personal as what goes on the net stays on the net.  

 

Have a good day.  I'm off to do some lightweight and largely sedentary little-train things.

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin' awl. After I did fall asleep last night, I did sleep well, thankfully! Short shift beckons today as my ops trainer has an appointment, so it'll be back to Line 11 for (I think) two rounds. He also said he himself needed an additional shift in exchange for a day off and offered that if I wanted, I could join that shift and be driving in order to get through my ops training and go solo a bit quicker. Not a bad idea, I think – and as I keep thinking, this job does, for me at least, hold a high fun factor, rather than being a burden!

 

 

Dom - I've been following your day to day enlightenments regarding the tramways over there.

 

Your shift conditions would seem to closely match those here in that there are a mix of standard and broken shifts with the latter intended to assist in providing coverage of both peaks at the least cost and with the least down-time.  If you work Saturday you are paid time-and-a-half; if you work Sunday it's double-time; if you work a public holiday it's double-and-a-half and if you work Christmas Day (remembering it's the middle of our peak summer holiday season so everything is open / all transport systems run and many people work at least a short shift) it's triple time.  We also have the "afternoon shift" whereby if you start work at or after 3pm your hourly rate for the entire shift is enhanced; in my case on the railway it's about an extra $3 / hour.  

 

Broken shifts are unpopular as you often don't quite have time to go home and return, neither would you really want to double your fuel costs if driving your own car, so many drivers take advantage of the depot rest room.  That is, quite literally, a quiet and usually darkened room for resting in.  During the middle of the day you will often find several drivers dozing before their second half .  There is also a normally-lit canteen / common room with TV / radio and cooking facilities always referred to as the mess room to distinguish it from the rest room.  If the break in your shift is more than four hours the excess over fours hours is paid for; the first four hours is unpaid.  Those conditions apply generally to tramway and railway staff despite working for different employers under different agreements.

 

Rick, I just looked up some of the details of our workplace agreements. Overtime is paid with a bonus of 25%, Sundays with one of 50%, public holidays with 100% bonus, and night-time work (this being defined as anything from 10 pm till 6 am) with a bonus of 20%.

 

The best of our crew rest facilities, I think, are provided in our Central Administration building on Georgiring, near Augustusplatz with its multiple driver relief points. There's a social room as well as a rest room with nice armchairs and shutters, with my definitely preferring the latter room as I prefer not to be part of that bickering and moaning which seems to be part and parcel of too many breaktime conversations! There also is a crew mess where I did, on occasion, get a bit of breakfast when time allowed. They do good scrambled eggs with a serving of salad and a bread roll! However, I usually have my own snacks with me and just replenish caffeine levels (with the coffee maker in the rest area being particularly good!).

 

I fully expect I'll have to work on at least part of the Christmas days and possibly on New Year as well, but perhaps, this won't be so bad as I suppose things in the city will be fairly quiet. I already did invite those of my family who will be here for Christmas for a holiday ride on the tram with me!

 

 

In any case, being a refuser of Facebook, may I just ask for a round of best wishes to be forwarded to Debs, having understood that she seems to be unwell again? Also, best wishes to everyone under the weather or undergoing medical treatment!

[trisonic]

Here you go, Tony:

 

http://ip.dlron.us/assets/inventory/photos/271/kmhdh4ae8gu586120-1.jpg

 

Best, Pete.

[AndyID]

Very clever. How did you work that out? If I may ask?

 

He cheated

 

I was pretty sure it had to be a Singer Chamois myself.

[Ian Abel]

Quick update on Debs for those inquiring and not on Facebook ;

 

about 6 hrs. ago, 10PM London time, she posted

"3...2...1....and you`re back in the room!", with a "feeling sleepy" emoticon.

 

I'm sure there'll be more once she is awake again.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Ian Abel

[AndyID]

Phew! Well that was easy enough.

 

 

Only slightly harder than something out of a #11 Meccano set.

[Tony_S]

Very clever. How did you work that out? If I may ask?

 

Best, Pete.

Silver.

 

Best, Pete.

You gave enough clues. I started looking for Korean cars assembled in the US as you mentioned not Japanese. The Elantra matched your description. Nearly rejected it as I initially didn't find one with a 2 litre engine!

Tony

[Oldddudders]

Here you go, Tony:

 

http://ip.dlron.us/assets/inventory/photos/271/kmhdh4ae8gu586120-1.jpg

 

Best, Pete.

Right-hand drive was a surprise.......

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

Dry start and a cool 7^oC when I dropped The Boss at work earlier. Forecast is for some sunshine and maybe the odd sharp shower.

Day 2 of boiler replacement begins. Yesterday when he was preparing to drill the hole for the flue I told him it might take a while as the bricks on our house are very hard. "No worries Bob - my diamond tipped core drill will make short work of that!" About an  hour and a half later and after much drilling and muttering (I couldn't hear but saw the lips moving) he said " Good gracious Bob, the bricks on this house are extremely hard"....or words to that effect! 

However I like the way he's doing things and he is a tidy worker. 

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Still dark, about 7C no rain!

Robbie not still back to continence but clearly getting better.

Aditi and colleagues survived yesterday's meeting. Aditi's journey hopefully won't be 3 hours duration as was yesterday's.

Tony

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

It is a rather chilly morning here.  Around 3°C at the office, but somewhat warmer at home.  We did actually see frost on the way to work, so I think that it really is time to get the winter tyres on the car.  That's a job for this evening!

 

Hope the boiler replacement progresses well Bob.  We had ours done back in the Spring.

 

Time for a coffee!

 

Have a good day everyone...

[chrisf]

Good morning one and all, after a second attempt at login.  This site does seem to be a bit sluggish at times.  I know about sluggish.  I do sluggish myself.  I do not run but leave earlier.  To business then, and once more offering help to those who seek words of wisdom.  One day, my people, one day: think Ernie, think lottery ...

 

The GP visit was uneventful, save for his timekeeping which always was elastic.  How can an appointment for 9.10 am be kept at 9.40?  The only ins and outs were to/from the treatment room, which unlike the rest of the surgery seemed to be doing brisk business.  It turned out that all the doctors were in a meeting.  I should rejoice that they talk to one another, I suppose.  Mine was quite laid back about the non-sigmoidoscopy so the full and frank exchange will have to wait until I see the consultant or, more probably, his registrar in December.

 

Daily life in Bedford yielded some oddities yesterday. I noticed that a familiar building has now become a "Dental Spa".   What on earth might that be?  I know only too well that dentists use water at high pressure to remove oral residue but do they now use it to remove the fangs themselves?  I think we should be told.  The bank has some new machines, one of which obviates the need for paying-in slips.  Instead you need a brain as fiendish as that of the mad scientist who designed it.  The wretched contraption timed-out on me twice so I sought to catch the eye of a pretty human who I hoped would help.  Fortunately she did, making it all look childishly simple, and my Ernie win is now deposited safely.

 

The final oddity, for today, was in my own street.  Even I could hardly fail to notice a growing mound of soil on the road a few doors along from my hovel.  Aided by a man with a barrow it grew and grew until it occupied four parking spaces.  Fortunately no cars were engulfed in the making of this mound but the owner of the car with Finnish number plates must have been sweating.  Later in the day a lorry appeared, sprouting a grab attachment which made very short work of nearly all of the soil.  Soon the lorry was gone, its load perhaps destined to join the new bird sanctuary in the Thames estuary made mostly from clay excavated by the Crossrail boring machines.  Behind it was left some plywood on which the soil had rested.  Soon even that was gone, the road surface washed and swept and like the migratory specimens that they are, the cars returned and with them tranquillity.

 

I'm out visiting today and will tell you where and who tomorrow.   This is where I should sing 'May each day' in the manner of the late great Andy Williams but I do not know the words.  I can almost hear the sighs of relief.

 

Chris

[emt_911]

Morning all. A later start today which is a bit of a shock to the system. I do worry that I feel worse for it though.

 

Plenty of coffee before departing.

 

Have a good day everyone

[Barry O]

Good Morning all.

 

Busy day with lots to do including some more wire strangling on the Club layout.

 

Have a great day everyone.

 

Baz

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Mornin' all,

 

Best wishes to all with ailments of any kind.

 

Hospital day today for us....Is has her blood test early doors then the review this afternoon....at least the gap in the middle is big enough for me to take her out for lunch. Chemo 5 should, if all is well, be tomorrow.

 

Feathered ones remembered

 

Enjoy what you do

 

Dave 

Edited October 13, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[Shedman5]

Morning, it's not even 8am! Coffee first while I sort my self out and get plans/instructions for the day.

 

Enjoy whatever you have planned today!

 

Alan

[Ashcombe]

Good moaning from the sunny climes of Torbay - here is the view from my window just now:-

 

 

We're enjoying a run of sunny days here - hope they continue to the end of the month when I will become the new Mrs. Dudley!

 

Those of you who saw the scary picture of my face two weeks ago will be pleased to know that there is just a small triangle of bruising remaining on my cheek. Torbay Hospital Maxillofacial Dept is monitoring my progress due to concerns about potential nerve damage causing numbness. This is minor compared with what others on here stoically suffer.

 

All the best to those who are unwell and a good day to all!

[jamie92208]

Morning all from a bright but slightly chilly village.   Hope that Is's chemo goes OK.  Beth has already set off for an early Hydrotherapy appointment.   I'm going to start loading the car with yet more stuff to take to the clubrooms.   The plan is for a day there setting up the lighting rig. 

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[newbryford]

Mornin' all.

Day off trainspotting courtesy of a local paper offer. £10 for an all day Northern Rail Day Ranger.

 

It's been awhile sine I've been to Doncaster!

 

Have a good one folks.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[45156]

Morning All

 

Debs has also acknowledged my message on FB and from what I can see over there, she knows that we're rooting for her. 

 

Quite a catch up since last evening, took quite a while, but part of that was because of dropouts, and slow responses, and nothing on Andy's Twitter feed or FB page to say that he's on with it all to see what's going on. 

 

Dave, hope all is well with tests today and that the Chemo session takes place as planned. 

 

Andy, that gizmo looks the business, and I look forward to seeing what you produce on it. 

 

Dom - good to see you enjoying work so much that you even want to do extra shifts and to get back the job quickly after your injury. 

 

Bob - hope the boiler change goes well, and that not too many diamond cutters are damaged by the brickwork.

 

Jock - good to hear that you are able to reduce the Oramorph a bit now, so hope that this is the start of the promised pain reduction.

 

Generic greetings to everybody else.  There's just too many posts nowadays to mention each and every one separately.

 

Sun is shining here, so I think a walk in the general direction of the pub today (slightly beyond the shops) though it won't be open, so I'll just use it as a landmark as to when to turn back for home.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[The Lurker]

Morning all. There are blue skies with a faint haze over Borough Market Junction this morning.

 

I hope the chemo goes well for Is today and I am pleased that Jock feels he can reduce his dose of oramorph. It sounds like he is progressing as forecast by the doctors.

 

Stargazers, what was the bright star next to the crescent moon the other morning? I told Younger Lurker it was Venus, which impressed him. But I have no idea whether I was right or not!

 

Last night was a late one - a work related conference / dinner followed by a slow journey home - compounded by forgetting there were no trains from London Bridge to Sidcup for over an hour at the time of night (just before 11), and necessitating an extra tube journey to Southwark to resume my wait.

 

Tonight I am out with friends for beer and curry - an altogether more interesting prospect. But two nights out in a row and I'll be fit for nowt!

 

Have a good day all

[AndyB]

Morning all,

A nice sunny day here today. 

Took some time out yesterday to plant up some spring bulbs. A nice break from sitting at the computer all day. 

 

Cars you can talk to. I've had a couple of them but I was very much in the role of psychiatrist to the car as patient.

"So, here we are again. By the side of the M25. You're sounding overheated. Why don't we take some time out whilst you cry on the hard shoulder."

 

Anyway, nice car Pete. Hope you get a lot of pleasure from it. 

 

Not much planned today, apart from job applications. Meantime things are looking a little more positive here at work; the fat lady has not sung quite yet.