PhilJ W

Bananas were imported 'green' and had to be ripened, this is why banana vans were steam heated.

The ones provided to the military had a veranda at both ends. The Metropolitan sealed up the loading doors on their examples and used them as straight brake vans.

Having just had one blood test I now have to have a second one. They take one sample then give you a high sugar drink then take another two hours later. At least I was able to ask my GP to add a PSA test to the things to be tested.

At the moment its uncertain as to the level, I've got to have more tests as my blood glucose levels were high but not seriously so. I think its a secret plot by the NHS to turn me into a pin cushion as they've also offered me a flu jab. Problem for me is that I really hate needles, this I reckon comes from having injections at school in the 50's when they used to use about 2 needles for the whole class, when most classes were 30-40 pupils. My surname begins with a W, and as they usually went by the class register, and when my turn came those needles were very blunt indeed! I tend to think that a hammer would have been useful to get the needle in.

It looks like the same thing is happening over here as well.

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE can we have a groan button?

Yes, but we keep sending him back.

Morning all, just. Had to visit the docs this morning and got good and bad news. The good news is that the kidney stone should dissolve and disappear of its own accord. The bad news is that I might be diabetic, so goodby to the cakes and biscuits.

Did they hand them over using a pair of tongs?

Apart from my other health problems my arthritic hip decided to remind me that it was still there this morning.

Another industry that comes to mind is the dairy industry. Creameries and bottling plants were often rail served. Milk and cream in (in tanks or churns) and finished products out (butter cheese etc.). I remember milk tankers being delivered to a bottling plant as late as the 1980's.

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Until Kit Kat took them over and closed the factory down? (Have a break...).

I came across a photograph of myself the other day, standing on the footplate of a Welsh narrow gauge loco. It was taken over 40 years ago and the jeans I was wearing I could barely fit on to one leg today. Just as well perhaps unless very wide flares come back into fashion.

Remember the alternative definition of 'expert' ex =redundant 'spurt' = a drip under pressure.

I still have my milk delivered. Dairy Crest seems to be the only national company still delivering milk to the door. They only deliver 3 days a week now, they don't deliver Sundays and the other 3 days the milkman operates another round. The reason I persist with home delivery is that living on my own with no relatives near at hand someone will notice if something is wrong, not that it will help much if something serious occurs but at least I wont be found lying on the floor for months if something does happen. The milkman usually delivers about 4 am, the only time I have had milk go off is if I have forgotten and left it standing on the stoop.

Ship breakers/scrap yard.

The Irish 'potato famine' of the 1840's was a lot more widespread than most people realise. It affected parts of England and Scotland as well as Holland and Belgium. The Belgians were devastated by it as much as the Irish if not more so, the only difference being that it was the more rural (protestant) north that suffered more than the industrialised (catholic) south. The one saving grace was that unlike Ireland it was not as widespread and the population was more mobile.

One of the things they use is dilute sulphuric acid.

This is something that made me decide to take early retirement at 59. I had noticed that many of my colleagues who had carried on until 65, despite being able to retire earlier only survived less than 3 years after retirement. There were several reasons for my early retirement but that fact was always in the back of my mind.

On my sound scan on Monday I was told to drink a litre of water beforehand. The appointment was for 3 o'clock, and so was everyone else's! Luckily I was in before 3:30 but it was a close run thing.

Thanks all for your best wishes. Jock, I was told that the kidney stone (singular) is a small one so hopefully an operation will not be necessary.

At least teats will stop you from spilling any.

Had an ultrasound scan of the waterworks this afternoon. The cause of the trouble a couple of weeks ago is a small kidney stone. Seeing my GP on Friday hopefully an operation will not be necessary.

Normal size, the trick is to cover the top with your hand and the spider will climb in to hide, take the spider to where you want to release it and uncover the top and it will scuttle off. EDIT For those who are a bit nervous of spiders you can use a beer mat instead of your hand.