The Night Mail

[SM42]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

** let’s be honest here, how many of you know where your thyroid gland, your adrenal glands or your popliteal arteries are found?

 

 

Steady on. 

 

I've only just found out where my liver and kidneys are and they are a lot higher up  than I expected. 

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

how many of you know where your thyroid gland, your adrenal glands or your popliteal arteries a

I do know where the first two are, never even heard of that particular artery.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Bear just got to the interesting bit (".........squaddies do *interesting* things whilst dressed as Hippos.....") when they wanted a subscription out of me.  Poo

 

 

 

As well as the online book service your County library service may have the PressReader app too. Quite a few newspapers (and magazines ) are available on that. 

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

I do know where the first two are, never even heard of that particular artery.

This will be instructive: https://3d4medical.com/blog/popliteal-fossa

 

Incidentally, popliteal aneurysms were a work-related condition in coachmen in Georgian England, due to the fact that coachmen wore high boots that damaged the popliteal fossa leading to an aneurysm (I don't recall off the top of my head the precise mechanism of action). Although surgical methods of dealing with such an aneurysm did exist, they were dangerous, a 2007 review in the Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons stated management "by proximal and distal ligation followed by opening the sac and evacuating its contents. For a popliteal aneurysm, the technique was to open and evacuate the aneurysm under tourniquet. The tourniquet was then released so that the popliteal artery entering and leaving the sac could be identified and the vessels ligated immediately above and below the aneurysm. This operation, deep behind the knee, without the benefits of modern anaesthesia and antiseptics would have been extremely dangerous". The highlighted text is definitely a bit of British understatement. For those without the means to undergo even this sort of very risky surgery, a popliteal aneurysm could be (and often was) a death sentence: when the aneurysm ruptured (and most untreated aneurysms eventually did) the affected individual would bleed out in a few minutes...

 

This is an excellent read about medicine of that time and how the Scottish surgeon, physician and anatomist - John Hunter - radically changed both surgery and anatomy: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/books/chapters/the-knife-man.html

 

The Ann R Coll Surg 2007 review paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2048591/

Edited July 13, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Dave Hunt]

12 hours ago, AndyID said:

The NHS was created 75 years ago. (It's only slightly older than me 🙂)

 

It was established a few months after I was born. Did the medical profession know something about me that I didn't?

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

10 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

This operation, deep behind the knee, without the benefits of modern anaesthesia and antiseptics would have been extremely dangerous".

 

I would imagine that the Bear will have had the same eye-watering, gut clenching reaction to that little statement that I did. At the age of 17 I had half an ingrowing toenail removed without anaesthetic by an elderly and unsympathetic Polish GP who had reputedly been in a Nazi internment camp and that was probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Lord alone knows what the operation described above would be like.

 

Dave

[SM42]

Last night was a little fraught with danger at SM42 Towers. 

 

After a long and tiring day at work, I was ambushed with trifle as I entered the sitting room from the main hall.  

 

" Happy anniversary!!" Mrs SM42 exclaimed 

 

It was hard to hide the quizzical confused  and slightly concerned look on my face as my stomach dropped into my boots and bounced back. 

 

" Don't you remember? " She asked, looking a little shocked.

 

"No" I said nervously.

 

" It's not our anniversary, that's May. It's not our first date, that was 1st April. "( Ally Pally exhibition actually,) 

 

"No, no idea" I said as all hope of any bluffing my way through had long evaporated.

 

" It's 15 years since we moved into SM42 Towers" she stated smugly. 

 

" Oh, I thought that was last week on the 8th" I replied in the hope I could salvage  something out of the situation.

 

"Phew, is that all" I thought, as I  shovelled in another spoonful of jelly and custard,

 

"Another 5 years to finish the decorating then"

 

Andy

[Dave Hunt]

So far today I've spent most of my time pulling out of our pond masses of an invasive weed called Australian swamp stoneweed that has proliferated like mad recently. According to the wildlife pond book I have it is virtually impossible to get rid of it once it has arrived and all you can hope for is to keep it somewhat under control by repeatedly hooking it out. I've no idea how it has got there as I've tried to take all precautions against such things but there the bl**dy stuff is. To make sure that none of the tadpoles or little froglets are caught up in it I've been sluicing it through buckets of water then piling it up on the edge of the pond where it will stay until this evening when it will be put in a compost bin to dry out then ultimately incinerated. I think that the appropriate expression is turdycurses and anytime one of our antipodean correspondents would like to take it back I'd be only too glad. Next in my fun filled day is taking Horace the cat to the vets but that isn't for another hour so it's down to the shed for me.

 

Dave   

[monkeysarefun]

6 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

So far today I've spent most of my time pulling out of our pond masses of an invasive weed called Australian swamp stoneweed that has proliferated like mad recently. According to the wildlife pond book I have it is virtually impossible to get rid of it once it has arrived and all you can hope for is to keep it somewhat under control by repeatedly hooking it out. I've no idea how it has got there as I've tried to take all precautions against such things but there the bl**dy stuff is. To make sure that none of the tadpoles or little froglets are caught up in it I've been sluicing it through buckets of water then piling it up on the edge of the pond where it will stay until this evening when it will be put in a compost bin to dry out then ultimately incinerated. I think that the appropriate expression is turdycurses and anytime one of our antipodean correspondents would like to take it back I'd be only too glad. Next in my fun filled day is taking Horace the cat to the vets but that isn't for another hour so it's down to the shed for me.

 

Dave   

 

 

We've thrown the problem over the Tasman by calling it New Zealand Pygmyweed, so blame them.  

[PhilJ W]

11 hours ago, SM42 said:

Last night was a little fraught with danger at SM42 Towers. 

 

After a long and tiring day at work, I was ambushed with trifle as I entered the sitting room from the main hall.  

 

" Happy anniversary!!" Mrs SM42 exclaimed 

 

It was hard to hide the quizzical confused  and slightly concerned look on my face as my stomach dropped into my boots and bounced back. 

 

" Don't you remember? " She asked, looking a little shocked.

 

"No" I said nervously.

 

" It's not our anniversary, that's May. It's not our first date, that was 1st April. "( Ally Pally exhibition actually,) 

 

"No, no idea" I said as all hope of any bluffing my way through had long evaporated.

 

" It's 15 years since we moved into SM42 Towers" she stated smugly. 

 

" Oh, I thought that was last week on the 8th" I replied in the hope I could salvage  something out of the situation.

 

"Phew, is that all" I thought, as I  shovelled in another spoonful of jelly and custard,

 

"Another 5 years to finish the decorating then"

 

Andy

Any significance on the date?

[bbishop]

Lord's again tomorrow.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[J. S. Bach]

On 02/07/2020 at 15:59, Happy Hippo said:

'This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,

Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.'..................WH Auden

 

 

This page of letters, continuing themes.

Tell us your nightmares, and your dreams.

 

If you are a girl without a blog,

Or a boy who wants a dog

 

You're welcome to relay your news 

What you tell us you can choose.

 

We're here to listen and to chat.

It really is about all that.

 

We'll talk boats, and cars and planes

Unlike ERs, we welcome trains.

 

Show your pictures, good and bad.

Tell of the things that make you mad.

 

So come in here and show your face

All are welcome in this place.

 

 

The Night Mail is the antidote for Early Risers and for those who don't have to get up so early!

We've come a long way, baby! 1379 pages in three years.

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by J. S. Bach
To do a minor edit.

[AndyID]

56 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

We've come a long way, baby! 1379 pages in three years.

 

 

1379 pages of erudite discussion. What's not to like?

[SM42]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Any significance on the date?

 

It was Saturday. 

 

The show was on at Ally Pally that weekend.  I went down by train, easier on a Saturday. 

 

She lived in London at the time. We met on the concourse at Kings Cross and headed out to the show. 

 

She carried my bag most of the day so I was unencumbered in the melee and made me dinner that evening.  A keeper from the off

 

The date was pure chance.

 

By some stroke of coincidence, her parents' first date was also on 1st April, but obviously many years before. 

 

 

The other significance of the date is not lost and the joke is on me.

 

Andy

[AndyID]

It's not all buttered scones and cups of tea here in the Northwet although it could be if the wooden railings on our deck were not fontae as in "fontae bits".

 

During yet another moment of insanity I said "No problembo! I'll just weld up some new ones in steel." Here's the latest piece.

 

 

Keen observers will notice that the overhangs of the upper and lower rails do not quite match. For those of us in the trade the technical description for that is a "cock-up". It's going to be bit of a test of my welding skills to invisibly graft a short piece on to one end but I think I know how to do it. 😀

 

The whole thing is, to put it mildly, slightly tricky. I'm using a "buzz box" arc welder but the steel I'm using is only 1/16th of an inch thick. You have to get the electrode travel speed just right. Too fast and you get a crappy weld. Too slow and you melt a hole in the thin steel.

 

To solve that problem I'm stuffing short lengths of smaller section square steel tube into the ends of the palings. That doubles the thickness to 1/8th of an inch which makes a huge difference. It's almost impossible to blow a hole there with the electrodes I'm using.

 

Unfortunately it's not practical to do the same trick with the horizontal rails. I'm going to try blasting compressed air through them to see if that removes enough heat to prevent melting through. If that doesn't work I might try filling them with water but that might be a bit too effective 😀

[polybear]

6 hours ago, bbishop said:

Lord's again tomorrow.

 

You'll need a brolly.....

[AndyID]

11 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

You'll need a brolly.....

 

They should have it in Scotland. The weather's fantastic there 😀 (I was down the pub watching the goings-on at North Berwick.)

[polybear]

48 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

They should have it in Scotland. The weather's fantastic there 😀 (I was down the pub watching the goings-on at North Berwick.)

 

Bear's very first jolly with The Great Empire was in Dec '85/Jan '86 and we were working at a Radar Test Site** on top of a cliff directly opposite Bass Rock Lighthouse - any closer and we'd be in the drink.  In those days the Lighthouse was still manned (it became automatic in 1988 apparently).

 

**Possibly @TheQ knows it?

 

Edited July 14, 2023 by polybear

[Happy Hippo]

It's raining here as well.

 

This is a good thing as at present the gardening contractors are laying the new turf, which definitely needs watering.

 

Yesterday's Trayne Klubb saw spot ballasting in places and the finishing off of a ballast shoulder on the main line.

 

I made a concerted effort on the over bridge at the south end, and now just need to add the top surface of the 'road' and the capping stone on the stonework to finish it off.

 

This week will see a big push on getting the buildings finished so they can be bedded in.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Happy Hippo

[Hroth]

Supposed to be raining here, but isn't at present.  However, when I go out to do some shopping in a while....

 

[Tony_S]

It is raining here. I have no idea whether or not it was supposed to. We have to go to the shops on Canvey later. I need to collect a pair of trousers. I was checking the clothes I want to take on holiday and a couple of pairs of”smart “ trousers wouldn’t do up. There is no point taking something on a cruise that is tight let alone won’t do up. I don’t expect to get thinner on the holiday. The formal evening suit fits perfectly as last time I wore it, I thought it was a bit big! My sore leg from falling over recently is making good progress so shouldn’t be a problem on holiday. I don’t think any of the excursions are particularly strenuous. We haven’t booked anything for Lisbon yet as we plan to just wander about as the cruise terminal isn’t miles from the city. Otherwise there is a tram excursion where you get served with port and cakes. 
Tony

[cctransuk]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

... Lisbon ..... cakes.

 

Ahh - those superb little custard tarts from Belem!

 

CJI.

[Dave Hunt]

Just off to take Jill to a clinic in Shrewsbury to have a cataract operation. She’s not looking forward to it but the sight in her left eye has become so bad that there is really little choice.

Back later

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

14 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

It is raining here. I have no idea whether or not it was supposed to. We have to go to the shops on Canvey later. I need to collect a pair of trousers. I was checking the clothes I want to take on holiday and a couple of pairs of”smart “ trousers wouldn’t do up. There is no point taking something on a cruise that is tight let alone won’t do up. I don’t expect to get thinner on the holiday. The formal evening suit fits perfectly as last time I wore it, I thought it was a bit big! My sore leg from falling over recently is making good progress so shouldn’t be a problem on holiday. I don’t think any of the excursions are particularly strenuous. We haven’t booked anything for Lisbon yet as we plan to just wander about as the cruise terminal isn’t miles from the city. Otherwise there is a tram excursion where you get served with port and cakes. 
Tony

The Aquarium is worth a visit.  You can get to it via the city tour buses.

 

Don't forget to bring back the sweet white Lagrima port, and if you can get it 'Hobby' liqueur. (We call the Lagrima 'Jesus Port' as it has a rather messiah like figure on the label.)

 

We got ours from the large El Corte Ingles at the top of town.