Early Risers.

[trisonic]

I am refusing to go to  Wales today.

 

Dunno why but I fancy a pint and a punt in Cambridge, though. Strange thing memory.

 

Best, Pete.

[petethemole]

Hello from gloomy and soggy Southampton. The weather matches my mood (not that I feel soggy, as such). Mrs mole's on/off relationship hit the stop blocks in an apparently terminal way at about the time she sold the mobile home; so she lost her live-in (ish) help, as it were. The fallout is stressful to deal with, plus stuff from the trailer that won't fit in her flat is coming here.

 

I need to clear a route so that a spare mattress can be parked upstairs with a view to future use. Unfortunately the stairs are a storage zone, mainly for stuff that's not wanted but hasn't had its final fate decided, or is waiting to be taken away, like a stack of books that have to go to the s/h bookshop by bus, in several trips.

 

GCSEs are happening. Martyn's Biology paper apparently went OK; it's not his strongest science. It's a good job he wasn't doing the AQA paper though (see various news sites, but it doesn't show on BBC).

 

Tigger is now between me and the keyboard insisting on a fuss. Have a good hump day. 

 

Pete

[The Stationmaster]

Morning al,

 

Rain gently falling belting down and the window cleaners are currently adding to the amount of water about the place - I wonder why they bother on a rainy day? (So did they apparently)  Also means any garden work is out - but vacuuming is 'in' is so I'm told instructed.

 

In more interesting (hopefully) news the Good Doctor is now on stage 2 of her holiday having arrived in Innsbruck yesterday.  As she likes Austria she may well be there for a bit longer than her two nights in Bologna although her presence there facilitated an addition to her list of European countries 'ticked off' as she managed a day trip to San Marino.

 

TH, Harwich 'phoned yesterday to check our dietary requirements as they weren't sure of what it meant on the booking form although Sally (the one who called) had got it spot on - no fish for me and no meat for Mrs Stationmaster.  According to current plans we might be taking to the ship at Holyhead and disembarking at Swansea although it was explained that we might join at Pwllheli (at least I think that was where she meant as her pronunciation was a bit contorted).  But judging by last year's experience I suppose we are just as likely to board at Cullercoats or Southampton and disembark in Jersey or Ireland - real exciting stuff

 

Have a good day everybody and fingers crossed for your mum Jim.

[trisonic]

Listening to an interesting duet between Eric Clapton and Ed Sheeran “I will be there” at the Budokan. Their voices mesh.

 

Best, Peter.

[Oldddudders]

Mrs mole's on/off relationship hit the stop blocks in an apparently terminal way at about the time she sold the mobile home; so she lost her live-in (ish) help, as it were. The fallout is stressful to deal with, plus stuff from the trailer that won't fit in her flat is coming here.

 

 

Full marks for maintaining a civilised relationship with your ex, Pete. Not every couple manage that, as we know. Sherry does so, but too often finds all the things about her ex that drove her mad over the years still drive her mad now!

[BSW01]

What was I saying about it not raining, me and my big mouth doh. I hadn't even got as far as the M60 high level bridge at Barton before the rain started, and it's been raining ever since.

 

My first job, a standby generator check at our site in Whassett, has been cancelled because a 2 day NRO (non routine operation) was just about to start. The good news is that the running of the generator is part of that NRO, so the guys are going to email me a set of results so I can close down my job, without actually doing it.

 

I'm now sat in Kendal, with a cuppa and I'm about to set of for Natland, Carnforth and finally Brock.

 

Back later.

[Ohmisterporter]

Can't remember who was asking, but the Johnstone Press are running their £10 day ticket in conjunction with Northern Trains again.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/jpress

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

Thanks for the heads up Mick I will be collecting tokens. With changes to Northern's franchise a day out takes a bit of careful planning but we will manage. Raining here so not much planned today. Stay safe all.

[edcayton]

I can eat three, mainly because there is always milk left over from two. I tend to get the "bite-sized" ones now. Talking about breakfast, there was a thread about it recently, anyway I very much enjoyed two boiled eggs with toast soldiers not long ago. Yum.

 

Off to cardiac rehab (physical jerks) in a moment. Laters...

 

Ed

[shortliner]

 Talking about breakfast, there was a thread about it recently, anyway I very much enjoyed two boiled eggs with toast soldiers not long ago. Yum.

 

 

 

Ed

But you gotta get the "Very Large" size eggs and do them either boiled or poached - yummie-yum-yum!

[HeeleyBridge]

I used to eat three shredded wheat for y breakfast when I was a kid, then go back for another three. Haven't eaten one in years, since the taste changed.

 

Peace seems to have broken out in the F1 thread. Happy days.

 

Ed, sorry about the earworm I know how annoying they are. I've had Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk going round and round for about a fortnight. I keep thinking it's gone, then ...

 

 

Edited to add what I actually came to post:

 

Window fixed - new hinges fitted. Management smiled (for about two minutes). Off now to move furniture back again.

Edited May 18, 2016 by HeeleyBridge

[Coombe Barton]

Has been tipping down

 

Still marking

 

Just coming up for air

 

Going back now

[Smiffy2]

But you gotta get the "Very Large" size eggs and do them either boiled or poached - yummie-yum-yum!

 

How can you poach a boiled egg?

[HeeleyBridge]

I poach trout.

 

Eh?

 

No. Don't be silly.

 

Well really.

[AndyB]

Chinese lightsaber mended; the force was weak in their wiring loom. I think the wire was about one Sith the thickness it should have been. 

[Tony_S]

Well it started pouring here just after I set off for a walk with Robbie. He doesn't care so continued. We went into the vets to change his blood test appointment from Monday to Tuesday. Nurse and vet gave him treats and a hug. They didn't seem to mind him being soggy.

Other useful task here was repairing a NAS backup drive. It died, removing one level of backup capability. So I decided I would take it to bits to see if it was the hard drive or the attached electronics at fault. I couldn't see how to open it up but Googling LG NAS drive open, took me to a set of instructions, none of this 25 minutes unboxing palaver. Fault found (dodgy power plug), backup restored.

Also parcels unpacked. No milk spilt in the one from Sodor.

Tony

Edited May 18, 2016 by Tony_S

[newbryford]

Ian, A looky on the Model Railroad Hobbyist site will garner you info about adapting/fitting IPhone5 speakers, which are available on Ebay for very cheap, and are alleged to be the beezneez for sound. There are around 8 pages here  http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/15636

 

 

 

Thanks Jack. Page on MRH now added to Favourites.

 

The iphone speakers are low impedance (4 ohm or so) and will work well with the later ESU v4 and Zimo decoders. If Ian's 159 has an earlier v3.5 ESU Loksound, they require 100ohm or so and the iphone speaker will kill it...

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited May 18, 2016 by newbryford

[newbryford]

POE.....

 

Mrs Nb and Junior are back from holiday later this evening, so there will be some tidying up required....

 

Maybe after some modelling.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Ian Abel]

HUMP day and I was awake very early!

Seems the cockwomble Project Manager p!ssed me off more than I realized yesterday and I couldn't sleep well - so today I'm firing off a nasty-gram to my boss and then calling him to explain just what a prat the PM actually is! Given he's only putting in 10 hours a WEEK on the project, and that's all remote, he has absolutely NO CLUE what the day-to-day activity is on the project and decided to cc my boss in a stupid/demand-style email to me. Not the best thing to do when the principal technical expert on the project (me) is already under a lot of pressure - I may hint to my boss I want off the project, that'll have the client go berserk as they currently even panic when I suggest I might take a day or two off! Let's see how the PM likes THAT for breakfast!  

 

Managed to get my office phone wiring completed yesterday evening, and it's back to working successfully - result I can now take home calls in the office again.

 

Driving in, even though I left about 45 minutes earlier than usual, was DIABOLICAL! They've managed to start road works on even MORE of the route, changing the last two miles into a single lane mess. Because of the traffic snarl, instead of getting here in record time, I pretty much p!ssed away all the 45 minutes that I should have gained

 

7 and sunny driving in, 20 expected for the high.

 

If you are inclined to boost my satisfaction level today, and happen to have a stupid PM you work with, please annoy them as much as possible, that's my goal for the day here.

[bluebottle]

Morning all,

 

Went for a nice walk with the Dogs yesterday and the Good Wife goes Yee heheh, and picked up a nice shinny POUND COIN, I was GUTTED, then a few paces further I saw a glint on the ground, WHOOPEE I WENT,........................it was a TWO POUND COIN.   :sungum:    

raining hard here today as well.

 

My most appreciated such windfall dates back to 1978, when I was musing over my lack of funds during a long road run and spotted a nice crisp five pound note in my path. Why did I go for long runs at a time when such a pursuit was distinctly unfashionable? Because this was a good way of getting rid of a hangover while acquiring a thirst to start on a new one, of course, and a fiver went a long way in those days.

What is the ultimate question of Life, The Universe, and Everything, to which the answer is "42"?

"How many pence did a pint of Ward's Best Bitter cost in the Red House, Sheffield, in 1978", of course!

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Aft'noon all,

 

A little progress with Is today. She is being admitted to hospital tonight for 3/4 days for a kidney operation...it appears that a partial blockage/restriction in one kidney is causing the back pain/nausea etc. Once the stent or bypass tube has been fitted and the area drained then the cause of the blockage/restriction will be investigated. This then leaves the lymph swelling in her leg, the cancerous lymph nodes under her arm and the secondary bone cancer.

 

I'm pleased that they're actually doing something anyway

 

Dave

[BSW01]

I've just heard that Donald Trump is the proud owner of two brains.

However one's lost and the other is out looking for it!

:-) :-)

[New Haven Neil]

I like the Victorian plastic bucket.   Goodnight all.

 

 

It's the original - only had three new buckets and six handles.  Collectors item!

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Finally caught up after yesterday's absence and non-return. 

 

Dave - hope all goes well with with Is's treatment and that she is a lot better afterwards.  Every little helps here, and I'm pleased to see that they are doing everything to make her comfortable.

 

I have. as ever, mananged to catch up and there's a lot of water under the bridge since yesterday morning.  So please forgive me for not mentioning every individual post.  My generic greetings are, as ever, sincerely meant and offered to those who need them.

 

As to me, {rant mode on - I spent a morning dealing with the cockwombles on the end of the phone at HMRC - the only way you can contact them nowadays is via these people, and their levels of training and knowledge do seem to vary a lot.  Some in the past have offered totally misleading information about a rebate which I am claiming, and that has now been going on since January.  Every call gives conflicting answers and the latest cockowombleness is that my oft promised rebate has not even been processed as one of my pension providers has not provided a P60 or, as I'm now finished with them, a P45.  Nobody told me about this previously, but apparently as the tax year has now ended, these documents are essential, as they will not now pay a provisional rebate based on estimated figures.  A call to the insurer concerned asking why I've not had a P45 elicited the reply that I still had assets in my account - viz interest paid and on suspense when the account was closed which was later added to the account and as a result, my tax rebate which is a large sum has been held up by an amount of interest of some £3.50.  The insurer, of course, denied any repsonsibility for this, as although they were told to close the account, they claim that the payment was credited after the instruction was given, and that as I had not queried this, they had no reason to check that the account was not fully closed.  DOH . When I was a pensions manager, and an instruction was received to fully liquidate the account, I ensured that the administrator dealing checked that ALL assets were accounted for, and that the final sum paid was the full and final settlement. Rant Mode off }

 

So I looked in the mirror, and seeing that I was confronted by an image of the hairy man from Borneo, I phoned my hairdresser (barbers just can't cut my hair properly becuse of the natural kinks and odd double crown) and managed to get in at noon - this was at about 10.45 so a mad rush to town then ensued.  So with cockwomble mornings, and a rush, today got changed round a bit, and we went to Leighton Hall to watch the birds of prey flying instead of taking Lily out today.

 

So a trip with Lily to get a Drake and Macefield pie tomorrow, so may not be online until Friday. 

 

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited May 18, 2016 by 45156

[PhilJ W]

I've just heard that Donald Trump is the proud owner of two brains.

However one's lost and the other is out looking for it!

 :-)  :-)

Has it tried looking in the syrup shredded wheat?

Edited May 18, 2016 by PhilJ W

[trisonic]

 

 

 and odd double crown

 

Stewart

 

I’ve got one of those too, my hairdresser thinks I’m an alien...

 

Best, Pete.