New Haven Neil

Thus explaining my multi-millionaire status. Not! 🤣 It was great to be involved with the trade when it was a happy place to be. As for doctors, well the surgeon who fixed my hip was certainly grumpy, and then some, but did a good job so no complaints there. That was over your way, at Wrightington, @Winslow Boy (Edit - that was where the Charnley that Jamie mentions above, worked.)The guy that fixed my foot here is notorious for being grumpy with staff but nice to patients, he was really pleasant with me, most supportive but realistic, and I didn't hear him be rude to staff. A friend's daughter that worked with him for a while said he had mellowed in middle age! She wanted his job but he wasn't in a hurry to leave. However....when I recruited doctors for a living for a while as a medical staffing officer, I met some right stinkers. Too many in fact, I moved on from that job, before the attitudes and negativity did for me. The NHS did 'do' for me in the end, but that wasn't anything to do with doctors!

Morning, from a strangely only breezy, sunny rock that has soared to 12c. Not much on the agenda today, so perhaps a trundle out on the bike may occur. Also a decoderisator or something may arrive for a certain new purchase, but the post is all to hell with the number of ferry cancellations we have had this week - the fast craft was damaged on Tuesday in a rough crossing.

If going to Applecross, be sure to visit Nanny's at Shieldaig to eat. One of our happy places.

Me too....

I just ignore them, I'm not that bothered although they have gotten a bit 'old', however several people I communicate with outside of here have said that is why they are not present.

Well that was the morning that was. Up and out early doors as we needed to be in the Big City at our preferred tyre place - opens 0830, boss guy there (a biker friend) said be there before 8, and boy was he right - 10 other vehicles there by opening time. So once the melee of folk trying to push ahead of their place in the queue was sorted (funny how that seems to come with premium brand cars) we went off for a brew while two new tyres were fitted to the front of our camper van. Called back 10.30 and the job was done, but they had fitted four new and rather expensive tyres - the rear ones were new last year! Perplexed look from the fitter, until we pointed out the job card in his hand was for the other camper in the queue, not ours......oops. So then they had to find our tyres and refit and rebalance them and put the others on the other vehicle. At least we got a bit more discount. Boy was it wet too, a miserable cold windy morning. re the AI stuff - it was funny when new, but is getting repetitive and boring now. Like others have mentioned, I am aware it has become a reason some other ER's are staying away.

Ah, it wasn't big enough to have a fireman, that was my job too! Bl**dy thing slipped bigtime and emptied the smokebox into my face.

I once presented at A&E way back when in the North-east, with something in my eye that I couldn't shift - the young house officer (as they were then) did the usual spiel then asked what I thought it may be. I told him it was coal, and he got a bit stroppy, asking 'how on earth I thought I could be so specific' - so I told him I was driving a steam engine at the time it went in......LOL, shut the buqqer up for a while!

Peel prom, earlier today - by a retired bobby I used to work with, Mike Radcliffe.

Similar-ish a bit, but not the same as Fraggle Rock Magistrates. I don't recall him on the bench when I was presenting naughty young people to them though. (No fancy get-up in juvenile court though).

Well the rain stopped at 10 - after the wettest April day (9am yesterday to 9am today) on the rock, ever. I know.... 🤧 It has been a sunny afternoon and evening, but the wind is still a bit wild, it was nuts last night and this morning, when the ferry risked a trip to Liverpool passengers couldn't get off as the waves were breaking over the ramp - in the Mersey!

I'm pretty sure they were all black when built, the green did come later, I'd say that photo must be after an overhaul, especially as it is an early number.

Interesting in C7128 is the 3 car MetCam, in all the years I went up and down there I can never, ever recall seeing a 3 car set! 4 car on the Carlisles years ago, yes, but never noticed a 3. I suppose my head dismissed them al as 2 cars sets, I spent a fair bit of time in 'boxes south from there down the Sunderland line (#cough the signalman mate is no longer with us so can't get him in trouble) too, the 'boro trains were usually 4 cars, but a pair of 2's!

Ah, yes, as they are aal kiyn's of things.....mixing your carbon and hydrogen is so diverse!

Morning. Urf, 6c, wet wet wet, 70mm of rain in the gauge and it is still falling, the Doozers are making Arks. I recall getting a print of outlines of countries etc being made into our exercise books with a big roller thing, blue ink everywhere. Then we had to put towns etc on to them from whatever was going on the blackboard. I still can place Jerusalem as our RI teacher was a lover of these roller maps, he did however fail to instil much religion in me. Strangely, due to his surname being very distinctive, I realised his son was a customer at Trackshack, and we have met up here as he is a keen sailor and sails over for TT. He doesn't do religion either! Small world. At primary school we had one of those Gestetner copy machines, only the School Secretary ( a fearsome woman) was allowed to operate it. I have no recollection of what we got on the handouts, just that the machine fascinated me.

A Gixer 750 for the same price as a Matchless Model X! The world is indeed a strange place.

Don't even THINK about it! We have enough trouble with the alcoholics.....not for nothing was the place once described as '80 thousand alcoholics clinging to a rock'. I don't think it is the problem it was in the past, but every department seems to have an office p!sshead.

I was feeling quite fluid......

Morning, just. 11c and showers on the rock, and no wind to speak of, which is a little eerie after the last few days. Had a lye-in this morning as I was zonked after several poor nights, after Mrs NHN went out at 0630 I was back off to zeddy land for a couple of hours, and TBH could have stayed there after 9 too, but that really would have been slovenly. Some winda cleaning to do today, trip to the tip recycling centre with the grass cuttings, as the part for the lawnmower finally arrived so the lawn has had it's sycamore nursery lowered. There were seemingly as many sycamore seedlings as grass blades in the lawns.

Heard one here on Friday. Made my heart sing, I love them. Woody's back too.

We ride what we like and I don't have any issue with that whatever it is, but back in the day lots of us had C15's and crepe little 2 strokes, then one day a lad got an NSU Supermax.....OMG as they kids say. OHC, with rod drive like a steam engine, and monoshock rear suspension. funny blue colour with lining, but what an engine.

That's friend Jaynes' problem, over-thinks things until she can't make a decision and achieves nothing. She is highly intelligent (MSc) and a born researcher, but this reflects badly into her personal life. I think Gary used to be a moderating influence, but since he was killed in a bizarre RTC she has lost that, and won't accept a new partner into her life, even 10 years later. They had been together since they were at school. We do our best to support her.....

Both are indeed naughty, totally agree, I avoid them at every opportunity - yet nephew who is a vogon vegan and lectures me about food choices, despite his 'food' being full of both. It's a funny world.

I once had a C10 in my garage for a month, as it's owner moved house - he had hopes I might buy it I think. One ride out on it, getting blown off by grandads on C50 Hondas sorted that out tout de suite. Dire. I do like the look of that '53 C11 though! @polybear £4k and argue over small change. If you can't get 3.5 for it, keep it a little longer. Or leave it in my garage for care and custody..... As for the silencers, that brought back a memory, I once had a BMW R80T, the 'road version of the off-road one', with a 2-1 system. It was going to be off the road for quite some time, so a mate persuaded me to pour old sump oil into the rather huge and complex silencer to stop that rot. When time came to re-activate it, I rode around for half an hour so so with a feint blue haze, I thought that was it.....so I gave to some, up a local de-restricted road, only to disappear into a huge could of white smoke.....and I mean HUUUUGE! Somewhat embarrassing, I would have been drummed out of the BMW owners club, had they allowed the likes of me in to it in the first place!

The second shot of the Mucky Duck shows just how much the Station Road houses have added to the view! I love that sort of shot, (hut in the way etc) as that was how most of mine turned out - and still do! They have a realism that rings true with me.