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Here's a bit of fun for you. The boys were snapped this morning on their hands & knees. But what were they up to?First entry is: "Trevor holds morning prayers for the maintenance team"
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Caption Competition
Here's a bit of fun for you. The boys were snapped this morning on their hands & knees. But what were they up to?First entry is: "Trevor holds morning prayers for the maintenance team"
The Right Type of Galleries Chappie
by the NMMC Resident Poet
A Volunteer applicant
should really be aware,
of just what type of person
we want to work in there.
I cannot speak for Ladies;
But the Men should please take heed,
Maturity and breeding
is really what we need.
A sense of humour is required
(without it you’d go mad)
“Funny Ha Ha” is OK
“Peculiar” is bad!
The Management likes humble folk,
who always will obey,
and anyone complaining
should be careful what they say!
It should always be remembered,
that the Roster MUST be filled
no shopping trips or holidays,
(One’s wife will just be thrilled!!)
Dress sense is important
The blue shirt is quite smart
the Name tag, Fleece & happy smile,
will make you look the part
A cultured English accent
gives our Visitors a clue,
there’s educated folk to help
-and know the answers too!!
No reading books on Waterfront
no skulking in the Hold,
for DMs know just where to look
(you’ll get your fortune told!!)
We may not ALL be Sailors
(some aren’t Cornishmen, to boot)
But we can point out the Toilets,
and know the shortest route!
***********
A Volunteer applicant
should really be aware,
of just what type of person
we want to work in there.
I cannot speak for Ladies;
But the Men should please take heed,
Maturity and breeding
is really what we need.
A sense of humour is required
(without it you’d go mad)
“Funny Ha Ha” is OK
“Peculiar” is bad!
The Management likes humble folk,
who always will obey,
and anyone complaining
should be careful what they say!
It should always be remembered,
that the Roster MUST be filled
no shopping trips or holidays,
(One’s wife will just be thrilled!!)
Dress sense is important
The blue shirt is quite smart
the Name tag, Fleece & happy smile,
will make you look the part
A cultured English accent
gives our Visitors a clue,
there’s educated folk to help
-and know the answers too!!
No reading books on Waterfront
no skulking in the Hold,
for DMs know just where to look
(you’ll get your fortune told!!)
We may not ALL be Sailors
(some aren’t Cornishmen, to boot)
But we can point out the Toilets,
and know the shortest route!
***********
Monday, 27 September 2010
Grumpy Volunteer Corner
by Keith Evans
A chorus of clacking has been heard coming from the pontoon as the crabs celebrate the end of the crabbing season. Yields have been small this year because of a work to rule ordered by the Crab Union because of the imposition of new protocols.
The bait leaves much to be desired and not only do the baiting bags prevent access to the supposedly tasty morsels but the bags themselves are not laundered to keep them clean. Next season the Crab Union demand a regular 'maniclaw', sorry manicure, service for its members who suffer as a result of the above. The Union is also concerned that two volunteers are assigned to harness its members.
The new identification charts are also a retrograde step in that they infringe the crab members rights to anonymity. However, the Union is pleased that a bell has been introduced, when it is used, to mark the end of the session, indicating to the crab members that it is safe to return to the pontoon. The Union have requested meaningful negotiations before any new conditions are imposed and to resolve outstanding difficulties.
A chorus of clacking has been heard coming from the pontoon as the crabs celebrate the end of the crabbing season. Yields have been small this year because of a work to rule ordered by the Crab Union because of the imposition of new protocols.
The bait leaves much to be desired and not only do the baiting bags prevent access to the supposedly tasty morsels but the bags themselves are not laundered to keep them clean. Next season the Crab Union demand a regular 'maniclaw', sorry manicure, service for its members who suffer as a result of the above. The Union is also concerned that two volunteers are assigned to harness its members.
The new identification charts are also a retrograde step in that they infringe the crab members rights to anonymity. However, the Union is pleased that a bell has been introduced, when it is used, to mark the end of the session, indicating to the crab members that it is safe to return to the pontoon. The Union have requested meaningful negotiations before any new conditions are imposed and to resolve outstanding difficulties.
Monday, 20 September 2010
Social Conversation in 1912
by Mike Pennell
As a schoolboy, I can remember trying to talk to classroom misfits who did not listen to Dick Barton, Special Agent on a nightly basis at 6.45 pm; my Father wouldn’t have a discussion with anyone who did not read Time magazine, and in my adult life I became a social outcast when I admitted I have never watched an episode of Coronation Street.
A similar situation applies in the Volunteers’ Lounge, but with many more permutations. Obviously the first requirement is to be Cornish, and reside in Falmouth (my Truro copy of
The Packet has different news, and I only know one route to get to the car park). Spending leisure hours afloat in a yacht is quite a popular pastime, and if you don’t understand 'gybing' and 'rounding the mark' (something to do with German currency?), one sits there listening & nodding agreement with a slight smile.
There are two major factors that make or stifle 'coffee room' conversation. One is television viewing, and one’s capability to watch Sky by having a 'dish' (without one, you can’t watch 16th Century Inca Eating Habits).
The other relates to the possession of a computer. The Maritime Museum has to accept some blame for persuading us to own a PC or laptop, since many instructions and much information is sent out in that medium, and it does help those who spend time on broadband trying to identify strange super-yachts that arrive on the marina.
You don’t have to be a 'nerdy geek', but discussing ' re-booting', 'inserting hyperlinks' or 'synchronous scrolling' is child’s play if you know your way around the keyboard and, of course, have spent hundreds of pounds buying the latest model with Windows 7, Intel whatnots and gigabytes.
The Solution: Bearing in mind the Wardroom guideline that religion, politics and sex should not be discussed, and in order to facilitate conversation in 1912, each shift roster should be comprised of Volunteers who have been carefully screened by HR, because it is pointless opening a discussion on 'The stowage factor of frozen New Zealand lamb' with four people whose backgrounds vary from agriculture to motor mechanics, via deep sea diving and ancient history. A master list of Volunteers could be posted and a list of subject skills ticked in boxes, with similar background talents colour-coded so that each Volunteer can choose the correct shift to attend in order to exchange meaningful views when relaxing.
If this is deemed unworkable, I suppose we shall just have to start talking to visitors!
As a schoolboy, I can remember trying to talk to classroom misfits who did not listen to Dick Barton, Special Agent on a nightly basis at 6.45 pm; my Father wouldn’t have a discussion with anyone who did not read Time magazine, and in my adult life I became a social outcast when I admitted I have never watched an episode of Coronation Street.
A similar situation applies in the Volunteers’ Lounge, but with many more permutations. Obviously the first requirement is to be Cornish, and reside in Falmouth (my Truro copy of
The Packet has different news, and I only know one route to get to the car park). Spending leisure hours afloat in a yacht is quite a popular pastime, and if you don’t understand 'gybing' and 'rounding the mark' (something to do with German currency?), one sits there listening & nodding agreement with a slight smile.
There are two major factors that make or stifle 'coffee room' conversation. One is television viewing, and one’s capability to watch Sky by having a 'dish' (without one, you can’t watch 16th Century Inca Eating Habits).
The other relates to the possession of a computer. The Maritime Museum has to accept some blame for persuading us to own a PC or laptop, since many instructions and much information is sent out in that medium, and it does help those who spend time on broadband trying to identify strange super-yachts that arrive on the marina.
You don’t have to be a 'nerdy geek', but discussing ' re-booting', 'inserting hyperlinks' or 'synchronous scrolling' is child’s play if you know your way around the keyboard and, of course, have spent hundreds of pounds buying the latest model with Windows 7, Intel whatnots and gigabytes.
The Solution: Bearing in mind the Wardroom guideline that religion, politics and sex should not be discussed, and in order to facilitate conversation in 1912, each shift roster should be comprised of Volunteers who have been carefully screened by HR, because it is pointless opening a discussion on 'The stowage factor of frozen New Zealand lamb' with four people whose backgrounds vary from agriculture to motor mechanics, via deep sea diving and ancient history. A master list of Volunteers could be posted and a list of subject skills ticked in boxes, with similar background talents colour-coded so that each Volunteer can choose the correct shift to attend in order to exchange meaningful views when relaxing.
If this is deemed unworkable, I suppose we shall just have to start talking to visitors!
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Grumpy Volunteer Corner
by Keith Evans
I arrived on the Waterfront to find it heaving with kids from 4 to 84. Trevor was wrestling with the token machine which had decided to have a temper tantrum and refused to disgorge any tokens. After a few minutes it decided to behave. Just then Number 3 boat decided it had had enough & went into a corner to sulk and refused to play. Can't blame it really. As punishment Trevor put it in the cupboard.
In the meantime there were two cases of boat abuse. One little brat turned the switch off and another urchin played submarines. In my best diplomatic manner I gave them a metaphorical clip around the ear. It was a normal session on Waterfront & then something unique occurred. The rock lighthouse broke adrift & floated away. The first time in history a rock lighthouse has absconded. Trevor was on the job again & eventually got it back in position. He'll go down in the annals of Trinity House as the only man who has brought back an errant rock lighthouse.
I arrived on the Waterfront to find it heaving with kids from 4 to 84. Trevor was wrestling with the token machine which had decided to have a temper tantrum and refused to disgorge any tokens. After a few minutes it decided to behave. Just then Number 3 boat decided it had had enough & went into a corner to sulk and refused to play. Can't blame it really. As punishment Trevor put it in the cupboard.
In the meantime there were two cases of boat abuse. One little brat turned the switch off and another urchin played submarines. In my best diplomatic manner I gave them a metaphorical clip around the ear. It was a normal session on Waterfront & then something unique occurred. The rock lighthouse broke adrift & floated away. The first time in history a rock lighthouse has absconded. Trevor was on the job again & eventually got it back in position. He'll go down in the annals of Trinity House as the only man who has brought back an errant rock lighthouse.
Friday, 3 September 2010
It's all changed
by Mike Pennell
I have often smiled when visitors in the Lookout try to orientate themselves after their last Falmouth visit – sometimes many years ago. Now I understand their problem.
On our recent cruise holiday I was delighted to be visiting Gibraltar again. I was last there for two months in 1959 when aboard a destroyer in drydock after a rather serious collision. The town was full of Jolly Jacks and Jenny Wrens & the harbour full of Grey Funnel ships. In 2010, had it not been for the large lump of rock in the background I would not have recognized the place. No RN ships, no sailors – just acres of new flats and offices – I couldn’t even find the drydock!
Oh well, in a few days time
we were in Livorno (Leghorn). I was operating there every four weeks for a year in 1961. Yes! There is the breakwater and the detached mole – and the small quay where we loaded Carrera marble; but it appears to be a Marina area now. Sure enough, we entered the harbour, but steamed past the old town and headed north into a vast new port area some 4 kilometres away. Vast container cranes abounded, there were thousands of containers on the quayside and an immense Hapag Lloyd ship disgorging even more. They told us it was Livorno and we flew an Italian courtesy ensign, so I must accept that it was.
Maybe it’s not a good idea to re-visit old haunts, at least not 50 years later.
I have often smiled when visitors in the Lookout try to orientate themselves after their last Falmouth visit – sometimes many years ago. Now I understand their problem.
On our recent cruise holiday I was delighted to be visiting Gibraltar again. I was last there for two months in 1959 when aboard a destroyer in drydock after a rather serious collision. The town was full of Jolly Jacks and Jenny Wrens & the harbour full of Grey Funnel ships. In 2010, had it not been for the large lump of rock in the background I would not have recognized the place. No RN ships, no sailors – just acres of new flats and offices – I couldn’t even find the drydock!
Oh well, in a few days time
we were in Livorno (Leghorn). I was operating there every four weeks for a year in 1961. Yes! There is the breakwater and the detached mole – and the small quay where we loaded Carrera marble; but it appears to be a Marina area now. Sure enough, we entered the harbour, but steamed past the old town and headed north into a vast new port area some 4 kilometres away. Vast container cranes abounded, there were thousands of containers on the quayside and an immense Hapag Lloyd ship disgorging even more. They told us it was Livorno and we flew an Italian courtesy ensign, so I must accept that it was.
Maybe it’s not a good idea to re-visit old haunts, at least not 50 years later.
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