New Haven Neil

Just a shout to to Minerva/Chris for good service, I managed to lose one of the numberplates off my Peckett last week, and Chris very promptly popped a fret into the post for me for a very reasonable nominal charge - no connection (we didn't sell Minerva at Trackshack!) just genuine thanks for good service.

Morning, from a rock that has finally broken free of 6c, with a soaring 11. Drizzly out, but as needs must I will brave the elements to go to the village shop. Mrs H working from home, then beginning her fasting today then consumption of goop tomorrow early doors to, well, you know. Go. Forever. Until empty anyway. Eeeuww. Hopefully this will then provide some answers as the list of good outcomes is getting smaller, and the bad greater. Both a bit on the worried side, currently. IIRC the car that they had to change at the airport was a Skoda SUV thing, the larger of those they make, lovely car they thought, the buyer was pleased with the deal they got, but he forgot the one thing.....to check it was suitable for the use intended. This is apparently a normal setting for him, price not suitability being his goal. It's not currently doing his career prospects much good, apparently.

We're good at waffling. Or was it drivelling....I forget.....🤣

Absolutely agree - a few others too, it was certainly a golden era as you say.

Cab roof arc is the biggie to me, Clive. Much shallower on the early locos.

C and A Minor I did yesterday, and discovered my fingers are rather too short and stumpy for much else, but I will persevere with it as I like ukulele, they sound such happy little instruments. Victoria Vox is a particular favourite, as well as James Hill. Plus it was free. (Dad was Scots....). Noted above you mentioned Chethams, one of the probation officers I worked with studied clarinet there, she still plays in local bands here, her daughter is prodigiously talented too, but wouldn't go 'away' to school. She plays in the better of the local bands! There is quite a music scene here for a small place, with an annual contest of very high quality entrants.

Mrs NHN's department recently had to replace a new vehicle bought for the airport, used for patrolling the runways etc, as the lane assist didn't like the white lines demarking the aircraft taxi routes, to the point where the drivers (actually airport firemen) where convinced they were going to hit something and refused to drive it.

Indeed there are many valves on a ships side, and they all have a function of letting water in or out - but into or out of a system. To use them to flood a ship, you would need to smash or otherwise unbolt something to allow egress of the water. As I said, the idea is NOT to let the water inside a ship. It does no good at all.....especially in large spaces. Probably the easiest way on a motorship would be to pull the valves out of the bilge injection - which is an emergency valve connecting the biggest pump in the engineroom to a bilge suction for use when everything else is hopeless. Of take the strumbox cover off the main induction. On a steamship, the condenser as mentioned above would be the quickest, or again the main induction. But....there isn't a 'sea-cock' with a big label on it for the express purpose of scuttling a ship. iD I can assure you that any engineer officer would know the location and purpose of just about every valve in an engineroom soon after joining a ship - it's the first thing you do, learn the systems, trace the pipe runs. Anatomy, but for machines!

Morning, from a rock that seems to be stuck at 6c. Clear now after showers earlier. Not sure of todays excitement some housework no doubt but some time in the garage also looms, not sure of that will be mudelling or bike based productivity. iD's unwanted will be safe - I never saw 'seacocks' on any ship I sailed on. Keeping the sea out was of more imprtance.

I tuned it from the you tube I was watching, and then found one of those gadgets in the box afterwards - I was spot on. Mrs H has no idea within a semi-tone.

Just catching up - interesting discussion about making music, that I have thoroughly enjoyed. As it happens Mrs NHN, who is a tone deaf musical desert, was bought a cheap ukulele by friends for her 60th last week, more as a joke than anything. I gave it a go this afternoon following a You Toob eejits guide, and managed two chords, but wow the damn things are tuned strangely. My head still retained violin tuning from, errr 42 years ago so expected the strings to increase in pitch across the whatever it is, but they aren't in tonal order. Odd. So my G D A E (impressed, Steve?? ;-) ) memory was blasted out of town. The end result was a bit of a strum, two chords and the realisation my slightly arthritic, stumpy, short fingers aren't up to it! I'm not going to be worrying James Hill, that's for sure.

I've only just stumbled upon this thread, no idea why I hadn't seen it earlier, given I'm an industrial fan and a one-time regular at Backworth colliery as photographed above and which inspired some of my models. A lot of food for thought in your plans, the modular ideas are great, but as I'm basically on my own over here on Fraggle Rock there's not much point - the plans are excellent though and may well cause my next steps in the O Gauge to alter. Great stuff! My 49.....not an Austerity, but....

@PupCam My friend's Royce - never a 'Rolls', apparently - is an old-ish one, here in our much more modest driveway. He also has a Bentley of rather older style. Here about to go for a waft about the village, Mrs NHN and our friend's wife Gill being brave and coming with us while I tried not to crash it. What a barge.... Old photo, from some time ago.

Morning, from a breezy chilly 6c rock, where the sun shineth. My N gauge friend (he's very small) here - a US modeller - is the secretary of the Rolls-Royce Motor club here. He's terribly posh, having being the manager of a private bank, the sort that deals with the folk iD is talking about, and err, EIIR, that's a clue, but he puts up with us with good grace. I even got a go in his R-R! Some of his pals are in that social group, and by simple observation it is obvious they don't buy clothes from M&S. There are some very, very, rich people on this rock.

That's the bit that is my problem - why not have 12 notes on the stave, then my brain would accept it! I understand the theory, my head just doesn't like it. I'm sure there's a mathematical explanation for the octave, oh and while I'm on, why start with A but always refer to Middle C as a starting point? On the Pyanner of course. My head works in curious ways! I really should make another attempt at making music, but is it an old dog thing I wonder, at not-quite 65?

Played a little piano when very young, then violin at grammar school without any great success. I have an issue with reading how music is written, keys and sharps and flats, my brain wants the actual note shown, not addended with some funny sign. Sometimes. So if the actual note required is shown you don't need keys. So my head says anyway! I love music of nearly all types (not opera) and would like to be able to play something, but need to learn a different way somehow.

Evening orl. Nice to see Stewart back, and hoping you are recovering well from the stroke. Another early start so no morning post, off with the hunting pack to archery, first shoot for absolutely ages for some of the troop, and only the second in several months for the rest of us due to crepe weather. It was 'somewhat' muddy down in the glens still to say the least. But it was sunny and bright if somewhat brisk with a cold wind, but OK for February really. I was of course last, I know my place, but Mrs NHN had a grudge to repay to friend Mick who beat her soundly last shoot. She absolutely mullered him, and everyone else with a personal best and one of the best scores ever made on this course. The oracle Lesley wasn't there to ask (she's the world champion in this class and runs the club) what she had down as best round since the course was altered last summer but her hubby nearly choked when he saw Deb's score card. There may be more news later on this one. School - luckily lived close to both primary and grammar schools so could walk home for lunch, so I avoided the worst of school meals. The teaching varied from the good to arrest-able, one in particular, who thankfully liked me, really was a tyrant who physically abused some boys (boys school) and is spoken of in hushed terms on the school old-boys social meeja. Mad as a hatter. Hated every second of my schooling.

Evening. Usual Saturday Mrs NHN tasks, leaving little time for NHN tasks. Went wayyy down south to a place advertising drinks and snacks, some kind of support place for ex-forces and blue-light folk but open to all, so had a look to suss out - not very exciting but in a nice spot (Port Soderick) that in old times was a day tripping Victorian destination, tramway ride there and boat ride back sort of thing. Nothing there now bar the building the ex-force folk have. Had a nice chat and made our excuses as there was some kind of a presentation going on, met some folk we knew. re You Tube 'influencers' there's an American that just buys things seemingly to destroy them for the sole purpose of annoying folk. He has 7 million subscribers......I can guess how they vote. @PupCam be careful 'reading' plugs, modern fuels make it just about impossible to really see what is going on.

Cheers Andy, and apols to Jeff. Now looking forward to more astro-photography and Gill Head action too!

Chief Constable took it from my fat belly...... .......he bought me a pint.

I concur that foot issues are an absolute pain, there are days when I look at the chainsaw and wonder if......🦶 but I'm told it doesn't solve much, 'ghost' pain being just as bad. Then it'll be OK for a few weeks and I wonder what I was fussing over. I've waited so long for fusion on it I'm at the point of not bothering with a third surgery and just putting up with it.

How about U toob link please, Andy?

Got that,......um.....Uniform! NHN in Marseilles, baggage, with uniform, in Ulan Bator or somewhere. Took three weeks to catch up with me.

Cargo trousers and T shirt yes, baseball cap no!