TheQ

Fancy a week's trip to Mull in independence? Due to the huge backlog when I was taking the test I was offered other test centres , but being in the RAF and training at the time I could not get the time off to go elsewhere. Mull is a nice place, not much traffic, no roundabouts, no dual carriageways, but you'd better be good at hill starts...and dodging sheep.

it's also national pie week, for both yum yum..

Swindons got it's own magic roundabout ( that is its official name..) and from above, Boy did i hate that one I used to come in from Oxford then head south or from the south head to the ring road up to Blunsdon. I also hated the trial one they had to the north of Edinburgh at one time.. My first test was, the day the 1976 heatwave broke in Milton Keynes. my two failing points.. I went for 5th gear, unfortunately it wasn't the avenger I learnt in, and it only had 4 gears, On the emergency stop, after 6 months of no rain it was like a ice rink the roads were foaming as it bucketed down, so the car slid into the kerb when I braked.. I then moved and on my first lesson the new instructer said had that been my test I would have passed, unfortunately there was a six month waiting list for tests then, so a lot of money later. I took my test and did two emegency stops.... one was the required one, then shortly after a lorry reversed out in front of us and I had to stop in a hurry again.. I passed...

That and the gangers and length men doing their job, My Grandfather (Mums side) spent a lot of that winter digging out snow along the tracks and especially between the points to keep the line open. Those men in the Blea Moor video I posted, would have been length men and gangers. I can remember granddad going out dressed like that...

The NDR will be useful for me, especially if the section to the western end is ever completed. Those of us who live north of the 47 and out to the coast, have to drive down to Acle then join the 47 which is a long way round if you're Heading for Edinburgh.. The main reason for the NDR though is to reduce traffic on the Boundary road / Mile cross lane / Mousehold lane round to Trowse. This is an increasingly congested route. I'm already using the Coltishall road to Wroxham road section every day and the section round to the A140 occasionally Once the Wroham to 47 Section is complete, then traffic to Wroxham will no longer go through the city or go out to Acle then wind their way through to Repps / Bastwick or wind their way cross country though the Plumsteads. I do wish it had been built without the roundabouts, you just know at some time in the future, they'll remove more of them at vast expence and disruption.

The traffic lights just off of the NDR on the the Wroxham side of the roundabout have been removed, but after the cafe, the hole in the road marked by cones is still there.. Yesterday I followed someone who is obviously used to being told what to do by the black bocx on the dashboard. They drove past new signs and lane for the Rackheath turning, then Indicating and trying to turn into the Old Rackheath road., Coming to halt in the middle of the road blocking, traffic from both directions. Eventually turning back in to the straight on lane and no doubt listening to the words "recalculating route" before turning off at the next junction...

to avoid Norwich Yacht Station?

On 3 Rivers Saturday...

it's enought to say In the Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy triolgy, there are Five books

like ... A square meal, Naval expression, square plates that fitted into square boxes on a table to stop your meal sliding about. Brass monkeys, Naval expression, a Powder Monkey was the boy who fetched the gunpowder for cannon, a wooden monkey was a bit of wood the held cannon balls from srolling around, When they introduced brass monkeys to replace the wooden ones the temperature differential on different metals still allowed the cannon balls to escape sometimes. A balls up, Sailing , when a ship runs aground, it's supposed to haul 3 balls up in a verticle line to signify you are aground. A Cock up, you have the cock feather ( the longer one) on your arrow in the wrong place on your bow. Sleep tight, old time beds used rope strung between the frames, if the rope got loose, you rolled into the middle, tightening the rope reduced this. Chance your arm, military, take a risk that might mean you lose your stripes, Cold shoulder, to give a visitor a cold cut of meat instead of a hot meal. Flash in the pan, your musket power just went flash in the pan leading to the charge, the charge didn't ignite.

I can see the markings, unfortunately the design and shape of the round abouts is stupid, Why do they have 3 concentric rings of markings when there are only at most 2 lanes of traffic joining or leaving. The roundabouts themselves have very sharp entries and exits compared to most modern or even older roundabouts, the exits have very short merge areas when you have two lanes of the roundabout heading to the exit.

This mornings Lead Item on radio Norfolk Morning discussion programme.. The stupid design of the roundabouts on the NDR, One of the reasons for no lights on the round abouts, Enviromental it's classed as a " dark area" Alongside the Norwich airport with thousands of cars trundeling up and down with head light on?

They'd need to blow up the roundabouts first...

Years ago there was a little more snow...

Me, i believe in Milankovitch cycles Which now predict, I believe, we have now started a 30 cooling period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles

From the EDP, Not quite the NDR but close, The A1150 North Walsham road Between Allens road and White Woman Lane will be closed for resurfacing from 9am to 4pm from the 12th of March for two weeks. That's the Coltishall road from the last road junction before the rugby club most of the way towards Norwich at the round about at Mile cross lane on the "old ring road" Also there is an extra set of traffic lights just North of the NDR Wroxham road roundabout, before the Rackheath turning and about a mile on towards Wroxham some cones round a hole in the tarmac.

Both Hickling Broad, and Horning Sailing clubs have web cams. Hickling club watch their end of the broad, their events start 18th March, Hornings cams watch both up and down river, as well as watching normal river traffic, on any Sunday throughout the year you can see either Horning or Snowflake sailing club action. The other 4 web cams on HSCs Site are only active during the 3 rivers race. Things to watch, SFSC sail from 10:45 to about 15:00 on a Sunday (their season finishes in about three weeks) HSC sail from 09:45 to about 16:00. on a Sunday (their season starts on the 25th March, for the following 6 months.) HSC also has the Sail training school from Thursday 3rd May, in the evenings. HSC has Laser radio control sailing on Wednesdays. HSC have a lot of events on Saturdays as well, incuding the 3 Rivers race 2nd and 3rd of June, and Regatta week 29th July to the 3rd of August this year. All three clubs programmes are available on the net.. I've also seen otters, seals!!! and Kingfishers at HSC

They've now cancelled tomorrow's show in Beccles.

Go down to great Yarmouth the council have the JCB out.... To clear the sand blown into town

It's definitely not nice up there I've just been viewing videos sent by my niece 14 miles from Edinburgh. But it's not much better here. On the minor road I live on we have 3ft snow drifts and it's blowing a hoolie at the moment. I've put in a days leave for tomorrow...

Years ago I started using Maplins when they were a family business down near Southend, you replied to an advert in a electronics magazine and they sent you a catagloue with a free sci fi poster inside and pictures of All the staff printed inside the front cover. Then they expanded like mad, generally went down hill and put their prices up. Did Norwich really need two shops?. Maplins also killed off a lot of local electronics shops, there used to be one on St Benedicts Street I used to use. Years ago I used to use a catalogue from " The Woodscrew Supply Company" a couple of men in a shed near Yeovil , they expanded like mad, for a while they went a bit rubbish, but sorted themselves out after a while, they are now Called......Screwfix... RS used to have an Amateur supplies branch called I think Doram, which they sold off and it sank with out trace. They, RS, then refused to supply private buyers. Farnell (Now known as "Farnell Element 14" for some reason) also did not supply Private Buyers. These days RS and Farnell or anyone else will supply anyone with a credit card so the top end of the electronics has been taken from Maplins, then you can Buy almost any Identical parts from Ebay or Amazon for half the price or less, so they have taken the bottom of the market. Leaving Maplins with nothing much in the middle.

I've got blue snow on the Landrover, the blue windscreen washer liquid froze after staining the snow..

Hmmm, looking at the cossh report Wet and forget looks as bad for the enviroment as the Patio maigic I suggested and got an ear bashing for. wet and forget http://complyplus.grainger.com/grainger/msds.asp?sheetid=3809640 patio magic http://www.whelehangardening.ie/_fileupload/341990 4010340 Patio Magic 2_5l.pdf I think I might take my fenders off and clean them with patio magic at home though

Snowflake sailing club's event a couple of days ago made the EDP Here...http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/snowflakes-sailing-club-enjoy-an-excellent-day-s-racing-in-len-ramuz-s-memory-1-5413387

I see the EDP reports plans for 30 flats and a dozen bungalows on the abbatoir site in Stalham. With all the houses and flats being built in Stalham they'll need a bigger Tescos... oh..... they can't, they are building 30 flats and 12 houses on the site...