Early Risers.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

I was unable to get a pastie from the butchers when I went this morning, as they were still in the oven, so I came home with a pork pie instead, it was still warm! When I arrived at the Trafford Centre later, they were once again queueing outside, as inside other stores are getting ready to reopen and the didn’t want people queueing across the entrances of other shops, luckily it only started to rain a few minutes before I was let in. 

 

My afternoon visit to the to the dental hygienist was interesting, my appointment was for 2 o’clock, but that's the time that the morning shift finishes and when the afternoon shift starts. They don’t want the 2 shifts to be in the building at same time, so are staggering the leaving and arriving times. They also don’t want you waiting in the waiting area, so I ended up waiting outside in the car park. Luckily the sun was out and it was pleasantly warm, I was finally seen just after 2:15. They aren’t allowed to use drills or water rinsing tools, so all the work was done with hand held implements. Anyway, I was given a clean bill of health as well as a clean and polish. By the time I got back home it wasn’t worth starting anything else, so I made Sheila and myself a drink and we did something we don’t often do during the day (no not that, you filthy lot) we watched some recorded TV.

 

 Goodnight all 

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Dad said they put potatoes against some hot part of tanks in the hope that they might get something to supplement their food rations at the end of the day . I didn’t ask how successful this was. 

The cooking of onions on steam manifolds on various types of Western steam engines was apparently quite a widespread practice.  When i first heard about it I thought someone was having a joke but lo and behold when we were running GW150 steam several footplatemen were doing it 'for old times sake'.  Presumably it was at one time the simplest way of getting something hot to eat when stuck on an engine all day with no chance to get to a mess room to get something cooked or warmed up.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

24 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

The cooking of onions on steam manifolds on various types of Western steam engines was apparently quite a widespread practice.  When i first heard about it I thought someone was having a joke but lo and behold when we were running GW150 steam several footplatemen were doing it 'for old times sake'.  Presumably it was at one time the simplest way of getting something hot to eat when stuck on an engine all day with no chance to get to a mess room to get something cooked or warmed up.

It’s also possible to do potatoes in the smoke box of a traction engine. Bacon and eggs can also be done on cylinder block or shovel, and there’s some crazy method of doing toast somewhere on the engine as well.

[The Stationmaster]

G'night all.

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

I’ve just learned that Pres. Trump is coming to town, and will be speaking on the 99th anniversary of the deadliest race massacre in American history which occurred in Tulsa in 1921. (Essentially the white population got angry and burned the African American neighborhoods to the ground)

Not only is it the 99th anniversary year of the Tulsa Race Massacre (May 31 - June 1, 1921) but it will occur on "Juneteenth" (June 19) the anniversary of the day in 1865 that enslaved African-Americans in Texas were read the Emancipation Proclamation by a Union General. The Civil War was already over (ending at Appomattox, Virginia on April 9), but slaves in Texas had not been informed.

 

1 hour ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

It’s the only time in history a US army aircraft has bombed an American city, they said it was necessary for “crowd control”.

The Wikipedia account is slightly different:

Quote

Numerous eyewitnesses described airplanes carrying white assailants, who fired rifles and dropped firebombs on buildings, homes, and fleeing families. The privately owned aircraft were dispatched from the nearby Curtiss-Southwest Field outside Tulsa.

 

Reportedly, when registering to attend the rally, attendees at the rally will be agreeing to a disclaimer:

Quote

"By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury,"

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[Florence Locomotive Works]

44 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Not only is it the 99th anniversary year of the Tulsa Race Massacre (May 31 - June 1, 1921) but it will occur on "Juneteenth" (June 19) the anniversary of the day in 1865 that enslaved African-Americans in Texas were read the Emancipation Proclamation by a Union General. The Civil War was already over (ending at Appomattox, Virginia on April 9), but slaves in Texas had not been informed.

 

The Wikipedia account is slightly different:

 

Reportedly, when registering to attend the rally, attendees at the rally will be agreeing to a disclaimer:

 

I personally think that the whole thing will be the “perfect storm” that the nation has been waiting for, whether they waited in anticipation or in fear. I certainly won’t be going to that side of the city on Friday. 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Evening all, ...snip... It’s the only time in history a US army aircraft has bombed an American city, ...snip...

Not so, Boise City, OK was bombed in WW2 by a B-17:

You can see the placement of the monument in the lower left of the photo:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_City,_Oklahoma

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by J. S. Bach

[J. S. Bach]

And, following that, a good night owl from the Piedmont.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

13 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Not so, Boise City, OK was bombed in WW2 by a B-17:

You can see the placement of the monument in the lower left of the photo:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_City,_Oklahoma

 

Ahah, but was it intentional though? Very interesting however.

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Goodnight all, funnily enough, the plane that bombed Boise City was probably built in Tulsa, we had a huge B-24/B-17 plant here, now it makes school buses, a worthy successor in my opinion.

[jamie92208]

There is a pub just north of The Wash called The King of Prussia IIRC. this is just north of an RAF bombing range. A mutual friend of Dave Hunt and I was part of a team that had been dropping practice bombs from Tornados. After the exercise they went to the pub. The Landlord asked them to inspect the outside loo and there in the pan, was a 28lb practice bomb. Apparently  one squadron member had to buy a round.  So Boise usn't the only town to be bombed by it's own air force.

 

Jamie

Edited June 12, 2020 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Good moaning all from  damp Charente.  It rained most of yesterday but our new roof is fine, unlike the decorators.  First argument was the colour that they'd painted the doors in the passageway. Charcoal grey is definitely not the chosen, and specified, light grey. Argument ensued, they tried to say that I would have to pay extra for more time and the new paint.  I had to get slightly assertive. Result, they bought the new paint and repainted the doirs.  Then they started packing up. I casuallybasked them when they were coming back to paint the walls in the main part of the hall, which are 20' high with an open staircase.  They tried to say that the walls weren't in the quote.  Another 'discussion' ensued and no money was paid. They are due back this morning.  Not a good situation but as I control the money I've got the whip hand.  All good fun.  And all the discussions were in French.  After that Fish and chips, now eaten in the bar, rather than the car, tasted very nice.  I await the return of the painters.  

 

Anyway on a much better note, young Emily has taken her first steps across the sittting room of her home.  Whilst we were having the fish and chips a lovely photo of her standing in the middle of the floor, arrived.  

 

I intend to do some CAD work this morning in the house so that I can supervise the decorators.  Hopefully some drawings of the basis of a vehicle thatvI need etching will emerge.

 

Regards to all.

 

Jamie

[TheQ]

10 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

It a royal PITA.

That's not where you are supposed to wear it

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, brianusa said:

The 'statues' topic has already been removed.  If the same prolonged discussion continues, this one may be at risk.  A pity, as controversial topics discussed in a civilised manner can be stimulating and adds to the standing of this website.

    Brian

I followed that thread and found that it was relatively civilised in terms of a discussion; although there were one or two people who seemed unwilling to concede that the other person may have a point, even if they didn’t agree with it.  Unfortunately, once the vexed topic of “race“ appeared, the mods got twitchy and closed the thread.  I say unfortunately because we can’t really properly deal with any problem without having had a robust and open debate beforehand (which is - theoretically - what is done in Parliament in order frame and pass legislation). If you shutdown debate by declaring a topic “off limits“ for whatever reason (which may vary according to your age and politics-amongst other things), things will continue to fester and that particular political/social boil will never be lanced.  I am of no doubt that had the discussion been allowed to continue on that RMWeb thread, it would have proceeded in the same civilised manner as before.

One of the curses that is part and parcel of our current political and social landscape is the commandment “thou must not offend“. And what is “offensive“ covers such a wide spectrum that it is almost impossible to say anything or do anything without offending someone, somewhere, sometime.  Whilst no one who knows me can accuse me of being “politically correct“ I certainly acknowledge the fact that political correctness, at its heart, is well-meaning: you treat other people in a decent and civilised manner.  And whilst being treated in a civilised and decent manner is the ideal, we well know that the ideal is sometimes not adhered to, and here people should really become more resilient (or “thick skinned“ if you will).  
Derogatory comments about a persons ethnic or national origin were very common when I was growing up, and as half Italian I was occasionally called an “eye-tie“, “w o p” and “d a g o“, but when I took those terms and turned them into a series of very bad jokes, the terms - if meant as an insult - lost any power to sting (note that I said if, in those days such epithets were often trotted out without any malice behind them. It was just the language of the era)

6 hours ago, newbryford said:

A hippo and forty-four?

Is that some sort of paneer?

Are you referring to some sort of homemade Indian soft cheese? 

4 hours ago, BSW01 said:

 

... I was unable to get a pastie from the butchers when I went this morning, as they were still in the oven, so I came home with a pork pie instead,

 

My afternoon visit to the to the dental hygienist was interesting..... They aren’t allowed to use drills or water rinsing tools, so all the work was done with hand held implements....

Pork pies! Food of the gods. I wish there was a local bakery that did proper British pork pies in my neighbourhood, but alas it is not to be.

Having undergone a recent visit to my (Swiss) dental hygienist I am surprised by the precautions imposed on your dentist, business was more or less as usual at my Dentist. The usual high standards of disinfection, hygiene and so on at my dentist’s surgery meant that apart from a few changes (not having any magazines in the waiting room, sanitising hands upon arrival, wearing a mask and social distancing whilst waiting) my visit to the dental hygienist was like any other and I noted no changes in how the work was done (both a water-pik and a low speed drill with a polishing head were used during my treatment).
It does seem to me that how various governments are managing this pandemic has more than a whiff of hysteria about it.  How much of the response is driven by science and medicine and how much by the fear of being sued (unless every eventuality, no matter how remote and unlikely, is addressed) is open to debate.

Of course, the sight of carts piled high with corpses, trundling through the streets in the wee hours as an attendant rings a bell and cries “bring out yer dead”, is not going to help anyone’s re-election chances 

5 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Goodnight all, funnily enough, the plane that bombed Boise City was probably built in Tulsa, we had a huge B-24/B-17 plant here, now it makes school buses, a worthy successor in my opinion.

I can see the similarity: in both cases you have a powerful machine with a deadly payload that is unleashed on civilian and industrial neighbourhoods alike.

 

Have a great POETS day. Mrs iD returns today and I have a custard tart to bake for her, some I’m outta here.

 

iD

[TheQ]

8 hours ago, roundhouse said:

I see that Nat Rail is having typo issues!

 

'Disruption between Easy Croydon and Clapham Junction.'

 

 

Had to reread that several times before brain would stop reading easy as east

[AndyID]

This character showed up just as we were sitting down for dinner.

 

 

I think it's most likely a young Bald Eagle or possibly a Golden Eagle. MrsID has posted it on the local FB page. Someone will be able to identify it correctly.

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

I braved Bedford town centre yesterday.  It was quiet to the extent that I imagined the same tumbleweed that I associate with Bracknell.  I bought more masks that I wanted because Boots do not pack them singly.  Made in China: oh dear.  I also took the opportunity to have a nose pad on my glasses replaced by a most helpful young gentleman in Specsavers.  Such are the times that I never entered the shop.  Instead, a tray was proffered on which I laid my specs.  They were mended quickly and the tray handed back to me through the open door in a matter of minutes.  On a related matter, I would rather not deal with *m*z*n unless I must.  Their march towards world domination appears relentless and there is a high human cost.  Yes, I do know that if you enter “relentless” into Google you get *m*z*n’s webshite.

 

On a happier note, there is at last some movement as regards my annual jaunt to Switzerland.  My original e-mail expressing interest could not be found.  Perhaps someone ate the carrier pigeon.  My preferred outward route via Harwich and the Hook is being costed and I hope to have more news next week.  The chances of the tour being cancelled are high but I need hope in these troubled times.

 

That formidable combination of Mike Stationmaster and Jamie has been most generous with advice about Nice and its hinterland.  It seems that a cheap day return will not be sufficient!  I do not know when I will make the trip, but make it I shall.

 

Late news: Pride Cymru have finally decided to cancel their parade over August Bank Holiday and make the rest of the event virtual.  It survived the mass cancellations of March and was the last event in my diary.  When will the world look again on my rainbow boots?

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[jamie92208]

ChrisF, when you do go to Nice, I bellieve there is some sort of runabout ticket on the local trains. I will do some digging for you.

 

Jamie

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

There is a pub just north of The Wash called The King of Prussia

Pennsylvania has a city named "King of Prussia".   It's in "George Washington slept here" country - very close to Valley Forge.

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

41 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I noted no changes in how the work was done (both a water-pik and a low speed drill with a polishing head were used during my treatment).
It does seem to me that how various governments are managing this pandemic has more than a whiff of hysteria about it.

I have a teeth cleaning appointment at the end of the month. I am interested to see how this will pan out.

 

In pre-pandemic times the hygienists wore masks, gloves and face shields. I imagine it will be much the same. There has been concern in the hygienist community about SARS-CoV-2 aerosols (relative to a water-pik) despite there being no official designation that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted as aerosols.

[Ozexpatriate]

43 minutes ago, chrisf said:

That formidable combination of Mike Stationmaster and Jamie has been most generous with advice about Nice and its hinterland.  It seems that a cheap day return will not be sufficient!  I do not know when I will make the trip, but make it I shall.

 

23 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

ChrisF, when you do go to Nice, I bellieve there is some sort of runabout ticket on the local trains.

Nice and environs are very nice to visit. The old market area is wonderful and the view from Boulevard de Mont-Boron is quite magnificent. Antibes is well worth a visit - in particular the Picasso museum. While I would not choose to argue with Mike, Monaco does have some charms, but Èze is well worth a look. The view at least is worth the effort. Cap Ferat is interesting - perhaps more so before the cruise ships are back in full rotation landing their tenders in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, though from a distance the cruise ships add a certain interest.

 

It is all very touristy but when one is a touristiuqe, quand à rome.

 

I very happily remember the Aubergine au parmesan avec Cotes de Provence Rosé alongside the quay in Antibes even if it wasn't that amazing. I did have the opportunity to dine in a Michelin starred restaurant in Antibes as well, but there is something about al fresco dining in the French Riviera. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the area on a couple of occasions.

 

The tourist traps are very proud of their pizza. They think it rivals Napoli. It doesn't. Stick with la cuisine Provençal.

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl Inner Temple Hare, 905 /566

3.5 + 1+ 1 ish not a good nights sleep for the three of us, we were all restless.. Ben the restless Collie kept getting up from bed moving to the floor, to the hall way. to the cage , to the bed, all night.

 

Ben the happy Collie made an appearance on morning patrol in the Driech weather, misty, foggy wet and horrible..

 

Hello, I've got a Landrover advert...… Unfortunately its for Land rover Hearse Hire.. One Life... Lived It.

 

Major Cockwomble today, I had green right arrow to follow this morning and the cockwomble coming the other way came straight through  a red light at me, both of us having to brake and swerve., the other car that had been alongside him stopped correctly...

 

Yesterday this computer lost connection to the net, slowly followed by many others , connections inside and outside the company were lost .. eventually it was traced to a hardware engineer who'd connected his own router to the net and it was harvesting all the dynamic connection numbers..  He did have a genuine reason for connection, as all our new equipments are "net ready" and are supposed to talk to any router so he was testing.. unfortunately he had got the setting wrong..

 

I was  trying to see where the pub Jamie was talking about north of Holbeach range was, but it doesn't come up on todays maps or of lost pubs. but it may have been renamed. Though it would be strange to go to a pub north of the wash after bombing, as the Tornado GR4s were based at Marham south of the Wash.  in Castle Aching territory.

 

Time I did some work..

 

[grandadbob]

Good morning all,

The sun is shining at the moment but more rain is forecast possibly becoming heavy and thundery.

The Boss was up earlier than me today so I had the luxury of tea being brought to me for a change.

I didn't fall off any steps yesterday as the bathroom deep clean was postponed until today due to other things being deemed more important.  I'm just following orders this week!  (Unusually for me but there is a reason, tomorrow's post will explain)

I did spend some time trying to fix my cheapo HP printer which wasn't printing any magenta. After umpteen head cleaning cycles it ran out of coloured ink.  Putting in a new cartridge fixed the problem.  Just as well as the next step would've involved a large hammer.   (or axe)

Time for breakfast.

Have a good one,

Bob.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

Stil chuckinitdarn here!

 

Non scheduled "non painting and decorating" day today.

 

Mentioned to her indoors that it was sunny in Sutton. "I used to go there for my percussion lessons with Jimmy (James) Blades.  He was the man who made the sound for the gong man for the Rank Organisation as well as the "V for Victory" drum beat for the BBC. I think that Sutton may have changed a lot since then!

 

I have been following the suggested ways to live but must, finally, find a cash machine and get some money (banking online means I don't go to banks that often anyway, I check my statements on line so save paper) as in cash as the one person who doesn't have a cash card reader is our milkman.

 

Chrisf..yes I wont buy anything from the company of tall ladies. I don't agree with their business methods at all..knowing someone who worked on the warehouse floor it is a lot like modrrn day slavery.

 

Time to finish my mugatea then onwards and upwards..

 

Enjoy Friday!

Stay safe and well.

 

Hope all is well in the ERs households and that our "missing" ERs are safe and well.

Baz