Peter Kazmierczak

Nothing much happenin' at Aston...

Human evolution: 1. Beaker people 2. Tumbler people 3. Cup people 4. Cut glass people 5. Mug people

I used to work in a noisy environment until I told the children to use their indoor voices...

Just been watching a piece on YouTube comparing the finales of various interpretations of Mahler's 2nd Symphony - as you do on a wet Monday afternoon... Very impressed by the performance of the Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Stewart. Spine tingling.

Dropped off some stuff at the local charity hospice shop. Came away with a couple of books; one on buses about Southern National by Colin Morris. Talking of buses... I remember when I worked in the Civil Service in London. Would catch the 68 at Chalk Farm in the morning. If I timed it right I could jump onto the Routemaster as it waited at the lights. In the evening I tended to walk back and pop into KX on the way to see (and hear) the Deltics.

Just back from watching the sunset at Sandbanks. Condor Liberation passed en route from the Channel Islands to Poole.

Yes, I just watched his review too. Gimmicks are all well and good, but why no flywheel?

Does anyone have a clear picture (sufficient to read the small lettering on it) of the MR/LMS Control Board that was (still is?) at the MRC in Butterley? This shows all the running lines (passenger in red, freight in blue) plus all sidings etc. I'm particularly interested in the section showing Derby St Mary's Yard. I did take photos of it a long time ago, but didn't cover all of St Mary's. I have found an example on the internet, but the definition isn't too good when you zoom in. Thanks.

It's black over Bill's mother's. The view just now from our front door.

Haircut this morning. Thought it impolite not to pop into the local model ----way shop which is nearby. Outside said shop was a large skip - they were having a spring clear-out. Help yourself, they say... Came away with lots of old cab ride videos (social history now), PC Pressfix transfers (luckily for the LMS...), and some card buildings I can alter for my Aston-on-Trent lay---. I also did buy something too: £5 for an LMS coach which I thought was a bargain. My wife was none too pleased to see all the videos though...

Found this when having a spring clean yesterday - taken nearly 45 years ago.

Didn't the MR produce a series of photos showing how/how not to, load wagons?

I found that internal candidates were sometimes at a disadvantage. They knew all the answers but often didn't tell us during the interview in sufficient detail. We knew they knew, but if they didn't tell us, we couldn't tick the blinking box...

Just back from Wimborne to pick up a prescription. Went on the bus. The one going was an ex-London one with two sets of doors. Though down here in Dorset, we only use the front one - might be too confusing for the locals. Also popped into the local museum where they have a secondhand book selection. Came away with three books on ----ways, as you do...

I did once say I was NORAD, in an American accent...

Thanks guys.

The real Stanley was very much in a coal mining district; close to West Hallam (coal mine next to the GN station) and Stanley Footrill Colliery (running to a coal wharf in Chaddesden, Derby via a rope-worked tramway). Not really canal country... This imaginary branch from Bramcote would've gone near to the large Stanton ironworks though.

Eventually they were. AEI (which included BTH) became part of GEC, as did EE.

An optical illusion or something else? Do the tops of the rails tarnish more quickly after painting the sides? Recently painted the sides of the railways in Humbrol 113 and the rail heads appear to tarnish quicker. Or is it just me needing a trip to the opticians?

The wisteria flowers every year, despite my best efforts to over-prune it...

Think it's safe to say that spring has finally arrived.

When presenting your ticket on the GW, they had to be “Shewn”. Using the archaic form of "shown", the GW might well have been correct though. It implies that something has been demonstrated or proven, rather than simply displayed. So you have to prove you have the correct ticket, rather than merely showing it.

Very clever start to Bachmann's announcement, with the filming/narration in the style of BTF filmography (if that's a word...)

Andy is obviously a follower of 1970s ecological dystopian thrillers...

I'd rather we climb onto the climate bandwagon than ignore it...