Merry Christmas 2025

[demented dale]

It's quiet, and peaceful, and I am overfed
It has been a lovely Christmas though; full of family and fun.

I got a build up Cuckoo Clock and some Metcalfe models to make for my railways, among my stash of good things.
That will keep me contentedly out of mischief for a bit.

I'm hoping tomorrow's dry and calm and I can go for a walk and see if I can walk off some of the overfeeding.

I also hope you have all had a Merry Christmas and have interesting toys to play with and the chance to walk off too much good food.

M

have you got a train set Toddy? xx

 

[Toddy]

I have two. I have 00gauge and I have N gauge

The N gauge one runs around the mantle piece at Christmas....or whenever I've been building.

 

[Tengu]

I got a copy of `Britains Secret Islands`

Not looked inside it yet but as a real, physical, book it is very swanky.

Some fiend robbed me from life,
deprived me of worldly strengths, wetted next,
dipped in water, took out again,
set in the sun, deprived violently
of the hair that I had, · after, the hard
knife's edge cut me, ground from impurities,
fingers folded and a bird's
delight spread useful drops over me,
swallowed tree-ink over the ruddy rim,
portion of liquid, stepped on me again,
travelled with black track. After, a man clad
me with protective boards, covered with hide,
adorned me with gold. Forthwith adorned me
in ornamental works of smiths, encased with wire
Now the trappings and the red dye
and the wondrous setting widely make known
the helm of the lord's folk, never again guard fools.
If children of men want to use me
they will be by that the safer and the more sure of victory
the bolder in heart and the happier in mind,
in spirit the wiser. They will have friends the more
dearer and closer, righteous and more virtuous,
more good and more loyal, those whose glory and happiness
will gladly increase, and them with benefits and kindnesses,
and they of love will clasp tightly with embraces.
Ask what I am called as a service to people.
My name is famous,
bountiful to men and my self holy.

 

[Toddy]

Mec feonda sum feore besnyþede,
woruldstrenga binom, wætte siþþan,
dyfde on wætre, dyde eft þonan,
sette on sunnan, þær ic swiþe beleas
5
herum þam þe ic hæfde. Heard mec siþþan
snað seaxses ecg, sindrum begrunden;
fingras feoldan, ond mec fugles wyn
geond speddropum spyrede geneahhe,
ofer brunne brerd, beamtelge swealg,
10
streames dæle, stop eft on mec,
siþade sweartlast. Mec siþþan wrah
hæleð hleobordum, hyde beþenede,
gierede mec mid golde; forþon me gliwedon
wrætlic weorc smiþa, wire bifongen.
15
Nu þa gereno ond se reada telg
ond þa wuldorgesteald wide mære
dryhtfolca helm, nales dol wite.
Gif min bearn wera brucan willað,
hy beoð þy gesundran ond þy sigefæstran,
20
heortum þy hwætran ond þy hygebliþran,
ferþe þy frodran, habbaþ freonda þy ma,
swæsra ond gesibbra, soþra ond godra,
tilra ond getreowra, þa hyra tyr ond ead
estum ycað ond hy arstafum
25
lissum bilecgað ond hi lufan fæþmum
fæste clyppað. Frige hwæt ic hatte,
niþum to nytte. Nama min is mære,
hæleþum gifre ond halig sylf.

 

[Tengu]

Well, that aint Gaelic...

Academic guess....Book of Exeter, the Wanderer?

Or the Ruin?

The answer to the riddle is of course, a Bible, but notice it is referred to in quite heroic terms.

 

[Toddy]

Well it's not riddle 25

Tengu and I are playing; this is Anglo Saxon, a book written in the 10th century, full of everything from riddles to poetry.

mycel Englisc boc be gehwilcum þingum on leoð-wisan geworht: one large English book on various subjects, composed in verse form

It's provenance is sound, it has cropped up in wills and cathedral lists for ten centuries.

It is an English treasure, a real one

 

[demented dale]

I have two. I have 00gauge and I have N gauge

The N gauge one runs around the mantle piece at Christmas....or whenever I've been building.

you got any photos? have you got a class 55 deltic? or steamers? xxx

 

[MikeLA]

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for the good chats and the support throughout the year

 

[Pattree]

Guess who got a ferro for Christmas and knows how to use it?

 

[Tengu]

Well it's not riddle 25

Tengu and I are playing; this is Anglo Saxon, a book written in the 10th century, full of everything from riddles to poetry.

mycel Englisc boc be gehwilcum þingum on leoð-wisan geworht: one large English book on various subjects, composed in verse form

It's provenance is sound, it has cropped up in wills and cathedral lists for ten centuries.

It is an English treasure, a real one

No, Toddy, -it is Magic.

With words like Grammarye, and Spelling.

Real, honest to goodness, magic.

 

[Toddy]

Well, yes; it's the written word

 

[oldtimer]

A colleague of mine always used to say to his class, "You don't need magic to be a good speller."