Being a retired postie it is sad to see how far they've fallen apart; I hear many stories from my ex colleagues about lack of staff etc and staff not being bothered anymore because their bosses aren't.
I'd not seen our postie for days then on Wednesday received 11 letters which for us is about 2 weeks worth. Not even Christmas cars but letters that had been hanging around.

Quote from: thebrighton on December 12, 2025, 01:20:25 PMDid some manly angle grinding yesterday wearing full safety gear, goggles etc and survived.
Got home, had a shower, washed a metal splinter out of my hair into my eye, A&E at 2am then back this morning to have the splinter removed with a follow up next week to remove the rust.
The moral of the story is don't wash!

Or keep the goggles on while doing so.

Another Royal Mail moan I'm afraid. No mail, parcels etc received all week even though I've had notifications that there will be 3 deliveries made. The one below was posted on Monday on Tracked 48 so they 'aim' to deliver by Wednesday. On Tuesday it arrived at the Swindon sorting centre around 20 miles away so it looked hopeful. Then it sits in Swindon for 2 days and today they've sent it off to Greenford which is 85 miles away! It may magically arrive tomorrow 120 hours afterwards rather than the 'aim' of 48 I suppose:



It's supposed to go from A to D. It looked good when it was at B but why on earth is it now at C? 

Did some manly angle grinding yesterday wearing full safety gear, goggles etc and survived.
Got home, had a shower, washed a metal splinter out of my hair into my eye, A&E at 2am then back this morning to have the splinter removed with a follow up next week to remove the rust.
The moral of the story is don't wash!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all have a good time and that nobody is having to work. 

...and Merry Christmas to all from Sussex's frozen muddy wastes!

Thank you to @Tank for running the Forum like clockwork, all the mods for keeping us in order, and everybody else for good company, sound advice and fascinating information (with special mention to @Train Waiting and his excellent 'Coarse Guide' which was so brief you may have missed it).

All the best for 2026.

    

Chris

A couple of under rated (IMHO) bands and their tracks

oops!!

It should have said Happy Christmas.

There are more Christmas poems if you are interested

This just manifested itself from my wife's keyboard.

Happy Chrostmas everybody.

Christmas Eve

With the baking and wrapping and preparing all done
I was looking forward to a tomorrow-of-fun.
I poured out a wine and cosied down in my chair
Pulled off my socks and let down my hair.
I glanced at the clock, it was twelve twenty three,
Then, Santa, fell down our parlour chimney.
 I rushed to the hearth, but all I could see

Were two black boots and legs to the knee.
"Help me, I'm stuck," a muffled voice cried,
"I'll do what I can ," I quickly replied.
In a panic I said, "Stay where you are,
I hope you don't suffer from clausphobia."
 
"Hold in your stomach," I yelled up the flue.
"I'll pull and I'll shove on the count of two."
There were rumblings and groanings of the scary kind,
And slitherings and slidings, rude words unrefined,
Then out popped Santa, sooty but fine,
Thus Christmas was saved in the Saint Nick of time.

Gill Reed

Quote from: Steven B on December 12, 2025, 10:59:50 AMTwo coaches:
Coniston 1958: https://flic.kr/p/o3c6J6

The Coniston motor train looked better pre-war, with an Aspinall Radial at one end