Jock67B

Jamie, As you know, I've been missing on the sick list of late, so I hope you and your followers will forgive all the ratings as I try to catch up. The only word that really fits is FANTASTIC! Kind regards, Jock.

Iain, Sorry to say I've been absent on the sick list for a while and so I've just been scanning through - I love the method you used with the jig, very professional indeed! Kind regards, Jock.

Morning all, I've had a reasonable day, topped with some wonderful news that my 'blonde bombshell' (Clacton granddaughter) who has designs on a stage career, went for audition and testing at 'B.I.M.M.' (The London branch of the British and Irish Modern Music Institute, which offers degree courses!) with her nursing sister mum today. Part of a relationship with the music and drama class she attends here in Clacton. Apparently she 'sailed through' the two performances on stage, passed the written and oral tests, and was offered a place there and then, subject to achieving her 'A' level grades of course! We are really proud of her so it's fingers crossed until results in August. Thanks to Pete(pH), I think I've settled on Dunure as the little fishing port with the stocks of salty wood mistakenly mentioned last night - suffering from brain-fade there? PhilJW, I have the programme you mentioned recorded on 'series link' with the Sky+ box. I also have the NASA, European Space Agency, and ISS web sites in the favourites on my iPad and PC as well. Due to the influence of my Father, I've had a keen interest in the Universe and all that it involves since I was young. Switching to engineering and science at college has helped to give me a fair amount of knowledge as to how it all works. Surprisingly, I've only ever invested in a cheap 'Tasco' telescope with the excuse that my life is too full to accommodate another passion. (Anyone who wants to see what can be had should trawl through Jeff(Physicsman)'s thread - 'Lunester Asylum'. His Scopes are amazing and can accommodate his camera.) Gordon(bluebottle), and Neil(NHN), I'm sorry to note that you, as well as others to a lesser degree, are members of the sciatica club! I honestly had no idea that there was so much of it around and can only sympathise with those who suffer. I had heard about fat Hermann Göering's model railway layout, and if he stored it at his Air Ministry building, he was very lucky as we managed to miss it during the WW2 bombing of Berlin in the main, whilst the rest of the surrounding area (like St Pauls?) was flattened! Oh dear Neil(NHN), what memories flooded in when I saw elements of your bike collection parked below the layout shelf! Bikes and trains being high on the list of my favourite things. What lucky person owns that beautiful and no doubt priceless Gilera? What clean and effective engineering for its day (mid to late fifties). I now feel that I should dig out my old 'Sound Stories' vinyl for a listen to the deep exhaust notes in the hands of Bob McIntyre, John Hartle, Derek Minter and even Florian Camathias in a sidecar outfit. Thank you so much - I'm going to copy that image strictly for my own enjoyment! Time to see if the sleep will come now, on this St Valentine's Day - I hope you folk that observe this affair, remembered what is required of you in plenty of time. Joanna and I decided to stop it along with the Christmas cards and the like, some time ago, with Cancer Research benefitting. With the usual good health wishes to all, I hope Sunday works as well as you'd like it to. Kind regards, Jock. G'night all!

Evening John et.al. Pretty humbling to watch such engineering in miniature unfolding! I'm enjoying this one, although my own engineering experience is at 'one-to-one', which looks a dam*ned sight easier than what is being attempted here! Good luck fellows, Kind regards, Jock.

Evening Andy, Trying to catch up after my absence for a few days, so apologies for all the ratings! A lesson for us all as always on here!! Will you be putting a little blue 'North Road' in your list of threads when it's ready for us to view? I'm really looking forward to it. Kind regards, Jock.

Jeff/Ben, And what weather it can be - I've passed through a couple of times when nothing whatsoever was visible from the train! Kind regards, Jock.

Afternoon all, Thank you all once more for the kind words. Slept better last night but around four breaks for the usual messed it up a bit! Joanna slept better so hopefully she is now on the mend. Rick, I truly admire your fortitude, and I can see that the whole situation is easier to handle with the correct mental approach. That is however, a very high attrition rate in staff turn-over numbers. The 'true grit' inherited from your Cornish ancestors certainly shines through in this instance! PhilJW, looks like you and your fellow sciatica sufferers simply have to 'grin and bear it' then? I'm obviously lucky that the morphine works for me - I take two twelve hour release (low dose) tablets daily, and have a supply of liquid 'Oramorph' for regular top-ups. It doesn't affect me like some, perhaps because of all the abuse I've treated my body to over the years? My grandson, following his heart operation on the other hand, found that two point five ml knocked him out! The awesome thing about 'gravity waves' is that Einstein postulated their existence so long ago, and like all his other theories, scientists have tried without success to disprove them. The key to our eventual ability to travel to other galaxies is the ability to travel at over the speed of light, impossible with today's technology, and such discoveries as 'gravity waves' could well help to make it feasible in the future. AndyiD, I can't honestly remember the surname (sadly! see my post about remembering the name of the port even - imagine one with no sea and harbour?). My Dad's middle name was McCluskey, but I can't honestly find a link - I remember the fresh fish when we were kids though! Pete(pH), WOW! that's way too cold for me! I love that Max/Min thermometer which makes mine look ancient and so I'm going to research one over here - won't need quite such a range though! Chris, I hope you enjoy the various shows - if you should make one of your fine illuminating reports, would you mind pointing out where, on Monday if need be? Dave(TG), thank you so much for the clear explanation of your photographic methods. I think it probably helps to live in such a nice area in the first place? The camera certainly seems to be well suited to the task. I can feel the eyelids drooping now, so I'll be back later hopefully. Kind regards, Jock.

Pete(pH), thank you so much for pointing out my error - I've had a dig through some of Dad's old papers and it would seem in fact to have been Dunure!! This getting old is embarrassing as I actually had a discussion with Pete(trisonic) on this subject not that long ago (he had posted a water colour of his with the over-hanging Dunure Castle as subject!), and here am I, perhaps confused by the railway element of course as the station lies on the Glasgow to Stranraer line of the old G&SWR that my Dad drove on! Thanks once again, Kind regards, Jock.

Brian(BSW01), have a great break, and a lovely birthday bash with Sheila - will you stay connected or are you going to 'disappear' for a few days? Kind regards, Jock.

Morning all, Not very much sleep last night or today for that matter, so I may fade out part way through posting! I just wanted to say, from both Joanna and I, the amazing number of supportive comments mean so much to both of us - what a kind and thoughtful group of people, and from so many diverse backgrounds! On the brine steeped driftwood subject, my Father had cousins who fished out of Maybole, nr. Ayr, in the days of 'Drifters' and plentiful Herring - they were great collectors of driftwood to heat their cottages and Dad explained to me once, when I was very young, how they stored it by year, so the weather leached most of the salt out. They had three great separate stocks, with only the three year old one being cut to burn that season! Chris, I was glad to read how well your trip went, despite the dinner problem! How marvellous to reach 93 and stay compus mentus! Ian(RH), WOW - that is a serious sting to get the livery of your choice! Had you considered one of our experts like Larry, 'Coachman' for a quotation to repaint one from photographs? John(KB), what beautiful sunsets - destined for the 'professional' web site I'd guess? PhilJW, I'm afraid I'm rather lacking in knowledge about sciatica - is there no quick acting pain control for such sudden debilitating pain? I have a supply of liquid morphine which can control the pain in twenty to forty minutes, and at least I can then function to a degree! Rick, I felt really upset whilst reading your post, telling us how badly you had been treated by a large number of people when it must have been obvious that you weren't personally responsible for the situation. Let's hope your next stint is less fraught! Sounds as if some sharper decision making higher up the management structure could have helped? We'll be thinking of you on tonight's shift. Stewart, do please update us on the 'swelling' when you can - must have given you a fright! Bob, you really must not blame yourself entirely for the circumstances of your friend's demise as you were presumably not the only person involved. Your own family life has become more complicated of late, and it is simply impossible to accommodate everyone single handedly. It sounds as if this is in a way a release in any case. That lovely bagpipe tale really got me visibly moved, even being so far from the experience! Let's hope the weekend produces further improvement for those with ailments, and a much needed rest for our 'workers'! Excuse me if I've been havering a bit, but I feel that I might get some sleep now so until tomorrow, Kind regards, Jock. G'night all!

Derek, A brief visit to your thread is like taking a tonic when you are feeling unwell, as I am at the moment! Thank you for the uplifting of the spirits afforded by those superb images. I hope the arthritis inducing conditions disappear soon, Kind regards, Jock.

Morning all, Back again so soon, but the family news tonight rather took the gloss off my earlier joy - we've today lost another member of the extended family to cancer! The person who died was married to Joanna's eldest sister who died around ten years ago, so she has known him for over 55 years. An an intelligent man whose company we enjoyed at several family occasions, and he never re-married. Hard to explain why someone that bright should decide not to enter the bowel cancer screening programme when it was offered, only discovering that he had the disease after the symptoms were evident, and the spread to other organs had progressed. An object lesson in 'digging your head into the sand'! Please learn from this everyone, and take every opportunity to be checked. RIP Bill, leaving a lovely son, daughter in law and two lovely granddaughters. As to the 'Vera' discussion, I am far from being a fan, but Joanna is hooked on all such shows so I at least know a little about the programme as I tend to read or do a Sudoko/Crossword puzzle whilst it's on, glancing at the screen now and then. All I can say, is the chosen backdrop of that amazing landscape is worth looking at - one of the country's great wildernesses, and I have been lucky with the weather on the few occasions I've driven through it! John(Two_sugars), the motor trade 'add-on' scam has sadly been a feature of the 'fast fit' sector of the trade for many years. We once hired an ex-employee from one of the major companies involved, and he actually admitted that they had been given bonus targets for 'up-selling'. We at our dealership found it a truly sickening feature of our trade, ruling that we would at all times supply clients with written measurements and manufacturers recommended limits should they wish. We also kept the displaced parts for the client to view/keep if they wished. Jamie, thanks for the cinema tips, but most such venues are quite a trek from the cultural backwater that is Clacton (two small theatres doing their best and a bingo hall/cinema). My other issue is the need to visit another room at regular intervals, but I'm sure I'll pick it up on line and stream it on the big TV soon. Dave(TG), as others have said, the light in those images is special - almost 'Turneresque' in the ethereal misty ones, something JMWT tried to capture all his life. Thank you for sharing them with us. Do wish 'Is' good luck with the radiotherapy next week, I'll be thinking of her as I'm having mine! Gordon(bluebottle), that is a simply gorgeous photo of young Emily - enough to put a smile on the saddest face. Ian(OD), the word 'dull' certainly doesn't fit in La Sarthe. You certainly have an amazing store of anecdotes that would make the basis for quite a book or even a soap opera! I loved Sherry's comment about the 'knight'! When is your impending procedure by the way? John(DMJ), I hope that all goes well throughout your operation (avoiding last minute cancellations etc.) Please keep us updated with timings - we will both be thinking of you. With my usual wishes for improved health to our sufferers, and of course a nice big 'E' for those who desire it later today, I'm beginning to nod off and so I'll grab the chance to get some z's! Kind regards, Jock. G'night all!

Morning all, Sorry it's so late Andy, but dozed off for a while earlier! Joanna managed splendidly, getting us to Colchester and back, and I'm sure that at least in part, all of the good wishes from everyone helped me to get the outcome I wanted to hear - my results were such that I'm now on the second strength variant of the new chemo pill! Now it's careful monitoring of the blood pressure twice daily, which is affected by the drug, and check-up again in two weeks time to see if we can go up to yet another strength - I want to go for this b**tard thing!! All I need then is for the week of radiotherapy, beginning Monday, to help with the pain control in my pelvis, and Tuesday's brain scan to show nothing sinister so as we can eliminate the pain there(so I can function again and maybe even do some railway modelling at last!). I'll post some more news shortly about today's events, but just wanted to put out this bulletin!! Kind regards, Jock.

Rick, Things can only get better from that start-point surely? Hope it doesn't ruin your next shift my friend, Kind regards, Jock.

Evening all, Feeling very tired tonight, so who knows, some sleep may ensue......... Poor Joanna has had a nasty cold/infection since the weekend which has been adding to the sleep deprivation for both of us. To Colchester general in the morning at the end of the first trial fortnight on the new chemo drug - I haven't noticed any excessive side effects from the current dose, and subject to Monday's bloods being OK, I'm hoping to be put on the next strength. I really want to hurt this thing!! The oncologist has made me record my blood pressure twice daily throughout and luckily it seems to be well within limits. Because I'm still on lots of morphine for the other problems, I can't drive us there and so Joanna is going to take us even though such driving is well out of her comfort zone these days, I'll try to stay fit enough to treat her to a nice lunch on the way home. Everyone is pulling for me here which really does choke me! I will obviously report back results tomorrow at some time. Chris, I hope your trip goes as planned without undue interference from the weather. Ian(RH), it sounds like you have had a great result on the flight bookings - seems harder to sort out a train journey in the UK! I was sad to read of your treatment by the Premier organisation - when these large companies switch to computerised automatic systems, they always lose the important personal touch. It's getting harder to talk to a human these days. John(CB), I hope all the dog news is positive, and that they have managed to stop the symptoms for you at least? Simon, sorry to hear about the bug you've got - as I mentioned earlier, Joanna has been really rough with it, as have several family members. Hope it clears up soon. Mike(SM), I had no idea that you were such a 'film buff' but that was a very nice 'critique' of the 'Dad's Army' film thank you. I was lucky enough to meet the bulk of the old TV show cast years ago - when Jock senior decided to site his caravan permanently, he chose 'The Dower House' site near East Harling in the Thetford Forest (owned by one of his old motorcycle trade colleagues!). We used to visit fairly often, and happened to be in the nearby watering hole, 'The Nag's Head' at East Harling, when the cast came in for food and drink after a day's filming in Norfolk. What a pleasant bunch of people they were, and it wasn't long before Jock Senior and Mr Le Mesurier were diminishing the spirit stocks behind the bar! I'm now pondering when to try to watch the new film soon (I can't sit for any length of time so it would have to be at home somehow.), lest I forget all the information you have kindly provided! Baz, I hope the club room situation is resolved quickly - I wondered if you have come across lots of 'useful stuff' whilst clearing out? I normally do if I clear out a bedroom at home. Brian(BSW01), a real benefit of running a thread is the input you will get from lots of 'followers'. You will possibly also get some unwelcome adverse input from the rivet counting nuisances but you can filter and ignore that! Whatever you decide to do, please let us know where to find it. Thinking of those who have issues, like Mal completing his latest treatment, and Sherry's lass Caroline - continued improvement would be nice! Hope the rest of the week is trouble free (another one flown by!!) Kind regards, Jock. G'night all! (Including Pete if he looks in).

Great to see you on line again my friend, you've had us all a bit worried! Look forward to your full return when you're good and ready. Hope you and the family are well, Kind regards, Jock.

Bl**dy good they are too Jim, shame you're not happy with the unit though! Kind regards, Jock.

Wow Shaun, this is going to be fun!! Kind regards, Jock.

Morning Al, Not been well lately so trying to catch up - those figures look really good (as I'd expect!) and it wouldn't surprise me if I could get close to producing an 00 statue of my father in workwear at Hurlford shed - that would be spooky, but he was always very proud of his moustache at that time which is an obvious reference. I agree with you on the 3F and 4Fs although the few 4Fs we had at Hurlford were left hand drive versions, and so my unused but forty year old Airfix one will have to be modified. Not sure if there is a detailing kit available out there anyone anyone? Your images are superb and inspiring, and it sounds as if the impending visit of Marcus will make for a fun event, Kind regards, Jock.

Evening all, Hard to believe the train crash news emanating from Germany for most of the day, especially in trains complete with black boxes and the like - same principle as the single line tablet I was shown as a boy? I expect we'll eventually discover that someone pressed the wrong button or something similar. Must say that the emergency services have been doing their utmost in very awkward terrain. Let's hope more escape the critical list tomorrow. Tired tonight, but unable to sleep yet so here goes - Baz, I'm glad you got your phone issue resolved. I always keep a back up list in my old fashioned diary just in case! Rick, sad to hear of the passing of your friend who seems to have been a fascinating character from your description, the newspaper obituary and underlined by Laurence. How laudable to commit so much of your life to the safety of others! Ian(OD), that really isn't good news about Caroline as many of us have learned the tough way over the years. I hope Sherry is able to cope with the two events and we will obviously be thinking of her as well as you with your on-going situation. Urgent analysis and diagnosis are important so plans of action can be put in place. Joanna actually had a similar event many years back, which proved non malignant - the distaff side do put themselves through a lot to keep us going as a race! A very noble attitude from you to priorities by the way, but not unexpected from one so thoughtful as yourself. We will keep our fingers crossed for trouble free outcomes to both issues. Brian(BSW001), that is awful treatment of Ian, I'm glad his local hospital stepped up to the task and now hope he has at least a complete recovery. It must be a matter of where you live, as I have been treated in exemplary fashion for almost three years at Colchester. The layout you plan is sounding interesting, do you intend to run a thread as you build? Duncan, it sounds like you'll be a long way from home for the rest of this week - what sort of accommodation do you use on such trips away? As usual, I'm about to try for sleep, so I'd like to wish better health for our sufferers and a good rest of the week once we've traversed the 'hump'. Kind regards, Jock. G'night all!

Thanks chaps for the nice supportive comments which definitely give me a lift, and please don't stay away too long Peter as we would all miss your special brand of humour, peppered as it is with nuggets of good advice from your lengthy experience! Derek, I too have found many good digital friends on RMweb, and it really has helped me fight. The dialogue with people like Shaun and yourself with different but serious conditions, has always been instructive, and not forgetting all we learn about railways and modelling. For example, I hope to have one of the original class 20s that visited Hurlford, and you might guess that I'll be using the information that I saved from years back, written by our very own Peter Kazmierczak! Kind regards, Jock.

Lovely images Andy, thank you very much. I remember going early to the junction from the shed at Hurlford, also carrying the Darvel branch, where it joined the Nith Valley Line to see the Duchesses and the like on the parcels/mails on the down to Glasgow via Carslisle, Dumfries and Kilmarnock. They were pretty sad looking specimens by the start of the sixties, and a lot dirtier than yours! Kind regards, Jock.

Jeff, That does look a treat, no doubt you will be adding the effect of the extreme weather in the area in due course? Moving at pace now, Kind regards, Jock.

Ah, the 'Duchess' Andy, more of a brutish image of sheer power, and in my opinion not nearly as 'pretty' as the 'Princess', but the few footplate rides with my father on the 'Duchesses' are etched in my mind - the fear when I was young to step back and forth from tender to loco as it oscillated at speed being a particular memory. I have been very lucky! Kind regards, Jock.

Usual close attention to detail John, most impressive! Kind regards, Jock.