Gwiwer

SWMBO made pancakes tonight. She makes them "thick and chewy" whereas I make them thin and crispy. There is merit in both and no point arguing which, if either, is more correct. I managed three of which one was laden with stewed fruit and the other two the more traditional (with us at least) brown sugar and lemon juice. I have had a chance to look over those who have "Supported" posts since yesterday. They include a number who seldom or never post here these days but who clearly read about at least some of our lives. To all once again we offer many thanks for the friendship and support which has been generously offered and for which ERs is well known. So to bed. Tomorrow I really am back at the House of Fun. Onwards and upwards. Goodnight all.

That’ll be Sluff then . Unless your name is preceded by the initials HM or HRH in which case it is the curry carry-out district of North Windsor!

I have been asked for "St. Rett'm" a couple of times. And have been surprised at the number of folk who tell me they are at "Claff'm Junction" though so far no-one has referred to it as "Cla'am" Perhaps the most awkward moment however was the lady who spoke in a very thick Italian accent - so thick that I wondered if she was in fact speaking that language. "I-a wann go to Letter" Hmmmm. She repeated it several times and still I didn't twig. Until her young daughter appeared and asked in perfect Sarflunden dialect "Wherza pi$$er mate?"

Somehow mention of the White Stud reminds me of a friend who christened his workshop, in a mock Cornish style, as "St. Udio" It fooled more than a few visitors who asked who the saint was. After all Cornwall can produce documented accounts of such obscurities as St. Senara, St. Materiana, St. Piran, St. Buriana and St. Ia so why not St. Udio???

Morning all. Thank you all for your many messages. Truly valued. My thoughts turn to Debs and those with her in another hour of need. I have taken the day off. After not sleeping well I felt unprepared for safety-critical duties. Back on deck tomorrow.

Even at this time my thoughts also turn to Debs as John’s news is not what we wanted to hear. Many thanks for all your messages in my direction which are much appreciated.

It has been a long day. Beautiful, if icy, morning with clear skies. Followed by the trip to visit mother. This was interrupted by a call from my sister who as usual had made an early morning visit and alerted me to having found mum extremely poorly and gasping for breath. The doctor was called. The call mid-journey was to inform me that my sister had returned to mum’s around noon and discovered that she had passed away. I arrived to find the ambulance crew about to leave, the police officer filling out forms and with the undertaker expected within the hour. Not quite what I had expected though, it must be said, it was not at all unexpected. Thus begins again the train of events which we rode just 11 months back at dad’s passing. Only this time there will be a house to clear and dispose of at the end. All other social events this week have been cancelled. Mum has gone to rejoin the man she loves and had 65 years with in this life. Together for ever now. RIP mum. And thanks for everything.

Good Yawning Awl. Welcome to Moan Day I must have slept since the last visit but I don’t remember doing so. Maybe I was asleep . Avagoodun

Evening all. Breakfast enjoyed. Committee meeting attended and minuted, dinner cooked and enjoyed. Minutes typed and circulated. Ironing the uniform for tomorrow and discovered a trouser hem had become fully unstitched which is currently being rectified kindly by SWMBO (I had expected to do my own) and once done the strides can be pressed and I can get to bed. It's been a long busy day. Tomorrow is the usual shift at the House of Fun followed by a trip to care for mother. Tuesday requires me at an evening cocktail party. Wednesday apparently has something to do with hearts and flowers. I'll be back later!!! Night all. Sleep well.

I used canted track around appropriate curves on Penhayle Bay. For OO it is only necessary - at the most - to shim a sliver of Plasticard beneath the outer ends of sleepers on the side to be superelevated. If you start shaving cork you could run into all manner of frustrating and avoidable problems not least of which is the potential to over-cant. The outer rail is elevated; I know of nowhere where the inner rail is lowered. And remember that each track of a double track railway is separately treated rather than having the track on the outside of the curve with both its rails higher than those on the inside. It is quite easy to ballast accordingly once the superelevation is in place and the line tested to ensure it doesn't cause problems. To the naked eye the difference should be barely visible - almost begging the question "Is it there?" You are, after all, replicating in scale a very small amount of superelevation in real life. It is possible to create transitions into and out of superelevation though the difference is hard to see; the difference in performance however might equate to that where transition curves are used instead of trains lurching from straight to fixed-radius curve and back. Using flexi-track this really isn't hard at all. The trick is "less is more" and not to overdo it. Here is a still image of one curve which has superelevation though in this case the effect is slightly exaggerated by the model which has a realistic (if over-scale) tilting action. And a video which I am told breaks a few of the rules. A station on an S-bend with the track canted around both curves. That imparts a just-visible twist as the cant reverses at the precise moment the direction of curve also reverses. Experienced modellers have suggested to me that this was a recipe for disaster. I never ever experienced a problem here other than coupler over-ride which was caused by the downhill gradient rather than the curvature or the cant. The superelevation (or cant - those terms are interchangeable but banking means something altogether different on the railway) is visible but only just.

Ach. Scheißen. Ach. Scheißen. Very sorry to hear that. It stinks of political manouvring to avoid a bigger payout later. In use here now that supply is reliable. Unless only a single cup is required it is always brewed (or mashed if you are really from Yorkshire) in the pot and not poured until the toast is ready. That seems to give it the perfect strength. It should be able to stand without the aid of a cup. Or a mug. Since returning to home shores my consumption has reverted to about 50:50 tea:coffee. Downunder I only ever drank tea with breakfast and then it was coffee instead if breakfast was “out”. I am not a fan of cafés or restaurants which bring you the ingredients when you order tea. If I wanted the ingredients of breakfast I’d visit the farm instead so why do I get an empty pot, a jug of hot water (which isn’t boiling and is therefore too cold), a tiny jug of milk, a cup, saucer, teaspoon and some sugar sachets (lumps if you’re very lucky) and a raw tea bag??? Tea of choice in the Aussie supermarkets was Dilmah. Not bad actually. Speaking of which it’s time for a brew and there are some Tesco teacakes to go with it. Anyone else while the kettle’s on?

Morning all from a grey and cold Hill. Egg-chasers are forecast to form passing showers during the afternoon wearing scarves indicating their preferred nation. Excellent news from Gabe for which thanks are also due. I recall Mal saying at some point that she had his log-in details in case of need. Positive progress in Camp Debs as well. Continued best wishes to you both and to our other sick and injured. GrandadD1ck could indeed be misconstrued as a malady of the undercarriage. As could a translation into German where it becomes Großvaterdick. Aussie pies - despite being the national food they are notoriously disgusterous. Pie, hot chips and a cold beer seems to be the staple diet of many. Among problems I have encountered are: “pastry” which required a jackhammer to break, deceptively cool pastry with searing hot mouth-burning contents, a total absence of flavour, a suspected absence of the animal implied by the description and the sheer unadulterated nerve of charging for a portion of sauce. Aussies will only consume pies when the latter (and sometimes also the former) are awash with “red sauce”. Some places give you a portion, some have a bottle on the counter but some charge extra. Do not confuse pies with ‘pies. The latter is the abbreviated nickname for the oft-maligned Collingwood Football Club who play in black and white stripes and are therefore the Magpies. BiL (British) thought it ironic that everyone was eating pies while watching the ‘pies and chanting “Carn the Pies” (come on). Long day yesterday visiting mother straight after work. Found her quite bright and alert and professing to feeling “a little better” which was encouraging. I visit again on Monday. SWMBO cancelled her engagement last night having felt too tired to party. We both slumped in front of the 1980s “vintage” music channel on tv until we could stay awake no longer. A busy weekend and week lie ahead. I’ll pop in when I can.

Mick - probably. A lot of folk circled over my head this morning. A lot more were in my face as we had all manner of problems across the (former) Southern Region and not helped by the District Line Richmond branch being closed due to a fire. Baz - I made it to Rotorua though not Tauranga. Other than that my sole Kiwi train trip was on an ex-Perth diesel railcar from Auckland (the grand old one, not Britomart) to Mount Eden via the very curious double-reversal at Newmarket. Debs - excellent news from the camp. We are not connected via Fiascobook but things sound much more hopeful. To all - rest well and good night.

I’m over there on the other platform

I’m not convinced by that track spacing for Aller. The Warship does seem to be on a loop or siding and the “ten foot” between the main lines is apparently an ex-broad gauge spacing unless there is a structure such as a bridge support out of shot forcing that gap. The linked image at Aller shows all tracks evenly spaced.

So with 7B56 being a working which would leave the loco facing south at Exeter - if the headcode is to be trusted - we are potentially looking at somewhere relatively nearby with a siding or branch on the "Down" side and the loco still facing south or south-west. Hemerdon Down Loop?

Almost time for bed with my hours. At least this week I don't have to allow for partying neighbours to stumble and crash home at 4am. The girls popped in for a cuppa and a chat earlier; She who was in hospital is improving and is off for ten days rest and recuperation at home and her friend is on an early start so not going out. The lad is probably going out but sometimes stays out and in any case has lost his keys so won't be able to get back in! SWMBO arrived home bearing news of a social engagement next Tuesday night which requires "Cocktail Dress". I don't own a cocktail dress and no-one needs to see my legs anyway. I'll dust off the suit Tesco order placed. Llama set to ring first thing in the moaning. G'night all.

IIRC (and it has been a while since I did one) there is a tiny hole through which one inserts the open end of a paper clip. You then pop out the headcode glazing - carefully - and insert your code of choice before press-fitting the glazing back into place. Failing that you might need to pop the cab module out; how easy that is seems to depend upon who used how much glue.

Dad was stationed for a part of his National Service at RAF Cosford but was seconded to Bridgnorth to deal with flood relief. He claims to have rowed over the bridge. Another icy cold shift completed. Bacon ‘n’ eggs beckon for lunch. May our sick and damaged continue on their paths to recovery and may we all enjoy the rest of which ever day we find ourselves in. I’m sure Baz can tell us aleady what Thursday’s weather is like. Why don’t such things work for lottery draws???

Morning all. It’s Hump Day

Evening greetins from the Hill. Excellent news from Debs and I wish her a sustained return to better health. Door was knocked earlier by Neighbour (Upstairs) who had been discharged from hospital but had, in her unwell state, omitted to include her keys with the hastily-packed bag o’things. She was of course welcomed into the warmth of our lounge until a flatmate arrived home a little later. So far she is coping with tea and is willing to try nibbling solids. The official verdict is that she was previously run down and dehydrated so was severely affected by Novovirus when it struck her. She is on the road to recovery but will not be back at university for some time yet. Thus was Cheeseday. SWMBO threatens to produce a pork insider pork in cider stew as soon as she gets in. I hope that’s soon as there’s a hungry chap here waiting patiently. Laters one and all.

At risk of TMI ...... they certainly are!!! Somewhere around a 7.

Are you including a visit to Waikikamukau? My addition. Based upon many years of experience there is a vast reality chasm between “being enrolled in” and actually “being in” university. It was true in the 70s when I was (actually) in and it’s true now with numerous student neighbours. Some are very good at being in university, some are better at just being enrolled and at least two within earshot are far better at being in each other than anything they are enrolled to study Thawed. Muggertea 2 has helped. Now for some me-time.

Morning all. Good to hear Debs is well enough to laugh Another trip to the Arctic is imminent. Now I know why they call that spot just around the corner North Pole Junction Be good. Enjoy Tuesday.

Definitely a Distant Kurnell moment. All the best. Word just in of Neighbour (Upstairs) whose condition has not improved after 18 hours in the care of West Middlesex Hospital. At least she is in the best place rather than trying to carry on at home.