Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

It's Friday so you can guess where we are heading although we don't know if it will be here or Reading as it all depends on the half-term effect' in the car park.

 

And just to help Don in SA with the temperature here are some nice cold looking Trolls taken a week ago today as we journeyed south - they are even south of 66.33 North.  At a later stage - yes, there is more to come - in the illustrated tales of our trip to the north there will be a full story about some of the Trolls and the part these ladies (they are of a family of seven Troll sisters turned to stone) play in one of the ancient sagas.

 

BTW I was out on the after deck - in shirt sleeves - when I took this pic, and it was *%%@n cold

 

 

 

[NGT6 1315]

Fenced Loco:

 

[trisonic]

Yee Haw! 24C by Sunday = Pete's a happy camper..............er, not literally, can't think of anything worse off the top of my head,

 

Best, Pete.

[Tony_S]

Yee Haw! 24C by Sunday = Pete's a happy camper..............er, not literally, can't think of anything worse off the top of my head,

 

Best, Pete.

We had a few camping holidays many years ago after my mother convinced Aditi it would be fun. The first summer we went to Wales and it rained. The next time we went to Scotland and it was cold and rainy. I kept the tent and other equipment in case Matthew wanted it but from the look on his face when he describes all the hiking activities his fellow geographers partake in, I think the tent could safely go on eBay.

[New Haven Neil]

Lunchtime.  11c but feels warmer, the sun is working.

 

trains running - boil-y water type.

[Oldddudders]

Well, the fence went up really quite easily, thanks to Sheena holding things in place while I hammered funny long nails with a deliberate twist in them, and the dobbins are now properly secured after all these years. Murphy's Law says Varian, now 33, will drop dead within a week.

 

Took the Skoda in to the garage, and the nice man took it for a spin round the village, shook the front wheels and says I need new tyres and a gizmo in the steering, which I knew had been marginal when it went for its MOT last November. Will be done Wednesday. Potential purchaser Richard should be with me at dinner Chez Peter & Ivy tonight, so I can acquaint him with progress. Knowing my luck - and dilatory attitude to getting things done - he'll have bought something else for his daughter by now! Another diner tonight is widow June, and I bumped into her in Super U. Having been bereaved at about the same time I lost Deb, she has coped with her loss rather less well than I feel I have.

 

Alison has put me in touch with an English tree-surgeon, who might be interested in lopping the top off my over-height willow. He lives in the Orne, about an hour away. At least I'd be able to talk turkey on the detail of what needs to be done.

[southern42]

Really, really sunny week for me, even the sun shone. :sungum:

 

After a long wait to see if it would be available again, Bittern from the Great Goodbye was pre-ordered but with certain messages coming out from Hornby and sob and rant stories from those let down by non-availability issues or damaged items, I was on tenterhooks right through the process of the Wait-for-the-Dispatched-email to Arrival-in-the-post.  I hadn't realised I had the model railway bug that bad.  C'mon, get a grip, girl...you're not a 10 year old.     Just checking. 

 

Polly

[Ian Abel]

Right then, Friday it is

We're at 7 now overcast and some rain showers likely, not going to match Pete this weekend, but will be about 20 today and tomorrow, then, -2 or -3 overnight Sunday <bah humbug>

 

Hoping for some modelling time this weekend, BUT, have to deal with taxes first - what a pain probably take most of tomorrow to wrestle with that mess...

 

Good news yesterday, daughter passed her ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) written exam, getting ever closer to an airline position.

 

Plenty of birds appearing now, the tress are all sprouting buds and the grass is...WAIT FOR IT...showing signs of actually being GREEN, bloody hell, it really IS SPRING!!

 

Lastly, fervently watching for the postman, as the tracking details show "Winston Churchill" has left the Minneapolis sorting office - with LUCK that means it's on the truck to be delivered today  of course that means I'm slightly buggered as I won't get the decoder until Monday, I hadn't expected quite such a fast shipment/delivery time.

 

Have a great Friday evening and make some sensible plans for weekend modelling, feign injury or worse if being scheduled for other ###### chores non-modelling duties.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Ian Abel

[Motters]

 

Took the Skoda in to the garage...

 

If you put petrol into it you've doubled its value!!

 

Motters

[Ian Hargrave]

Really, really sunny week for me, even the sun shone. :sungum:

 

After a long wait to see if it would be available again, Bittern from the Great Goodbye was pre-ordered but with certain messages coming out from Hornby and sob and rant stories from those let down by non-availability issues or damaged items, I was on tenterhooks right through the process of the Wait-for-the-Dispatched-email to Arrival-in-the-post.  I hadn't realised I had the model railway bug that bad.  C'mon, get a grip, girl...you're not a 10 year old.     Just checking. 

 

Polly

Look on Kernow's website. All G.G.'s on at £169.99 now.

[skipepsi]

 

 

If you put petrol into it you've doubled its value!!

 

Motters

Used to be true when I owned a Skoda but not anymore.

[skipepsi]

Well, the fence went up really quite easily, thanks to Sheena holding things in place while I hammered funny long nails with a deliberate twist in them, and the dobbins are now properly secured after all these years. Murphy's Law says Varian, now 33, will drop dead within a week.

 

Took the Skoda in to the garage, and the nice man took it for a spin round the village, shook the front wheels and says I need new tyres and a gizmo in the steering, which I knew had been marginal when it went for its MOT last November. Will be done Wednesday. Potential purchaser Richard should be with me at dinner Chez Peter & Ivy tonight, so I can acquaint him with progress. Knowing my luck - and dilatory attitude to getting things done - he'll have bought something else for his daughter by now! Another diner tonight is widow June, and I bumped into her in Super U. Having been bereaved at about the same time I lost Deb, she has coped with her loss rather less well than I feel I have.

 

Alison has put me in touch with an English tree-surgeon, who might be interested in lopping the top off my over-height willow. He lives in the Orne, about an hour away. At least I'd be able to talk turkey on the detail of what needs to be done.

Hamster died one day after chewy bars were bought for it. Finch day after new packet of sand sheets for the bottom of the cage.... Wonder why Mrs B wants to buy me new slippers?

[New Haven Neil]

oooh 15c now, today has become the Manx summer!

[laurenceb]

Really, really sunny week for me, even the sun shone. :sungum:

 

After a long wait to see if it would be available again, Bittern from the Great Goodbye was pre-ordered but with certain messages coming out from Hornby and sob and rant stories from those let down by non-availability issues or damaged items, I was on tenterhooks right through the process of the Wait-for-the-Dispatched-email to Arrival-in-the-post.  I hadn't realised I had the model railway bug that bad.  C'mon, get a grip, girl...you're not a 10 year old.     Just checking. 

 

Polly

Just goes to prove that the model railway virus is just as effective on the female of the spesies.

Laurence

[Barry O]

so I had my eye scan - the eye drops are evil! Eyes now almost returned to normal (but at least i didn't have to do any more painting and decorating.

 

Awaiting arrival of youngest herbert who has announced he is moving back in.........only if he pays....

[Ian Abel]

Latest scores - Postman 1 Winston Churchill 0  hopefully tomorrow <sigh>

[pH]

I get those because for the second time I bought a pukka pair from the opticians for £95, had them for a week then trod on them and completely mullered them.

 

 

Put them on one of those cords round your neck, Phil. Not the greatest of fashion statements, but it keeps them away from feet - plus you always know where they are.

[New Haven Neil]

This morning was the first train of the year on the Leodest & Larivane - the 'Secateur Special'.

 

No. 10 moving off shed first thing.

 

 

We didn't get far - fallen flower on the line.  And Captain Kernow thinks he's got problems.....

 

 

Finally past, having trimmed an evil spiky bush too, now at the top of the bank at Windy Curve.

 

[trisonic]

We had a few camping holidays many years ago after my mother convinced Aditi it would be fun. The first summer we went to Wales and it rained. The next time we went to Scotland and it was cold and rainy. I kept the tent and other equipment in case Matthew wanted it but from the look on his face when he describes all the hiking activities his fellow geographers partake in, I think the tent could safely go on eBay.

I went camping to the Isle of Wight with the school when I was ten. Camp  was run by former military type complete with Bell Tents which seemed to date from the Boer War but were pure white and in very good nick.

Anyone familiar with these tents know you must exit through the flap but over the lower section. This I did in the middle of the night to stick my foot and lower leg completely in a bucket of urine**. Trying to crap balanced on a half plank over ditch was the final straw..... 'course I'm talking real camping here where men are menzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Frankly I always preferred being alone and sleeping under the sky sans tent.

 

Best, Pete.

 

**When I bitched to my Mother upon return, she said: "It's good for your feet...." She was right; now I need Urea based creme to keep my keloid scar tissue in check (see posts passim).

Edited April 11, 2014 by trisonic

[New Haven Neil]

More flora in the three foot....

 

 

Well seeing it has been a while since trains ran!

 

 

Finally made a full circuit of the line!

 

[New Haven Neil]

It's not fair to use little Doona on heavy ballast trains, she is rather light of foot, so the shedmaster had his favourite Fowler steamed, and she rose to the occasion.

 

[New Haven Neil]

Nevertheless,  all the heavy trains took their toll, and she ran out of coal! Well, gas anyway.  Lets not let reality intrude on my ramblings. 

 

So, 'Hibernia' came out of, er, hibernation to come to the rescue.  This is one powerful loco.  Then back to the ballast after rescuing Hermione Prumble, altogether 10 trains full were distributed.

 

 

 

 

[Ian Abel]

When I "were but a wee lad" we managed a couple of nightmares camping holidays at West Wittering... my memories consist of being cold and wet most of the time, and enduring sleeping in a very small tent, awaking too early, buggering about waiting in line for the loo, watching dad play with a primus stove to manage to cook anything and/or heat water for pots of tea and spending hours hoping for some sun to appear <sigh>.

 

Suffice to say, my current interpretation of "camping" would be a cheap motel, and I never frequent those...

[New Haven Neil]

Finally, an empty stock train was run to get the spiders out of the coaches, ready for Easter specials.  Little 'Doona' again came off shed to do the necessary.

 

 

Enjoyed myself?  You bet!!

 

That's all folks!

[Ian Abel]

Neil, I love all the shots fo the trains, looks amazing and so much fun - BUT, I was also impressed by all the GREEN and FLOWERING STUFF!!! It does really exist then???