Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Shoreham alas presents the all too typical tale of that sort of incident and I think the authorities are handling it very well in terms of fatality expectation because in a situation such as this they probably have little more than a vague idea.  Generally, thankfully, the media are also being fairly responsible although they do seem to be starting to turn 'experts' out of the woodwork which is very regrettable at this stage when so little is actually known, we won't really know anything until the AAIB have done their work.

 

Anyway to brighter things (?) there used to be a cafe in Boulogne which served excellent horsemeat steaks - great with chips, but i haven't been there for years so it might well have moved up-market since then.  If you like/don't mind eating horsemeat then I'd also recommend kangaroo - sort of halfway between horse and cow in texture and very lean, nice taste too.

 

And in more topical matters - it's raining so I might be called upon to collect herself from town at some stage as she's off to the chiropractor and to do a bit of shopping (important shopping for me as she's looking for a bulb for the mirror light in the ensuite which is rather helpful when shaving, can't complain tho' - the one that has gone has managed 8 years).

 

Have a good day everyone - assuming the weather allows.  And welcome Brian - maybe it will soon be time to inject some tales about the courting couples in the lane off Radyr Court Road which ran alongside the bottom end of the yard  

[DDolfelin]

We should also spare a thought for the folk tasked to deal with the crash site.

What an awful job that must be.

[sixoh8sixoh]

Morning all from a dry and bright(ish) Scottish HQ.

 

I have to make it through a 5 day week this week, but after that I'm off for a week to top up the Vitamin D levels. Disappointingly I'll miss the end of Festival fireworks a week today, but I think I can live with that for one year...

 

Saturday involved a lot of back and forth from one side of Edinburgh to the other, as GF was flat hunting and (of course) the flats she wanted to see had viewings spread out across the day at opposite sides of the city. Not her fault, but time-consuming!

 

Haven't caught up since Friday's posts so hope all are well (or as well as can be expected!).

[bbishop]

Morning all.  I'm wondering why Mike needs a shaving light; he has a perfectly serviceable beard.  Dom, what is solyanka?

 

Pissing down in SE London as well.  Today's exercise (buying the Guardian) can be delayed, so I need to concoct a set of draft synod minutes for discussion tomorrow.  The trick is to get the attendees wrong; by the time synod has decided who was actually there, who had presented apologies and (pertaining to clergy) are their titles correct, no-one is interested in the actual content.  For information, high church [*] are Father (or Mother), low church [#] are Reverend, evangelicals [@] don't want a title.  As a working guide * = black clerical shirt, # = coloured shirt, @ = no dog collar.

 

Then more lettering for the SECR wagons and an LBSCR van (acquired second hand) requires bolt heads; I will attempt the plasticard cube technique, never tried it before.

 

Bill

[leopardml2341]

Dom, what is solyanka?

 

 

Bill

I'm gonna bet you Dom says there isn't an actual recipe to make it

[Killybegs]

It's a 'white horses day' out at sea today. Gales forecast for this afternoon, but at least the sun is still shining.

 

[Happy Hippo]

 I decided that I wasn't going to be beaten by a simple wooden chair (not counting that pub brawl in Morden when I was about 20). 

Oh so that was you?

 

I'm frequently referred to as the 'Chairman'. Know you know why!

Edited August 24, 2015 by Happy Hippo

[trisonic]

I'm gonna bet you Dom says there isn't an actual recipe to make it

We know it is in shades of Soylent Green...............

 

Best, Pete.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

 Liquid sunshine here.

 

Lots to do today, trying to move forward on getting a CoE church building demolished. I am very very low church...

... I need to concoct a set of draft synod minutes for discussion tomorrow.  The trick is to get the attendees wrong; by the time synod has decided who was actually there, who had presented apologies and (pertaining to clergy) are their titles correct, no-one is interested in the actual content.  For information, high church [*] are Father (or Mother), low church [#] are Reverend, evangelicals [@] don't want a title...

 To conclude with 'Like a mighty tortoise/Moves the church of God/Brothers we are treading/Where we have always trod'?

[Happy Hippo]

BBC has officially said that this is the last series, as confirmed in inerview with a couple of the present cast members.  Shame, as I thought that the introduction of Ted Case played by Larry Lamb gave the series a new feel, and an injection of a little more humour.

They said the same about 'Ripper Street', and that has since hit our screens again with an independent production company behind it.

 

I hope that the same happens to NT, even if it is only for a few more series.

[Sidecar Racer]

I'm gonna bet you Dom says there isn't an actual recipe to make it

 

 Of course there's a recipe .

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Solyanka-Russian-Sweet-and-Sour-Beef-Soup

[trisonic]

Has she packed yet? Matthew is off to Utrecht University on Friday, flying from Southend to Schipol. He didn't seem to want us to take him, we will visit at the end of October when Aditi retires. Thanks to Facebook he has already been in contact with three of the four people he is sharing accommodation with, 1 US female, and two British females. The other student is Chinese and has only so far confirmed that he exists.

Doing so, Tony.

At least she is only an hour away...............................

 

Her room mate is Aurora (!). She was approached by a girl from mainland China (who have already taken over Princeton) and asked whether she could teach her Tennis and to assure her (the girl from China) that she was not a le$bian - she did not get a reply, I’m glad to say.

So much for communists not being prejudiced (again).

 

Best, Pete.

Edited August 24, 2015 by trisonic

[The Stationmaster]

We should also spare a thought for the folk tasked to deal with the crash site.

What an awful job that must be.

I remember the first fatality I was involved with on the railway and I learnt some interesting and useful things from the (civil) police who were well used to attending fatal incidents however that particular night was as much one of black comedy as anything else and far removed from a major fire incident (although I was also involved with one of those).  For anyone involved in clearing up and assessing what has taken place it is not a nice job at all and they always have my deepest sympathy and an understanding that things cannot be rushed.

[trisonic]

I literally stumbled over my first body when I was 12 - washed up on Croy Beach, Ayrshire, after being in the water for some days (possibly weeks). Since then I’ve seen more than a fair sure of bodies and body parts.    I’m just not squeamish  - It’s a good thing  because, unfortunately,  death is all around us everyday and someone has to deal with it.

I’ve said before on here  one of the things that TV/Films has done us no favors with is the idea of running from disaster in “horror”  rather than running towards it to assist hurt people

 

My Parents both taught me well in that regard. I’m not looking for kudos, Like Mike I know I am not the only one amongst ER’s even.

 

Best, Pete.

[Gwiwer]

We should also spare a thought for the folk tasked to deal with the crash site.

What an awful job that must be.

 

Well said.

 

No amount of training and length of service can prepare one for events such as Shoreham.  Even the words "Major Incident" understate what is becoming one of the greatest losses of life in recent UK aviation history.  And of course there are the shattered families and friends of those lost and the traumatised ones of those assisting.

 

The local community will take many years to recover in some respects.  The sense of common purpose and of "pulling together" in a time of need has already been demonstrated in the best British tradition.  Right down to the taxi firm who are shuttling people to the airport to collect their vehicles which had to be left there and who are refusing to accept fares for doing so.  

 

For those who don't know access to Shoreham airport is rather restricted.  The main entry is at the A27 precisely where the disaster occurred.  In some images you can see the traffic lights and signs where the main road crosses Coombes Road and the Airport Service Road.  The only other point of entry is via a very low and narrow bridge beneath the railway at the site of Bungalow Town Halt (also Shoreham Airport Halt briefly) which restricts cars to single file and prohibits anything larger due to the height limit.  This feeds via a narrow lane onto the A259.  With the crash blocking the main exit and very restricted access to the south many vehicles were abandoned at the request of the organisers and emergency services, as I understand it, and folks were asked to make their way off site on foot.  Which is quite a hike but in the circumstances .....

 

Edit - news as it comes in - Stagecoach has now abandoned all bus services between Worthing and Brighton due to the road being at a complete standstill most of the way.  Stagecoach bus tickets are being accepted by Brighton Buses and Southern trains.  Compass buses which service many parts of West and East Sussex and which normally run to / from the Worthing base out of service along the A27 are also being affected

Edited August 24, 2015 by Gwiwer

[roundhouse]

Also today, considered joining several hundred (!!) other people visiting a cheese factory. It was only a thought, and after seeing long queues to take "self-directed" tours, long queues to buy cheese, long queues to buy ice-cream and long queues to get into the cafe, the thought changed to "Why?". Didn't seem to be stopping many other people. It was actually quite a disturbing experience.

Sounds very much like Tillamook, OR

[Robert]

I haven't been to an large airshow in years - I remember going to Boscombe Down in the mid to late 80s.  I can't remember when it was exactly, but it was pre-Ramstein as a lot of the display involved flying over the crowd.

 

I am sure that there will be a knee jerk reaction to this terrible tragedy - either directly, or indirectly in that Insurance will be impossible, or too expensive to obtain for similar events.

 

Some branches of the media have been wringing their hands and asking how it could be possible that a display could take place over a busy main road.  However, it is a fact of life that most airports have roads crossing, or very near to runway thresholds.  Of course this doesn't help the victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

One of the problems with airshows that take place over the sea is that of charging admission.  Take the Eastbourne Airshow as an example.  It costs the organisers a lot of money, very little of which can be recouped as most people watch the action from public areas (the seafront, Beachy Head and so on).  I believe there was an attempt to charge admission a few years ago which didn't work out too well.

 

Thumbs up to all the emergency services, and the AAIB who will certainly have a lot of work on their hands to find out how and why this accident happened.

[leopardml2341]

I'm gonna bet you Dom says there isn't an actual recipe to make it

 

 

 Of course there's a recipe .

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Solyanka-Russian-Sweet-and-Sour-Beef-Soup

 

 

I was basing my wager on the answer given by more than one friend (residents of the erstwhile GDR); they basically said it was effectively kitchen leftovers (from previous meals)  in a paprika based soup, which included some form of meat at highdays and holidays. Ergo, the content could and would be randomly variable, therefore no 'recipe' as such.

Edited August 24, 2015 by leopardml2341

[sixoh8sixoh]

Dymo machines are still made. I used to have one; it disappeared when we moved in 2006. I used sticky labels.

 

You should have labelled the box it was in...

 

Pete - apothecary chests of drawers and various types of collecting drawers seem to have a habit of turning up in auction sales so it might be worth a look (but when they surface in our neck of the woods they tend to be pricey as they are popular).

My father was a pharmacist and he had a set of these drawers in the shop. When he retired, the shop was closed (the business moved into the new pharmacy space co-located with the new surgery) and the drawers were removed (to storage in our empty old house's hall) for about 5 years. Dad sold them at auction in 2013 - https://www.andersonandgarland.com/30785/A-Victorian-mahogany-flight-of-drawers-from-a-chemists-shop-twenty-square-shaped-drawers-in-the-top-two-tiers-and-sixteen-larger-rectangular-drawers-in-the-lower-tier-all-with-patterned-labels-a?ipp=All&keyword=drawer&view=lot_detail

[Simon G]

Had a (very) brief appearance on BBC local radio this morning.  The Radio Cumbria Breakfast Show was talking about tax breaks for films in the UK, and asked film remakes made in Cumbria might be titled.  The idea of this was a bit of lightheated fun in coming up with ideas.  I duly texted one in "Yan flew over the osprey's nest", thereby getting two Cumbrian related items into the title.  I was then phoned asking if I wanted to talk to the presenter, Mike Zeller, so I said yes.  In the end all I said was to wish him good morning, and repeated my film title over the air.  10 seconds in total! 

 

It was then off the hospital for a pre-assessment to an operation to get the lump in my neck removed.  Arrived 25 minutes early, and was whisked straight in, as two others had not bothered to show up.  The Sister was rightly most annoyed about the waste of time and money when people don't show up.  Pre-assessment done and I was out again 4 minutes after the time my appointment was due!  Operation itself is due mid September, but is in Carlisle, which will be a pain to organise as Mrs G does not like driving at all.  We may decide to go up and return on the train instead.

[BoD]

Afternoon all - and no, I haven't just joined the ranks of the risen. I was up early as usual and have been up to various things. I didn't know that not working could be so time consuming.

I checked my email at lunchtime to discover that a parcel I am expecting is out for delivery today. It originally wasn't due until tomorrow so I hope I haven't missed it whilst pottering about or out walking this morning. Unfortunately it means I'm stuck in this afternoon waiting for the parcel. Still it is something I'm looking forward to. Two books, one about long lost distilleries and the other is one of the books full of railway poster art, this one being the Scottish region.

[Ian Abel]

Morning from Long Island.

 

Just slightly warmer than were Pete is, at 22 driving to the dungeon that is my office/home for the next 4 days.

 

Humid/sticky right now but supposed to improve tomorrow and the rest of the week

 

Have a "Monday"

[The Stationmaster]

I haven't been to an large airshow in years - I remember going to Boscombe Down in the mid to late 80s.  I can't remember when it was exactly, but it was pre-Ramstein as a lot of the display involved flying over the crowd.

 

I am sure that there will be a knee jerk reaction to this terrible tragedy - either directly, or indirectly in that Insurance will be impossible, or too expensive to obtain for similar events.

 

Some branches of the media have been wringing their hands and asking how it could be possible that a display could take place over a busy main road.  However, it is a fact of life that most airports have roads crossing, or very near to runway thresholds.  Of course this doesn't help the victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

One of the problems with airshows that take place over the sea is that of charging admission.  Take the Eastbourne Airshow as an example.  It costs the organisers a lot of money, very little of which can be recouped as most people watch the action from public areas (the seafront, Beachy Head and so on).  I believe there was an attempt to charge admission a few years ago which didn't work out too well.

 

Thumbs up to all the emergency services, and the AAIB who will certainly have a lot of work on their hands to find out how and why this accident happened.

I'm afraid some of that nonsense has already started in some elements of the press - conveniently overlooking the fact that it would seem to be 63 years sine the last fatalities among the audience/any other non-participants at a UK airshow.  I'm all for such events being conducted with proper attention to safety (of participants, audience, and others) and it is fairly obvious that the flight display area needs some sort of way of accommodating problems occurring during an airborne display and that might rule out some venues.

 

But equally once one starts to apply proper risk assessment analyses methods to such events it is pretty clear, on UK historical evidence alone, that in numerical terms they are pretty safe with very low levels of risk of death or injury to the audience or others (which makes then statistically safer than many other activities).  I trust that over time clearer, and better informed, heads than those writing to or in the media will prevail and that commonsense and realistic analysis will displace fears and views driven by the immediacy and obvious horror of this incident.

[sixoh8sixoh]

Two books, one about long lost distilleries and the other is one of the books full of railway poster art, this one being the Scottish region.

Both of those sound interesting!

 

There are a number of Yeadon's LNER register hardcovers in the discount bookshop across the road from work - Raven/Thompson/Peppercorn Pacifics, K1/K2, K3/K4, A4, a couple of J class books and (I think) P class. They're at £9.95 each and I'm trying to decide whether to pick up a couple of them...

 

Having just been in that shop at lunchtime today, I turned a corner in the shopping centre and nearly walked headlong into Billy Connolly who was coming round the corner from the other direction!

[roundhouse]

dawn has broken here in Oregon.

 

Have the balcony doors open and the air does seem much better than last night with the wind now blowing off the Pacific and its forecast to be a much cooler 83 deg F

 

We thought we had a room overlooking Mount Hood but its a city view. Quite happy with this as can hear trains in the distance.

 

We need to register at the convention desk this morning then a trip almost back to the airport to stock up on new shoes and will have to make a detour into Best Buy - must resist any new gadget as we are here to buy train stuff!

 

This afternoon we are on a tour around Union Pacifics Albina yard.

 

Theres a TV advert on the local station for the upcoming trainshow. Cant see that happening back in the UK!!

 

Anyway, here is a shot of downtown Portland taken on the phone using the panorama option.