SM42

No, I don't think you did. Thanks for letting all those who missed it, know . Andy

I think the Appelations are a red herring. I've always been suspicious of the shape of the Wrekin. Now it all makes sense. It's even got a candle on top Andy

To me that's a healthy evening snack To Mrs SM42 it's a two year supply of treats I hope your cake doesn't get stollen Andy

That a good description of the approximate taste, but with less sickie Andy

Tried this over the summer. It tasted of nothing in particular Yes it is green Andy

Or more importantly you haven't got your fingers holding the gauge in the wrong place. What was also nice about clamp locks, HW (long handle), M63 (short handle) and M3s (heavy handle and my favourite. Hand operating was bit like presenting the Wheeltapers and Shunters Club) was the fact that if they didn't detect you could tell, as the motor ran on for a few seconds after the gubbins had stopped moving, a dead giveaway. On electro pneumatics (EP) you just had the faint hiss of air when they failed. This was an important thing to be aware of as leaving them failed would result in the loss of other EPs in the area when the signaller tried to move them as the air to power them had been drained away. The EP was moved manually using the clamp lock pump handle as a lever (through a hole in the drive rod (?) and notches to get purchase were cut into the plate below,) after disconnecting the plug coupler, unless of course you had key (this is when you had to watch your fingers, toes or anything else.) They didn't take prisoners and did for the occasional pigeon. We had some HWs fitted in a remodel and unfortunately the motor was mounted so that when winding them over only half a turn of the handle was possible due to the adjacent sleeper end fouling the handle swing. Happy days, long gone. Andy

Wasn't Nairn a similar set up complete with bicycle? Andy

For some unknown reason, I suddenly have a desire to buy a house with extensive grounds. Getting expensive this topic. Andy

It's not the privet I'm worried about. It's the rest of the ground cover I need to shift. It will need some precision flying and pinpoint targeting and I quite like mum's neighbours too Local intelligence suggests no AA, and the local airbase has been decommissioned Andy

Hedges were the bain of my younger years. At my parents there was, and indeed still is, a privet hedge. 120ft long and 7ft high. Every year us kids were roped into help cut it by hand. The bottom end was worst as it had holly growing through it down there. Then a grand bonfire to burn the cuttings. Now I do it with an electric trimmer, but there's no having a fire now. Its takes a whole morning to cut 4 or 5 trips to the tip. The garden has been left to get out of hand this year as we haven't been able to go round to attack it and mum is in no position to do so. The lawn may hide a hippo or three and the shrubs are what can only be described as well established.. Somewhere in there, there is a shed, a patio and a fish pond. No fish, but there does appear to be silver birch growing in there My back aches just thinking about it. Anyone got any napalm? Andy

Thanks for the generous offer, but we have our own on site recycling facility. Andy

Woohoo! More failed cheese cake has been proposed by Mrs SM42 Imagine digestive biscuits with lemony custard. Yum! Andy

Here is scanned photo of the water tower at Kidderminster, taken shortly after the goods yard closed around 1982/3. It had been that colour for as many years as I care to remember Andy

The problem comes when you can only get line of site to 1 or 2 satellites or even none at all. My satnav goes into guessswork mode in a tunnel. Driving in Sienna, Italy, it would be next to useless due to the narrow streets and high buildings. The report is only as good a the technology will allow it to be. Andy

We need a very jealous button ( I had to use thanks , in a for rubbing it in way) All however is not lost at SM42 Towers. Walking was done due to the weather being rather unco-operative and clearing up nicely, but on the bright side Mrs SM42 has just announced a secret cheese cake that's gone wrong. Looks like we have cheese cake Eaton mess style later. Things are definitely looking up Andy (who's rather glad Mrs SM42's anti cake resolve isn't very strong)

All this talk of cake is making me hungry. Mrs SM42 has decreed that a walking we shall go this afternoon. No chance of cake being bought en route, it has been embargoed at SM42 Towers now. Something about expanding waist lines was mentioned. I'm not sure what exactly was said as I only started listening at "no more cakes" "What? ever?" Fortnately the rain is back so a walking we might not go. Still no cake though. Anyone willing to do a covert supply drop? Fire up the Lysander Andy

As an aside, if creating a new account, be wary of leaving the old one still open. I have seen talk in the national press, attributed to a very well known monet saving guru, that PP are going to start charging for unused accounts next year. The exact details I am not clear on, but it appears that if you at least log in occasionally, you will avoid the charge. May be worth checking on those old accounts Andy

Yes but with global warming it's still spring Andy

Shhhh! He might hear you Andy who is also not quite full

Yes, 2 white at the front and 2 red at the back , but they weren't generally the brightest of things Andy

Two cars built, one delivered. The second one is awaiting spares after the relatively soft plastic disc that makes a headlight broke whilst being pushed into its designated hole. Now the manufacturer will send a spare on seeing an e mailed copy of the receipt . The retailer will send a whole car, from which we must remove the required part and send the rest back. . On the bright side it is the birthday of one of Mrs SM42's colleagues today, and by an amazing co-incidence there was a piece of cake* left over. Andy * I said it quietly as I'm trying not to attract the attention of bears.

A new job has arrived home with Mrs. SM42. I have 2 cars to build All work cancelled to put 2 Little Tikes cars together. Joy. I hope there is a baked reward for all this motor mechanic stuff Andy

As the report says, the speed was there to be seen. The human factor then came into play. The challenge is how to overcome the erroneous conclusions that humans come to because of familiarity. We've all done it at some point in our lives. The technology is in theory, available to help. Andy

Shooting the road in my day was what was done before the boards were up. I recall waving a yellow flag / lamp from side to side came into it too. Andy

Only did it once, before we got married and for Valentines day. Well, I was trying to impress. I usually employ the one job rule. If a job is allocated, then it gets done. If, before completion, another job is allocated, all previous orders become null and void and work on that particular job stops to attend the new job and will not be restarted until it is allocated again. At which point any uncompleted job will have work on it cancelled Tends to stop one from being overworked This little list I have now has slipped through the net. (I was probably a bit tipsy and hence off guard) Andy