Early Risers.

[newbryford]

Happy kid grandad with new toy here.

 

Likewise with a delivery from Locomotion of their latest limited edition HST.

 

However, it'll be put away until a matching set of coaches are acquired.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[The Stationmaster]

We tried Sainsbury's delivery service when we lived in Tilehurst in order to avoid going up to the Savacentre.  However as they persistently delivered meat that was as near out of date as made no difference and poor quality fruit we found ourselves spending just as much time at the Savacentre exchanging the stuff which was no use for stuff that was edible or hadn't gone off.  We like to look at what we're buying - specially meat, fruit & veg so are happy to take ourselves out which means Waitrose normally once a week (trainspotting included if we go to the Tilehurst branch).  The other advantage of going there is that vehicle fuel is 5p per litre cheaper at the nearby Shell service station that it is here so every now & then I refuel there rather than buying locally.  

 

Tesco is more or less a daily visit as it's the easiest place to but the newspaper plus other oddments we want apart from those things we only buy in Waitrose (basically most meat).  The other advantage of Tesco is that they have a  pharmacy which in terms of service and attention, together with pharmacist knowledge and advice, is by far the best one in the town so it's ideal for both ordering prescription renewals and collecting them and if stuff isn't it they are usually very good at getting it in pdq.

Edited August 2, 2016 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

Likewise with a delivery from Locomotion of their latest limited edition HST.

 

However, it'll be put away until a matching set of coaches are acquired.

 

Cheers,

Mick

But it isn't yellow 

[45156]

As someone who used to work for a proper butcher, and made proper sausages, I can assure you that if you saw what went into cheap supermarket sausages, you'd never eat another one.

Isn't it prime pork, good rusk, a few herbs and some pepper - oh sorry, you're talking about supermarket sausages at around 75p a pack - then I guess it's prime pork mechanically separated meat/fat/gristle/connective tissue, best rusk some sort of corn based extender, a few herbs herb extracts, flavouring, and emulsifier.  and some pepper pepper substitute.

[roundhouse]

I spoke too soon this morning about our trains being on time.

 

Got almost As far as Purley whet we sat for 20 minutes. A signal failure. Then we reversed back to Purley Oaks where we sat for as long. Eventually people opened the doors with lack of information etc frustrating them and a large proportion of passengers got off. People these days are very very frustrated with services around here especially when there is a lack of info and this is not really the crews fault as they are no doubt being given too little information. Train went back to East Croydon then reversed again to go down the fast lines. Over an hour late now heading South.

Edited August 2, 2016 by roundhouse

[45156]

We tried Sainsbury's delivery service when we lived in Tilehurst in order to avoid going up to the Savacentre.  However as they persistently delivered meat that was as near out of date as made no difference and poor quality fruit we found ourselves spending just as much time at the Savacentre exchanging the stuff which was no use for stuff that was edible or hadn't gone off. 

Strangely, Mike, I have had the opposite experience with the yellow supermarket, as they have a guaranteed shelf life on each pershable product, and the picking is centralised. so no staff going round picking the oldest or mankiest.  I have only had two issues with their deliveries, both relating to items being squashed - in one case, their Customer Service amended my bill on receipt of my complaint, and in the other, the delivery driver picked up a similar issue, and said I could keep the products and use what I could of them, and he'd delete the items from the final order - can't say fairer than that.

[JohnDMJ]

Yesterday started with a trip over to Masson Mills in Cromford. .

 

Not too far from Mount Tabor Models, then!

 

Yesterday's procedure went well. Ten minutes having my tummy rubbed (by an instrument and it was a male nurse). An immediate result, that part of me is fit and healthy. However, on the way home I dropped into the GP's surgery to collect a prescription and decided to book an appointment for my knee. Good think I did, because since then it has given me nothing but grief.

 

Best wishes to Robbie.

 

Bill

 

As an aside, many years ago, I presented to the GP with knee trouble and he put me on the waiting list for an edopscope investigation of the knee. Seems logical. That was in Guildford.

 

I waited 18 months to receive an appointment, by which time I'd completed my industrial year on the Isle of Wight. Whilst there, I asked the company Nurse for advice about some shoulder pains I was having and recommended me to the local chiropractor.

 

His first action was to take 2 X-rays: one torso front to back, t'other torso side to side.

 

He showed me the results and explained why I have shoulder trouble.

 

He then asked if I had knee trouble! The lower part of my spine is misshapen and does not curve naturally which, to this day, still gives me knee trouble. A simple manipulation soon puts it right.

 

FYI, the spine should be a smooth curve between the rib cage and the coccyx; mine has a large flat section which is what he recognised as the cause!

 

Best wishes to Robbie, Tony.

Edited August 2, 2016 by JohnDMJ

[BoD]

Evening all

 

First up, sorry to hear about the bash, Dom. Look after yourself.

Pleased to hear that all sounds well with Robbie. Hope calcium levels sort themselves out.

Mike, I have occasionally visited Edinburgh for a day during festival time just to take in the atmosphere. It is on my 'to do list' to actually stay a week or so and do some shows.

 

Safely returned from the York Maze and we didn't even have to open the emergency map pack. Found all of the clues scattered about the maze too.

 

The highlight though was the pig race. By gum them bu$$ers can't half move when there's food at the end. They looked like young Gloucester Old Spots. Funnily enough the speciality barbecue item was 'Old Spot Sausages'. Some parents gave me a dirty look when I suggested that it might be the losers.

Edited August 2, 2016 by BoD

[roundhouse]

We made it home after a couple of beers and a meal. A bit late to go working on the layout but at least I did put the GP9 on the programming track and CV vlaues adjusted using JMRI.

 

Just need ot fix the rear headlight in the morning before putting the body back on the chassis.

 

Time for zzzs now.

[peanuts]

am a rather happy bunny tonight after a bit of a suprise 

 

one of my ladys friends is a practicing wican and wanted some dark and moody pics  doing for her blog site of her calling up the elements .so off we went to buckstones edge above marsden and the standedge road and took a few pics after editing them i sent them on and she put them up for folk to enjoy on her facebook and wiccan page today where they have gone absolutley nuts with likes and shares also people enquireing where they could get similar nice to see a bit of effort paying off 

 

 enjoy 

 

think it looks suitabley moody and captures the elements perfectly 

Edited August 2, 2016 by peanuts

[Sidecar Racer]

Oddly enough one thing I miss about being away from the UK, and Cornwall specifically, is the gulls.  

 

 So yes I miss the raucous calls, the huge flocks and even the aggression at times.  Though not the mess which used to arise when they attacked rubbish bags in the era between the tin bins and wheelie ones. 

 

 

 

 

Best sight in Burnham high street a few years ago , two 4 foot skid marks with a flat gull at the end of them .

[emt_911]

Evening all. An early start and a very late return home (21:00) but it was worth it.

 

When I left home I was the Senior Engineer and came home as Operations Manager. The only down side is I have to do both jobs until a new senior engineer is recruited. Life could be a lot worse.

 

Richard - Great to hear that a running session has happened

 

Dom - Look after yourself after being shaken and not stirred

 

Bob - Don't play with the new toy for too long

 

Even though I live in a town with trams, I've never travelled on one. Am I missing out on a life experience?

 

Another ER tomorrow

 

Thinking of those ailing, supporting, recovering and missing

 

Night all

[Coombe Barton]

Been learning new iconography of a new video cam tonight - again the manual leads one way but the camera has different ideas. Need it for Saturday filming the Man Engines when it arrives at Geevor.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone.

 

We buy our meat from a proper butcher, who makes his own sausages, burgers, pies, meatballs and cures his own bacon. However, we don't have a green grocer at all in our town, so we have go to the supermarket and I much prefer to choose my own fruit and veg. Mrs W likes also likes look around the store, so whilst she's doing that, I do the shopping from the list that we make through out the week, we don't buy many impulse buys.

 

I use trams occasionally, when I do venture into Manchester itself, it's by train the station being less than a 1/4 mile from my front door. Most other travel is by car.

 

Duncan. Congratulations on your promotion.

 

Richard. Well done getting the first running session completed.

 

Dom. Hope the shock of the bump is not too traumatic.

 

Goodnight all.

[The Stationmaster]

Well done Duncan - hope it goes well for you.

 

G'night all

[andyram]

Evening all. Generic greetings again I am afraid as today has been rather busy. I managed to run a few trains on the home layout this morning whilst waiting in for the shopping delivery. Then it was off to the Cats Protection to drop off some gifts. This is always a dangerous visit, but on this occasion we resisted the temptation of adding a fourth cat to the menagerie. A pub lunch followed, accompanied by a nice pint of a guest ale which just happened to be an Exmoor Ale - bringing back some memories of last week.

The afternoon was spent on helping Sarah with the remaining Avon deliveries before Amber's swimming lesson. This evening I had an enjoyable and relaxing time at our local model railway group. We are building a model of Quorn and Woodhouse Station and surrounding area in an old static caravan on the site of our local church's education centre. There is only a small group of us at present, but it is an enjoyable venture. In time visitors to the centre will get access to the model with a chance for the children to operate it. Tonight I ended up armed with modelling water trying to conjure up a realistic scene around our version of Swithland viaduct. I had never used it before, but it seemed to look ok at the end and was certainly a relaxing and enjoyable couple of hours. The modelling mojo is gradually returning.

In response to one post - I have never been in Mount Tabor Models. I know it is in Cromford but have never located it. I have seen them at shows but they seem to specialise in foreign models.

[Donw]

Good news Duncan about the job but you are definitely missing out on the trams. The best place to get the feel of the old days is Crich. I believe they also do Tram Driving experience.  My father said that when I was teething the only thing that would quieten me down was a tram ride. The trams used to pass our house in Camberwell New Road. I also liked the Eastbourne minature tramway which I think was later moved to Seaton. 

Don

[laurenceb]

Congrats to Duncan on your promotion

Night all

[Barry O]

Congratulations Duncan! When I was promoted to manager i gained a car, lost my overtime and travelling time but boy was it worth it!  And that was all of 25 years ago.. lummy how time flies when you are having fun...

 

 

talking of which my first game today was at 1pm, the final was at 9:45... beer drunk at 10:35 and lots of umpiring done...

 

My office today

 

 

and the office next door..

 

and the scoreboard...

 

 (yes 121 off 6 overs.. caboom!!)

 

Mazaars (with their guest player Azzar Rafiq) won.. CNG (with Jack Leaning) came second... a great (if tiring day) and we, the umpires got a special Gales' Ale glass and two bottles of his beer. Congratulations Andy gale!

 

Sleep well everyone...

 

Baz

Edited August 2, 2016 by Barry O

[Gwiwer]

 

There is a stretch of the Croydon Tramlink that can be used by several forms of wheeled vehicles. When it opened, the standard complaint was that "the tram didn't swerve to avoid me".

 

 

 

 

There is about half of Melbourne's (claimed-to-be-largest-in-the-world) network where motor vehicles and trams share space; for about half the remainder they are "passively" separated by a raised rubber strip lane marker which dissuades the motorist from crossing it.  Allegedly.

 

Having spent ten years of my life managing motor vehicle claims I can tell you that every single time a car and tram collided the car driver claimed, when speaking with me, that the "tram hit me" or "the tram swerved into my path".

To which the follow-up question was "Was the tram on its tracks?"

Answer invariably affirmative.  Usually followed by pregnant pause as motorist realised the error of their ways .........

 

Few such wayside collisions are serious and even fewer result in injury to anyone.  But they occur almost daily on a network with 500 trams and 250 kilometres of double track (plus many sidings, loops and depot tracks).  Typically the cause is a motorist straying into the tram lane alongside a moving tram, turning across its path or failing to complete a hook turn correctly.  Most impacts are glancing blows or minor nudges but the car is often a total loss.  It is quite normal for drivers to be a little shaken by the experience.

[BR60103]

When we used to go on tram fan trips, I saw a few of the reports that drivers had to fill in following an accident. Probably made them more careful, even if it couldn't improve the other side.

[emt_911]

Morning all. It's dark outside so haven't got a clue what the weather is doing.

 

One thing that I've insisted on is retaining the van. It's not that I don't want a car but I will be carrying out surprise on site audits of work as well as a bit of time on the tools if needed.

 

Off to the other side of the river this morning which will include the Blackwall Tunnel dodgems.

 

Have a good day everyone

[peanuts]

Listening to the sound of yet more Pennine liquid sunshine a preying it dries up for today's photoshoot if not another day of searching for work on line oooooh the glamour

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

We have another rather grey morning here, it has also rained quite hard overnight.

 

Hope you are feeling Ok this morning, Dom.  It must be a bit of a shock to the system - but one thing is for sure.  That driver will take more care of trams next time!

 

As for Gulls exploding after eating dry ice - obviously I haven't tried it, but I have heard it said of baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, alka seltzer and dry ice.  I believe that is an urban legend.

 

Have a good day everyone...