chrisf

Many thanks to those who advised on the beers that I might find in Mallorca. I shall know soon enough! Yesterdsy's trip to Ally Pally was not entirely trouble free. I discovered that my senior railcard had expired so it was a case of first stop booking office when I reached St Pancras. On return to Luton Airport Parkway I became disorientated and it took me a few moments to work out how to make my exit. My back ached something rotten and would have done whether or not I had purchased two hefty books at the show. Some gentle readers will recall several enquiries about a social gathering at Ally Pally. Such was the pressure to have one thst I felt duty bound to arrange something and so I did. At the appointed hour there were but four of us round the table - Grandadbob, Mike Stationmaster and son and yours truly. S*d that for a game of soldiers! Someone else can do it next year. Chris

It is too early but there is a good reason for being up even more betimes than usual. I am off to Ally Pally shortly. Because there are buses but no trains today between Luton and Bedford I shall drive to Luton Airport Parkway and join the rail network there. By the time I get to Londinium I will desire breakfast and the 'Spoons at St Pancras should be open. Then I hit the Piccadilly Line to Wood Green and the W3 bus if the exhibition shuttle is not yet running. Simples? We shall see. On the subject of Guinness, call me a heretic if you will but I don't really like it. This is bound to present a problem when my much delayed visit to Dublin finally takes place [2023 maybe?] but if it is the custom to drink it there, so be it - when in Rome and all that. I wonder what the local tipple is in Mallorca? I will find out soon enough. Chris

There is little today by way of burning issues. The day started with the discovery that my jeans needed an emergency repair. It is not the first applied to that particular garment but it may be the last given its condition. Perhaps it really is high time that my apparel looked a tad less moth-eaten. The purchase of new jeans will not be made today as I am busy with other things. I will need an early night tonight ahead of tomorrow's early start, which is earlier than it need be thanks to the absence of trains between Bedford and Luton. Speak to me not of beauty sleep, for I am far from convinced that there is such a thing. Chris

To clarify the position re Class 122 power cars: several worked out of Reading and Southall from mid 1958. When the Class 121s were delivered a year or so later the 122s were transferred away. Chris

I am still in Puzzle Corner concerning my trip to Ally Pally the day after tomorrow. It would have been childishly simple if Network Rail had not decided to deploy buckets and spades on the line between Bedford and Luton. As I continue to muse it begins to look likely that I will drive to Luton Airport Parkway and migrate to public transport there. Someone will now wonder why I should not drive all the way to Ally Pally and have done with it. This cannot be ruled out but would mean having breakfast on the motorway instead of a 'Spoons in London. Decisions, decisions. The show had better be good after all this grief. Chris

Into fiction, are you? Chris

I looked this up a few years ago: FOUR WHEELED COACHES IN SOUTH WALES From Railway Observer The following 4-wheeled coaches were observed in South Wales during August 1951, either in use or held as spare coaches for workmen’s trains. Owing to the poor external condition of the coaches in question the numbers printed may not be entirely accurate. The two coaches at Caerphilly with the “W” prefix, on the other hand, were in excellent condition in BR red livery. Caerphilly: W285 W2774 [Third, S9, November 1895] 721 Burry Port: W180 2796 [Third, S17, January 1898] Neath: 945 [Brake Third, T47, June 1900] 4189 [Brake Third, T49, June 1894, was 2605] Four other coaches were in use on the Cymmer – Glyncorrwg branch in July 1951 and details of these and other 4-wheeled coaches on the Western Region would be welcomed. - March 1952 Further 4-wheeled workmen’s coaches in use or laid by in South Wales 1946-51:- Neath 4157 Bridgend 743 – now Swindon Glyncorrwg 2691 2692 2766 2775 Aberavon 322 [T17 Brake Third] 345 [S17 Third] 373 683 2728 [S17 Third] 2698 [T17 Brake Third] Treherbert 750 Dowlais CH 686 719 Barry 4184 Burry Port 195 238 303 341 734 2793 2794 2799 (later Glyncorrwg, now withdrawn) 2800 The low-numbered coaches are former firsts and seconds - April 1952 Cymmer Afan – Glyncorrwg – North Rhondda: The four-wheelers which had been a feature of this line for so long have now been replaced by three GW clerestories painted red. - December 1952 Apparently the only non-bogie coaches still officially in traffic for public passenger carrying on British Railways at the close of 1952 were four former Great Western four-wheelers engaged on services in South Wales. They comprised Thirds 180 and 2796 [S17, January 1898] on the BP&GV line and Brake Thirds 945 [T47, June 1900] and 4157 [T59, November 1894, was 2649] at Neath. They are not upholstered and are used for the transport of colliers and other workmen, being attached to public advertised trains for this purpose. - May 1953 Chris

Unlikely. I may drive to Sandy and take the train from there, or drive to Luton Airport Parkway. At a pinch I could drive all the way and have breakfast at a service area but that would not be my first choice. One thing is certain: I WILL be at Ally Pally. The advance ticket is too good to waste. Chris

There was a touch of dismay last night when I discovered that Network Rail will be engineering between Bedford and Luton on Saturday, when I shall be attending the Ally Pally show. The journey on the rail replacement bus will seem to take for ever and unless I get out of bed at stupid o'clock I shall miss my 'Spoons breakfast in London. Network Rail, bless them, describe the engineering as "exciting". I'm not sure that I agree. There are happier things afoot. This evening sees an Area Group meeting. I would rather it were face to face than by Zoom but it's not up to me. Zoom is better than not meeting at all but the main business will be 'show and tell'. Admiring someone else's m*d*ll*ng is arguably better done face to face. Meanwhile, I can now book my C*****mas holiday in Somerset should I be so minded. I am sure that Halsway Manor can put my money to good use for nine months. Preparations for my jaunt to Mallorca continue. Having ordered and received my Covid pass I find that it expires the day before I am due to travel and I must get another one. Oh bother. Chris

I had planned to do as I always do and ride by Thameslink into London on Saturday on my way to Ally Pally. Sadly I have just discovered that the section between Bedford and Luton will be operated by buses. Back to the drawing board ... Chris

I should know better than to be encouraged by an announcement from the Secretary of State for Transport. For one brief and joyful moment I thought that it might free me from the chore of completing the paperwork associated with my trip to Mallorca. No such luck. What remains is required by the Spanish authorities. It costs nothing to dream. Yesterday I took a small step towards being ready to travel by procuring some more euros from the bank. If the combined total proves to be insufficient I have three credit cards. One of them does not charge fees for use overseas. How handy this will be remains to be seen. I used to take overseas travel much more in my stride than I do now, probably because I have not done any for a few years thanks to that ruddy virus. It was very quiet in the bank. The walls were festooned with posters encouraging customers to use the available technology. This is fine for obtaining cash but not for more complex transactions. I venture to suggest that the banks have gone as far as is wise for reducing staff numbers. Chris

Today I aim to sort out with the surgery the logistics of my annual diabetic review. I have a letter inviting me to attend but the fact that it took place back in January seems to have been overlooked. Something else that may occur today, time permitting, is a visit to the bank. It will not hurt if I arm myself with more euros ahead of my visit to Mallorca. I can only guess how many I will need and am blissfully unaware of how much anything costs there, particularly evening meals. On recent form someone from bank HQ is likely to ask me afterwards what the purpose of my visit to the branch was. I must try to keep my irritation hidden. Chris

In part it depends how you define "folk" but I think that to include Mary Hopkin in a list of folk artists is to be extremely lax with the definition. Donovan received a Radio 2 folk award which in my view was uncommonly generous of the BBC. Although it can be dangerous to attach labels, and I avoid doing so if possible, I would categorise Jethro Tull as prog-rock and need to be reminded of the work of Renaissance. "Folk" is a very broad church and many of its practitioners are not at all well-known. Have you heard of Arthur Coates? He is a young fiddle player from Aberdeenshire and is just starting to get bookings in folk clubs. The word will get round and if I ask the question again in five years I may well find that he has gained a reputation. Have you heard of Jon Boden? If not, have you heard of Bellowhead? It was a folk-rock band including Jon Boden on vocals and fiddle, which had an impact on the pop scene a few years ago and will be remembered for a while yet. One might be tempted to describe acoustic music as folk but in reality some of it is and quite a lot is not! What matters more than labels, I think, is whether or not the listener likes the music. Chris

I could indeed but I am under the impression that he is not exactly a stranger to it. Folk is a very broad church ... Say something, Flavio! Chris

This may be tempting providence, but the aches and pains feel less prominent this morning. As I am rapidly running out of pain killers this is just as well. Apart from Ally Pally next weekend and Area Group on Wednesday there is nothing in the diary. What have I forgotten to note down? Sunday lunch will be chicken and bacon pie, an impulse purchase from my favourite supermarket. Apart from putting it in the oven for the specified time, demolishing it and washing up afterwards I have no specific plans for the day. Correction: there is a pile of ironing, so common as to be hardly worth mentioning. When I turned on the TV yesterday I was alarmed to find on the screen a frozen image of Friday night's sporting fixture. Fortunately the cause has been found. It was some sort of e-blip in one of the boxes under the set that house vital ancillary functions such as the DVD recorder. Turn it off, turn it on again. Bingo. Until next time. During the week ahead I need to seek and find my RMweb name badge. It is due to appear in public on Saturday at Ally Pally. I hope that those ERs who gather in the appointed place at the appointed time for liquid refreshment will include some that I do not know yet as well as some that I do. Chris

Any ERs who will be at Ally Pally on Saturday [19th] are cordially invited to take liquid refreshment with other ERs in the Palm Court Bar [that is what it's called, isn't it?] at about 1 pm. We may not succeed in putting the world to rights but it should be fun trying ... Chris

A letter from Stalag Surgery has led to some head scratching. It invites me for an annual diabetic review. This would be fine and dandy were it not for the audience with the practice diabetic nurse that took place two months ago. To quote the lady in Bristol, "What, another one?" No doubt there will be a perfectly simple explanation. I look forward to hearing it on Monday. Meanwhile, life goes on. A fodder run this morning, before breakfast, will be followed by more puzzling over the paperwork for my trip to Mallorca in three weeks' time. Feel free to tell me that I am mistaken but I am convinced that travel related bumf has become much more complex since Covid and I am beginning to find it something of a deterrent to overseas travel despite it being so long since I have done any. In a week or so I should find out who the tour leader and my travelling companions will be. Jamie has kindly posted some great pics of where I will be going. I am looking forward to seeing the Mediterranean for the first time - what a thing to admit at my age! Chris

I put petrol in the tank last night - 159.9p a litre at Morrisons in Bedford. In 1966 I worked as a petrol pump attendant and started on the day that the price of petrol first went above 5/- a gallon. Happy daze ... Chris

Professor Oncologist had some good news for me yesterday. My PSA reading is down to 3.3. I forget what it was last time but clearly it was more than that and it is going in the right direction. The really good sign is that he wishes to see me again in four months instead of three. The cancer does not really make its presence felt but I feel encouraged, at least for the time being. I quite enjoyed Mark Radcliffe at The Stables. He sang a few songs of his own composition and gave an amusing narrative. When he started being rude about Greg Wallace I warmed to him at once. With some others, I queued in the wrong place to get my copy of his autobiography signed but all was well in the end. Before the performance I invested some cash with the box office, for the Oyster Band is to appear at the end of May. Apart from a gathering in a high street coffee bar this afternoon I plan to spend the day quietly. My back still aches and is about to be immersed in a Radox bath. Chris

I have had a very aching back for a couple of days and rather hope that the pain killers will take effect soon. Today I will have to grin and bear it because I have an appointment with Professor Oncologist at noon and I am trying not to worry about what he might tell me. This evening Mark Radcliffe is appearing at The Stables. I am attending out of curiosity, since I have no idea what he does apart from introduce the Radio 2 folk show. His autobiography gives few clues. I must remember to take my copy with me tonight in the hope that he will autograph it for me. So far only one author has declined to sign his book when I have invited him to do so. The guilty man is Hugh Taylor, who has written several tomes on London trolleybuses. There are not many autographed books in my collection but one which I cherish is the autobiography of Robert Dougall, the late TV newsreader. It tends to be easier to get CDs signed. I wanted to heart Natalie’s post but the system wouldn’t let me … Chris

Poor little thing ... I have a bad back but that is insignificant compared with the suffering of those animals Chris

I set foot in the jungle garden yesterday for the first time in at least a month. Amid the burgeoning crop of weeds were no fewer than four daffodils in bloom. I had quite forgotten that the bulbs were there. As is their nature, the flowers rise above the dense bed of triffids at ground level which must be removed in time. It is too cold to do it now though. When I first moved to this address, 40+ years ago, it was my intention to grow vegetables. I invested in the Readers Digest book "Food from your garden" but the inspiration that it gave me was sadly lacking. When I sowed an entire packet of carrot seeds the yield was one carrot. This, I mused, was the garden saying to me "Don't mess with me, sunshine". If my late father knew what a mess my garden is he would have been ashamed, especially at the mess where the lawn ought to be. It's not all bad though. In recent years the garden has been very good at producing strawberries, very much against the odds. It is usually far from a bumper crop but every little helps. Chris

He certainly will! He is due to visit Mallorca next month. Chris

I seem to have booked into a bed and breakfast that does not serve breakfast. There are such things, indeed I stayed at one in Leatherhead some years ago, but how anyone can start the day without breakfast is a mystery to me. Once I have had breakfast at home a phone call to the establishment would seem to be in order. I blame Google. I asked it for "bed and breakfast" in the town in question. It used to be so simple: breakfast was provided in the hotel which was opposite the 'Spoons on the ring road. Now there is no hotel. I wonder what else has changed in the town that I have not visited for three years? By the way, it's Bracknell. It would be. All this excitement and ironing too ... Chris

Part of my ancestry is Irish. A theory in the family would have us believe that my forebears went to Ireland during the potato famine. It is too early to tell whether my backache is any better. I went back to bed yesterday morning, which helped, and stood at the stove assembling a casserole, which did not. It was very tasty though and despite my best efforts there is plenty left. Today's repast will be rump steak and the trimmings, followed by trifle. Yesterday evening I heeded my own warning and booked a room in Bracknell at the time of ExpoEM in May. On Thursday I am due to have an audience with Professor Oncologist at high noon. In the evening of that day I will be at The Stables for an evening with Mark Radcliffe. I have no idea what he will do but I hope that it includes signing my copy of his autobiography. Best wishes to Kelly and anyone else who is receiving works attention Chris