bbishop

It went well. On the bus back from the crem. Bill

Sad duty as we had two cardiac arrests. The second was particularly harrowing as the team did not want to give up on a young father so we did CPR for the best part of an hour but In the end had to accept he was dead. Then the debrief, then the paperwork, so bed about 2am. Up at 6am for the Tonbridge show, then a charity tea party, then crashed out. Bill

No drinking today, duty from eight to midnight. Bill

Ok, a bit of a rant. I watched some of the six nations and in one game there was one hooker with bright red boots and the other with brilliant white boots. What the ???? The idea in my day was that the ref did not get to see what was going on, especially if one was striking for the ball a fraction early. So black boots, never polished but dubbined, black laces, a pair of brown socks over the club ones. One of the dark arts of the front row. Bill

One goes through live attempting to learn skills. In my case hooking the ball in the scrum; winning and protecting the ball in a maul; NOT catching the ball (so I kept clear of the threequarter line); but one skill that no-one expected me to have was the ability to drop kick. Bill

Yup, that's me. Bill

Well, there is two thirds on this forum. I'll move to the left, suits my politics, leaving Richard in the middle. Any volunteers for tight head? Presumably we can play to the 1970s "application" of the Laws; basically what you can get away but Queensbury Rules invoked if the tight head dropped his shoulder. The front row was fun in those days. B

Sad news for Richard Charlie Faulkner has died. B

My last try was achieved when the opposition over-tapped a lineout on their five metre line (Rugby had gone all metric by then). I was already hunting down the scrum half so it was merely a wee diversion and a flop on the ball. Our fly half suggested I should have picked up the ball and sprinted under the posts. My response was that with my handling skills, a knock-on was a more likely outcome. Bill

So can W. Obviously not a Welsh keyboard.

With short, fat, hairy legs and practically no neck, I naturally became a hooker. I am by nature a placid sort of guy but stick a No.2 jersey on me and remind me of my Welsh heritage and I became a total Hovis. I was a better hooker than a player, so was very effective in the scrums. The bigger problem was the "hooray henry" types who frequented Rugby clubs in the South east so, when my knees decided my playing career was over, I drifted away from the sport. Rugby had somewhat sidelined my cricket career. I was capable of keeping the ball out of my wicket, but not much else, so I filled a hole in the school 3rd XI and become a wicket keeper. My knees decided by my 30th birthday that I couldn't play club cricket of an afternoon but I was recruited into an evening 20:20 league as a coarse wicketkeeper / no.11 batsman: zero skills but total enthusiasm. I played the occasional game into my 60s. Now of course I get free entry into Lords in exchange for providing first aid. Bill

Brian, is there a dress code? I'm sort of assuming T-shirt worn outside cargo pants at threequarter mast, rainbow laces, hair amuss. Sorry, don't have time to grow a 'tache. Bill

The health warning is that I'm computer incompetent, so double check. But for those arriving by train, the route would appear to be: walk sort of easterly to the bus station (about 15 mins) no 5 bus from Stand I at xx18, xx38, xx58, to Woodside o/s Norse Road Cemy. Takes about 30 mins. Bill

I should be able to make it, depending on train strikes, etc. How ever, the local transport website will let me know the time of the next bus but refuses to divulge the timetable from railway station to crem. Can anyone help? Bill

A convivial evening with friends consuming about five pints. Got up to leave and I was all over the place, but coherent and brain working fine. I was escorted to the bus stop then caught the 126 to Grove Park station. So it was either walk over a mile or catch the estate bus. My mobile phone advised when the next 273 was due and I calculated it was even stevens. Actually the bus passed me 100 yards before it turned right and I turned left. So brain still working and walking ok as well. All a bit weird. Bill

Drunk!

So my leap of optimism was immediately dashed. Boy, would I like to sound off about the underlying politics but I understand Phil's concerns about "thread drift". Bill

Tony, actually built from 1909 and yes there should be louvres in the doors. I've just looked at the Mallard one that I'm building one at the moment - no louvres. The kit was acquired by Blacksmiths, I've looked at those in the stash - louvres. Bill

Sorry!

Thanks Tony, something would have arisen from my brain, but you got there first. Bill

The Ironclad composite was on Trevor Charlton's list, but whether he actually produced any in 4mm. Unfortunately the prototypes were a decade to late for Southwark Bridge Models. There was an outfit, producing 4mm kits mainly of Southern EMUs, that might just have done Ironclads. Just can't dredge up a name. Bill

Hasn't this become a nice, friendly thread , in the absence of the pachyderm? No demands for cake, more cake, even more cake or else he will exhibit photographs of a GWR branch line. Bill

If you look on ukmodelshops for 18 March, you will see that the North Downs Model Railway Circle is putting on an exhibition in Tadworth. This is nothing to do with Dibben. The exhibition is run by Stuart Robinson with the surplus given to charities. Stuart is a lovely guy albeit not the most organised of managers, so only worth the travel if you are local. I have exhibited a layout with him and it is very much find your own tables, chairs and a socket that doesn't have a dozen layouts already plugged in. Bill

I don't think his mother still recycles paper cups. I think the Group may just be the Dibben family. As a local councillor, he has to declare all fiduciary interests. On the Gravesham website, there is a mis-spelled document declaring he trades in second hand model railways but no mention of exhibitions. Bill

How long do we have to play whilst the Hippo is away?