PhilJ W

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I tried to get into my E-mails and all I got was 400 Bad request. I contacted Virgin Media and it turns out their e-mail will be down for 48 hours. I've noticed a few flying ants inside the house over the last couple of days and I've just discovered where they are coming from, a corner of the patio door frame. They have now received a dose of ant powder which will hopefully dispose of them. I didn't use a PPI firm, I got onto the bank directly and found a claim form on their website. Completed the details and the information* that I had to hand and four weeks later I received the cheque. It was so easy that I would advise not going to one of the firms that claim to do it for you. Firstly I know someone who did before I started my claim three months ago and they are still waiting for an outcome and secondly they grab 25% of the payout. It might be that some banks are not so easy to deal with as my one (Citibank) but try the websites of those banks that you have used. *Basically the account number.

Just received this mornings mail. In it was a letter from the PPI people. I opened it up and the first line read "Your PPI claim has been re-assessed." I thought that if they want any back its tough luck because its been spent. But no, they have found that they owe me another £950!

For magazines I use A4 printer paper boxes obtained from office suppliers. As the vast majority of magazines are now A4 size they are perfect.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. And a very humid and sticky Estuary-Land it is. I found Natalie's 'life story' very interesting, I wish I could say the same about mine but I spent the last 38 years of my working life with one employer and the last 30 years of that doing the same job. Now I've got to sort out suitable containers for some books and magazines for the club sales stand at our exhibition in ten days time.

Same here.

Goodnight all.

Good idea.

Yorkshire? I'm sure I know the location it but I can't remember the name.

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Not as muggy as it was this morning but still a bit sticky. Cold chicken and salad for dinner so no cooking to do. The poppies are blooming well, not surprising after the watering they received last night.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The rain really hammered down last night but no evidence of thunder and lightening. Bright sunshine at the moment but very muggy so thunder and lightening is still possible. Tea has been drunk so its be back later.

Goodnight all.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Joseph, one of our local estate agents is called by the locals Bar-stewards and Thieves, a rhyming pun on their name and not without good reason. I took my friends daughter to Orsett, she had one of her friends accompanying her so I left her at the hospital and collected her later. Only slight problem was a junior school directly opposite the hospital and when I went to collect her it was school turning out time and a fleet of badly driven/parked Chelsea tractors to negotiate. When we got back to my friends home next door to his house is a dentists, they are having a clear out and have a large skip in the car park. In the skip were a number of box files, hardly used so with the permission of the dental staff I retrieved them and I also found a Canon scanner in there and retrieved that also. I will be having it checked out to see if it still works. Time to put the kettle on, be back later.

Slightly off topic but connected with honesty boxes. A local charity book shop replaced tills with honesty boxes and their takings doubled.

Morning all from Estuary-Land. I'm with Chris on the way the BBC throws the schedule out of the window whenever there is a major sports event on. What made it worse last night was when I switched the TV on for the news at 6:35 the final whistle had been blown on the match but we still had to endure another fifteen minutes of talking heads discussing every minute detail of the match several times over when most of those with any interest were on their way to the pub. On to other things, my friends daughter is going to Orsett for a brain scan so I will have to drop her off before the appointed time and she can give me a call when shes finished. The reason I will not wait is the parking charges most of which goes into the pockets of the private company running the car parks on behalf of the local health authority. Thats it for now, be back later.

Goodnight all.

Sadly that is the last ever steam on the underground due to new signalling/automatic trains.

I was sent for my aortic scan to a surgery in Stanford-le-Hope and despite living within ten minutes walk of Basildon hospital I have been sent to Orsett for tests.

It would be great to have a vintage traction (none steam) gala limited to stock that is pre 1950 in build or design. I can think of several locos and other preserved stock that would be suitable.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Watched the five day forecast on Countryfile earlier. We can expect temperatures as high as the low 30's towards the end of the week. They also showed the expected temperatures in France and further south that are expected to be in the mid 40's. My friend called to ask a favour, his eldest daughter has an appointment at Orsett hospital tomorrow and could I drive her to hospital. I agreed as public transport to and from the hospital is pretty dire even from Basildon let alone South Benfleet. In fact I was under the impression that the hospital had closed as a lot of the site is now housing but apparently part of it is still open.

The railway modellers prayer >> Please don't let the wife sell my models for what I told her I paid for them.

A railway modeller lay in hospital in a coma. The doctors had told his friends and family that to help bring him round he needed a shock. They tried everything they could think of, sticking him with pins, electric shocks etc. Then his wife asked to be left alone with him and asked everyone else to leave the room. Ten minutes later she called them back in for them to find him sitting up in bed drinking a cup of tea. One of his friends asked her how she did it. "Simple" was her answer "I just said I was going to sell off his model stash and spend the money on a cruise with the girls."

Morning all from Estuary-Land. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Baz. I woke up about an hour and a half ago and couldn't get back to sleep again so here I am. In all I spent about 110 modelling tokens yesterday but a few of those went on refreshmments. The young man somehow manages to get behind a layout and often operating the controls, yesterday he managed the same both at the model railway club and at the model engineers (Gauge I radio controlled). Arthur Itis has objected to my perambulations this morning so a long hot soak in the bath is in order, be back later.

Goodnight all.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Had a great day at Ipswich today, spent oodles of modelling tokens, not all of it on myself and not all of it on models. On previous occasions I have spent the initial time there at the transport museum but last year a new event (IPMS show) threw the planned itinery out so this year we took the bus to the various events first leaving the museum to last which worked out far better even though there was an additional mini railway exhibition held in a pub! After chucking out time at the museum we made a visit to the local model railway emporium and disposed of more modelling tokens. Now feeling completely kernackered.

The 'Q' engine also rotated anti-clockwise (when viewed from the front). AEC developed a similar reversed version of the RT engine for use in tanks paired with a conventional engine. After the war they adapted this engine for left hand drive buses but with a conventional clockwise rotation.