Early Risers.

[Happy Hippo]

21 minutes ago, Coombe Barton said:

The major use for the one I have is picking up dog poo in the dark

What an unusual hobby!

Do you have a collection of odd shaped samples?

[Coombe Barton]

4 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

What an unusual hobby!

Do you have a collection of odd shaped samples?

They're all odd-shaped samples.

[81C]

Morning All

Still packing rolling stock , Her is her to clean she's walking around aimlessly with a face like a slapped @rse no change there then.

I'm off to the daughters later to see Zeus to see the new very big puppy I picked up some baby treats for dogs in Horrorsons this morning

he will like me for that, I have been thinking about getting my own dog now I'm free of the other one I'll call it Nucow.

 

Must get on I want to be done before the Grand Prix starts . Z.Oom 

Edited June 23, 2019 by 81C
typo

[lightengine]

The sky over sunny Teignmouth is rather strange at present. It looks like it will chuck it down in the Torquay direction but the opposite looks brighter. I think the Folk music performers may suffer. The Plymouth bagpipes may become the Plymouth waterpipes and the Morris may be puddle dodging. Just hope that their "blacking up" is waterproof.

 

In 2 weeks, 6th July we have the inaugural Teignmouth airshow.  For some reason the railway station has announced that the car park will be closed from the 4th-7th. This will in no way help to alleviate parking problems, especially as the equally large car park at the now closed Waitrose will also be closed. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

Once again the sun is shining so another day outside in the sunshine is the order of the day. On the agenda is clipping both the front and back box hedges and then feeding them. I will also do a little more weeding and repot a couple of herbs that we purchased during the week. Sheila also wants a couple of house plants repotting, so I may as well do those too, whilst I have the tools out etc. 

 

Enjoy the sunshine, back later. 

[JohnDMJ]

Just back from seine's bury's having missed the first train by a couple of seconds. Nothing a pint in a local hostelry couldn't appease (although they've had a near 30% increase since I was last there 2 months ago!).

 

Set me thinking again (yes, extremely dangerous, I know!)

 

Why do trains have to close their doors 30 seconds or (in Virgin's case 2 whole minutes*) before departure time?

 

On the continent, the time published in the public (not the Working) timetables is the door closure time; the train then starts to move some 20 to 30 seconds afterwards!

 

Having spoken with many 'schedulers' in the UK, this concept seems too difficult to grasp over here!

 

I have often thought of discussing this with Trading Standards as, if I arrive at the platform some 29 seconds before the published time, I can watch the train departing without me, thus the TOC is NOT providing the published service!

 

(For the record, I had missed the train anyway having arrived at the station a couple of seconds after the published time!)

 

* OK so Virgin wants to run trains like aircraft but I'm not aware of the need for taxiing time from the station platform to the open line.

Edited June 23, 2019 by JohnDMJ

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl again.. Yes the text I'd typed vanished with an accidental touch of the screen. 

 

Reinforcements to the boat fitted,  console not fitted as the clamps were in the way. 

 

Much mast step / mast  and tabernacle measuring,  led to a redesign of my plans. 

The old mast step was removed,  a new socket made and fitted. 

Cheeks were made and fitted to the top or the tabernacle to prevent the mast bending sideways. 

 

With the gooseneck high above the deck,  I decided stays would be needed to prevent the mast bending forward in that area.  I went and studied the mast at that point to find two sheared rivets at that point,  someone has remove a bracket for such stays.  Research is needed to see if I can find the same make bracketry to reduce holes in the mast. 

 

SWMBO took Ben out for his long walk,  so I mowed the areas  mowed in the last couple of weeks,  it needed it. 

I packed up when they returned.. 

 

 

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Well I'm back from my brief holiday, without Wi Fi or indeed any other internet access.  However, I no longer publicise when I'm going here or anywhere else.

 

So I'm around 14 pages behind, with no prospect of back reading, so I'll ask if some kindly soul might PM me is there's anything really significant which has happened in my absence from ER land.

 

Managed to catch up with an old railway friend, whom I hadn't seen for about 10 years, and who's moved to Devon, (Rick, I think you'll know who I mean) we had a good catch up while our respective spouses, who are also friends did the same,

 

Then, it was a trip backup the A303 on the evening before the solstice, and although the traffic bod on the radio kept saying that the traffic round stonehenge was very heavy, it was largely through traffic, which was just being hindered by the traffic control measures - I didn't see many crowds and also not a lot of vehicles being parked.

 

So then we did our half yearly trip to Hungerford where we stay in a family house for a few nights, and in the antique arcade 30747 saw a rather large ex shop display cupboard, which was labelled Clark's Anchor threads, which dates it to before 1896. 30747 actally collects wooden cotton reels, and their stands and display cabinets.   It was huge, and with our luggage and all the rest of it, there was no way that we'd get it home in a Peugeot 207, but 30747 is very resourceful, and one of the dealers in the arcade lives in Carnforth, about 8 miles from us,  and as luck would have it, he and his wife were actually on the premises, having arrived from Lancashire to restock their unit - then we found out that the dealer selling the cupboard was the dealer's wife's sister.  So after a bit of negotiation, a price was agreed, and a delivery also (for a tenner, as they were coming up again with their van with nothing in it but empty boxes.   And we bought it yesterday, and it arrived about three hours ago.  On the way back,we were wondering about the best way to pay for it, and when we got home, there was a letter from my pension scheme to say that my pension had been miscalculated from the outset in 2014, and that a lump sum was going to be paid (less tax of course), which would pay for the cupboard about eight times over - might even be some for me to use as modelling and beer tokens.

 

Back tomorrow

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by 45156

[The Stationmaster]

Afternoon all,

 

Happy anniversary Mr & Mrs Baz.  Weather here is reasonable but little G word activity as it's still a bit on the  warnm side although the yellow thunder has been retimed to later in the week it would seem.

 

Ah now the door closing time conundrum - it must be great fun closing the doors 30 seconds before departure at stations where the dwell time is , hmm, 30 seconds. (It could be even more fun on the City Loop in Sydney NSW where the dwell time at most stations is 18 seconds - they seemed to manage it quite well when I was over there).  Recently one very helpful member of GWR staff at Reading had teh doors re-released for us when we arrived on the platform 90 seconds after booked departure time - the trains left 2 minutes late so it took less than 30 seconds to close the doors.  However it's salutary to think back to those places where the barrier giving access to the platform was closed 30 seconds, or even a whole minute, before departure time.

 

Anyway enough of that and back to the sufdoku.  Enjoy the rest of your day fols.

[AndyID]

26 minutes ago, 45156 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 a rather large ex shop display cupboard, which was labelled Clark's Anchor threads, which dates it to before 1896. 

 

 

 

I walked past the Anchor Mills on the way to school. It was still producing thread then and big slabs of soap were delivered by horse and cart from the soap works on the other side of the road. All sounds a bit "last century" - oh, wait a minute. The soap works is long gone but the mill building still stands.

 

It seems Jackie Stewart is 80. (Surely that can't be right?) I must get a tartan bunnet to wear in the car.

[45156]

Just now, AndyID said:

 

I walked past the Anchor Mills on the way to school. It was still producing thread then

Yes, it was, but by that time as J&P Coats according to the Anchor website

In 1896 Coats, another local Paisley based family who specialised in sewing threads, joined forces with the Clark family to operate as J&P Coats, thus becoming the biggest thread manufacturer and exporter in the world. 

As this was showing only as Clarks, this is how we have been able to date it to pre 1896.

 

[AndyID]

31 minutes ago, 45156 said:

 

As this was showing only as Clarks, this is how we have been able to date it to pre 1896.

 

 

Yes, the mill was always known as Coats by then. Our last house in Paisley was built in 1869 for a member of the Clark family.

Edited June 23, 2019 by AndyID

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

Afternoon Awl again.. Yes the text I'd typed vanished with an accidental touch of the screen. 

 

Reinforcements to the boat fitted,  console not fitted as the clamps were in the way. 

 

Much mast step / mast  and tabernacle measuring,  led to a redesign of my plans. 

The old mast step was removed,  a new socket made and fitted. 

Cheeks were made and fitted to the top or the tabernacle to prevent the mast bending sideways. 

 

With the gooseneck high above the deck,  I decided stays would be needed to prevent the mast bending forward in that area.  I went and studied the mast at that point to find two sheared rivets at that point,  someone has remove a bracket for such stays.  Research is needed to see if I can find the same make bracketry to reduce holes in the mast. 

 

 

Wouldn't it have been quicker to have just built a new boat?

 

I remember switching over from timber built to 'plastic pig'!

 

Suddenly, I had time to go sailing rather than continually having to paint this or varnish that.

 

I'd still like a gaff rigged cutter as a day boat:

 

 

 

[Barry O]

So far the anniversary has gone very well. 

House back to "normal " ..whatever that means.

Not much food or drink left. Neighbour brought some home made Samosas. Absolutely super!

 

Talking of which ..time for tea

Baz 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Barry O
Doh!!!

[Coombe Barton]

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2019/06/23/sandys-treatment-day-187/

[Kingzance]

EveninkAwl,

 

A gentle day that has included lawn mowing and strimming, watching SarfAfrikars failure to contain Pakistan's batsmen, a motor race that could have been enlivened if Bernie Ecclestone had had his way and been allowed to turn on trackside sprinklers, England's Lionesses having to struggle against Cameroon and the return to winning ways of a Scottish catgut-wielder. Meantimes there was a meal of char-grilled Romano peppers, Mexican rice with shallots, onion and broad beans and gridded chicken thighs to cook and deliver to her ladyship. No1 granddaughter is off on a residential trip with her school to the Isle of Wight in the morning so we had to go and give her some pocket money and wish her a happy but safe break. 

 

Next week isn't to heavily committed (yet) but there is no day without some planned activity and there will be dummy runs packing for our Isle of Wight sojourn early next month. No doubt a new wardrobe will be required by/for someone but not a wooden one with doors and certainly not for me! Hair is to be coiffured (for her, mine just needs an occasional raking). A significant piece of pig flesh needs cooking ready for someone's (not our) anniversary party next Saturday. I need to collect some wine to take overseas so we can sit out and enjoy the (hopefully mild and dry) evenings. 

 

I think I may now be tempted by a little bit of Jock's Falling Down Water whilst attempting to do a jigsaw. Fellow ERs, may your health be improving, your mood be happy and your rest be beneficial.

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Watched the five day forecast on Countryfile earlier. We can expect temperatures as high as the low 30's towards the end of the week. They also showed the expected temperatures in France and further south that are expected to be in the mid 40's. My friend called to ask a favour, his eldest daughter has an appointment at Orsett hospital tomorrow and could I drive her to hospital. I agreed as public transport to and from the hospital is pretty dire even from Basildon let alone South Benfleet. In fact I was under the impression that the hospital had closed as a lot of the site is now housing but apparently part of it is still open.

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Watched the five day forecast on Countryfile earlier. We can expect temperatures as high as the low 30's towards the end of the week. They also showed the expected temperatures in France and further south that are expected to be in the mid 40's. My friend called to ask a favour, his eldest daughter has an appointment at Orsett hospital tomorrow and could I drive her to hospital. I agreed as public transport to and from the hospital is pretty dire even from Basildon let alone South Benfleet. In fact I was under the impression that the hospital had closed as a lot of the site is now housing but apparently part of it is still open.

The minor injuries unit was at Orsett and was doing well when we went after Robbie pulled Aditi over. 

My hospital consultant in Whitechapel was a bit concerned about my skin so asked my GP in Benfleet to arrange a skin scan. This was organised with Basildon hospital and was to take place at a clinic on Canvey. This was cancelled as the clinic closed and was due to move to another site on Canvey. I casually checked the new appointment and discovered it was at a street address that doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist on Canvey as it is in Westcliff. So a Basildon hospital appointment takes place close to Southend Hospital! It is sunny where we are going. I have packed my hat and sun cream. 

Tony

[PhilJ W]

I was sent for my aortic scan to a surgery in Stanford-le-Hope and despite living within ten minutes walk of Basildon hospital I have been sent to Orsett for tests. 

[Barry O]

We decide to have a Thai meal for tea..lovely! BUT as we were about to set off to walk... yep, you guessed it...Blithering flipping rain!

 

Sandy has produced a brilliant cushion for John and Sandy;s neighbours as shown in Johns Blog.. absolutely the "dogs whatists"!

 

Baz

 

[pH]

4 hours ago, AndyID said:

It seems Jackie Stewart is 80. (Surely that can't be right?) I must get a tartan bunnet to wear in the car.

 

Relatives of my wife bought the Stewarts' house near their garage in Dumbuck, though not directly from them. There regularly were cars pulling up outside, with occupants looking up at the house. (If you know the road, not a particularly smart thing to do, in my opinion.) And one of the sons of the family met Jackie Stewart at a business function years later and they swapped childhood memories of the house and surroundings.

[laurenceb]

Night awl

[Barry O]

Goodnight all!

Baz

[tigerburnie]

G'night all

[newbryford]

The third day of 3 days golfing went well.

In fact it went better than the two previous days.

 

It was a combined 25th anniversary competition for my golf club and the previously mentioned British Inclusive Golf organisation.

 

It was an absolute inspiration to watch these guys (and gals) playing.

 

 

Their motto is a disability isn't an inability and some of them were very capable of hitting it further than most of our fully able-bodied members

 

At the end of 18 holes, complete with a bit of sunburn, I emerged as the overall winner and was very proud to collect the BIG trophy and a nice decanter engraved with our 25th logo.

There will be a handicap reduction as a consequence. Something I've been after for about 2 years!

 

The evening party went even better and I was a bit late into work this morning..............

At least the phone at work was fairly quiet.

 

Feeling kn@ckered now though.

 

Have a good week folks.

 

Cheers,

Mick