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According to my brother, it comes in a massive box, which he just managed to get into his car - which is a large one - it has to be, as it also carries the constructed model - and he "assures" me that delivery to work was also for security reasons, and not to hide it from his missus - he also "assures" me that his missus is fully aware of the 1800 Euro price tag for the kit alone, plus the motor, servos, and all the other ancillaries.

Afternoon All All posts read and rated and the usual greetngs are as usual on offer. Today was shopping - we had a lie in til 7.00 and were late for Aldi opening - but the shelves were still being filled after yesterday, and there were a lot of gaps and we found ouselves having to choose alternatives - at least we chose them. Then it was home and up to the loft had to change a loo seat as the one that came with the house was getting wonky - one of the retaining screws had worked itself loose - and the retaining nuts had been done up by Tarzan, and I had to use a mole wrench to get them off - with the resulting damage to both nuts rendering them unusable. The new seat would not fit- and would not go up - of course, I was trying to fit it without adjusting the screws to the reverse position, and once I did, it actually went on properly. Then dinner - air fried scampi and new potatoes which were horrible, and I am sorely tempted to take them back and demand a refund of my 69p. I am very pleased indeed with this air fryer, but I feel that it is a misnomer, as it doesn't actually fry. Paul Simon fans - check this out - it's pretty good. Regards to All Stewart

I wouldn't know - I'venever taken a selfie, but thanks for the info - as I said, it is just as significant whatever.

ps - Rick - a closer look at your picture shows that it is a mirror image, but is no less significant for that.

Afternoon All Well again, all posts read and rated and the usual greetings are offered. Went to the Leominster car boot yesterday, and 30747 bought some cotton reels - got them home and when they were unpacked, there was an aution lot number inside - checking it out, it is a weekly aution at a village about 12 miles away on a Monday, with viewing from 10.30, and the sale at 3.30 - and it was on today as usual - probably the only thing that is - so we set the recording box to the funeral, and had a little drive out to see what was what - it was quite interesting, and I am now a registered buyer and seller. Even with the day's events, they had 450 lots and expected about 120 buyers. Got back to find that the TV box had thrown a wobbly, and it was not showing any picture, and there was no sound - so we may have lost a bit of the middle section of the proceedings - but a hard reset of the box appears to have done the trick - I did the reset and save recordings option. I thought that the committal at Windsor was a "private" affair - and was surprised to see that we are seeing the whole thing - and that it will be viewed by over 4bn worldwide - a new defininition of private. Then I learned from Huw Edwards that there is yet another committal which is family only. Rick, you really seem to have done a great job at Clapham Junction - as ever. If only all rail staff were as polite and tolerant as you, the railway would be a lot nicer place to travel. Regards to All Stewart

Afternoon All And again all posts read and most rated - will wonders never cease. And of course, greetings are on offer to all. Visited Ludlow farm shop this morning, as 30747 wanted to buy some of their excellent marmalades - think silver and highly commended award standard at the Dalemain marmalade competition, and has decided to add some jars to the Christmas gift list as well. Then it was up to the loft for two hours of sorting boxes, and again I found some of the missing items - in this case some of the water colours that were destined for our bedroom Also a first as we tried the new air fryer which was used to prepare sausage and chips and the chipolatas were done in about 8 minutes, and the chips in 15/20 - and they were lovely - crisp, golden brown and dry - and that from Aldi frozen oven chips, which are now actually edible - nay, they are actually very nice - so the fryer seems to be a good investment. And a trip to the Co-op this morning revealed that their petrol was down to £1.61 a litre - and I filled up yesterday when it was £1.65. PAH, Regards to All Stewart

You'll have a job, as it is in a barf bag

Afternoon All And for once, all posts have been read, and some rated - a while since I said that. Greetings are again on offer, and I am still having connectivity problems with my broadband - the other night, my home hub decided in the middle of watching an episode of "Death In Paradise to reset itself and put the stream into buffer - then the TV box would not respond at all, and I had to do a reset on the box once the broadband decided to restart. Also, if I put my laptop into sleep, it often does not reconnect automatically despite everything being correctly set up. Any ideas? To prevent any loss in connectivity I am actually leaving the laptop switched on and working. Today, it's been bookwork, followed by a few "small" tasks like changing the tumble dryer, as we found a nearly new on yesterday in a charity shop, and we took it straight to the garage yesterday as it was in the back of the car, so we then had to do the change this morning - then it was change a toilet seat which we bought full price, but which did not fit the pan on the downstairs loo, forone which we bought at a charity shop for a fiver. Then it was getting the stove set up for the first cold evening, and finally putting up some laths to support a trellis on the outside wall. I'm knackered. But for anybody who might be interested, here's the first 5500words of my tale of Dan The Knocker. Dan the Knocker.docx

And here it is in flight at the Popham meet last month - it is very very realistic

It's a heavily modified Vario kit, with his own changes to the landing gear to emulte the action of the prototype, among other things, and it is battery powered. He thinks that when part 2 appears next month, that it will feature on the cover.

Evening All My brother's magnum opus, a scale model of a HM Coastguard Augusta Bell AW139 helicopter was featured in Radio Controlled Models and Electronics this month (September) - and it really seems to a superb job - it wouldn't be in a national magazine if it wasn't, I guess. Me, I'm off to ludlow writers this evening for a couple of hours and I have rejigged one of my stories to "Ludlowise" it a bit, and hopefully we will discuss the first 800 words. Greetings are on offer, and Regards to All Stewart

30747 has spent many modelling tokens in this establishment, and it is a must visit whenever we are in Norwich.

Evening All, Sadly, I have (again) missed quite a few pages - so greetings are on offer. Shopping at Aldi this morning, and then two hours up in the loft trying to sort out boxes - there's about 70 up there, and about 6 are now sorted and confirmed as OK to remain there. Tomorrow, we are hopefully going to Bewdley for a mooch along the Severn and some delicious chips which will be eaten within earshot of the SVR, though it will be out of sight. 30747 is just watching the special hearse driving on the A40. Regards to All Stewart

Flight KRF01R just stopped rolling at RAF Northolt - per Flightradar 24 it should have landed about 20 minutes ago, but it took off some 20 minutes behind schedule.

Afternoon All, Been up in the loft to search for the stuff to sell at the car boot sale at Ashford Carbonel today - but it was not where I thought it should be, so instead we went as buyers and spent quite a few pence on "essentials". The village is at the end of a long cul de sac, which is barely wide enough for two cars to pass - and the organisers only opened the car park at just before 11, and also only opened the field at 10.30 for sellers - result was complete chaos as the queue tailed back all the way to the main road, and where there were parked cars opposite, cars could not get out of the village due to there being nowhere to pass. Also, had a problem with the new dishwasher, as it died after two washes - and I called Homecare, who sent the owner's sons out with a replacement already in the van, but also checked the installation of the old one - to find that it was on an extension lead (which I knew) and that said lead had a 5A fuse in it - which I didn't as it was in situ when we moved in - seems the new dishwasher is a higher wattage than the old one, so when the heater got going, it blew the fuse - lesson here is don't assume that an extension always has a 13A fuse in it. Still we didn't need a new one after all, and I have now bought a new single gang 5m extension with the correct fuse in it. The late Queen has just arrived at Holyrood house in Edinburgh. Oxfam tomorrow, and they will be closed next Monday for the State funeral. Beatles fans - this is a briliant cover which was in my inbox this morning. Regards to All Stewart

He is still very active, and there are articles by him in Steam World quite frequently - he was a great photographer, and I belive he was better than Eric Treacy, likewise Jim Carter.

Afternoon All Greetings to all fellow ERs on this very strange day. I heard King Charles' address to the nation at 6.00 pm and I felt that it was heartfelt, genuine, and sincere - good start IMHO. Regards to All Stewart

Thanks for that update, bear

Indeed - it is wall to wall already - they are even commenting on the number of vehicles coming and going to and from Balmoral - FOR GOD'S SAKE - she's still alive, and for all we know has got Covid again - there's been no official statement other than her health is giving concern. Let's hope that she pulls through - and I really do mean that - but it is the incessant speculation which is the main issue. Afternoon All Sorry, much much skipping, as we have been away for a few nights and we no longer reveal this on social media - which I guess this site is. A few nights in Lancaster to deal with socialising, and also a bit of unfinished business - also 30747 and I have yet to find a decent hairdresser who does not charge the earth - in fact, 30747 has two, one for her colours and one for her cuts, in different salons - and we share a hairdresser for cuts - and I've been with her since 2000 and 30747 since 2015 - so for both of us it's a bit of a wrench - in fact, they are just about the only thing that we DO miss about Lancaster. Our journey up on Monday was a bit of a nightmare - we decided to go across to Ilkley first, and then drive back over to check in - but the A49 had other ideas - we got stuck behind a slow moving (20 mph) showman's wagon with trailer, which would NOT pull over until we were almost at Shrewsbury - took a good half hour more that we should have. Then, we stopped for a Greggs at the Whitchurch services, leaving the A49 by turning right at the Whitchurch roundabout, then going right round it to rejoin the A49 - and as a result, totally missing the little diversion sign on the grass verge on the LEFT SIDE ONLY - so after about six more miles. we started to encounter road ahead closed signs, but no workable diversion signs at all - until we got to the road closure, and there was a guy with a radio, and nothing much between his ears who was just standing there - I dropped the window, and asked how we should proceed, and he said "No idea I'll ask" then came back and said "take this road to the left, and follow the diversion signs - what diversion signs? There were none - none at all, but my instict came to the fore, and we regained the A49 after the closure - to the cost of another half hour. We don't have a SatNav - I really don't like them, and I CAN and always have been able to read a map, and have a good sense of direction. As a result, we only made Skipton The A49 was not meant to be open on our return either and we kept our eyes open for the diversion signs, but they never came! And our travel hairdryer which was bought about 1990 had packed in, and we have been using our large one instead - I was going to find a new one, but we saw one in an RSPCA pop up shop in Worcester today - brand new, still in its original packaging - cost us £3.00. Off to pick up Lily. Regards to All Stewart

Afternoon All Greetings all round, and I have been skipping, as I was up in the loft getting the stuff down for the wardrobes and cupboards which had to be emptied - and 30747 went ballistic, as I had lost one boot and two shoes which were certainly in the bag with the rest of the shoes when they all went up. Right behind all the jigsaw puzzles and contents of the office room was a duffle bag which contained - yes one boot and two shoes - which begs the question who would separate pairs of shoes when bagging things up? I'm posting early as my internet if very flaky - I hope it holds up until 6.30 tonight, as I have a bid on eBay that ends then, and if I win, I want to get the item paid for. Regards to All Stewart

Evening All, Apologies for the skipping and no ratings but (insert standard excuse here). Greetings are on offer to the ailing and the celebrating. New dishwasher is running now - results awaited. Had to visit Leominster this morning, to try to pay for the dishwasher off our credit card - Bank Opening Times website said open 09.30 to 13.30 but no counter service - so a ten mile trip was undertaken at the cost of not getting all the stuff back out of the loft. Bank's Saturday opening time has been taped over on the hours of business plate!!! Not a happy bunny - moral of this is not to trust non bank websites. After yesterday's inability to get the big wardrobe assembled (it either goes first time or can take two hours if the roof won't fit - yesterday was the latter - luckily today's was the former - took the roof back off, reset the large divider, and it dropped straight on - so we don't need to dismantle it again. Also I could go off the air at any time, as my broadband is very very flaky - and my landline is also shot - can't make or receive calls - still awaiting contact from Openreach. Anyway, I promised to show you all one more picture of the finished job - so here's the top end of the staircase. Regards to All Stewart

It's this one https://www.laddersukdirect.co.uk/loft-ladders/youngman-eco-s-line-loft-ladder/34535000 Also available on the strong South American Ladies site at a lower price of https://www.amazon.co.uk/Youngman-345350-Line-3-Section-Folding/dp/B00271YM36/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=JwM3F&content-id=amzn1.sym.9987c01f-79a1-401b-8cc0-4469362e1651&pf_rd_p=9987c01f-79a1-401b-8cc0-4469362e1651&pf_rd_r=1S12QZ21Z95E12P27P1B&pd_rd_wg=q7GIY&pd_rd_r=1aed265c-fd0a-4d48-b149-3a07245e068f&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m Carpet fitters have been and gone, and have done a superb job - they were here from 9.05 to 3.30, and would have also been gone about 14.45 but for the arrival of the new estimator from the branch, who probably cost them a good 3/4 hour by his chatting with them. Major problem was that when they pulled out the dishwasher, it was obvious that it was on its last legs with the mains lead hanging out in a dangerous manner. I called our helpful electrician, who came round, and said that this was a factory fitted mains lead, and couldn't just be reconnected, and it needed the machine to be dismantled and would cost almost as much as a new machine. So a trip to Homecare was indicated, and they had a decent one in stock - and I bought it, and arranged delivery and disposal of the old unit - and the guy who served me was acting as delivery driver, and said he was just leaving after dealing with my purchase, and woud bring it "right on up" - which he did - I went to Tool Station on the way back to get a couple of items, and while I was talking to 30747 about the delivery, it arrived, and was installed and the old one disposed of at the same time - the machine was £40 LESS than with Currys, and they delivered it free - £30 with Currys, and charged a tenner for diposal -£20 with currys - so a net saving of £80, and I bought local as well - there are some days when I really thank the Gods that we live in a town with such helpful people.

Good to still be keeping up with you Jim - your photos are great, the sort that only a working railwayman could produce (like Jim Carter and Ron Herbert to name but two others) and your narratives of your travels are always very interesting. Your traction and route knowledge must make you a great asset to GBRF. Also liked the shots of Pete Waterman's superb layout. Regards Stewart

And now they're here - so it's looking good for an early finish, AND AN END TO ALL THAT WORK. Only small jobs left, as our new and very good builder came yesterday to repoint the back windows - and when he saw our "loft ladder" he suggested that we could get a much better one for about £200 plus his time to fit it. But we've also decided to have the electric heated towel rail converted to work off the central heating as well, and it seems that this is actually possible, as it is dual fuel. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY And our new air fryer arrived within two days but has yet to be tested and used in anger. I thought I would buy a digital model, but when we ordered off eBay, the 6.5L digital model was higher than our budget - we were going to get the 5L model, but decided that we needed a bigger cooking chamber to cope with a chicken, and that meant we had to order the analog model to keep in budget. Also had a problem with the TV box this morning - it would not fire up at all, and a quick check also showed that the TV was still plugged in from last night - yes you guessed it - I unplugged the wrong appliance last night!!! Might even be back later.

Morning All Up at 06.20 this morning - 2 bedrooms now cleared into one, and every place where we can put stuff has had stuff put in it. Carpetright said the fitters would be leaving sometime after 9, once they have loaded - but we had a call about 20 minutes ago to say that they are already on their way. Regards to All Stewart