New Haven Neil

ION - Fraggles swooning everywhere, 20c recorded. Actually felt warm riding the bike, wonder never cease. Wondering if we'll see an aurora tonight, big soar flare incoming apparently.

The OF's ride out went to 'Land's End', aka The Sound, where the breakfast was OK but a little pricey. We hit two closed roads due to the rally, so had to make some 'interesting' detours, on very bumpy back roads. I've only seen two snakes in the UK, once saw an adder in Ingram Valley, when I was a teenager - not too far from Dave F's perambulations, and a slow worm (OK not really a snake), on the far platform at Haverthwaite on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite railway. Saw loads of yellow sea snakes in the far east when at sea, horrible things.

Morning, from a rock that 9once again is dry, wonder of wonders. 14c currently with 19 - truly tropical - promised. Old Farts club this morning, not sure where that will take us. There are closed roads all over the place as it is the Manx Rally today and tomorrow, these closures are more restrictive than for the TT races as there are less ways to avoid them in some places. We're geared up for the TT closures as it has been going on for a lot longer, the rally stages are quite long and torturous so block a lot of alternate routes. Our village tomorrow has but one way out to go any distance, despite there being five normally.

We have a Ham & Egg Terrace in Laxey - where they used to feed the miners.

Well it was a lovely day in the northern reaches of the rock, 19c at one point, so a little ride out for a brew in Laxey was had apres lunch after all, having survived the Big City and getting my new glasses. My wallet didn't survive the experience though. Pah. Then watching the tellynews the local BBC type this evening, the Manutopia based weather gurl said it had been 10c and miserably foggy here. Well, maybe down t'other end where the airyport (and therefore Met office) is possibly, but we're 30 miles from that and it was glorious. It was all a bit of a throw-away 'oh it's miserable there' which was not reflective of the day really. Mini rant.

As it happens I think the bluebells here are having a good year, the island is a sea of blue in places, but of course we also have no deer or squirrels! The bluebells do have to compete with the wild garlic that is absolutely everywhere and makes quite a stink, while flowering, then they both give over to valerian which is also everywhere!

That's the before....😪

Good morning from a rock that has no moles. Or foxes, or snakes - bar the political ones - ours are no better than the UK version. 12c and sunny to start, let's hope it stays that way. I have to go to the Big City to collect my new glasses today, methinks I'll check they are in first, having previously fallen foul of promised delivery dates (promised yesterday). Then I'm not sure what follows, my hips are too sore to ride the bike again, so that's not happening, I have a feeling SWMBO wanted something from the orange DIY store but I'm (*&^%$£ if I can remember what it was!

We had the same, but it was newts. According to the wildlife people there are no newts on Fraggle Rock - pah, wrong!

The bike ride went well, but had a modelling disaster later - facts on Night Mail. 17c now but it has been overcast all day, a shame as it showed promise of actually feeling really nice. We still have a cottage hospital down the road in the Bright Lights of Royal Ramsey, but only because there was a huge outcry and massive (by our standards) protest with petitions etc when the Govt tried to close it about 10 years ago. It proved its worth many times, especially during covid, but I think it only still exists because of covenants on money donated to build it. There's only one other hospickle, in the Big City, which is the usual general but failing job. Mrs NHN currently is under investigations for a 'marker' from a test that basically indicates she should be dying of bowel cancer if not dead already as it is so high, but they can't find anything after many tests, some invasive. But trying to get the hospital to communicate with the GP is just a nightmare. In the meantime she doesn't even feel ill.....

Well we played out on motorbikes with a mate, which went well. Then played with the trains in the garage/layout room, that went......less than well. Put decals and nameplates on this.......my Ruby Wedding (welding, copyright Oldudders) Anniversary pressie. Then as per destructions wafted on acrylic matt varnish. Decals dissolved, lining dissolved, main paint reacted badly, (totally FUBAR in fact), but not as badly as I did. Turdycurses does not even begin to cover my reaction to the reaction. I thought acrylics were supposed to be benign? NHN wonders if it has the wrong stuff in the can. or the lids have been transposed in the shop? I is NOT a happy bunny, not at all. In recompense I see the 'B' hadn't adhered properly, but the varnish would have sorted that.....should....

Morning, from a dull but dry rock that manages 14c. Mrs NHN off now on Wetkneesdays, so my tie is not my own. A bike ride is forecast, with mates Johan and Steve. J is Belgian with a surname that begins with a Z (no, not Zarniwhoop) and is unpronounceable by the average Geordie/Fraggle cross. He's a bit....lot..... of a Harley guy but really nice, quiet sort. Not Harley typee at all really, but likes his huge bikes. The ride will surround locating a cafe for brunch, via small lanes whenever possible.

Last time I did that journey, it was on a fast craft. The really odd bit, is I now often travel from Fraggle Rock (the Isle of Man) to the UK on the self same craft! The other side of the world, same ship. At that time we were considering emigration, to NZ or the IoM!

Yup! Glad I wasn't standing next to that when it went.

Even though I was one of those.....yes! I like to think my department was better run than many we often hear of.

Baz is of course correct about Frost being made in Leeds, a friend was in it a few times, as an extra. He was.... a police officer in Leeds! We recognise some of the areas as we have a number of friends that live/lived in Leeds. Of course we follow Vera avidly, to spot the locations around Tyneside, great fun, and in a recent one, the street I lived in as a young 'un, with a childhood friend as an extra is several scenes.

Morning, from a dry, sunny but only 11c rock. A day of domestic servitude beckons as no washing was done over the BH weekend. Being a hypertension sufferer we don't use salt in any cooking at all, nor do we put it on food, other than the very occasional chip. (Fries to JS Bach!). I'm sure I still get more than is ideal from various bought foods! Trying to keep carbs low is difficult, they're everywhere.

On similar lines!

New wagon enters service. Dingham couplings courtesy HH and Baz, thanks boys. This is currently the shedmaster's favourite still. ION, ages ago I had a chat here with someone about Joe Works 009 locos was it Tony? @Tony_S anyway I found the remains today, of the Gamecock Peckett. It's rough. Run to death on an exhibition layout years ago, and rattled round in a box for years since. The other, little Yankee one has fallen to bits, the motor mount clips have snapped off the chassis - it's scrap basically. :-(

Mrs NHN had a real scrap with hospital staff just before we moved here, so 22 years ago.. In to have a third surgery on a knackered knee, they began to mark up....the wrong one. Mrs NHN, who is not backward in coming forward, took great exception to this, as you may imagine. Medical staff insisting it is the left, Mrs H disagreeing, to the point they are talking about her having some kind of mental health issue. She points out the plethora of scars on the right, indicating the previous attempts at repair. Lot of note flipping done, eventually revealing a medic had transposed sides some time before....but not one of them had noticed upon several subsequent examinations! Words were had, plus an official complaint, which was of course swept aside in the normal way. The only positive from it was that it wasn't the hospital I worked in!

The extra Old Farts trip out to the bike show took place, Hells Grandads indeed. A triumph, two Enfields, a Matchless and a Victory. Then we left the show to feed, of course, it rained. Pah. Which stopped as we got to the cafe. Double pah. Then some, err, small things on metal lines were fiddled with.

Morning, able now to function having had to watch the F1 first, as I heard who won! Dank feeling here today, hard to know what the weather is going to do to us just now, 12c and breezy, grey as a grey thing. A disturbed night, the non-UPF home made curry we had for dinner was fighting back a bit. Unusual. Mrs NHN is washing the campervan, so I'm keeping a low profile in case I get a job to do. Then off out with mates to a bike show at 11, probably be about then that it decides to rain after all. I know my luck.

We don't need airborne weapons to wipe out furrin super criminals, we can just use Donk's super over-the-horizon supper-zapper weapon. It certainly sorted out his mountain eyrie last time we used it. ION Archery was a bit odd, very busy, lot of new members getting in the way and generally being silly, poncing around with lots of high grade new gear and no idea how to actually shoot it - the leaders of the club had their hands full. We shot off with some other regulars, and had a slifhtly truncated round (se above - blocking targets) Mrs NHN shot a blinder with highest score of the day, the really good guy was with us but off his game, he usually can win without trying too hard.

Evening orl, one of those Mrs NHN-driven days, too much running about for me these days. Still, there was a nice croissant and coffee in the middle of it all, and then a superb posh burger for a late lunch, which will be all I eat for the rest of the day. Miserable weather, foggy, rainy, mizzly misery all day. Noted one of those Hurtigruten cruise ships alongside in the Big City, they didn't get to see much - a shame as yesterday turned out really nice. Debauchery archery tomorrow hopefully, depends if the weather improves.

Late to things today, sorry. just one addition to the comments about sinking ships yesterday - JJB summed it up nicely - but every single person lost on the Derbyshire was British. All officers and crew. And almost me, but that's another story I have mentioned before. But the apathy of the British public was just the same. My next door neighbour at the time also worked for LR, and spent a lot of time flying about the world looking at damaged ships - mostly bulk carriers. There was one in ..... Tubareo, JJB? ..... that split in half at the berth while being loaded. 'nuff said.