The Night Mail

[AndyID]

The slinky on the bird feeder pole worked to a bit but it didn't take the squirrels long to find a way to climb up it.

[Dave Hunt]

20 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

Nope. That's the carpet monster.

 

Which is the most cunning entity in the known universe and is known even to operate near workbenches that are nowhere near a carpet! Carpet monsters have been known to be responsible for essential small items disappearing when dropped onto a smooth surface even when the point of contact has been seen and there are no nooks or crannies nearby. They also have the annoying habit, due to a warped sense of humour, of returning the lost item as soon as another one has been made or obtained.

 

Dave

[polybear]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Fortunately that was pre Brexit with minimal inspections for private vehicles. We got our stuff over before implementation.  Then my wife got some stuff from her Dad's house and the documentation was a nightmare but we did get it here. Fortunately no one has ever confiscated any Eccles cakes at the border. 

 

Jamie

 

There's been reports in the news in the last few days that France are looking at easing up on UK residents cos' they're realising it's costing them a fortune in lost revenue.

 

23 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

When we visited Germany for the first time nearly fifty years ago we went by car via Dover-Ostend. Back then there was duty free allowances and as our German hosts were in the German wine growing area we stocked up with as much wine as we were allowed, the car was sagging on its springs. As we were saying our goodbys our hosts and a few other German friends plied us with even more bottles of wine (and Brandy). On the ferry back we were debating what would happen if we were stopped by customs. We need not have worried, one of the first vehicles off the ferry was a van full of hippies, as we went past the van was up on a lift with the wheels off and the seats out and one officer was waving all the other vehicles through.

 

There was a story in the papers many years ago where a coachload of people went on a booze cruise to France, each bringing back their absolute limit (but not one bottle more) of beer.  That's a lotta beer.

Well UK Customs went over it with a fine toothed comb; when they found nothing they sent them on their way, presumably to a load of jeers.

Only the Customs People had alerted the Plod - who immediately pulled the Coach over and impounded it for being overloaded.  They had to find their own way home, hire a van for the Beer and the Coach had to go thru' PSV MOT Test to check the suspension hadn't been damaged.

[Dave Hunt]

14 hours ago, polybear said:

 

So does that mean if I rummage long enough I'll find an (ideally) unbuilt** kit for a Metalsmith 60ft well-type T/Table in there?

(** Or at least an extremely well built example)

 

Unfortunately one of the laws of L-space is that the likelihood of an item appearing is inversely proportional to its desirability to the extent that the chance of something specific to a project being found is vanishingly small, or as the great physicist P!ssed as a Newt-on put it, "About the same as a whelk in a supernova."

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

9 hours ago, coastalview said:

Well if you run out of reading matter from HH delivery, I have plenty more than can be delivered from here....

 

Thanks Chris but although I may be a bit silly at times I am not suicidal.

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

7 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Agreed.  That's just the garage...

 

 

That's disgustingly neat though Neil.

 

Dave

[BoD]

For those users of L-space …

 

has anyone come across my soldering iron yet?

[BoD]

7 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Agreed.  That's just the garage...

 

I do like the way you have managed to incorporate a Hornby advertising sign.

[Oldddudders]

1 minute ago, BoD said:

For those users of L-space …

 

has anyone come across my soldering iron yet?

I am reminded of a cartoon some time ago, where a chap is on a hillside, clutching a power-tool, and on the cellphone. "Hey Doug - you were right, I found my drill!" A sign says Blueberry Hill. 

[Dave Hunt]

2 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Imagine a full customs inspection and then re-packing!

 

An ex-colleague of mine became a customs officer after leaving the RAF. He worked at Harwich and said that one of his most entertaining shifts was when a man with a car and caravan packed full got lippy with one of the customs guys who then proceeded to make him unpack everything. By the time he'd finished unpacking and repacking the customs guys were taking bets on whether his wife would divorce him the same day or a bit later.

 

Dave  

[J. S. Bach]

I remember that cartoon; or one like it.

[PhilJ W]

29 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

There's been reports in the news in the last few days that France are looking at easing up on UK residents cos' they're realising it's costing them a fortune in lost revenue.

 

 

There was a story in the papers many years ago where a coachload of people went on a booze cruise to France, each bringing back their absolute limit (but not one bottle more) of beer.  That's a lotta beer.

Well UK Customs went over it with a fine toothed comb; when they found nothing they sent them on their way, presumably to a load of jeers.

Only the Customs People had alerted the Plod - who immediately pulled the Coach over and impounded it for being overloaded.  They had to find their own way home, hire a van for the Beer and the Coach had to go thru' PSV MOT Test to check the suspension hadn't been damaged.

The boot floors of many 70's and 80's coaches were not very strong, usually a sheet or two of 15 mm ply the bottom of which was was subject to all the dirt and water thrown up by the wheels. The result was that when on a 'booze cruise' they would give way depositing the contents on the road.

[bbishop]

Mum and I went over to Boulogne many years ago to buy the Christmas booze.  We purchased up to our joint limit, then were stopped by a very young customs officer at Folkestone.  Bags were emptied, bottles counted and we were brusquely told to go on our way.  We then told him who my sister was.  Turned out she was his boss.  She sent him on a customer relations course.

 

In other news, I've started to pack the Yeti for Warley.  Actually shoehorn is a better description, because we fit 18' of layout, stock and three operators in it.  You will find Blindheim at stand B24.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

There's been reports in the news in the last few days that France are looking at easing up on UK residents cos' they're realising it's costing them a fortune in lost revenue.

Yes there are proposals in the French Senate to relax residence restrictions for second home owners for just that reason.  The expats bring a lot of money into the French economy.  They are also some of the best customers in the DIY sheds.  Plus the part timers pay a lot more in local taxes than full timers do.  It wilbe interesting to see how it turns out.  Also because the French health system knows how to get charges reimbursed the UK pensioners over here bring many millions a year into the system because of the way it works

Jamie

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Unfortunately one of the laws of L-space is that the likelihood of an item appearing is inversely proportional to its desirability to the extent that the chance of something specific to a project being found is vanishingly small, or as the great physicist P!ssed as a Newt-on put it, "About the same as a whelk in a supernova."

 

That is a generalisation of the Law of Lego - the piece you're looking for will only be found by looking for a different piece. I think it has something to do with quantum entanglement.

[SM42]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I do like a pachyderm who keeps his promise, which HH did. The only deviation from the published script was to add, "But if there are any you want to keep you can have them," which the management took lightly. And so far there have been no adverse comments, even though the coffee table currently sports four bound volumes of Model Railway News 1946-1950. Who'd have thought that a hippo could be so devious diplomatic?

 

Dave

 

Where's the not me button?

Andy

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Yes there are proposals in the French Senate to relax residence restrictions for second home owners for just that reason.  The expats bring a lot of money into the French economy.  They are also some of the best customers in the DIY sheds.  Plus the part timers pay a lot more in local taxes than full timers do.  It wilbe interesting to see how it turns out.  Also because the French health system knows how to get charges reimbursed the UK pensioners over here bring many millions a year into the system because of the way it works

Jamie

I read in the paper today that a member of some riot squad gendarmerie- I think that's correct but apologies if not, hasn't been turning up for work for the last fourteen years and what's more the powers that be only sussed it because his deputy got fed up of carrying the can and dossed him in.

[PhilJ W]

31 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That is a generalisation of the Law of Lego - the piece you're looking for will only be found by looking for a different piece. I think it has something to do with quantum entanglement.

Or walking around barefoot is an easy way to find a missing Lego brick.

[SM42]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Which is the most cunning entity in the known universe and is known even to operate near workbenches that are nowhere near a carpet! Carpet monsters have been known to be responsible for essential small items disappearing when dropped onto a smooth surface even when the point of contact has been seen and there are no nooks or crannies nearby. They also have the annoying habit, due to a warped sense of humour, of returning the lost item as soon as another one has been made or obtained.

 

Dave

 

It didn't work

 

The rather essential centre section od a screw link coupling made a bid for FREEDOM!.

 

I made another. First still missing. 

 

Having said that, I don't think k it made it to the carpet. 

 

I heard it richoceting through the wagon mountain. 

 

It's in there somewhere. 

 

I found the split pin I lost 3 years ago though. 

 

Didn't find that 128 though 

 

Andy

[Winslow Boy]

You not looking hard enough Andy.

 

Try closing your eyes taking two paces backwards and they shouting in loud an piercing manor - if you don't appear now I'll - insert works of profanity , and then open your eyes.

 

 

[SM42]

2 hours ago, BoD said:

For those users of L-space …

 

has anyone come across my soldering iron yet?

 

Probably in the same place as mine.  

 

No doubt it's bought a class 128 a pint by now

 

Andy

[SM42]

7 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

You not looking hard enough Andy.

 

Try closing your eyes taking two paces backwards and they shouting in loud an piercing manor - if you don't appear now I'll - insert works of profanity , and then open your eyes.

 

 

 

I can't take two paces back. 

 

There's enough room to spin  the chair round as long as you do a little shimmy as you pass through 90 degrees. 

 

If you want something from by the window, you have to sit down and do a 180. 

 

 

Andy

[Winslow Boy]

1 minute ago, SM42 said:

 

I can't take two paces back. 

 

There's enough room to spin  the chair round as long as you do a little shimmy as you pass through 90 degrees. 

 

If you want something from by the window, you have to sit down and do a 180. 

 

 

Andy

And your wondering why you can never find anything!

[SM42]

The beauty of such a small room  is that there is a very good chance that any pinging item will embed itself in you and thus be easily found

 

 

Andy

[Darlington_Shed]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

An ex-colleague of mine became a customs officer after leaving the RAF. He worked at Harwich

 

A lifetime ago, I was a trainee reporter on the Harwich and Manningtree Standard (circulation c. 7,000 on a good week). Similar stories were commonplace, my favourite involving a Beemer driver who gave the customers officers rather too much attitude. They duly stripped his car down to individual parts and, having found nothing illegal, offered him an apology "for the delay" but left him with the task of reassembly.

 

For a tiny, faraway corner of the country Harwich was a surprisingly fun place to work. Our staff photographer (in those days every newspaper office, of any size, had one) bagged himself a global scoop when he snapped Princess Anne and Mark Philips snogging on the rear deck of a ferry before the relationship was public (they were en route, with horses, to some eventing competition on the continent). The company made a fortune in sydication fees for those pictures.