woodenhead

My son's meters for his home are in the cellar of the shop below his flat - if the shop isn't open he cannot read his meters.

How often are your meters actually read? Most of my bills arrive as estimates unless I've responded to the email and done my own reading. Energy companies are smart, they know typical usage and a once in a blue moon reading is required just to do a random check. It's a bit like the Smartshop app with Sainsburys, I've used it lots of times now and only had one random check which involved someone in the shop scanning a random 6 items in the bag to check they tallied with what I had declared. The onus is on us to give regular readings - too high and we're being overcharged, too low and we can expect a big bill sometime so it pays to declare your energy usage correctly. No need for Smart meters for that, but varied rate tariffs based on time of day, they need Smart meters and this is where the Government are heading so we will use our electricity when they want us to and that is where costs will be saved. If the Government can control when we consume then they can better manage the energy network, less peaks mean less capacity is required and less money has to be spent building and maintaining a network of generators that aren't always needed - especially of the type that have to be turned on and off.

We all become statistics: World Wars Genocide Starvation Disease Old Age One day I will be added to one of those lists, I'm not trying to put down your fears but life is short, it is fragile and it cannot be lived in fear. I've a relative who has had to shield since March, finally gets to go out, but ends up in hospital with a suspected malignancy, operation is due soon and given their age it's a risky op in general, so far all appointments on own as due to Covid no-one else can attend as support. You'd think Covid is the only killer in the world, it isn't and that's all I am attempting to say.

Approximately 100,825,272,791 have died of death in the lifetime of man on the Earth It's a big number that have died from Covid, but how many people have died of other things this year, 156,000 people die daily, so given the current time of day (10am) about 65,000 people have already died today, which is about the same as Covid over 9 months. The Government want us to be worried about Covid, it is a nasty illness and it can cause suffering and death. It also has the capability of swamping the health service and a Government's main task is protecting it's citizens. But If you stand back from the 62,000 figure you realise it is a drop in the ocean. Like you I am worried about Covid, I wear my mask, wash my hands and do as I am asked to reduce risk, but the risk is probably already very low it just seems more risky because of the publicity it receives. Perhaps if we talked about heart disease in the same way we talk about Covid then more people would be on strict diets, jogging and generally treating their bodies with more respect. Of course, it is easy to quote statistics about what has happened so far and how it compares with the bigger picture and if I wanted to be a conspiracy theorist I could argue that the damage to the economy, the loss of liberties is all some grand scheme or simply over zealous reactions to something that is really minor. But, what if the Government hadn't stepped in, could the figures of 250,000 UK deaths have come true, we will probably never know because perhaps the painful preventative measures perhaps did their job and protected us. Because we can never prove how bad something could have been then it will allow people to perpetuate myths but we still need to remember that in the really big scheme of things Covid is a blip, a nasty one, but nonetheless a blip that will not wipe us out. In 2015 it is estimated 57m people died, Covid would represent 0.1% of deaths of those deaths if the same average applies. Also in 2015 about 141 million people were born, so the actual world population increased 84m, there are about 7.7 billion people on the Earth. https://ourworldindata.org/births-and-deaths

I was talking the 70s, it didn't take long for the weeds to take over the route.

I think we need to stop thinking about when a vaccine will be available. The more appropriate route is how do we reintroduce mass participation events safely, a vaccine will be a bonus. Been on a train today, that was strange, had to have a reservation but it all worked out, that was Darlington to Newcastle with LNER. Now after a lovely walk by the river I am sat in a Starbucks mask off enjoying a latte.

It's Government mandated and paid for in our energy bills, nothing about saving the energy companies money, we're paying for them whether installed or not.

As mentioned earlier: IP addresses can be masked, my Virus protection includes a VPN I can turn off an on as I please. ISPs only give out information upon presentation of court orders - they are bound by GDPR. Police will only intervene if there is criminality, this sounds more like nuisance that criminal intent unless this person is attempting to be you and diverting goods/services to their address. Painful as it may be, have you thought about setting up a new email address this person does not know, my ISP allows me multiple email addresses, simply change over and use a new one and ignore this one. You will have to over time update any valid sites that use your old email but eventually you'll be rid of it. Methinks this person will be getting more out of this by seeing you suffer from the bombardment of emails so simply ignoring them and changing your email may be the most suitable action. You can still access the old email but at your leisure and not have to watch each email come in. If you have no alternative to keep the current email then simply push any of these emails to Junk so your email solution will divert them automatically as best it can

I am guessing a risk of asbestos would require something more than a bit of tarp. Here's an idea - Cover the loco in plastic bags - apply heat to shrink wrap then paint the coating blue and yellow - instant Palitoy 45. It will look preserved but at a fraction of the cost of rebuilding it from the fuel tank upwards.

Its not like the trip from either station by Javellin takes that long, clearly Eurostar are cutting costs whereever they can at present.

At least you had numbers, I bet when Phil began his interest in trains they still just had names.

Why do I see Vernon Kay and now cannot unsee it.

45015 NEWS I could have begun a new thread, but it's appropriate to bring this thread back to life as...... 45015 is to be covered in TARPAULIN Yes, 10 years on from this thread being started 45015 is to finally get some protection from the elements, others may have a different view on why the railway is allowing it to be covered, but I will go with protection.

Have you asked Hornby?

But that is only to March 2021 isn't it, a bit like a Bachmann schedule of near releases rather than a long term plan of releases.

Withington hospital is not a patch on what it was, lost out to Wythenshawe and the big redevelopment at St Marys. My mum was the postie for West Didsbury, sometimes I would ride out with her in the early summer mornings, at that time West Didsbury & Withington was just a growing mass of weeds, never thought that line would one day see trains of any sort again. Abe Ginsberg was the famous person on her round, he also ran a second hand shop in Fallowfield.

Didsbury being affluent could afford three stations, West Didsbury being at the outer edge and adding Withington because well it didn't have a station and neighbouring Fallowfield did. Very big houses surrounded West Didsbury, the centre of Didsbury was full of terraces but as you moved out west and north then the houses grew in stature. Withington wasn't quite so grand but it had larger terraces and then came the 1930s semi-detached houses that sprung up all around Withington on estates. East Didsbury was another 1900s expansion but bigger semi detached & detached houses. Stuck in between East Didsbury and Withington was Burnage, where the Gallagher brothers of Oasis grew up so we don't need to say anymore about the types of houses built there.

Clearly filmed BC (before COVID) as not a mask in sight. Was it some sort of special as there were a lot of people at Lelant Saltings and St Ives, the train didn't appear to stop elsewhere but there were some people on the platforms.

What F1 needs is a return to fuel stops - but not for liquid fuel - I was glad when that was finally dropped as I feared someone would die one day in a fire. No, I would like to see them chuck in a battery pack which gives a power boost, the knock on being that eventually it will lead to similar quick change batteries in road production cars and will remove another headache of electric cars and their batteries.

And in the same area, how about a North Cornwall / LSWR style station building to go with them.

And anyway it would be too complicated unless McLaren agreed to let Ricciardo go to Ferrari to keep Sainz. It's a train of contracts, drivers cannot simply change their minds, but whoever was advising Sainz was possibly not not looking at current performance. Didn't Alonso have something to do with Sainz.

They'd take Raikonen back first - dependable number two. Vettel wouldn't be staying at Ferrari - there is a loss of trust on both sides.

I'm pretty certain I'd buy both But in a purely business perspective, you're probably right though may be those locos in 0 might sell if the pricing was in Dapol territory

With the class 17 on it's books now, N is the future for Kernow . I'd take both of those in N thank you very much.

Unfortunately for @maico it's two fingers up for him.