PhilJ W

wot no pork pies?

You could turn one into a 'portable pier' equipped with all the usual entertainments on a conventional seaside pier and a drawbridge and just float it up to a seaside resort, put the legs down and away you go.

Some of the most pleasant people I have met on my travels were the Greeks, they will insist on telling you how much they love the British. It all goes back to the late 40's when the British military stopped a communist takeover. Many years ago I was involved in a twinning with a town in Germany. There were a few German speakers on the English side but only one who was fluent and subsequently was roped in as official interpreter. It amused our German friends because he spoke with an Austrian accent, he had learnt the language when visiting an Austrian friend in Austria.

Jock, Andy even some of the Greek style yogurts are 'fat free' nowadays so read the labels, one that is still full fat however is Rachels, well it was last time I had some. I would suggest the ones with honey as honey contains some natural antibiotics.

Plenty of apples free for picking about as well.

Well you are the same latitude as the south of France.

There is an enormous amount of fruit around at the moment, not only 'wild' fruit but 'feral' fruit, apples, pears, plums etc. Its a shame that the great majority of this harvest seems to go to waste.

Regrettably the ferry doesn't run on Sundays, there is a regular riverboat sailing from Gravesend to Greenwich, the MV Princess Pocahontas, the next sailing is Wednesday, I'm not sure that the tall ships will still be there then.

I did pop over to Gravesend today (£2 return on the ferry with my grumpy card) purchased 2 jars each of home made pickles and marmalade, stopped for lunch, fish, chips and peas £3 + 80p for a mug of tea with free refill(s). Coming back across on the ferry I wished I'd taken a camera with me, passing downriver was a fully rigged sailing ship, a Dutch vessel named Stad Amsterdam, a wonderful sight. Also going downriver about 20 minutes earlier was a work barge, one of those with the extendable legs, carrying a large crane. I wonder if it was going to Dawlish? As I only saw the upper works, I was about 100 yards from the river I was unable to get any details.

I took a trip down to Gravesend today. At about 1:45 pm I saw a barge of the same type with a crane aboard going downriver. Unfortunately I was too far away to see any details. I was just wondering if this was the second barge en route to Dawlish.

Morning all, not much to do today. Might take a ferry trip across to Gravesend.

Quite usual with airports I'm afraid, absolutely no competition. The airport if it does not run the shop itself probably asks for an enormous rent. The cross channel ferries are comparatively cheap because they have to compete not only with each other but with onshore traders as well.

Buses in Malta. It is only in the past 2 or 3 years that the traditional Maltese buses have been replaced by Arriva's clapped out old bangers more modern replacements. Many Maltese buses were built on lorry chassis, some as much as 70 years old. The first time I went to Malta, 1978, I was staying with a friend at the far end of the Island (Golden Bay) and we decided to go into Valletta by bus. We got onto the bus to return to the hotel, the bus appeared to be a Ford Thames but the steering wheel was from an Austin. On leaving Valletta I noticed it took one complete turn of the steering wheel before the bus changed direction and a lot of spinning of the wheel to keep it on course. If that wasn't bad enough the route took us down into Melliha Bay via a 1 in 4 downhill road with two hairpin bends. The driver decided to coast down the hill in neutral!

Not like this then >>

Just of the end of Canvey Island is the site of the sinking of a wooden barge carrying barrels of cement. Naturally the barge and the barrels have rotted away but the cargo is still there in barrel shaped lumps!

I have to take the medication, alcohol cancels out the medication.

I must be a masochist taking part in and reading this thread. For the past 2-3 years I have not drunk any beer, or any other alcoholic drink. The reason for this enforced teetotalism is that medication I am on does not like mixing with alcohol.

None in Basildon Asda this afternoon, but they are known to appear a couple of days late.

The 146 is a four engined turbofan.

Ian, most of the aircraft operating out of London City Airport seem to be Avro 146's, a bit long in the tooth now. HRH Charlie once managed to prang one of the Queens Flight ones.

Re. The Lake District, I used to stay in Blackpool with an aunt who is now sadly deceased. She used to live in North Shore were the ground was a bit higher. From her back bedroom window you could see the tops of the hills of the Lake District, and more importantly what the weather was like. It took less than an hour to get there from Blackpool and only on very rare occasions we were 'caught out' by the weather.

Are you the right way up this time?

Happy birthday Tony.

Its quite possible that the wheelsets have been removed for repair. Some of the materials carried by such wagons can be very abrasive and can play havoc with bearings etc.

The Japanese company Komatsu built a submarine bulldozer complete with snorkel.