Nostell Steam Rally

Today was such a lovely day it was agreed that tools should be downed and that a visit to the Nostell Steam Rally would be in order. Now don't get me wrong; I am not some weirdo steam enthusiast that wanks lyrical about steam. I'm not. I like steam engines. I can stand and watch their technological wizardry for hours. But if I never saw another steam engine then I wouldn't be bitter. I'd be a bit sad maybe, but I wouldn't like like "OMG! ONOES! T EH steamz0rzzzz WTF!"




Still, I do like a good gathering of people that like to display their weirdnesses. At £6 entrance fee, it was reasonably priced. I got to see lots of steam engines (from ickle tiny ones to HUGE "mo'fo' get out the way or it will squish you" ones. Also in the bargain was a vintage car rally. There was a time when Ford Granada's were common place. Now they are classed as vintage! This also goes for Capris which, rather bizarrely, have an owners club based in Leeds. See that sort of passion, I cannot understand, but still some people like that sort of thing so who am I to judge.




So I took some piccies and some video but my camera phone has been playing up recently (How fortuitous. It was working like a dream last week and now that I'm in range of my contract expiring it has started to goof up, funny that isn't it? No doubt if I ring Orange up and say "Oi My phone is knackered!" they would say "Oh well seeing as your contract runs out in July why not upgrade and have a new contract with it. Yeah right) so I have no guarantee there is sound on the videos.




So without further ado (and because I've got a 16oz Rump steak with my name on it in the fridge) may I present the photos that came out.

Nostell Priory











The entrance to the rally











Steam things













A steam powered thing













Yet another steam powered thing






It's a Capri, it might as well be steam powered. Did you know Ford used special rust generating steel to make Ford Capris?









A bus (petrol or possibly diesel powered but for the purposes of this post please imagine it is steam powered)






Tractors. There be farmers around somewhere.













Look mum! Steam things!






Steam powered birds of prey!






A steam powered mini (ok maybe not but it's a minimini)

A steam powered organ thing

Another steam powered organ thing

Yet one more steam powered organ thing

Tagging

One of my on-going projects is the tagging of past LJ entries. This morning I mined these two classics from way back when.

Paranoia - http://stegzy.livejournal.com/237973.html

Antisocial behaviour - http://stegzy.livejournal.com/254642.html

Ah, such innocent times. Though looking back has reminded me that for some reason or other the intention to move to Yorkshire had lurked, almost unnoticed. Hmmmm

Edited to add - My dinner last night consisted of




Cumberland Sausage and mash with cabbage


Home made onion gravy.

Eyes - A poem by Stegzy Gnomepants

I see you looking up at me


Your eyes unblinking


I cut you into wedges


Into hot boiling water, sinking


For the crimes you've committed


And the sins you've made


After the fork


And before the spade


And when you're soft


But not quite cooked


I pop you into the oven


Ha ha! Now you're fucked


180 degrees


Two thousand seconds


Until you crisp up


My plate it beckons


And as your dead eyes


Stare up at me


I coat you with condiments


Sodium free


It serves you right


You evil spud


But I have to admit


You do taste quite good.




Ah thankyou.

Bath time - A poem by Stegzy Gnomepants

Turn the tap on


Let the water out


Put the plug in


It's too hot so shout




Wait for the tub


To fill to half


Then add the cold


It's time for your bath




Mix in the bubbles


Ready the flannel


But don't lean to hard


On the baths side panel




In with the toe


Is it too hot?


Did you take off your sock?


No! I thought not




Strip to your skin


Step into the bath


Clean behind your ears


Splish splash and laugh




And when it's gone cold


And you're wrinkled like a prune


Its time to get out


Until your next bath in June




Ah thank you

PIctuyraz

Some of you lot want to see the bathroom. So I've taken some pictures and plonked them here. Bear in mind that these pictures only show the fittings. At the moment there is no floor covering and the walls have yet to be painted (but I can't start that until all the laundry and tidying has been done) and you're not allowed to use the shower or sink or bath until tomorrow because the sealant needs 48 hours to set (yes I'm quite aware that 48 hrs have passed since the plumber left but Mrs Gnomepants has instituted an embargo on its use until tomorrow morning)

I can't be arsed to tell you what the pictures show, so you'll just have to pretend.

[<a href="http://www.xfyre.com/sw/lj2me.html">LJ2ME</a>] Safety notice

"in case of emergency passengers are reminded not to take personal belongings with them." Does that mean I have to strip off?

People on the bus

So I'm driving home from a hard 3.5 hours work (did I mention I only work 7 hours a week these days?) and I'm listening to the wireless and the Home service Radio 4. The programme being broadcast was about a newspaper editor from Zimbabwe and how he is adapting to life as an asylum seeker in the UK. One of the main differences, he pointed out, between Harare and the UK was how people didn't seem to talk to each other on public transport.









Now surprisingly, this guy lives in Leeds which is a good deal away from London where I believe such practices as ignoring ones fellow passengers is common place. It kind of shocked me and my Northern mind set because I'd always thought of the south as being a bit....well you know....insular when it comes to talking to complete strangers. Indeed, I'm happy to sit there with my earphones in (sometimes without anything attached at the other end) to avoid the weirdo on the bus.




And that got me thinking. Sometimes I don't mind talking to complete strangers on the bus or in the pub or where ever. Sometimes it's nice to get chatting about things. Ok, I think the reason for our inherent phobia of talking to people on public transport, is fear of extreme views. A case in point could be when
and I went to the Brewery Tap at the Cains Brewery in Liverpool and got chatting to a seemingly jovial chap at the bar. The chat, however, swiftly switched from idle banter to a strong antisemetic nationalist rant with the man at the bar sounding remarkably like someone at the Nuremberg Rally. Another case in point is the guy who once cornered me on the 78 and started talking about how the government controls the populace through the covert use of prescription medication.




So yeah, I can understand that people don't really want to talk to each other on the bus for those reasons in illustration. But surely not everyone is like that. It seems people's first reaction to someone talking to them on the bus or train or in the pub is one of suspicion and distrust. Who is this weird person? How dare they talk to me? Are they going to knife me or bum me or stick me in a dark cellar where I will be forced to eat marmite and parsnips until the day I die? But I know I'm not likely to force anyone into eating parsnips or marmite. I don't even have a cellar. I suppose that coupled with the fear of being attacked by marmite wielding weirdos comes the fear that they themselves would be labelled a weirdo. Fear, as they say in Dune, is the mind killer.




Then I thought, what is needed is a kind of badge system. Like say a green badge for "I'm happy to talk to anyone" and a red badge for "Fuck off weirdo". So those with green badges can sit and yatter away to their hearts content and the red badge wearers can scowl and frown and listen to their music or whatever without interruption. It could even be a registered thing so that should you like talking to someone then you take down the number on the badge and look them up on the internet when you get home or what ever. Of course there could also be a voting system like say badge wearer #473083 is very interesting and like prawns so people who like to talk about prawns (there are a lot of people that do) can look out for #473083 on their travels. Furthermore, one might get talking to #23932 and find out they are one of those religious zealot types that want to turn everything into some discussion about Jesus or whatever. You know, like :-




Person #48909823 - "So do you like tea?"


Person #23932 - "I do. In fact in the book of Ba'at chapter 30 it says 'And the lord didst partake in tea and verily there was much rejoicing'. I like tea almost as much as I like Jesus. Jesus can be your friend. Oh yes he can. Do you know Jesus? He is your friend. He is you know."




So the person #48909823 could go and say person #23932 likes to turn everything you talk about into something about Jesus and then people who prefer to talk about Jesus all the time can talk happily to #23932 while those that don't can talk to whoever else.




Of course such a scheme would require some more thinking out. But I reckon it would work well. Especially with the technology of the day.




What do you think?

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