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When incapacitated and feeling a bit glum, I was inspired by Rowanj (John) and his amazing thread, his adventures with North Eastern carriages and brown paint. It got me of my bum and finish of the BZ I started months ago. Seen in two-tone lock down economy primmer and finished finish, almost.

Another batch of photos taken at Carlisle over the years for today. Carlisle 318270 test run April 87 J8811.jpg Carlisle K4 3442 The Pennine Pullman London S&C Carlisle 18th Feb 90 C14042.jpg Carlisle Class 108 ecs May 90 J10939.jpg Carlisle 87035 and 86425 up steel 30th May 90 C14502.jpg Carlisle 90009 up Royal Scot 2hr late Glasgow to Euston 30th May 90 C14524.jpg David

Due to unwellness, I haven't been able to do any painting since last October, banned from dangerous particles. Now I'm back, appropriate that I should return with a big block of wood, not teak and a Quint of a different nature. I only build things, so I can slosh some paint about.

Just seen on TV the queues yesterday for the drive through McDonald's on the A217 Sutton By Pass. Unbelievable. If they're that desperate for a burger can't they make their own? It's not difficult, even I can do it and mine are quite popular amongst family and friends.

I have a new garden guest Meet Harry the Hedgehog. (S)he doesn't seem to have picked the most picturesque place in the garden to kip, nor the most comfortable. They used to be regular visitors many moons ago, though I haven't seen one for years. Really pleased to see them back Suitable doggie food plus water was left ready (and a quick long range look suggests doggie food went down well last night) though leaving food out will have to be a one-off I think, as I don't want to risk encouraging more unwelcome guests....

Evenin'all. Missed check in this morning as again it was straight back to the coal face. Today's biggest c*ckwomble was yours truly, glass of diluted fruit juice all over the (company) laptop keyboard. Explanations duly given and device has now failed. Whilst I shouldn't be overly concerned, as accidents do happen, I just feel pretty stupid. That on top of a distinctly below average week so far has not done my mental health and feelings about myself much good at all. Sorry to be a burden, I might be away for a short while as I seem to be making posts which are a bit of a depressing read of late. I've read and rated, hopefully correctly. Now time to force some food into me, but I really CBA. Have a good evening and night all. See you tomorrow, hopefully.

A couple of photos from Herculaneum Dock, my newish small camera gets into places others won't. The centre of the lens is 26mm above the base so gives more or less scale viewpoint from ground level. The view from the turntable under the coal hole is one you van only get with a camera. No special techniques with these, I'm not the world's best photographer, camera set on the smallest aperture, no extra lighting and hope for the best. The rest of the pictures from this latest photo session on my Herculaneum Dock thread.Tthe layout was put up in the shed to get it ready for the Bristol show, I'll take it dow again soon and get back on with Wentworth Junction.

Greetings all from the boring borough. Like Mr Q, our house is built from the same bricks used to make pizza ovens. 17c outside, 25c inside at the moment. The predicted thunder showers that Tony mentioned have now disappeared from the Beeb's weather app. <buqqer) Thanks to everyone for their best wishes. I still can't believe it was 25 years ago. To quote Douglas Adams, "time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so". I must have had a lot of lunchtimes then. @AndyID I've been seeing the plowing pics from Glacier Park. They are up about 180% of normal snow pack as well. The rivers are going to be very high this year. No Marmite or peanut butter here. I will admit to enjoying a cup of Bovril at football matches though. It has sort of become a bit of a tradition on cold afternoons. Early morning latte on the patio has been enjoyed. Now for a day of working with tw@twaffles. My manager allowed some revenge on the idiot that buqqered up my leave that I should have had yesterday. I'd already booked part of next week which was supposed to be SWMBO's birthday / late plan B anniversary getaway. Now I have the whole week off. Can't wait until the sp**ktrumpet of a project mangler realises that I won't be attending the second of his time wasting workshops next Wednesday. Enjoy the day.

Teak painted with a "normal" paint brush, and a couple of photos of the technique I use ,all in enamel paint. Never used a sable in my life , I doubt if will at those prices !!. ProArte brushes from ABC Brushes on ebay, are good value.

Ben was doing the sensible thing and lying down in front of the Landrover hiding from the sun. From that point he can also watch anyone passing the front gate, and the back door to watch if SWMBO comes out. Cutting the asbestos cement roof went well but it ate jigsaw saw blades, the remains have been broken up and are double bagged awaiting disposal. The roof was fixed down and flashing tape used to seal the join to the roof. Very sticky in this heat At this point dripping in sweat, I returned to the house, changed overalls because of the asbestos and everything else because it was dripping wet. A thorough wash including hair was had. After a Muggacoffee, I went out and sealed the vertical joins,. But it's oppressively hot and humid out there it feels thundery I was sweating very quickly. So for the moment I've retired to the house where it's a mere 24C. But before I did I got Ben to visit the shed. I don't think he was impressed.

Back from the once-weekly Tesco mega-shop. An interest in pre-Grouping wagon loading practices does have practical application: NRM DY 2493, released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) licence by the National Railway Museum.

Not to be political or anything but there's a tune making the rounds on this new-fangled Interwebster thing called "The Liar Tweets Tonight"

I think I speak for most of us on here. We can all feel down at times but that NEVER makes you a burden. Keep coming here and posting, it may help get the negative feelings out and that will help you. We are here to listen and never forget that. See you tomorrow and hope you have a better day than you seem to have had today.

G'day all, It's hot and sunny but a heavy fall of weed growth accelerator is promised for tomorrow morning, hopefully it will also bring on the veg as well. I'm not into Bovril either but I frequently enjoy a nice mug of OXO and even have an OXO liveried mug to drink it from. Our local council doesn't seem to do too badly but I am of course just a little biased as we have our personal Council member ready to hand (but no nepotism he frequently states) and Mrs Stationmaster and I occasionally go out for an evening meal with, the very recently re-elected, Mayor and his wife; we are also regular members of his quiz team at the golf and bowls clubs. As my mother taught the Mayor for one term in our junior school days and after he left school he was apprenticed to my father you will understand that our involvement is entirely apolitical and at least he got rid not long after his election of the utterly useless Town Clerkette (who went off to join the District Council). Oddly I had an amazing trouble free and productive ride during my last involvement with an insurance company when the Admiral's home workers were helpful, effective, and sent the first of various monies from that company in our direction. But don't mention Southern Gas in this house - their service contract ought really to be described as a Disservice Unenforeceable Contract. And like GDB we have had 100% bin collections maintained so far although their punctuality has varied a little. My hairdresser is of course the household management and has saved me quite a lot of money over the years. I have repaid the debt by making cups of tea for her. In the wider world I see that what appears to be a noticeable cohort of the British population is unable to decide if they are lemmings or potential Darwin Award winners by completely forgetting to either stay alert or exercise any trace at all of common sense. Of course there could be a genetic answer to this and possessors of the idiocracy gene know they are genetically resistant to Covid-19, on the other hand they could of course be a bunch of brain dead idiots. Anyway to the inhabitants of this little patch of common sense I trust you will enjoy a good day and that you will remain alert and stay safe.

Good morning. A little late here, as I had a short lie in. Pictures now of the last train in the sequence, the 7.21 from KX, which loaded rather more heavily than most of the stoppers. Sun Castle is the loco. I tried for an effect of fading light. Did it work? I also did something similar but closer. Poll results shortly, I reckon this one may be close.

Morning Our first day out since lockdown that we will be travelling a fair distance that will give one car a needed good run. A bit of linesiding near Banbury but there is very little freight about. We wont be seeing any freightliner class 70's as apparently, they are all in storage. We have a booked slot to collect a fair few bottles from Hook Norton brewery then back via XT Brewery at Long Crendon and Rebellion near Marlow where they have drive thru with not having to pre book / pre order.

Bit of action this morning. In fact, for this layout, very busy for this time of the morning!

Hi Jesse Its better than my first attempt when I was about 16 or so. The way I paint teak is using Humbrol enamels. Firstly a base coat of yellow. Once this is dry I then mix up a variety of browns - I don't think you can get the browns I use straight from a pot of paint. I'm very crude in the way I do it really. I mix up the browns using Humbrol 133, 186 and a bright orange, simply in an old kit box cardboard lid. Firstly I make a mid brown and paint the edges of the windows and doors and then with an oldish brush without too much paint, paint the panels a variety of shades - some are simply a plain colour others I try to get a bit of texture into. You can be the judge! Two recently completed Bill Bedford Howlden 3-D printed resin 6 wheelers. The finish I'm looking for is drab mid-late 30s long after any lining would have worn off. The roofs are not sitting down very well but I can't do much about that now as when I removed one after I noticed a window gazing had moved I snapped it in two and had to repair it! Andrew

That looks suspiciously like Lancaster Green Ayre on the road to an exhibition.

Morning, The sun is starting to shine though we have a breeze and a rain shower is forecast for later, a part lazy day today again though I need to get stuff ready for taking to the local tip tomorrow. Ours opened on Monday but you have to make an appointment for a half hour time slot The guidance states you have to empty your car yourself hmm never been offered help! Regarding house bin collection no difference here to pre lockdown including garden waste. Just had Tom from DPD deliver a order of fish from Cornwall the order being placed yesterday, Cod/Hake/Plaice and I treated myself to some Lobster which accompanied by a nice glass of white burgundy will go down well! I am hardly likely to be going to a restaurant in the near future so what the hell! Marmite not for me I am afraid, don't mind peanut butter but don't go on the hunt for it. So enjoy your day folks

I long ago adopted the principle of not doing anything whatsoever, which avoids any possibility of potential mishaps. Alternatively, the Iain Rice approach of appropriate music and a glass glasses bottle of decent single malt can be most therapeutic and industrious. I'm almost there this morning, listening to the complete Messiah whilst drinking builder's tea! I just need cake. I know how to really live it up.

Story of my life My hotel kleptomania manifested itself in the collection of the mini bars of soap; mini bottles of shower gel, shampoo & face creams and the sewing kits. All very useful. Mrs iD used the bars of soap to perfume the fresh laundry (an unwrapped bar inbetween every two or three items) and we didn’t buy shower gel and shampoo for about a decade. Two other “must take home” items were decent pens (if the hotel provided a decent quality pen and notepad by the bedside phone) and - in UK Hotels - the biscuits and hot chocolate from the tea and coffee tray (I rarely drank hot chocolate, so a single serving size on stock was very useful in times of hot chocolate need) You are lucky, apart from being rather appealing creatures, they are incredibly useful for the gardener, living as they do on many of the pests that bedevil our gardens (which is why you shouldn’t use slug poison as it affects hedgehogs, other non-toxic methods of control should be used) Don’t feed them milk (hedgehogs are pretty much lactose intolerant) and provide a safe space from predators for them. You should be rewarded by having fewer pests in the garden. There is one downside: hedgehogs tend to have very noisy sex (although that may just be the variant found in Switzerland)

Ey up! Sun shining, birds singing... Up early as her indoors is off to moreasons. We still don't have any garden waste collection here at the moment. Big problem as I need to cut the hedges. I don't like Orange Marmalade. I do like peanut butter but Marmite is very acceptable...cheese, ham and marmite sandwiches..yummy!! The Veganite I tried is not up to it..at all. Her indoors has verious trips out today. (Including the collect bit of click and collect Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas for tea). I have more scarifying then willdo battle with the motor, gearbox and bodywork of the V2. The gearbox is not a High Level one and took ages to get it square. Pah! I see Captain Toms money has started to go the the hospital charities. Great! ((Philjw.. he isn't addressed as Colonel Sir..he is still ranked as Captain and he hasn't been officially knighted yet.) The great Covid app saga continues. Most of the new recruits have nothing to do.. seems like getting to the target numbers of new employees is more of an achievement than getting the app to work PAH! Make the best of your Thursday time! Stay safe, positive thoughts to all ERs. Baz

Good moaning from here. It was warm yesterday. Thevironing was done then various phone calls including a long one to Supersonic of this parish, a former colleague of Dave Hunt. Then a pleasant two hours in the pool, sweeping it out as we emptied it. A couple of hours was then spent scanning. I'm up to early 79 now when Beth andcI were engaged and the latest one is the start of our honeymoon.. Lots more pictures from work, definitely life on Mars, then it seemscwe went to a lot of weddings. Most of the marriages didn't last long. Maybe my photos were the cause. I didn't take any at our own. Anyway, more time will be spent in the pool today getting thevlast of the water out so that we can thoroughly check the liner. It promises to be another warm one. However the house stays cool. Then this evening it will be Scampi and Chips in the market place in Aulnay. I don't like marmalade or peanut butter but do like Marmite. Interesting use of an otherwise wasted byproduct. Round here we have a better one called Pineau de Charente. A cool glass is lovely at any time of day. Jamie

Afternoon all. The predicted rain has failed to appear. I may have to do the Canadian Rain Dance. (wash the car) The twatwaffle of a project mangler imploded in this morning's meeting. He sounded like a poorly maintained motor boat, but but but but..... Sorry mate but leave approved above your head and you failed to book my time properly in the system. Ain't karma a bitch. If he wants to try to get it cancelled now, he needs approval and the policy is "IF" and that is a bloody big if, I agree to release my time it has to be compensated by an equal number of TOIL days that would come out of his budget. So if he begs my 2 days of leave next week become 4 days down the road. We had the Old Bill at the door a couple of hours ago. Looks like the council have finally acted on the builders living in the garage next door illegally. They wanted a chat about any problems or other issues. They had a good look around over the fence, then a long chat with the builders. That would have been interesting as none of them know a bloody word of English. Turns out the council have ordered their eviction and this was the half way to "auf wiedersen pet" inspection. Nice enough chaps though.

I blame ignorance and the press in particular because if we really get into the technicalities of rank etiquette for retired military officers, then Tom Moore should not be referred to by his rank at all, because that is a privilege granted to officers of field rank and above. (Lt Cdr/Maj/Sqn Ldr). You will note the seniority of the services, Navy/Army/Air Force. Any tri-service establishment being known as a Sh!t sandwich due to the brown job always being in the middle! I believe the habit of calling all retired officers by their former rank started when the then husband of the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips, left the army. The press took it upon themselves to continue to call him by his former rank, despite mutterings from the likes of Debrett's. The habit has continued to this day. Matters can then get confusing as Tom Moore has been awarded the rank of Honorary Colonel to the Army Foundation College. That is not his rank, but an honorific title, so if he were invited to the AFC, then he would be referred to as Colonel, but only for the duration of his visit. (There is a specific format for writing such an invitation, but I can't remember what it is. Perhaps Dave Hunt still has his copy of JSP101). Any other unit writing to him, unless it related directly to the AFC, should write to Mr T Moore, although it is possible due to his widespread fame that he might be referred to as Capt (retd) T Moore, although it would be techincally incorrect. Of course nothing is ever cut and dried and there are also the cases of Officers who are promoted to a higher rank on their retirement. This is quite a rare occurrence now, but were more common during the last century. In such cases, the individual is referred to by his retired rank. The distinction is shown only when formally writing to such an individual. Where the individual retires in his serving rank then one would write to, say, Maj(retd) A B'stard. Had he been promoted from Captain to Major on retirement than the title changes to Maj A B'stard (retd). note the subtle placement of the (retd). For those thinking that this is a ploy to get a higher pension, it's not. One has to have a minimum of two yearsof active service in the rank to qualify for such. More fun is when you have a Peer or a Knight who serves. We had a subaltern who was a Peer of the Realm, and quite senior officers used to get their knickers in a twist when they had to speak to him. And could he wind them up! That made him very popular with the troops! I once worked for a General who had been knighted, and depending who you, were depended on how you spoke to him. Officers on his staff referred to him as Sir xxx, the rest of the Headquarters called him either General, or Sir depending on the circumstances. I just kept well out of his way. Especially as he knew it was I who had glued a pound coin to the HQ building steps and videoed him trying to pick it up.

Good day brethren, The day started very cloudy and looked as if we could get significant precipitation. The sky has subsequently adopted an uninterrupted shade of azure. Plants soil has been watered. MoT test is booked for next week. Meat and eggs requested from Our Lady of The Protein in the nearby farm. A van from the local Rose of Waits is expected quite soon. Whilst HMG seems to be helping out all and sundry with “splashing the cash”, it, through its all-powerful offshoot HMRC, has decided it can avoid paying anything to my self employed son who has meticulously declared his earnings and paid the appropriate taxes for more than a decade. For a short while he was contracted to Coventry University to upskill basic mathematics to undergraduates arriving with for degree courses who were at an insufficient standard. Once those students’ skills in that topic were sufficiently elevated and that Uni ceased taking on so many dubious students, his contract ended two years ago but this has somehow given HMRC an excuse to withhold any payment from him. He starts in a Tesco warehouse next week as his normal work dried up at the start of March and there is nothing in the foreseeable future in his sector. Like GDB, I am lacking in upper thatch and I too object to paying a barber a search fee, although trusting My Dear Leader to do mine is quite stressful for me. As for the great Marmite, peanut butter and Bovril debate, I like them all and find a crushed Oxo cube with a small teaspoon of either Marmite or Bovril dissolved in hot water to be very enjoyable. I am happy to have Marmite and peanut butter sandwiches which of course then involves bread - not good if trying to stick to a low carb diet! As iD says, peanut butter is a very useful product when cooking Asian style foods and I buy the rich roast variety from Meridian as it contains no palm oil or salt. No doubt other things will be found to occupy me for the rest of the day but I have yet to be advised. Meanwhile, a kipper requires my undivided attention. Stay sane....

' morning all from red dragon land. RAF training going on outside. We originally thought it was some private plane out for a noisy joy ride fly around but later found out otherwise. I am a lot happier it being someone from Valley zooming around. These guys have my full admiration for the job they do. "But the RAF is equipping the Texan aircraft with new safety harnesses which will conform to British safety standards and which allows for over sea flying, resulting in a reduction in flights over land, minimising noise pollution." Cloudy, sun this afternoon, "Rain later. Good" no need to water the plants. Yes, we do have this excellent book, two editions, one we bought ourselves and one a C*******s presie from one of the family. Fife chart informs me it is time to oil the wooden fifes, today. So I will toot away on Polly Mur Mer for awhile. I still find this plastic thing hard work. A few jobs around the house, first, then continue with the headboard, specifically, more cutting and glueing. Mugadecaf time.... Fitt and Elfie plodding on. Take care, play safe ________ Best wishes Polly

You'll love it..... Strange. As for my current collection (as well as several jars squirreled away) - all those years in Hotels on business proved beneficial in some ways, especially as a means for stocking up on my collection. These prove very useful for taking away on holiday with me, as I can get a couple of slices of toast (with possibly a little left over) out of each one. It does seem (to me at least) to darken with age a little, and possibly thicken up as well. Doesn't affect the wonderful taste though...

Greetings one and all, with belated congratulations to Andrew C and Mrs Andrew on 25 years of marriage. Yesterday my mobile phone fell off my desk. The charger was connected and the end of the lead that plugs into the phone became bent. In the process of trying to order a replacement I was on the phone to Currys for nigh on two hours in all and was cut off no less than four times! One of the cuttings-off happened when I was part way through giving my card number to complete the purchase. This will generate a written complaint and, I fear, some more phone calls. I am furious about this and will need no prompting to berate Currys very publicly. Later I learned that suitable leads are easily obtained in phone shops. This is fine if they are not closed for the duration. I have a couple of other avenues to explore – nearly said ‘leads to follow!’ – and if I had realised that they may be had on eBay I would not have put myself through the Currys experience. However, I’ve started so I’ll finish. Our virtual Area Group meeting went well. As usual, we discussed everything but m*d*l r**lw*ys but aspects of that esoteric subject did come up in conversation. Earlier I had fought shy of g*rd*n*ng because of the heat but it does need doing badly. You can rely on me to do it badly. Candidate 7 for my top 10 albums is Bill Whelan’s “Riverdance: music from the show”. Riverdance burst upon a totally unsuspecting world on 30th April 1994 as the interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest. It is still very much alive and long may it remain so. I am hoping against hope that it will be on when I eventually make it to Dublin 13 months hence. My father must have been not far off 80 when he travelled to Brighton to see Riverdance on stage. I chose a track from the album to be played at his funeral. Marmalade v peanut butter: I have always loathed peanut butter and learned a lot about marmalade in the latter years of my father’s life. Would you believe that I used to give him a selection for Christmas? It’s a long story. Best wishes to all Chris

Mooring awl, Inner Temple Hare, 6 hours sweaty sleep with just wake up and turn overs. The 25.5C was inside, the house has solid brick walls and absorbs the heat all day, re radiating it into the house all night. With very little wind there's nothing to blow the cooler air through the house. The forecast today is for increasing winds so it won't be so bad. Marmite or the Australian rip off Vegemite, are definitely not to my taste, given some many years ago, it was bxxxxxy awful. I've never bought any and never will... I see Michigan is flooding, somewhat expected with its name. Social distancing at schools, we had that at primary school 60 years ago. A white line down the middle of the playground,, boys one side, girls the other, separate gateways into the school one each side of the building, with boys and girls written in the iron work. Once in class at each two sitter desk, one boy one girl where possible, no talking from the moment you lined up in the playground, in classes at the end of break. Today's plan, mask up, suit up, before it gets too hot, cut off the excess asbestos cement roof , bag up the remains. De-suit, De-mask , have a good wash. Attach the shed to the garage, as it is a genuine lean to at the moment. There are high winds forecast for tomorrow. If there is time remaining, seal the shed/garage joins. Ben the snoring Collie is asleep at the moment he'll wake up in 17 minutes.. Time to relax till then..

Thanks Tony, I, too, saw the demise in Roy's confidence due to failing faculties. I suppose this is an inevitability awaiting us all. I know I've built my 'best' model - years ago. That's not to say it couldn't be bettered (far from it) but it was the 'happy equation' of experience balancing out diminishing abilities. There were probably several 'best models' (which is grammatically-daft, I know), built at around the same period of time (around the turn of the century and into the noughties), but during the teens of this century, I know my experience (which is always growing) cannot balance my diminishing faculties (which are growing at a faster rate than my experience!). The J17 is evidence of this; where I was prepared to fudge something rather than do it properly (thankfully, I 'saved' it due to correct, critical comments). 'Saved' it might be, but my soldering isn't as neat as it once was. By way of an illustration of what I mean, using A1s I've built down the years........ This is the oldest DJH I own which I've built, now over 30 years old. Previous ones I'd built, I'd painted myself and were for customers. Once I got to know Ian Rathbone, the limitations of my painting were cruelly-exposed. Thus, he painted this one. When Stoke Summit hit the exhibition trail in the mid-'90s, I built several A1s for use on it. Including these....... They now see service on Little Bytham.............. Including ALCAZAR. Ian Rathbone did all the painting of these. As he continued to do into the current century. I just kept on building A1s............................ Including those for friends/customers. I built this one for a friend, but after several years he asked me to sell it for him - which I did. This one was also built for a friend, and has now come back on 'permanent' loan to LB. Ian Rathbone's painting remains consistently-brilliant, though I should have chosen better bogie wheels. Though not as crude as Bachmann's or Hornby's, the term 'should do better' is apposite. I'll change them on 60156. I'd often build up to four A1s at any one time - three for customers and one for me! Ian then would batch-paint them. I still keep on building A1s, but recent jobs have now been painted by Geoff Haynes............... There are variations in the rendition of BR Brunswick green - as, I imagine was the case on the real thing. Geoff's painting is also excellent. And so, to the 'latest' A1, or the latest painted one ........................... In my defence, this one had been started, by a now-deceased modeller. I made it go, and finished off the bodywork. I don't think it's as good as my earlier A1s, despite Geoff's painting. I suppose, over a period of time, 'consistency' is the watchword. I hope the locos illustrated show that, but it'll be an inevitable decline from now on. There are other A1s on Little Bytham which I've made, but the above represents a selection. I suppose my motivation to carry on making models (not just A1s) is that I still can. My eyesight (though pestered now by older-age floaters) is still good enough for me to be able to thread handrail pillars, my hands don't shake and my stamina is still adequate. Though slightly 'puddled' at times, my mental faculty is still standing up (though that's for others to decide!). Nobody knows exactly how much time they have left, and my intention is to carry on for as long as I can. Building things is much more important to me than operating my railway. Indeed, since the lockdown, it's hardly been used! Regards, Tony.

Andy Leopard, I totally agree with what Chris said. Keep posting, have a rant if you need to and eat! There's quite a few of us on here who have felt like that at times and the dark animal escapes but I can't think of a better place to have a chat and get things off your chest. Never met a more supportive bunch of lads and lasses as there are on here.

A vast tract of the public are ignorant to the fact that the police are not responsible for putting people into prison and making sure they stay there. They get the crap for doing their job when they are just as let down as the majority of the general public are, by the feeble sentences passed down by courts. One has to remember that apart from fixed penalties issued by the police, any criminal case that goes to court is dealt with by the CPS. The police are only there to provide a defendant(s) and a file of evidence. Judges and Magistrates are also castigated because they have to stick to the sentencing guidelines. The judge starts with a maximum and then has to allow for any mitigating circumstances which may account for there being a lesser sentence awarded. It's a very large and complex situation with quite a few agencies having input into the system, but it boils down to judges and magistrates being bound by the minimum and maximum sentences laid down in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.................... Which was an Act of Parliament. Now you asked about the clowns........................? These days, Justice appears to be more about rehabilitating the offender than supporting any victims of crime. What we are left with is the culmination of many years of a liberal attitude to crime and punishment. Of course, if ERs were in charge, minor offences such as parking on a double yellow line would probably be a flogging offence!

Spending the day at LAS. The good news is that I am very up to date with RMWeb! Bill

Had a pleasant surprise this morning, my monthly pharmacy prescription was delivered by a ppe-equipped guy from EDF. Normally I request my prescription on EMI-access (as I did on Monday) and collect the prescription the following week from the local branch of Lloyds Pharmacy with is adjacent to the doctor's surgery. As I'm only a five minute walk away from the surgery/pharmacy I have no problem collecting the prescription in person. Only problem is nowadays I might have to wait up to 30 minutes to get into the pharmacy. I phoned the pharmacy this morning to thank them for having delivered the prescription and, after getting over the shock over having someone call them to say thankyou, they explained that they had been authorised to work with EDF and will be delivering future prescriptions for the length of the duration. Regarding Marmite etc. I'm definitely into Marmite (especially with dripping on toast) , detest peanut butter but can eat peanuts although prefer cashew nuts. Week or so ago there was talk about the AK47. This is the only weapon that I have held and fired: The picture was taken at the Saigon Police Firing Range back in 1968/69 when I was taken there by a couple of American guys in CDF (Community Development Foundation) but rumoured to be part of the CIA. The only other time I handled a firearm was during the Red Guard riots in 1967 in Hong Kong when, as a member of the Marine Division of the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police (before they became the Royal HKAP), we were mobilised one day when there was trouble on the border. Think that we were the only division of the HKAP that were not normally armed but in this case we were given a handgun and 5 bullets. Not having had much training in firearms the handgun went in one pocket and the bullets went in the other pocket. The Red Guard riots were the cause of me being moved from Hong Kong as when we were mobilised I was spending more time marine policing (despite not being able to swim!) than banking. The only way to get me out of the HKAP was to transfer me out of Hong Kong and bring in a replacement.... so they transferred me to Saigon where I arrived just after the Tet Offensive. Interesting times!! Keith

The Crownline J17 is 'finished' - for now! There's still an awful lot of cleaning up to do. After that's been achieved, I'll 'fit' the boiler bands, using my usual method of self-adhesive insulation tape, cut to the correct width. I puzzle why folk solder cladding bands on - I've only ever made a mess, and they come out too thick, anyway. As for cleaning off the excess solder afterwards......... What I tend to do is 'live' with a model for a while before either I paint it (as will be this case) or it goes to Ian Rathbone or Geoff Haynes. That way, after thorough testing, I hope I'll be satisfied enough for it to be painted. I've hinted at the sandbox-operating rods, and I might fit sandpipes; we'll see. Apart from the missing firebox, the kit was complete. However, just be wary of buying second-hand kits; at first glance everything might appear to be there, but that's not always the case. With the completion of this model, that makes the four I bought of Roy Jackson's estate last October all finished. I rebuilt the A5 and the L1, making OO frames for them, then painted, lined/numbered and weathered them. I built the B16/3 (after Roy had un-built parts of it), and that's now with Geoff Haynes for painting. Had the great man survived, might the quartet still have been in their crumbling boxes? Looking through my equally-crumbling Ian Allan abc for 1957, no J17 is underlined. By the time I got into ex-GE territory, there was very little steam left. Thus, this model breaks my usual practice of only building models of locos I actually saw. Still, it'll suit the M&GNR bit of LB - J17s were common at Spalding, but whether they got further westwards in numbers might require a bit of Rule 1! There were several variations in the class..... Some towed small tenders (and had their cabside numbers applied by very small painters!). One or two had weather boards on their tenders for reverse running. All in all, a pretty-typical British 0-6-0. Unfortunately, I don't have a prototype picture of a vacuum-fitted one.

A favourite of mine is the little jars of jam at brekkies - full, half-full or empty. The jars have numerous uses for certain hobbies

Seeing your marmite collection reminds me of one of my hobbies of the past.... collecting soap from the many hotels I've stayed in: A close-up shows that there was a good geographical spread of hotels: Only collected soap from hotels that I actually stayed in. Suppose if there was another pandemic and soap disappeared from the shelves I wouldn't have a problem. Another "hobby" was collecting small match boxes even though I did not smoke - I'll find the box one day. Keith

Mornin' awl; it's shaping up to be another warm day. This morning I need to move some stuff in the conservatory and outside, so a sparky can fit an exterior socket. Mrs mole has acquired an inflatable spa/hot tub. The pain due to her disability is alleviated by swimming and aquatic exercise, which of course she hasn't been able to do, as the pools are shut and seem set to remain closed for a while, so she is going to use this instead. It's big enough to float lengthwise and do tethered swimming. Marmite, I've always liked it but didn't have it often until recently but am now using frequently. I shouldn't, but I've found that a reduced salt intake leads to nocturnal leg cramps. Peanut butter has to be Whole Earth Crunchy, although recently the palm oil content seems to have increased; it didn't pool on the top before. I will try Aldi's own brand as an alternative if it has no palm oil. Marmalade by preference would be a thick cut Seville type, but these days I'm limited to Tesco's No Added Sugar, which is a fine cut. Time to get on with stuff, after a quick ramble round the rest of RMweb. Stay elfy Pete

I am most disappointed by these photos. Where’s Ben The Border Collie? His fan club wants more than the occasional glimpse and passing reference.... That’s appalling, not the Silver Anniversary (of course not, congratulations from me as well, Mr & Mrs Andrew C), but the news that the average time in prison for murder In the UK is just over 16 years. What ever happened to the “life” in life imprisonment? ...in regards to the workings of your City Council, aren’t you under the misapprehension that it is there to serve the rate payer? If Private Eye (“Rotten Boroughs” column) and the UK tabloids are anything to go by, local government is there to serve the mercenary interests of certain individuals and to get behind the cause célèbre du jour... I have been impressed by Gaugemaster through the efforts of our very own Gaugemaster Ambassador- JohnDMJ, who (apart from being a top bloke) has been of some considerable assistance to me in matters modelling! As for UPS, what little experience I have had with them suggests that they are somewhat better than their lower cost competitors.. Mrs iD cuts my hair (I have a distrust.... well, a minor phobia actually, of barbers) and - in my less than considered opinion - “faffs around” far too much. She is puzzlingly resistant to the idea of just running the hair clippers over my bonce, close cropping my hair. She claims that I’d “look like a thug” (shaved head, big, tall and bulky, criminal goatee, mad look in eyes... what’s not to like?). When I travelled to Asia for work (1999 - 2010) sometimes I needed a Visa (Passport and return ticket were a given), but no vaccinations (or certificates) were required of me (maybe just because of where I went?). I suspect post COVID-19 things will be tightened up considerably and proof of COVD-19 vaccination (and other things ?) will become a requirement for entry (assuming, of course, that Pfizer, Moderna and other companies working on a vaccine are successful) Apparently, from the garish TV adverts currently being broadcast, there is a ready mixed marmite and peanut butter combination available (smooth and crunchy). Presumably to save the marmite & PB aficionados the effort of opening two jars.... I’ve tried Marmite and can’t say that I’ve warmed to it. Bovril on the other hand.... Mike, am I to understand from this intriguing post that a) it’s in some sort of “railwayman’s jargon”, b) you needed a drink whilst writing this, or c) you had had a drink whilst writing this Congratulations. It’s always pleasing to learn that someone’s new relationship is going well. Given the minefield that interpersonal romantic relationships can be, I think that I’d rather try and bring about world peace than be a “relationship counsellor”. I admire the nous of these skilled people... The Human body is an amazingly resilient organism and when all works as it should can take the most amazing insults and keep going (eat a whole box of Quality Street after lunch, normal blood sugar levels by supper time). But when it malfunctions, we truly are in “a world of hurt” I too have to be careful about carbohydrate intake, not because I am diabetic or have an intolerance, but because I have been on a low carbohydrate diet for so long (3+ years, 40kg weight loss), so that if I eat too many carbs at once then I tend to “binge” on carbs that day (so 25g peanuts is ok, 50g and I end up eating the whole bag...). Much is currently being made about “fat shaming” (a big brouhaha recently occurred after an opposition politician described “the big citrus fruit” [accurately] as being morbidly obese) and I can understand the concern, as obesity is a LOT more complicated than fat people just being “lazy, face-stuffing gluttons who can’t be ars*d to exercise”, but the “body-positive” activists go far too far when they say that obesity is a “patriarchal anti-female social construct”, “you can be any size you want and still be healthy” or “dieting is a sexist imposition to get women to confirm to male sexist ideals of what a woman’s body shape should be”. Obesity costs the NHS an awful lot of money and to deny the medical sequalae of obesity, as many of the “body positive” movement do, does no one any favours. Unfortunately, the most widely used tool for assessing obesity is BMI - a useful measure, but definitely flawed... Well done Sir. You are truly a Gentleman of wisdom and insight. Hubris has been the downfall of many a great man and is an affliction that I see playing out on the world’s stage far too often, regrettably far too many of these c*ckwombles escape Nemesis... I also like marmalade, but it has to be slightly bitter (such as marmalade made with Seville oranges). The Swiss, German and French marmalades, which I get here, are far too sweet to my taste. And even the English marmalades which you can occasionally find in the shops, have been tweaked to be sweeter for the export market. Peanut butter, whether smooth or crunchy, is a very useful ingredient to have in your cupboard if you do a lot of Thai cooking. A jar of peanut butter can save you a lot of time and trouble in as much as all you have to do is spoon out a suitable amount of peanut butter, quickly replacing the rather time-consuming (but not very difficult) task of sourcing raw, unsalted peanuts, toasting them and then grinding them to a smooth or semi smooth paste. The only caveat being to choose a relatively low salt brand of peanut butter. Now off to make a rhubarb crumble cake (which is exactly as it says on the tin: a rhubarb cake with a crumble topping). Have a great day iD

Good morning everyone It’s a lot duller than yesterday and we seem to have had a little (little being the operative word) rain overnight, but it isn’t raining now. It’s currently 12C with a 50% chance of rain and thunder predicted mid-morning and a predicted high of 20 later this afternoon. The plans for today are to walk to the butchers to collect the weekly meat rations and a pastie for dinner. Then I walk back home, put the meat in the fridge or freezer and make and drink muggertea No2 before setting off to the Trafford Centre for a few more provisions. The afternoon will probably be spent doing not a lot, possibly read the latest BRM or RM which are both sitting on the coffee table unread. Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later.

I'm surprised we're doing the peanut butter / marmalade / Marmite / Vegemite thing so soon again. In no particular order: Vegemite on hot buttered toast honey on crumpets strawberry jam on scones with whipped cream (clotted cream is hard to find here) maple syrup on waffles with whipped cream and sliced strawberries (brandied cherries are an alternative) Nutella on crepes fig jam with a cheese board, quince paste is good too lemon curd on toast (as a change up), key lime and passionfruit curd is nice peanut butter with honey and sliced banana sandwich (better than a PBJ) cloudberries with pound cake soaked in Cloudberry liqueur (a Finnish dessert) Marmalade is OK. I do prefer lime marmalade since it is sweeter but a high quality orange marmalade can be quite sublime. I'm not sure I've met a well-made jam I don't like though I avoid rhubarb. Apricot jam is a nice change from the red berries (strawberry, raspberry, etc). All of these are pretty much forbidden to me as a regular item.

Good morning all, Already 16°C here and another hot day forecast. Lots of track testing done yesterday and another minor fault found and rectified. I think that it's all OK now but will carry on testing again today, just in case. First lot of bin men have been, 2 more to come. Car to be taken to garage for fault finding and service. They have advised that sanitising and distancing measures are in place. Time to take tea to The Boss, Have a good one, Bob.

There have already been a few evacuations in southern BC. There was a lot of snow there this year - the snowpack was 150% of average in some places. A quick melt, with significant rain, could definitely cause problems.

Here in GH its about the same temp but no rain yet. Hope it does though as there is a ton of new grass seed waiting to be rained upon. Feel sorry for Brian W and the heat; I remember such nights back home although there wasn't much relief even with the windows open. At least here we get cooling off the Pacific at night, too cold sometimes and the A/C is set for 23.C anyway. Brian.

An't too hot here. It's about 12C and absolutely Hissing Sid. There's a flood watch over a huge area.

The police helicopter was flying about near our house yesterday. I think they may have called in reinforcements as an Apache helicopter just flew over heading north.

It has been raining here for the last five days. It has finally stopped for at least a little while so I'm going to try and cut the grass. It still hasn't dried out, but is drier than yesterday so I'm going to give it a go. After that I hope to finish my 2+ meters of rock wall with a grey wash under the RhB line. And then tip back a few Bitburgers this afternoon. Vacation never lasts long enough. I consider it practise for my retirement in a few years.

Tommy by Rudyard Kipling I WENT into a public 'ouse to get a pint o' beer, The publican 'e up an' sez, " We serve no red-coats here." The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, go away " ; But it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, O it's " Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls! For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' " Tommy, wait outside "; But it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide, O it's " Special train for Atkins " when the trooper's on the tide. Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap. An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, 'ow's yer soul? " But it's " Thin red line of 'eroes " when the drums begin to roll The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes, " when the drums begin to roll. We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints; While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be'ind," But it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind, O it's " Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind. You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all: We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace. For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! " But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot; An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please; An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees! Snap Which clown came up with that? Surely any reduction of sentencing (or increase for that matter) should be at the discretion of the presiding judge after a review of all the evidence. No wonder much of the public have little faith in the police, judiciary and legal profession. and it looks like he's "grumpy with it" as well. But he's a handsome looking lad! (and has similar markings to my Schotty). I have now sold off 4 guitars and made payment to the Swiss HIWATT importer, so in a few days I'll take delivery of this little toy: Mrs iD was most scathing (even though the purchase was cost negative after the guitar sale), but former colleague of mine, a friend and a semi-professional guitarist said I got a real bargain! The only downside being how little I got for the guitars I sold off. Anyway, off to kill things on the PlayStation. Enjoy the rest of the day! iD