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Once again a visit to the Grantham to Nottingham line at Bottesford and Radcliffe on Trent. Bottesford cranes laying tack Nov 83 J8093.jpg Bottesford Class 114 Nottingham to Skegness Oct 81 J7607.jpg Bottesford Class 114 Nottingham to Skegness Nov 81 J7610.jpg Radcliffe on Trent Class Class 25 25122 oil heading east Feb78 J5923.jpg Radcliffe on Trent Class 114 Nottingham to Grantham June 79 J6497.jpg David

Some more photos from the Severn Valley Railway to give with your coffee this morning. They are not in quite the correct order north to south! Arley WD 600 Gordon Bridgnorth to Bewdley Aug 80 J7227.jpg Eardington Ivatt 2MT 46443 Bewdley to Bridgnorth July 75 J4501.jpg Hampton Loade Class 5 45110 running round April 71 C553.jpg Highley Western D1062 l e Aug 80 J7201.jpg Victoria Bridge Arley Jubilee Class 5690 Leander Bridgnorth to Bewdley Aug 80 J7192.jpg Bewdley 7812 Class 116 Aug 80 J7204.jpg David

Back in port.....

This afternoon, we went for a walk round a local lake which forms the reservoir for a hydro-electric plant. The provincial electricity company provides recreation facilities around many of their reservoirs. (Don't worry, there are all sorts of precautions to stop people going down the penstocks.) it had been raining lightly when we set out from home, but the rain had stopped by the time we got there. Here are a couple of general pictures of the lake: General views in the forest through which the trails run: This area of Canada is sometimes known as the 'Wet Coast', for obvious reasons. The rainfall encourages the growth of mosses. Here are examples of what can grow on trees: My wife did a biology evening course. One of the assignments was to collect samples of 20 different mosses. She did that without going more than a couple of hundred yards from the house.

Well, that was fun, in a way. Strange feeling when you don’t see the track on roadbound sections, even more so than when you’re in a car and have no visible lane markings! Now safely ensconced at home. Batten down the hatches, folks. Nite...

Another favourite of this thread 7804 Baydon Manor , will be retiring with the release of the new Accurascale model , so here she is again as we say a fond farewell. Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye, cheerio here I go on my way.

My idea of hot curry is a korma. When I lived in Singapore back in the late 60s there was a place called the Victory on Tanglin Road that had a standing offer that any westerner who could finish a Victory curry would be entitled to the next one free. Despite being called a wimp I never tried it but have sat watching testosterone-fuelled colleagues with sweat pouring off them gulping down what seemed to have the same effect as hot coals, and for what? The chance of doing the same thing again but not paying for it. I really couldn't see the point. I like to taste food, not the charred remains of the inside of my mouth. Dave

Pigeon van built..... Roof not fitted as I plan to glazed after I have painted - bit difficult to do with the roof fitted me thinks!

Greetings one and all It has not snowed here, yet, and I have no plans to go out today whether or not it does. A cluckbird sits apprehensively in the fridge and the packet of sage and onion stuffing is ready and waiting. Although I did remember to buy a parsnip to roast with the spuds, my forgettery triumphed again because it never occurred to me to buy a bottle of wine to accompany Sunday lunch. I shall have to make do with Erdinger weissbier instead. In the week ahead the remains of the cluckbird will be suitably deployed. One of the products will be a risotto, using left-over gravy and a hefty squeeze of tomato paste which, come to think of it, I will need to restock on the next fodder run. While we are discussing cuisine, I do rather like the sound of Rick's cowboy meal. On the subject of the monarchy, how old was Edward VII when he succeeded Victoria? Hardly in the first flush of youth, that's for sure. As for whether or not we keep the monarchy, one has only to consider what sort of clown might be elected as UK head of state if it ever came to that. The list of potential disasters is endless. In the week ahead, my twin aunts, both now Covid patients, are due to celebrate their 97th birthday. Feel free to join me in wishing them a happy and healthy birthday. Best wishes to them, and to all. Chris

type 1 D8073 prepares to leave Kirkmellington colliery on the desolate Ayrshire hills

Natalie, I am sorry that you feel this way. AllI can say is that on several occasions I have been very touched by just how supportive the ERs community can be when I least expected it. Chris

Mooring Awl, inner Temple hare, The wind is howling around at the moment, but no sign of white stuff. Back in the days before some of my ancestors invaded ie pre 1066, the king theoretically was elected from any atheling, ie those of Royal descent. However looking at who was chosen, it was more a case of chose someone else if the next in line didn't appeal and the next in line couldn't round up enough support. So you got Aethelred the unready, the unready meaning badly advised, so I think he got power from a group of supporters who hadn't got a clue...sound familiar? As for therefore being a possible choice for being in line to the throne, well every one with my surname has a slightly more than 50% chance of being a direct descendant of rulers of Tigerburnie land. So it's a good chance Tigerburnie and me are related.. as the occupiers of thrones north and south of the border were related in several ways.. I quite like watching American Football, the abbreviated 1 to 2 hour recorded version.. I made the mistake of watching the super bowl once.. 5 hours to play a 90 minute game.. is slow and tedious.. The pink pills I think are working, time to try for sleep part two, although it's getting perilously close to patrol time and brown eyes might have other ideas.. Time to..put this gadget down.

To add to PeterBB’s lucid explanation, I have to add that viruses are always mutating. As with every organism, the mutations can be either advantageous, neutral or deleterious (for the organism that is). Most of the time, mutations will not have any impact on the effect of a virus on the host organism; but in this instance the mutations have proven to be advantageous to the virus (that is: they make the virus more easily transmissible). Furthermore, with something as genetically simple as a virus there are only so many ways it can mutate so there will be, I would argue, convergent evolution. So, putting together the key factors of the mutated virus - that it is very highly transmissible and most of the the infected are asymptomatic - throw in a lot of social contact into the mix, and you end up in the situation in which we are in. I think, ultimately, we will end up in a somewhat an uneasy coexistence with this virus, much like we have ended up doing with the flu and other respiratory viruses. And like with these viruses, the majority of people will be asymptomatic (or have a minimal symptoms), some will get ill and a very small minority will get ill with a fatal outcome. To be honest, the only way I see society returning to “normality“, is for a sufficient number of people to be vaccinated and medical therapy to have advanced enough so that the management of CoVID-19 patients is no more arduous (or cases numerous) than the yearly management of severe pneumonia and similar respiratory diseases. And like with pneumonia and similar viruses, we will have to accept that there will be a certain number of individuals-vulnerable for numerous reasons-who will succumb to the disease. On the rare occasions my father cooked for the family, it was always an event to look forward to. (Now this was back in mid 60s Britain, so my father had to travel to London and go to the various delicatessens in Soho to bring back Parmesan cheese, olive oil and the like). Once my father returned from his shopping expedition, he would make for us a shrimp and pea risotto: a wonderful dish (risotto) that would not appear on the average Brit’s table for a few decades to come. It sounds that you are in a terrible situation, I really wish the government would get Draconian on these idiots. There is certainly room for debate about the management of society’s response to the pandemic, but to deny that there is a pandemic at all, well let’s just say I would stick them in a CoVID ward at the local hospital for 24 hours and then see if they still think there is no such thing as CoVID (sadly, I have heard stories from medical professionals on the front line that there have been CoVID deniers, dying from the disease, who maintained -literally to their last breath - that they must be ill with something else as CoVID doesn’t exist!) Personally, I like the idea that the Danish and the Norwegians are proposing: a digital CoVID-19 vaccination ID. Without which a whole range of activities involving social contact will be denied. I have often wondered how wise it is to let the general public loose on naming things, Gritty McGritface is a perfect example, I would argue. However, Gritney Spears is inspired (and on the same line what about Gritter Garbo? Assuming that the “young people” have actually heard of her). There are those who, uncharitably, refer to “American” football (“American“ in quotes as we all know that real football is the game the Yanks call “soccer”) as “rugby for wimps”. Although wondering whether or not the requirement for body armour means that-technically-“American football“ could be classified as “trial by combat“, it is nonetheless moderately entertaining. Unsophisticated Philistine as I am, I always watch the Super Bowl for two things: the halftime show and the cheerleaders. Although, sadly, cheerleaders have become a relic of the past, or so it seems. Quite a few top-notch bands, like The Who and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have played at the Super Bowl. (Now that must be a nice gig: a huge captive audience and incredibly renumerative to boot!). A quiet and self-indulgent Sunday awaits. After I walk the doggies, Mrs iD and the Wolfpack are off to the Holiday Hovel for a week (I’m staying at home because I have to work, as well as enjoy some “me time“). Steak and kidney pudding, pommes purée, buttered carrots and a bottle of something for my dinner tonight. Finally, yesterday I was rather busy in the kitchen: I made, not one, but two lemon cakes: one was a lemon cake with a lemon mascarpone cream and the second was an almond and lemon drizzle cake with a simple lemon icing. Both cakes have gone to good homes! iD

Not a very productive day for Bear, though I did inspect and pencil mark the bits on the walls where I want to bung a bit of filler in. As for this evening, I thought I'd open the Neff Cooker Hood box to dig out the fitting instructions; after flicking thru' them I thought to myself "where's the f. chimney section??" A frantic look in the box confirmed it ain't there.... It could've been a missing screw, or a wallplug...but no, it had to be the entire f. chimney. Just a small but somewhat important detail. Another frantic look to find the contact number for JL customer services, who close at 6pm....and it's ten past. Bear's got the 'ump now, and no LDC to console myself with either. Double turdycurses.

Well, the Met Office forecast did not look dafter than ever this morning as down here in the south east corner of Kent we got exactly what was forecast - snow and its still snowing now. First time my Japanese-style teahouse has got covered in snow: as did the stone lantern on the left side of the garden: OK, not as much snow as we got a few years ago: but we got snow as forecast.....and it came in from the east as forecast as can be seen by the amount of snow on the side of the other stone lantern in a more exposed part of the garden facing eastwards: Keith

Good afternoon all, Mrs iD and of the Wolfpack are now off to the holiday hovel. And as for me: a very pleasant brunch was had. As described earlier it was with sausages, black pudding, white pudding, mushrooms, bacon and scrambled egg. After enjoying my meal without the disapproving looks of my dogs (disapproving because they don’t get fed from the table). This was followed by a small, but perfect, bowl of mascarpone al limone, followed by un caffè corretto (an espresso which has been fortified by the addition of a shot of alcohol, usually grappa but in this case Italian brandy). The erudite and informed discussion about the various types of curry is most interesting and most apt - given that tomorrow evening a lamb curry will be on the cards. I am not sure what it will be (probably a dopiaza), but as I toast and grind most of my own whole spices before using, I will definitely adjust the level of capsaicin in my meal accordingly. Having trained my tastebuds in Malaysia, I quite like to “feel the burn“, but chilli heat should not come at the expense of other flavours (I have an amusing story to tell about a bowl of curry mee, a hawker-stall in KL and jetlag, but that can keep for another time). As far as I am concerned, the chilli heat in any sort of dish should be sufficient, upon first sampling, to slap the tastebuds into wakefulness and full function. Once woken up, the tastebuds will do their job properly and you will be able to appreciate every subtle flavour nuance in the dish. So, with Mrs ID being away in the Holiday Hovel and enjoying her cheese and plain boiled potatoes, I can take this opportunity to fire up the afterburners for my meal tomorrow. Now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, teens and tots, I am off to have a most enjoyable afternoon snooze. Something I rarely get a chance to indulge in. Talk later! iD

A late start today as last night we took part in a gin tasting and quiz night via Zoom with some ex-school mates and wives that was very enjoyable but also very boozy. The fragility this morning is being treated with largte quantities of coffee and an extended lie-in. No sign of snow here in North Hipposhire but the seaweed twirlers are predicting a bit tomorrow. Like GDB I am trying to erase the memory of yesterday's six nations debacle and possibly watch some good rugby today. Have a good one folks and the best possible wishes for Chris's aunts. Dave

There seems to be a lot of snow about this winter. Here we have had only a trace a week a half ago which melted quickly as the snow turned to rain. This week we are forecast to see our coldest weather of the season with several sub-freezing nights toward the end of the week. It might set up conditions to snow. Snow here at low altitudes is infrequent. Generally, freezing temperatures only happen here when the weather is clear. The prevailing weather from the Pacific Ocean is relatively mild and cloudy weather tends to act like an insulator. To see snow we normally need cold, dry, easterly, offshore air movement at low altitudes to drop the temperature and warmer, wet, onshore air movement at higher altitudes. This is just as likely to produce freezing rain as snow. Sometimes it will do both in alternating layers. Inevitably, if it does snow, it is chaos. Since wintry precipitation is rare in the valley, we don't have the equipment for snow removal anywhere but the most important roads.

So having survived the festive season followed by some unexpected DIY stuff, I decided that it was time to get some more steam loco's on the job. A batch conversion job to produce these Holbeck Jubilees. All but one have had wheels pulled, all have been fitted with sound systems and of course weathered. Only one has the correct tender.

So that'll be 33, 45 and 78rpm then?

This is how all product thread arguments are to solved from now on . .

I actually have a degree of sympathy for Fergie. She was absolutely the wrong sort of personality to marry into “the firm”. I suspect that the sort of person who would be able to successfully marry into a Royal Family would be someone from another Royal Family (or very, very close to a Royal Family) - which probably goes along way to explaining the “why” of the Habsburg Lip... I’m sorry that you feel this way, but I must disagree. Certainly, some recent posts have been forthright and opinionated and there has been a lot of robust “joshing” and banter. Yet I still find ER to be fun and supportive. There are other online postings (such in the Below-The-Line vox populi comments in the Guardian) where “nasty and vicious” is just the starting point. On the whole, as imperfect as we may be, ER is still a haven of tranquility and reason. You do realise that being snowed-in is God’s way of telling you the you need to spend more time modelling railways... Given how the various Royal Houses “put it about” over the centuries, shouldn’t it be more of a question of who is not related to the Royal Family, rather than who is? On a slightly more serious note, I read in one book about the history of Britain that it is notable that there is no dimorphism between the aristocracy and the rest of the population of Britain, unlike on the Continent. Apparently, from Georgian times onward, the practice of marrying the wealthy daughters of successful merchants in order to replenish impoverished aristocratic bank accounts, has resulted in most of the British aristocracy managing to avoid the whole 12 finger business as well as keeping their gene pool similar to that of the rest of the population. Certainly, an interesting theory. I fear that Mr Bear’s (unusual? unnatural?) obsession with LDC has caused him, in this particular instance, to “talk through his hat“ (incidentally, do bears have hats?). It is well established that an excess of Vitamin C, as found in citrus fruits like lemon, can lead to sleeping problems. So, clearly, what Erichill 16 (Robert) has reported is merely a delayed reaction to the rather disastrous orange cake (another citrus fruit) that was consumed in the early part of last week. And NOT a reaction to coffee cake or other cream based patisserie. Finally, whilst on the subject of “cake“, a warning to both Mr Bear and Mr Hippo: whilst consuming enjoyably large quantities of patisserie, be careful that you do not ingest too much nutmeg. ‘cos nasty things can happen thanks to nutmeg: https://emj.bmj.com/content/22/3/223 Now off for a late breakfast/early lunch: sausages, bacon, black pudding, white pudding, mushrooms and scrambled egg. Enjoy your Sunday!

Ey up! No snow here ... so far.. but our yacht marina has returned. A pump will be deployed today. @chrisf.. I hope your Aunts have a comfortable Birthday. Youngest Herbert had his birthday yesterday. We will, no doubt, have a celebratory meal ar some point in the future. @Natalie..pm me to see what your concerns are.. the ERs do try to be supportive but can get abbit boisterous at times... and I detect that we are all suffering from "Lockdown" fatigue. Hopefully with more people being vaccinated everyone should be able to see the light at the end of, what has been, a very long and dark tunnel. try and enjoy whatever you do today. Stay safe! baz

Good moaning. No snow here but the hard frostva few weeks ago has caused a wall to buge and patially collapse onto a neighbours property. Fortunately the fallibg stones missed the chickens. Yesterday I got the car back together with a non working CD player. A gate has been moved into the shed to be repaired. Some timber needs to be bought. The highlight of the day was pancakes, that I prepared, served with golden syrup and lemon juice. For various reasons we couldn't do them Tuesday so did them a few days late. Sil who hosted a super spreader event at Christmad, 12 outbof 13 attendees caught the virus, and who has a chronic lung problem, has now had her first jab. So far the rest of oyr family have stayed clear though all the kids have had negative tests for different reasons. A cluck bird has just been put in the oven so this morning there will be lunch preparations to complete. In between I may head for the shed and try to get another object rolling. Chrisf, I hope your aunts are doing OK and enjoy the day as best they can. Leopard, hope your trip to Midland Road goes OK. What better name could you have for a road. I spent many happy hours patrolling that area. Regards to all. Jamie

King Paddington.......now Bear could find that kinda fun..... Bear did warn you about the perils of eating coffee cake, but would you listen?? Oh no...... The worst.

I had a "mixed grill" in a Restaurant in Ankara, Turkey a few years ago.. It included cat chops.. and cat has a very powerful and distinctive taste and texture .... No snow here still but .. it is very, very chilly.. (as in flippinfreezing!) Been catching up on some reading - luckily this has not required to much thought as my brain has decided to go on go slow! (must be the cold as, unlike trolls my brain doesn't work as well in the cold(!) I have been "constructing" the fortnightly Leeds MRS CIO Newsletter.. boy do we, as a society have members with a very wide modelling base. Now for a mugadecaff. Stay warm! Baz @monkeysarefun in your case.. stay cool!

Well, my hunch seems to have been correct. Following a call from one of our shift planners (who himself seems to have been called in outside of normal hours, as they’re not normally in office on Sundays) who asked if I would agree to doing an overnight route inspection shift. I also volunteered for possible similar shifts in the coming nights, should they be required. With temperatures predicted to plummet as low as -17°, that may well happen. He said they’re presently planning from one day till the next, but he’ll get back to me as soon as he knows more.

Morning all, Nice weather - if you like it dry, cold, and breezy with the sun breaking through the various patches among the clouds. Met Office forecast looked dafter than ever last night with a warning of yellow snow but all the forecast snow was no longer forecast. We are now forecast some tomorrow but not a lot, we'll see. Wishing all the best to Chris's aunts - they sound like a couple of tough ladies so let's hope their toughness will prevail. Yesterday the GD held hands to calm a rather scared patient who was being intubated prior to transfer to the ITU. The good point is someone must at least think that they will benefit from that process. So no - the infection has definitely not stopped from reducing some people to that state but the NHS is doing what it can for them. Different folk suffer in different ways and to varying degrees and her ward also transfers people the other way when they are fit enough to go to a more normal sort of treatment on an 'ordinary' ward. The lad has gone off for his morning stroll via the 'paper shop so sudoku etc should be available at some stage today after the 'papers have some exposure to the limited supply of UV. no other plans cut rrently exst and unless I change my mind (unlikely) it will be mushrooms and bacon for lunch (again). Have a good day one and all and stay safe.

Morning. No snow here no temperature either. Baltic. Good breeze too, but I have to brave the garage and fix the chainsaw as the parts have arrived and I have n excuse It won't be called into action until there is less wind though as it makes a terrific mess. Mrs H has gone for a walk with her pal, she'll need some thawing out on her return, then she is allegedly going to trim the hawthorn hedge at the bottom of the property to try to get it to bush out more. It's in a lot of shade so doesn't do well. I bet I get roped in to that. Grizz, 50mm is the equivalent of 5m here, the average Manxie's response to 50mm of snow is abject panic. They then go out and invert their cars, for some reason, it is presumably ritual (for Time Team fans - and our resident Archaeologist!). Always happens. Sitty down curry was good last night, Jayne really is improving now in her mood, almost 7 years since she lost Gary. o nice to see her in good form as she is a really nice girl. I had a lamb lalmas, which was off the scale hot, I think they must have a new Bhandari, the curries there aren't usually very hot. Lalmas is the hottest thing they do, but isn't what I would have called hot previously, only 'Madras' hot. This was Vindaloo getting on for Phal hot. And explo....no, TMI. Yummy meal though.

Here is my LRM 521 series J6 effort, its Hitchin's 64175 built over 30 years ago in OO for Biggleswade. I also built an EM chassis for it and it ended up hauling the engineers train on Roy Jackson's Retford. It's looking a wee bit tired in this October 2019 view, it's last ever run on Retford. Happy days, I was very proud to have built a loco deemed worthy to regularly run on Retford! Richard Nice

Morning All. No snow in this bit of East Sussex yet. Knew there wouldn’t be! (Ah.... Smug Mode ). Younger members of the family are moaning about the lack of it. Despite being told that it has rained nearly every day for the past three weeks, so if in the unlikely event it does snow, it will melt. The weather forecasts are not as accurate these days because there aren’t as many planes flying to help gather up to date information.......apparently?????? Sounds like a bit of an excuse to me. Don’t mind snow myself, as long as there is a shed load of it and everything just shuts down. It’s all the fannying about people seem to be able to create with 50mm or less that amazes me. Monday morning’s rail commute, for those still commuting, should be interesting. I suspect the TOCs will be busy ironing the white flags, ready to start waving them vigorously first thing on Monday morning. Fortunately this type of Total Farce is now a thing of the past for me. Hoping to do some modelling today, but I have a feeling that it is far more likely that I am going to get dragged into helping with something boring.........especially if it snows........then I’ll be digging out the sledges and other assorted snow equipment....................Please God don’t let it snow today Have a good one all....

Morning all. I have looked out and there is a distinct lack of snow. Windy and rainy weather prevails. Snow later this morning is still forecast.. I think I will go back to sleep for a while. Tony

My two little monsters. Graham

A bit further back there was some stats on infection to hospitalisation time frame. Like many other I look at these and think if you were unlucky enough to pick up C19 it might run to a set pattern giving you an idea of how poorly you might be or how long it might last for. Unfortunately it doesn't, and for me this has now sadly come close to home. 14 Days ago one of my younger cousins (57) went for her 1st jab, having an underlying condition she was pleased to be given a lifeline to a more normal life as she'd been avoiding people for nearly a year. 48 hours later she was contacted, as a person being vaccinated on the same day had tested positive for C19, she was put on 48 hour testing. Within 72 hours she also tested positive. On Friday she was taken into hospital to monitor her but seemed ok(ish) Today at 09.30 she rang her brother and said she didn't think she was going to beat it and she gave him instructions on where things were kept and what sort of funeral she wanted. He told her not to be so daft but did take notes. She died at 1PM. We hear of people that have a slow decline as this virus takes hold, but I hadn't thought that it could take someone so quickly. Later this afternoon I stood in a garage waiting to pay for fuel and listened to a at the counter arguing about why he didn't need a mask, as it was all a hoax....

Afternoon all and welcome to Sunday. A day not living up to its name at all but neither is it living up to the dire predictions of Exeter's Seaweed Prognostications Department. We fully expected to awake to a snowy universe outside based upon the warnings. Instead we awoke to a bone-chilling cold but precipitation totally absent. There was no snow. No ice. And no rain either. Just grey and a fresh breeze blowing. Since mid-morning we have had light flurries of polar snow (the small-grained stuff rather than the big fluffy crystals which are temperate snow) though nothing has settled and the volume has been small. The forecast now suggests we shall remain clear of the worst of it. Dr. SWMBO has ventured forth fully rugged-up for a short walk; she almost turned back in on the doorstep after feeling the strength of the wind, which has picked up a little, and its biting coldness. She should swap places with me at silly o'clock tomorrow outside for hours at a time! Awaiting Ocado who have subbed a couple of items one of which must be returned; they have swapped a zero-sugar product for a full-sugared one which SWMBO is unable to eat. Other than that we continue to have full orders and haven't had anything missing for many weeks now - and very few substitutions. I feel it might be Muggertee No.4 Time. Anyone else want to join me? Synchronised online tea-slurping could become a "thing"

1°C N 16kt, gusting 32kt Bitterly cold and snowing. Unfortunately little to report, once again, following another week of working from home. The roof is slowing becoming watertight and will hopefully be finished this week, weather depending. It was good to see the Isle of Wight Steam Railway announce details of their 50th Anniversary Gala in June, offering a flicker of hope on the horizon. Mrs C did her best to improve spirits yesterday arranging a 'cinema night' - pizza followed by my favourite, The Italian Job, which never gets old. Talk of curry this morning means a request will inevitably now be submitted for next week... A firm favourite (including Thai), though agree that heat shouldn't come at the expense of enjoyment! Stay safe.

I'm not a great curry eater and rarely eat them and like Dave don't see the point of incinerating your mouth. A few more snowflakes arrived and now some sleet is falling. Let's hope that's all we get. Breakfast has been enjoyed and now The Boss is ironing. She's not happy because the TV programme she usually "watches" whilst ironing has been replaced by cricket. Oops. Bearing in mind that there's about 3 to 4 hours of rugby coming on after lunch I suspect the atmosphere might be a bit tense around here. Now where did I put my tin hat?

From my post, you mean? That’s Goerdelerring, which was completely rebuilt last year. The track plan will now be different to what you may remember! Still no clue as to what may or may not be up at work. Phone line to staff dispatch has been continuously busy since I first tried calling in about two hours ago. I understand there’s an emergency board meeting currently in progress, though.

Good morning all, Dry now but quite breezy out. Forecast still threatening snow but so far it's been wrong about that. Time will tell. Best wishes to Chris's aunts and I sincerely hope that they recover soon. Jamie, I didn't know about La Chandeleur and that pancakes were eaten in France on February 2nd each year until I Googled it. We will have them as usual on Shrove Tuesday which this year February 16th. The Boss makes them under protest but does them rather than let me into the kitchen.* I've just mentioned them to her and got a rude answer! I'm only allowed in the kitchen for selected reasons and tonight is one of those as fillet steak is on the menu. Unlike Chris I have a selection of wines to choose from. I'm trying to forget yesterday's rugby disaster. The only good news is that Quins won down at Bath. Today I can feast on Newcastle v Exeter and Wales v Ireland. I expect both games to be better than yesterday's offering. Many years ago I sat through all 5 hours of a Superbowl and vowed never again! There will shortly be the smell of bacon and eggs etc wafting through the house so I will leave you for now. Have a good one, Bob. * It's not that I make a mess, far from it but apparently I use far more kitchen equipment, bowls, plates etc than is necessary! Stop Press: Snowflakes appeared briefly a few minutes ago but have already disappeared.

Good evening everyone This morning, the sun’s attempt to shine failed miserably, it remained dull and we even had some rain, albeit only light, but it persisted on and off all day. I managed to give the homemade decals 2 coats of varnish today, one just after my first post this morning, the second just before I packed up for the day this afternoon. In between these coats I trimmed the excess of the rail of the road that I’d left too long last weekend. Once happy, I began painting the rails a dirty brown colour. I even gave the whole base itself a basic dirty earth colour. The evening was rounded off with a nice bottle Malbec whilst we watched a few more episodes of the French series we’ve been watching.

Some from this afternoon, bescot to tamworth bescot, 2 cranes in view Ews 66s and my train to tamworth back in it again in the morning back from Tamworth but with a different loco as it will have been cascaded off a different train

No snow here, just a few flakes whizzing around in the wind occasionally. Last time it snowed here at sea level ish properly was 7 years ago IIRC.

Drat! The Boss knocked the cricket for 6 and found a programme with a certain Mr Titchmarsh giving gardening advice. It seems that "we" need to take heed and visit a garden centre. I have stated that for the moment that is definitely non- essential but fear that when things ease I will get no peace until I comply. Talking of Mr. T (who I quite like) is it just me or do others think that the garden makeovers he does are way over the top. I'm thinking of those particularly for people who are disabled where the garden is flooded with literally hundreds of plants which whilst they look fantastic seem to me to be very labour intensive for people with mobility problems.

When I was a student in Huddersfield back in the early 70's there was a curry house near the railway viaduct on Bradford Road which we knew as Chiefeys. It was of course, obligatory to call in for a curry on the stagger back from town on a Saturday night. At the back of the shop was a huge and filthy old upright freezer. There was much speculation as to the origin of it's contents. Funny that we never saw many stray animals around. Jamie

GDB, thanks for the info about La Chandeleur. I thought that it was actually Shrove Tuesday on the 2nd as the fair Dominique who came to take bloods on the Monday had informed us that they would be having pancakes on the 2nd. I must have been distracted for some reason. Anyway that gives me an excuse to have Pancakes again on the 16th, though there was some moaning and groaning this morning about the number of utensils that had been used to make last nights lot. Jamie

Been out for the Paper, its still dry, but a bitterly cold wind, (no sniggering at the back please), so I did the manly thing, and took the Car.

Cloudy and cold in North Somerset, but as far as bitterly cold winds are concerned - the worst is yet to come. I have to smile at those poor souls who believe one kamikaze wood pigeon would demolish my bird feeder defences. Jonny doesn't believe in half measures. A few kamikaze wood pigeons would have one simple effect, a free Sunday lunch for Jonny. Meanwhile, in the real world, the wood pigeons seem to have raised the white flag. The starlings have properly learned how to negotiate the spikes, and a blackbird was within the compound when I looked out of the window. I must go and get the bacon on......

Mention of Stafford Ex earlier. This time last year was DL's last outing. I quite miss the buzz of an exhibition weekend. Next one *may* be Warley 2021. 3 years ago, Family NB were in Key West the same weekend. (On Junior's 21st birthday trip) And the watching Superbowl LII in the local bar, seeing the Eagles beat the Patriots. We shall endeavour to recreate some of that holiday by watching LV tomorrow night. There is a lie-in planned for Sunday am. Have good one folks.

Le T1ts Now. Here we go...