Early Risers.

[jjb1970]

I am pitching a new documentary series to the BBC. The JJB Report, Going Underground in the Dark Heart of Modern Britain, a hard hitting investigation into the finescale taliban.

 

Episode 1 will set the scene, lifting the lid on the seedy underground of model railways. I film undercover in a Cotswolds town, it's Sunday morning and you might expect it to be a picture of English idyl. But no, you can feel the fear, the local school has been taken over by a shadowy gang called the N Gauge Society, under a secret code word of 'model railway exhibition' it has become the centre of an underworld gathering. The perimeter is guarded by men in yellow vests called 'stewards' and the streets fill up with estate cars arriving for this mob gathering, wallets bulging with Deltics and lemon drizzle cakes.......

 

Episode 2 see's me infiltrate one of the gangs, I meet someone who knows someone who has a friend who can get me into a 'club room', a den of ill repute where the local underground meets to indulge in dodgy deeds. I manage to get in and find it full of people high on enamel paint fumes and glue as a king pin fills the room with this highly addictive aerosol drug using what initiates call an 'air brush', the air is thick with fear of a sinister group known only as the 'Committee'......

 

In Episode 3 I go to the dark heart of the cult, exposing a sinister dark web and a shadowy website known only as 'RMWeb' and the turpitudinous market for filth- internet pictures of Bulleid pacifics and Deltics. I interview a former vicar whose life was ruined after being exposed for having a hard drive full of pictures of no boiler 47's on passenger workings. The sad picture of his former wife 'I thought he was just downloading pictures of porn stars and reading razzle, when I realised he had pictures of 57xx pannier tanks and the playboy and fiesta covers were just to disguise the Railway Modeller.... I was horrified.....', I close by door stepping Rishi Sunak and demand to know what he intends to do about the price of the new Rapido Dynanometer car in N.

 

It'll be compelling viewing, hard hitting stuff.

[polybear]

24 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

Happy birthday to Grandadbob!! Enjoy the day and don't over indulge on cake🤪

 

Note to @grandadbob GDB:  Take no notice ....fill yer boots (and squirrel a load away for later too)

[Hroth]

9 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

I am pitching a new documentary series to the BBC. The JJB Report, Going Underground in the Dark Heart of Modern Britain, a hard hitting investigation into the finescale taliban.

 

Episode 1 will set the scene, lifting the lid on the seedy underground of model railways. I film undercover in a Cotswolds town, it's Sunday morning and you might expect it to be a picture of English idyl. But no, you can feel the fear, the local school has been taken over by a shadowy gang called the N Gauge Society, under a secret code word of 'model railway exhibition' it has become the centre of an underworld gathering. The perimeter is guarded by men in yellow vests called 'stewards' and the streets fill up with estate cars arriving for this mob gathering, wallets bulging with Deltics and lemon drizzle cakes.......

 

Episode 2 see's me infiltrate one of the gangs, I meet someone who knows someone who has a friend who can get me into a 'club room', a den of ill repute where the local underground meets to indulge in dodgy deeds. I manage to get in and find it full of people high on enamel paint fumes and glue as a king pin fills the room with this highly addictive aerosol drug using what initiates call an 'air brush', the air is thick with fear of a sinister group known only as the 'Committee'......

 

In Episode 3 I go to the dark heart of the cult, exposing a sinister dark web and a shadowy website known only as 'RMWeb' and the turpitudinous market for filth- internet pictures of Bulleid pacifics and Deltics. I interview a former vicar whose life was ruined after being exposed for having a hard drive full of pictures of no boiler 47's on passenger workings. The sad picture of his former wife 'I thought he was just downloading pictures of porn stars and reading razzle, when I realised he had pictures of 57xx pannier tanks and the playboy and fiesta covers were just to disguise the Railway Modeller.... I was horrified.....', I close by door stepping Rishi Sunak and demand to know what he intends to do about the price of the new Rapido Dynanometer car in N.

 

It'll be compelling viewing, hard hitting stuff.

 

Its rather nice to be a member of what turns to be a dark and shadowy cult, even though I never realised that was so when I joined!

 

However, the BBC?  You're probably barking up the wrong tree, C5 would snap up your proposal in a heartbeat!

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Did I say it's still snowing? Five minutes after I said that it stopped and the sun came out. It's still damn cold though.

[The Lurker]

Happy birthday GDB

[Gwiwer]

24 minutes ago, Hroth said:

a dark and shadowy cult

You've been in our local club-room, haven't you?  Dark and shadowy would definitely describe it!!!

[iL Dottore]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

 

Chaos?

 

 

Nottaproblem........

 

Poacher turned gamekeeper.....

[The Lurker]

Greetings all from a Sidcup that has also seen snow and was bitterly cold. It did warm up on the lunchtime walk and the snow did not settle.

 

i am glad it wasn’t like this earlier in the week as we did tree planting- we were supposed to plant 240 to celebrate 240 years of the company but got carried away and did 280 - a mixture of oak, willow, cherry, crab apple and other native species.

 

the place was old landfill in an old chalk pit for the cement works that used to be there EDIT the Kentrail site has neat little history of the area: https://www.kentrail.org.uk/kent_portland_cement_works.htm

 

and the company that owns it also extracts methane from the landfill and heats 2000-3000 nearby houses.

 

it was quite exposed but a good view of the Dartford bridge

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by The Lurker
add link to Kentrail

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, polybear said:

and squirrel a load away for later too

Probably better than load a squirrel away for later. 

[Tony_S]

20 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Did I say it's still snowing? Five minutes after I said that it stopped and the sun came out. It's still damn cold though.

The snow stopped so a walk was proposed.  So we are up here in the Essex Highlands at Hyde Hall.  It is cold.  Made it from car to cafe for lunch so far.  

[iL Dottore]

After @polybear's and @iL Dottore's huge worldwide success with the TV series Bear And Doctor, Hollywood came knocking....

Ridley Scott cast them in his sequel to Blade Runner

 

Critical Reception has been.... VERY Positive!

Edited December 1, 2023 by iL Dottore

[Hroth]

37 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

After @polybear's and @iL Dottore's huge worldwide success with the TV series Bear And Doctor, Hollywood came knocking....

Ridley Scott cast them in his sequel to Blade Runner

 

Critical Reception has been.... VERY Positive!

 

Is that a Sonic Screwdriver in your left hand???

 

[Ian Abel]

Happy birthday @grandadbob  

 

POETS, and I'll probably take advantage...

 

Yesterday was a looonnggg rehearsal as we had to cover both the regular service music and the Evensong stuff (schola only), so I was well pleased to be done by 9:30pm

 

Today sees the start of a way too busy weekend;

Tonight a Zoom with our temporarily transposed Arizona friends

Tomorrow I'm told we're "invited" to matinee show for one of the Mrs great-nieces, pretty much a "have to go" thing! Then in the evening one of the neighbors annual Christmas party.

Sunday I have the pleasure of singing starting at 8am, at two services, take a brief break and then sing again at 4pm for the Evensong, after which the schola and partners are off for a dinner and drinks.

If I am able, I'll try and wake up in time for work on Monday <yawn> 😀

 

Rant Mode on

What is it with EVERY business establishment I've visited in the last two days, they ALREADY ALL PLAYING Christmas music NON-STOP <grrrrr>

Rant Mode off

 

Finally, just was informed by the pharmacy that two new prescriptions have been ordered, what???

Oh, yeah, a nice pair of items destined to be consumed around the 12th. so that some poor soul can shove a camera up my arse on the 13th,! Great reminder. ☹️

 

All the local seaweed twirlers are bemoaning the fact that December is the second snowiest month here, BUT, there's none is sight, and even though we have a 75% record of several inches of snow on the ground at Christmas, it's currently looking rather more a slim-to-none possibility.

 

Weather more seasonably cold (missing se snow, see above), -3c first thing with a high of zero expected. Weekend lows around -2c and highs 2-4c

 

Enjoy the start of the weekend.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Ian Abel

[DaveF]

It has stayed cold all day, it got up to just over 1C this afternoon so the snow hasn't gone far.  Having seen one of my neighbours walk by very carefully I decided not to go far today.  In the end I got as far as a neighbour's to take a "non Christmas present", we always give each other a bottle of malt whisky to say thanks for help and friendship during the year, I received one from them yesterday.  Both the road and pavement were very slippery.

 

I have had a look at the old airing cupboard, a few things have been disposed of but there is more to do when I feel like sorting out old towels and tea towels - but every time I throw out old ones I promptly need an old towel for some reason or other.

 

After coffee I was getting something out of the loft and also brought down my microscope which has been up there for some time.  It has been cleaned and checked and it works so I will now use it.  I always enjoy looking at small things from the pond and bits of plants.  I also enjoy doing (not very good) drawings of the things I look at.    In order to check it out I just looked at hair and some simple skin scrapings.

 

I also got a small amount of modelling done, most of the time was spent carefully measuring spaces for things to fit.  Then I sorted out yet more photos.

 

Next will be a sandwich followed by the usual mix of book, TV and music until bedtime - which will be fairly early tonight.

 

Just before I wrote this I closed the curtains, as I was doing so I saw a car come round the corner.  Fortunately nothing was parked outside the houses, the car was travelling sideways at just over walking pace at one stage.

 

David

Edited December 1, 2023 by DaveF

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Hroth said:

Is that a Sonic Screwdriver in your left hand???

It looks more like an endoscope.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Needed a few things so I went to Tess Coes earlier. All that walking about woke up Arthur Itis. The snow may have stopped but there's still a bit laying where the sun hasn't reached it. By the time I got back from Tess Coes it was too late to sort out the rollator but I won't be using it until the 14th so I've got plenty of time.

[tigerburnie]

Happy Birthday GDB

[BoD]

Evening all

 

Not a lot done today at all.  Valerie had an appointment to have a change of nail colour followed by another appointment to have a change of hair colour.  These were predicted to take all morning and part of the afternoon so I had plans …. until both were cancelled, in part, due to the weather.  Later I managed to get my hair ‘done’ too. Not a two or three hour event but fifteen minutes, and that included walking to and from the barbers.

 

There has been a slight thaw today where the sun has hit but outside of that, the snow remains. There are clear skies now and things are starting to refreeze.  Should be interesting again in the morning.

[BSW01]

@grandadbob  happy birthday 

[New Haven Neil]

Evenink.  Chilly day here too, 3c was about the top despite crystal clear skies, and zero when we came in from town at 4.30.  -2c now, many frosty patches didn't melt all day on the road to the bright lights of Royal Ramsey. 

 

Had to wait in until the Dr called, which was 2'40pm.  Wasted most of my day, and it wasn't my GP that called so we had to start from scratch basically. #sigh#  Got there in the end, she was very nice but we had a lot of history to go through before we got to the crux of the matter.  It left me with an impression about how a particular process is being handled in general in the practice (not that Dr's fault), and it wasn't one I particularly liked.  Questions will be asked elsewhere.

 

Oh, that may well have been a rant.

[Dave Hunt]

22 hours ago, polybear said:

Try this one; free if you eat it in an hour - some guy woofed it in 26 minutes.  Respect.

 

Reminds me of when I lived in Singapore. There was an eatery in town called the Victory Curry House where they offered any Westerner who could eat a whole one of their super-hot Victory curries a free one on the next visit. It seemed a bit of a pointless exercise to me as the reward for burning your mouth and throat out was doing it again, although I did witness a few people who were obviously more testosterone fuelled than me trying. I quite happily put up with accusations of being a wimp as at least I could still speak on the way home.

 

Dave 

[Dave Hunt]

7 hours ago, TheQ said:

I didn't know about the 60th wedding anniversary card because I would have arranged it for my parents, they made it to 65 years and 5 months.

 

Neither did I and my parents managed to last until their 70th anniversary.

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

Almost forgot. Happy 75th to GDB (or what's left of it). I hope that plenty of cake and at least one bacon sarnie featured.

 

Dave

[tigerburnie]

56 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Reminds me of when I lived in Singapore. There was an eatery in town called the Victory Curry House where they offered any Westerner who could eat a whole one of their super-hot Victory curries a free one on the next visit. It seemed a bit of a pointless exercise to me as the reward for burning your mouth and throat out was doing it again, although I did witness a few people who were obviously more testosterone fuelled than me trying. I quite happily put up with accusations of being a wimp as at least I could still speak on the way home.

 

Dave 

It's not your mouth and throat you need to worry about, I've been known shed a tear the following day after fierce tindaloo............................................

[polybear]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

Evenink.  Chilly day here too, 3c was about the top despite crystal clear skies, and zero when we came in from town at 4.30.  -2c now, many frosty patches didn't melt all day on the road to the bright lights of Royal Ramsey. 

 

Had to wait in until the Dr called, which was 2'40pm.  Wasted most of my day, and it wasn't my GP that called so we had to start from scratch basically. #sigh#  Got there in the end, she was very nice but we had a lot of history to go through before we got to the crux of the matter.  It left me with an impression about how a particular process is being handled in general in the practice (not that Dr's fault), and it wasn't one I particularly liked.  Questions will be asked elsewhere.

 

Oh, that may well have been a rant.

 

It's no wonder that cases such as this happen:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67548296

 

1 minute ago, tigerburnie said:

It's not your mouth and throat you need to worry about, I've been known shed a tear the following day after fierce tindaloo............................................

 

Vindy? Pah.

Try a Phaal.  Now that really does separate the Bears from the Hippos**

 

**Which is probably a very good thing cos' Big H having a twirl next morning would be like spreading Napalm every where.