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Evening fellow ER’s. I hope that today finds you well. It has been a while since I last posted. Things have been very busy recently with Sarah at work whilst I supervise home schooling for Amber. At the same time I am dealing with the marking work and orders for the shop. Both have been very busy. The shop has twice broken its weekly record takings during the past six weeks which is very encouraging and I feel heartened by this. Despite this, the black dog has its moments but that, as I have said before, is more to do with the claustrophobia of being stuck at home with little change in scene or routine. Things are better at present and, with a week off from the marking taken to coincide with half term, I have decided to return to a long abandoned project which can be viewed on via my Skaleby East / Skaleby North Yard thread. That should provide some escape. The week did not have the greatest of starts. Yesterday Sarah was due to have her first Covid jab. All of the staff in her nursery were invited by the council to apply for the vaccine due to the presence of “vulnerable children” in the nursery. On Saturday, 5/7 staff attended and all received their first dose. Sarah turned up with the same paperwork and was refused. The jobsworth on reception stated that she was not eligible and none of the staff should have been eligible. Sarah tried to argue the point and was rewarded with an escort off the premises like a common criminal. She arrived back at the car in floods of tears. I subsequently donned my mask and set off across the car park, demanded to see the supervisor and asked, politely at first, for an explanation. He stated that there was nothing they could do because there were errors with the application. When I pointed out all other staff members, with the same paperwork, had been vaccinated the previous day he did disappear inside to investigate. Sadly the response remained negative and even the threat of my contacting the local press would not encourage a change of heart other than advice to ring the booking service when we got home. To add insult to injury, the seventh member of staff turned up an hour after we left with same paperwork and sailed through with no challenge or request for I.D. Meanwhile our call to the booking service drew nothing more than advice to speak to Sarah’s employer and an email for the complaints department. We will await a response from that. Stay safe. Andy

More photos at Newcastle for today. Newcastle 43100 up Tees Tyne Pullman 10th May 88 C9519.jpg Newcastle 43059 Kings X to Edinburgh 28th May 88 C9497.jpg Newcastle 56116 up coal 17th Feb 89 C11663.jpg Newcastle 47301 down freight 1st June 89 C11957.jpg Newcastle 37379 down cement 22nd June 92 C16914.jpg David

A picture that I was reminded of by a comment on my layout thread, it was taken in Nov 2017 for the first cakebox challenge. Duncan Bisketts walking down the lane in Long Walk Home...

Cor, that brings back memories of 2017. I make no apologies for this but still to this day I rank this as one of the best pictures I have taken of a model. Set up in the dining room late one evening, in the dark, torch resting on a box of tissues with one draped over to conceal the box, beam aimed at the camera. Took me quite a few settings to get it right. Duncan Bisketts walking down the lane on Long Walk Home.

Yesterday, I had the first of my Covid vaccinations; and some folk tell me, Bill Gates can now monitor my every future move. . Of course, had Bill Gates had the sense, and time, he could have saved himself a great deal of expense, and been able to donate even more of his wealth to charitable causes. . But, by watching local authority cctv systems, and police ANPR databases, he would already know where I drive, the routes I take, and the speeds I maintain, and could watch me as I drive, and retrace my route through my SatNav.. . Of course, I could try and confuse him, by taking the bus, but he would only have to monitor the use of my bus pass, through the TfW computer system, and watch the Cardiff Bus cctv pictures of my occupying the pensioners seats. . If I was really devious, and thought I could throw Mr Gates off the scent, I’d catch the train instead, using my traceable credit card to buy a ticket, then be followed by the railway station cameras, and the onboard cameras fitted to the train. . My Tesco card would tell Mr. Gates what I eat, what I drink, what I wear, what spectacles I use, even what paper I wipe my bum with. He could learn what time, on what day I shop, how much I spend, and how I pay. From the instore cctv he could actually watch me shopping, not just at Tesco, but Asda, Sainsbury, Aldi, Lidl, B&Q you name it. . But, what if I don’t pay by credit or debit card, he can’t follow me then. Oh no, well who is filming you when you use the ATM, or when you go into your bank, building society or Post Office. To break life’s monotony, Mr. Gates could dig into my family background, find out who my friends are, find out what I think, where I go, what my socio-political views are…..but he wouldn’t need to inject me, just call his friend Mark Zuckerberg and ask to look at my Facebook profile. . If Bill really wanted to know my innermost secrets, he could follow me online, through my IT footprint….Oh ! silly me, my PC has Microsoft, he already follows me. From Facebook, Mr. Gates will find out that I follow Cardiff City FC, and through my season ticket, know my bank account details, my address, where I sit in the ground, which matches I attend, both home and away, where I sit, and film me as I watch the match. . Of course, I could stay home and watch the football on TV, but then Sky would know exactly what I watch, what I record, who I phone and a myriad of my online information. And, if the game wasn’t on Sky TV, Bill would soon find out, that I’d listened to the commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, how would he know ? . Because Alexa told him ! . I had thought I’d given Bill Gates the slip, but he tracked me on my I-phone, and tablet. . So, if by vaccinating me NHS Cymru have been the tools of Bill Gates, in his efforts to monitor and regulate the future life of an overweight, right of centre, loud-mouthed, opinionated pensioner, what he didn't realise is, he’s at the far end of a long queue of others who have been monitoring and regulating my life, from the police, local council, Nat West and Santander, through the Nationwide, Tesco, Asda, Cardiff City FC, and Sky TV ………………. etc etc . Of course, being born on in a long glass tube on Tattooine, raised as a Jedai knight by a Time Lord on Galifrey and tasked by Zeus to teach the tenets of QAnon, none of these conspiracy theories relate to me. Or, as Jim Royle would say….”conspiracy my arse !”

End of the line.

Bath Road's D7039 is a little way off the beaten track here in Mid Wales:

Back again! I am listening to the wind rumbling! Pine cone predictors reckon gusts up to 40+mph. it goes all quiet for a bit, builds up, eventually having a right old dingdong! Whatever, it is keeping me awake! Maybe I should just stop listening to it...and now the rain is pit pit pattering on the window... Best try and get the eyelids closed. ’ night all and nos da. Keep warm. Sleep tight.

Please disregard the previous picture of the finished pigeon van as I had promised myself not to post any pictures of it using the iPhone as it appears to struggle with the led lighting and orange colour changing its appearance. So I have now been up and taken a couple of pictures using the TZ100 and the difference is well, see for yourself. Need I say more. A question if I may for all you LNER followers out there, I have noticed in many pictures of the actual van a single lamp bracket is fitted to each ends about two thirds up on the centreline, should I fit some? Whole thing needs a good dust down and a finishing coat of varnish but that can wait till tomorrow when the transfers are nice and dry.

I think that the best place for Baz to put a Challenger would be in the PITA neighbours' garden with the barrel sticking through the front window. Isn't it a shame that something as well intended and important as the current vaccination programme involves self-important prats such as the one who dealt with Andy's Sarah? I fully agree that the case should be given the widest possible publicity and involvement of the local MP. I hope that all ERs have a good day free from interference from such to**ers as those referred to above. Bad luck about the vaccination progress in France Jamie. Stay safe everyone. Dave

Good evening everyone This morning after breakfast, I gave the 2 old recently painted chairs a quick wipe down and then brought them upstairs. Sheila was absolutely delighted with them, so much so that she now would like me to paint the 4 old dining room chairs to match ! Of course I said I would, but it would have to be AFTER I’d stripped the last wall and applied the tanking slurry! After I’d moved the chairs I prepared some painted pieces of card (I’ve used some old cereal packets) with paint samples for Sheila to peruse, as the bedrooms will need doing at sometime in the not so distant future. These all had 2 coats each and in between coats, I finished the art work for the TPO decals, these can be seen below; Printing them out has shown a couple of areas that need tweaking, but I’m very happy with how they look, I just have to add crowns above the GR on each. After tea it was time for the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix, quiet as usual and there are still people who cannot wear a face mask properlyI don’t know what is so difficult!

Relief engine, Heaton's A3 Book Law, now coupled up, and ready to go.

I heard that Fahrenheit chose the two markers for his scale as the coldest temperature he could achieve - freezing point of salt water -- for 0 and human body temperature for 100. Since the standard quoted to me was 98.6, I wonder if the old boy had a fever? Much snow predicted. We've been having ice form on the driveway where the eaves aredriping, except that they seem to be frozen solid. Friends from around the corner went out to buy a roof rake (inverted shovel with 15 feet of handle) and couldn't. Neighbour across the street said he has one. He lent it to me and I pulled some snow off. Today was Family Day -- some more places than usual were shut down.

A cloudy and damp morning in North Somerset, with 15mm of rain having fallen since midnight. I'm not sure if this is covid vaccine related but my skin has suddenly become ultra sensitive over the last few days. I only have to endure the slightest scratch on something and the area affected swells up as if I have burned it on something very hot. The swelling goes down after about 30 minutes, but is rather frightening to look at. I have tried (at various times - not all at once) antihistamine cream, steroid cream, and Savlon in increasing amounts, but to little effect. Rummaging around in cupboards I found tub of Sudocrem which seems to have a more rapid effect, so I must remember to get some more; because at this rate I will run out by tomorrow. It does seem a strange coincidence that all this starts just a few days after a vaccine.

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare, 1 Hour plus 3 hours sleep followed by very intermittent dozing ... not so good.. Forepaws aching due to the change in weather.. Ben the Scaredy Collie went out for a splash and Dash back in this morning.. much to dark for him.. It was however pleasantly not cold.. Southerly, scattered showers.. However, looking at the water running down the roads.. They were big ones.. I know of two burst watermains as yet unfixed, though the nearest one to home they seem to be able to turn off.. So I think that one will be down the list as to repairs.. The USA went Officially Metric long before the UK did, and then ignored it.. Some time ago when I started looking at rebuilding Blue Moon, I found a handicap calculator that gives rough figures from the sizes of sails and hull. It's used on the PRHF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) in some areas of the USA.. (found here, http://www.capedory.org/phrf.html ). After butchering the formulas to remove things like inboard outboard options as they don't apply to Dinghies and small keel boats. Then using their fiddle factor column which they used to adjust for type of course, I used it to change the final results from the USA 3 digit PRHF handicap Number to the 4 digit UK RYA Portsmouth Handicap number. I then put in the details of every Dinghy and keel boat including Blue Moon, that I could find the dimensions for to produce a graph.. That produced a reasonably straight line except for a few of the most extreme boats. The graph was plotted Portsmouth Number against Norfolk Handicap Number. They should correlate, and for the most part do.. Anyway I searched for the spreadsheet on the computer and found it.. It claims I last used it 2005!!! So I suspect that it's an early version.. I've updated it with the latest figures from Blue Moon and it shows it to be faster than first thought. I'm not sure I believe that, but won't know till she sets sail.. There should be a second spreadsheet of generated handicaps / issued handicaps but that's missing, So I'll have to regenerate it. Further research and adjustments will, be made to the spreadsheet.. This current major system is going quite well, and should be finished sometime today.. Time to measure 19 Ohms..

Ey up! To get a Challenger into our garden would involveceemoving our hawthorn hedge.. which would make a lot of birds homeless so while it is a good idea it won't be happening. I managed to fall asleep in the chair last night then transferred myself to bed when herself decided to go to bed.. got back to sleep fine. Now drinking my mugatea.. what a great waking up drink! Got to zoom with a friend today then.... well I am allowed to do muddling if I want to. What should I do though? Perhaps , if I have some brackets I can measure, cut and fit a shelf for use with cassettes.. well I can when my circular saw is returned by youngest Herbert..pah! Stay safe! Positive thoughts to all ERs, especially Andyram and his good lady. Baz

Greetings one and all Two weeks ago Jamie had me reaching for my diary and riffling through it hunting for Shrove Tuesday. Subsequently he explained that the French have a festival two weeks earlier in which pancakes play a key part. Here we are on the day and my sense of anticipation is as keenly honed as it can be. I for one enjoy setting up the production line that cooking pancakes entails in my house. The batter is mixed in my largest mixing bowl, for which space is cleared on the worktop. I like to eat each pancake as it is liberated from the frying pan, adorned with lemon juice and caster sugar and rolled up into something resembling a tube. While the pancake absorbs the flavours of its garnish the batter for the next is ladled into the pan, which is tilted in such a way that the batter flows evenly round the pan and covers it thinly but evenly. I lack the skill and courage necessary for tossing pancakes so mine are gently turned over with a spatula. Then spoon and fork are wielded and short work is made of the rolled pancake. The process is repeated until all that remains in the bowl is just enough batter for a pancake a third of the normal size. It is too good to waste. On the face of it there is no reason why we should not eat pancakes more frequently, but would they be quite such a treat if we ate them more often? Andyram, good to hear from you as always. Has that jobsworth no shame? His task is to encourage the smooth operation of the jabbing process, not to impede it by all possible means. Perhaps the Radio Derby breakfast show would be interested? Best wishes to all Chris

Morning all, And many happy returns to Brian's wife Sheila. On a more dreary note the sky is again in umpteen shades of grey and sogginess abounds with regular top ups from above. Yesterday's article completion has been slightly skidded (railway code for put back) as the commissioner is busy designing the layout for the previous one and that is useful because it allows time for some more, rather complicated, research which will clarify or add a couple of sentences. As an alternative the Tesco word has been mentioned for today but that will no dobt involve bargaining between the GD and myself as to which of us will drive her car (and teh management) down to Tesco and back - we live a really wild life here. As an aside regarding the Tesco car park it contains 4 recharging points for electric cars but while there are a few in council owned car parks as well there is a move to try to get the council to install more of them. As I am already, in effect, paying for somebody to recharge the battery in their Tesla maybe I should be asking the council to give me a fuel voucher in. order that I too can save money when I am recharging the fuel tank in my car? Surely if somebody can afford to lash out multiple tens of thousands on a car they ought to be able to afford to refuel it? Incidentally I still remain puzzled as to where the electricity will come from when we all have electric cars that have batteries which need to be recharged or how it will be transmitted to a small town where several thousand people will put their car on charge overnight (there are reportedly 6,500 private cars registered to addresses in this town). Have a good day one and all and stay safe.

Sounds like Manoeuvreschaden! Often used by tank crews and in collaboration with German farmers for their mutual benefit. 'Can you help me please? I have this old dilapidated barn that is about to fall down. Would you like to drive your tank through it?' 'OK.' 'A tank accidently drove through my barn and destroyed it, I need a new barn.' 'OK'.

Good morning all, Dull and breezy here with rain due to start in 7 minutes apparently. It's a lot warmer and currently 9°C. Still aching all over, seems like 'twas ever thus but going to try another walk today as some letters need posting and we're running short of milk. I'm hoping to get further than yesterday. The Boss doesn't like pancakes or cooking them but I do so I will prevail! She thinks it's about time I spent a few hours in The Shed. She's right of course but I'm still lacking enthusiasm. Have a good one, Bob.

‘ evening all from red dragon land. Ready for pancake day. I made a pie with the weekend’s leftover chicken - enough for tomorrow as well so just some pancakes to make for afters. Fitt and Elfie building up an appetite. Take care all and play safe. ————- Best wishes Polly

For quite some time I have been meaning to have a two tone green class 47 with full yellow ends and tops numbers. There were a few around in this condition well into the mid 1970s. My one started out as a blue Farish model purchased last year from the SVR shop at Bridgnorth station. I resprayed over the blue but retained the original yellow ends. I also added new front handrails made from electric guitar string but these are probably over scale. I used some transfers from Railtec which are marketed for 40 106 as these include the blue data panel. The 47 is seen passing through the station on my layout with train 1Z45, a returning excursion from Torbay and is also seen below passing the mill building and about to cross the viaduct. While I had the green paint out, I decided to do a class 37 as well. As well as the usual weathering job I lowered the body using the method descibed by @jonasin his blog on RMweb. I have previously lowered the bodies on my other 37s using other methods but this method was quick and very easy. Also new to the layout is plain blue 50 016 which is pictured below, seen standing next to the signal box in the goods loop. Apart from a touch of weathering, the only modification made to this loco was the headcode panel which, as purchased, is depicted far too small. I simply rubbed off the detail that was there and overlayed a new headcode panel made from a small piece of 5 thou brass. The tankers pictured below have had their rather chunky plastic walkways replaced with some very thin brass together with etched ladders from Model Signal Engineering. I only have a few and currently they are running as part of a long mixed freight but it is my intention to make a block train of them sometime soon. Many thanks for looking. This picture on Flickr was the inspiration for my green class 37. I was intending to just provide a link but the picture itself has appeared.

Happy Birthday Sheila! Zoom meeting held.. world put to rights(!) Sunny here, her indoors ahs placed washing on the line outside.. she got the towels dried outside yesterday.. enough of the excitement! Baz

Overnight rain has passed and weather is much calmer now. Water finally trickled through the taps at 11.15pm. That must have been when enough water had been pumped in from the tankers got high enough up the town to reach us. I put the crockery in the dishwasher on the fast programme then promptly fell asleep in the chair. When I woke up it had finished so loaded the pots and pans and put it in the full monty. Finally got a message at 9.54 this morning to say the engineers had reconnected all of the town and were leaving. That was about 23 hours from when the leak turned to a full scale burst. Just waiting now to see where the drop and restoration of pressure will blow the next pipe. Where our daughter lives there is an old water main down a busy road. Every year there is a major leak. After it is fixed we spend a while trying to spot the next four which will appear at roughly two week intervals. It then settles down for a few months until the next big one. They would have spent less renewing the lot, but that would come out of the Capital budget rather than the renewals being paid for from the Revenue account.

This may or may not be a budget leak. A proposal is being kicked around which would see us all being issued with exercise bikes wired up to the national grid. To save the output of the power stations being diverted from the task of fuelling all those electric cars, we would be encouraged to sit on our exercise bikes while watching our favourite TV programmes and pedal for all we are worth. Remember; truth IS stranger than fiction. Chris

Currently the only way to get sufficient electricity to power all the cars plus the houses etc. is via nuclear - solar is one thing but the only way to get that is using acres of farmland - house panels will not get enough 'charge' to deliver for the cars as well. Also noted that the range of electric cars at present is limited. There was some research that 'found' a 'battery' that was very efficient and 'almost free' but you can guess who put a stop to that ... rather like cigarette companies funding research some years back with a bias. Truly seem to be on the 'warpath' this am ... anyone else not happy with Cu***ys customer service? Ending on a positive note - Happy Birthday Sheila.

On our Bungalow Estate it states you cant have Caravans in the drive, but it appears about 4 out of 10 ignore this, old people like their Caravans, but we haven't got one. It also states that no Roof conversions / Dormers can be done, and that seems to be 100% adhered to, the odd Velux but you cant convert the Loft into an official room.

Mornin' Not a lot to report from South Derbyshire, grey, warmer, slight increase in water pressure, no change in body temperature (still feel washed out) another day away from work methinks and more 'r&r', it seems to have more benefits than so called medicinal remedies. Re-hydrating with tea at the moment, I agree that tea is the ideal first drink of the day. A bit more looking around RMweb whilst Doggo continues his dream punctuated slumbers by my side Stay safe, well and c*ckwomble free. See you later.

Good moaning. It's Chewsday so it's supermarket visit this morning. I got the last joints made on the gate frame yesterday and then assembled it. Progress,just need to finish cutting the slats and buy new screws and bolts, then paint it. Today after the shopping I'm off to Rufec to buy the above mentioned bolts, then an hour or so trackside with Andy. Sounds like a 8good plan. Yesterday I also used the French Vaccine date predictor, Anytime between September 21 and March 22. C'est la vie. Jamie

The GPs have a list of people in their practice and are calling them forward for the jab. As some people are not registered at a surgery the NHS has to write to everyone @BSW01.. belt and braces to try to make sure everyone is covered. I have an appointment with the specialist about the laser treatment on my eyes.. end of March.. should be fine... Baz

No Pancakes today, they were in the fridge and I ate them last week, whoops. New delivery tomorrow with Sainsburys order.

Morning, we have had rain, still have bits of snaw, but the roads look ok, so another attempt to get to the big village to get SWMBO to the docs and pick up her prescription, that just might be the high light of the day. Stay safe and warm/dry all.

Morning, not too cold but rather draughty out, as described by Polly, but dry at least. The increase in temperature has eased Arthur Itis's influence a little, but sleep remains a broken promise. I enjoyed Chris's description of pancake production and consumption, as that is as close as I will get to them - I absolutely love them, with lemon and golden syrup (do I hear the patter of PolyBear feetses?) but as that is a killer combination of sugar and carbs for the T2 diabetic, strictly off limits. Pah, as the saying goes. Later this morning I will be demonstrating my lack of IT skills to a pal, then housework will intervene in to my schedule of doing nothing. The chainsaw remains in disgrace in the garage, while I contemplate what else I can possibly do to persuade it to keep running.

Just after I moved to the Dark Peak about 20 years ago I was out for an evening walk near Royston Vasey. A gent coming the other way stopped and engaged me in conversation as he obviously didn't know me. "Are you Local" he said. It floored him a bit when I said "No, I just happen to live here".

It will get fixed, especially given the price of gas here (about double UK IIRC) we need the chainsaw in action for preparing next winter's fuel! The log pile has been weathering for a year so now needs cutting into burner size lengths and splitting some to give variation - wood mark 5 or below It'll be fine to burn by November. All I can say is I never did like two strokes! Nowt but trouble.

Algorithm error would seem a strong possibility as well. Back on another subject. We have some interesting restrictions on our deeds - we are not allowed to erect a boundary fence or wall higher then 6ft; we are only allowed to erect stabling for use of horses required by the residents - no commercial stabling is allowed. We are also not allowed to erect outbuildings for commercial purposes but as far as the deeds are concerned I can erect as many outbuildings as I like for domestic purposes. Oh, and most important of all. we are not allowed to extract sand and gravel. The management informs that dinner this evening will be hot dogs followed by pancakes - whoopee

Greetings all from Sidcup where it is grey and cloudy. The rest of the Lurkers are using half term as an opportunity to visit the dentist. Elder Lurker goes back again for a filling today. This round of visits has led to extra work or suggestions for extra work for all of us. I went last week but also lost an anterior filling so had another one stuck on before the below gumline area got affected. In work news there is apparently a big announcement at 5pm today. But I have not been invited to it, so I will have to wait to find out what that entails.

There is nothing in our deeds about what you can park in the drive.. If it did, it might mention Haywain , Vardo, or Honey wagon.. Councils do not necessarily have any rights over what's parked in the garden, what's in the deeds could be an original builders or landowners instruction, not a council requirement. Since there is a good chance neither are still around there would be no one to officially complain to the courts..

Morning all from Estuary-Land. The change in temperature has set the sore foot off but Arthur Itis is keeping quiet. It must have poured down last night by the amount of wetness around this morning but I slept through it. Now time to run that bath, be back later.

From the archives.... Transfers have arrived, curtesy of a kind follower of this thread, and hopefully they will be applied today to the pigeon van all things being equal and a fair wind.....

You must think I'm organised Paul, I really have no idea, but it was when it first came out. When was that? It was one I reviewed in BRM, which elder son, Tom, then detailed and weathered. It ran on Stoke for a time, very happily, then it was put away in its box for quite some time. On reopening to show to a friend, the chassis had crumbled and expanded. Fortunately, though the body was slightly damaged, it was repairable. A friend got me a replacement chassis through the trade. I actually think it's rather a good model, though the new chassis needs weathering There's an amusing story with regard to my review. The model arrived in the office, and there was a tight deadline to meet for publication. I looked at David Brown and John Emerson; both had their heads down. So, muggins got the review job. I photographed it, consulted all the prototype material I could muster and wrote the review, meeting the deadline. I felt chuffed! Until someone wrote in afterwards stating I was 'Taking money under false pretenses'. Though I'm fairly familiar with Brush Type 2s (I've seen them all their lives), I admit my knowledge is 'general'. Clearly, this critic's was not! I can't recall the exact details but it went along the lines of this particular loco having a left-handed throckalsprocket adjacent to the widget--w@nker throttle, but only between December 1st 1958 and January 1st 1959. I hadn't mentioned this. Not only that, the widdle-triple valve activator, beneath the rev b@st@rd clutch was at least 4mm out of place. I could go on. My ignorance was profound! He'd put his telephone number in his letter, so I phoned him. I congratulated him on the breadth of his knowledge and asked him if he'd like to become a reviewer for us; with one condition. 'What's that?' 'That you write in the English which 'normal' folk can understand. Your written English is appalling. 40 years ago I had a class which was described as 'educationally sub-normal', ESN for short (yes, believe me, these kids were described as such in the '60s!). Were you in it?' He went ballistic (unsurprisingly?) and threatened to have me sacked by reporting me to my MD for a gross insult. The fact that his letter was vituperative didn't seem to matter. I told him where to go, and put the phone down. I heard no more about the matter..................... Do you think I should join the diplomatic corps? I should state that we live in more-enlightened times now, and there are conditions which some folk have, resulting in their struggling with English, yet they are highly-intelligent. But this guy really had annoyed me. Regards, Tony.

In 2018 I booked a pitch on the Cornish campsite for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Depends on my partially planned retirement what dates I choose for 2024 onwards. A partially planned retirement depends on how successful the recruitment for my replacement is. and the candidates we get.

Evenin' each, I have pancaked. Four to be exact following a bacon baguette. It would be quite accurate to say that I am now rather full. After 3 The Boss said "surely you can't manage any more." I said "if there's any batter left then bring it on." So she did and the last one was shall we say quite "chunky." Now sitting here with another glass of a rather nice French Grenache/Syrah and thinking all is well with the world and hoping that all will still be well with my digestive system later on. The parcel that came yesterday contained a nest of tables that The Boss wanted. Two were damaged so the whole lot are being returned and replacements will not be required from that supplier. She has now got me to order some from elsewhere. Can't wait to see what these are like....

Not this Bear. You can live on 'em, but Bear doesn't bother - munch nicer things to munch on; have I mentioned Lemon Drizzle Cake? Bear doesn't like sanding....filling....sanding....filling...... Bear shot himself earlier - with the sauce bottle. It has a flip top lid that is a real pig to flip...and managed to push the trigger in the process. Blood (ok, tommy sauce) everywhere. Just a flesh wound fortunately - I should live....

The transfers have been applied. Biggest problem I had was to work out the difference between the 6 and the 8. Hopefully this is numbered 6801 but it could of course be 8601? Had to cut the transfer to the Guards door to fit around the door handle hence why it appears to say 'uard'

Valerie received her letter this morning and it does explain how and why she may be contacted by her GP too. It tells her just to disregard the letter if that is the case. More confusing is the fact that online she has been offered jabs at one local centre and one in Brighton. It’s alright though, it tells us that the one in Brighton is near a bus stop.

Good morning everyone It’s dry outside, but we did get a little rain last night, 8C at the moment but due to get as high as 12C later, just a wee bit warmer than last week! Not a great deal planned for today, as its Sheila birthday, I won’t be doing any work in the cellar or workshop, instead I shall stay indoors as it were. There should have been a big celebration tonight for this landmark birthday, but due to the current situation, that isn’t happening, so she’ll just have to put up with me! Sheila booked her Covid jab, which she is having tomorrow, via the GP’s surgery after receiving a text. Today and got a letter from the NHS asking her to book her jab! Right hand, left hand not knowing what each is doing and all that immediately springs to mind! Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later Brian

No walk today, the Sky is weeing.

At one time in Germany a chieftain tank planted a gun through the window of a bar in a village... and, a Challenger drove into another bar when something broke due to lack of lubrication.. that cost UK MoD a bit of dosh to sort out.. Baz

Andy, not only tell the local paper about Sarah's vaccination but contact your MP.