New Haven Neil

Morning, dry and still for a change! Would enjoy seeing the 'Lusty' Debs, as an ex-salt myself. Speaking of which, the treatment of officers and crew on British vessels visiting the US by immigration was nothing short of disgusting, back in the 70's. We always had valid entry and work visas (yes, a work visa to work as an officer on your own ship.....) but still were treated like criminals. The 'short arm' inspection had only just been done away with not that many years before....when crew and officers had line up and expose themselves for inspection for VD. I ask you..... Mind you, that guy at Manchester that wanted me to hop through the detector wasn't too nice either!!!! By contrast, when flying into and out of the States leaving or joining a vessel, I found them perfectly professional. Odd. I have no anti-American feelings, quite the opposite, as others have said I was always greeted with some interest by Americans and have several American friends via US modelling forums who have always impressed me with their honesty and openess.

Excellent - never seen one here. Used to see them in the norf east though. 60031 on the Hayling bridge though - splash! Loved your B17 photo Andy, nice bit of work.

Oh, lookit the atmosphere the brooding skies give! The second shot of the A4 is droolworthy. I think those birds must have been trained by the Red Arrows, judging by their ability to keep station. Mallards in flight????

I'm keeping half the Irish Sea between us.....

It's slipping now, but I'm sure it was something to do with Fred, who built many of the buildings? GOT IT - Stanfred! Stan is my uncle...... Peter of Petersboro was Peter Atkinson, lost to cancer about 12 years ago, sadly before his time.

Morning, hideous weather here, 1c pouring with rain at our soaring 30m asl, but snowing higher up, mountain road is closed and several others. Mrs NHN probably had a trying drive to work. Don's description of the zimmer wars sounds a bit like a Manx roundabout - they are a relatively new phenomenon here, and folk have no idea how to deal with them. Firstly everyone stops at a Mexican stand-off, then one recognises their Uncle Orry so waves him out, in front of the first person that got bored and pulled out anyway...result, chaos and often bent cars too. Give way to the right? Why? They just don't get it. All part of island life!

How can I say this. Ahem. I don't actually like B17's, I think they look odd, all hunched up.....sorry. However, I love the D11, and I really like that one, with all the grot of a loco near withdrawal, ekeing out her last days. Great atmoshere. #runs to hide#

Didn't expect THAT to re-surface! I'm an ex SSMRS member! That layout was replaced by Lazenby and Idledale, a massive layout that was U shaped in the clubroom, almost a square really, and L shaped for shows. It had a large through station, branch, yard and shed, with a return dumbell at each end making a 4 track main line. All with automatic coluor light signalling and NX panels for control, almost all the brainchild of Tony Lambert, who is still a pal at some distance. Most of the other main players have passed on now, sadly, some taken sadly only too young. All dismantled when we lost the clubrooms at Tyne Dock, we re-formed a few years later in an awful room at the back of Bollingbroke Hall, also now long gone. The club survives, now based in Sunderland, known as the A19 club so as not to be confused with the Sunderland club, website available on the net. I left 12 years ago almost, when I moved here, having been a member since being 14. Thank you for reminding me - do we know each other????

Morning world, a miserable 2c here with little more guessed at. Oh hang on, it isn't actually windy.....crikey! Welcome back Don, always worry when regulars aren't on for a few days.

Stationmaster, that catalogue is the British National Formulary (BNF) - very useful if you want to know what they are pumping into you! I have access to a copy at work. I note that my GP (young keen type) adds anything he prescribes into the computer while I'm still there, and it pops up any warnings of interactions, if there is something he explains it to me rather than leaving me to wonder what the 'Warning!' was about. Perhaps knowing my having been an NHS outpatients service manager keeps him sharp too!

A bit like 7 of 9 then (or more like 14...) A knowledge of Star Trek is needed here!

Morning, a chilly and windy 2c here, no sign of snow but some light falls forecast over 100 metres asl, as the road to work is 500m asl, there may be trouble ahead! We were up at 2am due to a crashing noise outside, turns out the garden gate (a large 2m high job) was open and smashing about in the wind - no idea how the bolt had come out, very odd. We don't exactly get midnight skulkers around here.

Yes, I now have to carry a bag full of pills with me wherever we go - damn middle age! At least two of the five medications are only temporary for the post operative pain of the hip work, the others for BP I'm stuck with, or at least two of them, the third was 'insurance' while this other stuff was going on! Thankfully here we can pre-pay an annual set sum for medications, which has helped enourmously this last few months, as I'm on half pay now. Free in Wales of course..... 25c! #sigh#

A'noon. Beat me to it about the pedals - they're all like that sir..... Just rain with added rain over here on fraggle rock, garnished with,.....you guessed it! Just been out to the pharmacy, as when I opened my bag of painkillers and BP meds, discovered they weren't. Mine that is, completely wrongly dispensed. Medications exchanged and official complaint lodged - last time this happened to me nothing ever happened, as it was the local MHK (same as an MP) that had mis-dispensed then - brushed under the carpet. Not good enough, lives are put at risk by things like this. /rant, sorry.

Any chance of some photos then????

I don't think posting the B1 photo was very easy for you Gilbert, but I'm glad you did.....super model, super bloke, Tetleys.....

Morning, dull grey one here, much the same outside. Sherry, that sounds very scary indeed, your friend must have been terrified. I suppose if he wouldn't get out then driving to the nearest police station may help him jump ship? That almost happened to my wife once years ago, she was collecting me from a staff night out on newcastle quayside (notorious nightclub/bar area) and someone tried to get in the car (diesel) presuming it was a taxi - she had locked the doors thankfully, she's very savvy, but got a tirade of abuse from the drunken reveller for not letting him in her 'taxi'. Here's hoping BCB looks good at Doncaster, I'd love to have visited but a weekend away to the UK costs us about £400.....

Morning world - now we can see in again! Physio'd to within an inch of collapse this morning, and hydro therapy this afternoon. I was gutted when I came back this morning and found the forum down, I had just settled down with coffee and ibuprofen! Work called to see how things were going and filled my morning in, thankfully. It's nice, and probably unusual, in this day and age to have work colleagues (boss included) regularly calling on a welfare basis. It's nice to be missed. No hidden agenda either.

Mr Trisonic sir, that Eric Clapton Blues Night radio1 concert I was muttering about was Feb 1991. eeek. Water has flowed under the bridge since then rather, in fact it has evaporated, condensed, rained and flowed again a few times! He had Jimmy Vaughan, Chuck Lavell and Greg Phillinganes, Joey Spampinato, Jamie Oldacre and Jerry Portenoy in his band. It's a cracking concert, if that's your music.

A small but perfectly formed one? Llanastr. A little late for the period I really meant when I started the thread, but I loved the MRJ article about it.

Morning. A rather long and not great day yesterday going to see my hip surgeon, which resulted in rather depressing news. Appears things were rather worse than I had been led to believe immediately post-op, and this may just have ended up as a delaying tactic after all. Grumph. These things are sent to try us. One for the nurses (and doctors) of Wrightington Hospital (Lancashire) though, again they were exemplary, a shining example of professionalism. Whereas the airport staff doing the wheelchair lifts here at Ronaldsway airport, made some comment about 'it must be the paralympics' as there were several of us. Complaint letter going in! I didn't need that after the bad news.

Ah no, unfortunately. The brain THINKS it's 17 though! Deep thought usually proves otherwise. Apologies for absence tomorrow, going across to the adjacent island for assessment of operative success or otherwise!

Eric Clapton being Radio 2 material nowadays....well, so am I! Sheesh, how did I get to be 53, the insides are still 17.

Morning, a tropical 1c here, and a howling gale probably making a wind chill of another 6 or 7 degrees. Gordon, that sums up the modern world for me.... everyone knows better. Like teenagers, but older. Grumpy? Moi? Guilty Your Worship.

It was a concert from Radio 1 about 15 years ago I think - Clapton was supreme as always. Must listen to the intro to remember when! It's only part 1, never got part 2 unfortunately.