Old times

When I went to see the computer man I also went to the local Supermarket which is privately owned. I know the ladies well who work there and they were talking about having a Christmas meal. I naturally asked them where they were going to have the meal. In unison a couple stated that they would eat their meal where they worked  as that is what they do each year.
 When I got home I started to laugh for it bought back to me when I was working on the Railway as a Fireman. We had a few jobs that meant we signed on then picked up the goods Guard and went tender first(reverse) about 4 miles to a place called High Dyke. This was where the iron ore was bought to from a branch line. The Guard would check to see the train was ready and then we waited for a slot between fast moving trains as the goods train was the most of slow trains. It only carried 27 wagons each weighing 27 tons. It was the maximum allowed as they were loose coupled and stopping the heavy train was not easy.
  Sometimes it would be 2 hours or so before we got back to where we had started and then we had many miles to go. It was called a change over train. We left to go towards Immingham and the Immingham group of men would have 50 or so empty wagons. We were supposed to meet half way and do a change over, the Immingham set taking their iron ore off to Scunthorpe and we would take the empty wagons to High Dyke.
 It was an easy job but what reminded me was on many occasions we had to have our snap, for that was what the food was commonly known as. If we stopped at a Signal Box when the signal was at red I used to go and get a mashing for without fail every Signalman had the kettle of boiling water. This was in the early 60s and here we are over 50 years later when the ladies were doing the same sort of thing, eating whilst working.
 The weather has not been good, we certainly can't grumble though for people living in the Cumbria area have had a really rough time of it. The heavy rains accompanied by gale force winds followed by severe flooding.
 Last week I went to Grantham to see my Sisters. I find it increasingly difficult for me. I get home and feel absolutely shattered and it takes me a day to get over it. More soon.