The Night Mail

[Hroth]

Currently, 1844 and 1845 are showing the same content - lets try to make rmweb re-index...  🤪

 

There we go, sorted!

 

 

Edited April 15 by Hroth

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Morning all.  Recovering from a weekend taking the FROS 3 requalification course.  Two written exams and a lot of practical work, and I lost my left leg to a chainsaw accident.  We were also expected to take aspirin for a cardiac event, except everyone on the course was allergic to aspirin.  Anyway done for another three years so I can tootle around south east London on a Friday evening, terrifying little old ladies out of their beds.

Thankyou, Bill. People like you save lives. End of message!

 

Anyway, Good Morning from 1V48, 06.40 Newcastle to Plymouth. After a weekend in Crewe, including a marvellous evening at the Theatre Royal, Hanley, watching Sherry's granddaughter and many other youngsters dancing with English Youth Ballet's version of Sleeping Beauty, we are on our way home to Torquay. Sadly a tree has fallen on the line south of Cheltenham, so we are currently looking at the Severn Bridge! The Tunnel is our way back to England, I believe. Three cheers for the XC driver having route knowledge!

[SM42]

2 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Thankyou, Bill. People like you save lives. End of message!

 

Anyway, Good Morning from 1V48, 06.40 Newcastle to Plymouth. After a weekend in Crewe, including a marvellous evening at the Theatre Royal, Hanley, watching Sherry's granddaughter and many other youngsters dancing with English Youth Ballet's version of Sleeping Beauty, we are on our way home to Torquay. Sadly a tree has fallen on the line south of Cheltenham, so we are currently looking at the Severn Bridge! The Tunnel is our way back to England, I believe. Three cheers for the XC driver having route knowledge!

 

A rare treat indeed to have route knowledge via a diversionary route. 

 

Kingsbury, Whitacre, Water Orton can be a struggle so via ST is doing well. 

 

Andy

[Oldddudders]

1 minute ago, SM42 said:

 

A rare treat indeed to have route knowledge via a diversionary route.  

Indeed. ISTR reading that other TOCs are shedding alternative-route knowledge in a bid to cut costs - at Marsham Street's direction, no doubt. Covid really ruined the privatised railway model. 

[SM42]

25 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Indeed. ISTR reading that other TOCs are shedding alternative-route knowledge in a bid to cut costs - at Marsham Street's direction, no doubt. Covid really ruined the privatised railway model. 

 

It's not a post Covid thing. 

 

Andy

[SM42]

One of the advantages of the current windy weather is that after doing some woodwork outdoors, you don't have to sweep up the sawdust. 

 

Andy

[Hroth]

2 minutes ago, SM42 said:

One of the advantages of the current windy weather is that after doing some woodwork outdoors, you don't have to sweep up the sawdust. 

 

Andy

 

One of the problems with the current windy weather is that the "Dalek*" in the back garden goes walkabouts and has to be recaptured...

 

* An empty compost bin, unused because I don't compost anything!

 

[SM42]

Wheelie bins are currently a hazard to navigation. 

 

Andy

[petethemole]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Some dog walkers behave in just the same entitled way as some cyclists. The paths in our local nature reserve are clearly signed "dogs must be kept on a lead" (also "no cycling") but, setting aside the possibility of a high rate of illiteracy, it is evident that many of these people take it for granted that rules don't apply to them or their dogs. Would you offer employment to someone with such a mindset?

 

[In the interests of full disclosure, I'm a cat person not a dog person.]

There is a park near here, with a main tarmac path along it that is also part of a National Cycle Route, which I used to use as part of my cycle commute.  A gaggle of female dog walkers used to stand on it, some with dogs loose, some on leads.  I used to ride up to them, then pointedly swerve round them on the grass.  On day a loose dog started to jump up at me.  Being careful not to swear I shouted something like "Get down you stupid animal!", to which the owners reply was "He's not an animal, he's a dog."

[Compound2632]

28 minutes ago, petethemole said:

I shouted something like "Get down you stupid animal!", to which the owners reply was "He's not an animal, he's a dog."

 

The riposte that no doubt came to you as you cycled away was "I was not talking about the dog."

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, SM42 said:

One of the advantages of the current windy weather is that after doing some woodwork outdoors, you don't have to sweep up the sawdust. 

 

Andy

As I was doing this morning on our front lawn.

 

I have to admit that the major indulgence of the thicknessing machine I bought last year paid for itself this morning.

 

Taking 1/4" off the thickness of a 3/4" thick rough sawn board (1/8" each side) would have taken me a long time by hand with a jack plane.

 

Set the depth, power up and feed the boards through one after the other.  Then lower by 1/8" and repeat on the other side of the planks.

 

All four boards were done in less than three minutes.

 

They don't need any further finishing before painting as they are only going up as bigger. better barge boards on the new shed.

 

I have to say it was interesting to stand back and watch the wind redistribute the wood shavings as compost all over the lawn.

 

I've packed up for the day, as the sunny, but windy morning, has degenerated into a very windy  and wet afternoon with rain squalls interspersed with bouts of hail.

Edited April 15 by Happy Hippo

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

This is what happens when you allow planners and designers to work from home with no requirement to attend site meetings!

Slight flaw in that proposal. It would also require them to look up from there tablet/laptop/bunch of papers - take your pick.

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

The chap across the road from Hunt Towers applied for planning permission to have a house built in his garden and to have an access driveway alongside. I had no problem with the house but the drive opened onto the road at the inside of the apex of a bend and I considered it dangerous, suggesting that a shared driveway would be safer. I went and stood where the proposed driveway would exit onto the road and timed how long it took from first seeing a car coming down the road to it being at the proposed exit point. The answer was two seconds compared with five seconds for the existing drive. I wrote to the planners with my findings and received a reply stating that the plan had been examined by the highways department and declared safe . Guess what happened within a few months of the house and drive being built?

 

Dave

He got run over as he was standing in the middle of road backing someone off his driveway confident in the knowledge that he had two seconds to run back to the pavement before he was hit by the car.

[jamie92208]

5 hours ago, skipepsi said:

I found cycling from Headingly in Leeds down to Gildersome each morning that wearing a black motorcycle jacket and steel toe capped work boots made me much easier to see, and also given a much greater clearance by passing vehicles. I don't recollect any cycle lanes at the time (1982) but I have forgotten a lot of things.

You must have kept fit doing that route with a long climb in each direction. In 82 I was pedalling a heavy pushrod round Drighlington  Gildersome and  into Morley each day as their caring community Constable. I could eat as much as I wanted and not put weight on as well as being able to sneak up on scrotes driving whilst disqualified in a certain estate.  Happy days.  As to cycle tracks there weren't many in the noughties. The longest was down Stanningley Road but that was too dangerous to use due to rubbish.  I used to annoy taxi drivers who parked in the cycle zone at traffic lights by getting in front of them at about 60 degrees. Most other car drivers observed the signs. 

 

Jamie

Edited April 15 by jamie92208

[Dave Hunt]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

 

I'm guessing the Neighbour didn't go for the shared drive option because they are a potential PITA and cause of arguments - this can put buyers off.

 

 

I bet he was wishing that it was a shared drive when the front of his shiny new Lexus was remodelled by a Transit van coming round the corner.

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

2 hours ago, SM42 said:

Wheelie bins are currently a hazard to navigation. 

 

The wheeliebins hereabouts are collected tomorrow and since the lorry is here about 0700 most folk will be putting them out tonight. if the wind keeps up it should be carnage by morning.

 

Dave

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

Slight flaw in that proposal. It would also require them to look up from their tablet/laptop/bunch of papers Viz - take your pick.

 

There - corrected it for you.....

 

20 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

I bet he was wishing that it was a shared drive when the front of his shiny new Lexus was remodelled by a Transit van coming round the corner.

 

Dave

 

Plus it was his fault......🤣

[Dave Hunt]

The large parasol in our front garden has been blown onto the hedge. We don't actually own a large parasol though.......

 

it's really quite windy.

 

Dave 

[Hroth]

18 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

The wheeliebins hereabouts are collected tomorrow and since the lorry is here about 0700 most folk will be putting them out tonight. if the wind keeps up it should be carnage by morning.

 

Dave

 

Our Wheelie Day is Thursday and the binnies can turn up at any time between 7am and 4pm so the appropriate bins go out on Wednesday evening. As its general waste (ie landfill) this week, it would be helpful if the wind had moderated by Wednesday afternoon!

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

The large parasol in our front garden has been blown onto the hedge. We don't actually own a large parasol though....

 

You do now.....

[Happy Hippo]

A few weeks back we were telling our friends who live just up the road, how disappointed our younger nephew George was, when he couldn't get over to see Wales V Georgia in the RWC match at Nantes last year. All he got was the match programme that his parents bought for him.

 

George is sports mad, and is a natural at just about any game he plays.

 

On hearing this, friend Barbara asked us for the programme, which we duly got back from S Wales.

 

Her son is the head coach of Saracens, and we now have the programme back, signed by Nick Tompkins who played in the match.

 

However, Nick also took the time to record a personal Whatsapp message for George, and said he hoped to see him in Rome next year!

 

How's that for being nice?

 

As you can imagine, George's 'street cred' has just gone through the roof🤣

 

George and the rest of the family are coming to Italy with us for next year's 6 Nations Rugby match:  We already have the accommodation booked and now await the release of tickets.

 

br2975 might not be so enamoured with my nephew, as George has a season ticket for..........

 

Swansea City

 

 

 

 

 

[SM42]

We're on recycling week. 

 

They can't take broken glass.  The sorting machine doesn't like it.

 

So what do they do with the bottles. 

 

Tip em in the back and compact it with all the other paper, metal l and plastic.

 

Andy

[polybear]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

On a lot of cars white is now a 'premium' colour. It became very popular, and as it did so the manufacturers did the honourable thing and made it expensive. I've had a couple of white cars and like it as a colour (though it depends on model, like any colour).

 

Charging extra for basic colours is just takin' the p*ss, though I'll cut them a little bit of slack (not much) for those colours such as metallics that need clear lacquer over the top.

 

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

12 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Agreed - there's one such lane over the top of a certain Bridge a few hundred yards away from the Hospice Warehouse; it was installed at great expense and has reduced the lanes going into town from two to one (it was effectively a dual carriageway).  There's a "central reservation" and a very high kerb separating the cycle lane from the traffic lane.  Oh yes, and half-way up the bridge there's......a Bus Stop.....

Result?  When the bus stops, everything stops....except those on the fuggin' cycleway....

And how many has Bear - or any of the Hospice Drivers seen on this Cycleway?  Diddlysquat.

Yep, Rant.

 

 

In the name of infrastructure spending the Govt here is currently knocking up  a new international airport west of Sydney, plus the necessary motorways and metro train lines to service it.

 

 

To get to work and back I drive along one of the  upgraded roads which now  has a detached cycleway along its entire length, but still cyclists prefer to ride on the hard shoulder. This doesnt really worry me or whatever, except that my radar cruise control will occasionally pick up some stray cyclists on the side of the road and  jam on the brakes for me because it assumes I am about to run into them. . Luckily the cars behind me always see the funny side of this and respond with a happy little beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep on the car horn as they swerve and sail past me, 2 fingers raised in a friendly manner. 

[Compound2632]

I've just been asked if I'm going to be ready to eat in 15 minutes.