Early Risers.

[leopardml2341]

4 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

All the right wheels...

... but not necessarily in the right order.

 

(It's that time of year)

[Winslow Boy]

37 minutes ago, Barry O said:

When we flew into Melbourne a few years ago the Mercedes mechanics and support team were in the queue for imigration and customs. They all had nicely pressed mercedes benz logo shirts in. All of their cases were locked so couldn't be inspected... the keys were with the chef d'eqip who had already gone through cistoms and imigration... then the lock cutters arrived....

 

Baz

Nothing quite like a determined Customs official armed with a big pair of loppers.

 

Wonder who paid for the replacement locks. Be interesting to read the expenses claim.

[Gwiwer]

For some among us the year is about to turn.  For others it will not do so for quite some hours yet.  For a lot of us we have but twelve hours of the dreaded 2020 left to endure.  

 

What ever else this year has brought - and I know that for some of us it has brought dreadful losses personally, financially and mentally - it has kept this little community more or less together and this little community has kept its members more or less together.  

 

We have gained and lost a few along the way.  Such is the nature of the beast.  Yet this endures as a place where support, wisdom, experience and inane banter are freely shared within a select group.  And above all we have support and friendship.  I would have been in a worse place than I was (and I felt that got pretty bad at times) had it not been for the friendships of people here some of whom I have not yet met in the real world.

 

That goes both ways.  I have also been thanked in my turn either in words or "ratings" for a good many comments.  I revisit something from the day I left the Palace of Attendance back in Melbourne almost four years ago.  I was given a surprise farewell party of the sort normally accorded a long-serving retiree not a part-timer with just three years service.  One of my then colleagues - not a woman I ever had a lot to do with and nothing bar the uniform in common - and the arranger-in-chief of the party replied to my surprised comments with  "You came into this place a stranger and showed us the meaning of friendship".

 

I hope I have managed to continue that through this most difficult year in ERs.  I have definitely been on the receiving end of support over and above the call of duty.  

 

2020 has been a real s***show.  I shall be heartily glad to see the back of it.  Despite expecting things to worsen before they get better we do now have a choice of two vaccines in the UK and already something like 1% of the population has received their first shot.  We shall be back.  Maybe not to the fully 2019 standards but to a much more open and sociable 2021 within weeks now.  An end is in sight.  We can hang in there.  And we can continue to offer each other the best friendship and support ERs has become known for.  

 

I wish each and every one of us - and our families one and all - a very much better and happier 2021.  Glasses will be raised later.  Raasay pre-release single malt for those interested.  I may not be awake at midnight as there seems little point this year but we shall certainly toast our friends in this place, in the vastness of cyberspace and in reality around our home rock.  

 

Dr. SWMBO offers her best wishes too and thanks ERs for their friendship and support, both of her and of myself.

 

Happy New Year.  Bledhen Noweth Da.  

[southern42]

' afternoon all from white red dragon land.

I little dusting of the white stuff down to our level, overnight, but it does not seem to stop some interlopers coming over into next door's garden - next step, over the wall into ours.  

 

"Don't even think about it! Shoooo!"

 

Time to get the bubble n squeak going...yerterday's click n collect sprouts look older than the ones we had last week! Going yellow... Not to worry, cook them today and toss into the freezer may help!

 

Hope the day goes well.  Back later....

 

Polly

 

 

[polybear]

3 hours ago, grandadbob said:

Sainsbury's delivered at 7.30, half an hour earlier than the booked slot.  I was up and ready but The Boss was still in the shower.  If I'd known beforehand what a miserable sod the driver was I'd have made him wait. 

 

Especially annoying when you think to yourself "it's ok, I've got time for a dump before the delivery arrives - and you've just got comfortable when the doorbell rings...."

 

3 hours ago, jonny777 said:

Sharp frost here in North Somerset. Minimum -3C. Thick ice on the pond, but I have just broken it with a spade and lifted out the slabs of ice complete with most of the pond weed frozen into it. Result.

 

 

Bear thought that such tactics are less than good for any fish etc. in the pond - or is it devoid of such inhabitants?

 

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

When we flew into Melbourne a few years ago the Mercedes mechanics and support team were in the queue for imigration and customs. They all had nicely pressed mercedes benz logo shirts in. All of their cases were locked so couldn't be inspected... the keys were with the chef d'eqip who had already gone through cistoms and imigration... then the lock cutters arrived....

 

Baz

 

Some years ago a certain Italian F1 Team came to the UK to use the wind tunnel facilities at (what was) BAe Filton (Bristol).  All very hush-hush, need to know etc etc.  And then at lunchtime a large group of Italian speaking guys dressed in red overalls wandered into the works canteen....

 

Bear spent the morning having a clean-up of tools and equipment used during the kitchen refurb - bl00dy dust gets everywhere.  I really ought to carry on doing some work this afternoon, but there's a strong chance that urgent eyelid inspection activities may be required; I went to bed-e-buys at around midnight last night (after watching "Ghost") and woke at half four and couldn't get back to sleep again... 

 

[The Stationmaster]

So now some half wit has decided not to give people the second shot of the Pfizer vaccine but to give morer initial shots instead.  Pfizer have said that they haven't tested that scenario and can only confirm the efficacy of teh vaccine if teh second shot is given three weeks after the first.

 

I sincerely hope the staff, including my daughter, working on Covid wards will be expressing their displeasure with the idiots sitting in their offices/home offices and not being exposed to people ill with the disease.  What a bunch of total t*ssers.    I can just see now the virus adapting itself through a mutation to deal with partial vaccination - just like not taking a complete course of penicillin or other drugs - are these people totally brainless?  Any sane person can quickly work out that it will take months to properly vaccinate even the higher risk groups but now some goon comes out with a stupid idea like this to short circuit the process but which could just as easily make things far worse.   I despair.

 

Rant mode off.

[tigerburnie]

Afternoon and Happy New Brexit.........................................I campaigned against us joining when active in politics, however I think it was a less than good idea leaving, we are a small country with next to no industry to provide decent job opportunities for the youth leaving full time education. If Wee Jimmie Crankie get's her wish and divides Britain even further I do wonder what future we have left for the populace.

I really do hope the coming year offers some opportunities for those of working age to prosper, things will be a fair bit different, but hopefully not too bad for most and once inoculated, we can all get back to something close to normal. On a personal level the virus hasn't actually affected us much, no one in my family has at present had the covid as far as we know, we haven't lost any friends to it either. Delays to some medical intervention has hopefully not affected us too much and our personal mental health is fine, we are a resilient lot with a can do attitude supplemented with some good fortune, living in the country within walking distance of some stunning scenery has most certainly helped, living in a city cannot have been so easy. 

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a cold but dry Fold in the side of the hill. There was frost earlier and it was noticeably colder outside when we went for our walk earlier.

 

today sees me cook a family fave for tea, my version of a paella - although purists would be up in arms at my use of chorizo. Later on I will attempt some tapas dishes to keep us going until 2021 arrives. Surely next year will be better but it may get tougher first; hang on in there!

 

Health and happiness to all for 2021

[Winslow Boy]

Well to use that well known phrase 'Houston I think we have a problem'. 

 

Well when I say 'we' I'm not referring to those good Norther folk who are used to such trivals but rather those soft southeners - BBC types particularly, who go to pieces when confronted by more than several flakes of the white stuff, no not milk.

 

Followers of this esteemed column will no doubt recall my previous posting about the snow sticking. Well I have to report that it is still sticking, abet in much smaller quantity.

 

So dear readers prepare for reports of traffic becoming bogged down, flights- what there are- being grounded and other similar reports of the end of civilization as we know. We northern types will just get on with it as normal, leaving the panicing to the soft southeners.

 

Have a nice day.

[simontaylor484]

7 hours ago, TheQ said:

That's because the former foundry on that site made many of the fire hydrants around New York..

I can remember the old works being knocked down and the new Stadium being built. Intermittently that is, I was with SWMBO visiting her relatives in the area.

It was Guest and Chrimes who started as brass founders .

 

 

It is also close to CF Booth at Armer Street where many a loco has met its fate

[simontaylor484]

I am going to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year hopefully it will be a lot better than this one.

 

Due to the snow on the ground and tbe increase in light it gavelast night we saw 3 foxes in the allotments behind our house. We had only seen one previously

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

So now some half wit has decided not to give people the second shot of the Pfizer vaccine but to give morer initial shots instead.  Pfizer have said that they haven't tested that scenario and can only confirm the efficacy of teh vaccine if teh second shot is given three weeks after the first.

 

I sincerely hope the staff, including my daughter, working on Covid wards will be expressing their displeasure with the idiots sitting in their offices/home offices and not being exposed to people ill with the disease.  What a bunch of total t*ssers.    I can just see now the virus adapting itself through a mutation to deal with partial vaccination - just like not taking a complete course of penicillin or other drugs - are these people totally brainless?  Any sane person can quickly work out that it will take months to properly vaccinate even the higher risk groups but now some goon comes out with a stupid idea like this to short circuit the process but which could just as easily make things far worse.   I despair.

 

Rant mode off.

 

Bear saw this being discussed on the lunchtime news.  However, I do feel that you are perhaps being somewhat harsh on those who can justifiably be called a "total t*sser"; the clowns that came up with this latest brainwave surely cannot be worthy of such esteem?

It seems to this Bear that in a worst case situation not only will people continue to die, lockdowns to continue and 100M doses of the vaccine be totally wasted.  Bright move, that one.

[Coombe Barton]

Idiot time.

 

No, not COVID, me.

 

Starting painting, so look for the emulsion paintbrushes. Not in my usual hidden places, so went to look. Remembered that the last time I used them I cleaned them and left them outside to dry. They were still there, but swimming on a pool of green algae.

 

So off to Wickes to get another set.

 

[Barry O]

been a busy bee getting what was left of the gammon into cubes for use later. Then adding items to my Ebay sales area.

 

Yes Mike, whoever thought that one up must be on something (and it isn't planet earth)  I wonder if someone setting this up could be counted as a mass murderer? 

 

Still freezing here... the birds have been attacking the bird feeders with renewed vigour today. I did spot our Jenny Wren this lunchtime.

 

I have obtained a new piece of coal and silver for tonight's "first foot" process. The ones from last year are off for use elsewhere.. good riddance..

 

I note that Doris has a family member who not only flaunts travel regs but is leaving the UK passport group permanently.. if only some others had the opportunity to do so.. just fancy being somewhere a tad warmer at the moment!

 

Baz

[Tony_S]

37 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

 

Due to the snow on the ground and tbe increase in light it gavelast night we saw 3 foxes in the allotments behind our house. We had only seen one previously

We don’t have any snow on the ground but it was really quite chilly last night. Last night’s recycling wasn’t the sort to attract the local foxes but as I opened the curtains this morning, a heron flew close to the window. Perhaps the marshes were frozen and it was looking for fishponds. 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl, snowman here I know all about dust..third morning in a row of gloves mask, goggles, hat and overalls.

The respirators had a new filter in every day too.

 

No snow here, but the heaviest frost of the year which hasn't gone away , except in the most sunlit spots. This is why I'm wrapped up in an old sleeping bag suffering from cold soak.  That's with the heater on most of the time. I need to insulate the rest of the garage..

 

Keel sanded, lots of dust, that side of the keel I'm now happy with, it's not perfect but it still requires a top coat, and before launch a coat ablative anti fouling.

 

The shelving was trimmed to the new dimensions,  and some small blanking pieces inserted on the back which are now setting. One thing I've not mentioned is the thin "battens" on the back which prevent books sliding back to the wall and preventing air circulation, are actually the "leaves" of a wooden window blind, conveniently three shelves length equals one blind "leaf" exactly.

 

Also conveniently, the saw I'm using gives exactly the correct thickness of blade, for a leaf to Insert, in the gap produced, for a tight fit.

 

Keel turned round, other side sanded, more dust, then given a coat of thickened resin. The heater has been left blowing on that  side, it will need moving every half hour to warm up each area above the 15C.

 

I've never celebrated new year, and have only been awake for it, if I can't sleep or I'm on duty.

 

I spent the last hour in the workshop listening to "The last Victorians",  an hours  piece on Radio Norfolk, about the last days of the old signal boxes and semaphore signals between Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. It might be available online..

 

Time, I think, for ocular covering inspection

 

 

 

 

 

[Coombe Barton]

Must be expecting the Queen.

 

Place smells of wet paint.

[andyram]

6 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Thanks Andy - at least you may get a bigger slice of the pie without us.  The supply delay issues killed us, Peco in particular.  From being their second largest (yes, really, behind you-know-who!) customer to zero in four months.   The week we ordered our usual 50 boxes of SL-100 and got absolutely none (amongst other things - not a lot came at all in fact unless you wanted left hand curved Setrack points ) made us realise we couldn't bridge the gap with 6 staff to pay too, as well as ourselves.  

 

The Peco supply issue is certainly the biggest problem at the moment. I have similar issues getting some track. At present the customer demand for such products is not quite outstripping what I can supply but it is frustrating. I received another delivery on Christmas Eve which I have not had chance to open. I can see, from the size of the box, that much of what I ordered is missing. Other track suppliers (in red boxes) are slow but I do have alternatives thankfully.

 

[New Haven Neil]

Tch.  Directed to spend day cupboard rebuilding, or at least shelf adjustment, content re-allocating and all that stuff..... as if I don't have enough modelling to do.....

 

We used to celebrate New Year in full Scots mode, but nowadays it is bed at the usual time, to be woken by the cock on the corner (difficult on a circle...hmm....the cock second from the gap!) setting off fireworks.  Tw@. His other half is a copper too, he should know better.

[simontaylor484]

Is the peco track shortage due to lack of plastic. Due to being used for ppe or is it a lag from lockdown 1 i did see peco had spread out production and packing into pecorama

Edited December 31, 2020 by simontaylor484
Clarity

[Barry O]

Fireworks have started here.. already! Big display ones too!  PAH!!

 

Baz

[Simon G]

Well our first day in Tier 4 does seem to have made a difference, namely twice the Tier rating seems to equate to twice the people out and about.  I haven’t seen the beach car park as busy as today since the summer!  We didn’t venture onto the St Bees promenade as it was so busy as to make social distancing difficult.  If this is what is going to continue in Tier 4, god help us!

 

Our walk today was carefully planned to coincide with the time of the day when there would be the least amount of ice on the paths and pavements.  It was still slippery in places, but we didn’t have any accidents, I am pleased to say.

[TheQ]

Same here in North Norfolk, lots of covidiots choosing to visit the coast. Cromer has put out messages that the pier is closed and not to visit the town..

[simontaylor484]

Well as i write i have 2 autistic kids wondering when they are going back to school/college.

  They were both meant to start on the 5th at the moment we are assuming the youngest at primary school will go back on the 5th. The eldest at college is up in the air. Upto yesterday the college website said the 5th we cant get on at the minute. 

We will just have to wait and see what happens what a situation we are in. 

 

[southern42]

16 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Fireworks have started here.. already! Big display ones too!  PAH!!

 

Baz

 

Cue to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

 

 

Polly