Happy Hippo

Good morning all, It seems I'm first up this morning. It;'s too dark to comment on the weather so I think I'll have another cup of tea and some toast made from the seed loaf I made yesterday. (It'll make a change from muesli) Regards Richard

I thought a parsec was a french root vegetable! Regards Richard

I'm sending this using my rhubarb and strawberry crumble..................is this a first? Tomorrow I'll use a banana and toffee yoghurt. Regards Richard Richard.

This morning I am mainly doing the ironing! Trouble is I've now done all the ironing, bar my own! Why have I got so many shirts? On the weather front, the sun has decided not to make an appearance here, and is not expected until tomorrow afternoon. Regards Richard

Good morning to all, It is yet another clear fine dayin Shropshire: There is a bit of high cloud, but the sky is blue, we just await the appearance of the sun. The alarm call today was one of the staffies (the big one) going into 'yip and grumble' mode. Those who have had the misfortune to hear such a low volume cacaphony will know how intensely irritating it is. Fortunately it is cured by going down stairs, and being bounced over. But why is she so fickle? As soon as I give her a bowl of food, I am definitely so yesterday! I managed to pull a muscle yesterday: Over exertion is not to be recommended in your mid 50's! The cause.............hanging out the just washed sofa cover on the washing line! the upside of this was I got myself a long session on Templot, and I was able to put off painting the TRMG front door (again) as I couldn't lift my arm properly. Lunch today is a trip out to meet up with my mother and all the other female family members, so the conversation over the table will not be of a railway nature. Fortunately, Nyda has said she will drive as I cannot lift my arm properly, and the place we are dining at keeps 'Black Dragon' cider which I will lift using the other arm (before anyone asks). Regards R.

I got up to make the tea and fed the dog, the other looking balefully at me and refusing to get out of bed where she still resides. Fed dog now lying at top of stairs as the duty trip hazard. No sun up yet, but a clear blue sky. A busy day today, the rest of the family are at a Scout Association fun day at Bridgnorth. I'm staying well clear, but will be responsible for delivery of Nyda to said event. I shall also turn up for the evening hog roast, and bring her home again. My son will go independently as he has a trailer full of climbing equipment to take and install. If the weather holds I'll have a maintenance day at the TRMG club room, put a top coat of paint on the external doors and fix the leaking bog would be a good start! Pete's comments about the temperature reminds me of a trip to Boston (MA) some years back: We had gone for a winter city break, followed by a trip to Orlando for the kids. Getting up and listening to the radio, the announcer was forecasting temperatures in the low 20s. It was only when we got outside that it dawned on us that he had been talking about fahrenheit! My military training kicked in.................About turn! Double march! I hope you all have a great day (Lord I'm sounding like that radio announcer in Boston!) Regards Richard

You,re right, and I agree with you, but to hit the 'like this' button seemed inappropriate. I do hope the job market for you (and others) picks up, and soon. Regards Richard edit for spelyng

Grey and overcast this morning, coupled to a very late start. The postie has just delivered the mail, and I've just been reliably informed by the Obergrumpenfuhreur that 'we' are going to be cleaning this morning. At least it gets me out of having to sit at the computer figuring out the next problem I have yet to encounter with Templot. However, in the mail was a letter from the local technology college, thanking us (Telford Railway Modellers Group) for our display(s) at their recent community day, and asking us if we could do similar next year? As a matter of interest, and as a direct result of our attendance at the community day, I was also approached by the local rotary club, asking if TRMG could arrange a speaker for one of their meetings next year to talk about model railways. The trouble is, someone has to put the presentation together, and that person will probably be me! Regards Richard

Much as I admire the thought of modelling the wires on telegraph poles, I fear that if I were to do it: a. The 4 mm stuff indoors would end up as a cats cradle as I reached through the wires to clean some track or replace a derailed item of stock. b. The large scale stuff outdoors would have birds landing on them and create a guano pool at the pole base, and my dogs would invariably blunder into them as they patrol the garden against cats pigeons and rabbits. (I've suddenly had a cartoon like vision of the bigger dog with the wires at full stretch, and then being catapulted back down the garden into the water feature) Regards Richard

A fine morning in Shropshire with clear blue skies. Just checked the solar tank water temperature, 37 deg C already! I was a very early riser this morning...perhaps a late to bedder? My wife was making up a power point demonstration, and she didn't get to bed until 2.45! Still it gave me time to scour the latest RM from cover to cover, including going through all the small ads which I usually miss. I'll have to dig out some pictures of my two dogs, purely for the ahh factor! Bread dough to sort out now Regards Richard

I'm beginning to worry about you Mike: Fancy taking pictures of a b(u)oy's barnacles! Regards Richard

By the time I get to the keyboard, I'm no longer an 'early riser'. Best wishes to Mrs A, Mrs S and HRH Ash/Ashers/etc. I spent last evening soddering (sic) together a 1:12 scale white metal bucket for a tipper wagon. I'll spend the rest of the day trying to clean up my rather tatty seam joints (and the conservatory table..................at least I am reminded why I prefer building in wood and 'proper' metal. Regards Richard

Up early again this morning, to take my wife's car to the garage to sort out a problem with the 'engine management system'. Sometimes I wish for the good old days of a distributor and a simple carburetor system, and 2 valves per cylinder. My son and i can do all the mechanical work, brakes clutches gearbox changes etc, but as soon as it is governed my that computer chip, we're stuffed. Still enough moaning. It was a nice 40 minute walk back, on a sunny autumn morning. The rest of the morning will be taken up with stripping all the 7/8ths track off the old layout boards boards, and measuring up the allocated garden plot for the new 1:12 scale empire. Now, do I try and strip the track off as panels, or break it down into its component parts? Decisions, decisions! Regards Richard

Ebay is crazy: I've wanted a Dean Goods to 'high Level' and I've had to fork out all of £14.49(inc p&p) for a working one. Regards Richard

I was up bright and early to take my son to work for 7.00am. (His car was in for a service). As usual the bright and sunny start at 6.00am is rapidly turning into 7/10th cloud with only fleeting glimses of the yellow orb. I suspect rain will follow, which is usual after i have hung out the washing. Post man has just delivered a very nice Bachmann 37/5 off flea bay. All I need now is a suitable layout to run it on. Regards Richard

Ian, I don't think it's a grass snake, and with the lack of pattern, more likely an Aesculapian snake. Very keen on small rodents I am told. Regards Richard

Alan, I do like the pictures with no locos or rolling stock on them: not that I don't like your stock, but from a linesider perspective, that is what the railway is frequently like. 95% inactivity, then 5% action! As far as Ian's link is concerned, I got a lot of very well muscled ladies (they were further down the page), far more than Faller usually put on their figures. Regards Richard

Ian, Sorry about the bread failure, even though my machine packed up, I did a quick stirring with a spoon, and went back to the old fashioned method. It worked! Might sound like a daft question, but is your bread maker on the blink? I had one many years ago that stopped creating very soon after it was bought. The sun is out here at present, but there is about 8/10ths of high cloud moving in from the south west................Obviously sent my way by Ashcombe Regards Richard

I took your advice Ian, and my bread maker just threw a wobbly.......................horrible electrical smell........................................bm ist kaput! It must have heard about how I was cheating and has got the hump! Regards Richard

I have a bread maker and now tend to use it as a glorified mixer. After it's done it's umpteen minutes of mixing the mixture goes out into a conventional baking tray and is allowed to rise, then it's popped in the oven. No holes in the bottom of the loaf.....................and quicker too! I'd second the motion that it tastes far better than shop bought bread. And before I forget, another wet cold and overcast day in Telford Regards Richard

Lisa, Welcome back! Didn't you have a thread sometime ago on converting lincs couplings to work like AJs? If it was you, how is it progressing? Regards Richard

Pneumonia just about cleared up after a second session of antibiotics: many thanks to all on ER for their messages. Permission just received from the head gardener that the side lawn may be removed and a raised bed built around the edge to contain a 1:12 scale 1.5" gauge railway. Procrastination is now likely to take over as ever more fanciful schemes are designed and discarded. I must remember that in the bigger scales, 'less is more'. The boss has now left for a girl guide training, followed by a visit to her mother in N Wales, so I am in charge........................... Looking forward to some peace, although the dogs will demand attention, and there are the household chores to attend to. I suspect chaos will rule. Regards Richard

Just had to get up and have a cup of tea! Lying in a semi sleep I thought I was dreaming when something dropped onto my face, ran down my cheek, and bit my neck! I don't know exactly what it was, as I promptly squashed it, but having looked at the remains, it would appear to be some sort of small flying beetle thingy! I suspect his name was Dave!!! I'll try and get back to sleep now Regards Richard

Thanks for the kind remarks and advice about the pneumonia,people taking the time to reply has a terrific uplifting effect. definitely a happier hippo now I had pneumonia very badly about 25 years ago, and it took about 6 weeks sick leave, and I was in the Army at the time, so such time off was almost unbelievable. This time, it's been caught at a much earlier stage, so is far more treatable. However, an amusing story from the last bout! Having got back to 'work', the MO advised me to drink a glass of Guinness every evening in order to bring my blood iron levels back up. (I was also on no exercise for 12 weeks) I explained my predicament to a couple of guys from the Royal Irish Rangers, who immediately took me into their care, and took it upon themselves to supervise mt recovery. After a week of a pint of Guinness a night, they suggested I iinreased my consumptio to two pints, but to seperate them with a Bushmills chaser. This advice was gratefully recieved, and my recovery was garuanteed...................... as was the 3 stone gain in weight. Still, the QMSI PTI rubbed his hands with glee and got a fiendish grin when I literally rolled into the gym after I was cleared back for fitness training. I still like Guinness and Bushmills though! Regards Richard

Sadly, not the happiest of hippo's this morning. Crawled out of bed, and miserable I won't be getting to either EM gauge North or Steam this weekend. (I had planned to do one of the two). Came back from a weeks cruise of Scandinavia with a hacking cough and no energy: Doctor tells me I've got pneumonia (again)! The antibiotics don't seem to be having much effect at present, and to cap it all, my father took a tumble and was admitted to hospital on Friday. Still, on the up side, my enforced captivity allows me to revisit many railway related books and magazines...........Ffairfach is looking very appealing as yet another possible P4 layout http://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/gwm/S2132.htm Regards Richard