Gwiwer

Morning all. While you slept (or tried to) I was busy with the floor sander. Two rooms and a hallway now await dust settlement, for which we are advised to wait 2 - 3 days, and then the application of clear low-sheen varnish to match the rest of the house. A noisy, dirty and tiring job but one which produces results which make the effort worthwhile. I have rewarded myself with BBQ sausages, jacket potato and some foliage washed down with a nice Margaret River Cab-Sauv. Best wishes all.

Chris Trerise is launching a new commission?

Paws, Sharon and myself would like to offer our deepest condolences on the passing of Toby. When a cat chooses to enter our lives we are honoured and considered trustworthy and special. For however long, or short, their time with us the bond of affection grows and we become a part of their kitty-dom, and they become a part of our families. I met Toby on a number of occasions. I must have smelled of Paws, or perhaps of Gwyn or Moren in earlier times, as Toby seemed comfortable around me. He will indeed be missed. Vale to Station Cat of this parish. And an honorary member of the Blackburn Thread Hijack Group.

Good to see the photos Peter, thank you. Negotiations having been successfully completed I can now also confirm that the farm scene will live on and will move just a short distance away in the next few days.

Some hours later ..... The two rooms currently undergoing renovation have had the remains of the carpet removed. the grip-strips chiselled up and all staples and nails associated with the former painstakingly removed. A task which required several hours. Tomorrow I shall nail-punch all the floor-board fixings to ensure none catches the sanding belt as I apply brute force and ear-muffs while sanding the floors. The hallway is also to be included having had its carpet removed a couple of years ago but not until now have I had space to remove everything from the front half of the house in order to do the floors. Meanwhile a friend popped over and offered to tidy the back garden which, given its condition, was jolly nice of him. He says he will be back next week to finish a job which is around half done. Good Friday used to be a sombre affair. In some ways it still is. Most shops don't open (and in Australia they must by law remain closed) other than take-away food joints. The tradition here seems to be fish and chips from the local. We are living in a multicultural community almost where ever we are and with multiple religions - and those who believe in none - to consider. I accept the opinion that not all of us will celebrate Easter in the Christian tradition however most will acknowledge it in much the same way as Christmas is a global event. Easter is, after all, a Christianised version of the Pagan festival of fertility and re-birth (hence all the eggs) and for those of us who believe in Christian teachings we shall be celebrating the return to life from death (winter into summer if you like) on Sunday. I am happy to accept the views and beliefs of others. But I am not so happy to accept Good Friday becoming another Day Off With Sport as it has become here this year. You cannot buy a Bible nor even a loaf of bread but you can buy a beer at a football match and you'd pay dearly for both. There is only muted Christian witness here but the worship of the football club of choice, often dictated by family allegiance or suburb of residence, is definitely at a religious level. Other opinions are available. I am willing to listen to them all.

Good Morning all. To those for whom it matters Welcome to Good Friday. For the rest of us remember the shops are open again tomorrow - the siege mentality seen yesterday is only temporary derangement. I see a newly-discovered shrimp, capable of killing other creatures with its own sound, has been named after Pink Floyd. And the shrimp is pink, apparently. https://www.facebook.com/topic/Synalpheus-Pinkfloydi/107784742577504?source=whfrt&position=1&trqid=6408626604661858741 Right. On with the motley. Four days of full-on hard work starts now. Would someone please put the coffee on and call me at 11 o'clock?

Morning all. I was once stopped by the Ossifers of the Lore whilst driving a fully-laden bus along the single-track road which was its scheduled route. Their car came up behind with blues and twos and, as I came to a stand, another approached head-on trapping me in a classic pincer move. Not that there was any option with six-foot hedges brushing both mirrors. Senior Plod approaches my driver's window and asks "What do you know about badgers? .............. " My fully professional reply was that they were black and white nocturnal creatures living hereabouts and that my employer had chosen to paint cartoon ones on its vehicles. The reason I was stopped, it seems, is that there was a badger cull in progress to which a large number of people were objecting and attempting to cause disruption. Quite why they thought a bus-load of schoolchildren displaying its route number and destination and with the statutory driver's duty card available for inspection might in any way be related to interference with badger traps still defies my comprehension. As an incidental those little cartoon badgers which my employer applied to the rear of its vehicles for a few years attracted other attention. One American tourist was wont to enquire why we "Had skunks humping the back wheels" of our buses! Avagoodun.

Though it may help if you arrive with a parsnip in each ear and a turnip balanced on your nose.

Most of the house is now devoid of furniture. The outlaws collected a significant amount this morning leaving only what is to be shipped, plus two beds to either be sold or (failing that) donated to a charity for the homeless. The buildings from Treheligan have moved 600 miles north and are now at Porthmellyn Road. I have located a supply of the 8.5% ABV Moonshine brew produced by Grand Ridge Brewery at Mirboo North. Only ever brewed in small quantities a regular supply has been impossible to obtain. Today's trip to the pet supplies for cat food also offered the opportunity to visit the bottle shop next door. With that pleasantly surprising result. Hic. Excuse me. Good wishes to all who sail in her.

Thanks seems a trifle inadequate John as it was a pleasure to have you here and to accord to yourself the honour of being the very last person to visit Penhayle Bay. I am delighted to be able to contribute in a material way to your project and at the same time know that some of my own workmanship, in terms of kit-bashing, painting and weathering, will live on with you. The house seems much barer now as since your visit significant amounts of furniture have departed and the kitchen-diner where we enjoyed pizza and beers on Monday is now all but empty. I shall post updates on the relocation and in due course a new project will emerge from the contents of a 20-foot shipping container which is due into London on 29th June. Thank you for your good wishes. Likewise returned.

Not quiet at all. If one reads Kernow MRC's own website: http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/pg/150/GWR-1361-Class-Saddle-Tank the second EP is being examined in depth with nothing found amiss and so potentially released for production.

Personally I make no assumptions. We are all unique individuals and as such every one of us will have a slightly different driving style. I have had the good fortune to never (yet, in 42 years) have been involved in an incident of my making, nor have I ever (yet) received any form of penalty, demerit or any other infringement. Does that make me a good driver? That is not for me to judge. I am not the driving police. There is no substitute for good professional driver training. There is a place for informal coaching in addition to professional instruction but only on the understanding that "parental guidance" can and does pass on bad habits and untruths. That should not be the case from a professional instructor. Holding a driving licence remains a privilege and not a right. And all it says is that for an hour or so on one day in your life you were competent (enough) to pass the test. It never guarantees that you will be a safe, considerate and competent driver. I am, incidentally, in favour of periodic retests and mandatory ones after any licence suspension or serious infringement. I am aware that courts can and do order a re-test to be taken in certain cases.

You haven't had one go wrong on you, have you?

Even with (my bold for emphasis), or because of? Make it easier for the driver and you make it easier for them to become distracted. I respect experience and knowledge of the industry. I also firmly believe that all learners should start on a manual in order to understand vehicle control and the concept of actually driving. When they gain a full licence, or if we reach a time when there are no more manual-shift cars, then they can progress to automatics and perhaps - hopefully- be semi-skilled responsible drivers who understand the consequences of failing to obey a simple set of rules and who can manage most situations they are likely to face in the driving seat. Learn on an automatic and all you learn is basic vehicle control, not "driving", in many cases. You learn to rely on and trust the car to behave is it is programmed to to. That isn't the most appropriate response in every situation. It's nice to have power steering but that doesn't mean we could or should take corners faster. It's good to have ABS but we still benefit from learning how a skid feels and how to safely control and get out of one. And so on. I am all for progress. But also subscribe to the school of "Just because we can doesn't always make it right". Progress must be tempered and defined by demonstrated need as much as by the development of technology.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. If we create an environment in which the driver becomes merely the steering-and-braking person (and even those functions are being technologically removed or reduced) then we invite the use of other things. Such as, but not limited to, mobile phones and other communication devices. We also drive (pun intended) a culture of complacency because "The car does that itself". We have yet to arrive at definitive case law in most places with respect to who is liable in he event of an incident caused by or directly attributed to an automated function. If the driver is not paying sufficient attention to their task then they should remain wholly liable for their actions or lack thereof. There should not be a "Blame the car" culture neither is the manufacturer actually liable if your lights are not on when they need to be, you fail to avoid something behind when reversing or you cause an accident for any other reason.

"No. 12" is accounted for as part of TfL's capital fleet I believe and is not museum stock. Whether or not she is still classed as a brake block test locomotive, which was the official reason she survived in the first place, I have no way of checking upon but she is available for traffic under certain conditions as opposed to being stuffed and mounted.

The run-down has commenced. The station buildings from Treheligan have gone to a new life in Sydney. Discussions have been opened for the sale of the farm scene. The stations have been de-staffed prior to closure and certain items including running-in nameboards have mysteriously vanished.

Overheads down at Retford http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/161307.aspx SNAP!!!

Belated congrats to LE having read the account of The Day you also deserve some sort of Certificate of Merit. Awaiting the arrival of friends and pies, various, to commence assault on the furniture-shifting. More hands have volunteered themselves at the last minute which will mean more pies are required and the task will be that much easier to accomplish. Foul night last night. High winds, driving rain, cold. Not a night to be out in the open even for double-time. But that was my final late turn. All the rest are mids. Uber seem to operate in a grey area where there is no legislation in most places. A case of the law not having kept up with technology. They have a reasonable reputation in Melbourne and London it seems though there is little or no come-back in the event of any incident. You ride at your own risk in someone's private car which is not licensed to carry fare-paying passengers. That's why you pay through the app - the driver is not permitted to accept payment directly. They quote for trips in many areas though they don't guarantee to have a driver there. In some more rural areas it is know that licensed taxi drivers also operate as Uber drivers. I know of two who have a meter in the car, will also accept private hire jobs at fixed rates and if neither of those is offering work right now they also drive for Uber. In country areas where work is a little thin on the ground you take what you can get. Moan-day greetings to all.

Nocturnal lawyers, perhaps???

Morning all. ER-style post at 01.02 Moan-day morning but before bed rather than after having lately returned from a late turn at the Palace. There are only seven more shifts to go in a somewhat attenuated career which is ending rather sooner than I had planned but for good reasons. Later in the morning a trip to the hardware store is required for more paint, some floor varnish and to book the sander. Following which a fodder run is required as friends are due for lunch and an afternoon of furniture shifting and other general house-closing tasks. More friends are expected in the evening to enjoy the layout and, as agreed some time back, to remove various parts thereof for their own use. The break-up commences. Tuesday is also a rest day which means I shall be doing anything but resting. A full ten hours of house renovation is required to meet the deadline. Report just in from the Hill of Strawberries confirms contact has been made with the natives who do indeed appear to speak in friendly tones if spoken to. Best wishes and appropriate greetings to one and all.

The weather has been foul here today. Winds up to storm force at times. Heavy driving rain for hours on end. Extremely poor driving conditions. And I have had to endure a rail-replacement bus owing to the construction of a new station on my line. So may I offer my compliments, nay congratulations, to the cockwomble driver of what appeared to be a VW Golf tonight? In these atrocious conditions, and at night with every vehicle putting up its own shroud of rear-end spray, this driver decides our bus (travelling at the permitted speed limit) was not going fast enough. Cockwomble overtook at a very much higher speed than was permitted, then swung sharply beck from the right lane across our middle-lane path to the left. Maybe the driver misjudged something or maybe it was a momentary rear-wheel skid but the back-end just clipped the kerb and caused the car to fish-tail as it disappeared into the murk up ahead. The driver must have had a brief memory lapse as surely no-one would think to apply the brakes on a wet road when fishtailing? That is a very, very bad idea indeed. It resulted in the car spinning multiple times across all three lanes as we, and other vehicles braked sharply to avoid the pantomime in front. The car driver then appeared to regain control and composure as the last we saw of the thing it came out of a spin and simply drove off as though nothing had happened. Dear driver. You are either extremely lucky or most uncommonly skilful. I would hazard the former at a guess. You almost took out a bus-load of passengers and several other cars. You almost eliminated yourself from the gene pool on several occasions. Next time you get the urge to drive like a complete turd-monger in the wet please do so on a country road where no-one else is involved. And, for the record, if you do lose control in the wet you do NOT jam on the brakes hoping to stop. You release all pedals and lightly - LIGHTLY - pump the brake as the car slows of its own accord.

I think I might have an involuntary tootgasm

Oh dear. Very sad. My thoughts are with the family.

Good Morning It is Saturday