Christmas
Newsletter 2017
Greetings from Anne..
...and Alan in Coulsdon!
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| Alan's 69th birthday celebration. You wait months for a Sue to come along, then two come along at once! |
Cats
Both Rascal and Coco are still going strong
although we had a scare with Rascal early in the year when he just seemed to
grind to a halt, had lots of diarrhoea and stopped eating. We feared the worst
as cats can deteriorate very quickly and off he went to Uncle Johnnie, his
favourite vet, for a three-night stay attached to a drip. He made a marvellous
recovery but now has to go to the vet for a monthly injection and has
appetite-stimulating tablets, which make him eat like a horse. His long furry
coat matted in August and it was the usual close shave, which took off about
70% of his fur and left him looking a bit like a lion. Rascal now has to have a
different diet to Coco and this has curtailed our holiday plans, as it is quite
a responsibility to ask friends to look after them.
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| Coco |
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| Rascal |
Holidays
Not a lot of news regarding holidays this year as
they have been thin on the ground due to our little furry family problems. Anne
went on a line-dancing weekend in Eastbourne and to Buxton for a Gilbert and
Sullivan show and Alan went on a stag party weekend to Stuttgart in Germany and
then for a few days to the West Country with his friend John from Australia.
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| Steve and Alan in Stuttgart's glorious main square |
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| Exmoor in Devon |
Alan’s Eyes
As Alan’s eyesight had gradually worsened, it was
time for cataract operations to both. Looking forward to wonderful eyesight, I
was very disappointed to find that the first eye operation in late August was
not a great success. The follow up visit to the consultant revealed that there
was liquid on the retina (quite common apparently) and I was put on drops and
tablets that failed to resolve the problem.
So they were followed with an injection and the fluid finally
disappeared after eight weeks. All was clear for the other eye operation, which
was immediately cancelled as I had caught the coughing virus that was still
with me five weeks later in mid December. At last, on the 19th
December, the left eye was operated on and now – no surprise – I can see even
less clearly for distance but, with the aid of a cheap pair of reading glasses
from the Pound Shop, I can at least read something! With luck, everything
should be resolved by mid-February. Then I will need a decent pair of glasses
to finally get me back to normal.
Never
run for a bus
In November Alan walked into a bus shelter – no, I
didn’t actually walk but ran head first into the glass end, virtually invisible
on the dark night, as we hurried for the bus. There was a very loud bang like a
car crash and nearby female bus travellers screamed and looked to see me
completely dazed - but still standing as blood poured out of each nostril and
the top of my nose, where my glasses had been pushed into it by the impact. We
abandoned the trip and returned home to inspect the damage, which despite the
bang, was not too bad. My nose was swollen, the upper gum painful and a front
tooth now has a hairline crack; not to mention quite a headache. The next day
was spent with the doctor who was satisfied that there was no major damage, the
nurse for running repairs and the dentist – and we have our fingers crossed for
the tooth. The moral of this story is: never run for a bus!
Computer
fun
Anne has been frustrated for some time with her
computer and printer regularly playing up and decided to treat herself to a
replacement. She is pleased with it and, although she was without a computer
for just one day we both remarked how odd and inconvenient it was when the
wonders of a computer were not available. Hardly had these words been uttered
and the old one taken away than we were aware of a loud thud upstairs, followed
by an acrid electrical burning smell emanating from Alan’s computer. Luckily,
there was no fire and our computer guru fixed it within five days, no data
being lost. He recommended changing the screen to a new flat version and the
27-inch duly arrived, giving me a lot of help with my current eyesight problems
- it is much easier to read and write, as the text is much clearer. Photographs
look good, too. Another bit of advice here: back up everything frequently; just
imagine losing all your documents and photographs, etc.
Outings
Our annual summer outing with friends Pat and Tony saw us taking the train to Portsmouth, then the ferry to the Isle of Wight. Here, we split up, with the girls going to Osborne House and the boys heading for the steam railway. The day was a little fraught with problems on the railway and island buses. Trains and ships and buses were missed but, miraculously, we arrived back to the restaurant in the evening only 15 minutes late for a superb Chinese meal.
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| Old and new on the Isle of Wight: London Transport 1938 style underground trains still at work and below the latest hovercraft design linking Ryde with Southsea. |
Anne’s birthday treat was to the Old Mill at
Sonning – a riverside theatre/restaurant near Reading – where a Johnny Cash
tribute band provided fabulous entertainment. A super evening. We also went to
a live show, which recalled the one and only time that four famous American
recording artists assembled in the Sun Records recording studio in Memphis –
they being Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Gerry Lee Lewis and Rick Nelson. A
brilliant musical reunion.
Paul Pleszko, one of our park home industry
friends, celebrated his 60th birthday in May by inviting a large
number of us to join him on board a River Thames evening cruise. This was a first
class evening on one of the latest riverboats, which had glass sides and roof,
allowing excellent views as we sailed from London’s Embankment pier. As welcome
drinks were poured we set off, first up river passing the London Eye and the
Houses of Parliament as far as Barnes. A superb dinner was then served as
darkness fell and we turned back and headed to and through the City of London, by
this time illuminated by twinkling lights. We passed magnificent St Paul’s
Cathedral on the left, The Shard on the right and, before long, the
mysterious-looking Tower of London bathed in a yellow glow. And then another
treat as Tower Bridge was opened to allow us and another vessel through – a
rare event. On the return journey, the
band played and voyagers danced and a good time was had by all, until we
arrived back to disembark at eleven o’clock.
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| Paul with his wife Kim as we set sail |
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| Approaching Tower Bridge. The road sections are lifting to let us through. |
Twelfth
Night
We went to see a live performance of Twelfth Night,
which was being ‘beamed’ live one evening from The Globe theatre in London to a
local theatre screen in Croydon. This was brilliant and even better than being
at The Globe itself, thanks to many close ups of the actors which allowed their
facial expressions to be seen ‘up close and personal’.
Friends and family
We had a great time at the wedding of Victoria Fosh (Steve and Carol’s daughter) to Richard; also Lee-Anne (Alan’s great niece) to Nick. Ex-neighbours Brenda and Geoff celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in style.
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| Victoria and Richard |
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| Lee-Anne and Nick |
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| Benda and Geoff |
We were sad to say farewell to Joan Jones who helped teach
us to dance back in 1973, Doug Walker – one of Anne’s industry colleagues, and
BR colleague and great friend Tony Cousins.
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| Tony and Sue Cousins |
Concorde
A recent treat was spending an evening at a talk
presented by retired British Airways Concorde pilot John Hutchinson about his
life flying the supersonic aircraft. A very lively, witty and informative
evening in front of a packed audience in aid of the RNLI Lifeboat charity. If
his talk comes your way, don’t miss it!
Cinema
Anne continues to visit the cinema regularly with
her friend Sheila and they have seen numerous films during the year. A cinema
within Croydon’s old town hall specialises in showing films that people may have
missed the first time around and, as it caters for an audience of just one
hundred souls, is a very popular venue. Anne rated the films ‘Lion’, ‘Viceroy’s
House’ and ‘Victoria and Abdul’ very highly. Anne has also been to the theatre
with some of her other friends. And we had an excellent night out in Tunbridge
Wells to see a dancing tribute to Fred Astaire by Strictly Come Dancing stars
Ailjaz and Jeanette – this outing being a special treat from our friend Cathy.
Keeeep Dancing!
Anne is really keen on Line Dancing and goes to two
sessions each week. Once a month there is a Tea Dance in London that we both
like to attend.
Culture
Anne went to see the medieval embroidery exhibition
at the Victoria and Albert museum. Not to be outdone, Alan went to the V and
A’s Underwear exhibition - fascinating to see how styles changed over the years
as new methods of holding garments together (eg buttons and zips) and different
materials (eg Rayon and Nylon) were invented.
We went to see ‘Tango Fire’ – a live show about the
Argentine Tango, performed by the world champion dance group from Argentina. If
you have seen this very intricate dance on ‘Strictly’, imagine it being danced
by six couples in formation and changing partners in mid-stream. Breathtaking!
Our retired teacher friend Amanda is an official
City of London guide and has taken us on several walks around the many
fascinating and historical parts of London.
Locally, we have attended talks by a 90 year Jewish
lady, who recalled her experiences as a child escaping from Germany just before
the war, and by a man who has visited the Mount Everest region three times as
part of experiments into the effects of altitude on the human body.
Our local amateur dramatic group, the Coulsdon
Players, again excelled themselves in their outdoor summer production of ‘Dick
Barton and the Slaves of the Sultan’. Smut played a large part in this
particular piece of ‘culture’ – much enjoyed by friends Diane and John, over
here on holiday from Australia!
So, it’s goodbye from us
At this point we say ‘Farewell and Happy
Christmas/New Year’ to those readers who haven’t the faintest interest in
trains, planes and other male pursuits. You need read no further BUT, if you do
like this sort of thing or are just curious, you are welcome to continue.
With best wishes from Anne and Alan
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Gricing (the noble art of transport enthusiasm)
The Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Gala saw guest
engines Ivatt 2-6-2 tank, the green 9F and the first appearance for 8 years of
Bulleid pacific 34081 from the Nene Valley Railway; resplendent in Malachite
green - as it first entered service, with BR number and lettering and not yet
named. This was in good company with two re-built Bulleids also in service; Taw
Valley and Sir Keith Park – all together at one time in Bewdley station. Other
highlights were the first appearances of GWR 813 saddle tank, formerly of the
Port Talbot Railway, and pannier tank 7714.
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| 34081 at Rothley, Mid-Hants Railway |
There were double-headed trains, plus services
running in the dark until 22.00. I stayed overnight in Bewdley, so close to the
railway that when a loco crossed the viaduct, the guest house shook and I could
see the train from the bedroom window.
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| Green 9F freight locomotive crosses Bewdley viaduct |
I went up to the station after dinner to
see the arrival of the night goods, pannier tank hauled, and the last passenger
train hauled by Sir Keith. With the dim station lights and steam swirling in
the breeze, it was most atmospheric. The veranda on The Engine House at
Highley, was a superb spot to watch passing trains, whilst 813 pottered about
giving brake van rides in the station yard.
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| 813, formerly of the Port Talbot Railway |
This year has also seen Flying Scotsman and Deltic
galas on the Bluebell Railway and Bulleid galas on the Swanage and Mid-Hants
railways – all spectacular.
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| 'Flying Scotsman' accelerates through Horsted Keynes |
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| One of three Deltic diesel locomotives that visited the Bluebell Railway this year |
My bucket list of steam trips that I have wanted to
do for years has been significantly reduced this year with rides on trains
hauled by class A4 Union of South Africa, Castle class Earl of Mount Edgcumbe,
Battle of Britain class Lord Dowding, Clan Line and Royal Scot. Most of these
trips included prolonged running at 70 to 75 miles per hour; even 81mph on one
of them.
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| Record holder Mallard's classmate Union of South Africa at Weymouth |
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| 'Lord Dowding' heads north through Coulsdon at the head of the Belmond Pullman |
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| Merchant Navy class 'Clan Line' at Basingstoke |
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| 'Royal Scot' at Littlehanpton |
In April I had planned to go to Salisbury to see
Castle 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' on the Vintage Trains special from Birmingham. I
have long wanted to travel behind a Castle locomotive but it’s always a
challenge with the times and really needs me to stay in a Birmingham hotel
before and after the trip. Checking the timings, I saw that it stopped at
Didcot for an hour’s visit to the railway centre, with 5043 going on shed and
posing for pics, so I went there to see it. I then found the train manager and
was allowed to buy a ticket for the journey to Salisbury and back to Banbury.
It was a superb trip in great weather with a lot of 75 mph running between
Worting Junction and Salisbury – high speed for nearly 40 minutes – and on the
return journey between Basingstoke and Reading, then on the fast line to
Didcot, plus two spirited runs to Oxford and Banbury. A brilliant day!
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| Heading for home - 5043 at Banbury |
Trams
Not a lot to report but the aforementioned trip to Stuttgart did have one transport bonus. This attractive city, which is surround by steep valley sides, has a comprehensive city centre tram system. Most of the lines are underground and occasionally surface at road junctions then pop back underground again. But there is one line, which is famous, as it climbs up the side of the steep valley to a city suburb, operating on a cog system. The service is provided by a single tramcar that propels a trailer ahead of it, the trailer being fitted with racks for bicycles. There are about 10 stops and trams run over the single track with passing places every 15 minutes. What luck that the terminus of this tram line should be located just across the road from our hotel!
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| The cog tramway at Stuttgart |
Incidentally, Stuttgart has some of the latest
bendy buses, which are now electric (ie battery) powered.
Air France Dreamliner
An opportunity to travel on a new 'Dreamliner' Boeing 787 aircraft presented itself in April when Air France put their new very
long-distance aircraft on the 35-minute hop from London to Paris for just £89
return. The aircraft is remarkable for being quiet and bright inside, thanks to
much larger windows. (Prior to take-off, an announcement was made on-board
explaining that the use of this new aeroplane was to enable the crew to be
familiar with the aircraft. I rather hoped that the pilots already were!)
Because the plane operated in both directions on
early morning flights, overnight stays at both Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle
airports were needed so, to fill the afternoon in France, I went to the nearby
aviation museum at Le Bourget airport, which boasts among many other unusual
aircraft, two Concordes side by side and a couple of very large Arianne space
rockets.
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| Having just dropped me back at Heathrow, the 787 heads back to Paris |
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| This Arianne space rocket dwarfs the Boeing jumbo jet |
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| Fleets of the Canadair water bombers are stationed in the South of France and Spain to fight forest fires They are flying boats, which land on lakes to replenish their water supplies. |
West Country grice
This summer’s trip included some new and some old
lines. I stayed at Dunster for the Lynton and Barnstaple, West Somerset and the
Lynton-Lynmouth Cliff Railways. The next stop was Bodmin for the Bodmin and
Wenford and Launceston Railways, then finally to the Brecon Mountain Railway in
South Wales. Each railway was better than hoped; the weather was good and some
of the scenery outstanding.
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| Stunning countryside surrounds the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway |
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| The American-themed Brecon Mountain Railway |
Dublin
I went to London City Airport for my first look at
the Swiss Bombardier CS100 – a very quiet and attractive-looking 100 seat
aircraft with excellent short take off performance. This is the Canadian aircraft
of which there has been a lot of trouble in the US. It has been some time since I’ve flown from London City so I went
with Irish airline CityJet on one of their 146 aircraft to Dublin, experiencing
an exhilarating take off with the four engines winding up to full power before
the brakes were released. We accelerated very rapidly and lifted off halfway
down the short runway. Returning to London was another well-known aviation
ride: the steep approach.
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| Swiss is the first airline to operate the CS100. Here the flight takes off from London City airport for the return journey to Zurich, as a CityJet 146 departs the terminal building on its next journey. |
Exhibitions
There have been two very good model railway
exhibitions in Surrey that I have been able to reach by public transport (I
still can’t drive) and I went to the huge Warley show at Birmingham
International last weekend. I just about saw everything in six hours and even
that time did not permit lingering too long at each exhibit. There were four
full size locos on display including examples from the Bluebell, Severn Valley
and Statfold Railways, plus a new build replica narrow gauge engine of French
design. There were loads of excellent, and some very large, layouts – a couple
of OO gauge layouts were larger than the total ground floor area of our home!
The end is nigh!
Finally, a glimpse of the future – HMS Queen
Elizabeth, one of two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, arrived in Portsmouth
and is seen here on a particularly grey day. The American aircraft, which will
fly from the ship, have been a long time in development and are still not
ready. As Bruce Forsythe would have remarked: ‘It would be nice to see them –
to see them nice!’ One day….? As I write, I hear that HMS QE has just sprung a leak!
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| Being readied for service at Portsmouth |
The
End – see you next year.
Alan
