The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

13 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Colours in use are Poppy Red and Urban Slate:  I like to buck the colour spectrum 🤣.

Walls and ceiling red and woodwork grey?

[iL Dottore]

Good Morning from Trendy Shoreditch. Yesterday I was at the EMGS show at Bracknall, handing over the Imbiss to @bbishop. 
There were a few things I noted about the show:

> The modelling was impressive.

> The participants were very friendly 

> It was definitely a rather elderly crowd I think I may have seen but a handful of younger visitors.

> It was at the Bracknell leisure centre - not a place high on most people's list of "The Sites of Britain to Visit". Had it not been for the EMGS show Bracknell would have forever temained unvisited by yours truly.

 

I left from Waterloo (what have they done to a once beautiful station) - supposedly to travel by train, but which ended up on the infamous "replacement bus service" (SBB and JR West can relax, the crown remains theirs). I could wax most unpoetically about the leisure centre, but suffice to say any place that takes a booking for a Saturday for a large group event and then sticks just two people in the sole, tiny, refreshment area needs to improve their management skills.

 

So in terms of modelling, traders, friendliness and great demonstrators the EMGS show gets a 10/10. But the venue and public transport? "Gran Bretagne - nul points"

I wonder if there could be a market for dedicated stand-alone hobby show venues - i.e. buildings that would have all the necessary facilities to host a hobby related show (including ready access to public transport, decent parking and the choice of venue-provided or self-catering.

 

Another plus of the EMGS show was the meet up with some ERs - who have decided to "adopt" me and my 3mm project and keep me (and it) "on the rails" (pun intended). And the project was kicked off by an erudite discussion about fouling points and how many model railways get that completely wrong.

[br2975]

12 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I have the option of watching Eurovision or going out into the garden to look for the AB.

 

Where's my coat!

.

The annual "Eurovision Song Contest' could give rise to so many comments, quips and jibes - the admin and moderators would be snowed under.

.

Suffice to say, having seen glimpses of last evening's junket _ I have grave concerns for the future of Europe, whether the UK is a part of it or not.

.

As for the politically motivated xenophobic voting - Eurovision appears to employ a system even Messrs Putin & Mugabe would be proud of.

[Oldddudders]

Sherry and I are now sailing past the East Coast of Scotland on M S Borealis, returning to Southampton. The Internet comes and goes at sea, in fact it's gone more often than it's here! Just a week's cruise, and we called at Belfast, Stornoway and Lerwick. The weather has been amazingly benign.

 

We had a coach tour of Belfast which included warts-and-all trips down the Falls Road and Shankill Road, both names from the dire days of yore, and described in an emphatically non-partisan manner by a splendid lady guide. Sherry's father was from Holywood, and she loves the place. We also saw Belfast Castle and Stormont.

 

Stornoway, where my cleaner Alison grew up, was less successful. We hardly saw the town, but were privileged to be moored alongside a vast new harbour terminal across the bay, which must have cost an awful lot. A coach tour of the island, and a visit to a 'broch' from well-before Christ, were ok, but the guide was beyond dire. How long can you talk about harvesting peat? 

 

Lerwick required use of tenders, but that kind of adds to the fun. The town was charming, we bought a few bits to aid the local economy, and all was going well until Sherry tripped over an unseen kerb, and dragged me down with her. No harm done to me, but she now has a swollen ankle. She has walked more than 2000 steps on it and is not in much pain, so survival is likely.  

 

We dock at Soton Tuesday morning. 

 

PS My Facebook a\c seems to have been accessed, as Jamie and one or two other decent folk have pointed out to me, so password changed and that should be that. Please ignore any odd messages on there purporting to be from me. 

[jjb1970]

On 11/05/2024 at 15:19, Dave Hunt said:

When we lived in Singapore there weren’t many air conditioned apartment blocks or malls and everyone seemed to accept the wildlife as part of everyday life, merely being careful to keep away from the dangerous ones . To be honest, the latter hardly ever intruded anyway. I think that jjb’s post highlights some of the ways in which the advantages of modern life have also resulted in the loss of acceptance of, and interaction with, the natural world around us.

 

Dave

 

The really big (in more ways than one.....) change I have seen in East and SE Asia is increasing obesity. When I first came to this half of the world as a 19 years old engineer cadet if I saw an overweight person in China, Japan or Korea you looked twice as you just didn't see obese people.  SE Asia was slightly different,  you saw a few big Malays but obese Chinese were like rocking horse dung, and the Malay people were nothing like as obese as people in Europe and North America.  Now it's a big and growing issue. A consequence of increasing wealth, shifts in employment and dietary changes I guess.

Edited May 12 by jjb1970

[Happy Hippo]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Walls and ceiling red and woodwork grey?

No interior decorating for me.

 

The paints are all for various timber projects and repaints in the garden.

 

Since I'm now out of the Poppy Red, this afternoon I shall mainly be using two shades of grey.

[Hroth]

13 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

this afternoon I shall mainly be using two shades of grey.

 

Sounds a bit risque.....

 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

No interior decorating for me.

 

The paints are all for various timber projects and repaints in the garden.

 

Since I'm now out of the Poppy Red, this afternoon I shall mainly be using two shades of grey.

Iis that Hippo grey and Rhino grey. 

 

Jamie

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Iis that Hippo grey and Rhino grey. 

 

Jamie

There is a hippo mention on today’s news. A Japanese zoo noted that the one they had purchased from a Mexican zoo didn’t propellor spray dung to mark territory and checked and have announced the hippo is female not male. 

[Tony_S]

5 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Lerwick required use of tenders

For some reason I thought our cruise called at Lerwick but it is Kirkwall. We have booked to look at some ancient ruins. 

[bbishop]

58 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

For some reason I thought our cruise called at Lerwick but it is Kirkwall. We have booked to look at some ancient ruins. 

Tony, you do that in Hipposhire.

[Tony_S]

19 minutes ago, bbishop said:

Tony, you do that in Hipposhire.

Aditi used to take her A level geography students there (the Hipposhire hills) for fieldwork. She always tried to find somewhere not like Romford. 

Edited May 12 by Tony_S

[SM42]

The highlight of last night's Eurovision ( autocorrect changed that to Euro idiot)  came as the contest drew to a close and voting was in progress.

 

The hour was late and Mrs SM42 was getting tired.

 

"I know," she said, " I'll go onto Polish TV on the Internet and find out who won. They're an hour ahead of us."

 

🤔

 

 

Andy 

[TheQ]

Stornoway new harbour they dredged, cutting the cables to the marina pontoons causing a huge amount of damage. Whereupon all relevant companies and authorities ran away saying nothing to do with us. Last I heard it was heading to court...

 

Peat cutting I know about, the boys used to get on the school bus, which would then stop at the peat cuttings and drop them off.. at the end of the school day it would pick them up and take them home...

 

[Happy Hippo]

After all that painting, mainly with a brush, but also experimenting with a spray can of 'stone' paint, I was ready for a Guinness.

 

Now I'm ready for bed.

 

It's an early start in the morning as Morgan is coming over to remove the old Laurel hedge, and put in the foundations for a replacement fence.

[J. S. Bach]

After a bottle of Guinness, I, too, would be ready for bed. Or the porcelain room!

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[BR60103]

15 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

A coach tour of the island, and a visit to a 'broch' from well-before Christ, were ok, but the guide was beyond dire. How long can you talk about harvesting peat? 

 

My father and one of my uncles went on a coach tour of Edinburgh (where my uncle was a schoolmaster).  One comment: "This is where the Covenanters signed a thing, in the time of the Covenanters".  (may not be exact)

 

We went on the circle tour of New York City on a day when the president (not this one, nor the one before) was flying in.  They had to circle Manhattan in the opposite direction to usual.  Fun listening to the commentary being read from the bottom up.

 

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, BR60103 said:

They had to circle Manhattan in the opposite direction to usual.  Fun listening to the commentary being read from the bottom up.

 

 

 

Speaking of circling, this is currently happening over Newcastle airport at the moment.  Non confirmed report is that they discovered a mechanical  issue on takeoff (rumour has it its the landing gear) and are using up fuel before attempting an emergency landing, looks like they're on the approach ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF the 3D view is accurate, they've    made it to the runway at least - I guess I'll have to listen to the news.

 

 

 

Edited May 13 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

And....good news, from the ABC:

 

A light plane has made what appears to be a textbook landing during an emergency at Newcastle airport.

Emergency crews were on standby after the pilot reported the plane's landing gear had failed just before 10am.

It had been circling above for more than two hours before it made the landing at 12.18pm.

The engine appeared to power down as it approached the runway and touched down, eventually sliding to a stop.

There were loud cheers from crowds that had lined the airport fence to watch.

 

 

 

Edited May 13 by monkeysarefun

[Happy Hippo]

I'm going to give the painting a miss today.

 

I'm finding that holding the paintbrush for long periods of time can be somewhat uncomfortable, so I'm going to have to make some sort of hard cover for it.

 

Think of an extended thimble and you'll get the idea of what I'm after.

 

However, there is plenty else to be getting on with, so perhaps I'll start by turning useful timber into sawdust and shavings.

[Steamport Southport]

8 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

Speaking of circling, this is currently happening over Newcastle airport at the moment.  Non confirmed report is that they discovered a mechanical  issue on takeoff (rumour has it its the landing gear) and are using up fuel before attempting an emergency landing, looks like they're on the approach ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

IF the 3D view is accurate, they've    made it to the runway at least - I guess I'll have to listen to the news.

 

 

 

 

Why aye man, Newcastle looks a bit different these days. Where's the Toon?

 

At least there are black and white stripes but no idea who number 30 is.

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

Why aye man, Newcastle looks a bit different these days. Where's the Toon?

 

 

I remember the disappointment when I first went there as a 5 year old or so that there wasn't actually a castle.

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

At least there are black and white stripes but no idea who number 30 is.

 

It means that the runway direction is 300 degrees magnetic. The numbers are in tens*, so east is 09, south is 18 etc.

 

Dave

 

*to the nearest whole ten degrees

Edited May 13 by Dave Hunt

[SM42]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

It means that the runway direction is 300 degrees magnetic. The numbers are in tens*, so east is 09, south is 18 etc.

 

Dave

 

*to the nearest whole ten degrees

 

My mental maths says the other end has a big 12 at the end. 

 

Is that correct? 

 

They never seem to add up in my head. 

 

BHX's 15 and 33 don't make sense to me without  a lot of closing of eyes and waving in the air of  hands,  like some demented form of Tai Chi.  

 

It's a bit like trying to imagine how wagon brakes work.

 

I think I might struggle to land an aeroplane. 

 

(I know, landing is easy,.

Landing somewhere, in  one piece, near where the fire engines are kept is harder)

 

Andy

Edited May 13 by SM42