Early Risers.

[TheQ]

Morning all, another ER of 02:30, but i didn't fall asleep again till 04:30 and then overslept again.....

 

 Luckily just slush on the windscreen, but once I'd done a mile inland everything was frozen along the road.

 

At the moment the equipment I'm calibrating, would normally be calibration our top level DMMs (£7000 each I think) but at this time of year we don't get many orders and are so are being made for stock. We normally make them to order, but why stock?  Well we know in January, February,  March, we will get all those orders from departments in companys that must use up their spare cash before April !!! 

2 of the other 4 of these calibration systems are still churning out 20 of these DMMs per week, the others are used for annual service Items.

 

Now we are in December I'll announce SWMBO will dig out the boxes of Christmas cards for writing on Saturday, she'll have bought them in last January's sales.

[Gwiwer]

Morning all.

 

The calendar says summer has arrived.  The seaweed isn't quite sure.  A grey dawn gave way to intermittent tepid sunshine in the low 20-somethings Celsius.  Pleasant without being bikini-wearing nor wet-shirt enduring weather.  When it gets to 40-something even the wearing of an open-necked uniform shirt is enough to produce unwanted and visible perspiration patches but as most people suffer we accept it as a necessary evil.  And we most certainly do get bikini-clad passengers even in the city.  Or "just shorts" for the chaps.  

 

Another slight improvement in health noted though a poor night's sleep due to the pain of gout-in-the-foot gave rise to fatigue and an afternoon kip once home.  It's now a rather pleasant sunny evening so I may even find myself enjoying a small-sized beach with the 12-volt objects of desire passing nearby

 

Sharon finishes her role here on 23rd December after a 16-year somewhat distinguished career.  Her new role at Kew formally starts on 13th March still subject to visa being granted.  As the news permeates her professional network she is receiving a fair number of very positive and supportive messages from around the world.  And she still declines to acknowledge her position as a global expert - possibly the global expert considering the seniority and kudos which she has at Kew - in her field.

 

Avagoodun.  And may the chocolates from the Advent Calendar all fall in your direction.

[Debs.]

No using the toilet in the station..... Oh it's not a station....

Health and Safety bods would surely be apoplectic!

[jamie92208]

Many of you will remember this >>

Well someones made a model of it complete with moving market stalls. Its on my Facebook page (the model that is).

It was at Warley this year. From Holland and very good.

 

Jamie

[BSW01]

Good morning

 

Arose about 30 minutes ago and I'm now dressed and just waiting for Sheila to get herself ready, then we'll both head downstairs for some breakfast, it'll be a full English for me I think. Then we're all off to the C*****mas Craft Fair, luckily I don't have spend all day there, but when we were here last year I managed to get Sheila's C*****mas presents, some hand made jewellery, so I'm hoping to do the same today. After lunch I'm off to the other side of town to the model railway shop.

 

Back later.

[grandadbob]

Gooood morning all,

Dry start and a light frost, clear sky but it may become cloudier later.

 

Another year has passed me by and as is traditional at GDB Towers on this day Christmas is declared open and the lights will be switched on. Later on I'm told the children and grandchildren will be arriving bearing cards & gifts and we're having a fish & chip supper. There may be beer involved as well.     

Also as it's bin day I am excused duties and The Boss is putting them all out as I type. Oh and Slade are wishing us a Merry Christmas on the radio.

 

The day will be tempered with a little sadness as we have to attend a funeral today. Our dear old friend & neighbour Ellen died two weeks ago aged 92. She'd been suffering for the last couple of years  but even as recently as January she managed to attend a party here.  She was the life and soul of the event and stayed here until about 2am. She will be missed.

 

Have a good one, I'm fairly certain that I will.

Bob.

Edited December 1, 2016 by grandadbob

[jamie92208]

Morning awl from a rather quiet village. The secondary school kids have gone past and the primary ones haven't started yet so at the moment it's quiet. Breakfast has been consumed and now it's time to plan the day. SWMBO has departed and will be out most of the day at various activities. This leaves me free to play. mmmmmmm.

 

A shopping trip first then the ironing and at some point pack a crate of modelling items that will go with me to France. Later we will be going a for meal at the outlaws. Not a bad day. At some point I'll watch the last episode of The Missing.

 

Regards to all.

 

 

Jamie

[AndyB]

'white rabbits, white rabbits'

Pinch, punch, first day of the month.

[NGT6 1315]

Mawnin' awl! 

 

Two days off beckon, so a couple of errands can be taken care of. Though I won't rush anything and as the weather is looking rather bleak, I think I'm going to have another cuppa first thing.

 

And there's also this pair of "where was I?" quiz photos for you from my shift last night:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urban explorers to the fore, says I!

 

Later…

[jonny777]

Hello from a freezing-fog-bound Somerset. Temperatures this morning are even lower than yesterday, and I see Filton (ex) airfield is currently reporting minus 6C, which is not bad for the outskirts of Bristol.

 

It is virtually impossible to break ice this morning, so it may have to be down to boiling the kettle again. Starlings are having their usual noisy breakfast.

 

My pregnant tropical fish has vanished today, so am not sure if it is dead or is hiding in the dark part of the tank and trying to give birth. Hopefully time will reveal all.

[Tony_S]

Morning all.

Just above freezing this morning.

Not much happening here. Perhaps I will think of something, Or some thinking will be done for me.

Tony

[The Lurker]

Morning all

 

Like Tony, no frost in Sidcup this morning apart from the frost still on the lawn that hasn't cleared from the night before.

 

Year end work drags on.

 

Bulgaria project drags on.

 

But the Indian tax return was submitted at the 11th hour - quite literally it was 11 o'clock in Mumbai.

 

Someone has put tinsel on some of the desks in the office. That's a little early for me, although our Christmas party is on Monday.

 

And our first Christmas card has arrived - from Waitrose!!!

[AndyB]

Happy birthday, GB. 

Did you get a card from the H&SE?  

 

A frosty (-5 C) start to the day, fitting for the first day of December.

 

I may buy some toothpaste later, although ideally it could have waited another 3 weeks and arrived down the chimney. Bah-humbug. 

 

When I worked in a school they stopped the purchase of any more stationary as they'd worked out that the material flowing into the building historically could never have been matched by the ink and pencil expended by even the most prolific group of children. It'll come as no surprise that there was a theoretical stockpile of material held "locally" by each teacher....for the reason that stationary was in short supply and you had to grab it when it arrived....leading to an actual shortage....and a definite need to grab stationary when it arrived....

When half the teachers left one year and cleared out their cupboards it was like 617 Squadron had visited and unleashed a deluge of stationary.   

[RhBBob]

Morning all !

 

The Hull Morning News (aka Look North) weather lady, Abbie, says 'it is a much milder start to the day'.

 

So what is all this frost on the roofs and pavements ?

[Tony_S]

Morning all !

 

The Hull Morning News (aka Look North) weather lady, Abbie, says 'it is a much milder start to the day'.

 

So what is all this frost on the roofs and pavements ?

We don't see any point in looking at the regional TV as for some reason we are deemed to be part of the BBC Look East empire. It is always nicer weather here than in Norwich.

[PhilJ W]

We don't see any point in looking at the regional TV as for some reason we are deemed to be part of the BBC Look East empire. It is always nicer weather here than in Norwich.

At least they acknowledge the existance of this part of the country. BBC London treats us as one of those fairy tale countries that only appears when there is a full moon.

 

It was at Warley this year. From Holland and very good.

 

Jamie

Has anyone got a film of the layout? I was unable to post it from Facebook and anyway those not on Facebook would not have be able to see it.

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all,

 

Definitely warming up as our thermometer in the porch was only reading -5C earlier this morning and Benson/here only dropped to a maximum (minimum?) low of  -6.5C overnight - now forecast to warm up considerably to as high as +5C.  This will possibly reveal the lawn as actually green in colour instead of the white most of has been since Monday evening.

 

I see Dom has been out tram driving again - looks to me like it is probably Leipzig (note, I did cheat a little there) but always nice to see Dom's pics from his working day.  Today consists of a visit to the GP's establishment for herself and me avoiding any mundane tasks if I can help it and possibly getting hold of the local rag this afternoon to see how much excitement and angst has been caused by my letter they published last week   Or will I be disappointed by quiet on that subject and greater concern being expressed about the Brexit vote or UK foreign policy as it affects some place we've never heard of.  Quite what relevance these things have to a local 'paper always puzzles me but maybe they write to it because 'The Daily Telegraph' is so ungracious as to not publish their meandering missives  (that once august publication has however published mine in the past ... tehehe).

 

Have a good day one & all

[TheQ]

We don't see any point in looking at the regional TV as for some reason we are deemed to be part of the BBC Look East empire. It is always nicer weather here than in Norwich.

Some parts of Norfolk used only receive Yorkshire TV!! though with digital you can choose what you want now.

 

As to the second part what do you expect XXXXXXy southerners...  it's all that hot air coming out of London.

[Horsetan]

.....When I worked in a school they stopped the purchase of any more stationary....

 

They stopped paying to be at a standstill? 

[The Stationmaster]

Oops, forgot to mention that the Good Doctor has this day gone on a trip to Luxembourg and after a very early start (05.30) is now duly ensconced there.  When asked by Mrs Stationmaster why she was going she came out with the obvious reply 'because it's there' and of course it's yet another one to underline in her ABC of European Countries.  Laddo and I have duly suggested that as she will be there for several days she could devote one day each to visiting Germany, France, and Belgium if she gets bored.

[laurenceb]

Birthday greetings to GDB Stay safe!

[Tony_S]

Happy birthday, Bob. I wasn't paying attention when I read your post earlier. My brain is more engaged now.

[jamie92208]

At least they acknowledge the existance of this part of the country. BBC London treats us as one of those fairy tale countries that only appears when there is a full moon.

 

Has anyone got a film of the layout? I was unable to post it from Facebook and anyway those not on Facebook would not have be able to see it.

I haven't and it would be quite difficult to film. You can only see the lighting stalls from one end of the layout looking obliquely up the narrow roadway between two sets of buildings. There was always a crowd around it. It was very good. They had a You Tube video, which was the inspiration for the layout, playing on a laptop at the other end. The modelling was very good.

 

Jamie

[NGT6 1315]

Happy birthday, Bob! 

 

Oh, guys, just FYI. Hitting your toe against a stool is painful. Try avoiding it. 

Edited December 1, 2016 by NGT6 1315

[Ian Abel]

Any like this one?

 

A fair number, though more seem to have vast herds/groups of animals and people in a variety of attire, such as this;

 

 

Not quite as dazzling as the ones I saw Tuesday night, but I took a different route back to the hotel last night and this was the one I snapped since it was raining fairly hard and I was disinclined to do more "sightseeing".

 

As Ian A is missing his local snow soooo much, here's a taster;

 

 

 

There, I hope that'll put you in the mood

 

Indeed - though my preference is to be watching from the safety and warmth of the house rather than in lead or trail of the snowplows!

The first shot was from the storm a couple of weeks back and only about 90 miles north of us - fortunately that storm stayed north and we only got an inch or so on the ground. We'll get ours soon enough...

 

On to BIN day, good morning.

 

Yesterday was another day devoid of most human interaction in the dungeon, and I think I'm beginning to get a feel of what solitary might be like...

 

Today will be no better I'm sure.

 

Remains warm(er) on Long Island at 12 and partly sunny driving in, headed for 15.

 

Hope your BIN operations go as they should, have a good day, roll on POETS.