Jock67B

Morning all,

Joanna drove me to this morning's meeting with the 'Count's Daughter', and found the strong and intermittent gusts coming off the sea from Imogen, most worrying. Now it's wait until Thursday's oncology consultation to see if the new chemo strength can be raised until I'm hitting the 'bar steward' with maximum force! Very tired tonight, won't bore with all the details, but as I can't get to sleep yet, I'm attempting a short post.

Duncan(emt911), good to read of your intentions for the upcoming Telford show weekend (though do watch out for the Hippo colony!) - it does seem to be a well liked and supported event. Hope you don't miss out again.

Baz, hope you've managed to resolve your phone problem - how did we ever get by without them?

Polly, you caught me out, just like Tony, with your DD reference - I naturally assumed you were referring to Peter your nearby Welsh resident! A nice set of images of your journey, but lots of people (especially regulars to Cornwall) have said that the old 125s were more comfortable! What do you think? Have you posted your show pics elsewhere by any chance?

Neil(NHN), your post underlines what I suspected from the images, the terrain simply doesn't allow for a much easier solution, unless you want to dump a one-off large sum of money down the drain! I must say, it looks like it will last a time - has any scale been projected as a matter of interest?

Brian(BSW001), I hoped you'd be able to select the pages on the spirals separately. The recent banking trick only came up a few days back, so shouldn't be hard to find. Perhaps, just like me, you can't help reading on when the content is so clever?

I'm going to attempt some sleep shortly, so I'd like to wish everyone an improvement in health as required and a balance of the week that brings more happiness than pain!

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all!

I was somewhat saddened to read that Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14 Astronaut and sixth man to walk on the moon died a few days ago.  I don't know how I came to miss that.

Sad as you say Robert, although 85 is quite a good run. It really saddened me to read the full Telegraph obituary and discover that he had started to turn in to a 'bit of a fruit cake', even as early as on the way back to Earth according to one of his fellow travellers! In the end he was convinced that 99% of the UFOs we've seen are real visits from extra-terrestrials! Very sad, but RIP nonetheless!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Evening John,

My goodness what painstaking workmanship, this is really going to look special from any angle!!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Now that is just teasing us Andy!

Hope all you boys had a lot of fun at Stafford, and the wallets didn't suffer too much.

As George has often pointed out, '0' gauge looks splendid, but I really wouldn't know how to justify the expense.

I'm really looking forward to this new project now - are you going to be able to operate all your different options from time to time?

Hope Dee's keeping an eye on you to make sure you're not overdoing it.

By the way, I've got quite a few health issues that are hopefully to be resolved over the next couple of weeks, and so if I just make sure that I get a short post into ERs at least I won't have disappeared altogether!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Evening Mike,

Lovely images as ever, and it was nice to see the pics from Stafford, especially 'Blake' on he turntable! It does look lovely in '0' gauge, but how to justify the expense?

I reckon your Clayton has probably covered more miles now than any of the real life ones managed?

Thanks a lot for sharing your work with us,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Morning again, PS post,

Pete(themole), sad to hear about the passing of 'Pixi' who certainly sounds like he would have been a most interesting character to know.

Duncan, what a great shame that you look like missing the Alton show - so much work deserves a break surely?

Brian(BSW01), sounds like grandad might have enjoyed the 'cup cake' experience as well? I had a great time making the Morrison's Christmas gingerbread cottage with little Freddie - that is until I realised how many years it was since I used to make the IKEA version with his dad! Reminder of 'tempus fugit' as if I need any more. Thanks for the kind words on the medication - I guess it will be a couple of weeks before any change shows. Good news on Ian's hand and a very nice gesture indeed this afternoon to cheer up Vickie and the wee ones as well as their dad. By the way, Joanna also accompanies me to my oncology appointments, and will doubtless be there again next Thursday.

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night again all!

PS did anyone notice who dozed off before pressing the 'post' button - lucky it was still there when I came to! J.

Morning all,

A brief look in before trying to get some sleep tonight. As I mentioned in an earlier post, No1 Son and beautiful Partner are due for lunch tomorrow, and he's very popular with the rest of the family that live nearby, so we always expect an invasion! He is very thoughtful however, and if I seem to be 'flagging', he'll go to visit them in their own houses. He also insists that he is providing said lunch (normally my task of course!) so we are unsure what to expect. The timing is good, with him being a computer whizz (he used to build his own from scratch!), I've got a couple of queries for him on the PC over setting up my own 'Cancer Research' web site as part of the 'Relay for Life Team' event planned for the 16th/17th July.

Andy(ram), thanks for the update on Stafford show - what a nice surprise to be chauffeured there too! I would love you to do one of your blogs with attendant images as I'm now unable to travel to such events, but watch out for any 'troll' types that are itching to start some nastiness that seems difficult to avoid, even when constructive advice and criticism is offered by someone with several years experience completely arranging such shows!

Baz, I hope tomorrow's Stafford show second day goes well for you - I'm sure your demonstrated skills will bring in plenty of work over the next few weeks.

Dave(TG), OOPS! I believe you might well have been spotted! Don't suppose the 'friend' did that on purpose?

So we are now getting worried about several missing persons - Trev, I guess we might never know, and Tassie Tex has not replied to yet another e-mail, but more recently Pete(trisonic) and Lisa P4 as well (that of course could be issues over the health of her father). I don't know about anybody else, but having made digital friendships on here, I find it impossible to just walk away! Let's hope we get some news soon, or does anyone have Facebook/e-mail connections?

Best wishes to our sufferers and recovering sick, and of course a great Sunday to everyone else,

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all!

Evening Andy,

Hope you and the other stalwarts that are meeting at Stafford have a fantastic time - I'm sure you'll take pity on us poor s*ds who can't get there, and post lots of nice pics for us in due course!

By the way, the 9F, in the shed line above, looks exactly the state they'd been allowed to get into when we had a couple at Hurlford shed towards the time of closure - superb work mate!

Safe journeys tomorrow gentlemen,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Evening Mike,

Looking forward to the Stafford pics tomorrow, a long no doubt with your normal excellent fare!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Afternoon all,

Not a good start to the day, with the headache and the like - should be able to regulate the medication over the next couple of days. I should have put more emphasis on the superb treatment I had at the hospital yesterday - when told to take a seat at reception, I explained the discomfort that this caused, and within moments my grandson and I were shown to one of the consulting rooms which was equipped with a fully adjustable electric reclining chair! Thereafter, all business was conducted in there, with the consultant coming to there as well - such lovely caring people. As indeed is everyone on here as I am once again in the position of being choked by all the lovely comments posted!

Apologies for posting about what is now 'old' but I'm catching up!

Stewart, in one of my insomniac moments during the night, I thumbed through the late W.A.C. Smith's 'Last Days of Ayrshire Steam' and in it were three fairly poor images of the Caley 0-6-0 that I hadn't noticed before. One was at Hurlford shed, another on a short coal train and the third with a couple of suburban coaches doing a 'local' turn! Amazing how useful and versatile they were after such lengthy careers, but of course they were never as good looking as the G&SWR locos and for proof it's worth seeking out pics of those scratch built by 'ian@stennochs' of this parish whose 7mm versions bring out the true beauty!

Gordon(bluebottle), truly beautiful images to cherish. With our brood Joanna and I are Gran and Grandad to the grandchildren, and 'G' and 'Grumps' to the great grandchildren.(G was shortened by Freddie from GG which once stood for great grandmother!)

Gordon(gordon-s), I do hope you manage to get mum's problems resolved as soon as possible - she must have been very frightened! I agree that getting old can be very hard (I am!), but I'm not too keen on the alternative!

Mike(SM), good to hear that Dr Station Cat is getting ever closer to getting her 'wings'! She'll soon be able to chauffeur you to shows. As a matter of my professional history, I wondered if she had yet chosen a car, and if so, what were the buying decisions? (This is only for my interest so to be ignored if preferred!).

John(KB), I simply pick up BBC iPlayer, and several others, by simply googling them on my iPad or PC and looking on-line. Our isp is 'btinternet.com'.

Tony_S, good to read that last night's problems with Matthew appear to be resolving themselves - it must have been awful for Aditi and you to feel so helpless. Hope he gets the all clear soon.

Rick, I'm delighted that Sharon and you now feel strong enough to take on another cat, especially as the loss of Gwyn hurt so much. I like the name 'Heliopause', although we must remember it is only a theoretical concept (yes, the geek is interested in the Solar system as well!), but 'Paws' sounds just fine and the later pic looks lovely.

Dave(r-a-r), amazing that you should pick on J.M.W. Turner as an example - one of my all time favourite artists! Thank you.

Gordon((bluebottle), thanks, but I'm not sure about Gibb's Crimean War image - perhaps Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed', even if it is GWR? Loving the discussion by the way,most cheering.

Just noticed that Queen Elizabeth II would have been told of her father's passing during the night whilst she was in Kenya - haven't noticed much celebration of the fact that this is the moment of 'accession'. She's certainly had a fair run since then!

I hope everyone who has been show visiting today enjoyed themselves, and I'll try to get on here again later tonight if I stay awake!

Thank you all again and kind regards,

Jock.

Tony_S,

Very sorry to hear of Mattews misfortune, and I can fully appreciate how helpless you and Aditi must feel. Warren's well chosen words are very true, and in any case, 'clipping his wings' would avoid the problem, but certainly cause some consternation I imagine?

I do hope you can resolve the issue in the morning,

Kind regards and Goodnight,

Jock.

Morning all,

I started ages ago catching up, but obviously dozed off after dinner some time and so with apologies, I'll post tomorrow, but I've noticed lots of kind comments throughout for which I'm truly very grateful!

As to my consultation, I had a productive if rather taxing morning at the hospital - starting with the usual form filling with the senior sister. For a couple of days now, I've been troubled by my mouth drying out during the night and struggling to speak at times which I mentioned in passing, the sister immediately examined me and pronounced that she thought I'd got 'oral thrush' which is apparently common when having chemo and taking steroids concurrently. My oncologist duly appeared and to organise the planning scan, writing prescriptions for my mouth treatment (2 more meds to take, one four times a day!) at the same time. With my scan complete, the experts consulted and have booked me for treatment on five different days, targetting the area most likely to be causing my excess pain. He wants my first fortnight on the new chemo to complete first, and so will start treatment on 15th February, with my brain scan being conducted on the 16th while I'm at the hospital in any case! I am buoyed by the feeling that the whole team there are working to keep me ticking as long as possible! Sadly, the overall experience was soured by a c*ck up in the supply of my mouth medicine which cost us over one and a half hours - the hospital pharmacy somehow lost it somewhere, and the young nurse who was sent to get it for me was at a loss as to how the problem could be resolved. It would appear that the pharmacist noticed that I was a patient of the 'Mary Barron' oncology unit, and decided to send it there, despite the request having been placed by the radiotherapy department. Ironic that they only arranged it there to save us time finding a chemist en-route!! Another loophole in the administration systems that needs plugging - perhaps that's why we are called patients?

All I've got to do now is work out the logistics, and my lovely No1 grandson has said that, after his heart surgery, he will be off work until early March, and he immediately insisted on doing it each day - how lucky am I to have such a family?

I wish all those that ail a speedy improvement, and a good weekend to everyone, especially those attending or exhibiting at shows.

I will look at a few more posts now, but hopefully write one sort of post tomorrow,

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all! (Still no Pete?).

Evening Jeff,

Thanks for the kind comments - I'm enjoying following this so much, but my presence may be a little fragmented over the next couple of weeks as my appointments come through. You must be getting fairly excited by now, the way it is shaping up!

Kind regards,

Jock.

Morning all,

Still feeling far from right, but I should see the oncologist in the morning and hope to stir up some action then! Cards and phone calls from all the kids as usual, and No1 Son and his lovely partner are coming to see us on Sunday (bringing lunch with them apparently!).

Lovely to see posts from two of our lovely lasses again, Deb's and Sherry, but not much from our resident steam loco driver from Wales, and it seems that young LisaP4 hasn't posted since Christmas Eve, I do hope she is OK.

Jamie, congratulations to,your daughter-in-law on passing her test - I'm not absolutely certain that I'd pass myself now! I suppose I'm also in favour of Red on the 'Stanier' designs although the aesthetic shape is probably more important to me. This is where the Princess just wins - such amazingly clean lines on such a large and powerful locomotive! Many congratulations on the success of your talk to the theology students, it can be a daunting task.

Baz, thanks for the lovely images - as I mentioned in my post above, I too feel the Princess just 'shades' it, but not by much.

Brian(BSW01), Fingers crossed (certainly no pun intended) that your daughter's partner hasn't done any lasting damage to his hand - we really are very vulnerable! I used to use a Tassimo machine to kickstart me with a nice double espresso before going to work each morning, but the use of oral chemotherapy has clearly changed my palate to the degree that I now prefer a mug of tea. Don't know if you found similar issues.

DonW, that is indeed a fair run - Joanna and I are of course on our second marriages and she would have made 50 this year, but I was a late starter (and still c*cked it up!!). I really do hope that the medics can come up with a solution to Marion"s eye problems - they are possibly our most important organs.

Just saw the news (BBC24), that Maurice White of 'Earth Wind and Fire' has passed away at seventy-four - we really do seem to be losing so many this year to date. Not my kind of music really, but obviously relished by many fans. RIP.

Good luck to those who seek the 'E' in Poet's later today, and rapid improvement to those unwell amongst us. I'm on early start tomorrow when my eldest grandson is taking me to the hospital as I really don't feel comfortable driving at the moment, so it's off to seek some sleep now.

Kind regards,

Jock,

G'night all! (Come back Pete, all is forgiven!!).

Evening Jeff,

Still on the sick list, and back to hospital tomorrow - just popped in to be cheered up, and I am thank you. I'm right with Peter K on the lovely way the viaduct draws the viewer in to that most impressive piece of landscape!

Be back soon I hope,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Afternoon all,

Thank you for the anniversary greetings, although at the moment I am too unwell to give my beloved the sort of celebration I would have liked. (In the past, I've done several silly surprise things like flying to Berlin for a long weekend three months after the wall came down ; flying in to Boulogne in a private plane to have lunch at 'En Bascaille La' a then favourite restaurant of ours in the 'Old Town' ; or a night away at the late Gerard Milsom's then very exclusive 'Dedham Vale Hotel' and restaurant!) We also returned to our favourite little Cornish port of Porthleven on many occasions as that is where we honeymooned! The cards today contained beautiful words though.

Stewart, I have several books featuring the superb photographs and words of the late Derek Cross. The one published posthumously by his son David has a lovely image of 'the Twins' as they were known, 2 Caley 'Jumbos', taken at the Annbank junction. I was lucky enough to have lots of footplate rides on those venerable locos with whichever of dad's driver pals was in control, doing shed pilot duties, or exchanging empty mineral wagons for full on the coaling stage - always exciting for a youngster as it took a run at the steep grade, which also sported an 'S' bend at Hurlford. I got such rides on the Fowler 2Ps as well, that worked most of the local services at the same time. Both had very simple back-head detail, and little in the way of crew comfort. Imagine how bemused I was in the late 50s when these locos switched to 'Mickey Mouse' Class2 2-6-0s and Standard 2-6-4Tanks with their more complex controls and creature comforts, especially in the Tanks!

By the way, I don't think Deb's worries too much about real loco/train travel discussions, being a gifted engineer in her own right - I believe she thinks that models belong in model threads. I might of course be wrong as it wouldn't be the first time that I've read a lady's thoughts and got it completely wrong.

Try to get on again later,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Evening all from Estuary-Land. I signed up for the Atlas Editions 'World of Stobart' to obtain some of the railway engineering models on offer. I've received some models but nothing since November but others have received their models on time. What is most gaulling however is those same models I am waiting for are appearing on e-bay at double the price or more. If it wasn't for the fact that I want those models I would have cancelled my subscription. I think it was here on ER's that someone gave the website that lists the e-mail addresses of company CEO's, can anyone direct me to that website please? Hopefully the CEO of Atlas Editions is on that list. Well thats my rant for tonight, goodnight all.

''Twas me! Just type personal e-mail addresses of CEOs in UK into Google, and it should come up with a simple to follow set of boxes! (Make sure it isn't a subsidiary company).

Good luck,

Jock.

Morning all,

Our thanks go to everyone for the kind and supportive comments and suggestions, all of which have been added to the discussion agenda. Joanna has related a few comments to the 'kids' this evening and like her, they were very touched indeed. I'm pleased to say we've had a positive response from everyone today! I'm also delighted to receive such good advice, and to have so many pit-falls pointed out.

Rick, I'm not certain that anything I said would merit an Oscar, but as usual your posts today carried a great deal of sense!

Baz and Mike(SM), I have first hand experience of the humanist funeral approach, as it what was decided on for Jock Senior's event. This was arranged at the crematorium in Harlow where he had lived many years, moving us there as a family from Scotland. I have been at some where a local 'jobsworth humanist' has been supplied, and try to take control. I was elected by the rest of the family, to write and present the eulogy, as well as supply the music list as dad and I had very closely matched tastes! The lady humanist from Harlow council was superb, acceding to my wishes that we met to discuss our roles, and she was happy to let me take the lead on the day. She pointed out that speaking in such circumstances can sometimes be very difficult, so she kindly copied my full speech and took the trouble to learn it herself, standing by my elbow throughout in a position to prompt or take over if I choked! This really helped to get me through it all. We do have a superb humanist locally who is known to us, although I intend to let the family decide how much of his input will be needed, and I will advise that this matter is discussed beforehand.

Sherry, I'm not sure we'd be allowed to use cardboard now, but I know where there is enough unused 'baseboard' ply to cobble something up from. Thanks as ever for the kind comments.

Dave(r-a-r), your post did amuse me, but it also reminded me of how lucky I have been to have such loving, caring parents who allowed me (with a great deal of their input both financial and intellectual) to do things that many only dream of - so no regrets!

Simon, the problem that you and your friend have come across with your good ladies is not uncommon, but not very helpful for either party. If it gets difficult to bear, the MacMillan people have some very experienced people who can help a great deal, so long as you can get the ladies to agree to a discussion. I believe that contact by either you or your friend in the first instance would even elicit advice on the best way to approach the problem. Good luck to both of you!

Health hasn't been brilliant again today, but that subject is boring me now - I see the oncologist on Friday morning to hopefully clarify things.

Wishing you all a safe negotiation of the 'hump' for the rest of its duration - another week slipping by at speed!

Continued improvement in health to those who need it,

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all!

Morning all,

Bit of a nuisance that the headache is making something of a comeback, but I've only been taking the new medication since late Thursday so should be patient. The oncologist will be at my radiotherapy planning event on Friday so I should be able to check things out then!

Had my meeting this evening with those older members of the family that were available, eldest girl by 'Facebook' and No1 Son on 'face-time' link. The purpose was to ensure that, after what I consider to be a wake up call health wise, we could open a discussion on their thoughts on my 'end of life scenario'. When my condition inevitably gets worse, I wanted to make sure that they understood that as far as I'm concerned, what Joanna would like has to take precedence, and she has made it clear that she doesn't want me to be cared for anywhere other than at home. Nursing sister daughter has assured us that this can be arranged, and that assistance is also available from the MacMillan Nurses. This topic was discussed in depth and all agreed that they would work to meet mum's wishes. The girls in particular were keen to know what my feelings were about a funeral celebration. As a life long atheist, I'm certain that I won't know what is going on, and so any such event should be centred on what pleases them, but I've now been charged with producing a disc to contain what the piper should play at the crematorium, then a couple of my favourite pieces of classical music. They also wanted to know a couple of favourite pieces of poetry. The one thing I stressed, was that I wanted no religious input and they are happy to have words spoken by family members. I suggested that it would be a good idea to retire to a conveniently close and well run venue for a Scottish style 'wake' afterwards! This all might seem to be a bit macabre, but we have attended so many funerals lately, and noted that the preparation was most difficult for those relatives where no-one seemed to know the wishes of the deceased. My main purpose is to see that Joanna has the least possible distress at such a time. Naturally, I hope the actual event will be some way off yet, but health problems of the last couple of weeks have reminded me that I'll soon have had eighteen months more time than my original prognosis, and I would certainly welcome comments, especially from those who have attended some of the more farcical events. I must re-iterate that I've written clear instructions for nursing sister daughter to access 'early risers' on iPad or PC to let my digital friends know. Please don't look on this as me in any way 'throwing in the towel', but more the engineer and scientist's approach as I have been adjusted to what my condition means since the start and I'm going to keep on fighting. As I've said on many occasions, I'm more upset by the effect it is having on the many I have who love me, for I have had a mainly wonderful life. I certainly intend to enjoy every day that remains of it to the full!

Dick, I made a note to hope that the diabetic nurse didn't give you too hard a time, but I read in your later post that you have indeed had a positive meeting that has made life easier for you. Good news my friend - it's down to you now on the 'diet' side!

AndyB, thanks for the advice mate, but if you don't mind, I think I might just stick to my tried and tested system - very kind of you to think of me though!

Dave(r-a-r), that 'PN' you have sounds very nasty indeed - is there absolutely no possibility that the condition can be reversed? I have such numbness only in my left heel, following a bed sore there whilst recovering from my major operation in 2014, and I find it a real nuisance so I can only guess how awkward it makes your life day to day.

Dave(TG), another superb set of images (especially the pub!), I hope 'Is' enjoyed the diversion?

Matt, very sorry to hear about the loss of your grandad. I'm pleased he didn't seem to suffer towards the end, but it is such a wrench to lose someone you have known all your life. Commiserations to you and your family.

Neil(NHN), your mention of the oft missed issue of shiny check rails happens to be something that has amused me for years, especially when it occurs on some fine award winning layouts. My guess is that it results from taking the easy way when track cleaning, but what do you see as a solution? It would be a bit tedious to repaint them after every cleaning session! That should start something rolling if you threw it into the mix somewhere like the Peco thread?

Time for some much needed sleep now, so once again, best wishes for improvement to our resident sufferers and a hope that the week progresses as planned for the rest. Thank you for lending me your ears in regards to the start of this post, and although it caused some tears, all involved seemed happy that I brought the subject to light!

Kind regards,

Jock.

G'night all (and Pete if you're listening)!

PS I've managed once again to press whatever removes all the links below posts, and I've managed to the lose the instructions I copied last time. Do any of our kind IT specialists know of a 'dummies fix' please? J.

Morning Mike,

You probably read of my recent period on the sick list so I must apologise to everyone for leaving lots of ratings.

Glad to see the great work has continued in my absence and the standard of photography is as high as ever. Good to see the 'vital spark' still puffing and Clive's jokes running at their normal level.

Well done mate, and I like the 'hidden banking' solution as well as the workmanship on the Stationmaster's house. My favourite remains the Jubilee however - predictable eh?

Thanks for sharing the pics with us,

Kind regards,

Jock.