Yanks and Christmas 2004

[Bobby Bewl ®]

I just want to say thanks a million to all our American cousins for the informative posts on this newsgroup. I enjoy reading them and looking at the occasional links. You blokes are certainly well into woodworking.

I miss Norm (New Yankee Workshop) who has not made much of an appearance over here and the same with Steve (THis old house). There are a coupl of others I miss Robin and her tv husband and the fella who drives around the states in the bus visitng people and fixing their taps and so on.

What does keep going is this newsgroup.

I am on the beer at the moment (17:45 hours Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent in south east England) i am drinkong a strong regional ale called "Spitfire" which brewed by Sheperd Neame in Faversham (north kent) and is Britain's oldeest brerwery. As some of you can guess the beer is named after the war time plane that played a major part in the Battle of Britain fought mainly over Kent in the last war.

This war was foutgh to save the likes of me and you so we enjoy woodworking and a pint (of beer).

Gentlemen, and the occasional lady, thanks for your craft skills and for sharing them. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Have a good dayy. (as you guys say)

Bobby

Missing you already ;-)

[Duane Bozarth]

...

Ah, yes...quite nice, that! :)

I've spent a fair amount of time in Kent consulting for/working with the folks down at the Kingsnorth Station outside Rochester. Unfortunately, that project has come to an end so I've not been able to wangle another trip across for several years now... :(

Have one more for me... :)

[Jeff]

Spitfire -- Great name for a beer.

Cheers to all on both sides of the Atlantic.

[BillyBob]

... very nice thoughts expressed, Bobby. Thank you.

I'll be over the pond to visit you guys in the spring. I'm sending my brother over their for two years and will visit him. He already brought back a Norris A5 smoother for me and I'm going to have a look at all your secrets, myself.

Cheers! Bob Davis Houston, Texas

[Mark & Juanita]

Better name for a salsa.

... and to all a Merry Christmas, regardless of which side of the Atlantic (or Pacific) one may be on.

[patrick conroy]

My brother and his family decided to treat themselves to Christmas in London this year, He's big, and loud - but with a heart as large as his bark.

Merry/Happy Christmas to all!

[gandalf]

------------------ Your brother picked a good year for his visit. It's currently blue sky and sunshine and around 4 degrees C in London. I'm about 200 miles north of London, we woke up to a light covering of powdery snow. Now it's all sunny and its slowing melting away. It just might snow later in London as the band of snow moves south.

Merry Christmas

[Bobby Bewl ®]

Duane

So it *you* who is responsible for the increase in our electricity bills! Just kidding, mate.

I think if I were to wangle another trip it would not be to Kingsnorth power station in Hoo (pronounced as in "who"). There are far better places in Kent than Hoo.

Here is a link to when the Invicta FM (Kent's local radio station went to visit the power station, which has Kent's tallest structure:

have a mitre saw, complete with a laser light thingey, for Christmas. That should save on my tennis elbow!

Well, I am just about to start on the Chardonnay, bought on a booze cruise (day trip to France) through the channel tunnel to the Cite of Europe, near Calais, recently.

Thanks for your reply, Duane.

Happy Christmas.

Bobby

[Bobby Bewl ®]

Thanks, Jeff.

See on the wine channel that the states does a few good wines. I have yet to hear about American beers. Seems it might be best to stick with my interest in the DIY/woodworking in the states.

Catch you later, mate.

Bobby

[Bobby Bewl ®]

Blimey! Norris A5 smoother - I bet that cost a bob or two! You are a lucky bloke.

Incidently, Kent is known as the "Garden of England" because of its beautiful countryside best seen in Spring and Summer. Things have moved on in recent years and the Kent countryside has been torn apart with 3 motorways and the Chanel Tunnel rail link and so on.

Where I live is said to be "posh" and "middle England". I am proud to say that my hero Norm Abram visited The Pantiles, here, to do a programme in his series.

Thanks for your reply, Bob, and Happy Christmas.

Bobby

[Bobby Bewl ®]

(I have not received Patrick's post yet so I will tag this on gandalf's)

"big and loud" and "heart as large as his bark" - well that sums up Americans for me. The "big and loud" is the first thing I notice and it is that which raises the hackles! The good heart is clearly shown in many ways. One way is the willingness to share information. I find it particularly difficult to get the info I want from UK newsgroups and web sites.

I hope your brother enjoys London. The weather there today is mild.

If he is going to Buckingham Palace then he may be a bit dissappointed as the Guards wear grey overcoats on top their red coats. He could, of course, watch the telly and see the annual Queen's speech to the nation and for the first time this year a special message for our troop stationed around the world.

Thanks for your reply Patrick. I must get on as I need to conitune with this Chardonnay.

Gerry chrisy.

Bobby

[Bobby Bewl ®]

Gandalf, keep the snow up there, mate. We can do without it.

Merry Christmas.

Bobby

[Duane Bozarth]

...

Hey, for rates we do what we can, mate! :)

Actually, to be more precise, I was working for EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) a utility-funded research organization of which PowerGen is a member. We were doing a project in conjunction with some European research on the same topic there. That's a cool picture...I've not been on their stacks but I have been on some here in the states that are even taller. It's a trip, for sure...

I'd take the trip most anywhere I could get it...one can always hire a car and/or hop the train and get most anywhere. That's one thing that is much different for me--things are so much closer together in general than here where it's a minimum of 60 miles to any town of any size whatsoever and there aren't little towns or villages all about.

We would stay in Medway and drive to/from the plant. I drove all those little villages down along the river including Grain. Last trip took the wife and younger daughter (she was HS senior then) and took about 10 days after finished working. We headed up north staying almost exclusively on the B and C roads, just stopping where we saw fit at mostly farm B&B's. Got to Edinborough w/ initial intent to go further north but ran out of time so followed a more westerly course back...spent most of three days in London w/ a friend of my wife's family who was there at the time as a sales manager for Cessna. He had been there long enough to be an excellent guide for one day of less classical touristy things.

Enjoyed the exchange and enjoy the new toys...just finish the celebrating well prior to experimenting... :)

[Pixmaker]

Snow??? What's that?

I've been hearing a lot about that during the past few weeks.

Pixmaker in FLL ========================== It's not the heat, it's the humidity! ========================== (...Think the humidity's bad? You should watch us vote!)

[Bobby Bewl ®]

Nice to hear about your time here. Obviously you know there is more to life than the Medway towns, which include Gillingham. The Gills (Gillingham Football Club) are struggling second from bottom of the Championship at the moment. They are Kent's only fooball club in the league.

We too headed north, years ago staying at B & B. One such farm was outside of Pateley Bridge. We stayed to the east of Edinburgh in a place called Musselburgh. In the B & B we a bloke who worked in the nearby power station - Cockenzie Power Station - and laughed when I mentioned Dungeness (in south east Kent) power station as it was plagued with strikes and industrial unrest.

Interesting to hear "That's one thing that is much different for me--things are so much closer together in general than here where it's a minimum of 60 miles to any town of any size whatsoever and there aren't little towns or villages all about".

Happy New Year, Duane.

Bobby

[Duane Bozarth]

"Bobby Bewl ®" wrote: ...

Bummer...maybe next year :)

Yes, we spent a fair amount in the Kent area as well. I would stop anywhere there was any field activity and had good success striking up conversations w/ most farmers. Lots of similar concerns, much quite different owing to primarily the differening climates. (In early March, there's nothing greening up yet here for quite some time...)

In fact, though, when I got north I was surprised somewhat the other way w/ how much open area there was in the Dales country...I expected the open pasture land, but figured there would be small settlements up and down every draw much like there are in much of the eastern US...although, of course, the distances are much closer than in the US west where things really open up....by those standards, even where I am is heavily populated. It takes only going a couple of counties over from ours to the west and there are roughly 5000 people in the entire county.

And to you too, Bobby...

-dpb

[mike hide]

Well happy new year from a young man from Kent who had a p.... ,oh I have strayed away from the theme . Here's all the best from the rose and crown in hadlow, my oldest was born in Pembury hospital when the ice amd snow was on the ground and I had to drive from Tonbridge with a stop on the way home at the vauxhall.. In the summertime golf at the Neville was a pleasure, I still have a card fro there where it is stated in no uncertain terms that balls in the clubhouse must be considered out of bounds and cannot be played from there .

at one tim we lived in boughton monchelsea and later at loose . actually my wife was a member of the loose womans club [just joking]....mjh