Robert

Morning All, We have another pleasant morning, it's due to warm up later but for the moment the temperature is reasonable. Did you work down Geevor John? I was lucky enough to go down Geevor back in the early 90s on a tour that took us down out under the Atlantic Ocean into the old Levant workings. I was looking to study Geology/ Mining Engineering in those days and although I ended up studying Electronic Engineering, I've maintained an interesting in mining. Being deep under the Atlantic, and hearing the waves crashing above made quite an impression on me! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is a somewhat cloudy morning today, but the forecast suggests that it will brighten up later and we might see 34°C by the middle of the afternoon. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler! Time for a coffee. Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, Great to see Gordon back as well as Debs! It is a fairly warm morning in this part of the world. Temperatures are due to get up to around 34°C later on. Too hot if you ask me! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It looks like the temperature is going to get up to around 32°C again today. Rather warm, but at least it isn't 40°! There isn't a lot else to report. Except to say a belated Happy Anniversary to Mr and Mrs Andy, and as always, it is great to see Debs dropping in. Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is a pleasant morning again. Sunshine, and blue sky. After my dentist visit yesterday, my teeth are all Ok which is always good to know. However, the journey was horrendous. Two accidents resulted in the motorway being shut for three hours, and the Theorore Heuss bridge in the middle of Mainz was also closed due to an accident. Getting home yesterday evening proved to be "interesting"! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, We have another bright morning, but there is a chill in the air. I'd better get on. I have to leave work earlier this afternoon for an appointment at the dentist. Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, For what it's worth, it's a nice sunny morning today. Sorry to hear the news about Sandy, John. Take it one day at a time and make the most of the time you have left. The more memories you have to treasure later, the easier it will be. Thinking of you all.

Morning All, It is a nice bright morning in this part of the world, and the clear up after Sunday's storm is still in progress. The road between Mörfelden and Langen is still closed by fallen trees and apparently an electricity pylon was also damaged by the wind and needs to be stabilised. A day of testing awaits. Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, Weather wise, we seem to have the calm after the storm this morning! A rather large storm, which may also have included a Tornado rolled through yesterday evening. We were lucky enough to only catch the edge of it at home, but here in Langen and the neighbouring Mörfelden they caught it full on. The road between Langen and Mörfelden is going to be closed all day to remove fallen trees and stabilise an electricity pylon that has been damaged. I was fortunate enough to hear about it on the news before I left for work, so I was able to divert around the problems. However, I suspect some people are going to have a certain amount of trouble getting in today. Time for a coffee! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is another pleasant morning in this part of the world. We have light cloud, and sunshine. These days, both Mercedes and I drive Fords and we are actually pretty pleased with then. I have a Focus estate, and Mercedes has a B-Max. Neil described the engine in his as like wet lettuce, but I can't say that is my experience, despite both the cars having the same engine (the one litre Ecoboost with 100bhp) they are both pretty swift. Certainly better than my previous car (a Toyota Auris with the 1.33 litre and 100bhp - that was really sluggish). The main advantage of that engine was the timing chain - which meant it was maintenance free. Ford have certainly been pushing the boundaries of technology recently - and that has led to problems. Not only with the power shift gearbox, but also with the Ecoboost. It is a relatively old school engine (in the sense that it has a cast iron block) but the water jacket is very small, to ensure that it warms up quickly and reaches maximum performance (fuel and emissions) as soon as possible. Of course, if it looses it coolant, it goes Kaboom! very quickly. The problems that Ford had were related to a coolant hose cracking (the new engines have a different type of hose). Although it has a timing belt, it is a wet belt which means the service intervals are much longer than they are with a traditional belt. As far as the power shift is concerned - I've never driven one, so I can't really comment. However, as far as the Ecoboost is concerned, they seem to have sorted out the problems (at least on the smaller engines). Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, We have a slightly gloomy morning today. It has rained quite a bit overnight, and the mornings are now starting to draw in. Happy Birthday Andy! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is rather a pleasant morning here. There is some cloud, and a light breeze. The temperature is due to get up to around 20°C today, so it should be quite pleasant. Oh well - better get on. Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is a somewhat cloudy morning in this part of the world - and a little colder than it has been of late. No sign of any Perseids with us either. There was too much cloud! Time for a coffee - Have a good day everyone...

I was thinking about Pete (Trisonic) this morning. We haven't heard from him for quite a long time (the last mention was in May) when Tony mentioned that he was unwell. Does anybody have any news? I hope he is feeling better by now, and unable to visit for other reasons.

Morning All, Strewth! Good job nobody was sitting on that. It is a nice bright morning in this part of the world, and I believe it is time for a coffee! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It's a somewhat damp morning in this part of the world. There must have been some rain overnight, but I can't say I heard it. It isn't actually raining, but quote overcast. Time for a coffee! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is absolutely chucking it down here this morning! I walked to the car in a light rain, but between opening the gate and closing it again the rain had turned into a torrential downpour. I am now drying out - slowly! Oh well, better get on. Time for a coffee. Have a good day everyone...

Unfortunately, it's a question of supply and demand. A company like Morrisons buying several million jam jars is always going to be able to buy them at a cheaper price than somebody who is only buying a relatively small batch. Like I said, there is nothing wrong with re-using jars provided they are sterilised properly (and that goes for new jars as well). However, if you are selling them then that is a whole new kettle of fish. As for Fructose in jam - That's how they can make the jam for 26p less than you can buy a jar!

You can buy jam jars on Amazon - I know because my wife has done it. We don't need to get into too many reasons behind the ruling, but organisations such as the Churches' Legislation Advisory Service and the Womans Institute have advised members that Jam should no longer be sold in re-used jars. Of course this only applies to commercial enterprises (ie: when the Jam is sold) so there is nothing to stop somebody from making their own jam and consuming it themselves, or giving it to someone. Breaching the food hygiene rules on sold goods (which using re-used jars could be construed as doing) carries a fine of up to £5000 and/or six months imprisonment. Of course, sterilising the jam jars is always necessary - whether new or used!

Morning All, I am back in the office after a couple of weeks away. We were down in the Chiemgau on the German-Austrian border. The weather was quite pleasant, the first week was very hot but the second was more pleasant, although we did have a night of very heavy rain where the rain came into the holiday flat! Fortunately, I had a tarpaulin in the car, which could be spread to catch the drips. Have a good day everyone...

I agree Andy. However, my Dad worked for BT for the whole of his working life and was fiercely loyal to them. My Mum hates computers and would rather not use them - but somethings have to be done online these days. Before he died Dad showed her how to do the essentials, and it all worked reasonably well until BTs service crapped out.

Don't get me started on this one! My Mum has the same problem. I spent quite a bit of time trying to sort it out the other evening. BT's e-mail server just rejects the connections, despite all the parameters being correct. However, as far as BT are concerned, if the Web mail is working correctly then the problem is with the customers phone/tablet. I ended up setting up an alternative e-mail account, and forwarding all of the e-mails to the BT address to the new one.

Morning All, It's a damp morning in this part of the world. My first Railway Modeller was sometime in the 80s - but I don't have any from that era anymore. I started reading it again in around 2002 and have the editions on the CDs produced by Peco up until 2010 when they went over to the digital subscription. I now subscribe to the digital edition because having the magazine sent from the UK was getting more expensive and more unreliable. Concerning imperial units - that's is actually one of my beefs with Railway Modeller why, oh why, oh why can't they quote dimensions and measurements in Metric as well? Now, I accept that some people prefer imperial units, and that's fine, but I'm not one of them. I learnt the metric system at school and given that I am in my mid 40s that must be the same for a lot of people. Say 1.5 Metres and I can picture it, say 4'11 and I have to convert it (unless it's something easy). Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, It is a reasonably cool morning in this part of the world. The comment that Michael made regarding time is an interesting one, and reminds me of something I heard the other day. I was born after the moon landings - but somebody pointed out the other day that "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners was released on 25 June 1982 and that is closer to VE day than today. A frightening thought! Have a good day everyone...

Morning All, We have another sunny morning in this part of the world. It looks like today may well be a somewhat busy day, so I guess I had better get on! Have a good day everyone...