Early Risers.

[edcayton]

I think John that's because of one of the few remaining Sunday trading laws that restrict stores over (I think) 3000 sq. feet to 1pm start for actual sales.  It's one of the reasons that Tesco et al are switching to  'local' stores, just below that size (probably, knowing Tesco, about 4 sq. mm below!)  The poor devils who work in our local Co-op on Sundays have to cover 7am to 11pm.

 

I think the deal is six hours for the larger stores on Sunday.  We have two big Tesco's-one does 10-4 and the other, very cleverly, 12-6.  Many times I have forgotten and gone to the latter before mid-day and had to drive to t'other, but it's good when you remember what you need at 5 though. We also have two baby Tesco's that open til 10 or 11.

 

Ed

[BoD]

Keep an Acme Thunderer by the phone.

 

If its got a pea you can sound like a modem and reaaalllyy screw up the computer at the other end.

[gordon s]

Glad to see you are all in good form.  Hope it went well for Don this afternoon.  My thoughts were with him and his family and friends.

 

Just back from three days in Venice.  Wonderful place with no cars and no bikes, so the only option is water bus/taxi or walk.  We took the last option and walked every day for several miles. With so many narrow streets and alleyways it was a little like two humans in one gigantic maze but after three days it all made sense.  Great weather, bright and sunny and the local fare was fine. Really pleasant to go in November with few people and no queues.  Stayed in a great hotel that I would recommend to anyone.

 

'Happy hour' from 6.30-8.00 each evening meant a glass of decent Italian wine for only €3 and a bar full of free buffet food.  Very impressed indeed...

 

It certainly lived up to its Trip Advisor reviews.  Wonderful staff and well equipped.  Once you got the hang of the route it was just a very pleasant 20 minute walk to St Marks Square. but easy to access from the airport/railway station.

 

http://www.hotelmorescovenice.com/en/

Edited November 26, 2014 by gordon s

[Oldddudders]

If its got a pea you can sound like a modem and reaaalllyy screw up the computer at the other end.

That reminds me that back in the '70s, when ringing-bell telephones began to be replaced by Trimphones, there was somewhere that offered evening classes in how to sound like a Trimphone! One of civilisations greater accomplishments, surely?

[AndyB]

Well, as we we're talking about shopping I've just received a marketing email from a pensioner  who runs her own gift shop. 

From the email title line I'm guessing she's either not overly used to Outlook Express, or she very much is. 

 

 

 

Lord, I am a loyal, but weak, subject. Grant me the strength not to put this on facebook. 

Edited November 26, 2014 by AndyB

[colin penfold]

I once stayed in a hotel in Cyprus where they had a parrot which could do a very precise impersonation of the reception telephone, had the receptionist running about like an idiot.

[The Stationmaster]

That reminds me that back in the '70s, when ringing-bell telephones began to be replaced by Trimphones, there was somewhere that offered evening classes in how to sound like a Trimphone! One of civilisations greater accomplishments, surely?

We used to have a blackbird in our vicinity who did an excellent imitation of a trimphone.

[travelintrev]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! 

 

I am not a happy bunny!   I planning to spend Christmas with my GF  near San Diego(California)  this year.   Found a reasonable flight that didn't go round the houses.... here - LHR - San ...for just over 2800USD last week .....goes to see the guy in our HR department to get him to book it. (I allways have to pay difference to flights any were other than my "home".  By Monday the flight had gone to 3351 USD,  now as I've had the three flights back to UK this year I've got to pay for this one, so gave him the cash (mix of US & local mony)  ---- on top of all that due to falling oil prices the govt here has devalued the currency against the  USD - and the flight gone up another 100$, and he still hasn't got the ticket!    

 

This must be the only country in the world (7th largest oil reserves) were a fall in oil price is now going to put price of petrol (gasoline) up in the new year! 

 

Rant over - now to see if I can find some more scans to put up.

 

Trev,

[Danemouth]

Keep an Acme Thunderer by the phone.

 

Back in the mid fifties I had a spinster Aunt, a school teacher, was was troubled by calls from a heavy breather who said nothing! On the advice of a police officer she knew she kept her teacher's whistle by the phone. Next time the breather rang he got a long blast from said whistle - the result was my aunt could hear the handset banging against the side of the phone-box where it had been dropped. Never had any more trouble.

 

Doubtless these days the perpetrator would have complained to the police and would be seeking compensation for distress or whatever.

 

Dave

[Purley Oaks]

Over the border, in 'The North', ASDA advertise as being open 24 hours. What they don't say is 'except Sundays when we don't open till 1.00 pm'. I've never been over there in the middle of the night to see what time this closure commences, presumably midnight on Saturday. In fairness, the doors  open at 12.30, unfortunately the tills don't open until 1.00. Bit of a bu**er if you've just nipped in for a packet of fags!

 

John

Over the other border to Scotland, shops are not allowed to sell booze until 10am - could be worse, I suppose, used to be midday on Sundays...

Mal

[45156]

Evening All

 

Over an hour to catch up - not a great deal to report, but at the relevant hour, I had a quiet moment in Don's honour.

 

Generic greetings etc is the best I can do, as I did have to sepnd quite a lot of time in town today, as I managed to book my diabetic review too early, then was stuck hanging around until my stained glass class - and I managed to finish my project, but now I'm cream crackered and Lily still needs her evening consitutional.

 

Oh yes. and Jock of Hurlford, thanks for the reminder of the Fowler 2P which was the mainstay of branch passenger work in Ayrshire for many years - I have the Hornby model of 40663, which was withdrawn from Kittybrewster, but I think it was a Hurlford loco many, many years ago.  My main memory is of 40662 which was a frequent perfomer on the Darvel branch.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited November 26, 2014 by 45156

[Happy Hippo]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! 

 

 

Rant over - now to see if I can find some more scans to put up.

 

Trev,

Trev,

 

I read this without my reading glasses on, and thought it said Scams!

 

If I'd known it was you that wanted to make me a multi millionaire I'd have replied pdq!

 

Sorry

[Happy Hippo]

Over the other border to Scotland, shops are not allowed to sell booze until 10am - could be worse, I suppose, used to be midday on Sundays...

Mal

In the good old days of Welsh chapel influence, the only place to get a drink on a Sunday in N Wales, was in the Ffesteringnog railway buffet car.

 

 

 

Edit for spelling

Edited November 26, 2014 by Happy Hippo

[Danemouth]

In the good old days of Welsh chapel influence, the only place to get a drink on a Sunday in N Wales, was in the Ffesteringnog railway buffet car.

 

 

 

Edit for spelling

At one time in Cardiff the only places where you could get a drink on a Sunday was in a club - pubs did not open at all. Changed in the mid/late 60's IIRC

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

At one time in Cardiff the only places where you could get a drink on a Sunday was in a club - pubs did not open at all. Changed in the mid/late 60's IIRC

 

Dave

And quite right too!

 

We have to remember how pious us Welsh folk are!

 

We pray on our knees all Sunday.............................and on our neighbours for the rest of the week.

[Shedman5]

Evening, Lots to catch up on, have spent today filing and getting rid of crap that I have accumulated over the years on the pc. To my horror found some work related stuff from 5 years ago, that was quickly deleted!

 

In this general clean up I came across loads of photos that I forgot I had, and decided that I would change my usual tennis pic for my avatar and insert a different one. So many to choose from but I went with this one,Its quite a well known photo historically apparently.. as a clue it comes from across the pond and the home of Mowtown.

 

Had a quiet moments thought  about Don this morning, otherwise a productive day with loads put into folders etc, which will know doubt help me find stuff in the future, at least I hope so!

 

Alan

[New Haven Neil]

Good evening,  a little more to talk about now!

 

Got some rolling road roller assemblies today, I need to make some kind of a stand now.  I am thinking along the lines of setting up some DCC programming in the house (warm....) as opposed to going down to the garage (cold) where the layout is to fiddle on with CV's and setting up decoders.  Attempts to get planning permission for a shunting plank indoors flatly refused.  To be fair chateau NHN is rather bijou.

[Killybegs]

Unfortunately our local model shop is now only open Thursday-Saturday 9-5.30 ish as th proprietor is in "semi-retirement". You have to assume it's worth his while.

 

Ed

Nice to have a local model shop!

[travelintrev]

Was passed by this motor cycle today - refugee from fraggel Rock Neil?  - weaving in and out of Lagos traffic. 

 

My bed calling (time to chat to the security services) sleep tight. 

 

Mind the bugs dont bite, 

 

Trev. 

[New Haven Neil]

Must be one of the TT Zero electric bikes!

[jamie92208]

At one time in Cardiff the only places where you could get a drink on a Sunday was in a club - pubs did not open at all. Changed in the mid/late 60's IIRC

 

Dave

On the subject of drinking hours does anyone remember the great Guinness adverts from the early 70's.  Apart from the great Guinness pipeline myth one of them was 'The 24 hour Guinness'  which too a whole page in a magazine to show how you could spend a whole 24 hours drinking the stuff.  IIRC it involved the Smithfield market porters pubs in the early morning, a train for the buffet car and a place somewhere s well as the normal pub hours.  I'd love to get hold of a copy.  

 

Jamie 

[Coombe Barton]

  IIRC it involved the Smithfield market porters pubs in the early morning, a train for the buffet car and a place somewhere s well as the normal pub hours.  I'd love to get hold of a copy.  

 

Jamie 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOT-818-VINTAGE-1970-GUINNESS-ADVERT-24-HOUR-GUINNESS-B-/130970330169

[Tony_S]

Good evening, a little more to talk about now!

 

Got some rolling road roller assemblies today, I need to make some kind of a stand now. I am thinking along the lines of setting up some DCC programming in the house (warm....) as opposed to going down to the garage (cold) where the layout is to fiddle on with CV's and setting up decoders. Attempts to get planning permission for a shunting plank indoors flatly refused. To be fair chateau NHN is rather bijou.

My indoor programming setup is on my computer desk. Sprog 3 and a few lengths of Roco sectional track. The Sprog is tiny and the track is easily shortened. Aditi is very tolerant of stuff around the house as long as it looks as if it could be tidied up.

Tony

Edited November 26, 2014 by Tony_S

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Nice to have a local model shop!

Also that it is a true traditional model shop with lots of kit parts, tools, consumables and banter too. And I can go there by a short train ride on the finest main line in the land, at a cost less than petrol+parking. Which is nice.

 

 

...'The 24 hour Guinness'  which took a whole page in a magazine to show how you could spend a whole 24 hours drinking the stuff... 

No one left in life  who remembers where that might be found. Because everyone who read it well enough to recall where it was printed, died through trying it out...

 

I have a small archive of the finest copies of Punch from that time. I'll take a look this w/e on the off-chance. I'll try not to weep over the shares advice that it might be worth  a  punt on a little start up called Microsoft. I had a choice, use £500 to knock back the mortgage principal and thus reduce the effect of soaring interest rates (anyone else here remember getting skinned alive at 16% by around 1981?) or take a chance on the shares. I played safe, young naive git that I was...

[railsquid]

Good morning from a somewhat chilly but sunny Tokyo