The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

49 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

Just seen Michael Portillo on tv and he didn't disappoint.. a red/yellow sort-of-tartan jacket with an overall pixilated effect of small coloured squares.

 

Where DOES he get them? ... and he carries them off with such effortless aplomb.

 

Mr Portillo's jackets are bespoke.

 

He goes to his tailor and has them made to order.

[simontaylor484]

I have the same experience as Flavio as being the eldest. It was ok tormenting my little brother til he decided he was going to be bigger than me he is built like a brick outdoor latrine. He is bald though whereas I went grey haired.

Swmbo is the eldest of 5 and often has to put the younger ones in their place even more so since MIL passed away

[Dave Hunt]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Ah yes, lissome young ladies in satin hot-pants on roller skates… 

 

The joys of a misspent youth in the 1970s….

The 70s weren’t all flock wallpaper, avocado bathroom suites and polyester flares y’know. There was a lot of glamour to go with the glam-rock back then…

 

Those of us who started the 1970s in our mid-20s also managed to misspending some of it appreciating lesson young ladies in hot pants too you know. It wasn't all wasted on youths.

 

Dave

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Cliff Richard even released an album in praise of the Walkman,  Wired for Sound. I believe that there's a copy in the record cabinet as Beth is a devotee of the living dead….

You do realise that Sir Cliff was once touted as The English Elvis?

 

Of course, Sir Cliff had the coolest backing band ever: The Shadows.
 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that Hank Marvin was the father of British Guitar Playing.

 

Practically every British Guitarist of the 60s and 70s cite Hank as a major influence…

[Welchester]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Mr Portillo's jackets are bespoke.

 

He goes to his tailor and has them made to order.

 

“Oh, Jeeves,' I said; 'about that check suit.'
Yes, sir?'
Is it really a frost?'
A trifle too bizarre, sir, in my opinion.'
But lots of fellows have asked me who my tailor is.'
Doubtless in order to avoid him, sir.'
He's supposed to be one of the best men in London.'
I am saying nothing against his moral character, sir.”

P.G. Wodehouse.

[Tony_S]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Practically every British Guitarist of the 60s and 70s cite Hank as a major influence…

I suspect Hank Marvin would have cited Bert  Weedon.

[Dave Hunt]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Anyway, mention has been made of the muck lamented Old Cannery in Vancouver........... To get to it you had to negotiate a railway yard (CP I think), bump over the tracks and pull up behind what looked like a run down timber building.............All the tables had the view of the sunset down the bay.

The food was as good as the setting.  I believe that the area has now been gentrified or something and it got closed down.

 

Yep, the Cannery was a great spot. My cousin who lives in Vancouver took us there and was disappointed not to be able to repeat the exercise when it closed down.

 

Dave

[pH]

3 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

To get to it you had to negotiate a railway yard (CP I think), bump over the tracks and pull up behind what looked like a run down timber building.

 

All the tables had the view of the sunset down the bay.

 

The food was as good as the setting.  I believe that the area has now been gentrified or something and it got closed down.

Yes, those were CPR tracks. The mainline into Vancouver runs right behind the docks. There used to be a small engine facility just west of the Cannery where the docks switchers were serviced - it doesn’t look as  if it’s still there on Google Maps.

 

The area hasn’t been gentrified - in fact the opposite has happened. As part of the tightened security after 9/11, the roads into the dock area were gated and access greatly restricted. The Cannery closed. One of the chefs opened another seafood restaurant, but it’s on a main road, well away from the water.

[rockershovel]

56 minutes ago, Welchester said:

 

“Oh, Jeeves,' I said; 'about that check suit.'
Yes, sir?'
Is it really a frost?'
A trifle too bizarre, sir, in my opinion.'
But lots of fellows have asked me who my tailor is.'
Doubtless in order to avoid him, sir.'
He's supposed to be one of the best men in London.'
I am saying nothing against his moral character, sir.”

P.G. Wodehouse.

 

... Beat me to it!

[Doncaster Green]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

 

Of course, Sir Cliff had the coolest backing band ever: The Shadows.

The Shadows, WITHOUT the too squeaky clean Cliff, were probably the first band I really appreciated in my early teens.  I still have some vinyl of theirs, although nothing, at the moment, to play it on.  By my later teens/early twenties they had been supplanted by the likes of Cream, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd but I still played the albums every now and again.

 

John

[rockershovel]

20 minutes ago, Doncaster Green said:

The Shadows, WITHOUT the too squeaky clean Cliff, were probably the first band I really appreciated in my early teens.  I still have some vinyl of theirs, although nothing, at the moment, to play it on.  By my later teens/early twenties they had been supplanted by the likes of Cream, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd but I still played the albums every now and again.

 

John

What he said ..... but don't forget The Animals. 

[PhilJ W]

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Ah yes, lissome young ladies in satin hot-pants on roller skates… 

 

The joys of a misspent youth in the 1970s….

The 70s weren’t all flock wallpaper, avocado bathroom suites and polyester flares y’know. There was a lot of glamour to go with the glam-rock back then…

And Club 18-30 holidays.

[Doncaster Green]

35 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

And Club 18-30 holidays.

I didn’t misspend my youth to quite that extent.  I had lots of gigs to pay for!

John

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Those of us who started the 1970s in our mid-20s also managed to misspending some of it appreciating lesson young ladies in hot pants too you know. It wasn't all wasted on youths.

 

Dave

I'm afraid that anyone who has held a commission from Her Majesty The Queen was born as an old crusty and merely matured into a grumpy old curmudgeon.

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, rockershovel said:

What he said ..... but don't forget The Animals. 

Of course, Bears and Hippos to the fore

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon all,

 

I like Simon and Flavio am also the eldest, and agree with the accuracy of their struggles. 
 

My sister was eventually let out of the dog run. 
 

Misspent youth? Not sure if it’s being misspent, but it is being spent.

 

Douglas

[Doncaster Green]

16 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I'm afraid that anyone who has held a commission from Her Majesty The Queen was born as an old crusty and merely matured into a grumpy old curmudgeon.

I cannot agree, totally, with that.  Over my 30+ years with the MoD I knew many wearers of the various uniforms who could, quite legitimately, be called ‘very naughty boys’!

John

[rockershovel]

I never went on Club 18-30 but I was in the Venture Scouts. 

 

The Scout Association in those days, didn't really know what to do with members over 16 ... I suppose because they still really envisaged them joining the OTC or something similar. 

 

At the time (late 60s to late 70s) they experimented with Venture Scouts, which was a troop-type structure of leader-age Scouts and Guides with no leadership responsibilities, a fair amount of funds (remember that only 15% of school leavers went to Uni, a lot went into employment or professional training schemes of various descriptions) and a lot of experience of organising trips. 

 

Limited numbers meant that they mostly functioned at a District, or non-affiliated level. Quite a lot possessed personal transport of various descriptions. The Scout Association provided overall "brand recognition", storage and access to camping kit, insurance, bookings for coaches etc. 

 

Membership was a mixed bag of ex-Scouts and Guides. Most of the membership were more-or-less known to each other from past membership.  Uniform was notionally the then-new "mushroom" uniform but actually, old-style "field shirts" were common (the Guides had a similar blouse in blue) combined with "shorts, KD" or just jeans. Scouting badges were affixed and the old "lemon squeezer" hat or just a British Army bush-hat were favoured. Female members tended at times to a certain "St Trinians" aesthetic.

 

Alcohol was consumed... no-one seemed to much care about under-age drinking in those days. 

 

We were, I suppose, a sort of grammar-school "jeunesse d'oree", combining independence, personal resources and free thinking with having too much to lose to be completely stupid. 

 

Good Times....

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by rockershovel

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Made something of actual use on the lathe today. Well actually four things.

 

Proper axles bearings for the engine, which have made it run a lot quieter and much easier. Very surprising…. 

 

The previous system was plain axles tuning in a hole drilled in the steel frames that was 2mm oversize. A travesty I agree, but I didn’t have a lathe at the time and it was the best I could manage. However these holes now have press fitted brass collars in them which also act as gauge spacers. 
 

They were exceptionally tricking things to make though as the wall thickness is 1mm.

 

Heres a pic.

 

 

Douglas

Who needs a cake now after 4 hours of lathing

Edited December 28, 2021 by Florence Locomotive Works

[simontaylor484]

4 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Made something if actual use on the lathe today. Well actually four things.

 

Proper axles bearings for the engine, which have made it run a lot quieter and much easier. Very surprising….

 

The previous system was plain axles tuning in a hole drilled int wh steel plate that was 2mm oversize. A travesty I agree, but I didn’t have a lathe at the time and it was the best I could manage. However these holes now have press fitted brass collars in them which also act as gauge spacers. 
 

They were exceptionally tricking things to make though as the wall thickness is 1mm.

 

Heres a pic.

 

 

Douglas

Who needs a cake now after 4 hours of lathing

Just wait for the complaints from the laundry department in your house All that swarf getting stuck in your clothes. And the colour of the metal can filthy your clothes. My Gran used to have to scrub the collars of my Grandads shirts with Fairy household soap to get the filth from iron founding and the machining of castings

[simontaylor484]

I never went on an 18-30s holiday I went to uni which involved lots of cheap beer and various young ladies but not so much sun in Sheffield 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Made something of actual use on the lathe today. Well actually four things.

 

Proper axles bearings for the engine, which have made it run a lot quieter and much easier. Very surprising…. 

 

The previous system was plain axles tuning in a hole drilled in the steel frames that was 2mm oversize. A travesty I agree, but I didn’t have a lathe at the time and it was the best I could manage. However these holes now have press fitted brass collars in them which also act as gauge spacers. 
 

They were exceptionally tricking things to make though as the wall thickness is 1mm.

 

Heres a pic.

 

 

Douglas

Who needs a cake now after 4 hours of lathing

The next time, before you start, make yourself a stub axle with a threaded end.

 

Attach the bored bush onto the stub and tighten up, this is then put in the lathe chuck.  the stub enables you to work away from the face of the chuck, making a life a lot easier.

 

You can either use a plain stub axle, or by machining a shoulder onto it you can turn it into an arbor, which means that you can keep taking it out of the chuck and when you put it back in the distance from the face of the chuck to the back face of the workpiece will be the same.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[rockershovel]

38 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I never went on an 18-30s holiday I went to uni which involved lots of cheap beer and various young ladies but not so much sun in Sheffield 

Sheffield in the later 70s was my introduction to the phenomenon of gangs of screeching girls, falling down drunk in the streets in the early hours of Sunday.... no thanks. 

 

The great thing about Venture Scouts, and its extended circle of caving, walking and motor racing clubs (uniformed older Scouts were always in demand as unpaid gofers with basic first aid knowledge at motor events) was that it provided adrenaline, opportunity and scope, within an overall framework. 

 

TBH college disappointed greatly on that front, its a blur now of study, boredom, rugby, money issues and intermittent leave of absence... I eventually married someone from the VS circle and still have varying degrees of contact with a number of others. 

[Mike Bellamy]

17 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

I eventually married someone from the VS circle and still have varying degrees of contact with a number of others. 

 

My brother became an item with his wife to be at 'Peak 74' held at Chatsworth and they are still together. After our VSU meetings on Thursdays we went to the pub and those that still live in the area have continued that tradition for almost 50 years - still on Thursday with at least three of the original VSU members in attendance.

.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

A very well spent 17 minutes.

 

 

Douglas