Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

And its goodnight from him.

[andyram]

Evening all and great to read more positive news from Jock. I write this lying in bed after a strange old day. Sarah was at her mum's so I was left on my own for much of the day.

After dropping her off at her mum's I decided to have lunch at the Masson Mill shopping outlet. It was good to find that their Hornby outlet is honouring the members 10% discount. This led to quite a spend.

Arriving home I was pleased to find no explosions from new cat and she has been fine all day. I caught up on some work in the garden as I tried to dig out more of the flower bed.

This evening though things have been less good. I developed a real tense feeling and felt wound up and stressed for no reason. I felt really on edge. I ended up pouring a shot of Ben Nevis' finest in a hope that might relax me. All it did was bring back the cough and leave feeling cold and shivery.

 

I hope a good night's sleep will shift it.

[trisonic]

Our station seems to be staffed by pleasant friendly but efficient ticket staff. Matthew encountered an odd one once but I think he was having a bad day as a colleague took over the ticket sale.

What with this and the local PO staff you’ll be altering everyone else’s (non-Essex Men) perceptions of the State, oops, County.

 

Best, Pete.

[Coombe Barton]

That's good news from Jock. Let's hope it keeps that way.

[AndyID]

Aye, it's all that formation dancing that does it.

 

I thought they were just supposed to be hanging around.

[AndyID]

Our local post office seems to have this training off to a t. The actual service is ok, but you join the queue reaching the door and it seems that after serving each customer the staff member then counts all their money and all their stock of stamps. The 'rottweiler' who appears to be in charge and who seems to have had a charisma bypass operation comes into view frequently and asks a counter service operative a question that seems to require checking how many parcels are left, how many stamps they have and any other question to delay the queue even longer.

As they already sell broadband, insurance and a plethora of other trivial things I think it is lucky they dont sell sharp knives!

 

Well, if you work for the PO, it's your duty to make sure everyone is completely PO'd

 

Our PO is really quite good. One of the employees is also an Elvis impersonator, thank you very much.

 

The one that usually terrifies US citizens is a visit to the dreaded DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles.) My dealings with DMVs in Arizona, New Jersey and California were all pretty horrible, but a visit to our local DMV here in Idaho is always very pleasant experience.

[Robert]

Morning All,

 

There is some great news here this morning! Congratulations, Dom on your career change, and great news about Jock.

 

Here, things are ticking along nicely and the sun is shining. Plus, it is Friday into the bargain.

 

Time for a coffee!

 

Have a good day everyone...

[NGT6 1315]

Morning all. High clouds but sunny. Some food purchases required, and perhaps some stock modding later.

 

Have a good one, everyone…

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

A bit overcast at present and outbreaks of persistent and sometimes heavy rain forecast along with some gusty winds. Should brighten up this afternoon with just the odd shower.

Up early for a Friday as we've got two grandchildren visiting today because Nicki is going to work (on her day off) to cover for someone who's ill. She works at a famous hospital organising appointments and beds for cancer sufferers and is one of the many thousands of NHS employees who really care about their job and patients.

However like others I have met one or two who could do with some lessons in courtesy, compassion and efficiency.

Just heard from son Steve who's about to leave St.Pancras on the Eurostar. Lucky devil is off for the weekend to his boss's wedding in Cannes. (all expenses paid!)

My Boss is calling for tea so .......

have a good one,
Bob.

Edited May 29, 2015 by grandadbob

[roundhouse]

Overcast here in Surrey.

Our station ticket office staff are generally very good. It's just that the TOC doesn't put enough of them on duty. Sundays, theres only one ticket window open and the queue can be to the door of the building for a good part of the day but Southern say the revenue doesn't justify putting more on. So why is there quite often only one person on in the Monday morning peak at 07.00 with a queue out the door or wrapping round the booking hall. Tuesday just gone, there was a queue waiting for the ticket windows to open at 07.00!!

Just passed an engineers train top and tailed by EWS livery 66s heading from Oxted to Eastleigh via Battersea Park, Redhill and Hove.

Strikes back on next Thursday and Friday.if it goes ahead then that's going to make it difficult getting into work for a course then getting to Gatwick afterwards. Hopefully the course will get postponed.

Tomorrow is our monthly trip to the South coast and Gaugemaster.

Edited May 29, 2015 by roundhouse

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

The weather over here seems similar to over there as described by Bob.

Off to the station in a moment as Aditi is going to work by train today. There is some sort of work related celebration this evening. I don't think it is to celebrate Aditi's retirement. She told her boss yesterday that she is going later this year straight after the inspection. She hasn't formally done anything yet.

Tony

Edited May 29, 2015 by Tony_S

[BoD]

Morning all

 

Between showers here.

 

The ticket staff on our station have been given a really tiny office. No matter how hard I've looked I can't see where the door is for them to get in. You communicate with them by pressing buttons so it's difficult to tell what sort of mood they are in.

[Barry O]

Keep up the good work Jock!

Dom I think you are on the right track!

 

Raining here so Test Match visit on hold.

 

A mug of tea awaits so Tara for now.

 

Baz

 

PS does any ER know what MCC Law 43 is?

[grandadbob]

Morning all

 

Between showers here.

 

The ticket staff on our station have been given a really tiny office. No matter how hard I've looked I can't see where the door is for them to get in. You communicate with them by pressing buttons so it's difficult to tell what sort of mood they are in.

 

Perhaps they are related to the " The Borrowers".

[Tony_S]

Keep up the good work Jock!

 

Baz

PS does any ER know what MCC Law 43 is?

Probably something to do with plain topped sweaters!

[bgman]

A while ago, an Indian gentleman posted photos of a German HO layout under construction.  Awesome.

 

Bill

Good morning Bill

 

http://vikaschander.com Is possibly the one you're thinking about its an excellent website for those who may or may not be interested in German HO. It's very professional in my opinion and well worth a look.

 

Enjoy your day.

[grandadbob]

PS does any ER know what MCC Law 43 is?

 

Sod's?

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, Friidayyy!

 

Congrats are needed, to Jock, Dom, and Aditi, finally retiring!

 

Rather wet here (externally) so a morning of pre-TT Guest housework then brunch somewhere nice I think.

 

The Asian wheelie bin thing I presume is small businesses looking for cheap stock, but you would think ten for a fiver or so would ring alarm bells!  If it sounds too good to be true, it is!

 

Off for a shower then I may find a few bike photos for Jock, that H1 is really good!

[bbishop]

PS does any ER know what MCC Law 43 is?

It's the new one.  Kevin Pietersen shall be England captain sine die, shall appoint the manager, scorer, both umpires and the TMS commentators.  Easy one!

 

Bill

[Shedman5]

Morning, raining at the moment which it has done continually since about 11pm last night. The great British summer lol!

 

Seems I have one corner gutter overflowing, blocked with leaves etc oh well that's a ladder job at some point, maybe during a break from building an ark.

 

Pleased to read your news Jock.

 

Enjoy the day folks

[Smiffy2]

Morning all. Bright and sunny in Carshalton-sur-Mer, but the Whelkmen have the day off (feast of Saint Chipolata). The old harbour lies, still and quiet, bathed in the roseate light of dawn, as the sea-pigeons wheel and cackle above the co-op. Out to sea the whelks are leaping above the white-capped waves and singing their eerie song. Soon it will be the mating season.

 

Is Law 43 like Rule 34?

 

Good news from Jock and Dom, nice to hear.

 

Yesterday's excitement involved putting stick-on numbers on the wheelie bins, cutting back some sort of creeper in the garden, finding and re-batterying my pedometer and making a layout. Well, half a metre of track... I'm considering DCC but not just yet.

 

I only did 2000 steps yesterday (target is 10,000) so I'm going to start a spreadsheet to show daily rates and reference it to my blood glucose levels. Then when I get round to seeing the nurse we'll have something to talk about other than my weight.

 

I'm quite keen to do this, as I've just had the best part of two years where walking was pretty nigh out of the question with plantar fasciitis (twice) and gout. All of which seems to be firmly in the background now. Trouble is, it leaves you with 'soft' feet...

 

Have a good day, tous, slide gently into the warm weekend of idleness and barbecues.

[southern42]

.......................

PS does any ER know what MCC Law 43 is?

 

Rain shall stop play in order that Baz can get on with some weathering.

Simples!

[Ian Abel]

Morning..

 

Not much to report from yesterday. A LOT of driving but not much in the way of stopping and walking around. We "tried for" St Ives but it was berserk! Even managed, BY ACCIDENT, to get all the way down  to the harbor by car looking for parking. A diabolical place to try and drive around/through!

Drove the coast road from St. Ives to St. Just which was just excellent, well worth it. Stopped several times and enjoyed the view.

Drove to Lands End to say we'd been there, and turned around in the car park so we didn't have to pay (what a RIP OFF!!).

From there via Penzance to Mousehole. Has to be one of the most picturesque villages I've seen, almost as good as Clovelly.

After that into the tin mining center of Cornwall and visited a mining museum.

 

Coast Road

 

 

Lands End

 

Mousehole

 

Tin Mine

 

 

We leave Tintagel today, heading for Dawlish, via potentially the Eden Project (yes, yes, somewhat out of the way if we decide on it), and Dartmoor, for the sheer "pleasure" of driving across it  would be particularly special today as it's overcast, blowing almost a gale, and raining!

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

.....the Eden project is around £23 per person entrance Ian....you may think that the Lands End parking is a bargain.

 

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are nearby adj. Mevagissey...another charming seaside location...and have a touching story of the gardeners going off to war (1st world) and not coming back, leaving the gardens to go wild over many years...before being rediscovered 1952ish. They get my 'value for money vote'.

 

Dave

Edited May 29, 2015 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. MCC Law 43 just has to be Murphy's law, if something can go wrong it will, evidenced by the fact that it has been omitted from the rules of cricket leaving only 42 rules. Glad to hear Jocks good news and congratulations and commiserations where necessary to other ER's.

EDIT no less than 7 new entries while I was typing the above (I'll have to practice using a second finger.) Even at £23 I still think that the Eden Project is value for money but I can see that for four people it can be very expensive.

Edited May 29, 2015 by PhilJ W