45156

The Only :Living Boy In New York - Simon and Garfunkel

Afternoon All, Skipping has happened, as I have been oxfaming - appears that the Ludlow book shop where I volunteer came 2nd in the small shops band for sales last year - beaten by only £600 or so by Kingston on Thames - and given that the total sales of both branches exceeded £160k - to say the least, our manager is over the moon - apparently it gives her a very good case for moving to bigger premises (there's plenty of them in Ludlow). Car was in for its annual service and MOT assault on the credit card as well yesterday - ouch - no fail, but three advisory notes on the cert - two rear tyres getting worn, and also a screw embedded in the front nearside tyre, which is so firmly in there that it is not losing air - I rang the local tyre depot, and they quoted £79.99 per wheel - a total of £239.97 - when I picked up the car, the garage had worked out a quote of around £130, as they said that the screw hole can be repaired and they now do tyres - which they didn't before - and they have a special deal with their supplier. Car goes in tomorrow morning - they then take me home, do the work, bring the car back, and I go back to the garage and pay. I shouldn't complain, as a full service with all filters changed, all checks done, and the usual £1.50 for screenwash - strange, as it was almost full when I took the car in - with the MOT was just over £250 - the owner did the work - and when I was paying, his dad, who does the reception made a very strange comment that last year when they did the full service, "there were things which were done which were not as we'd have done them" - apparently some things which should have changed never were - so as with everything, you get what you pay for. Decorating is progressing well - front room almost done - should be bottomed tomorrow - all big cupboards have been emptied, and the ones which hang on the wall have been rehung with much bigger screws and where necessary, bigger plugs. 600 railway books have been taken out of two floor standing cupboards, and replaced - in one case, I actually managed to sort the Bradford Bartons into one section - and I managed to shift 30747's gardening books into the bottom of one bookcase, which made room for all my Ian Allen annuals, which are almost a complete set from 1946 to 1991 when they were discontinued - so all in all it was a useful exercise. Just the really big wall cupboard to come down tomorrow - 30747 will empty it while I take the car in. We're on a roll with wallpaper (pardon the pun), and have just ordered another 7 rolls to do our bedroom - same paper as the living room - our supplier on eBay has sold out, but another DIY online store has some - and they have them on a special offer - over £1.50 a roll less. Probably not here tomorrow due to finishing the wallpapering. Regards to All Stewart

The lady's name is Alison Young - she's a wonderful vocalist

The SHadow Of Your Smile - Andy Williams

Evening All, Went to Ludlow writers last night, and we had a great time tearing other peoples' writing to bits - main problem was getting parked - also the town was heaving with people milling around - I finally managed to get parked in the very bottom row of the long stay part of the main car park - where there were about three spaces. On asking what was occurring, I was advised that is was somebody called (I think) rubbish man or some such - when I came out, whoever he was was performing, and the noise was indeed rubbish. Tonight, we have a band that I've heard of - Kaiser Chiefs - I was in town to go to the pharmacy, and they were doing a sound check while I was in town 0 again very loud - tomorrow, apparently somebody called Nile Rogers, and Sunday a band called Bastille - all I know is that they all make a noise but if last night is anything to go by they will finish at 10.30 - there are a lot of residences and it is quite a small town. Wallpapering continues - first big cupboard came down and has thankfully been papered behind, and went back up without too much problem - main thing was to make sure that we reused the existing screw holes - which was difficult as it has been up and down in the past and had new screw holes drilled to get it levelled. Well it's back up now, and the next one to come down is already on hooked plates, so should come down OK - not looking forward to having to move the big freestanding cupboard as it contains about 400 railway books. Over the road, the digging of the foundation trench is done, and the concrete has been poured, and the extension won't be anywhere near as big as we thought - but the main part of the groundwork is finished so we can look forward to a bit more quiet. Regards to All Stewart

Just heard them do their sound check for tonight's concert in Ludlow castle actually sounded like it was that number - but it is a mile and a half away so a bit muffled. Now onwards All You Need is Love - Beatles

Afternoon All. Moan mode on 10 rolls of wallpaper delivered yesterday for the living room - 30747 has already started to put it up - I am out to Ludlow writers tonight, we are having a judging and criticising session instead of reading (or perhaps as well) so have declined to change into my old clothes. We have just recovered from the noise and dust and so on of the new estate which is being built diagonally opposite from us - and now our across the road neighbours have invoked the planning permission for an extension to the front - having not managed to sell their house and find somewhere bigger - it was granted before we moved in, and I think it was mentioned in the searches, but I can't remember now, but it is irrelevant as we would still have bought. However, here's the view from our front door at present - it will quieten down quite quickly once the foundations are in. Also our living room is to the back anyway. Regards to All Stewart

Odd that - so have we - with the lovely Amina, who dispenses check ups, fillings, and extractions on the NHS (yes, the NHS) - we both need a filling - and for two fillings plus checkup scale and polish the bill for the two of us is still over £150 - probably about a quarter of the charge for the same work done privately. Morning All, Alexa seems to work OK - the sound quality of this device is quite amazing. Shame that she can't improve the quality of the shows that she plays on the radio - Zoe Ball still sounds like a manic individual, and the music that features on her show is also pretty rubbish. Not a lot more to report, I rather like this which popped into my inbox Regards to All Stewart

Afternoon All, Lily had us up for about two hours from 3am to 5am this morning - she had some sort of bellyache, and would not poo it out in the garden, so at about 4, 30747 took her for a walk, while I stood outside in my dressing gown. She would not give over even once she had done her business, but finally did settle down and went sound asleep about five - and we did too. Then I had promised that I would get 30747's smart speaker set up today - instructions were a bit basic - all they said was get the app on your smartphone or tablet. Our tablet is a bit old, and needed to be updated before it would get the app. Didn't bother, and as for the phone, I didn't even go there - a quick google and I found a website which gave instructions as to how to do this from the Amazon website - so I followed that, and hit the first snag - I have been on Amazon for over 20 years and have forgotten my password. The forgotten password link sends a text to your mobile phone - Amazon had my old pre scam mobile number - well there was alwayss going to be one place that I forgot when I changed it. So it was a convoluted process to get the mobile changed on Amazon, then got the password changed and finally after only on call to my computer guru in Lancashire, we were set - but it would not play any BBC content - you need a BBC account - I haven't got one so I'll set one up. I couldn't find the register page on BBC - the reason for that was that I must have registered years ago - another google, and I found an Amazon page where I could link the BBC account with my Alexa - success. Now to see whether ALexa listens, and I get adverts on AMazon linked to what I say in conversation with 30747 - I suspect that I will. I'm off for a little lie down as I'm cream crackered now. Regards to All Stewart

Afternoon All, Visit to the podiatrist today (2nd of 2). Last appointment was 40 minutes, and I was diagnosed as having my left leg 6/8 mm shorter than my right leg, as a result of settlement in my hip replacement - not unusual, apparently, particularly when my leg had to be stretched to get the lengths right duing the replacement - the original repair was botched and left me with a shorter left leg, so it was, apparently always on the cards that it might happen over time. So the podiatrist wanted to try special inserts in both shoes, plus a heel lift of 6mm with a move to an 8mm. It was too much, and the insoles didn't help - just hurt, and the 8mm lift was too high. So today, it was a 20 minute review, and the insoles were agreed as not helping, and a 6mm heel lift, plus a special thin neoprene insert which was hand made just to give a slight lift. The consultation was in Shrewsbury, and the normal drive time is around 45 minutes each way. Today, the normal 1.5 hour round trip took 2 h 20 min - got stuck behind a tractor at 25 mph who would not pull off for over 5 miles - then when he finally turned off, caught up with an ancient VW camper van, with, as I found out when I caught him up, was Swiss registered, and the driver;s technique was to drive at 10 mph below the indicated limits - 50 on the open road, 40 in a fifty, etc. Then there was an unexplained tailback on the bypass, which just dissolved with no obvious cause. The return was no better, with a similar unexplained tailback just before Craven Arms. 2h 20 min for a 20 min appointment. A well earned G&T was gratefully consumed - using my 35ml measure for the G. I think that's enough to be going on with. Regards to All Stewart

Morning All, Brownie points have just been earned - many of them. 30747 was cutting the grass first thing before it rains, and the lawn mower just stopped, after making a dreadful noise. A quick check showed that it picked up some cord of some sort, which had wrapped itself round the fan and motor spindle. Luckily I knew where the blade spanner was, and it also had a spare blade spacer with it. Took the blade off, and unscrewed the fan - the cord was then easily unravelled, new spacer fitted as one of them got broken. Hang about for 10 minutes to make it look a bigger job, then test and let 30747 know that we don't need a new machine after all - which was her fear. How long will her gratitiude last - not long, I fear. Blade spacers ordered off eBay for a fiver - and Robert is your father's brother. Regards to All Stewart

Evening All, Bedroom 2 is over bar the shouting - got our ever helpful builder round to assess the type of architraive round the door, as there has been one piece missing since we moved in, and we didn't want to have it done until the room was decorated to our satisfaction - which it is. Rang him at three - he came at five, measured up, and will ring when he's coming to do the work in an evening - he's now booked up til the end of the year for big jobs. Things that run on parallel metal strips have all been put back into the cabinets, and I have not been allowed to put the SG guitar back - so I've put the Hohner in instead - apparently the red will clash too much. Anyway, here's a picture of the finished job showing also the train cabinets. Also, this came into my inbox - this girl has talent in spades for a fifteen year old.

Wish I wasn't - every long trip needs to be planned by loos nowadays.

Following on from the post before last as the last one didn't The Folks Who Live On The Hill - Ella FItzgerald and many others

Afternoon All, Been away for a couple of days, for respite from the Decorating of bedroom 2. You will recall we took delivery of seven rolls of wallpaper a couole if weeks ago, So out came the locos and rolling stock from the cabinets - down came the cabinets, the bookcase, and the entire contents of 3074's wardrobe were emptied out, and the very heavy wardrobe moved. Then we started to put up the wallpaper - which it has to be said looks great. But we left the job in order to go to BIL's place for a couple of nights while they are caravanning in France. However, the forecast was getting worse, so we decided to cut things short, and to get Lily back at lunch time as we were passing the kennels anyway. So after a bit of lunch, 30747 proposed that we finish the papering - after I had driven 100 miles this morning - it took about three more hours to finish, but the cabinets are back up, and tomorrow we can decide on the location of the bookcase, my SG and vintage Hofner guitars, and everything else that needs to go back up. Needless to say, I'm a bit knackered after the drive and the work. Regards to All Stewart

A bit of a lack of toilets en route at that time of the night - I can only think of three that are open - Shrewsbury x 2 Battlefield and Bayston Hill, and Wooferton - however, there's loads of laybys with hedges.

I guess you came up the A49 - if so you really did pass near to my home, as I live just East of Ludlow off the Sheet roundabout which is where you pass the Travelodge - the A49 is a good road, as long asx you don't get any slow traffic - if you do, the passing places are a but limited apart from the Onibury straight, til you get up towards Whitchurch.

And lots of lower quadrant signals to contend with as well - plus all the level crossings - not that they would affect your trip unless the signaller is not on the ball - but they certainly affect me when going to the dump at Craven Arms. As to the A4103 Hereford to Worcester road, I avoid it at all costs, even if going to Worcester from Hereford, which I have done, I go up to Leominster, and take the slightly less bad A44. But all the roads round here are bad of you get stuck behind a tractor - though most do pull off to let the queue past - or a caravan doing 35/40 which normally doesn't. And according to RTT you were 15 early back at Hereford - so a bit more time for the model centre

Any pics from today's run - if it was you driving 6M76, you were even earlier than expected passing here at about 05.00 - I did hear a freight pass about then when I was taking the dog for her first wee.

Afternoon All, Mucho skipping due to many and varied excuses - so sorry - not a lot to report from here - in fact not a lot at all. Ordered some wallpaper online on Sunday at 1.42 pm, delivered this morning at 11.45 not bad at all. Apart from that, for musicians - try this - Toni Lindgren as "the one woman bluegrass band" - her style is so relaxed - but guitarists will recognise that laid back and relaxed is hiding true musicianship. Regards to All Stewart

April Come She Will - Simon And Garfunkel

I did - but we moved to Ludlow so my wife could be a lot closer to her best friend, who now lives in a village near Leominster - as to the tones first thing, I am normally away by 05.30 most mornings, as we are early bedders, and the dog is awake and in need of a wee by that time. We then normally have a lie in until about 07.15. If you were a bit later, I'd have ventured to Ludlow station to see you pass through.

Summer In The City - Lovin' Spoonful

I'll probably hear you as you pass through Ludlow, as the line is only about 1/4 mile from my home, and I hear most of the freights day and night as they blow up for the three occupation crossings and Ludlow tunnel - but then I also hear the passenger services including the cl67 hauled workings

All You Need Is Love - Fab 4