Monday, April 27
Wednesday, April 15
Stationmaster Steve rides again
Some very strange noises emanating from the House on Toot Corner. Richard, clearly concerned that the 8:22 from Cold Higham might be about to demolish his garage, went to investigate just what his neighbour was up to. There he found Steve, dressed in white slacks and jumper, nicely topped off with his stationmaster's cap, dashing around the track that runs through his garden clutching a device and pressing buttons wildly.
"What do'you think of the new sound system?" exclaimed Steve as he hurdled the platform and grabbed Biscuit (a large hobnob-coloured labrador).
"What did you say?" mouthed Richard, attempting to make himself heard above the din.
Steve lipread pretty successfully and went on to explain something about decibels and automatic effect transitions.
Richard looked impressed and stroked his beard or, at least, the place where he used to have a beard last year. Wobbling around the garden track was a huge train pulling several carriages. One button caused a loud whooshing noise, another a hoot that would attract even an owl with a headache. Then, came his pièce de resistance - the chuff . . chuff . .chufF chuFF . . chUFF . . CHUFF!! - which must have been audible across the whole village and may have even had the good ladies of Pattishall wondering whether they should bring down their leather trunks from the loft. One could almost see a flurry of handkerchieves dabbing tears and hear the theme from Brief Encounter.
The morning run was not the only outing for Stationmaster Steve's new gadget. There was a 21:40 departure too and that one definitely caused a stir amongst the wildlife as I could have sworn a bat was muttering something rude as it flew past me as I watched from a distance.
I can't wait to do the follow-up video to Big Train- Little People! Watch this space for more news on that as it has to be a must for the next Committee meeting!
"What do'you think of the new sound system?" exclaimed Steve as he hurdled the platform and grabbed Biscuit (a large hobnob-coloured labrador).
"What did you say?" mouthed Richard, attempting to make himself heard above the din.
Steve lipread pretty successfully and went on to explain something about decibels and automatic effect transitions.
Richard looked impressed and stroked his beard or, at least, the place where he used to have a beard last year. Wobbling around the garden track was a huge train pulling several carriages. One button caused a loud whooshing noise, another a hoot that would attract even an owl with a headache. Then, came his pièce de resistance - the chuff . . chuff . .chufF chuFF . . chUFF . . CHUFF!! - which must have been audible across the whole village and may have even had the good ladies of Pattishall wondering whether they should bring down their leather trunks from the loft. One could almost see a flurry of handkerchieves dabbing tears and hear the theme from Brief Encounter.
The morning run was not the only outing for Stationmaster Steve's new gadget. There was a 21:40 departure too and that one definitely caused a stir amongst the wildlife as I could have sworn a bat was muttering something rude as it flew past me as I watched from a distance.
I can't wait to do the follow-up video to Big Train- Little People! Watch this space for more news on that as it has to be a must for the next Committee meeting!
Monday, April 13
Paddock Party Committee on stamps
Here is a new set of stamps just put on sale in America. Nice to see the Paddock Party Committee getting the fame they deserve.
Saturday, April 11
Happy Easter, everyone.
I hope Mr Adams [Daily Telegraph, Thursday 9 April 2009] doesn't mind me reproducing this but it is just brilliant! Happy Easter everyone.
mobile memories
I've just managed to connect my phone to a computer and found some photos I'd forgotten I had from the last year or so - and every single one tells a story!
Adrian tries on a lampshade.
Adrian nearly misses the last train to Cold Highamville
Remember how cold it got last year? I might have seen -8 degrees C if I'd got up a bit earlier.
Matti wonders why he has to dress up in 1930s stuff when his brother gets to drive a new convertible.
We were quite lost but it didn't matter when you can smile at names like that!
It's your move, I think.
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Adrian tries on a lampshade.
Adrian nearly misses the last train to Cold Highamville
Remember how cold it got last year? I might have seen -8 degrees C if I'd got up a bit earlier.
Matti wonders why he has to dress up in 1930s stuff when his brother gets to drive a new convertible.
We were quite lost but it didn't matter when you can smile at names like that!
It's your move, I think.
Mum's garden actually looks good wild.
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Thursday, April 9
Be seeing you!
Any time now the Google Eye will be trundling through the village and the betting has started on who or what will be caught and for the forseeable future be visible to anyone typing Astcote in the seach box.7-1 on Maggie's cat asleep on the window ledge
Evens Maggie's cat awake on the window ledge
6-4 Don and his dog
5-1 Steve and a lawnmower
11-1 Bruno waiting for my door to open
14-1 Boy and a football
33-1 Matti painting pebbles
Place your bets now and remember to check no skirts tucked in knickers or flies unzipped!
Wednesday, April 8
Another two of those cards
Mis-read penny's list so another of those cards was needed. So here's the start of the 2009 collection. (Actually, there's another that's even later which I'll add a link too once the person's got it!)
Thursday, April 2
[forgot] usb = [long] drive!!
This post should have been entitled 'Yippee!: or something similar as I arrived back in the village to start a whole two weeks and a day of desperately needed break from the stress and dull tedium of Dunstable, weird management request that we all use Arial 11 and virtually anything to do with Key Skills. However, on reaching the door I realised that I'd left my USB stick in a computer in a classroom.
Now, had it just had some copies of College files or stuff like that I could have taken a chance and called someone in the morning to retrieve it. These days, though, with 4GB or more space, I have tended to use it for everything and there are all sorts of things on it like photos, personal letters, draft web sites, designs, children's homework and so on. So I really didn't like the idea of some spotty student finding it and snaffling it away, especially as the spots may belong to someone I'd kicked out of class for swearing or just being a pain who might then wreak havoc, if not revenge, by publishing my stuff on noticeboards everywhere.
Even decent students who quite like me could have had great fun with a programme on there called Rasterbator which (no, it isn't rude) turns images into gigantic multipage and really impressive posters with a couple of clicks. The thought of my face beaming down from a ten by eight set of A4 sheets blutacked to a wall in A block was too much to bear.
So back I went, all the way to Dunstable. Boy, was I relieved to find the little stick still poking out of the PC in A409! Finally got back and put the cost and time down to experience. Tomorrow I shall extract anything I'm not happy to share with Spotty which I really should have done long ago. I expect there'll be others out there who may just be thinking they might do the same thing too!
Made it there and back in under an hour and a half, by the way. usually takes me that long just to get there!
Now, had it just had some copies of College files or stuff like that I could have taken a chance and called someone in the morning to retrieve it. These days, though, with 4GB or more space, I have tended to use it for everything and there are all sorts of things on it like photos, personal letters, draft web sites, designs, children's homework and so on. So I really didn't like the idea of some spotty student finding it and snaffling it away, especially as the spots may belong to someone I'd kicked out of class for swearing or just being a pain who might then wreak havoc, if not revenge, by publishing my stuff on noticeboards everywhere.
Even decent students who quite like me could have had great fun with a programme on there called Rasterbator which (no, it isn't rude) turns images into gigantic multipage and really impressive posters with a couple of clicks. The thought of my face beaming down from a ten by eight set of A4 sheets blutacked to a wall in A block was too much to bear.
So back I went, all the way to Dunstable. Boy, was I relieved to find the little stick still poking out of the PC in A409! Finally got back and put the cost and time down to experience. Tomorrow I shall extract anything I'm not happy to share with Spotty which I really should have done long ago. I expect there'll be others out there who may just be thinking they might do the same thing too!
Made it there and back in under an hour and a half, by the way. usually takes me that long just to get there!
Wednesday, April 1
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