southern42

Hello all. Thanks for popping in. Ivor's makeover at Pontypool Road is still ongoing but he should be ready to drive back to the top left hand corner of Wales very soon. This frees me up to go on some more Great British Railway Journeys. Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala Day 1 - Thursday 14 September 2023 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth Companions: Tender and Southern42 I arrive in Kidderminster with my companions on Wednesday for a short stay just round the corner from Kidderminster Station. The plan is to ride behind as many of the locomotives; visit as many of the stations; and check out as many cabs as I can in the two days we are here. We have the event timetables. I have learnt a lot from Dai Station, who minds about boring things like timetables and Regulations, so, I have been keen to help out my companions plan out the day's journeys. Journey Plan Day 1 Keep your eyes peeled for Local and Goods trains working the line. Kidderminster to: Bridgnorth for Elevenses Highley for Lunch in the Engine House Arley for Afternoon Tea in the Tea Room Bridgnorth and some more refreshment Kidderminster Journey 1 0910 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth LNER B1 61206 Mayflower (on loan) 08:50 A grand start to the day. 08:52 Getting comfortable on the really nice LNER carriage. 09:05 Up above, "The River Ouse, York," and other places along the LNER, adorn the compartments. Yes, you've guessed! It's Green Wrist Band Day! 10:30 Bridgenorth.We have early elevenses in the very nicely done up GWR-style Refreshment Room. Then we have a nose round the gift shop. He spots a few potential Christmas presents - they will keep until home time tomorrow. In the meantime, we have a train to catch! Journey 2 11:00 Bridgnorth to Highley LNER B1 61206 Mayflower (on loan, Locomotive Services, Crewe) Highley: We have lunch in the Engine House out on the Cafe balcony for some trainspotting. Bacon baps are on offer in keep-warm bags. They turn out to be bacon and sausage baps - even better. Coffee to wash it down. It is all very pleasant. Journey 3 12:27 Highley to Bridgnorth SR West Country 21C127 Taw Valley (SVR) After lunch, we return to the station platform to see some unexpected train manoeuvres. 12:26 We head for the footbridge and see the LMS Ivatt, on a Bridgnorth to Highley Local Service, preparing to leave the platform... 12:28 As we get to the top, we see our train, coming round the bend towards the platform, waiting... 12:30 Time for the local train to reverse out of the platform... 12:30 12:33 and let our train in... Carrying a long rake of carriages, the engine comes to a halt off the end of the platform. 12:37 The Local Train comes into the loop ready to continue its journey back to Bridgnorth (off to the right) at 13:00, after our departure. Journey 4 13:35 Bridgnorth to Arley SR 21C127 Taw Valley (SVR) 13:13:48 On its return from the Shed, our loco rejoins the carriages. 13:13:50 13:39 About to couple up for the next leg of our up and down journey. 13:52 Nicely on board 13:52 We soon arrive at the Tea Room...I mean...Arley... ...but they have no DF, aka Vegan, cake. "There will be Vegan chocolate cake delivered tomorrow morning," the Tea Room Lady tells my companion. Brain cells quickly activate in my companion's head and She prioritises a stop here in the morning... In the meantime, we take away tea and coffee and have a mooch around. 14:34 Waiting on the opposite platform is the Return to HAYES Chaired Sleeper T1 wagon on the Goods Train. She is delighted, Hayes - noted for its creosoting works - being home town and next-door to Southall on which is based her Great West Road thread. Here, for an article on the works with June 1917 dated photos of sleeper wagons 40459 and 40405. I would like to know what that URGENT note (left) is all about! Dai Station would know! 14:40 Goods Train awaiting the return to Bewdley Journey 5 14:52 Arley to Bridgnorth GWR 4930 Hagley Hall (SVR) 15:40 Bridgnorth. We once again frequent the GWR-style Refreshment Room and have another quick look round the gift shop before getting our last train of the day back to Kidderminster. Journey 6 16:20 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster GWR 4930 Hagley Hall (SVR). Enjoying the views...what I can see of them. Hmmm...It reminds me of home in the top left hand corner of Wales! I feel an attack of "Hiraeth" coming. Then into the tunnel...you know when because it all goes smokey... ...then dark...except for the carriage lights, of course... ...and you can't see a thing on the way out.... ...because the window is all misted up. 18:00 We are back in Kidderminster where He parked the car this morning. But before I go, I must take a pic of this back to Ivor - Hunslet 686 THE LADY ARMARGHDALE which resides in the Engine House. He will love it! (Just don't tell him it used to run here, in blue, as "Thomas"!) Finally, it is time to drive off to our short stay accommodation in Bridgnorth. With that, I bid you Goodnight. Until the morning, then, Regards, Edwin

Overcoming the issue as long ago as 6 years...

I was most fortunate in that both primary and secondary schools I went to had pretty much the kind of dinners we had at home - though pink custard was definitely a school only thing - was well cooked, tasted good to very good with the occasional I don't like whatever - semolina and tapioca, in particular. College was good in the days when they not only supplied breakfast (not one I had very often - too lazy to get up early enough!), lunchtime dinners, and evening suppers, they also served coffee and tea at break times in between, even at the weekends for the few that remained on site. At my first teaching school, dinners were excellent and introduced me to Kromeskies - aka pigs in blankets, bacon wrapped soseges. I do not remember dinners at my second teaching school so maybe I went home for lunch or I starved. No memory of school lunches there, whatsoever! As for choice - you had it, went without, or left it.

Pass!

' morning all from red dragon land. Days of the wetnwindies still ongoing although the pine cone pundits reckon on some sunshine today. Not much to report other than some mags of the unmentionable type are ready to have some articles removed, toot on the flute is progressing nicely (atm, anyway!), the washing machine is lacking washing due to inclement weather for drying, and I am still restless after returning from two very enjoyable days on the SVR, not helped by webcam watching, yesterday, of its 75069 being prepared for carting off to the NYMR for its coming 50th Anniversary gala this coming weekend (Thur-Sun). With A4 'Sir Nigel Gresley' in blue, 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214, and Caledonian Railway 2P No. 55189 also joining the resident fleet, I am a tad envious! Envious or not, time for a mugadecaf. Take care. Be good. Keep motivated. Polly

Forgot to mention...the first pic is on the A5 SE of Oswestry (turn left - west on the signpost). Second pic...still on the A5 north east of Oswestry just after the junction for Whittington (turn right - east). Being after 5 o'clock, meaning cafes, eateries, etc. will be closed (mostly, anyway), we headed north onto the A55 for Services. Even by 7pm some of these were well and truly shut up for the night. We stopped at one place but walked out after seeing the prices!!!!!! - and it was not posh nosh either - and carried on to ⭐bucks, Rhyl - Kinmel Park Westbound. Just in time, too, as that closes at 8pm. Just found... Oswestry Balloon Carnival 2023, August 19th & 20th. Yesterday's flights may have been with Oswestry Hot Air Balloon Flights, not for me though. I will stick to r**l hugging transport for my thrills. 🤣 More stuff to sort out from our away days, Jones the Steam needs a PA to write up his thread on the r**ls, and I need to get back to normality, again. Two days away and I have forgotten the latest twiddly bits on the flute! <<Age... and all that! You know...Er...hum...Cough, cough.>> Take care. Be good. Be ready for little surprises. Polly <<Warning. Unmentionables Alert!>> On the porch mat, on our arrival home was a small package...containing one of these ready to be renumbered to that below. Sadly, this one, as seen yesterday, all covered up, is now out of ticket! 😭 <<End of Warning>>

'evening all from red dragon land. I am not long back home from a couple of days on unmentionables on the SVR's Autumn St**m Gala. Mostly unpacked, fed and supped and ready for some shut eye, now. Weather was damp to a bit wet, yesterday (Thursday), and dampish cold to hot in the sun, today (Friday), but it had no effect on our enjoyment. We did the self-catering cottage thing but since we could only get one night at the favoured cottage around the corner from the carpark in Kidderminster, we also booked a cottage in Bridgnorth. In the latter, I just had to take a snap of a certain personality ( @polybear ). On the lookout for some VLDC or VCC, yesterday, one of the tearooms on the line had none but was expecting VCC** this morning. So the first trip today terminated at the appropriate place - Oh, no! VCC had not arrived! We carried on with our planned route and came back later - VCC still had not arrived. Proposed route plan adjusted to return later and - Yipeeee! - cake had been delivered but turned out to be VC&WC*** - even better! ** Vegan (as in dairy free) chocolate cake *** Vegan coffee and walnut cake One interesting diversion on the way home was trying to capture a pic of a few balloons (both pics heavily cropped - and blurry! - they were that far away). Time for some shut eye. Night all and nos da.

I remember the 1984 earthquake in the Menai Strait area, "the most seismically active area in Wales and one of the most active in the UK."* It sounded like a lorry when I first heard it but you could feel the strong vibrations indoors. Perhaps they were dynamiting at the Penrhyn Quarry, a few miles away, was another thought until it I realised it was an earthquake. I was just glad it did not get any stronger. * https://museum.wales/articles/1283/Earthquakes-in-Wales/

' morning all from red dragon land. Wet, day two... Some more pics from my exploratory walk on Sunday. Back in open country...and more sign posts. and a bit of climbing...and, yes, I did have boots on! This is as far as I went. I discovered, later, that the footpath continues (right to left) round the end of the golf course, where the the River Llugwy runs and joins the River Conwy (off to the right), and back into town - there lies a future venture, then! But there is still the return walk and not too much dilly dallying to get back to the museum for one o'clock lunch. By this time I was carrying the brolly - just in case! Note the tell tale rings on the water! A lot of lovely vegetation around... But my favourite on the day...did I taste? Let me see! Hmmm! Oooooh! They were sweeeeeeeet! Back into the tunnel. Then I met a lady with camera-with-zoom-lens on tripod - and here's me just using the 'fone's zoom feature. I expect her pic of the heron will be so much better! Ah! Light at the end of the tunnel! Onward through the church yard. Up the hill. A quick glance at the closed Sappers Suspension Bridge. And a quick look inside the church from the doorway (not too close, mind - pollen about!) And a quick look back before heading across the road to the Museum in time for lunch. Close up of the colourful poster. A good walk.

' night all/awl and nos da. Polly

' evening all from red dragon land. Not as wet, today, as the pine cone pundits reckoned but enough to keep the plants happy. Talking of "happy", the word did not sound anything like "happy", nor "glorious" in the Last Night of the Proms rendition, and over the sea to Skye was more like a jerky ride over a mountain bike course than a bird on the wing. But everyone to their own taste and creations. Yesterday, I tried out a walk in Betws-y-coed which was suggested to me after the bridge over the River Conwy was closed, now due to be taken down and revamped. https://www.geograph.org.uk/snippet/23749 I was time limited but I went as far as I dare to enable me to be back at the Museum for 1 o'clock lunch. First, turn right at the golf course. River on the right. And a pair of ducks - middle distance. Golf course on the left. And onto open air. But not for long. Hmm... Now, for the crossing... er...I don't think so. The road is behind the stone wall - top right. The top of a grey/bluish vehicle going past is just visible. Still some way to go with more pics to come...hopefully tomorrow.

Good to hear from you Debs. I was thinking it is a long time since we last met. How am I doing? Awl puffed out - catching up on the last few pages so that I can do my own catch up post - to follow. Take care. Polly

Guess who does the weeding in our house!* 🤣 Well, afternoon all from red dragon land. Sunny though we did have a shower around midday - just after I had watered the pot plants! A bit cooler - 24C - indoors this morning but 25.5C now. 24.8C outside. * After lunch, I popped out to do a spot of weeding. It took longer than anticipated, First, deposit a neighbour's dog's dumpings, found on the green patch aka lawn, into a food bin bag and take to the doggie bin up on the back road. Then move a few large stones to clear a few small weeds. Next, move some more stones only to see a little fella hiding from the sun and running for shade under the Columbine (circled below). Put stone back, take photo, and move further along the raised bed. No harm done. So much long grass mixed in with the weeds, I decided to remove the grass and cut down the height of the weeds before digging them up. Now this was an <<I'm out to enjoy an easy afternoon in the sun>> moment, so I was taking things quite leisurely, otherwise I would have used the fork and dug up the whole lot. The problem with that in the heat of the sun was getting deep down to clear the roots of the thug thing (forgotten its name but similar to the rose bay willow herb that runs alongside unmentionable parallel bits of metal) - a job for another day. There is quite a few feet of the stuff still to clear. In other news. Not been on here for a few days so hope everything is ok/going to be ok with all. Some work (aka home improvements) is going on in the house so life is a bit broken up with trips here and there, and things being moved about, cleaned, etc etc but it has to be done. Toot on the flute is not so easy in the heat BUT.... I have got to the end of the second Verse and, in one of those <<I can't believe it!>> moments, I realised my top notes, which have been weak at their best, were coming out loud and clear even with all the twiddly bits added! No looking back, I keep telling myself! Time for a mudgadecaf...or two! Take care. Be good. Keep cool. Polly

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Thoughts with Baz @Barry O and Mrs BAz. I hope all goes well and quickly. 🌧️ Raining again. Just as well I got the worst W offenders deadheaded when I did. The big green patch seemingly gaining in leaves* rather than blades, aka lawn, needs cutting again but it will probably have to wait until this projected post-school summer holiday summer weather arrives before it will be possible - though not by me, I might add! *Dandelions, buttercups, clover, etc. Last night saw me in bed hours before usual after a series of 6.30am up-earlies to get Mr Suvvern out for various attendances, including yesterday's to the Museum which included me. By the afternoon, I could hardly keep my eyes open so I sat in the car doing a couple of crosswords on the 'phone, trying not to nod off. By 9 o'clock I was making my mugabeddybyescocoa. Slept through 'til 6.30am. Up an hour later! Toot on the flute this morning consisted of listening to an hour long concert by a North Indian flute player which highlighted several ways of doing things that could help/improve/develop my meagre playing. Trying to put even some of the more basic into practice proved to be quite revealing not only about my meagre playing but about me, my attitude, etc, enabling me to be a bit more positive and gopherit - at least today, anyway! Talking of a mugasummat. Time to put kettle on. Take care. Be good. Gopherit! Polly

I stopped watching said video* as soon as the garlic appeared... we two just do not get along together. Don't know about grubs, though treating them like that while still alive is definitely not one for me. * Wichetty grub fry up: https://youtu.be/Ra6ICM6NB_0

Despite the sun coming out during the afternoon, the ground remained wet but I did venture out the front door to collect some blackberries. Plenty of other life around but I only managed to get a quick snap of this one. No idea exactly what it is, though I could look it up at some point. I refrained from moving it on and left this berry in place! Not a bad afternoon's picking in the end... which went into the making of a blackberry and apple crumble. Time for mugacocoa and beddybyes. So 'night all and nos da. Polly

' morning all from red dragon land. Wet but drying. Rain not expected but the ground is too wet to mess about with the W word. Wow! Had a few blackberries, picked from a corner of the front garden (er...right of way), with my apple and porridge breakfast. <<Sugar?>> Forget the sugar, mun, they were sooooooo sweet! Talk about a taste blast! I shall definitely have to go and forage for more. Just the usual stuff today. So, off for a mugadecaf to get me started. Take care. Be good. Enjoy the unexpected pleasures. Polly

Facebook on my phone I'm hoping you pick up when I call. I don't know how to move on without your love I'm still...

Our Love (Don’t Throw It All Away - Bee Gees

The Pine Cone Pundits were way off, today. Dry? Hmmm. Chuckinitdarn more like. So, no hope of continuing yesterday's exploits deadheading and uprooting of things that no flower bed should have to put up with. <<Bank Holiday weekend? That's wotitiz!>> Better success was had with toot on the flute, not perfect but promising. Got some proper jobs done as well and now for a mugasummat. Polly

'night all and nos da.

And I thought Tooth of Time, Oregon looked challenging. Nearer to home are the falls at Llangollen. Follow through to the end of the video and you see it from the canoeists perspective continuing through one of the arches of the road bridge. On the right is the Llangollen home of things that run on parallel bits of metal.

Many condolences @TheQ. Very sorry to hear that, especially being on your own at the time. Polly

' afternoon all from red dragon land. A lot of chuckinitdarn, this morning. Pine cone pundits are pronouncing dry and sunshine for this afternoon. They had better be right cos I have just put washing out despite there being some awfully dark clouds out there, a bit of sun now and again, though. A lot of short toot on the flute sessions today, mostly a mixture of playing* along with the video and having a bash for real. It seems to have done the job as I worked out the next lot of new twiddly bits...in the end...one of which was a 4-note slide - but I did it! Something new on my life-time's worth of musical-technicalities-not-been-able-to-do-before. Anyway, it made me feel chuffed, not at my playing, but at the sound of it that I can now enjoy. A bit of confidence regained. *Our flutes are in different keys, so I just play the fingering and do the tune in my head. ....awhile later. Sun out - and a bit of blue sky - but still a bit too wet to do any (proper) G word though I might pop out and dead head some thugs before they go to seed. As I am staring at a muganothingness, I think I shall go and make a mugasomethingness. Take care. Be good. Be hopeful. Polly

Agree. I watched this before I saw the canoe ride which made think that must have been fun!