The Night Mail

[TheQ]

5 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

 

Training youngsters to become professional athletes is a fraught business. One of my sons’ friends made serious efforts to become a professional rugby player, with no useful outcome. He is now approaching 30 with, in effect, no trade or profession. One of my wife’s friends was a teacher in the Manchester area, and her views on the effects on education of the general bedazzlement with the (effectively non-existent) prospects of a career in professional football, don’t bear printing in family-oriented media. 

A bit like all those who take media studies as a subject...

[rockershovel]

1 minute ago, TheQ said:

A bit like all those who take media studies as a subject...

 

I’m not sure about that. Professional football as a career might be delusional , but at least it represents a certain clarity of thought - it’s quite a simple concept. Media studies, I’ve known graduates who show little understanding of what they’d studied; it seems to be such a generalised field, that no useful degree of information is taught about anything. 

[Dave Hunt]

Despite 'games' being compulsory on a Wednesday afternoon, the closest I ever came to prowess at soccer was being big enough to charge others off the ball and at cricket I fielded on the boundary near the railway line that ran past the sports field. Hence if the ball came my way I probably wouldn't be aware of the fact if a train was in view. Rugby hadn't been played at the school for a number of years as a lad had been killed when playing so the head had banned it but when we had a change of head in my third year it was reinstated and since I didn't really like soccer I decided to give it a try. To my surprise I both enjoyed it and turned out to be a half decent player. Thus, when I joined the RAF it was known that I had played at school and I was more or less told that I would do so again. My usual position was at No. 8 and as well as RAF teams I played for combined services Far East and for a few civilian teams. The only injury of any note I suffered was a broken arm when playing in the final of the RAF Germany sevens in about 1974. I also played American gridiron football for a while as a tight end (stop sniggering HH and Jamie) but after reaching the ripe old age of 40, which seems a long time ago now, I gave up such pursuits and settled on more sedentary pastimes.

 

Dave

[TheQ]

7 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

 

I’m not sure about that. Professional football as a career might be delusional , but at least it represents a certain clarity of thought - it’s quite a simple concept. Media studies, I’ve known graduates who show little understanding of what they’d studied; it seems to be such a generalised field, that no useful degree of information is taught about anything. 

Quite possibly, though I was not very well putting across the point  that 99% had no chance of working anywhere near the media..

[Joseph_Pestell]

13 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

 

I’m not sure about that. Professional football as a career might be delusional , but at least it represents a certain clarity of thought - it’s quite a simple concept. Media studies, I’ve known graduates who show little understanding of what they’d studied; it seems to be such a generalised field, that no useful degree of information is taught about anything. 

 

Back in my student days (1970s), I don't believe that Media Studies courses would have passed the scrutiny team at CNAA for accreditation as a degree course. I know how difficult it could be even for a Business Studies degree.

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Despite 'games' being compulsory on a Wednesday afternoon, the closest I ever came to prowess at soccer was being big enough to charge others off the ball and at cricket I fielded on the boundary near the railway line that ran past the sports field. Hence if the ball came my way I probably wouldn't be aware of the fact if a train was in view. Rugby hadn't been played at the school for a number of years as a lad had been killed when playing so the head had banned it but when we had a change of head in my third year it was reinstated and since I didn't really like soccer I decided to give it a try. To my surprise I both enjoyed it and turned out to be a half decent player. Thus, when I joined the RAF it was known that I had played at school and I was more or less told that I would do so again. My usual position was at No. 8 and as well as RAF teams I played for combined services Far East and for a few civilian teams. The only injury of any note I suffered was a broken arm when playing in the final of the RAF Germany sevens in about 1974. I also played American gridiron football for a while as a tight end (stop sniggering HH and Jamie) but after reaching the ripe old age of 40, which seems a long time ago now, I gave up such pursuits and settled on more sedentary pastimes.

 

Dave

 

I have watched quite a lot of gridiron on TV over the last twenty years. I still don't understand a lot of what is going on. 

 

It is clear to me that it has a very high incidence of injuries despite all the protective gear. And yet an American friend who had played at a high level (college football in front of crowds of 80,000) could not be persuaded to play rugby for our student team.

[Joseph_Pestell]

2 hours ago, roundhouse said:

We did and she was French . Her blouses and undergarments were very transluscent. Thats when my French  (as many others in the class) stopped improving.

 

Morning. Numerous tasks around the hosue before meeting up with a friend whos had the virus, for outside beers and meal at our local brewery.

 

Tomorrow my other half has got a days leave. Shes had to book all outstanding leave or lose it. We are thinking of a trip to London Bridge and walking to Brewdog at Tower Hill before the likely tier 3 restrictions come in. It will be my first trip specifically to London since early March. We have passed through a couple of times on journeys beyond.

 

We did not have any French nationals as teachers but there was a French lady "assistant" who would take small groups for French conversation. I don't know if the others were overwhelmed by the presence of an attractive young woman in our otherwise all male school but I seemed to be the only one that would talk to her. Probably just laziness on her part. So much easier to converse with someone who can speak to you in your own language.

[rockershovel]

21 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Back in my student days (1970s), I don't believe that Media Studies courses would have passed the scrutiny team at CNAA for accreditation as a degree course. I know how difficult it could be even for a Business Studies degree.

 

Agreed, I think that’s true of a considerable segment of modern courses. During my student days the college I was attending went through this process and it took at least three years and much assessment and academic and industry review (it was recognised by South African Chamber of Mines, for one thing, and a high proportion of students worked overseas and so, needed to pass through Visa procedures)

[rockershovel]

19 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

I have watched quite a lot of gridiron on TV over the last twenty years. I still don't understand a lot of what is going on. 

 

It is clear to me that it has a very high incidence of injuries despite all the protective gear. And yet an American friend who had played at a high level (college football in front of crowds of 80,000) could not be persuaded to play rugby for our student team.

 

I briefly encountered Pop Warner football during a period in the care of relatives in the USA, and subsequently played for Cambridge County Cats during the vogue the sport enjoyed in the U.K. in the mid-80s. I enjoyed it hugely but rugby remains my “first love”. 

 

Cats had a number of players from the USAF base at Alconbury. They all thought rugby was far too dangerous, but it needs to be remembered that much of what goes on in American sport revolves around injury compensation and medical care expenses. They were covered under their Forces Insurance PROVIDED they were playing football coached by Americans (which Cats was) but rugby, no. One player did play at Cambridge, broke his collarbone and got in all sorts of trouble, not least for rendering himself unfit for duty in an unapproved activity. 

[chrisf]

It is no secret that I was hopless at sports and PE at school.  I was gangly and unco-ordinated and found the whole thing pointless.  Sports teachers were of a certain breed, at times verging on the sadistic.  I had to manage team games without my spectacles.  Imagine how I felt when I was tackled by a member of my own side in one memorable game of rugby.  The pitch at Huntingdon Grammar School, being off-site, was grazed by dairy cattle, so you can imagine what I landed in when tackled.

 

Although I disliked cross-country running I was actually quite good at it, good enough in fact to be considered for the house team.  The house cross-country captain was a bit of a wide boy.  He usually had good stocks of file paper, at a price of course, in times of shortage.  I managed to persuade him that he would not want the Head to find out and for some strange reason I was never selected for the team.  In thr sixth form we were taken for games by a new history teacher, who was a good bloke.  One day he led us on a run.  He did not know the short-cut and we did, so what he said when he found himself coming up behind us is best imagined.

 

Chris    

[rockershovel]

46 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

I have watched quite a lot of gridiron on TV over the last twenty years. I still don't understand a lot of what is going on. 

 

It is clear to me that it has a very high incidence of injuries despite all the protective gear. And yet an American friend who had played at a high level (college football in front of crowds of 80,000) could not be persuaded to play rugby for our student team.

 

Rugby league, basically. Run, bump, stop, repeat. Kick away on fourth down, instead of sixth tackle. Forward pass replaces up and under kick. No lineouts. Line of scrimmage replaces play-the-ball. Deliberate obstruction (blocking) is the main difference. Like RL, drop goals are legal but almost never attempted (during my playing days I saw several instances of players with rugby experience kicking drop goals, to the amazement of any Americans present) . No knock-ons, any handling errors or loss of possession are “fumbles” and the ball remains live and can be recovered by any player. Offensive linemen are basically comparable to forwards in a set scrum, like the “front five” they are in an offside position and can’t handle the ball unless the other side touch it first, or they pass behind the quarterback and receive it as a legal pass 

 

Regarding injuries, tackling is virtually absent from the modern game, having been largely replaced by high-speed collisions. Try googling “Dick Butkus” on YouTube for an illustration of how this has changed over time. It’s depressing to see that rugby has increasingly painted itself into this particular corner. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by rockershovel

[Happy Hippo]

Cake time!

 

As i was acting as bin man this morning, I saw Georgie who as regular readers will know is both the Queen of cake and the Pastry Princess.

 

Two macaroons and a slab of her hand made chocolate yule log (Sponge, butter icing, slivers of dark chocolate and gold leaf) were given to me for rigorous taste testing.

 

You will all understand how arduous this task is, but I'm doing it just to save Polybear a trip south.

[coastalview]

12 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Cake time!

 

As i was acting as bin man this morning, I saw Georgie who as regular readers will know is both the Queen of cake and the Pastry Princess.

 

Two macaroons and a slab of her hand made chocolate yule log (Sponge, butter icing, slivers of dark chocolate and gold leaf) were given to me for rigorous taste testing.

 

You will all understand how arduous this task is, but I'm doing it just to save Polybear a trip south.

That should keep you going until a late elevenses 

[Happy Hippo]

Just now, coastalview said:

That should keep you going until a late elevenses 

The use of dark chocolate at the surround makes the cake a refreshing  sharp contrast to the usual shop bought sickly goo.

 

I am having to continuously patrol the kitchen perimeter for fear of a sneak raid.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Cake time!

 

As i was acting as bin man this morning, I saw Georgie who as regular readers will know is both the Queen of cake and the Pastry Princess.

 

Two macaroons and a slab of her hand made chocolate yule log (Sponge, butter icing, slivers of dark chocolate and gold leaf) were given to me for rigorous taste testing.

 

You will all understand how arduous this task is, but I'm doing it just to save Polybear a trip south.

We have similar trays but in various sizes. I assume that is the smaller version!

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

the Queen of cake and the Pastry Princess

Our new oven came with a variety of racks and trays for all kinds of baking. One we didn’t get was a perforated rack and Aditi thought we might get one. I had a £15 off voucher from the oven manufacturer but the item wasn’t in stock. So I ordered it from a company I have used before for domestic appliance spares. It looks as if it is British but it is actually in the Netherlands. I suspect it is a good idea to buy it now rather than in the New Year. 
Tony

[simontaylor484]

I was always hopeless at any sport whereas my Brother was good. He played rugby both at school and for our local club he also played for both his Raf station Kinloss and for the Raf under 21s.. he once even played at Benbecula.

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We have similar trays but in various sizes. I assume that is the smaller version!

I have to return the tray once it's been licked clean washed.

 

There are three sizes of yule log available.  Small (4 Person), Medium (6-8,) and Large (12+), which equates to  a snack sized portion for for Hippo or Bear.

 

The sampler  I received was the small version. (It was a reward for me giving her sister a large box of assorted sandpaper.)

 

We've forced ourselves to have a small slice with our afternoon tea and it's sublime. (Not too sweet).

 

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Cake time!

 

As i was acting as bin man this morning, I saw Georgie who as regular readers will know is both the Queen of cake and the Pastry Princess.

 

Two macaroons and a slab of her hand made chocolate yule log (Sponge, butter icing, slivers of dark chocolate and gold leaf) were given to me for rigorous taste testing.

 

You will all understand how arduous this task is, but I'm doing it just to save Polybear a trip south.

 

Yeah yeah, rub it in why don't you....mate....

[Tony_S]

I am not sure if what I did this afternoon was really railway modelling compared to what is usually described on this thread, more like advanced unboxing but I did get to use my brain to ponder a bit. I bought a new loco. It was like one I constructed from a kit sometime in the 1980s. Anyway it is crimson and numbered 1273. I plonked the loco on my test track next to the computer and fired up DecoderPro. DecoderPro wouldn’t work and couldn’t find my Sprog programmer. Now I could see it and its lights were on. So having once been an IT support person I turned it off and on again. This time I got a help message. My Com port didn’t exist anymore. I chose another one. So off we went, or didn’t as “no loco present”. It certainly was and was even twitching. I cleaned the track, ran it up and down on the default 3 setting and it then programmed nicely. 

Tony

[Happy Hippo]

Tony,

 

I hope you're not creeping out of the Midland corner!

 

I got a bit carried away this afternoon.

 

I was supposed to be designing some parts for a wooden snowflake.

 

I ended up with this:

 

 

[Compound2632]

7 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

at cricket I fielded on the boundary near the railway line that ran past the sports field. Hence if the ball came my way I probably wouldn't be aware of the fact if a train was in view.

 

That was my ultimate downfall at school sports*. But I was always one of the last three to be picked by team captains which never bothered me - probably a vicious circle.

 

*Walsall & Water Orton line, goods only but plenty of blue variety - 20s in pairs, 25s, 47s, 56s, probably some others I forget. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Compound2632

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

hope you're not creeping out of the Midland corner!

This part of Essex was once Midland Railway territory. I think from about 1913 until 1923. Not sure if he particular type of loco visited the region though. 

[Oldddudders]

I was pretty useless at most sports. Cross Country was the only activity where I might be in the top third in my class. I was very Ordinary Fare academically, too - laziness may have been (ok, so was) a factor.  My twin brothers, 6 years my junior, were tours de force on all fronts. Prize-winners throughout the skool, one was captain of the first eleven (soccer) while the other was Head Boy, screwing the comely biology teacher who helped him get to Cambridge where he read - er - Natural Sciences. At least once they'd gone to uni I was spared the endless discussions about football they enjoyed with dad...... 

[Happy Hippo]

Dave has been trying to tempt me onto a red route, with teasers about the Midland and it's route to Swansea via the Hay, Three Cocks and Talyllyn Junctions, Brecon then over the Neath And Brecon line as far as Colbren Junction.

 

Sadly this would fall into third place as if I were to forsake BR(W) then second place would fall to the  LNWR and North Wales.

 

After that it's Northumberland and the Scottish West Coast.

 

I had once thought about LSWR clay branch such as the line up to Wenford Bridge, but as I thought about it they became akin to the GWR branch line terminus.  More versions than you can shake a stick at!

 

The only type of railway I refuse to model is a 'modern image TMD'. Too many on the exhibition circuit, full of diesels all making a noise, but going no where.