chrisf

Good morning one and all There is a very promising concert tonight. It is at The Stables and comprises a performance of 'The Transports', a folk opera by the late Peter Bellamy with a new young cast. The tour of which it forms a part has been featured on Front Row so it's a bit high profile and verging on mainstream. I spent an hour or so yesterday morning booking gig tickets and a hotel room so when the time comes I will have pleasure in telling those interested that I will be going to see the Hut People, Calan, 4square and some pictures at an RCTS meeting. Trust me, it's all good stuff. Before all that we must return to reality. There is a batch of laundry in soak, prompted by the sight of quite the filthiest hand towel in captivity, to be processed once the fodder run has been done. I fancy turning my hand and palate to coq au vin and need some ingredients for that as well as more mundane fare. There will need to be changes in the arrangements for the trek to Tesco but enough of that on the morrow. Warning: may contain a gripe. A man on the radio is talking about clamping down on diesel cars. As I have the use of one at the moment in the absence of my own vehicle [which, I hope, is receiving works attention] my ears pricked up. Not so long ago we were encouraged to have them but now they give off dangerous emissions. They always did, of course. So do diesel trains but we will never be rid of those as long as such a mess is being made of electrification. It would be nice to live long enough to see affordable and long-range electric cars - and receive a telegram from the King. Yeah, right. Warm thoughts to all in distress, for whatever reason. Chris

Bless my soul! Wherever did you find that book? I have just spent a good half hour browsing through it because I lived in Acton as a boy. I spotted references to the Lord Chancellor in the mid 17th century whose name was Clarendon. The layout of that name is, of course, said to be set in a bygone Acton. Tell me that isn't a coincidence ... Chris Oh, and in that connection, the well-known public open space east of Acton is spelled "Wormwood Scrubbs" but isn't now.

Good morning one and all, after one of those nights when you wonder when sleep will come at 3 am and realise just before 6 am that it arrived without telling you. Ah yes, the griping instalment. It was meant to be a joke but events had the last laugh. I missed out on my full English breakfast yesterday because I was too early to have one at Toddington and neither Fleet nor Winchester service areas were able to supply anything remotely resembling one. If I may be allowed a harrumph, this is a disgrace. A bacon bap and a sausage bap at Winchester had to suffice. Junction 2 to Junction 4a on the M3 is a long way to trundle at 50 mph and for my return journey I took the A34. This was made less enjoyable by torrential rain the whole way and by lorries charging by at line speed blotting out my vision with spray. I know, I know: at least I was able to drive. Thank you, benevolent insurance company and Europcar. When I got home I found that the delivery brat had defaulted again. As I actually got a paper last Sunday this is a disappointment. There is one more gripe but it can wait till Wednesday when it will be more topical. As I gripe I am well aware that others have matters of much more concern. Let there be deliverance, and a good one at that, from all of these. Chris

Good morning one and all This is a flying visit before I set off for the Southampton show. How bad will the motorway network be today? Where will I have breakfast? Tune in tomorrow for the next griping instalment. Condolences to John CB, go for it Andyram. Warm thoughts to all with needs of them. Chris

Good morning one and all, after a nice relaxing bath. The postponed fodder run can be delayed no longer. I should have checked the stock of bacon before making my decision yesterday. [Oh dear, I seem to be typing in fluent Crabtree today as 'making' came out as 'maiming'!] Anyway, once the run is done I must go to Waterstones to collect my copy of the book on Cardiff trolleybuses. This will be top of the insomnia pile for some time. This evening there is a concert by Stick In The Wheel about whom I have heard great things. Tomorrow I hit the M3 - but hopefully no animals - on my way to the Southampton show. Reverting to 'gaudeamus igitur', while it seems that I was mistaken in linking it to the line from Ecclesiasticus, I recall that Tom Lehrer used it in one of his songs, possibly the one with a reference to ivy-covered professors in ivy-covered walls. That is pure genius, especially for a maths lecturer. Nobody does convoluted rhymes better - unless you know differently? Overnight the passing of the actor Sir John Hurt was announced. As he had claimed to be in remission from pancreatic cancer I hope it was something else that took him. On that less than happy note, warm thoughts to all who need them. Chris

Igitur - therefore in Latin. I can't recall the rest of it but it translates as "let us now praise famous men" as in the Apochrypha. Chris

Good morning one and all Poorly Pal enjoyed his lunch yesterday. To be fair, he usually does but this one was a bit experimental. I had added a small amount of honey to the marinade to give the beef just a little sweetness and chopped and sliced an apple to go with the onions, garlic and sweetcorn. A packet chow mein sauce managed not to swamp all the delicate flavours. I need to scrub the wok though. Later we fancied haggis, tatties and neeps but sadly the local 'Spoons had sold out. More sadly the adverts for the stuff kept flashing up on the front of the tills. Hello, is that Trading Standards? I finished the feedback on my Swiss holiday. The administratrix general at the travel company was kind enough to say that I had taken a great deal of care with it. This may or may not be code for "any more bright ideas?" but we shall see. Today's scheduled fodder run can wait. It is still perishing out there to judge by the deposits of ice on the cars. I have but one compelling reason for venturing outside today and that is to move the car from across Mrs E-C's gate to somewhere convenient for the hovel so that my toolbox etc may be unloaded. First it is necessary for someone - anyone! - to go to work. There is no more news about my own car but I have not checked the landline for messages yet. That can wait till after breakfast, where the case for a bowl of oat cuisine is ever more convincing. Warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers, to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing and again to Andyram. Chris

When we talk of milk traffic I first recommend an article by R C Riley called "Home with the milk" in Trains Illustrated for March 1959. It deals with the WR's West Country milk traffic. IIRC here was an article in the HMRS Journal about the Southern's milk traffic. It is a very complex subject and it is not always very clear just how it was handled, even with the aid of working timetables. Demand fluctuated and with it the length and composition of loaded trains. Kris is quite right about the Penzance trains growing as they headed east, picking up two or three tanks at each calling point. The fun really started when the train reached London for there were many destinations around the capital to which the loaded tanks were tripped. It would make a fascinating subject for a book! Chris

Good morning one and all I see that some have been pouring scorn on morris dancing. As I see it, this is an activity that calls for physical fitness, agility, stamina, co-ordination and mental alertness. Clearly some people cannot do it because they lack one or more of those attributes. I admire those who do. Furthermore, I am insanely jealous of the amount of beer that some of them consume! Morris dancers can defend themselves. Some carry staves made of good English willow which are supposed to go with the dances. For all I know some have been used in anger ... We pursue a hobby that is vulnerable to ridicule by the ignorant. It is unwise for any of us to treat morris dancing similarly. Today I visit Poorly Pal. The ingredients of our lunch have been prepped, the major one being beef. I have photocopied the recipe and must remember to put it in the crate along with the wok and other vital stuff. I do not expect news of the car for a few days yet. The hire car has some interesting characteristics, such as wanting to go much faster than 30 mph in an area subject to that speed limit. It should like the A1 today then. Being larger all round than the Polo it presents more of a challenge to park in this constricted street and it has already been placed across Mrs Electric Chair's gate, moved to a newly available space just 30 minutes ago. Warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering,supporting, grieving and missing. Good luck also to Andyram in fighting the good fight. Chris

According to Alan Jackson the link was proposed not to the West London line but to the Hammersmith and City in the vicinity of the bridge carrying it over Wood Lane. Chris

Good morning Tony My copy of MRJ arrived yesterday and I must say that I found your article on Little Bytham a good read and an excellent account of a fine layout. In my view it does belong in MRJ despite your reservations about it being regarded as finescale. There is no one definition of finescale but my take on it is that it includes a hefty chunk of attitude of mind. Other elements might well include prototypical operation, faithful portrayal of the chosen scene and, above all, setting and maintaining a high standard of design and construction. More of us than you might think have views which accord with yours. Chris

Good morning one and all Thanks again to all with kind thoughts about the car. The body shop in Swindon is "approved". An examination has been made and approval to order the parts and start work is awaited. I have a copy of the pre repair inspection form and it shows all sorts of blemishes of which I was not aware. I will worry about those when I get the thing back! As for getting it back, the insurance company suggested using the hire car to get to Swindon. The lady in the local Europcar office doesn't see why not and it is certainly a more attractive idea than spending five hours on the bus. Having the repaired car delivered to my door, or as near to it as the parking situation will allow, is also an attractive idea but I do not see it happening. When I contacted VW Roadside Assistance for rescue from the scene of the prang I was told that I was only entitled to local area recovery, which is why I had to endure the train journey back home. I have submitted the receipt to the insurance company because if you don't ask you don't get. With that mantra in mind I will ask the insurance company if a home delivery is an option but at the back of my mind will be another mantra: he who expects nothing is rarely disappointed. Oh boy. Let us consider happier things. A supplementary fodder run is needed this morning to finalise the ingredients for Poorly Pal's lunch tomorrow and to get the Radio Times. Tonight there is a [an?] HMRS meeting in Bletchley with two speakers. Between those events I need to finish the feedback on my holiday for the travel company on which I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. Submitting it on line using their proforma is all very well but there is much more to say than can be uttered by clicking boxes - mostly good, it must be said. Doing it my way means that I can share my comments with friends on the same tour. Warm thoughts now to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Let us all hope also that Andyram finds the means and courage to achieve the right solution. Chris

Irresistible! Chris

Good morning one and all The mind boggles ... Well, so far so good. By 1 pm yesterday the insurance company had been in touch to take down my particulars and a hire car arranged and delivered. It is a Golf 1.6 litre diesel with, I thought, no handbrake until I found a small switch where the handbrake should be. I did a test drive to the supermarket for a retimed fodder run. The body shop in Swindon have taken delivery of the damaged Polo and await clearance to proceed with the repair. The very helpful chap at the insurance company thought that I might use the hire car to get to Swindon to retrieve mine when the time comes. This is, on the face of it, a much better idea than five hours plus on the bus so I shall pop into Europcar's local outpost this morning and ask them nicely. The sense of relief that all planned engagements bar yesterday's lunch can proceed is difficult to articulate. They include an HMRS meeting tomorrow, the visit to Poorly Pal on Thursday, the Southampton show on Sunday and a high profile concert next week. Phew! With a return to something near normal, at least for the time being, warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers especially those on the A420 and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Finally for today, thanks again to all who have proffered kind words and thoughts. I'm touched. Chris

They did not get rid of Miranda. She is to busy with other work to appear. Chris

Good morning one and all "Thank you" is putting it oh so mildly for all the kind expressions of support. I am apprehensive of the phone call from the insurance company for my not-so-inner cynic tells me that insurance covers everything except what happens. I could not really settle to anything yesterday but there is still plenty to do, car or no car. I just don't feel like doing it! One daft idea that entered my head was how to get to Swindon to fetch the wretched vehicle in due course. How about X5 "express" bus from Bedford to Oxford [2h30m], changing to route 66 from Oxford to Swindon [1h30m]? I have a bus pass. Hmmm ... I normally do some sort of forward look on Mondays so here goes. Today I am not now having lunch with a friend. I will make it up to him later, even though the discount voucher which prompted the idea will have expired. Tuesday will see a fodder run, as will Friday and possibly also Wednesday depending on how long the list becomes. Thursday should be lunch with Poorly Pal and if by some miracle I have a courtesy car available by then it might just happen. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart. Fondest thoughts to all who have their troubles, whether or not they share them with others. Knowing whether or not to do so is not always easy.and I apologise if I have got it wrong. Chris

Lion - white with gold lining, D0260. Looked a bit like a 47. Chris

Rick, I'm fine, thanks - unhurt. As far as I could see under the arc lights of the yard where the car was taken, the radiator grille is broken and the front bumper partly smashed and distorted to the point where it rubs on the front passenger side wheel. One of the lights that pokes out from the bumper is hanging loose. As far as I know that is the extent of the damage. It could have been a lot worse. I don't even know if it was a deer but whatever it was had gone when we passed the scene later in the recovery truck. I have to wait in tomorrow until the insurance company get back to me, hence lunch with my mate will have to go. Later this morning I will talk to Poorly Pal. Subject to what happens tomorrow, my view of insurance tends towards the cynical. I believe that it covers everything except what happens. Chris

Good morning one and all As Mike Stationmaster has revealed, I was at the Cardiff show yesterday and thoroughly worthwhile it was too. On the way home I diverted to Bristol to spend an hour or so with my aunt, now nearly 93 and in fine form. The homeward run went fine. Until ... Just before 7 pm on the A420 between Swindon and Oxford an animal, possibly a deer, hit my car. The front bumper is badly damaged and the car cannot be driven safely. It has been recovered and tomorrow will be taken to a body repair shop in Swindon. The recovery driver kindly dropped me at Swindon station. My attempts to make the ticket machine work were fruitless and there was no sign of a booking office. It turned out to be behind a shutter. Another traveller advised me to pay on the train but of course it was just pulling out as I reached the platform. The next was in 45 minutes but at least a member of staff - yes, really - convinced me that paying on the train would be OK despite loudspeaker announcements about penalty fares. Fortunately the guard acknowledged my plight and for a mere £41.05 I had my ticket home. It opened the barriers on the Underground but not at St Pancras LL. Then the four car all-stations train to Bedford was full and standing and I had to be hauled on board after missing my footing as the doors began to shut. Oh boy. Today began badly as I was wakened at 4.30 am by cramp in my right calf. Later I have some calls to make cancelling various appointments. Among the casualties will be lunch with a mate tomorrow since I need to be available when the insurance company calls. If they do not make a courtesy car available Poorly Pal does not get his lunch on Thursday and I don't get to various other things. How I get the repaired car back from Swindon is another matter altogether. Best wishes to everyone Chris

Unexpected good morning one and all. I don't need to leave for my destination for another half hour and it won't take that long to scrape the ice from the car. I see that we are on page 5619. This number is shared with a preserved GWR 0-6-2 tank - not "taffy tank", please! - which earned itself some notoriety by running away down the Big Hill pushed by its train and ending up at the bottom in a crumpled heap. This, of course, is no way to describe Taffs Well. Its frames were twisted in its encounter with Mother Earth and it's never been quite right since. Sidmouth of this parish is organising an appeal to get the loco repainted into BR black, to which I have not yet quite got round to subscribing. I will, though. For a change, I tried a different supermarket for the fodder run yesterday. I noticed that some prices are not as keen as those where I normally shop but the different bus ride was pleasant enough. How can anyone enjoy shopping? Discuss. There may be some entertaining tales tomorrow. We shall see. Sadly I shall miss some culture in Chepstow today, to wit the Mari Llwyd, but I can't be everywhere. Fun trying though ... Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [moi aussi aujourd'hui] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Good morning one and all. God bless America ... The Tom Paxton concert was most enjoyable. He had a few things to say about the new President - "as charming as a pack of wolves" was just one. "How beautiful upon the mountain" is today's earworm. To my surprise and thanks to some uncharacteristically nifty footwork I found myself at the head of the queue for autographs and will enjoy playing the two CDs eventually. Andyram, is there a basis for negotiation following that visit? If you don't ask you don't get. Just a thought. Today should see the fodder run but I'm not quite sure what I need apart from something to go in sandwiches for tomorrow. There will be a stupidly early start in the morning so it's best to assume that I will post again on Sunday. Best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Glad to learn DD's good news. Chris

One of my many intermittent projects is doing up the Replica version of this. I have brass sides from two manufacturers and neither match each other or the plastic model. Ho hum ... Chris

Good morning one and all I do not have much luck with discount coupons generated by shop tills which do not state clearly enough what goods they cover. One such case occurred yesterday when I went shopping for personal organiser refills in my local WHSmith, armed with a coupon that tempted me with 25% discount. At the till the coupon would not work. The assistant said that it was because I had selected Filofax brand refills or, as the coupon proclaimed, wallets. After a futile argument about what constitutes a wallet the manager was summoned and the exchange continued. Finally the proposed purchases were replaced with the nearest available own brand products – and the coupon still would not work! Blaming the bar code, eventually the manager deducted an approximation of 25% from the bill and we parted on good terms. Pragmatic solutions are often the best. Area Group was good and the M1 behaved itself in both directions. Next time the meeting is in my neck of the woods. I popped out last night to confirm with the venue that it would be OK. It will: the ale house is sparsely attended during the week and is attractive for that very reason. There is no threat of Sky Sports or those clad in tribal costumes that it tends to attract. Tonight I return to The Stables to enjoy the iconic folk singer Tom Paxton. Before that the spectre of the ironing board raises its ugly head, or would do if ironing boards have heads. After lunch I have been enjoying the new series of "Father Brown" with Mark Williams in the title role but today's episode is the last in the series. Will I succumb to the lure of the re-runs next week? Tempting as it can be to slob out all day, there are always essential tasks that must be discharged long before there can be any thoughts of m*d*ll*ng. On that happy [?] note, best wishes to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [wonder how the talks between Southern and ASLEF are going?] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

Good morning one and all Last night saw an enjoyable concert by the Pitmen Poets. Two more CDs, autographed of course, are added to the mountain inside the hessian bag. Today sees the Area Group lunch and meeting which will be enjoyable if the M1 behaves itself. Today also sees talks in the Southern dispute. Let us hope that they do not turn into a dialogue of the deaf. May those taking part be given the will to succeed. Warm thoughts to the lonely and depressed, to all travellers [especially those on the M1 late morning and teatime!] and to the ailing, recovering, supporting, grieving and missing. Chris

"Enough cash was raised or promised to permit a start on construction in 1883 at the Acton end. A house standing on the site of the proposed Acton station near Friar's Place was demolished and an iron bridge erected over the N&SWJR near the present motorway [ie Western Avenue] bridge. This activity ceased when the money ran out; neither the GWR nor the Metropolitan were prepared to come to the rescue ...* If I quote any more of Jackson's book the OP will be cursing me for wasting his money! Chris