I can hear well enough after the flight over to the smoke.Tuesday. Closing in from the North and delayed just to heighten to chance of show off piloting made it better for landing on that very short bit of tarmac near Tate and Lyle. Back on Thursday. Make do with battery and the Royal Mail until I get back on board. If you are doubleplus lucky I will pick up a treat or two at Davidoff and a change of Walport for the troops.

Must away to top off after the flight blew the EustonStation tubes clear somewhere over the Wash.

A bit of my personal family history brought on by your landing experience:

Pictures - the first the screen shot from the opening of "Call the Midwife" The 2 funnels on the ship belong to the QSMV (Quadruple screw motor vessel) Dominion Monarch of Shaw, Saville & Albion. The street in the picture is Saville Road in Silvertown. (Not Poplar where the show is set.) There is an actual photo of the Dominion Monarch, and the other of my Dad directing traffic in and out of the main gate of Tate & Lyle Silvertown refinery with the opening in the houses at the back being Saville Road. My Uncle Charlie lived on Milk Street, by the East end of KG V dock - he was a crane driver in the Royal Docks. I believe where the Dominion Monarch was moored for the screen shot is now the parking lot for the London Municipal Airport.

I haven't been here before either -- came mainly to offload those drums of Fosters (and get paid of course!). Probably use our "saily senses" to find the nearest bar. Maybe that nice looking sheila on the dock could tell us -- maybe even round up a few of her friends to take us there? :):)

London City Airport or LCY as we frequent travellers call it. The only persons flying to LCY are Spivs going to the City or Canary Wharf, those banned from Heathrow or chaps who have vomited on a Ryanair to Stansted. A motley crew, I think you will agree.

Are you suggesting I am sort of gypsy? How can one be something ethnic only frequently and not all the time?

One excursion per annum, a Traveller does not make.
RO and the Glasgow Greeks on the CV leads one to believe there are spivish tendencies. And Crooked Mona is a strong indicator. Next time on the Mainland you could very well have your collar felt.

Tommy me oul China, between Shelia and her mates and our increasingly spivish Marconi Man I want the lock on my Stateroom door fixed. Please have Chippy turn-to and do the necessary.
One lives in hope that Shelia may want a lock-in.

If you look at THE dinner photographs you will see that I wear a fondleproof collar. Actually to keep Ms TouchyFeely off me at Friday lunch but one can never be too careful in a cellar surrounded by sailor boys (even gentleman plumbers) especialy as the wine's 'included'.

Get his collar felt? Why should there be favouritism?

I had a felt collar once but it brought my neck out in a rash :balloon: which reminds me I was in a large drapery store with the Memsahib who asked the shop assistant "can you get felt here?"... "well madam you can just take your chances like the rest of us" :jester:

wassat that noise?... who, what...half past four...oh err I feel all queer again... whooo hooooo.... where's that Arab wallah when he's needed, Mustapha Nap :yawn:

Any more of this and you will get to feel the back of my hand. Form a queue, it is so peachy you lascivious beasts.

Is there something in the water?

Try and keep up, E S. We haven't had a Chippy since before you joined. We did have a regular door man, Jim Barnes, who not only looked after locks, but also squeaks, stuck hinges, misalignments, etc. Unfortunately Jim passed away some time ago.

Bottom line, you being a self professed wunder-injuneer you should have sufficient expertise to fix your own door lock. Without even seeing it, I suspect a small shifter and a can of WD-40 (My grandma used camphorated oil instead) should do the trick.

The camphorated oil when used on the bathroom door lock did tend to hide the otherwise obnoxious bathroom smells emanating from that compartment. :supercool:

Intelligence says there are lots of good bars in town --- should get together for an exploratory crawl. :pint:

My grandma used camphorated oil


My granny was a great believer in the use of bar-bedded wire.


Between the two of them I think I can secure my cabin although it will look like Long Kesh without the pong of jobbies.

If I find anyone practising camphorated lubrification on any of the electrickery there will be trouble. Probably of a type ill-lit, loud, blue, hot and smelling ozoniferous.

Ah yes the good old Pub crawl. Count me in on that mate. I'll wear my going ashore wrangler gear

Billy a word in your shell-like;


Wrangler is for painting the Fore castle, John Collier for going ashore.
Little wonder your strike rate is so dismal, a sharp suit and you will put George Clooney under pressure. A rub of polish on the shoes will help. We will make a dandy of you yet, believe me.

John Collier? Dear me no. Wide lapels to the jacket, 2 inch wide turn ups on the trousers, garish pin stripes? We can't have the owner masquerading as a pox doctor's clerk.

Better send him to Austin Reed, or Hepworth's. :supercool:

Billy Boy the owner!!!
We better take him to Man at C&A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAbbcUu0ljE


I threw all my sweaters overboard a few trips ago. Never had one of those leisure suits cum track suits though.

I've seen his record of employment. Sir William, your handwritten labels are still a masterpiece. Masquerading? Pah!

You should see the gold embroidery on his bright red silk boxers! (So I am told.) :)

Had those embroidered by a lovely lady in Manila.

As Chief Injuneer I have quite an extensive wardrobe.... mind you there is feck all in it but it's quite extensive all the same.

For formal evenings or "on the pull" one has ones evening boiler suit, going ashore attire is a clean white one, coupled with a hint of HFO behind the ears. Pub crawls on the other hand require paint, grease, oil impregnated and filthy boiler suit with skid marks and WD 40 spots. When dining in the hofficers mess, ragged and grime impregnated skiddies are quite sufficient especially when partaking of Brown Windsor soup or curried leftovers. :big_tongue:

Tmac, look behind you, is it a witch being chased by a lion? Oh, no, it is that young lady who went missing at our last port pursued by by the Galley moggie.