Smiffy2

And at least one of the illustrated examples of this art is so far from scale appearance as to be less realistic than Meccano.

Now you're saying I'm not reputable? Me? I'll go to the foot of our stairs. Seriously - does no-one else remember this? If they did it at Paddington they must have done it elsewhere, surely? Funny thing is that although I lived next to a SR suburban line, watched Q1s pushing milk tanks about when woolgathering at school and spotted at Raynes Park - "Oh, it's just a Spam!" we never went to Victoria or Waterloo and never ventured into any SR sheds, whereas Old Oak and Willesden were well known to us. It was at Willesden that I got to see a speeding Duchess at much closer range than was truly comfortable, and learned how many small boys could get into an empty tender. Three, if you're interested, though the number would have been a lot higher if there had been more of us.

I see - I hadn't realised. But whatever, that's what I remember. And I'd rather not have my name put on Wiki by third parties, please. Doesn't anyone else remember it?

Which was not, if memory serves, part of the Roman Empire!

What is?

Just the one, but this is what I remember: There is a film of Nunney Castle leaving in 2003 without slipping, but it's very slow acceleration, unlikely in service I would have thought.

Well, it's a pretty strong memory, and all that we saw leaving were Castles and Counties. They started up just like any big-wheel passenger loco, creep, slip, crawl, slip a bit more, found their feet, off they go. I was 10 or so at the time, but the only mainline departures we saw were at Paddington and Kings X. I'll look for video evidence.

I've just seen the pilot of a Netflix series 'The Crown', being the history of our queen. Apparently she went to Balmoral in 1951 behind a green 9F in a maroon Mk1 carriage... And where does the idea that Castles didn't slip leaving Paddington come from? They certainly did c1960 when I was spotting. Massively. Yugely.

When I was 16 I 'found' a Black Shadow under a tarpaulin in a local front garden. He wanted £100 for it... We were quite close to Miller's in Mitcham who, in those days (1968), were building 'new' Vincents from original spares. The Volvo satnav voice is a middle class lady who sounds like she might just have a dominatrix side. "Turn left. Turn left now" "Whatever you say..."

My new kettle has arrived, so I'm trying it out. Hang on. Yes, I can confirm that it heats water in a proper manner to make tea. All is well.

Happy birthday Bob!

After my time, I suspect. I was living in East Herrington for 1969, then hall of residence in Sunderland in 1970, so really only went to Ryhope for the TP. It was all a bit of a blur!

Morning all. Cold and dark here in Carshalton-sur-Mer. The whelkmen are abed as today is the feast of Saint Egregious the Underwhelming, patron of politicians and locsal authority health inspectors. To be observant the whelkmen are all inspecting their duvets from underneath. Went to bed early last night and got up at 3... Fascinating time last night with Daisy - she's reading Terry Pratchett's Hatful of Sky which I gave her a few weeks back we did some serious (ie usually Year 9) Lit Crit, discussing allusion, imagery and the three types of irony. She later said she wants to give up the crochet club so that she can spend more time with us. When she left she bowed to me - fans of Pterry will get the import of that one. I've been absent lately partly because I've been poorly - nothing serious, a rotten cold and a chest infection, coughing all night and sleeping in the daytime. Feeling a bit better now but still coughing a lot. Reminds me of a line we once used in a rag show: "Blackmail is an ugly word, Carruthers." "It's not as ugly as 'phlegm' sir..." Desperate to get on with doing some Monty. I've had some bits from Smallbrook laying about for a couple of weels, and I started a buffer stop a fortnight ago and it's still not finished. Plus a couple of locos, some carriages and, of course, track. Ah well. I saw an article today that informs one that eating fat doesn't make one fat. Comforting to know, as I have just discovered Warburton's Giant Crumpets, which can absorb a lot of butter. Best wishes to all - you made the right decision, Andy - and best wishes for good outcomes to Mel. Sayonara, cupcakes!

It was arl snaa in 1969 for my first year in the North-East. It snowed in October and thawed the following March. As I walked down the front steps of my digs my bell-bottom trousers 'floated' in the snaa and my bare legs kept on going, unprotected. One day we got snowed into the school I was on teaching practice at (Ryhope Juniors). Naa problem, it was at the top of a hill, so we could slide down if necessary. But the school dinner truck couldn't make it up the hill. That was a problem. School dining hall. 400 hungry kids. Outbreaks of cannibalism reported. Tense. Then a supply of sandwiches appeared and the day was saved. I spent the next few months wondering exactly what I'd let myself in for...

Although the adoption of Christianity did lead to some improvements in the lives of slaves, it didn't immediately lead to the end of slavery. It lasted into the second half of the ninth century.

Yes. There could be no cannon until gunpowder was invented in the 9th century in China. The exploitation of black powder led to new techniques of metal casting (based on bell casting practices) and accurate boring (using improved metals). Both of these techniques moved across easily to casting cylinder blocks and pistons, and of course they improved with time and practice. The steam engine, and eventually the steam locomotive, represent the accumulation and merging of a number of techniques which were maturing in the eighteenth century. I have often wondered what extra progress had been made if Henry VIII had really spent the proceeds of the dissolution of the monasteries on education (he endowed a measly 39 grammar schools and some university colleges) instead of plugging holes in his leaking coffers.

Semis = S as in VIIS but not often.

"technical progress tends not to be made in leaps and bounds, but increments, which gradually come together and lead to a self-accelerating process of progress." I've seen explanations that include the practice of large casting (from large-bell casting) which the Romans never managed; gears (from clock making) which the Romans never had which led to the use of eccentrics etc; advanced metallurgy (gradually developed and greatly aided by the scientific movement, which the Romans never had) and the availability of coke and coal as fuel. All of these had to come to the table, in the right order, to be incrementally developed. The slave economy meant that there was no pressure to develop new technologies. When an engineer came to Vespasian with a new kind of water-mill to grind much more corn much more quickly he was paid to go away and forget it; without slaves the social system would be in danger of collapse. Many years later, when the supply of slaves was drying up the water-powered mills were built. Details here: http://www.romanaqueducts.info/aquasite/arlesb/

Some of ours still make Calvados. I've had some. I begged for death...

I once inadvertently started my Escort with my front door key.

Morning all. Up early - Daisy and Rose slept over last night. I’m getting breakfast and I can hear Rose being mardy... School/nursery and then a bit of a rest. Julie is at the Nonsuch Craft Guild show and I’m doing pickup and feeding. More on all this later. Best wishes to all for a good day.

That's why I don't ask questions any more, except here. A chap can only take so much being told he's an idiot.

Blimey.

For me and many others one of the joys of reading this forum is that, whatever our politics, we don't discuss them here.

Precisely that, Neil.