Gondor's Grumblings

[Nick]

Standing by to receive dusty coins! 

I too will finish at 15:30 today and am not back in work until next Thursday. Let the good times roll 

[Gondor]

Standing by to receive dusty coins! 

I too will finish at 15:30 today and am not back in work until next Thursday. Let the good times roll 

Plumber arriving Thursday to fit a Thermostatic control for my shower, also at some point of the day, a contractor from the landlord to look at replacing the bathroom units. I can and probably will refuse to have anything changed, certainly the bath and sink as I have put tiling around them. I will have to see what they say about the toilet, though, that would be the only thing I would change.

Work was done slowly today, not much to do. I even did a little cybersecurity training about Wishing. That Phishing on WhatsApp. Also thought it a good idea to pay attention to the dust bunnies under my bench, seeing that I won't be there for a week. I don't want them getting out of hand and attacking anyone, shades of Monty Python there. I managed to set my email message up so that it would start as I left work, and finish when I returned, not just date-wise, but time-wise as well.

Time for another cuppa, though, after eating four crumpets, I don't think I will be having anything to eat with it as I am feeling a bit stuffed. Talking about eating, the cake has been sampled and found to be good. 

[scooter]

Work was done slowly today, not much to do. I even did a little cybersecurity training about Wishing. That Phishing on WhatsApp.

I knocked out like 95% of my web-based training for work last week,  I honestly could decide which one was worse - the cybersecurity module or the active shooter done by the NJ State Police.  But, if it makes me look "busy", then so be it.

[Rick Lowe]

Looking Busy for the bosses is always a Good Idea...   

[George the Cat]

Standing by to receive dusty coins! 

So you take groats, marks and other baubles?

[Gondor]

I had a very enjoyable show at Telford. I bought some tools, not the ones I was primarily after. I bought some books as well. I have also found out that I already own one of them    and that was exactly what stopped me from buying more books, as I was not sure if I owned them or not. I also bought the odd model or two 
I had a very uneventful trip home once I got out of Telford. Next time, I will either leave earlier or later, it was almost gridlocked when I was trying to get out of town at 9am.
I missed seeing the landmark I am trying to find out about. Part of a dome pokes through some trees on a hill located on the west side of the M6. I can't say where it is as I never remember what the next junction or service station is. I had planned on stopping at the next services after the dome and writing down where I was so I could look it up on a map. I even had the pen and paper to hand. No good when you don't see it.
I knew I was back in Scotland, as I was greeted by a heavy shower of rain.  The inside of the car has been unpacked, and the models will be unpacked from the car tomorrow. The alarm is not being set for the next two days, as I only go back to work on Thursday.

[Rheged]

I missed seeing the landmark I am trying to find out about. Part of a dome pokes through some trees on a hill located on the west side of the M6. I can't say where it is as I never remember what the next junction or service station is. I had planned on stopping at the next services after the dome and writing down where I was so I could look it up on a map. I even had the pen and paper to hand. No good when you don't see it.

I may be totally wrong but I suggest that the "dome in a wooded area by the M6"  is the Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park, Lancaster.  It's a memorial to Lord Ashton's second wife Jessie.  I was 4 years in Lancaster 1970-74 at university so I know it well    https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/williamson-park/ashton-memorial.   

Lord Ashton  (James Williamson)  made his money as a lino  manufacturer; his company later amalgamating with Nairns of Kirkaldy.  This is what the council website says about him:-https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/the-council-and-democracy/civic-and-ceremonial/lord-ashton-the-lino-king        Hope this helps

Sorry I didn't have time for a proper chat on Saturday, I was distracted by a most enjoyable hour-long lunch with Kit and Hazel.

[Gondor]

I missed seeing the landmark I am trying to find out about. Part of a dome pokes through some trees on a hill located on the west side of the M6. I can't say where it is as I never remember what the next junction or service station is. I had planned on stopping at the next services after the dome and writing down where I was so I could look it up on a map. I even had the pen and paper to hand. No good when you don't see it.

I may be totally wrong but I suggest that the "dome in a wooded area by the M6"  is the Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park, Lancaster.  It's a memorial to Lord Ashton's second wife Jessie.  I was 4 years in Lancaster 1970-74 at university so I know it well    https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/sites/williamson-park/ashton-memorial.   

Lord Ashton  (James Williamson)  made his money as a lino  manufacturer; his company later amalgamating with Nairns of Kirkaldy.  This is what the council website says about him:-https://www.lancaster.gov.uk/the-council-and-democracy/civic-and-ceremonial/lord-ashton-the-lino-king        Hope this helps

Sorry I didn't have time for a proper chat on Saturday, I was distracted by a most enjoyable hour-long lunch with Kit and Hazel.

That is exactly what I was seeing. Thank you for the link. I used the name to look at Google Maps and then the street view to see what I saw on the M6. Spot On.   

I would have enjoyed a far longer chat with yourself as well. I imagine that we could have had a very nice chat too, although your reason for not being able to do so this year is a very good reason that certainly takes precedence. Your flying visit, as it were, also precluded you from enjoying some of my fruit cake. I have recently finished off the last of the cake that I took to the show. There had been one whole slice left so I could say that your slice had been kept to the end of the show.

A couple of updates carrying on from Telford. Stuart gave me some pylons to fit under the wings of a 1/48 Lightning, and I spent a large amount of money on a pair of resin snips. I have now used the supports for one of the pylons as a test piece for the snips, and they work really nicely on the supports. I will not continue to use those snips for that purpose for the foreseeable future.
The second update is that I have booked and paid for my hotel room for next year 

[Gondor]

I managed to really sleep. Lights out was about 11pm, up a couple of times through the night, the second time was to let the cat in just after 5am, so while I was up, I went to the bathroom, something you tend to do when you get older, I'm passing there so I may as well go in. I finally got out of bed and dressed about midday. My knees ache, though. The cat has just recently decided to go outside, so if I put decent footwear on, stuff that doesn't leak, as it's raining, I can bring the models in as they go under the bed that the cat was sleeping on. Food shopping to do after that, but all that will be done later when I don't feel so worn out.

[NARSES2]

I had a very uneventful trip home once I got out of Telford. Next time, I will either leave earlier or later, it was almost gridlocked when I was trying to get out of town at 9am.

Yup, as I walked to the station in the morning I was suprised by just how gridlocked the duel carriageway was. No idea why.

[Gondor]

I managed to get the car back into its non-modelling show mode. I had to put the travel boxes on the floor though, as the cat was still asleep on the bed and the bed tilts to give access to the storage under it. Not much done other than shuffle around kits, I have a pile of them that are getting transferred into the loft this weekend to make room for the models I bought at Telford.
I have managed to find a company that produces a 1/35 Alvis Saracen Mk1 6x6 APC as a 3D kit. I have ordered it as I have actually been inside one, admittedly a wreck that was being used as a defence post by being dug into the ground and half-buried. It's also to me a classic British APC, the same way that the Saladin was the armoured car. For ships, the one that to me represents the RN is the Leander class, it's just the image of the time that I became aware of military things I suppose.
Anyway, I have decided to add another rod to my back by starting the other Whirlybird P.1121 to go with the navy one I have started. I might as well get both of them done at the same time.

[Rick Lowe]

Anyway, I have decided to add another rod to my back by starting the other Whirlybird P.1121 to go with the navy one I have started. I might as well get both of them done at the same time.

Not a bad idea to do the next lot of updates/enhancements while the techniques are fresh in your mind, either. 

[Gondor]

The cat was not home today. This is both a good thing, and a bad thing. Kind of Schrodinger thing going on there. Bad in that it's always nice to see him around, even if all he is doing is sleeping. Good, because I can work in the bedroom without disturbing said cat.
The work that I have done, is to move a pile of front covers from a weekly multi-part magazine on the Star Trek universe, which reminds me of something that might have been deliberately written by the writers of Star Trek Discovery. The thing with Star Trek is that people create anachronisms of the titles. The Original Series became TOS, The Next Generation became TNG, etc. Well, Star Trek Discovery became STD, a rather unfortunate set of letters in that order, not only that, but they had "The Burn". It does kind of make you wonder. 
Back to the modelling-related work, sort of. With a bit of reorganisation, the passenger side of the bed now has space between it and the wardrobes as I have moved the clothes horse out of the bedroom. So the rest of the contents of the small wardrobe have been placed there. This means that I was able to start work on structurally strengthening the small wardrobe for the 3D printer to live in. M6 holes have been drilled in the MDF, and a couple of Easyfix Insert Nuts have been fitted; another two will be fitted tomorrow. I have unboxed my router and set it up, almost. I just need to add the depth I want to cut to the depth gauge and then get the work table and everything else outside. It's too dark and cold now, but as everything is just about ready, it should not take too much time tomorrow to get everything set up and going. I will still have to drill holes through the current bottom of the small wardrobe. But that should not take too long. I have already emptied out the drawer below the wardrobe area, so that will catch the debris from the holes. Then I can start fitting everything together. Should be finished in time for Christmas, not saying which year though 

[scooter]

The thing with Star Trek is that people create anachronisms of the titles. The Original Series became TOS, The Next Generation became TNG, etc. Well, Star Trek Discovery became STD, a rather unfortunate set of letters in that order, not only that, but they had "The Burn". It does kind of make you wonder. 

I've come to appreciate Jack Ransom's canonical "explanation" for TOS:

"Ugh. Landru."
"I know, it's always weird revisiting planets from the TOS era."
"TOS?"
"It's what I call the 2260s. Stands for 'those old scientists' – You know, Spock, Scotty, those guys. Seems like they were stumbling on crazy new aliens every week back then."

Also I strongly recommend both Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds.  Especially the mixed format (animation and live action) S2e7 Those Old Scientists

[Gondor]

The thing with Star Trek is that people create anachronisms of the titles. The Original Series became TOS, The Next Generation became TNG, etc. Well, Star Trek Discovery became STD, a rather unfortunate set of letters in that order, not only that, but they had "The Burn". It does kind of make you wonder. 

I've come to appreciate Jack Ransom's canonical "explanation" for TOS:

"Ugh. Landru."
"I know, it's always weird revisiting planets from the TOS era."
"TOS?"
"It's what I call the 2260s. Stands for 'those old scientists' – You know, Spock, Scotty, those guys. Seems like they were stumbling on crazy new aliens every week back then."

Also I strongly recommend both Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds.  Especially the mixed format (animation and live action) S2e7 Those Old Scientists

I remember watching TOS when it was shown in the UK for the first time. I have boxed sets of all the live-action series so far, excluding Discovery, and have yet to get hold of Lower Decks as a boxed set, as I feel as if I am out of sequence with them. Enjoying Strange New Worlds, and managing to mostly not get distracted by the size of the Enterprise decks.

So yes, I am a bit of a Trekie