New Haven Neil

Tyneside then, IoM now - so not much difference - my opinion differs, sorry!

Yup - but we disagree! I remember it. It's dark in the mornings anyway oop north in the winter, another hour makes no difference, the extra hour later, when people are tired, has always struck me as a better idea.

Ah, I meant summer time in winter, double summer time in....summer! Basically moving everything forward one hour, all year.

We'd prefer double summer time.

Evening. Been a manic couple of days. 30c on Peel prom this afternoon, and 28c here. We went out in the kayak, lest we melted. First time for over a year so we're absolutely knackered now. Had a nice chat with some visitors afterwards, who felt very safe here and will return again in a few weeks - if allowed! I have never seen such temperatures here in the 19 years of domicile, although once when a visitor in the 80's it was this hot. Bins - ha, we have one, wheelie, standard, brown, emptied once a fortnight. There's a recycling centre in the village for glass, card and a rags/clothing thing. We compost all the green waste in the garden. The local tip recycles something like 70% of what they get 'given', and burnables go to the 'energy from waste' plant, i.e. an incinerator, but it provides enough electricity to power the rock overnight.

24c now dans le Rock, Fraggles swooning. Off in a mo for the bike ride, should be most pleasant, not sure how many we will have today but they're all good company. Membership is strictly by invitation! Yet oddly, I'm allowed..... Best wishes to Cav today, the lad done good, if he can beat Mercx's record it will be quite something, especially considering he thought his career was over after illness. Our Belgian friend here has torn loyalties! I have a suspicion it is too big an ask after the climb yesterday, though. Fingers and kippers crossed.

Reading Q's post, two things jump to mind. One, that blacklisting has been blacklisted..... Two, iD thought the other day that the UK was destroying itself in stupidity - it would appear this may be driven from USA parent companies....by demonstration. Oh, two (a) - this so called PC rubbish needs to be stopped. It is completely over the top.

Morning, finally made it on a bit earlier. 18c heading upwards, scorchio promised, good as it is old farts bike club day, the destination being the MSPCA cafe where there are no koalas, but many dogs n cats and the odd wabbit. Edit - not in the cafe....LOL Spent some time yesterday glueing bits of brass together with a molten tin and lead based material, a little confusticated with some parts at first but a picture from RMW helped, and later some advice from the designer of the brass bits, nice chap. NHN too has dodgy hands, I don't have a steady hand so model making has always been a challenge (less said about handwriting the better, I should have been a doctor but I'm no way intelligent enough), been like that all my life, but of late some, well all, very seized fingers of a morning don't help, arthritis starting and some diabetic damage one suspects. I'll leave the car in the Bright Lights of Ramsey later this afternoon after the bike ride, and take the Manx Electric Railway to the Big City to meet Mrs NHN from work (office is actually in the horse tram sheds next to the MER station), then ride it back together and have a Chinese meal in the seething mass of humanity of an evening in Ramsey. It's all go.

Usually diesels were never an problem - only steam locos - tight spots being the usual issue. And detail bits dropping off Hornby ones. Oh how I don't miss dealing with their returns system!

The Dapol 350....what the young ones call an 08....has simply superb running qualities. The Pannier is fine, couldn't wish for more, but the 350 just is magnificent.

I have to say that we used to get a steady stream of returns at Trackshack of locos with tight spots. Usually Bachmann, less often Hornby, they just fell to bits.... It is exactly your issue that caused me to defect to USA modelling way back, early diesel era, as the locos all ran simply superbly and were cheaper. 20 years later, they're better in the UK now, but far from perfect still. I wanted a return to UK practice, So - O gauge. Superb running fromDapol, Minerva, Lionheart, but less good, my kit built industrial!

I would likely relieve you of the bike if I was closer.....being a Honda sort of chap.

Oh I miss the tales of the Whelkmen.....

Well said, Rick. I came here, and all of RMWeb, originally at a time of very low mood due to a long recovery period after some gory hip surgery (is there any other type?) and found a place of great support and knowledge - given freely and without prejudice. Having been through more goryness later with the Lisfranc fracture foot accident, ER's yet again was a place of refuge, and now in somewhat enforced retirement is once again a place of support and comradeship. Long may it last. I even do some modelling sometimes, but shh we're not supposed to talk about that here. Again thanks to Andy Y for facilitating this corner of happyness.

Morning, a touch breezy out, well windy really, 18c and overcast. Not sure what the day will bring, orders not posted so I am my own boss until dinner needs to be cooked. Phil mentioned: drivers pulling out of side turnings try to force their way out by creeping over the line forcing drivers on the main road to manoeuvre around them or stop, I have noticed this game here, but wondered what it was about as the average Manxie will stop at a roundabout or junction even when it is their right of way, out of misguided politeness, or inability to understand the highway code. Further observation resulted in realising it was only certain builder-type vans....with odd names on the side, or registrations not originating from the rock or the UK. All building trades here are in great demand currently, so there's a lot of not local types around. Any more comment would be racist and possibly unfair as it is hardly scientific observation.

Great photos, Tone! I hope I can get to see this layout at some point.

Pah!

Someone say Paneer?

There is a er, furrin layout around on the interweb with three scales in a mountain scene, with the same design railcar on all three scales. As the front one disappears off scene, the next smaller one emerges and crosses the valley in the opposite direction etc.....very clever.

Us enlightened T2 diabetics have been harping on about this for some time, carbs are the enemy, good fat does the job., portion control is (difficult.....) is paramount also! Michael Oz, I'd say UK sockets and plugs are well designed, not over designed - in my travels around the world and in non-UK built ships, I find the alternatives to be rather dodgy in some cases, and poorly designed.

Mmm forced perspective, like it!

CB, yes, the thought had crossed my mind, however the new rear brake shoes for Mrs NHN's BMW arrived, so I set to replacing them.. Except they don't fit. Correct items in box? Yes. Correct items for VIN? Yes. Phone Motorworks (BM bike specialists, great folk) look up VIN on clever system, shows the bike first registered in 1992 was actually made in 1999. Still shows the same parts though. Closer examination shows it was made 'just after' - according to the VIN - a change to spec - but they must have been using left-overs as the previous version is correct! Pah, I think the saying is. Such is my life.

Morning - just. Late to rise due to extreme knackeredness - did too much yesterday (big walk then wood splitting all afternoon), then couldn't get to sleep - so when I did, I stayed there! 23c and rising currently although windy, Fraggles will be swooning with heat exhaustion, we're not used to this! Not sure what I have to achieve today, washing probably as it'll dry quickly, then maybe a ride on the bike for lunch somewhere. That loco kit isn't building itself, but it is too nice to hang about indoors.

A double blow today, of Gordon's loss and Dom's simply awful news. My heart goes out to any and everyone involved. Something of a dampener on things to say the least, simply offering commiserations does not seem nearly enough. Sheesh.

Speechless.