The group that created this vid are either geniuses, eccentric or embryo model railroaders – I am not sure which.

I was attracted to the vid because we have a lemon tree and i thought I could learn something about making lemonade. I was WRONG!

The vid is 9 mins long and I have watched it all the way through 3 times – 27 minutes of my life gone to waste??????

There is a sequel – I have NOT watched it!!!!!

I have written to Father Christmas asking if he I can have one for my combined Christmas, New Year, Birthday and Easter Present.

I love horses. Never ridden seriously. Used to walk racehorses from the stables in Lewes to the gallops on top of the South Downs, Lost pots of gold as a punter. Became a bookies clerk and ran the “book.” Never bet again.

When I moved here in 2000 I was mega surprised to find that Seabiscuit (of whom I was already a fan) was buried not too far from Fort Bragg. Films and books on horses – I have read/seen ’em all.  I thought I knew/had heard of all the “famous” horses till I saw this vid:

And yes, I have the book!

Not very I bet. Don’t fret. Neither have I. On the other hand daughter Annalise has. She sent me this e-mail today …….

“They’re very heavy. I got to explain 3D printing to two Olympic gold swimmers and a Nobel Laureate on Saturday night. Very strange evening. They were all very lovely people. The last picture is a 3D printed light up badge I made for (Berkeley University – where she works) library event staff that one of the Olympians ended up leaving wearing. ”

Nobel Peace Prize Cerificate

Nobel Peace Prize Medal and two Olympic Gold Medals

Lighted 3D printed medal

‘cos this is what you’ll get:

Model Railroad afficiando and his tree

Thanks to club member Ben Sochacki for the photo.

My wife has an atomic clock. It’s not really atomic but …… I like changing the batteries in it. When I do, if you wait until it is an o’clock, you will see it whiz around and settle EXACTLY on the right time. Quite amazing to this non-technical twit. Club member Jim  Willimas told me that Sarah’s clock gets a signal from Colorado. I guess I have never been curious enough to ask any more questions.

But, I have recently found out how Sarah’s clock gets  “put right.” My info comes from an article in the Daily Mail:

“If you’ve ever wondered what clock sets the official time of the United States, look no further. The bearer of that important standard is the NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock, located at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado. Built in four years, and officially established in 2005, the F1 is the latest in a series of increasingly accurate clocks responsible for keeping time for the entire country. The clock will neither gain nor lose a second in the next 80 million years.”

80 million years eh? I guess I won’t be around to see what they do with that lost second. I digress.

“The process that the clock uses is, needless to say, extremely complex. Basically, it measures the frequency of microwaves needed to produce maximum fluorescence in a ball of cesium atoms. That frequency–the resonant frequency of cesium–is used to define the second. The “Fountain” in its title refers to the rising and falling of the ball of cesium atoms, which is produced by a group of lasers.

This increased accuracy is not just a matter of idle dispute. The improvement in time measurement can aid advances in telecommunications, satellites and medical technology. It can also be used to obtain a greater degree of accuracy in scientific experiments where the tiniest measurements can make a huge difference–for example, determining the presence of fluctuations in what we perceive as constants of the universe.”

What’s this clock look like? Well, it doesn’t look like a clock to me but …….

NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock

NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock with people showing its size

I thought about asking for one for my birthday but Then I thought, save your breath!

I cut this out of the January 2013 copy of a British Mag named, “Best of British.”

Cutting from Best of British

Now remember I am an ex-auditor. Auditors are VERY suspicious SOBs. If you get to be a partner in a major auditing firm it means you are a very serious SOB. So I was VERY suspicious as what is described by Mr. Sutcliffe as being doable. One way of checking it out (obviously) is to go and try it. The other alternative is to do a virtual tour.

I thought that the internet, being what it is, would make the exercise a doddle. Like all battle plans my battle plan failed on its first encounter with the enemy. There are billions of sites flogging you tickets you tickets which are worse than useless for what I wanted. To cut to the chase I finally did get it sorted.

The first stage is from London to Leeds. Below is a route map and a view of the rout from a satellite. The view from the satellite shows what the terrain looks like along the journey.

As you can see from the satellite pic there’s not much to see.  From London to Leeds takes  2 hours 11 mins. Leave on the 7:03 am and you’ll arrive at 9:16 am – 169 miles covered.

The next section is quite short from Leeds to Carnforth.

Leeds to Carnforth takes 1 hpur 40 mins. I “took” the 10:18 am and arrived at 11.50 am. 55 miles covered, total miles so far 224 miles.

Next section is from Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness, This is a very short section as you can see below:

Carnforth to Barrow in Furness takes 53 minutes if you take the 12.12 pm. It arrives in Barrow -in – Furness at 1.05 pm. 18 miles travelled making a total of 242 miles so far.

Next is from Barrow – in – Furness to Carlisle. This is VERY scenic.

From Barrow in Furness to Carlisle takes 2 hours 5 mins. The 1.16 pm from Barrow gets you to Carlisle  at 3.46 pm.  Journey is 55 miles making a total of 297 miles.

So far so good. Next from Carlisle back to Leeds. Again VERY scenic.

Carlisle to Leeds takes 2 hours 39 mins.  Take the 4.18 pm and one arrives  at 7.08 pm.  94 miles covered – 391 miles cumulative.

The last leg is from Leeds back to to London, Travel time  2 hours 11 mins. The 7.45 pm from Leedsw arrives in London at 9.59 pm.. Distance travelled is 169 miles making a total of  560 miles,

Not 600 miles but pretty close.

Am I going to try and do it? It’s added to the bucket list!

When we go over the hill (from Fort Bragg to Willits) I enjoy watching the sunbeams coming down from through the trees. When I was growing I was very sick and I spent a lot of time with my grandmother on my father’s side – Granny Phillips. The bedroom I had looked east through some very old oak trees. When I would tell Gran that I had seen sunbeams she would always respond, “The angels slide down the sunbeams – that’s how they come down from heaven.” When I saw this photo my aged brain took me back 70 years!!!!!

Sunbeams on Route 20 between Fort Bragg (CA) and Willits