Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

19 minutes ago, The Lurker said:

 

The other piece of news from the Lurker household is that Younger Lurker has now mastered how to tie a shoelace. This is a task that we all mastered when small - for him it is a fairly major achievement with his reduced fine motor skills and reduced ability to visualise the process. He hasn't got double knots yet but even so it's good news.

I remember that milestone for Matthew too. Though with his dyspraxia if he didn’t frequently tie laces he would forget and have to learn again. I also remember one Christmas when we received a letter from acquaintances setting out all the educational, musical and sporting triumphs of their children, Matthew suggested replying they he had learned to tie shoelaces that year. 
Tony

[Coombe Barton]

Garden and recycling bin men bin, so hunched over a computer.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Coombe Barton

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

The sun is shining and the sky is blue, breakfast has been consumed and once the oncologist has phoned I’ll go and do some shopping. 

 

Must dash, my appointed phone call is due any minute. 

 

Stay safe, stay sane, enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, back later. 

[iL Dottore]

11 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

...I really suspect that little of the Vietnam war-slang will stick around after the remaining Vietnam vets are gone...

You’re probably 100% on the money with that. The only bit of military slang from that era that I remember (if it is military slang) is “wrapped too tight” which seems to imply a defective mental or psychological state

9 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

4 hours ago, chrisf said:

...Today is another anniversary.  [Cue Brenda from Bristol...

Surely that should be Mrs Trellis of North Wales? ((C) ISIHAC)

Surely one of the greatest creations of BBC Radio was ISIHAC. I say was, because after the death of Tim Brooke-Taylor earlier this year, I’m not sure if they’ll carry on recording the show. The ensemble of TBT, Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden plus guest, under the watchful eye of either Humph or Jack Dee was about as perfect as you can get.
Having every available CD recording of ISIHAC, and having listened to them in chronological order, I think that the programme really took of after Willie Rushton died and was replaced by a permanent guest slot (I’ve never understood what people saw in WR; for me, at best, he was only intermittently funny).

Maybe it is time to say goodbye to the programme, as the last two series of ISIHAC have been severely neutered: no more outrageous jokes about Lionel Blair (who, apparently, takes it all in very good stead), no more savaging of Colin Sell’s musical ability and no more Samantha and all the double-entendres (although Sven is fun as an occasional replacement for Samantha, he really isn’t a suitable springboard for outrageous innuendo)

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

...we are even polite to those that think engines should be green and have rings of copper on one of their sticky out bits.

That’s implied GWRism, no, it really is. Are you one of these horrible GWRPhobics who believe locomotives and rolling stock should be any colour except the Holy Trinity of Green, Chocolate and Cream?
By the Saintly Brunel, I really need my safe space now!

iD

p.s. HIWATT Amp and WEM Cab update. After the mixup yesterday, I got a phone call from the importer: “are you at home today?” (Yes), “is it OK to stop by and drop off the right Amp & Cab about 11am? (of course). Exchange was duly made and now I have my new toy to play with 

One thing I did note, the standard HIWATT cab has protective metal corners, the replica WEM cabinet does not have protective metal corners, presumably a feature of the original 60s WEM Cabs, faithfully reproduced here.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Third muggatea of the day to hand and it's getting hotter outside despite the thin high cloud and more effin' contrails.  And sorry Flavio but Chris really did mean Brenda of Bristol - quoting her well known reply from a tv interview at the time of the announcement of yet another election or referendum or something of that ilk.  Instant fame from simply being stopped in the street by a some tv news hound and being asked what she thought of it - she told 'em well and proper.

 

I liked Chris' mention of the 50th anniversary of starting 'real' work.  Mine, for my long term employer, occurred several years ago as it will be the 54th anniversary of that event in September.  If I were to add in a temporary job with the same employer it is the 55th anniversary in early July of this years on my entry into the Station Manager's Office at Paddington as a Temporary Class 4 Clerk.  Odd, perhaps to relate, but I still see regularly at an OFs' lunch (when they're again allowed to take place)  somebody who also worked there at that time although he was one of the Station Announcers back then.  The group we are in reflects later jobs on both our parts so has nothing to do with former Paddington station staff and certainly not any others of them from that era.

 

Now for something completely different.  Mrs Stationmaster is currently sitting in a chair out on the patio while various of a group of around a dozen Red Kites are swooping down helping themselves from tempting morsels lying on the ground without stopping but making a steep dive in then climbing out through the gap between the washing line and the garage (which isn't much wider than their wingspan.  Definitely a good day for observing some top class ground attack flying.   They were flying even closer to the Good Doctor at the weekend, who was right in the flightpath, when she and I were out there trimming back next door's overgrowing laurel hedge.

 

And of course in reality all of this might be virtual because according to long laid plans Mrs Stationmaster and I should currently be at, or shortly arriving at, Manningtree in order to take the branch train to that well known West Coast port of Harwich (well the itinerary said it would be West Coast so Harwich must, ipso facto, be a 'West Coast' port.  However all of that has become virtual and the reality is that we are here and not heading for a week afloat.

 

Have a good day one and all and stay safe (don't worry about ground attack Red Kites - they're only hungry and probably have youngsters to feed as well)

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

You’re probably 100% on the money with that. The only bit of military slang from that era that I remember (if it is military slang) is “wrapped too tight” which seems to imply a defective mental or psychological state

 

I think the phrase was "NOT wrapped too tight", or at least the version I heard when working in the States with the Navy and USAF was.

 

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

That’s implied GWRism, no, it really is. Are you one of these horrible GWRPhobics who believe locomotives and rolling stock should be any colour except the Holy Trinity of Green, Chocolate and Cream?
By the Saintly Brunel, I really need my safe space now!

 

Is that from the railway equivalent of the Jehova's Witnesses? If Brunel was a saint then Stephenson was an archangel and if green, chocolate and cream are the colours of the Holy Trinity then God's throne is crimson lake. By the way, in case I am accused of being GWRPhobic that isn't true - I don't hold extreme views, it's just that my preferences are more Midland of the road. Living as I do within galloping range of the Muddy Hollow it would be foolish to antagonise the pachydermic one. (By the way, what happened to red and grey for rolling stock and red for carriages? Are you ageist as well as misguided?)

 

Had a lovely long walk (slowly as my back dictates these days) with Jill this morning and among other things saw some beautiful dragonflies, at least three skylarks (and it's a long time since I've seen any of them), six racehorses being galloped on their training track and several buzzards quite close to. All in all a smashing morning although the downside was that the traffic was almost back to pre-WuFlu days. Now waiting for market deliveries then clearance has been obtained from local control to depart for the workshop.

 

Enjoy the rest of your day; I intend to do just that.

 

Dave

[TheQ]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

That’s implied GWRism, no, it really is. Are you one of these horrible GWRPhobics who believe locomotives and rolling stock should be any colour except the Holy Trinity of Green, Chocolate and Cream?
By the Saintly Brunel, I really need my safe space now!

Excuse me but if you really believe in GWR,  you'll know 1912 -1922 the correct colour for carriages is crimson lake.. 

[J. S. Bach]

16 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

For those unable to get lingerie adverts on RMWeb. Please have this  leisure suit variety on me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought that one peeled the orange BEFORE one ate it!

[Gwiwer]

Greetings all from the Sunny Hill of Strawberries where lunch was yet again enjoyed upon the Terrace outside.  The seaweed-wranglers are predicting sun, sun and more sun for the week ahead though with the edge taken off the heat by a keen easterly wind.  Why is it so fine and sunny?  Ah yes - the schools go back   

 

Today has seen a noticeable increase in patronage at the House of Fun with - for the first time recently - a handful of trains having persons sat in the seat adjacent to a stranger of necessity as the other options were standing or waiting for a later train.  Few seemed bothered.  There is an ever-increasing number of cheery greetings from regulars and others.  We hear more services are to be restored from 15th June though have no details yet.  

 

Emails to be quarantined and which may require the device to be disinfected after receipt include those which offer "Compensation for your Accident" or "A new car for you old one - official scrappage scheme".  Everything which seems too good to be true assuredly is; anything which doesn't sound right is almost certainly attempting to do you a wrong.  I once took a phone call from an "No win - no fee accident claims manager" who was clearly reading from a script.  He began by asking me for details of my "recent accident" (which of course I had not had) and when I questioned him over his accent and where he was calling me from the reply was "I am in your city, sir".  "And which city is that?"  "I am in your city, sir and you are there also".  "What is the name of my city?"  "Your city, sir"  "How many people live in my city?" "Many many people sir, maybe many millions of people".  I was living in a semi-rural town of barely 5000 population at the time with the nearest city being over an hour's drive away.  I asked "And what is the name of the city you are in?" "Your city sir, I am located in your very big city".  At which point I terminated the call which traced to the Phillipines though might have been using a masked number; the caller did have a distinctive and probably Filipino accent however.  

 

Beware.  There are things more evil than this wretched virus out there.  Some of them operate online and phone scams.  

 

Best wishes to all.  

 

[J. S. Bach]

16 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Just now somebody sent me an email containing this:

I just now realized just what the image is!

[Gwiwer]

3 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

I just now realized just what the image is!

Why yes.  It's Richard.  On his Junior Sh1ttopotamus

[Barry O]

Door sanded and undercoated.  Eyelids need inspecting!

Hope GDB is ok.

Baz

[roundhouse]

15 minutes ago, Barry O said:

 Eyelids need inspecting!

 

Go for a drive

Edited May 27, 2020 by roundhouse

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl, 

That's the last of the lead sheet melted and poured,, there is around 1/2 inch of lead required,  that's about 20kg.

 

Then work was started on the plant pot shelving,  the first section  has been framed up which is always the most difficult,  as it wants to fall over until secured. Shelves will be installed,  then extended onto the new tin shed. 

 

Ben the knackered Collie is panting away on a cold floor after a long walk. 

 

I await a delivery from the house of strong ladies,  within the hour. 

[Tony_S]

38 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Why yes.  It's Richard.  On his Junior Sh1ttopotamus

I thought it was the answer to the Stationmaster Quiz of the week...

 

[MichaelE]

Found my brand new weed eater on my front porch when returning from work yesterday. I promptly started charging the first battery and a few hours later, the second battery.

 

Now it's raining and likely will most of the day...

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

By the way, in case I am accused of being GWRPhobic that isn't true - I don't hold extreme views, it's just that my preferences are more Midland of the road. Living as I do within galloping range of the Muddy Hollow it would be foolish to antagonise the pachydermic one. (By the way, what happened to red and grey for rolling stock and red for carriages? Are you ageist as well as misguided?)

 

 

I would thank my learned friend for his remarks and would take this opportunity of pointing out to the majority that he and I share common ground with our fantasy model railway which is based upon the Severn and Wye (Midland & GWR Joint).

[J. S. Bach]

12 hours ago, TheQ said:

 ...snip... I'd like to see the solution to the camera problem, it's not to dissimilar to my problem, of getting Wi-Fi 150yards away round a treed corner.  ...snip...

My current thoughts are wired video and power feeds from the cameras to the white shed in the photo where there is power available, then wireless (WiFi?) to the house using high gain directional antennas. It might be possible to sight the transmitting antenna at the camera end instead of on the shed but with all of the vegetation I do not want to take that chance. All food for thought.

Edit to add a left-out clarification.

Edited May 27, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[TheQ]

29 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

My current thoughts are wired video and power feeds to the white shed in the photo where there is power available, then wireless (WiFi?) to the house using high gain directional antennas. It might be possible to sight the transmitting antenna at the camera end instead of on the shed but with all of the vegetation I do not want to take that chance. All food for thought.

I was wondering about using powerline extenders to my garage to get down the garden,  which would give a view round the corner of the garden to the model railway shed. Then using high gain antennas. 

[The Stationmaster]

12 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I thought it was the answer to the Stationmaster Quiz of the week...

 

Oddly should I approach the matter in a true Round Britain Quiz manner you could find a somewhat considerably tenuous link in a direction which might conceivably (just) lead towards the necessary components to potentially reach the answer.   Clearly your knowledge of RBQ is being hepful here.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

I would thank my learned friend for his remarks and would take this opportunity of pointing out to the majority that he and I share common ground with our fantasy model railway which is based upon the Severn and Wye (Midland & GWR Joint).

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/halesowennorthfield.htm
for some Joint Railway industrial scenery perhaps. 

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

 with our fantasy model railway which is based upon the Severn and Wye (Midland & GWR Joint).

 

Lacking something - the ideal would be one of those West Midlands locations where the Great Western rubbed up against both the principal British companies.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Compound2632

[Happy Hippo]

26 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Lacking something - the ideal would be one of those West Midlands locations where the Great Western rubbed up against both the principal British companies.

We could always wander off down from Hereford to Hay, and then onto Swansea, if we wanted a good mix of pre-grouping companies.

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Why yes.  It's Richard.  On his Junior Sh1ttopotamus

These days it's:

 

[TheQ]

30 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Lacking something - the ideal would be one of those West Midlands locations where the Great Western rubbed up against both the principal British companies.

That would be Cheltenham,  the Midland and the Midland and South Western Junction Railway.