5 C

Extinction Rebellion have been up to their tricks in London over the last couple of days including using a bus to block London Bridge: In doing so they've added another chapter to this AEC Reliance's already colourful history

I first learned this awful news on @Graham_Muz Twitter. I came on here and the amount of posts on this thread are of no surprise. Mick was hugely admired and one of the friendliest people I've met in the hobby. Like @nickwood, I first met Mick through Tim Shackleton's weathering workshops at Pendon. Our paths would cross frequently at exhibitions and it was always nice to be recognised and enjoy a friendly chat with an absolute gentleman. On a day when I've also learned of the sudden passing of my cousin, it's been a grim day. RIP Mick.

Quite a few (new) old cars in this Look At Life from 1960.

Thank you so much for doing this. The various written explanations now make complete sense but I know if I'd followed my interpretation, I'd have made a complete mess of things. 50 minutes sounds very reasonable. A picture is worth a thousand words.

What is your ledge removal technique please? I've seen several people refer to it but I can't quite work out how it's done.

Looking forward to seeing the results of the "blinging". I have three to do.

And thank you for satisfying my curiosity about how a previous generation loco looks alongside this set. Pretty good I'd say.

Like a number on here I have a fleet (well three) of the previous model blue Coronations and of course, the Comet sides and donor coaches to make up a rake. I'm curious to know how well the stripes and the colour of the previous model locos match with these new coaches. I know the lining on the new coaches is more accurate and different, having the fine blue edging to the stripes. I'd still like to build my own but as others have pointed out, the stripes are a challenge and I have an unexpected bonus landing this month...

Saabs were full of quirky/thoughtful/useful features including the massively over engineered fold out cup holder and "night mode", where you could darken all the instruments bar the speedo - supposedly less distracting. My one Saab was a 93 Aero. With its 2.0 litre Turbo engine I don't think I ever achieved more than 27 mpg. The fuel gauge needle seemed to move almost as quickly as the speedo and I found myself in petrol stations at least three times a week. It was a little treat to myself but I found it quite a disappointing experience - particularly the sound system. It was trying to compete with premium brands like Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, Jaguar, BMW and Lexus but to me it was only knocking on the door of that club but never let in. After a poor accident repair experience with a Saab dealer, I weighed up my options and managed to get out of the car early. Although the Vectra diesel didn't carry quite the same cachet, the Saab didn't justify its extra rental and running costs. I preferred having the money in my pocket rather than on my driveway.

The reason given by Saab for the key position was knee injuries caused by drivers coming into contact with a column mounted key in the event of a crash.

Morning awl. Happy anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. @New Haven Neil for yesterday. Forecast for today is cloudy and windy, so definitely one for staying indoors. The only casualty this week was my neighbour's fence panel which had to be removed from my lawn on Thursday lunchtime. A couple of overturned wheelie bins but miraculously the contents stayed inside. This weekend will be about life admin. The census form log in details arrived yesterday, so that's first on the list. Then it's car insurance, fuel tariff and arrange a cam belt change. April is shaping up to be an expensive month but the effect on muddling tokens will be mitigated by quite a decent bonus, which came as a complete surprise. Normally when contracting, a bonus is an extension. Talking of unmentionable activities (I wasn't oh mighty Awl, honest), a little of that needs to be done this weekend too. I've no idea what. Inevitably there are plenty of started projects that could be progressed a little further or heaven forbid, actually finished (no, never, I hear you say). It will make me feel better and remind me why I'm working. After a full-on last few weeks, I really need to reset my work/work balance. Before all this, the usual round of domestic tasks (not duties as fortunately, there is no one to post daily orders). A bacon, egg and mushroom sandwich will be consumed at some point along with a muggertea or muggaroastandground. Regards to awl.

I assume Gidea is Harold Park's sister?

Seeing signs for Harold Hill when driving along the A12 to Romford, for me always conjured up images of some East End villain.

Ditto! At least I got my stake back!

Morning awl, All the talk of chippies, pasties, saveloys, pease pudding etc. but as far as I can see, no one has mentioned roe? Very much a Midlands thing I think and if I'm ever that way and feeling like a chippy visit, it's on the cards. A few months ago I was surprised and delighted to see it on the menu at my local chippy. The portion was huge. Mike the owner said he didn't always have it in but to call and he would let me know when he did. My local Homebase was never rebranded a Bunnings but evidence of the change of ownership quickly emerged with their "pile it high and sell it cheap" offers crammed into every available space. In years to come, Bunnings spectacular failure in the UK will make an interesting undergraduate case study. They were only interested in the estate and clearly didn't understand the market they were entering. Homebase was trying (with some success) to reposition itself as a home furnishings/decor/improvement offer and away from DIY and hardware. The local store, large and never particularly busy even in its heyday, is in the midst of being sub-divided with one half being converted to an Aldi (Luton's third). A drive-through Costsapacket is also being built in the equally large and never particularly busy car park. Regards to awl.

I've shared this before on here, but this is probably the favourite of all my cars from my Vauxhall career. Slightly modified but still going strong 30 years later, I was the first driver of this car. Ridiculously quick and plenty of torque steer which made it a very entertaining drive. It even survived the attention of the local car thieves. I was 24 years old, the insurance and fuel were all paid for. What wasn't to like? I'd have one in a heartbeat.

Cue sound of bears and hippos running in the opposite direction.

Morning awl, Female teachers. At primary school it was almost all women apart from two men. One was quite young but a fearsome individual who clearly wanted to be in the army. He shouted a lot (for no good reason), would publicly humiliate any miscreant (no matter how minor the offence) and gave us all a number which had to be written on every exercise book and other pieces of equipment. He even rotated pencils on a weekly basis, so you would gradually work your way up to the best/newest/longest pencil. Although he'd been at the school a few years, I only had him as my teacher for a couple of terms. He left on promotion to another school. At least that's what we were told. Most of us thought it should have been the other way. By the time I got to high school (late 70's/early 80's), female teachers made up at least half of the teaching staff if not more. I remember many of them but two of them stick in my mind. The fake tan, bottle blonde, bottle green tracksuit wearing games teacher who we christened "Farah Fawcett-Kermit". The other was a young and very nice English teacher who was rather well endowed and forgot the affect water has on a white t-shirt when she agreed to participate in the "soak the villain in the stocks" event at the school fete.

I knew there was something I liked about him. I wonder if he's on RMWeb? Happy birthday @simontaylor484.

Evening/morning awl, Catching up on RMWeb during a nocturnal awakening. I posted this over on the old cars thread but I thought it might be of interest to any ex-Job ER's or anyone who fancies a trip back to a less 'elf & safety conscious age.

A trip back to January and February 1979 which also happened to be our family's first winter in the North West of England. A very different era for motorway policing. All the coppers wore shoes even in the worst of weather, hi viz was an orange vest and just about every problem could be solved with the aid of a Range Rover or two. Trumpton had no specialist cutting gear and didn't seem too bothered about hazardous chemicals. Ambulances just did a "scoop and run". On the road, every other car was a Mark IV Cortina and the sheer variety of cars and HGVs is in stark contrast to today.

Morning awl, Firstly, a belated HBTY to @chrisf. Our posts crossed over yesterday, so I was unaware of this milestone. Chris is a familiar face at the unmentionable ex*******ns in these parts and I hope I'll be able to meet with him and other ERs in person at some point in the future. Yesterday was a good day in that I managed to get outside into the fresh air for the first time in over a fortnight. It was windy but mild and I managed over 12.5k steps - a major achievement since I've barely troubled the scorers in the last two weeks. Consequently, I slept well and have the not unpleasant ache from muscles and joints that have been barely stressed. The walk was made all the more enjoyable thanks to an unexpected encounter with a gym buddy who I've not seen in several months. We had a good windswept, socially distanced chat in the Homebase car park while admiring the still under construction Costa drive through. An actual, indoors Costa would have been preferable though. Breakfast in the form of porridge topped with special offer blueberries will be enjoyed shortly, along with a second muggertea. I may do some housework until the weather brightens a little but today is another day to enjoy the outdoors. Regards to awl.

Morning awl. Thought I'd pop in here briefly on my way to the start of a weekend where I'm determined to do at least a few things for myself. Thoughts and support to those being challenged in any way, whether it's by health issues, less-than-neighbourly neighbours or just the effects of lockdown. People are definitely bored. Even those who've been WFH since March now tell me they're desperate to go back. This week has been particularly stressful and like all of them, long. The project that has taken over 90% of my time for the last month finally came to fruition, although it's really just the start. It's been the cause of sleepless nights for all of us involved and some very strange dreams. I'm grateful to any colleague who calls me and wants to talk about anything other than the project. At least next week there'll be something different to talk about, even if it's only "the roadmap". The effect of even crazier hours than usual has meant a distinct lack of exercise, fresh air and a diet that is best described as "beige". So this weekend, along with the washing, ironing, housework, bacon, egg & mushroom sandwich, muggsatea and roastandground, some time outside is called for. Regards to awl.

If you're using a spray can, have you considered using something like this ? https://www.toolstation.com/plastikote-spray-gun/p55556 I find the trigger and handle give more control over pressure and grip than hand holding the can and operating the nozzle with the forefinger. In the past, I've used Upol etch primer which gives a smooth finish.

Snow report. There is no snow in Luton. That is all.