The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

Day Five in the Hippodrome with the grandchildren visiting.

 

It feels more like six months!

 

Life as I know it has almost ground to a halt.

 

 

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

43 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Day Five in the Hippodrome with the grandchildren visiting.

 

It feels more like six months!

 

Life as I know it has almost ground to a halt.

 

 

 

 

 

Any idea when your 'parole hearing' is scheduled for? And would you like me to put in a 'good word' with the powers that be? On second thoughts scrub that I might get implicated and end up serving time as well.

 

From FTH (Free The Hippo)

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Day Five in the Hippodrome with the grandchildren visiting.

 

It feels more like six months!

 

Life as I know it has almost ground to a halt.

 

 

 

 

We will never experience grandchildren visiting but it was nice having the small nieces visit. It was only overnight but we are encouraging their parents to stay longer in future by regaling them with tales of all of the lovely places to visit in South Essex. 

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

all of the lovely places to visit in South Essex. 

The nieces seemed interested in the Sea Life Centre (includes Meerkats!) . They would have had a school trip to one (in Birmingham I think) but Covid restrictions caused that to be cancelled. We went a few times with Matthew but we to be careful as initially we didn’t know he was somewhat phobic about lobsters. I have no idea why. 

[SM42]

I'm off to the dentist in an hour to have the temporary filling they did last year replaced 

Best temporary filling I've ever had. They normally last 12 hours, not 12 months. 

 

I am not looking forward to it.  

 

On a brighter note did get some train watching done today, so here is an EU 07 to cheer this post up a bit

 

 

Oh and it's 30c today, so I am melting.

 

Andy

 

[Dave Hunt]

7 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Day Five in the Hippodrome with the grandchildren visiting.

 

It feels more like six months!

 

Life as I know it has almost ground to a halt.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reminder Richard. In 44 hours and 48 minutes (roughly) I will start my penance time with the arrival of two of  the SPTs that will see out the rest of my life the month.

 

Dave

[SM42]

Owww!

 

Andy

Who can't quite speak properly at the moment 

[PhilJ W]

A replacement for the groan button.

What do you think?

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

A replacement for the groan button.

What do you think?

That is so big it is a grown button. 

[Happy Hippo]

11 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Any idea when your 'parole hearing' is scheduled for? And would you like me to put in a 'good word' with the powers that be? On second thoughts scrub that I might get implicated and end up serving time as well.

 

From FTH (Free The Hippo)

Sunday afternoon sees my tentative release. I'll be walking out as Dave is escorted in loudly proclaiming how unfair it is and how he was fitted up by a gendarme. 

[Dave Hunt]

After lunch today, Jamie and I went down to the shed and had a couple of hours chewing the modelling fat. As we left to go back up to the house I had a last fond look at the workbench as it is possible that it will no longer be August when next I get to use it.....

 

Dave

[jamie92208]

A good day today with an excellent  lunch provided by Dave and Jill plus tea and a large Eccles cake before I departed.  Also thanks to Dave for the two wagons and to Richard for the tin of lead shot. It s just a pity that a piece of his bright pink tutu got caught round the tin. I do hope that the tutu wasn't pulled off.

 

Jamie

Edited August 14, 2021 by jamie92208

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Evening all,

 

 

I did some work a my scratchbuilt engine today, namely making a stud for the front bogie to fasten onto. This is made from a piece of 1/8 inch (I think) steel rod threaded 3 BA on each end, and is secured into a thread hole in the running plate with a locking nut. The bogie is held on by the two lock nuts.

 

 

 

The engine has also received a coat of LNWR black, the current chimney is just a scale stand in.

 

Work yesterday was pretty interesting as (in no particular order of importance) I was given control of the music playing system (Amazon Echo Dot) and also got to clean a ceramic dial with some 409 solvent, a new experience. I was also sent home with a late 1890s Seth Thomas Clock to mess about with until my desk at work gets sorted. That will probably be next week as I will be starting my regular hours for the next 9 months then, as school starts on Wednesday. So my hours will change to Fridays after school and Saturdays 10:00 to 2:30. That should give me time to get through about one movement a week, assuming it only needs a medium amount of work.

 

No more work has been done on the Eccles Lamp, as I need to get around to ordering a new price of flint and find a suitable fuel available in the USA.

 

Douglas

[pH]

I drove my wife to her hairdresser’s appointment this afternoon and carried on to the CP/CN/BNSF exchange sidings. There were no locos around, but there was a very long train of empty auto racks on the way to the docks for loading. I started photographing the various colour schemes of the racks (they’re built on flatcars, all owned by TrailerTrain). I’d got 11 different colour schemes in the first 25 or so cars when my wife phoned asking to be picked up from the hairdresser’s. 

[SM42]

1 hour ago, pH said:

...... I started photographing the various colour schemes of the racks (they’re built on flatcars, all owned by TrailerTrain). I’d got 11 different colour schemes in the first 25 or so cars when my wife phoned asking to be picked up from the hairdresser’s. 

 

Isn't that always the case?  Life ( or should that be wife) gets in the way of fun. 

 

I am driving here family to somewhere near Getmany today. 

It seems the B and SIL + nephew are doing some sort of bike ride and the rest of us are going along to hang around looking at assorted monuments and  things.

 

I'm a bit hazy on the detail as the plan was pesented in a language that I am unfortunately not as proficient as I would like in.

 

We come back tomorrow.  

 

Fingers crossed I can find some railway to explore.

 

Andy

[Oldddudders]

On 12/08/2021 at 09:51, Oldddudders said:

A rather grumpy doc examined my lower spine and found nothing nasty, confirming that  it is purely muscular.

Come Thursday night, sadly, discomfort was still present and causing much involuntary shouting. By 02.30 Friday, I was distraught, and concluded that I needed to see a better class of back-examiner. I decided to drive to Le Mans, which has several hospitals, but found I was unable to put the car into gear without extreme pain! So an ambulance was really my only recourse, and after negotiating several levels of consultation, including a doctor, one was ordered. So by 4.15 I was on my way back to la Ferté, where the previous night there had been no doc! The same kindly nurses welcomed me and made me comfy, and after some telephone consultation, I was put on morphine. I have to say I was not at all aware of the kick this is supposed to provide. 

 

Shifts changed, and eventually a doctor, then another, consulted my back - and I was sent for a scan, the sort that Deb used to describe as a polo-mint. A couple of vertebrae are not quite right, but the scan inevitably gave them pics of multiple other organs, most of which are in tip-top condition, it seems, which is nice to hear. And I was sent home with another pile of meds - different ones which may be more attuned to my needs, really - as well as an abdominal belt, and a prescription for a more detailed scan at the bigger facilities in Le Mans. Alison obliged by picking me up from hospital, and then she spent ages booking my next scan online. She must have done a good job because it is scheduled for 07.55 on Monday!

 

I had the best night's sleep I've had for over a week, and while I am still getting muscle spasms that create loud shouts, things are looking better. And Sherry has now confirmed that she doesn't even need a test to enter France, being double-vaccinated, so may come over week after next, by which time Alison will nearly be back teaching, and much less able to pander to my needs. 

[br2975]

A week has gone by since I went under the knife at Llandough Hospital.

.

Arrived at 07:30am

Taken down at 10;00am

Home in the house at 2:30pm

.

General anaesthetic and keyhole work to resolve my 3+ year old hernia issue.

.

Staff were wonderful, and the painkillers ensured some excellent nights of sleep.

.

First 'real drink' in several weeks yesterday, and the soreness has abated, albeit I have some vivid purple colouring in my nether regions.

.

Now, I just have to catch up on the chores I claimed were beyond me................................. like baseboards; and a new portable project to replace Rosamund Street

[NHY 581]

9 minutes ago, br2975 said:

 

First 'real drink' in several weeks yesterday, and the soreness has abated, albeit I have some vivid purple colouring in my nether regions.

 

 

 

What the bloody hell were you drinking !!!???

 

 

Concerned of Rumney. 

 

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Come Thursday night, sadly, discomfort was still present and causing much involuntary shouting. By 02.30 Friday, I was distraught, and concluded that I needed to see a better class of back-examiner. I decided to drive to Le Mans, which has several hospitals, but found I was unable to put the car into gear without extreme pain!

 

 

Bear prescribes oodles and oodles of LDC.  Will it fix it?  Doubtful - but at least it'll taste yummy....

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Bear prescribes oodles and oodles of LDC.  Will it fix it?  Doubtful - but at least it'll taste yummy....

I often hypothesise that one of the reasons I am slightly over 5'10" and weigh 11 stone is my limited consumption of LDC and its like. Your mileage is entitled to vary. 

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Bear prescribes oodles and oodles of LDC.  Will it fix it?  Doubtful - but at least it'll taste yummy....

 

Distraction theory- you eat lots and lots of LDC, which makes you feel terrible and possibly sick as well, which distractions you from your back pain.

 

Expensive but not bad Mr Bear, not bad at all.

[Happy Hippo]

4 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

 

 

What the bloody hell were you drinking !!!???

 

 

Concerned of Rumney. 

 

 

Have you managed to retire yet young Master Gunstone?

 

 

[NHY 581]

3 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Have you managed to retire yet young Master Gunstone?

 

 

 

Mange tout, Richard......

 

Nope but giving it serious thought now. 

 

Bit jaded. 

 

Rob. 

[J. S. Bach]

15 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Evening all,

 ...snip...

Work yesterday was pretty interesting as (in no particular order of importance) I was given control of the music playing system (Amazon Echo Dot)  ...snip... 

Douglas

My condolences. I know exactly what playlist that I would have set up!

 

15 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Evening all,

 ...snip...

 and also got to clean a ceramic dial with some 409 solvent, a new experience. I ...snip... 

Douglas

Thank you for the idea. I have a number of telephone dial letter/number plates that are porcelain enamel and that might help. There is also an un-recoverable loss of the printing due to years of fingertip wear as the dial is operated, but the dirt build-up should be easily taken care of.

 

 

Old phones are another of my hobbies.

There are people today who have NEVER!!!! used a rotary dial phone; ever!!

 

EDIT:

WBBM - Chicago; AM 780, FM 105.9

WBKB - Chicago TV Ch 4 (until @1953) Now a station in Alpena, MI TV Ch 11

WGN - Chicago TV Ch 9; AM 720

WMAQ - Chicago TV Ch 5

 

Those are today's locations. I have heard of the two Chicago stations, at least their AM radio outlets. Both could be heard in Baltimore under the right conditions as they may have been nighttime "clear-channel" stations.

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by J. S. Bach

[J. S. Bach]

6 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

 ...snip... The same kindly nurses welcomed me and made me comfy, and after some telephone consultation, I was put on morphine. I have to say I was not at all aware of the kick this is supposed to provide.  ...snip...

When I was in the hospital after a seizure and hitting my head on the concrete floor, I had a low-level but very obnoxious headache. I told the nurse and asked if I wanted some morphine. At first I was very hesitant as I said that I did not want to get addicted; she told me that it would take way more in quantity and time than the shot that I could get. "OK, says I, I might as well legally see what all the hype is about. I got the shot and .................. nothing; no difference in the headache, or anything else. About an hour later she came back and asked me how I felt; I told her and she ok, I will give you a stronger dose; lets see what happens. The only difference with this one was a warn, fuzzy feeling around the area of the injection. Oh well. BTW, the headache started to recede in about a day anyway.