The Night Mail

[Winslow Boy]

Those alderman weren't the only clever 'so-and-so's' you know. Why do think the west end is the good bit and the East end is ....... You get the drift-no pun intended.

[SM42]

Heavens to Betsy

 

I work two night shifts and we leap forward  4 pages and most of it about ...............

 

This is what happens when I turn my back. The standards drop.

 

 

4 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Cutting the grass in the local park on one of those ride-on lawnmowers must be a delightful job.  Just beware the spray.....

 

It's the one with the strimmer I feel sorry for.

 

 

Andy

Edited March 17, 2021 by SM42

[PhilJ W]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

 

A previous next-door-neighbour moved out and rented their house; the tenants had a bl00dy great alsation dog that never got walked.  It's dumping ground was the back garden of the 3-bed terraced house - the garden was perhaps 30ft-ish long.  Any attempt to clean up the sh1t never took place, so before long it was everywhere - and pretty ripe on a hot summer's day I can tell you

Eventually another neighbour had had enough and phoned environmental health - a visit followed, after which the tenants were told to clean it up or else.  A black dustbin liner then appeared outside their house - it must've been 1/3rd to half- full of the stuff, and the bin men refused to take it, so it sat there for weeks until a specialist wagon was sent up to deal with the (now split) bag full.  How much that little exercise cost the council Bear can only wonder at.

The worst thing is that the tenants were quite happy for their young kids (2yrs +) to play in the garden unsupervised.

When the tenants moved out and the owners moved back in (they arrived the evening before the removals van was arriving with all their stuff....) they came round and asked Bear to come and be an independent witness to the state of the place.  It wasn't a pretty sight....

 

 

 

 

When I first started working for the council I was in the rents department. Most of the tenants evicted for rent arrears had dogs and quite a number allowed their dogs to do their business indoors. One was so bad that before the next tenant moved in not only did the floorboards have to be replaced the plaster had to be stripped from the walls and the walls replastered. 

4 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Cutting the grass in the local park on one of those ride-on lawnmowers must be a delightful job.  Just beware the spray.....

I spent almost all of my working life in Dagenham Civic Centre. It backed on to a large municipal park, Central Park. The grass was usually cut using a tractor and gang mower. When it went over the part of the park most popular with dog walkers on a hot summers day it was advisable to close all of the windows.

[SM42]

Not far from the previous SM42 Towers there was upon the 1980s built estate an area of grass and trees upon which the local children were banned from playing.

 

This was the designated  dog exercise area (some remarkable and un-council like thinking there, the person who thought of it obviously had a short career) and copious bins were provided and generally they were used and the council emptied them regularly.

 

This however did not stop some of the lazier owners only getting as far as the playing field and football pitches where bins were scarce and the use of them scarcer.

 

 

Andy

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

That's why the west end of cities on the east side of England  were usually the posh bits with the sewerage works at the lower east end. This upset the residents of posh Rawdon when Bradford built Esholt sewerage works on their western boundary.  Mind you the canny aldermen of Bradford were alleged to run Esholt at a profit as they extracted all the woollen industry waste and sold it. They even powered their steam loco with extracted wool grease.

 

Jamie

About twenty years ago a waste destructor with a high chimney was proposed for Basildon. The chosen site was on the eastern edge of the district. There were dozens of protests about the emissions and a public meeting was called. Among those attending was our former MP who had decamped to a safe seat to the east when it became obvious that he would loose the seat. He was all for it and stood up and said so. There was also an expert on such things there to explain things. One chap stood up and asked the expert "Given the height of the chimney how far would gases travel under normal conditions?" The expert estimated 7 to 10 miles so the chap asking the question said "That means given the prevailing winds it would fall between L***h and W********e then." The expert agreed that would be the case. The two towns mentioned just happened to be at either end of the MP's new constituency, his face was a picture.

[Dave Hunt]

I thought that the name of this forum was The Night Mail, not The Sh*te Mail?

 

Dave 

[polybear]

48 minutes ago, SM42 said:

It's the one with the strimmer I feel sorry for.

 

 

Andy

 

Bear recalls an episode of "A Life of Grime" (or similar) - they were following a team of guys who would pump out blocked drains.  One guy went striding into someone's garden where the drain was blocked and it'd overflowed into his garden to a depth of some inches (and to be clear we're not talking water here...).  He was wearing trainers, and it was deeper than his trainers   It bothered him not one bit.  He explained that (before he installed a shower in his garage) his missus would make him strip off in the back garden and she'd hose him down before he was allowed in the house for a proper shower.  Didn't phase him one bit - as happy as a pig in sh1t, in fact....

[SM42]

42 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

About twenty years ago a waste destructor with a high chimney was proposed for Basildon. The chosen site was on the eastern edge of the district. There were dozens of protests about the emissions and a public meeting was called. Among those attending was our former MP who had decamped to a safe seat to the east when it became obvious that he would loose the seat. He was all for it and stood up and said so. There was also an expert on such things there to explain things. One chap stood up and asked the expert "Given the height of the chimney how far would gases travel under normal conditions?" The expert estimated 7 to 10 miles so the chap asking the question said "That means given the prevailing winds it would fall between L***h and W********e then." The expert agreed that would be the case. The two towns mentioned just happened to be at either end of the MP's new constituency, his face was a picture.

 

 

That's a  useful question.   One is being proposed here within a stone's throw of SM42 Towers.  The emissions should be dropping around the local councillors house then

They tried 20 years ago and failed and now they  think we have forgotten.

 

We already have one 4 miles away.  Why we need another on the edge of a new, still being built housing estate I don't know.

 

Andy

Edited March 17, 2021 by SM42

[PhilJ W]

Another incident when I worked for the council. A family lived on the third floor of a twenty story block of flats. They went away for a couple of weeks holiday. When they came back they found the flat two feet deep in sewerage. What had happened was that someone in a higher flat had flushed a baby's nappy down the loo. This had jammed just below the outlet to the family's flat. Everything flushed from the flats above had nowhere else to go other than through the toilet of the affected flat. The family were rehoused into a proper house and given all new furniture by social services. The flats, and several other similar blocks were afterwards fitted with masticators but they never found out where the nappy came from (though we all had our suspicions).

Edited March 17, 2021 by PhilJ W

[polybear]

43 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The family were rehoused into a proper house and given all new furniture by social services.

 

So you could say they fell in sh1t and came up smelling of roses.....

[simontaylor484]

6 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Cutting the grass in the local park on one of those ride-on lawnmowers must be a delightful job.  Just beware the spray.....

My gardening colleagues always used to claim strimming was worse for that

[Florence Locomotive Works]

On 16/03/2021 at 17:44, Happy Hippo said:

That is an extremely fine double hunter.

Thank you HH,

 

Its a bit unusual in that it has a “lever set*”, meaning one must carefully pop the bezel off and then pull out a tiny little lever which disengages the minute and hour hands and then reengages the hands with the crown, allowing one to set the time.  

 

*Lever sets are most often in Railroad Pocket Watches, which have large legible Arabic numerals. The lever set I believe was invented to stop the crown turning in the conductors pocket, in turn, messing up the time. That was a known problem, but I don’t know if it was the cause.

 

Douglas

[Happy Hippo]

On one of my rare trips out yesterday, A bargain was gotted:  An Angel Cake reduced to 13p!

 

It wasn't brilliant, but at least it was cake.

 

However, despite all the pills and potions, a clear chest x ray and a clean blood screen, my cough, which has been grumbling along in the background, suddenly returned with a vengence.

 

I think another chat with the doctor will be needed at the end of this latest course of treatment:  He did say something about seeing an ENT specialist if things had not improved.

 

My big worry is I'll find I've developed a late onset allergy to cake!

 

I only started my cake addiction to counter the withdrawal symptoms of chocolate dependency when I discovered that chocolate in sensible quantities such as 3+ large Toblerone bars at a single sitting or a bucket of Creme Eggs caused me to break out in a rash.  (Eczema and Asthma both being family traits).

 

All I need now is to find out that my kidneys develop an intolerance to cider and whisky/whiskey and I'm well and truly stuffed.

 

After that, if I can't eat or drink Cardiff's finest, Clarke's Pies or Brains Dark, I shall end up being a shadow of my former self.

 

I'm now off to find my bacon scented inhaler.

[Happy Hippo]

7 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Thank you HH,

 

Its a bit unusual in that it has a “lever set*”, meaning one must carefully pop the bezel off and then pull out a tiny little lever which disengages the minute and hour hands and then reengages the hands with the crown, allowing one to set the time.  

 

*Lever sets are most often in Railroad Pocket Watches, which have large legible Arabic numerals. The lever set I believe was invented to stop the crown turning in the conductors pocket, in turn, messing up the time. That was a known problem, but I don’t know if it was the cause.

 

Douglas

The lever set was a bit of a necessity in earlier pocket watches that needed to be accurate at all times, as the watch was a miniaturised clock.  Yes that is stating the obvious, but a number of the features that we now accept on pocket watches and watches as standard, simply did not exist.  Technology had not caught up.  So what we accept as normal, pulling the crown out part way to stop the watch (and allows you to stop the second hand at zero) then all the way so that it disengages the hands from the mechanism, allowing the crown spindle to engage with the part of the watch mech that rotates the hands, was still in the future.

 

What you should never do with a watch when you are adjusting it is to turn the hands back counter clockwise.  Nudging it back a a minute or so should not harm the watch, but any larger movement should be wound on. Large counter clockwise moves put an undue strain on the gearing which is not designed to run backwards.

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

Dad's birthday went well yesterday, including some consumption of cake, and he stayed the night with us so I'll shortly start arranging some bacon and eggs to kick start Thursday.

 

There was, however, some bad news yesterday that our web master for the Midland Railway Society has died suddenly and unexpectedly. Apart from the obvious concern for his wife and family it means that I'll have to do some networking today to try to find someone to take over the job.

 

Then, in case there was any danger of my getting complacent Jill reports that the clothes drying carousel thingy in the back garden has broken off just above the ground socket so I'll have to get that sorted.

 

Any spare time left over will no doubt be taken up somehow; it's setting fair to be one of those days.

 

Dave

 

Stop press - the person who usually cuts the grass for us has cried off with a sprained ankle and the grass really needs cutting. Ho hum....

Edited March 18, 2021 by Dave Hunt

[Oldddudders]

36 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

not designed to run backwards.

As humans we should be able to sympathise!

[laurenceb]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

However, despite all the pills and potions, a clear chest x ray and a clean blood screen, my cough, which has been grumbling along in the background, suddenly returned with a vengence.

 

I think another chat with the doctor will be needed at the end of this latest course of treatment:  He did say something about seeing an ENT specialist if things had not improved.

The thing that made the biggest difference in controling my asthma is Montelukast tablets. Having been prescribed all manor of meds this one seemed to make the biggest difference.

I have an extream intollerance to creame eggs, the only one I ever had came back a lot quicker than it went down!

[PhilJ W]

25 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Then, in case there was any danger of my getting complacent Jill reports that the clothes drying carousel thingy in the back garden has broken off just above the ground socket so I'll have to get that sorted.

Dave

 

That happened to my clothes dryer. I'd bought it with me from my previous address but had to leave the two inch plastic socket it slotted into behind (cemented in). Not a problem I thought as I had some plastic drain pipe I could use to replace it. However the pipe I replaced it with was 50 mm, fractionally smaller but it still fitted in. The problem then arose of removing the dryer from the socket, it wouldn't budge, so it was left as it was. A few years ago I went to unfold it for use it fell over, it had rusted through where it went into the socket. 

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

Dad's birthday went well yesterday, including some consumption of cake, and he stayed the night with us so I'll shortly start arranging some bacon and eggs to kick start Thursday.

 

There was, however, some bad news yesterday that our web master for the Midland Railway Society has died suddenly and unexpectedly. Apart from the obvious concern for his wife and family it means that I'll have to do some networking today to try to find someone to take over the job.

 

Then, in case there was any danger of my getting complacent Jill reports that the clothes drying carousel thingy in the back garden has broken off just above the ground socket so I'll have to get that sorted.b

 

Any spare time left over will no doubt be taken up somehow; it's setting fair to be one of those days.

 

Dave

 

Stop press - the person who usually cuts the grass for us has cried off with a sprained ankle and the grass really needs cutting. Ho hum....

I do it for you, me old mokur just so long as you pay me travelling expenses to get to Hipposhire. Anyone know o the price of a return from the lowlands of the Northwest to the Mud fields of Hipposhire.

 

oh forgot to say sh.t shovelling is an add on extra so not included in above quote.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Winslow Boy
Sh.t shovelling

[Dave Hunt]

Whereabouts in the North West Lowlands? Jill was born and bred in Formby and I lived there from the age of 12 until I joined the RAF.

 

No sh*t shovelling required at present and since HH hasn't visited in a while the mud level is quite manageable.

 

Dave

[polybear]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

...or a bucket of Creme Eggs caused me to break out in a rash.  (Eczema and Asthma both being family traits).

 

Bear lives for the day when Cadburys decide to release a "full size" Creme Egg version of an Easter Egg - one that requires a dessert spoon to scoop the cremey bit out to eat.  A dozen or so Cadburys Flakes to use as soldiers would make a nice addition too.  No salt & pepper required, however....

[laurenceb]

UGGGGG!!

[Happy Hippo]

12 minutes ago, laurenceb said:

UGGGGG!!

I'm like that with liver and kidneys.

 

A friend of Nyda's once fed me some Steak pie which also contained kidneys.

 

Even though I picked them out, the  cross contamination that occurred during the baking process was enough to turn me a lighter shade of pale.

[laurenceb]

Is it just me or does the kidney give the steak a gritty texture?

[PhilJ W]

I don't like steak and kidney (or as its sometimes known, Kate and Sidney). But I do like liver and bacon.