jchinuk

Not speculation, several model suppliers are advising of delay in shipments from China, in addition Apple, JCB & JLR are all saying shipments from China are disrupted. I am assuming that all shipments are subject to delays and disruption, and as 90% of Poundland's non-food stock appears to come from the Far East I think it's a reasonable assumption. According to reports to the Shanghai stock exchange, most companies across China have serious staff shortages, mainly because people went to their home towns during the Lunar New Year and are unable to return to work. jh

I suspect WHSmiths survive as stationers, if a small office or company need a printer cartridge or paper quickly, WHS are the easiest option, someone can pop out with the petty cash. WHSmiths have not done music (as in physical CDs) for a while, certainly not around my way. jh

With the Covid-19 disruptions Poundland will be empty of stock in a couple of weeks. jh

I agree completely. I have seen blokes sit down (in a branch of WHSmiths) on the floor and read a magazine. About the general point, what baffles me about WHS is that my nearest branches stock a lot of 'trade magazines' titles, which surely cannot sell that well. Yet the branches at main stations in London rarely stock much in the way of modelling magazines, of any sort. jh

Apologies for not being a railway related item, but I think this takes eBay madness to another level. Selling an empty box... jh

Sorry, I wasn't pointing out my cleverness (or lack thereof), rather that their own adverts were spoiling the carefully created 'jeopardy' in the programme. jh

I noticed one mistake, though perhaps 'spoiler' is a better word. On last night's episode the "jeopardy" was whether they would get the 9F (incidentally, not as rare as the commentary suggested) ready in time for the festival. Yet the adverts for the "weekend at the railway" competition featured the 9F happily chuffing away along the line. jh

Bizarrely, the forthcoming 'steam punk' figures by Hornby, under the Basset-Lowke brand, will not look totally out of place. jh

Looking at the Gov Website, 13.2 Coal . . "Since the consultation, some have asked for heritage railways to be exempted from the proposed requirements. The government fully understands the importance of our nation’s heritage industry sectors that use coal as a source of fuel. As set out in the consultation, the proposals relate to fuels used for the purpose of domestic combustion, and will not apply to other uses such as for heritage railways. An exemption is not required for this use to continue." .. ... Not an issue at present, though the cost may increase as less coal is in the market, perhaps some sort of collective purchasing deal would be sensible. jh

My biggest disappointment with "Picard" so far is that "No.1" (his dog) seems to have been left behind on Earth. So far, it has avoided the danger of becoming "Last of the Summer Wine" does "Star Trek". Spoiler Alert "7 of 9" (Jeri Ryan) appeared in the latest episode, which might liven things up a bit. jh

I liked "Farscape", though I feel it got a bit eccentric later in the series. jh

I liked "Farscape", though I feel it got a bit eccentric later in the series. jh

Recently repeated on Pick (a UK freeview channel), showing one episode per night. I agree it's good, perhaps ripe for a remake? Don't forget the films and the spin-off series, "Crusade", set five years after the events in B5, I don't think it was ever transmitted on terrestrial channels in the UK. jh

I am not familiar enough with US culture to know if the language used is regarded as particularly strong. I do know than 'damn' is called the 'D word' in polite US society. jh

The 'streaming' services are not defined as broadcasters and obviously the nature of the service means there is no watershed anyway, hence the language, though to be fair if I was being shot it it's possibly more realistic. jh

Colour me cynical, but any garage (I assume a dealer for the marque?) that does that other than by accident is probably not doing much correctly. I'd contact the manufacturer, they would not want a dodgy dealer (or staff member at the dealers) giving them a bad name. That said, most manufacturers log cars on their computer systems, so they can send reminders of service etc. So how did the get three entries with the same reg no? I assume that the correct VIN numbers were on the respective log books, but the dealers only ask for reg numbers at services, recalls, etc. jh

I remember at a show years ago, I think at the Dockyard in Chatham, they had small steps for children to carry around (I think there was a returnable deposit), but it mean small children could have as decent view of any of the layouts. jh

I wouldn't bother, if they are copper (or people think they are copper) they will be gone in a few weeks.. jh

Just to add a little perspective, there have been 1462 new hospital admissions and 70 deaths from seasonal flu in the UK in 2020 (up till the end of last week), those are Public Health England figures. As a proportion of the population, those figures are far higher than the current numbers for coronavirus in China. jh

The explanation is simple, those who learn English as a 'second' language are taught it like we (people in the UK) are taught French or German, from first principles. I have an English Language O level and I don't remember being taught anything very technical about the language. Also many UK TV shows are shown in other countries, though explaining the expressions used in "Only Fools and Horses" or "Minder" to a German with my limited German is fun. jh

Retailers are still obliged to give the names and addresses of anyone that purchases a TV to the licencing authority, though obviously that is difficult to enforce if sales are via eBay or private sales. jh

It's not really entrapment, the shops are obliged to ask "Are you over XX", I must admit at 62 I'm flattered when they do! The till usually prompts the question and I assume they need to click 'yes' or whatever for the sale to progress. My local council (in London) regular does similar checks on alcohol sales. jh

You are quite right, the "law is the law". The problem is that if a news media, be that printed or broadcast, got hold of the story "Shop selling knives to children" it would be blow out of all proportion. The local council have to be able to say they are doing something, though my local council targets those selling alcohol to under 18s. I rank it as similar to "Health & Safety gone Mad" responses, remember steam railways are one serious accident away from being banned altogether regardless of where the fault lies. I understand following the "accident" where the train spotter got his head removed by lineside furniture, despite the warnings not to stick your head out the window, preserved railways will be obliged to introduce measures to reduce the chance of that happening. Remember one pilot's actions have effectively killed off privately owned retired military aircraft flying in UK air displays. jh

While annoying, there was a case in our local paper where a bloke was touring local pharmacies buying a bottle of some 'over the counter' cough medicine, thereby accumulating litres of the stuff. He was banned from all the local pharmacies. It's annoying for the likes of you & me, but some idiot with serious issues spoils it for everyone. jh

It is called HS2 because what is now called the "Channel Tunnel Rail Link" was originally HS1. The next will be HS3, if there is one. jh