Liam

1 hour ago, Black 5 Bear said:

it looks like I purchased the last one.

Oi! 

10 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

I just ordered one......£4 postage.............hmm we’ll see

 

 

Did it charge you in the end? 

8 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

 

Peaky Blinders?

Nah, they’d never travel that far south west. 

25 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

Just pile into the topic that will open up after 7.30 in the morning Al.

Thanks Andy, I’ll be out with my camera getting a few shots. Has anyone agreed to not rustle up some bacon sandwiches and tea for the exhibitors? 

1 hour ago, Phil Bullock said:

 

That was brilliant! @Pierre Le Brun and I had a great day out! When can we not do it again please?

 

And I’d happily join you all! 

Preparations are in full swing here: 

37 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

Off to Sainsburys shortly for essential shopping - including cake ingredients. Fortunately we dont need flour....

 

Had we been convening in ‘real life’, we could have introduced this as a forfeit for the losing team... 

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5389747/amp/Do-want-shot-splitting-moment-tip.html

8 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

I think you'll find, Sir, this is a Member's Day, not a public exhibition. 

We have standards we expect all exhibitors and visitors alike to meet, if not exceed.

 

The Management Committee. 

Just a thought, for those members so privileged to live within the realms of SWAG, will they be entered into the group with the initiation ceremony? 

1 hour ago, mullie said:

So you are still upstairs then?

For me, having been through it countless times on my way to Dorset, Bath marks the border between decent roads and not-exactly-decent roads. The equivalent of walking across the upstairs landing and then going down the stairs in a bumpy manner. 

1 hour ago, 43110andyb said:

Anything from the Black sheep brewery in Masham! But plenty of good South West ales such as ‘Proper Job’ or ‘Tribute’ 

Of course! Both Black Sheep and Golden Sheep are ales I very much enjoy.

1 hour ago, Phil Bullock said:

Old Tom..... have you tried it? 

 

Afraid not, I usually stick to bitters, golden ales and craft lagers. But I might get some pork pies and crisps to virtually share. 

4 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Postie has just delivered essential supplies for the Pub Quiz.... ok it ain’t from SWAGonia but it’s very good. Will share a virtual bottle with all on the evening. Now just need to get in supplies of cockles and pork scratching.....

 

Just noticed that cider is 8% abv! No coherent answers from me then ....

The strongest cider I’ve ever had was Cider House Special by Special Cider Company, near Bridgnorth. 7.3%, but the apples that went into it weren’t picked by monks. 

Off to Morrisons later, does anyone have any recommendations on stuff to get for not preparing for the exhibition? 

3 hours ago, Indomitable026 said:

Found this while looking through some of my photos...

 

 

Never visited there before. What’s it like?

59 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

 

That's the first 2 quiz questions sorted:

 

1. What's in the box?

2. How do we get the box off the lorry?

1. The new Dapol Manors.

2. You don’t - you ask RMwebbers to form an orderly queue and the chap sat on the lorry hands each Manor out one at a time. 

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

I was looking for old photos of the setting up the hall from previous years (so we'll know what doesn't need doing this year) and feel I've been hacked by Black Rat...

 

 

The beer & chips image was also part of the preparations last year by a couple of the exhibitors - this session was closely followed by a visit to the tap house at BL and then the Lethbridge Arms...

While you were wearing that shirt on the right? 

4 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

 

Happy to oblige ! Will get some beer and pork scratchings in for the pub quiz too.....

 

You forgot all the A exams of locos and stock, the battering from SWMBO for the week before as to why it takes up so much time, the agonising about how many tools and spares I need to bring etc. If we can go for smell-o-vision will ask SWMBO to bake some millionaires shortbread to go with the pasties....

 

 

 

Would you like me to open a bottle of Ampleforth ale for you Phil? 

This sounds like a fantastic event and I’m very keen to help out, maybe with the running of some trains on my home layout. It’s also quite poignant for me as a few years ago I held some ‘open weekends’ with my layout to raise money for charitable causes, and so it would be a pleasure to do the same again. 
 

24 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

The Valley has now cnacelled all services until the end of June according to the web site

 

https://www.svr.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?a=923

 

A huge challenge for all involved, especially those dependant directly and indirectly on the railway for their livelihood....

 

 

 

 

Indeed, and the 1940s weekend has also been cancelled. A great shame when you consider how much organising goes into it, but it is the right decision. 

2 minutes ago, Bulleidboy100 said:

 

Be careful - you don't want to overdo it! 

Do you speak from experience? 

1 minute ago, Reorte said:

 

Wouldn't have thought lights had been turned off, or is it because there's less for them to reflect off?

Yes, and as quite a lot of factories that produce consumer/non-essential goods will probably be shut there will be less light being emitted from their locations. In addition, with pubs and other night time amusements being shut local councils might have switched off street lights in late night and small hours to help cut down on expenditure. 

Around here, the skies are very noticeably clearer, due to the significant drop in road and air traffic as well as factory operations, and normally at night if I look north out of my house I can see the (rather heavy) light pollution of Birmingham but although a small amount of pollution is still there the level has certainly dropped, as the sky is a bit darker. 

Where possible, we support local businesses; the farm up the road from us has the monopoly on providing us with eggs, we tend to visit a farm shop for our shopping rather than Morrisons all the time (even though Morrisons is nearer), and I also like to support my local brewery, Purity, where possible now that the pubs are shut and they’re probably feeling the pinch. They do home delivery which is an added bonus. 

I’m also spending more time going for walks in the local area and seeing people (while maintaining social distancing) who live in my area but for whatever reason haven’t interacted with. Who knows, I might just have to give Joe Wicks’ exercise videos a try. 

So, the positives I see:

1. I have as much chance of filling the O2 Arena as the Rolling Stones supported by The Beatles and Status Quo. 

2. Since the lockdown ‘started’, every Sunday league football club has scored the same number of goals as Barcelona and Real Madrid combined.

3. My social life is as exciting and varied as Leonardo DiCaprio’s. 

4. I can lap Silverstone in the same time Lewis Hamilton takes to do it. 

And that’s just four. 

The blue tits, having evicted the coal tits, have now moved in to our nestbox. I’m not sure if they spend the nights in there but I have seen them perching on the entrance hole when it’s quite late. Nest building was in full swing towards the end of last week, and as most of the trees have regained/are regaining their leaves I can’t imagine it will be too long before egg laying time. 

Pure Gold for me tonight. One of my favourites and rather quaffable! 

Only just had a chance to watch the DVD that came with this issue. The one on this occasion was excellent (not that any of the others are in any way bad ); Hills of the North was stunning, the feature of the V2 at Little Bytham was very good (especially the camera shots, which I thought seemed to mimic the aerial footage taken of Flying Scotsman when storming down the ECML in the 1930s) and the layout for Little Miracles was a very kind gesture.