Early Risers.

[Shedman5]

Morning, Dry and sunny. Busy weekend so going to have an easy day today.

 

Pub for seniors methinks

 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all.  Question-when you are approaching road works etc where two lanes merge into one do you:

 

1) Use both lane right up to where the lanes merge and then "merge in turn" or

 

2) Get into lane 1 as soon as you see the sign and use your lorry to block lane 2 so the impatient bu99ers can't overtake?

 

Ed

I check my mirrors and use my indicators, if some idiot tries to race pass me I will block him if it is safe to do so.  On one occasion I let one through and took great pleasure in seeing the speed camera flash.

[Oldddudders]

Morning all

Interesting, that would have featured the Battle of Hastings class I presume!?!?!?!?

Yes, but of course until 1066 they were simply known as the Senlac Class. With wheels by Hengist Pod, perhaps.

 

Nice weather recently - 15 on my shaded terrasse at 1400 GMT yesterday - has now been replaced by drizzle and gloom. Still fairly mild, though.

 

I need to attend the horses' Winter quarters to get the fencing restored, and then sweet-talk Richard into doing the delivery with his 4 x 4 and trailer. I always offer to pay - but am always turned down.

 

Hope your week goes well.

[beast66606]

Morning all.  Question-when you are approaching road works etc where two lanes merge into one do you:

 

1) Use both lane right up to where the lanes merge and then "merge in turn" or

 

2) Get into lane 1 as soon as you see the sign and use your lorry to block lane 2 so the impatient bu99ers can't overtake?

 

Ed

 

Personally I like to scream up the outside to the very end, demolish a load of cones and force my way into the smallest gap possible.

(not)

 

Glad I don't have that on my commute anymore. I get out of bed and walk downstairs, no roadworks in the hall so it's a clear run to the office.

 

The answer should be 1 - but get people to behave sensibly on the road ? no chance.

[shortliner]

According to the Food Programmme on Radio4 yesterday - the tradition of exotic Middle Eastern food and fruits - oranges, dates, figs, etc is a hold-over from the Middle Ages, and banqueting, where foodstuff from that area was imported and consumed, at least in part because there was little fresh available in Northern climes in Mid-winter. Some interesting items about making chutneys, etc from Persia, Lebanon, etc.

Edited November 24, 2014 by shortliner

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Sunny here.

Just a few local errands to do today.

Matthew told me he had spent much of the weekend doing practice tests for the numerical reasoning test he is doing for a potential employer.

His application to the Civil Service has got as far as an interview in February though he has an "orientation meeting" next week.

Matthew told me that one of the students on his course had flown out to Boston (the US city not the Lincolnshire one) arriving on Saturday for a job interview and was back the next day.

Tony

[Jock67B]

Morning all,

Sunny and just above freezing here this morning. Busy day ahead - Library, Tesco, Freddie to nursery then cook lamb with all the trimmings as grandson and partner have decided to help us strip the back bedroom of wallpaper if we do dinner! Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Strange how those tawdry Christmas gifts have a familiar purple background and script not unlike that of Cadbury's - as Private Eye' would say, 'must be some co-incidence surely'! Although far from a Christian, I've banged on (So I'm told) about the commercialism of the festive season for years so won't get on my soap box now. Seems to be rubbing off on Joanna though, as she has warned everyone that, starting this year, she won't be sending cards but giving a donation to Cancer research instead! (That is above the two standing orders we currently have!).

Sherry, remember not to go too close to the edge!

Stewart, please be cheeky and get someone at the coal suppliers to load the coal for you, and 30747 to help unload, or a handy neighbour if you have one like we do! Got the t-shirt!!

Ian, that Richard sounds like a real friend - any news on repairs to his lovely chateau lately?

Hope to post later but I can't be sure with the day we have planned,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[beast66606]

57009 and 57012 on the RHTT at Clacton today Jock.

[AndyB]

Morning all, and a frosty one it is too. I think we're a way away from the photos that DaveF has been showing of Laindon in the snow. But they certainly brought back memories. If only some of those non-Southern EMUs would appear in N gauge.... sigh.

 

Smiffy2 and myself clearly had the same culinary turn of mind yesterday. 

For me it was roast chicken with tarragon, potato dauphinoise and curly kale with ginger and garlic. 

Flavour is, generally, avoided by swmbo and the littleuns.     But from time to time I like to cook something that is  a bit more ambitious than the typical fayre they seem to crave. 

The in-laws are visiting in a couple of weeks time and it may be an opportunity to introduce flavour once again into the food. I'm thinking chicken liver parfait, duck confit... 

 

Whilst ferrying the family around over the weekend I was listening to local radio and heard this gentleman being interviewed. A railwayman who was based in Ian's (OD) neck of the woods and who has a 3rd book of his memoirs out. May appeal to some of you. 

 

Tony, it's worth mentioning to Matthew that the civil service can be somewhat partial in their interviews. You can do extremely well in their tests and answer all their interview questions impeccably but find that they don't blush when they offer you feedback saying "He's just the right person for us with brilliant qualifications and great test results but...we suspect he hasn't got the right qualifications etc." The questions you answer are only those thought up by the civil servants in front of you. 

My advice is to for Matthew to have some questions ready that will really demonstrate why he is head and shoulders above all the other candidates. The interview questions and his responses, no matter how good, may not achieve this on their own.  

 

And lastly thanks to one of our fellow ERers who, in paying tribute to Don last week, has given me the motivation to do something I'd been thinking of for some time. More details to follow. I mention this only to let you know that whilst losing Don was a huge sadness for all of us, inadvertently, his good works continue.   

[The Lurker]

Morning all, slowly been catching up on the weekend's ERs while trying to do a bit of work!

 

The sky is blue with some white clous here at Borough Market Junction. This morning was very frosty and the contrails heading south east were lit pink by the rising sun. I counted nine (including two where the younger Lurker and I could see the plane itself).

 

The weekend was relatively quiet, I spent a wet afternoon doing the first major leaf collection of the year - about 6 weeks later than normal, so mild has it been. I'm glad we had the trees cut and shaped in the spring as the copper maple is totally done. The ornamental cherry has started to drop and following yesterday's heavy rain and the frost, that side of the garden looks like I hadn't bothered!

 

Younger Lurker went to a birthday party yesterday which he enjoyed, and I used the time to catch up on some of the sport!

 

We were pleased to hear from his teacher that he'd put himself up for an audition for the school Christmas play - given his struggles with social situations, we were pleased but expected that they had not given him a part. Cue him coming home on Friday with lines to learn! We're really proud of him. He seems to be coping much better with the change of routine that Christmas brings to school life this year; last year he coped at school but let it all out at home. Told the elder Lurker about the FiL on Friday - more in the context of we might not have them to stay at Christmas as was planned - he seemed OK about it but he's quite a thinker.

 

Beast, we sang a version of Jingle Bells including Batman smells etc - but the Mrs sang a slightly different and ruder version when she was a child. But then there were quite a few carols too with different words. Sometimes its easier to remember the wrong words, especially for We Three Kings!

[Robert]

I agree that the "Christmas Bums" are a little tasteless - but not as tasteless as some of the Christmas and Birthday cards that have appeared in recent years.

 

Having said that, I found this YouTube video from a few years ago somewhat humourous.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIWHWjddGsQ

 

Beast, we sang a version of Jingle Bells including Batman smells etc - but the Mrs sang a slightly different and ruder version when she was a child. But then there were quite a few carols too with different words. Sometimes its easier to remember the wrong words, especially for We Three Kings!

Hark! The daily Angels sing

Beecham's Pills are just the thing

They are gentle, they are mild

Two for a man, and one for a child

 

If you want to go to Heaven,

You should take a dose of Seven!

If you want to go to... Hell

Take the ruddy box as well!

 

(No disrespect intended - This comes from a Church goer who also has the ability to laugh at himself!)

Edited November 24, 2014 by Robert

[PhilJ W]

I agree that the "Christmas Bums" are a little tasteless - but not as tasteless as some of the Christmas and Birthday cards that have appeared in recent years.

 

Having said that, I found this YouTube video from a few years ago somewhat humourous.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIWHWjddGsQ

Who'd be Santa with that lot in front of you.

[lightengine]

Interesting, that would have featured the Battle of Hastings class I presume!?!?!?!?

Yes. Hourly trains stopped at Battle

[lightengine]

The daily Angels singBeecham's Pills are just the thingThey are gentle, they are mildTwo for a man, and one for a childIf you want to go to Heaven,You should take a dose of Seven!If you want to go to... HellTake the ruddy box as well!(No disrespect intended - This comes from a Church goer who also has the ability to laugh at himself!)

 

You tube the Barron Knights for the carols.

[Happy Hippo]

Morning all.  Question-when you are approaching road works etc where two lanes merge into one do you:

 

1) Use both lane right up to where the lanes merge and then "merge in turn" or

 

2) Get into lane 1 as soon as you see the sign and use your lorry to block lane 2 so the impatient bu99ers can't overtake?

 

Ed

On the A4 on the western approach to Reading there is a sign that states 'Use both lanes and merge in turn'

 

Amazingly that's what happens whenever I've been driving through there.

[NGT6 1315]

The answer should be 1 - but get people to behave sensibly on the road ? no chance.

Too true. Proof this morning was the big limousine which in a traffic jam pulled out to speed past the column on the paved-in but grade separated tram track (as in, off limits for everything except emergency response vehicles) to beat the rest to the next intersection. Only to find out the jam was so bad he couldn't merge in and thus blocked both the roadway and tram.

 

Baggerwank.

[bluebottle]

Even "Oor Wullie" in "The Sunday Post" was quite irreverent when it came to carol singing:

 

"Good King Wenceslas looked oot,

Frae his bedroom windae.

Saw us standin' roond aboot,

kickin' up a shindy." 

 

[NGT6 1315]

Yes. Hourly trains stopped at Battle

Oh yes, battles sure cause severe delays

[bbishop]

Early finish to my shift with a bloody Hi-Viz jacket; now in the wash.

 

Bill

[DDolfelin]

Early finish to my shift with a bloody Hi-Viz jacket; now in the wash.

 

Bill

 

Perhaps wash the jacket, too.

It helps with visibility.

[Two_sugars]

"Good King Wenceslas looked out,

Frae his bedroom window.

Silly bu99er he fell out

on a red hot cinder.

Brightly shone his 4rse that night,

though the frost was cruel,

When the doctortor came in sight,

Riding on a mu-oo-ell

[Shedman5]

Think I might print this off and leave it lying about lol! but then maybe not!

 

 

A woman who spent two nights in police cells for "biffing" her husband with a magazine in a row over the remote control has described her treatment as "surreal".

Irene Clark, 65, was taken into custody following an argument with her husband, James over which TV programme to watch.

The couple from Tayport, Fife were overheard by a neighbour, who called the police.

Four officers arrived to find Mrs Clark in her dressing gown, getting ready for bed.

She was arrested, handcuffed and driven away in a police van while paramedics were called to examine Mr Clark, who had suffered nothing more than a paper cut.

 

Because the incident happened the night before a court holiday, Mrs Clark spent two nights in custody.

She said: "We were watching TV on the Sunday and James wanted to see some plane programme and I wanted to watch Foyle's War. We were arguing over what to watch.

"There was a Sunday magazine lying on the edge of the chair and it was like a swipe on the top of the head. It was open, it wasn't even folded."

Mrs Clark, who has no previous convictions was preparing to go to bed when the officers arrived.

She said: "It was about half nine and I was in my dressing gown. The next thing we heard was bang, bang, bang at the door.

"They came barging in, there were four of them. Two took James away to a bedroom and two came in with me to the living room. The policewoman said they'd had a report of a domestic incident.

"I said yes, we had an argument and I slapped him with a paper. She said, we'll have to take you in now.

"It was surreal, I was taken into the street and put in the van and I thought "Is this really happening to me?""

Mr Clark, 52, said: "It was like what a schoolteacher used to do to me in the maths class. We had settled down to watch the TV after the matter had been resolved. It was nothing untoward, but the police intervened.

"All I had on my forehead was a mark like I'd scratched a pimple. It was a paper cut.

"They sent for paramedics for me and my wife was apprehended and handcuffed. It was a total overreaction."

After a night in the cells in Cupar, Mrs Clark was taken to Dunfermline and did not appear in court until Tuesday afternoon.

Mrs Clark said: "I was put in a cell with just a blanket and lunatics shouting and screaming next door.

"You have no perception of time, it felt like forever. I was taken to Dundee on the Tuesday because it was a holiday on the Monday.

"I had to wait in the cells there with drug addicts and didn't get out until 6pm."

Meanwhile, her husband was growing increasingly worried.

Mr Clark said: "I was thinking, what the heck is going on? I was very concerned for her. I phoned up continuously. I did not consider myself being a victim for getting biffed over the head with a magazine after an argument over a TV programme."

Last week Mrs Clark was admonished at Dundee Sheriff Court after admitting striking her husband with the magazine to his injury on July 20.

Her solicitor William Boyle said: "Either the law or those applying the law have gone mad."

He added: "I have defended women from domestic violence for 40 years. It is an appalling crime.

"But either the law or those applying the law have gone mad. It's like Alice in Wonderland and this politically-correct madness must stop."

A Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesman said: "Domestic abuse is never trivial and our prosecutors take it extremely seriously – there is simply no place for it and no excuse for it."

[martin_wynne]

Just received this important email:

 

"Dear Recipients, The King of Thailand has been dead since about the end of 2008. The current King of Thailand is a fake one."

 

If you are approached by the King of Thailand in the street, be warned.

 

Martin.

[edcayton]

Early finish to my shift with a bloody Hi-Viz jacket; now in the wash.

 

Bill

 

What about the f*****g shirt?

 

Ed

[skipepsi]

Afternoon all, bright and sunny out and about 9 degrees now. There was ice on the windscreen this morning and of course I couldn't find the deicer anywhere despite having cans of the stuff. Hope everyone has a good week.