PhilJ W

It was developed during WW1 when the principle danger to allied capital ships was the U-boat. I would add that an important feature of dazzle camouflage was straight lines and sharp angles

That reminds me of the time when an elderly lady was being pestered by some travellers for payment for work* that they had done and the old lady was getting rather upset. Her grandson was a member of a local rugby club so he arranged for a few of the players to 'greet' them when the old lady told them that she was ready to pay them. When they turned up they were met by half a dozen members of the rugby club and 'taken away for a word or two'. The two travellers were found the following morning many miles away, stark naked and trussed up so that they could only waddle along the country lane where they were found, it was also winter and a very cold night. Their van containing their clothes was found parked on a slipway and had been covered by the incoming tide. Most of the players for the rugby club were serving police officers. *The work was unnecessary and caused damage to the property.

Dear Mr. Holes. As a member of the Holes family you should be aware that these things do take time as there is more important things to do such as the company directors counting their enormous bonuses and playing golf. I'm very sorry but you will just have to put up with the mess and inconvenience for a long while. Yours insincerely R. S. Holes.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Its warmed up a bit here during the day and I was thinking that putting off my jab (which would have been about now) was premature but in the last hour or so its got a lot colder and the roads which were a bit slushy are freezing again so perhaps it was the right decision after all. I was going to do a fodder run once I had my jab but thats for tomorrow now but it means that tonights dinner is sausage toad and chips with an apple for desert. I have actually lost weight during lockdown, I think its due to fewer visits to Tess Coes and therefore less of things like vanilla cheese cake.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Rebooked my covid jab due to the weather. With my dodgy legs its not worth the risk going out. My new jab day is Monday. I tried the NHS website at first but although I clicked on the 'I want to change my appointment' button it seemed to think I was a new applicant and started offering places as far away as Sidcup but not the vaccination centre I was booked at. In the end I called my GP surgery and the young lady sorted it straight away.

Goodnight all.

Covid deniers on the Titanic.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. My sister called earlier. Her jab due tomorrow was cancelled because of the snow so she had to rebook. When she re-booked she got a slot for Friday, what makes it even better is that its at her local hospital only a couple of miles away instead of at Ipswich 35 miles away. No news of my friend so I suppose no news is good news.

The paint used by railway companies up until WW2 didn't come in cans. It came as 'cake', a solid block of colour which had to crushed to a powder and mixed with linseed oil. Some larger carriage workshops such as Stratford had cake crushing mills otherwise it was down to the apprentices. The coach painter mixed the paint which took some skill to get an even shade.

Just had news of a an old and very dear friend. He was rushed into hospital this morning with covid-19 and has also suffered a stroke. The outlook is not good, he is 97 years old and extremely frail and all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.

IIRC you can get proof of vaccination, if you ask for it.

How much would that cost? Property prices in Monte Carlo are astronomical. I had a look, a one bed apartment starts at 27 million Euros.

The Dynometer car looks a bit darker but not too much so. Natural finishes such as teak will have variations anyway. In fact a rake of 'teak' coaches with identical colouring would be unusual. Then you have to take into account weathering and how long since a coach was in works. As a final point I'm waiting for the Hattons coaches to see how they compare.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Why not put out a counter petition demanding that covid-19 passports are available to those who want them? Also what if popular holiday destinations such as Spain or the USA insisted on them? (they might already for all I know.) Its quite possible that some attractions/holiday providers here in the UK will insist on proof of vaccination, more power to their elbow if they do.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. When I went to bed last night it was just starting to snow again. It was the very fine snow and where the damp road surfaces had turned to ice it was polishing them nicely. This morning there was a thin covering of snow over everything including the 'polished' ice. I won't be going out today thats for sure.

Goodnight all.

A coal merchant in Dagenham operated a late 40's Austin K type and a similar aged Dodge into the 1990's. They were always immaculately turned out in a black over dark blue livery.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Those two idiots in Cumbria should be named and shamed, better not say any more or I'll be barred from RMweb. Just had a chat with my sister. She and her husband live at Kirby Cross just outside Frinton. They wanted to book their jabs at their local centre which is Clacton General Hospital but it was fully booked and the nearest place they could get was Ipswich, 35 miles away so they were booked in for next Tuesday. They were told this morning that due to the snow that all vaccinations have been suspended. Not surprising as those parts have had 15 cm, 6 inches of snow today. Looked out just now and its very icy underfoot so I doubt I'll be going out until Tuesday and then only for my jab. I don't think it will be cancelled as we're not to badly affected by the snow.

The calm before the storm.

Covidiots again, this time someone sent out to rescue them has been badly hurt. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-55970536

The Ipswich Transport Museum has one on display.

Many years ago I built an articulated DMU out of two Airfix Park Royal railcars with three bogies. Pity I no longer have it.

The dog I mentioned was a fully grown Alsatian.

Ipswich Co-op by the looks of it. They were unusual in using electric vehicles for coal delivery.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Snow had arrived as predicted but has only settled on cars, flat roofs and plants, its not settling on soil or roads and pavements. With a predicted low of -2 C. here tonight we can expect the roads and pavements to be skating rinks by morning. Muggatee awaits be back later.