PhilJ W

Heads up. The Canvey Bus Museum is holding their 'end of season' rally next Sunday (11th). Not just buses but usually plenty of cars and commercials as well. Free bus service from Benfleet station to the museum.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Mist has lifted now but the forecast for the rest of the week is not to good. Do you have to dance around the room naked with the lights on or off? Glad to hear that you are getting better Jock and best wishes to Mel and to all other ER's that are in dock at the moment.

Goodnight all.

Its the current model. I would have preferred the older version as well, it could also be finished as a Volkswagen Saran or a SEAT Alhambra, and Essex police had a road patrol one in 'Battenberg' livery over dark blue.

One very interesting model at the CAD stage is the NFS Fordson 7V Utility ladder carrier.

There is also an Eastern Counties one preserved. It would not be viable for Oxford to produce any model without several livery options available.

Another elderly gent who I once knew ended up with Alzheimers, I found this out when I greeted him and he failed to recognize me. A few weeks later I saw him driving his car so I contacted a mutual friend, in fact the person who had informed me of his Alzheimers who was understandably shocked at my revelation. My friend fortunately took steps to have him placed in a home as his only relative was a sister who although comps-mentis was herself in an elderly persons home.

Morning all from a misty and murky Estuary-Land. Hope you got back to sleep ok Jock and I hope our other invalids are getting better. Popping down to Tesco's at Pitsea later, need a new teapot as the lid on the old one no longer fits.

A few years ago the police in Romford stopped an elderly driver doing much the same sort of thing. It turned out that he was registered as blind but had not notified the licence authorities or his insurance company.

Also the CAD drawings of the Ford Galaxy shows the tailgate as a separate item from the rest of the body casting but incorporated into the glazing, it looks as if it either might be opening or very easily modified into the open position.

Also slipped in almost unnoticed in the 1/76 haulage range is a new low loader trailer, 3 axles with operating loading ramps.

Bit late this evening, spent more time than expected on Facebook. The reason for that is the MD of Oxford Diecast was giving a summary of whats in the planning/design/prototype stages. Some very interesting new models in the pipeline, far to many to list here even if I could remember them all. If your on Facebook look up the 'Oxford diecast collectors' group.

Someone should tell him, your supposed to weather the model, not the box.

I don't collect 'any old tat', though some might disagree.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Commiserations to Dom, hope that your not in dock for too long. Sherry, just glad that it was nothing more serious but with the welding coming up it could not be at a worse time but hopefully by then the bruises will not be so noticeable. Bright and sunny here today and my pets (the spiders) must be out sunning themselves. I watched one the other day on my patio doors dealing with a sycamore seed that had been caught in its web, it took the spider three attempts before it was freed, I was fascinated to watch it cut away the web and the seed fell towards the bottom of the web and then the spider repaired its web so that it could reach the seed again and continue the process. If the weather turns a bit damp next week as predicted expect an invasion of spiders indoors.

Goodnight all.

Will she accept the pensioners bus pass? http://www.facebook.com/769897466422795/photos/a.769903389755536.1073741827.769897466422795/899080923

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Spider season is upon us again, this morning I swatted one of those annoying tiny (about 3mm) flies. As it lay on the window-sill injured an even smaller spider shot out of a corner and grabbed it, spider 1 fly 0. I found a much larger spider in the kitchen sink this morning that required rescuing, after which it scuttled away under the kitchen units. Have a good day all, be back later.

Lucky to survive his own stupidity EDIT corrected URL http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/13790965.UPDATED__Man_hit_by_train_at_Pitsea_station_taken_to_hospital/ He was running for a train and ducked under the barriers!

I learnt to drive in a 105E Anglia, the driving instructor had a sticker in the back window that said IIRC 'This car is fitted with HE-MAN dual control pedals.' When it came to reversing around a corner the instructor told me to line up the H in HE-MAN with the tail fin of the car and the kerb and I should complete the manoeuvre perfectly every time, and I did.

I read the r n in Burns as an m. Jock mentioning the 'hard sell' from the solar power people reminded me that I had a visit from these people a few months ago, they quoted a cost of £4000 installed, I done some quick maths and told them that if I'm still around in 32 years I doubt that I will be living in my present address. They were very hard to get rid of and I ended up shutting the door in the salesman's face.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Good to hear the good news from Jock about Matthew, and you was not the only one to make the same mistake about Neil's 'daughter' but I also corrected myself as soon. Talking of which I have a few surrogate 'daughters' of my own, perhaps given the age difference 'grand daughters' would be more apt. Lurker, is it me or is the delightful Wendy Hurrell in the family way? she seems to be getting a bit bigger around the tummy every time she appears. Although I have never met the young lady in question I have watched her from when she was a junior reporter on Anglia TV, another 'surrogate daughter' of sorts.

Goodnight all.

Only the companies that run them are a bit dodgy now. When I first visited Malta back in the 70's I was staying at Paradise Bay, not far from the ferry terminal to Gozo. My mate and myself one day took the bus into Valletta, on the way back we caught the bus outside the gates and as it negotiated the roundabout I noted that it took a complete turn of the steering wheel before the front wheels followed suit. On the way back the bus went through Melliah, where the road descends at 1 in 4 with two very sharp hairpin bends. At the top of the hill the driver put the bus into neutral and coasted down the hill! What made it more disconcerting was that the windows were plain glass, not safety glass. However we made it to the bottom in one piece and after that we hired a car, a Mk. I Escort as it turned out (and even that had a set of 'Kojak' tyres.)

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Belated birthday wishes to Mrs. Baz and BDG. Going to splash out with my lottery winnings, all 6 pounds, if only those other 4 numbers had come up.