Early Risers.

[AndyID]

20 minutes ago, Kingzance said:

Ars long ass they have not had their efficacy tested, I'll give you my address 

 

I shall put them in a brown envelope.

[Coombe Barton]

... and returning mojo.

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/consolidating-and-online-teaching/

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[Coombe Barton]

7 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

I shall put them in a brown envelope.

That's quality colour matching.

[laurenceb]

On the subject of vaccinations there was a news feed this afternoon reporting another study that again said that there is no link between MMr and autism, Will the anti vax people shut up now? Pigs flying past seem more likely

[figworthy]

4 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Isn't there a Virgin banking arm?

 

I don't think Branson has anything to do with it any more (other than perhaps getting a fee for using the name).

 

Clydesdale Bank group (Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks) are, for reasons best know to themselves, intending to rebrand themselves as Virgin Money later in the year.

 

Adrian

[monkeysarefun]

A positive corona story here...

 

Our flu season has started,  and by this time last year we had19.000 confirmed cases.

 

This year, with the lockdowns, focus on  hand-washing etc and increased flu vaccinations the current infection total is 95.

 

Also fuel is now below a buck a litre, taunting everyone who isn't allowed to drive anywhere.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by monkeysarefun

[brianusa]

27 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

On the subject of vaccinations there was a news feed this afternoon reporting another study that again said that there is no link between MMr and autism, Will the anti vax people shut up now? Pigs flying past seem more likely

 

Anti vaxers are a group unto themselves and what they believe in.  Who in their right mind would believe their nonsensical reasons for not having their children vaccinated!

    Brian.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[laurenceb]

Autism was around before MMR. When people spout such rubbish as "Measles is just A minor virus" you have to wonder who is brain dead. Sorry if I sound harsh, measles nearly killed me

[J. S. Bach]

Good night owl from the Piedmont.

[The Stationmaster]

8 hours ago, Kingzance said:

No doubt that there could be some redundancies as a result and prices could rise but I will stress the “could” in that. What is certain however is that the growth in airline travel has been exponential since the start of this millennium, creating an exponential rise in pollution from it too.
 

In my mind there will be some sort of reset once Covid-19 is under control and that may well mean we collectively are unwilling to accept the levels of pollution that became the norm up to the end of last year. Air travel is only part of that I know and air freight makes a significant contribution although Beardy’s outfits don’t have a main freight arm as far as I know. The majority of the generation in which I grew up didn’t seem to have as much free (holiday) time or apparently so much money they could take multiple holidays as seems to be the norm these days and pollution levels were certainly less.

 

Certainly easy, wide scale and rapid transport, as provided by air, will have had a part in spreading this disease from its start in China.

Very much agree and of course in any event Mr Branson's airline is only 51% his with the other 49% belonging to Delta so if any money is to be put up then they should contribute 49% of it.  Whatever else comes out of the current situation I don't see how we can avoid some changes to the airline industry with what many is claiming will be a contracted economy.  And with restrictions on international travel likely to be in place for some time to come.  A financially well founded and profitable airline with assets it can borrow against is one thing, and could well weather the storm.  One that lurches between profitability and losses, and has done so for most of its life, and has few assets it can borrow against is a very different case when it comes to being loaned money, especially if it's my money (as a taxpayer).   If he wants to borrow money he's got plenty of assets, such as an entire island and an extremely, personally,  lucrative brand name, which nets him millions every year (including from loss making concerns bearing the Virgin brand) he can put up as collateral.

 

Another factor for the future is that here we have the near unconfined pleasure of listening to the birds and bees and looking at clear skies with passers by at either 30,000ft or a bit below 3,000ft being notable by their absence except on a handful of occasions every day/.  Lots of people who are currently enjoying freedom from the noise and a sky full of contrails will be new to the experience and might not take too kindly to it coming back.  I suspect we might see the emergence of an even stronger lobby against not only the third runway at LHR but a return of everyday noise and pollution from above.

 

On a much brighter and more realistic note I'm pleased to see that GDB launched things in the correct manner (even if it was 'Drink swillin' castle' - guess how it got that name).  but overall looking most pleasing Bob

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

I had a very successful Grand Prix this morning, there was no queue at Sainsbury’s and I also managed to get into 2 other shops that had only 2 people in the queue. All this was achieved in about an hour and I was back home well before 9:45. Once the shopping had been packed away I made myself a muggertea and went downstairs to the cellar and continued work on the towel rail. By the end of the afternoon it was sanded down and after a wipe down with a damp cloth is now ready for priming, which will be started tomorrow.

 

After tea I went out into the garden and watered all the pot plants, as some were looking a bit parched, but they are all coming along nicely at the moment. 

 

Then just after we’d sat down to watch the TV when I had a phone call from the my former best man informing me that one of our friends had passed away. He’d been in a bad way for the last few months now and he several underlying health problems, the most significant being COPD. He was one of a group of about a dozen or so, we all probably drank way too much back then, but he like a few others was a very heavy chain smoker and only a few years ago had had a pacemaker fitted. He was a smashing lad, great fun to be with and had a wicked sense of humour, he will be greatly missed. He was 62 and leaves behind a wife and 2 daughters, RIP Paul. 

 

Goodnight all 

Edited April 20, 2020 by BSW01

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[newbryford]

7 hours ago, grandadbob said:

 

 

"Drizzling" Castle on the inaugural run

 

And I believe "a Pannier never offends." 

 

 

 

 

A 4-6-0 and a Paneer (copyright NHN).

That's pretty much all of the G*R fleet covered then..................

 

Although I do believe they may have had a few machines with one axle in front and another behind the 3 important ones. And even some very, very special injuns without the axle in front.......

 

Were they Class 56 or 66? I don't know.

But here's a Class 56.

I wonder - does it burn the logs in the wagon behind to boil water to make it go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Erichill16]

As I thought, sleep not coming easily, but not due to backache.

regards,

Robert

[TheQ]

Mooring awl,  inner Temple Hare, 

Not much sleep so far,  late going to sleep,  and waking early. 

 

It's possible to power an ex blue box from trees.. 

https://www.dw.com/en/powering-cars-with-diesel-made-from-wood/a-16148231

 

It's still windy out there,  Ben the scaredy Collie accompanied me to the MhRC last night,  he just got settled on the sofa,  when a large gust of wind shook the mobile home,  he promptly went an hid in his safe place under the coffee table. And I never saw him for the rest of the evening. 

 

I notice a former workplace has had an unusually high ( for them) amount of rain this year... 

Saudi Arabia.... 

That'll confuse the locals.. 

 

Excuse me while I find 

Time to snore.. 

 

 

 

[pH]

As I've said before, we have large piles of sulphur on the waterfront here, brought from sour gas wells in Alberta for export worldwide. Here's a picture showing some of the piles, parts of the conveyor system used to stack and reclaim it, and a couple of cars waiting to go through the rotary dumper:

 

 

Every year, about this time, a yellow dust starts to coat horizontal surfaces near the sulphur piles. Here's a thin coating of it on the roof of our car:

 

 

And every year, about this time, Pacific Coast Terminals send out fliers saying (more politely than this):

 

"STOP SENDING US COMPLAINTS ABOUT SULPHUR DUST ON YOUR CARS, DECKS, WASHING ETC. IT'S NOT SULPHUR, IT'S POLLEN!"

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

The Grim Reaper is having a good haul this week.  Yesterday the passing was announced of Ronan O’Rahilly at the age of 79.  He was the boss of Radio Caroline and as such was the spearhead of the 60s revolution in pop music radio.  It took a while for Caroline to move away from the stone age format of the Light Programme and it was left to Big L (Radio London) to make the leap into Top 40 radio.  Caroline made its mark nonetheless with such on-air personalities as Emperor Rosko and Johnnie Walker.  Alone among the offshore stations and in the buccaneering spirit of its founder it defied the legislation aimed at closing it down.  It speaks volumes that it is still around – a fitting tribute to a true rebel.

 

I had an e-mail yesterday from my cousin-in-law Jenny.  She thought that the house and garden may have received unprecedented attention!  Not a very good guess, I’m afraid.  Spot on, however, was her surmise that so many of my plans and activities would have come to a full stop.  This prompted me to fish out the diary and check again for future clashes.  Of the many events postponed, fewer than I had supposed have definite new dates but it remains the case that September is going to be very difficult in terms of choice – unless, that is, the period of house arrest is to be prolonged still further.  One of the few events which has quoted a new date is Dublin Pride, which according to the website will take place on 12th September.  The idea of attending still won’t go away despite the setbacks but something tells me that it will be infernally difficult to get there.  It will be much more realistic not to try planning anything until the powers that be have come to a view as to how long it will take the UK to unlock the lockdown.  How long is a piece of string?

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

I notice a former workplace has had an unusually high ( for them) amount of rain this year... 

Saudi Arabia.... 

That'll confuse the locals.. 

 

 

Raining in more ways than one I imagine. Crude oil futures went down to MINUS $40 dollars on the US Stock Exchange today. They are running out of places to put the stuff.

[Gwiwer]

Good morning all

 

Remember there is always a light in dark places. 
 

 

[TheQ]

I was in Saudi during a previous price crash,  down to below 10 dollars a  barrel.  I was working indirectly for the Saudi military.  We couldn't get parts for simple things like a fan belt for the industrial air conditioning.  The local shops wouldn't take promissory notes from the military.. 

 

Yes we get the dust on every thing especially if we are surrounded by rape seed fields which this year we are not.  The other source is Saharan dust if there is a constant southerly for some time. 

Though at the moment it's dust off the road,  I was out with Ben yesterday and the dust men went past, and dust was The word as it sucked the dust off the road leaving a choking cloud. 

 

This year crops are barely out of the ground around us, there is a big piece of machinery going up and down planting at this very moment . The nearest field with rape which is in full flower is over half a mile away. 

 

Ben the alarm clock Collie has taken me on patrol,  it's slightly warmer at the moment, the wind has shifted slightly so it's now east south east. 

 

Time for porridge flavour of today.. Chocolate 

 

Gwiwir I suppose you could want me to muddle that on the railway cuttings I'm doing at the moment 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by TheQ

[roundhouse]

7 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

I've accidentally ordered two identical model locomotives where I only wanted one. The supplier was kind enough to accept a return, though reasonably, the return post was at my expense.

 

I had the opposite from a well known retailer in the UK where I ordered and only paid for one coach but they sent me two. Being the honest sort of person that I am I contacted them but instead of sending a freepost label (that they do for faulty goods return) they told me to pay postage keep the receipt incase it got lost in the post  otherwise they would charge me for it. I decided that I could do with another and to save the hassle, I  paid for it but I havent used them since and not likely to be so honest in future as they were making it my problem.

 

Morning all

 

Been in the shed before sun up to give an Ivatt tank a running session plus fit white metal ash pans to 'Lynmouth' as I had missed doing the alteration in the past and once its set that will be painted and given another run.

 

This morning its the shopping dleivery to Mum. She writes it down during the week then reads it over the phone which goes somethink like ' potatoes, washing up liquid, mince meat, tea bags, apples, eggs, lamb chops, baked beans, milk, carrots, coffee.....' basically all over the store, so I now divide the sheet of paper up into categories and try to write them down in the order that I will be passing through the aisles. Now I know why it takes her a long time to shop in pre Covid days. I phoned her afterwards to say no eggs in store then she said that she forgot to add chicken. So when I get to Mums my first task is to head to the local Co-Op where I used to work many moons ago after school while she empties the food dropped at the door. She is in her late 80's so I forgive her and time isn't an issue at present as long as I am not being followed by local plod. Luckily I have only seen them stopping people in the park and taping over all the seats there to stop people using them.

 

Whne I get back home it will be running more trains in the garden and beer o'clock. Yesterday was a dry day and likely to be the only one this week. ordered anotehr box of beers this tiem from Isle of Sky brewery as they do a red and also a black ale.

 

I am tempted to order a Perfect Draft machine after talking with AndrewC who is also interested in getting one. I have seen these in the USA before but does anyone on here have any experiance of them as they ain't cheap but I am keen on Leffe Bruin which they also do in a mini keg.

https://www.beerhawk.co.uk/perfectdraft-magic-rock-starter-bundle#reviews

 

[leopardml2341]

Morning all, having woken before it did - the alarm is now urging me to get mi @rse in gear.......

 

Hope the day brings all that you hope for; for me it's a stress fee visit to the local supermarket.

Edited April 21, 2020 by leopardml2341
Effin autocorrect