New Haven Neil

I've chatted to Phil a few times, back when I was at Trackshack. I could have pointed him to other photos of the original cafe at sea Lion Rocks (now I have to find it, and as you may expect I have a lot of IoM books!), I'm sure we have one in the new cafe now I think about it! It was our 125th anniversary at GGR on Sunday, of course it tipped it down so i didn't risk walking down the glen (that was where I did my foot in originally) and there's no easy access - the Victorians didn't think the way we do now! I went down on the MER with the idea of visiting, but it really was torrential, and my foot hurts enough already, ta. Went to the pub.....

I think that was pretty much what was in my mind when I started the thread, but it stretches to me being perhaps 20. That's a while ago though......

Following on from an earlier conversation on here....the 'Cabbage'. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=61952&headline=Disgraced diesel could be back on track after yet more repairs&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2021&cat=Transport&fbclid=IwAR0mGM9qPpNcLvGss17SN0twfY_bYLHqGbYpmp6bp0tWwMV0Gl9U3BpRXIg

I'm a bit amused by the fact all this 'old' Scalextric is so much newer than the stuff we had in the 80's....which probably dated from the 70's.... Old Lotus and Cooper F1 cars with Ackermann steering, some later Audi rally cars with '4WD' - elastic bands linking the axles! An SD1 Rover police car (always lost) and so on..... Not sure what we did with it, gave it to someones kids I suspect as yes, our knees also gave up on the floor.

Evening, worrying news from the Pup, please pass on regards, Bear? NHN's day was enlivened (after the washing - bleah) by rebuilding the rear view camera on the campervan, which had ceased to provide any view whatsoever, never mind the rear. Turns out the power supply had croaked, followed by it blowing the monitor/receiver (it's a wireless job). Pah. However, NHN had an old one which the screen had gone bad with a big black blob on one side so this was rebuilt with the screen from the popped one. They connected with two very fine and flimsy ribbon cables, which were just about at NHN's limit of dexterity to refit. That all worked surprisingly enough, but then I had to pair the transmitter back to the new monitor, and....could I as hellers like work out how to get it to do so. Read the destructions...which are...where? An hour later to find them.....success! This will earn many brownie points with it's senior pilot.

try:-

Dhobi for washing is one that I still use, as I'm from a maritime family it was part of my vocabulary long before I went to sea myself.

Hi Gordon, there's an unfinished crossing the PW guys have left and a train is waiting for the possession to end - so they send their best wishes and would you send them some coal please? It's N2 on the down slow. Take care and heal well. Best wishes from Fraggle Rock, where your track gauges would be wrong!

Morning, from an accent owning furriner. Despite having had a Manx mother, I'll never be quite 'local' here! Sunny and windy here, pretty much usual. I have a selection of words that pop up occasionally without conscious thought, from my salty sea dog days - from Chinese and Indian crew, especially Indians, who were more talkative than the Chinese if...er....not wanting to be racist here but to get over a truth....not quite so....active. Possibly a reflection of climate in their home countries, its not a criticism. One thing I do know, is that either were better and harder workers than the British crews on some of our other ships (the LPG Tankers were all British crewed), many of whom had malingering down to a fine art. I have some happy memories of one Indian crewed ship in particular, it was a bit of an old tub (the oldest ship in the fleet of 26 at the time) but hard work and hard play, and incredibly happy for officers and crew who worked well together. My cabin 'boy' (about 60!) kept my uniform better than it ever looked, and used to warn me about behaving ashore!

There's a lesson there.....

A'noon. We trundled, ground and rattled to the Big City, partook in a Sunday roast and a pint at the Terminus Tavern, and rattled, ground and trundled back to the Bright lights of Ramsey. It poured down, of course, and it is blowing a hoolie. I haven't ridden on the MER for a while, I had missed the grinding of traction motor gears and shooshing of the trolley wheel, a thoroughly enjoyable ride despite the weather. Daren't post a photo though, I'll have to do so on Night Mail. Home now, coffee brewing, log burner lit, I suspect an afternoon/evening of slouching out is to be undertaken.

Morning, 9 fells like 6, and showers. Outside similar. Place names, or countries - NHN trying to explain to a Frenchman in Montmartre in Paris (who thought NHN was German Deutch - common assumption abroad I have found) that it was 'Isle of Man' not Allemagne...in a Geordie accent. But as iD says, we are able to communicate in broad Geordie accents and slang which anyone south of Darlington, say, would have no chance of understanding, never mind in Europe. Equally, our Belgian friend has a surname beginning with a Z, that we cannot pronounce after 4 years or more of friendship! OK off to ride on an electrically powered device over 100 years old that runs on those parallel strips of steel three feet apart. 550v DC, not DCC. That's standard gauge over here BTW. The Mountain railway is broad gauge - 3 foot 6 inches, to allow for the Fell braking rail. As for that 4 foot 8 1/2 lark, overrated!

Only trouble is, we live in the flat bit at the top! While it is expensive to get here, I recognise that, but it is a special little place. From our first hours on the island in 1986 we knew we would end up living here.

First day of service on the MER. if only it was as warm as it looked!

Well, orders of the day soon turned to shopping - pah. Did see a couple of trains...well four actually, on the MER though, power cars 1, 5, 7 & 20 in service. Car 1 is the oldest operational tramcar in the world still working on its original railway, 1893 built. Still does a days work but only when its fine as she has open end driving platforms. It is still nice and sunny here but still that '11 feels like a lot less'! Going out with friend Jayne for a Thai meal tonight, the pub just by her has a Thai restaurant in the back that is sort of OK, not brilliant but not bad for the price sort of thing. Pub serves good beer though. Any beer brewed here has to be 'pure', as in no chemicals, by law. So basically anything local is 'real' ale.

Forgot to mention: Yesterday when Mrs NHN arrived at work late after a DR's appointment, her boss said oh go downstairs as there's a PTS course - you don't need it but it will help you understand some of the issues the boys out on the track have. She saw half the course, sat the exam and passed highly - which several of the workers failed.....she's not let on that she has driven quite large passenger carrying steam locos in the past and volunteered at Groudle Glen. Her boss is impressed. Next step - driving the electrics on the MER as a reward. Lush.

Morning, sunny and pretty cold here, 10c feels like 6. Feels less actually. Mrs NHN back from being Pilated, unfortunately we have to go to the Big City for her to get new reading glasses. The Big City on a Saturday does not float my boat. Even if it is only the size of a small town! Tehcnically only Peel is a City, the parish church there having re-defined itself as a Cathedral a few years ago. It's not York Minster..... Then...who knows. I await orders.

We're down to one CV19 case, and the one that was in ICU is out so presume it is them - lucky to have survived perhaps as they had been in there quite some time - having being ventilated I suppose, takes a long time to recover. Our borders are beginning to open bit on Monday so more will happen, but we have to begin to move on and live with it. 82% first vaccinations done too. Fingers crossed.

We went to Paris (France version) for our silver wedding in 2009, I expected to hate it (I'm not a city fan), but quite the opposite, absolutely loved it.

Now that is more like it....I'll take the paw for that.

Morning. Awake early, which is a result really, better than the alternative. 11c feels like 7, drizzly (no lemon) and windy still, so the old farts club brunch will be local cafe and in the car. Discussion there often reflects the age of attendees, I'm the youngest official member at 62, and PSA tests and levels often feature. A recent revelation was that you shouldn't have any.....activity....for at least a couple of days before the test, as it causes a falsely high result. Who knew? Never got told that previously before a test, but I find it is true when researched. Food for thought? I have to go way out west to Kirk Michael to get a prescription for Mrs NHN, Other than that the day is mine, allegedly. This is because everything I want to do, is outside - where it is wet and miserable, the drizzle (vanilla) is now fully fledged rain. Bu££er.

I agree, but it was ever thus. That's why I left....I was close to becoming a patient not a manager.

My 'agree' is yes, it is unusual. Ours used to be OK but has slid down a steep slope this last couple of years to not fit for purpose.

Still chucking it down, garden flooded, wood burner lit, here comes summer......

You went to Ackworth, Simon? Woo, posh.