Barry O

Ey up! Yes that ship hotel looks interesting but it isn't cheap to stay there! The station under it all is well used.. and always spotlessly cleam. Our nearest support office is in a local coop. Next nearest is about 1km further away .. both open Monday to Saturday but close for lunch.. no problem! Our Postie delivers Monday to Saturday (including small parcels). A trend around the Leeds suburbs is the moving of PO "main counters" into Community hubs (which also feature a library.. remember those?) One or two include banking facilities... If I could ever get hold of the eediots who invented apps for paying for parking (the one used by Leeds City Council doesn't work) and EV Charging I could end up in jail. Due to our "free market" in the UK we end up with lots of apps each intent on taking you money for poor services.. Today has been identified as a "rest" day.. means I should get some muddl8ng done.. I foresee a bacon butty heading my way for breakfast.. or even a bacon and egg banjo... Time to shift myself.. breakfast snap doesn't cook itself... Hopefully our poorly ERs are seeing improvements to their health. TTFN! Baz

BYD derived bus in Bradford (was one of 10 in service) burnt out.next purchase does not include BYD components... Baz

Ey up! Was blowing a hoolie in the night.. gone quiet now. Hopefully that's it for today Something I ate yesterday has upset my tummy.. a very early awakening.. but I got back to sleep OK. Th8s morning.. walk tobakery for buns. This afternoon a trip to a workshop in a church hall to meet with a similar minded bunch of people who may, or may not, get some muddling done in between drivelling on, eating food, drinking coffee etc.. Time to.. finish my tea and sort my breakfast out. Stay safe! Have as good a day as you can! Baz

If you can find decent accommodation at the figures quoted then great.... otherwise the exh8bitors will have to pay for accommodation.. If its costing money to take a layout to a show (especially at the NEC) layout owners may not be particularly keen to exhibit.. especially club layouts.. money is tight.. Its February.. the show is in April.. announcements of layouts are few.. Hall 12 is b8gger than the original Hall. Bigger means more cost to hire it, although fitting Pete Watermans layout in will be easier to meet the NEC gangway/emergency routing requirements. This lack of space at GETS has been n9ted in the past.. @PMP Obviously you are well versed in how to set up a very large exhition and understand how difficult it can be to put on shows at the NEC. Baz

If the show was properly organised HOTAC wouldn't be a problem.. looks like the company concerned hasn't got a full plan for the show. How many of the "teams" doing displays etc have any real reason to volunteer to do anything but turn up? Having a choice of hotels sounds great.. but faffing around trying to get an affordable deal is too much like hard work for some. There may be more than this company trying to set up future events at the NEC. Good luck to them! Baz

A Commercial Show.. who gets the profits? Who helps to generate these profits? I don't particularly feel like I want to subsidise a commercial event... but other may do..Good luck to them! But.. Warley had a company card for Premier Inn to help booking accommodation.. obviously these guys haven't. It will need a lot of volunteers to get this show on. Will there be a one next year ? Unless Pete Waterman expands his layout again Hall 12 is a big space to fill (but not as big as Hall5). Will more layout owners pay for the pleasure of attending? What catering will be provided?(NEC Catering does not come cheap!) You many questions and not much layout info on the website. Baz

Exhibitors having to pay for accommodation? Why would anyone take a layout to this (which is a commercial event) unless they can't run their layout at home.. By now I would have expected a full list of attendees to have been posted. The move to Hall 12 is intriguing. Is the problems faced by trying to run events at the NEC kicking in? Baz

Ey up! Slept well. Off to watch some cricket on TV.. Today involves waiting in for a visit from a builder to quote to turn our outside porch into a weather protected area. That could be.. expensive.. ouch! Time to getonwithit! Baz

WHITE RABBITS! Glad we have managed to fight our way through January.. what an awfully long months it's been this year. @iL Dottoreyep borg from cyber men.. a very close link. today will involve avtrip to deliver some dirty more lifelike models toa mate. I need to fit in a strategy meeting with a cricket colleague.. we need to get a volunteer "dinosaur" into an area he can cause less chaos in) and a trip to the bakers for some fresh bread. Busy,busy,busy! Time to knuckle down and gerronwithit! Stay safe and well! Baz

I have worked for a number of excellent managers. They exuded happiness and team work. Two others were carp.. their attitude was "me, me , me!" But were clueless., ( and cost their companies a lot of dosh to calm me down). Neither lasted long after my departure. I must admit that, as a volunteer, my current "manager" (paid) is a clueless person who, unfortunately thinks he is gods gift. Well.. he ain't.. My team from over 30 years ago still meet up (and invite me to attend), old nicknames are still used.. we were a great team but what a handful! As an umpire management of players, your colleagues (scorers and umpires) plus coaches, parents and spectators is an integral part of the role. You can teach some of it.. but you need to be a good listener and learner to get it anywhere near right (whatever "right" means). Baz

Ey up! When you get decisions made by people who have no clue about what the consequences of that decision will be.. its time to fight back.. or ... leave... I describe it as the super duper "Peter Principle" and it is, unfortunately prevalent across a lot of companies and groups. PAH! Today may see a bit of shark driving, floor swabbing and a bit of culinary input (slow cooked Chile concerned is on the menu for tea). We don't eat enough rice to purchase a rice cooker, don't use a deep fat fryer so our kitchen has enough workspace for me and her indoors to prepare and cook our meals in reasonable comfort. Time to getupandgerronwithit! @NGT6 1315 hope Livia feels better soon! TTFN! Baz

Excellent work as always! Baz

Interesting day. Emailed the Marie Celeste. Their response just made me a trifle annoyed. 40 minutes later I talked to a very helpful receptionist who, having worked at the LGI gave me some very valuable information. This meant I could ring the Consultants secretary. She advised me that my ECG test results arrived.... yesterday (obviously the NHS pigeon got lost). Letter is on its way to me.. result.. fingers crossed I get rid of my nasty medication. Tuesdays.. used to be I had to attend an 8 am meeting in Newcastle on Tuesday then another on Thursday in Leeds. It meant an 0530 start on Tuesday mornings.. no breakfast could be claimed so a very grumpy Baz would attend the Challenger 2 project meetings in a bad mood every Tuesday... eventually I wangled my way out of them. More recently in Barrow it was Boat update meetings on a Tuesday. Never sure why I had to go .. but I made sure I was there. So, yep, Tuesday hasn't been my favourite day! Baz

Ey up! It's going to be dry and sunny today apparently. (The seaweed twirlers had issued a yellow warning for rain for today.. oops!!) Noticed Dr StationMasters Cat was on TV last night...it didn't go to plan.. I have lots of pottering to do today. I need to find some preformed bits of plastic to add to an item which is a scale model of something which conveyscoal on steel rails. I know I have some.. where?? Dr Eldest Herbert has applied for his current job but on a more permanent basis. He seems popular with his students.. his lecture yesterday was due to have a 100 attendees ina lecture theatre which seats 100 people.. three empty chairs were visible. @Combe Martin.. he introduces slightly whacky ideas into his lectures as "attention grabbers".. seems to work. No "must do" items on my slouching today so a walk is in order methinks.. Positive thoughts to all ERs but especially ones who are not 100 % and especially those waiting for medical intervention. Baz

Strangely enough.. we note that few people bother to look at info sheets.. and we get some interesting things said about the layout.. but few people ask questions as well..we don't bite and do try to answer.. apart from the stupid statements like.."Blue Pullman is only 6 car" and "the trains are far too short" Baz

Lots of muddling items now back in place in the loft. Boy are cast locos extremely heavy. Some repairs need to be undertaken then some more making things dirty. Herself went on her shopping expedition and came home triumphant.. no sign of how much it cost... yet. She has also retrieved 3 recorders which she has "recorked".. only cost £140,,,, OW MUCH? Baz Ps it's still chuckinitdarn here

We normally have a pull up with details of Chapel on it on display.. we, unfortunately took the wrong one.. many apologies Baz

Ey up! Chuckinitdarn overnight.. and it still is. Pah! Have to unload Beast this morning.. then take loads of boxes of muddling items up to the layout/work room in the loft. Deep frabjoy!.. not! I never fail to be amazed at somenof the "recipe" books which either need a master chef or every possible kitchen gadget in the world to concoct. .. as much as a chocolate fire guard for use with a log burner. Great sports results yesterday.. cricket had two very close test matches, Kansas City Chiefs mauled the Ravens then the 49ers remembered how to score points to fight back for a narrow win. Roll on the Big Bowl and the next tests! Time for a mugatea then .. brave the rain.. empty Beast. Have as stress and pain free day as you can! Baz

The Leeds MRS CIO would like to thank the Normanton and Pontefract MRS for their great hospitality and support at the Show. we had a fine time and we were not the last to leave the Hall. Everything back in pur Club rooms by 7 ish. Chapel behaved itself (one or two minor repairs have been noted, loads of wagons and other railway items have been weathered.. lots of coffee drunk. Many, many thanks! Baz.

Eybup! Good show..nice to catch up with @Erichill16. Another visitor was @88Cand his good lady. He was a cousin of our much missed Chris Foren. Now the mystterries are: 1 what happend to the famous CD carrying hessian sack? 2 where did the Rainbow boots go? Sleep well! Baz

Ey up! London day at Pontecarlos show yesterday. Someone tried to nick a wagon.. he dropped it and scarpered when challenged. Overheard an exhibition manager for another show over the hills talk8ng about the layout " shame it peco teack" .. it isn't. "Shame the trains are too short" nope.. just like the prototype... "Shame the blue ..Ullman is only 6 cars".. I didn't say anything but some other visitors shook their heads...what a doilum! Belated Happy Birthday to Debs! Please pass it on @New Haven Neil. Time to get up and attem as day 2 of the show continues at 10am.. @Grizz.. my team won yesterday.. at last Sunderland remembered how to putthe ball into the net thingy! I am sure @Smiffy2 would be happy as well. Stay safe.. enjoy whatever you do! Baz

Layouts set up, stock placed on Chapel, weathering demo.. ready! Baz

Arthur has been very poorly. Please read all of the posts in this thread. baz

@monkeysarefun.. the MCC Regularly update the Laws of Cricket to try and stop certain countries from bending them.. Two countries are Regularly identified as being major sources of less than fair play...playavevyou to guess who they are. In some work places people who "cheat" are removed from their work8ngnplace.. nuff said. Baz