AndyID

Ah yes, exhibitions. Before heading to the Untidy States of America I was with a small electronics outfit in Ayrshire who made typesetting input, editing and storage equipment (this was was before Intel based PCs) We sold them in UK and in Europe through distributors. One distributor in Belgium had a space at a a typesetting equipment exhibition at a huge exhibition hall in Paris. I had the job of supporting our equipment at the show and I also had to drive the van with all our demo stuff in it to Paris from Ayrshire. (I don't think I was quite 30 at the time!) I eventually arrived at the hall, parked the van and walked in to try to find the stand. But it wasn't a typesetting exhibition at all! I assumed we had been given the wrong dates. I wasn't quite sure what to do next so I started walking back to the van when I happened to notice there was another exhibition floor underneath the one I had been in. That was the one! So I went in there and eventually found the space for the stand. There was nothing or anyone there! I'd been hanging around for maybe half an hour when the distributor drove up to the stand in his beamer 🤣 It all worked out in the end. There was also another exhibition in Milan that I had to attend. Second daughter was on the way but wasn't expected to arrive until a week after I returned from Milan. Unfortunately second daughter was unaware of the schedule and decided to arrive right in the middle of the exhibition. I've never been completely forgiven for that one 😀

For 00 modellers using unmodified, off-the-shelf stock and who make their own turnouts (points), to make them look as realistic as possible you actually reduce the gauge from 16.5 mm down to 16.2 mm 🤣 (😟Cries of Heretic! Lying Yankee Bar Steward! from across the pond.) The reason you do that is because it makes the flangeways (checkrail and nose wings) look much more realist. It also improves running. There seems to be a bit of an obsession with "true to scale gauge" but I happen to prefer the running gear, valve gear, cylinders, splashers, wheel faces, axle-boxes, running boards to be true to scale relative to the rest of the model.

And still not true to scale.

Ah! The eternal struggle between scale versus gauge 😀 Well the track will look brilliant but making stuff that isn't distorted to run on it is extremely difficult. I like to call it "HOitis" 🤣

Which 3mm will it be?

Have done.

Country List Edited. I find it interesting that we are so geographically dispersed. There's probably a way to put somewhere where it's won't disappear but I don't know how to do that.

Comment by a Facepuke correspondent from Detroit: "I don't know why they call it Motor City. Nobody here can f**king drive!" 🤣

Missed Switzerland

Just for the halibut I thought it might be interesting to make a list of countries where TNM'rs post from on a somewhat regular basis. Here goes: England Wales (I have promoted it :) ) IOM France Poland Australia Canada USA Switzerland Scotland Germany Romania Corrections? Omissions?

Could it be hiding in one of those boxes at the end of your shed that you have yet to open since you moved? 🤣

If it's a Kitchenaid stand mixer it will last for a very long time. They are built like tanks. Lorna has not managed to cream-cracker our one in 20+ years 🤣

First heard on "Around The Horn" about sixty years ago.

You should always buy kettles on defurred terms.

Reminded me of this.

Count yourself lucky you don't live in Stornoway 🤣

Pretty sure it's virtual reality.

The slinky on the bird feeder pole worked to a bit but it didn't take the squirrels long to find a way to climb up it.

I need to brush-up my dance moves this morning. For some reason my GP has arranged for me to go to a disco in town at two o'clock. Maybe they need a DJ? The disco is called "Pulse".

Can't you get an oinkment for that?

Re. the automobile insurance, when we moved to Arizona in 1982, auto insurance was not required. Well, it was the Wild West. 😄 In some, perhaps all?, US states you can self-insure by putting up some sort of bond.

At the risk of adding even more insult to injury the music teacher at skool had a glabrous cranium. A tin of chromium polish was discovered in the music room cupboard after which he was universally referred to as "Chrome Dome".

We awoke to a wintry scene. About an inch of snow on the ground and the trees all decked out like a Christmas card. This young buck whitetail deer was in the back "garden" He and I had a standoff for a few minutes. He won 😁

One shortcut I use to open TNM quickly is to go to my Notifications and click on one of them. Might take me back a few pages of course.

Good choice. Half way between Barley Twist and Ivory Lace 🤣