big jim

We still haven’t got over the loss of Mike the mainecoon and that was over 12 months ago, similarly Odin who was 18 months ago The thing with Mike was we couldn’t let him carry on for our own selfish needs because we don’t want to see him go, he wouldn’t have had any form of life if we had decided to keep him alive by having to give him medication every day and it was kindest to let him go with dignity knowing he had a fulfilling end of life with us after he was rescued it’s difficult to see our animals come and go but sometimes it’s best to think of the animal first if their quality of life is affecting them on a daily basis

Some from today, they have been having us away early from the gateway to only end up sitting at the junction with the mainline, no bad thing as there are a few things booked to pass by mega early today that we saw the Iport train! Then a Wolverhampton to Immingham steel and a couple of light engine GBRF 66s same again tomorrow then something very different next week

The v10 was used in the Touareg too, not sure about the maybach the top of the range petrol Pheaton is basically a Bentley flying spur with a W12 6L petrol engine, despite them coming up for sale now and again for 1/2 decent prices I’ve not been brave enough to take the plunge!

That’s the fella I think it’s terrible that the direct line to the chiltern line has being abandoned, for the sake of a junction at the country end of the new station they have removed a strategic ‘extra’ route out of london, ok you can go via the GWML chord to Greenford but the line they have removed is near as dammit arrow straight from OOC to West Ruislip

the 2nd one I had was the 5l v10 that I paid £2500 for a 2006 motor, that was the LWB limo version that when knew with its options was a good £75k new!

a work colleague has one of the Brazilian lada Niva 4x4 on a 60 plate I had one back in 95, terrible car at the time but looking back now I wish I still had it!

I paid £2k for the Pheaton knowing about the box, its one of those DSG boxes which are renown for failing, I got 12 months out of it without real issue, if you were gentle with it it was fine, foot hard down and it would drop out of gear When I sold it I got £1700 back for it so £300 for 12 months motoring as I didn’t spend a penny on it (other than consumables)

My fully working but hooky gearboxed VW Pheaton got bought by a polish buyer on eBay, he collected it next day with a car transporter and whizzed it off to Poland where he said it would be stripped for spares

On that point, anyone recommend an aftermarket supplier of buffers to replace the railroad push in pin in type, got the GBRF 47 last year and I want to improve the front end a bit and buffers the first obvious thing to change, quite happy with cosmetic non sprung type

The old chiltern bound line is to the extreme right of the picture to the right of where the HEX trains are sat, the tracks do still continue round there from Paddington direction but terminate at a stop block about 100m past where the north london line crosses over it and the GWML that cleared bit is the old GWR carriage shed area

when I went to Perth WA in 1996 to visit family my cousin had a Ford Falcon like that also a Holden Gemini (Vauxhall chevette)

Just a coupe for today, Donnington to stafford, an appropriate military based loco up front!

Couple of pics, one of the massive fluffball that’s looking for a new home! sat like that for ages with my tickling his tum, once he was fed up if it he let me know with a slap! and one of Hank, who can’t believe his luck with the size of the box he’s got to play in, had some sports seats delivered for my car and before I had a chance to move the box he was in it!

My lad had the job of ordering the bread at the butchers he’s an apprentice at on Monday and accidentally ordered about 25 too many loaves from the local bakery, he was worried at the end of the day the boss would be cross with him for having so many left but by chance the other grocery shop in the village (co-op) ran out of bread and he ended up selling the excess in a couple of hours and at closing time was left with one loaf which he bought home for us!

GBRf class 60, thank you Hornby, that was my only wish list loco this year

to be honest I think the opposite, it looks a cracker!

Some from today, bescot to East Midlands gateway then the gateway to crewe waiting to join the mainline at castle Donnington pair of 66 passing by Waiting for an hour again at Lichfield high level New network rail milling machine, looks like a lovechild of a tamper and class 70 and into crewe That’s it until Wednesday morning now

The American version of Woodford halse!

we had a situation 11 years back where a driver put my 9 month pregnant wife in hospital (the baby didn’t move for hours after the collision), it was one of those insurance scam crashes, the driver got found guilty of dangerous driving and the judge told him when sentencing that if he merely put him in prison for 6 months he would be out in a couple and doing the same again so he opted to make his life as difficult as possible by giving him a 6 month suspended sentence, huge fine, 3 year driving ban, extended test, 150 hours community service and a rehabilitation course as for the baby, he’s now 11!

superb, KLF channel on you tube, see you in a few hours while i get lost in the early 90s

We have 2 rescues with us at the moment, one quite tragic, the owner has developed an incurable issue and can’t look after her, she’s very vocal and the first few times she yowled we thought one of the other cats had attacked her until we both saw she yowls then lies on the floor I front of the other cat to make it look like she’d been attacked for sympathy off us, as she complains so much for no reason, we have nicknamed her ‘Karen’ but she’s really loving and affectionate and her real name is peach! The other one is a sad story too but more for the cat, basically 3 days before Christmas the owner called and said she didn’t want her cat any more, she was having a baby and just wanted to keep her 2 dogs, we tried to talk her out of it but she was having none of it so we went and collected him he was obviously very stressed when we picked him up and was lashing out at anyone who went near him, he’s a big cat so when he took a swipe he really had power behind it, to handle him you had to use Kevlar lined gloves, it took a day or so at our house in a room with ‘cat calm’ plug in diffusers and soothing music to get him to calm down, that and Hank going in there and making friends with him, he’s now settled down and is such a placid cat, another thing that has soothed him is Lola, we think he’s in love with her, she won’t have anything to do with him and if he goes too near he gets a slap off her but I think he actually enjoys it on the quiet! Whenever Lola is about he just sits and stares at her from afar, he’s a heavy breather too so you can hear him behind the curtains or in the cupboard like a stalker watching her! it turns out that he is a previous rescue and was from another charity 4 years ago, so he’s been very lived and well cared for for 4 years then just dumped again rhe previous owner says he is a part rag doll however my wife recons he may have some Mainecoon in him as he has an extra furry belly and whisps on his ears but he doesn’t Miow and chirp we call this huge fella ‘Big John’ an absolute stunner! as I say, both looking for a home early this year

to be fair I did think the same when I saw it, maybe put it on while sat up in a possession to cheer yourself up on Christmas Day for a few pics, fine, but take it off afterwards! anyway I’m used to being sat up in loops for hours on end, heater on, feet up, bottom of the pile, damn you signallers!!

you are a bundle of joy aren’t you! lighten up

Some more from last night bescot Running round in oxley NYE lights at smethwick And fireworks And in the worksite