• Re: The King and the Queen

    From Snidely@snidely.too@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Thu May 7 10:26:16 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Watch this space, where Kerr-Mudd, John advised that...
    On Sun, 3 May 2026 07:32:30 +0100
    Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:

    Le 01/05/2026 a 20:26, Sam Plusnet a ocrit :
    On 01/05/2026 08:07, Hibou wrote:

    <Smile> I passed through Kings Cross a fortnight ago (and Euston and
    St Pancras).

    A tiring journey no doubt - but it might score well in a game of
    Mornington Crescent.>


    It does sound as if I hadn't a clue.

    Doh!

    Do you have a monopoly on station names?

    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk
    there to stare at a wall.

    Blanksy has now provided a statue.

    -d
    --
    Yes, I have had a cucumber soda. Why do you ask?
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From nospam@nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) to alt.usage.english on Thu May 7 20:18:16 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> wrote:

    With a quizzical look, Richard Tobin observed:
    In article <mn.14237ea582d4e707.127094@snitoo>,
    Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> wrote:

    [...] the 1969 Moon landing was faked, etc. Nothing is proven.

    Laser ranging reflectors.

    There are Russian retroreflectors on the moon.

    -- Richard

    Not at the Apollo sites.

    But what would be the Soviet reason for not calling the US on the scam?

    Easy, their own Lunochods were fake too,

    Jan
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Snidely@snidely.too@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Thu May 7 12:37:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Garrett Wollman noted that:
    In article <1778141448-12588@newsgrouper.org>,
    athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

    Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> posted:
    London Bridge - I'll leave that one as an exercise (along with Glasgow
    Central).

    Do they have a railway in Lake Havasu City?

    Nope. The nearest station is Needles, where the Southwest Chief stops
    three times a week (or maybe it's up to daily now), about 40 miles
    away. Lake Havasu itself didn't exist when the railroads were being
    built across the desert.

    -GAWollman

    You can be pretty Blythe about that. Passenger service on the Ripley
    Branch ended after WWII, but ARZC's route crosses the river at Parker.,
    a ways[1] south of Lake "Blue" City.

    1) Nearly 40 miles [4]
    4) Needles about 40 miles aussi

    /dps "1, 4, open the door. 2, 3, what do you see?"
    --
    "What do you think of my cart, Miss Morland? A neat one, is not it?
    Well hung: curricle-hung in fact. Come sit by me and we'll test the
    springs."
    (Speculative fiction by H.Lacedaemonian.)
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Thu May 7 22:44:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 07/05/2026 07:53, Hibou wrote:
    Le 06/05/2026 |a 09:33, J. J. Lodder a |-crit :
    Hibou wrote:

    I hadn't thought of that. Apparently, 'terminus' just means 'end', and I >>> suppose it's all right to start from one end.

    They just had to find a name for that hotel there,


    The Terminal Hotel? Isn't that in Switzerland? No? The Premier Inn,
    King's Cross, then?

    'How did LondonrCOs main line stations get their names?' - <https://www.onlondon.co.uk/jonn-elledge-how-did-londons-main-line- stations-get-their-names/>

    King's Cross - named after a monument to George IV.

    Euston - named after a house owned by the Duke of Grafton, who owned
    land the station is built on.

    Victoria - named after the street named after Queen V..

    Waterloo - named after a town in Belgium, made famous by the British.

    London Bridge - I'll leave that one as an exercise (along with Glasgow Central).

    I had vaguely assumed King's Cross was like Charing Cross - involving a
    much earlier king.
    Live & learn.
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english on Fri May 8 09:14:55 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 08/05/26 01:22, Garrett Wollman wrote:
    In article <1778141448-12588@newsgrouper.org>,
    athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:
    Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> posted:

    London Bridge - I'll leave that one as an exercise (along with Glasgow
    Central).

    Do they have a railway in Lake Havasu City?

    Nope. The nearest station is Needles, where the Southwest Chief stops
    three times a week (or maybe it's up to daily now), about 40 miles
    away. Lake Havasu itself didn't exist when the railroads were being
    built across the desert.

    I've heard of Needles. Isn't that where Snoopy's brother lives?
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW
    --- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From liz@liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) to alt.usage.english on Fri May 8 09:50:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk
    there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?
    --
    ~ Liz Tuddenham ~
    (Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
    www.poppyrecords.co.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english on Fri May 8 12:25:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 30/04/2026 23:11, Sn!pe wrote:
    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:
    [...]
    I think that's right. King George VI was alive for the first eight (almost >>>> nine) years of my life, and I can more or less remember his reign. My
    impression is that Elizabeth II's mother was referred to as "the queen". >>>
    Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, was invariably
    known as 'The Queen Mother' after 1952.

    AIR, she was known for fondness of the booze and horse-racing. Maybe
    because I sought refuge from the Thatcherite rampage in "Spitting
    Image".

    Rumour has it that when she turned her toes up she owed Will Hill's -u3m.
    I think she's best remembered for her regal wave and her flowery hats.


    ...not forgetting that coat-hanger-in-mouth smile.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From athel.cb@gmail.com@user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid to alt.usage.english on Fri May 8 14:00:58 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english


    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) posted:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    In 2019 I made a trip across Berlin to look at the remains of a wall, but
    that was, in your words, a particular wall, not just any old wall.
    --
    athel

    Living in Marseilles for 39 years; mainly in England before that,
    with long periods in Singapore, California, Chile and Canada
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From richard@richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 09:46:03 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    In article <mn.3a6f7ea51baad98f.127094@snitoo>,
    Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> wrote:

    [...] the 1969 Moon landing was faked, etc. Nothing is proven.

    Laser ranging reflectors.

    There are Russian retroreflectors on the moon.

    Not at the Apollo sites.

    The point is that the Russian retroreflectors demonstrate that that
    the ones at the Apollo sites could have been placed there without a
    manned landing.

    -- Richard
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 13:13:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 07/05/2026 10:01, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 06/05/26 18:33, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
    Le 05/05/2026 |a 19:40, Sam Plusnet a |-crit :
    On 05/05/2026 13:07, Hibou wrote:

    I went to London for a few days, and made a couple of local
    journeys that happened to start from termini. The railcard had
    a workout.

    Starting from a terminus seems very wrong.

    I hadn't thought of that. Apparently, 'terminus' just means 'end',
    and I suppose it's all right to start from one end.

    They just had to find a name for that hotel there,

    There is a Terminus Hotel in Sydney that is nowhere near the railway
    terminus at Central Station. I've just looked up the history. Apparently
    the hotel had had several names, but was renamed the Terminus Hotel in
    1900 to take advantage of the end of a newly built tram line


    There is a Caf|- Terminus near where I live. In the 1930s it was
    apparently where the electrified tram line terminated in the East of the
    city. The (first generation) tram line was discontinued in 1964, but
    the cafe survives to this day.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From liz@liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 16:42:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 07/05/2026 10:01, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 06/05/26 18:33, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
    Le 05/05/2026 |a 19:40, Sam Plusnet a |-crit :
    On 05/05/2026 13:07, Hibou wrote:

    I went to London for a few days, and made a couple of local
    journeys that happened to start from termini. The railcard had
    a workout.

    Starting from a terminus seems very wrong.

    I hadn't thought of that. Apparently, 'terminus' just means 'end',
    and I suppose it's all right to start from one end.

    They just had to find a name for that hotel there,

    There is a Terminus Hotel in Sydney that is nowhere near the railway terminus at Central Station. I've just looked up the history. Apparently the hotel had had several names, but was renamed the Terminus Hotel in
    1900 to take advantage of the end of a newly built tram line


    There is a Caf|- Terminus near where I live. In the 1930s it was
    apparently where the electrified tram line terminated in the East of the city. The (first generation) tram line was discontinued in 1964, but
    the cafe survives to this day.

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at the
    outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one at the Rainbow Wood tram terminus near Bath, so people could catch a tram 'out
    to the countryside' and go for a walk in the woods, then have tea and sandwiches before returning home.

    On the same route there was Glasshouse Cafo where the incoming country
    bus routes terminated and passengers could transfer to the tram. On
    their return journey, they would go in for a cup of tea while they were
    waiting for the bus to arrive..
    --
    ~ Liz Tuddenham ~
    (Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
    www.poppyrecords.co.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 19:20:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 29/04/2026 22:38, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 29/04/2026 11:16, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:
    [-]
    The issue wasn't so much about aristocracy but about Camilla being
    previously married/divorced. Charles' uncle (Edward) had to abdicate
    under similar conditions, when he had to chose between Mrs. Simpson and >>>> the Kingdom.

    They wanted to get rid of him anyway,
    for being too much of a Nazi sympathiser,


    Hmm... that sympathy came to light later. At the time, had he agreed to
    ditch the bitch, he would have been made King without hesitation.

    Eh? He already was king.


    There was no coronation. He succeeded to the throne (by default) but
    was tripped by Wallis Simpson.

    He was made to abdicate.

    It was his choice.

    As for 'Nazi-sympathiser', that is merely a matter of terminology.
    He was obviously very sympathetic to Germany, too much so,
    according to many in Britain.

    Yes. This was held against him when he tried to make a comeback as a
    working Royal.

    Given the regime in power there at the time that made him a
    Nazi-sympathiser, even without sticking on that label explicitly,


    His sympathies were known to members of his family. There is
    photographic evidence that he visited Nazi Germany and met some high
    ranking Nazis. The speculation was that he wanted to regain some status
    - in the event of Germany winning the war.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From nospam@nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 21:16:27 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 29/04/2026 22:38, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 29/04/2026 11:16, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:
    [-]
    The issue wasn't so much about aristocracy but about Camilla being
    previously married/divorced. Charles' uncle (Edward) had to abdicate >>>> under similar conditions, when he had to chose between Mrs. Simpson and >>>> the Kingdom.

    They wanted to get rid of him anyway,
    for being too much of a Nazi sympathiser,


    Hmm... that sympathy came to light later. At the time, had he agreed to >> ditch the bitch, he would have been made King without hesitation.

    Eh? He already was king.


    There was no coronation. He succeeded to the throne (by default) but
    was tripped by Wallis Simpson.

    Not by default, by English and French custom.
    The King is dead, Long live the King!
    There can be no king-less period,
    because that would invite a war of succession.

    He was made to abdicate.

    It was his choice.

    Sure. In Britain, a king needs a prime minister
    to take responsibility for him.
    If no such prime minister can be found
    (one enjoying the confidence of parliament of course)
    there is a constitutional crisis.
    Edward could have chosen to precipitate such a crisis,
    but then what?
    A king cannot be a king in a vacuum.
    He needs subjects who will listen to him.
    Britain being what it is that requires a coup d'etat.
    A previous Charles lost his head over that.

    As for 'Nazi-sympathiser', that is merely a matter of terminology.
    He was obviously very sympathetic to Germany, too much so,
    according to many in Britain.

    Yes. This was held against him when he tried to make a comeback as a
    working Royal.

    It would seem that you have no idea about
    the workings of constitutional monarchy.

    Given the regime in power there at the time that made him a Nazi-sympathiser, even without sticking on that label explicitly,


    His sympathies were known to members of his family.

    And to a far wider circle.

    There is
    photographic evidence that he visited Nazi Germany and met some high
    ranking Nazis.

    He made a tour of Germany after his abdication.

    The speculation was that he wanted to regain some status
    - in the event of Germany winning the war.

    Possibly. With a German governor running Britain
    instead of a prime minister and parliament
    anything would be possible,

    Jan
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 20:30:58 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 09/05/2026 18:20, occam wrote:
    On 29/04/2026 22:38, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 29/04/2026 11:16, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:
    [-]
    The issue wasn't so much about aristocracy but about Camilla being
    previously married/divorced. Charles' uncle (Edward) had to abdicate >>>>> under similar conditions, when he had to chose between Mrs. Simpson and >>>>> the Kingdom.

    They wanted to get rid of him anyway,
    for being too much of a Nazi sympathiser,


    Hmm... that sympathy came to light later. At the time, had he agreed to >>> ditch the bitch, he would have been made King without hesitation.

    Eh? He already was king.


    There was no coronation. He succeeded to the throne (by default) but
    was tripped by Wallis Simpson.

    He was made to abdicate.

    It was his choice.

    As for 'Nazi-sympathiser', that is merely a matter of terminology.
    He was obviously very sympathetic to Germany, too much so,
    according to many in Britain.

    Yes. This was held against him when he tried to make a comeback as a
    working Royal.

    Given the regime in power there at the time that made him a
    Nazi-sympathiser, even without sticking on that label explicitly,


    His sympathies were known to members of his family. There is
    photographic evidence that he visited Nazi Germany and met some high
    ranking Nazis. The speculation was that he wanted to regain some status
    - in the event of Germany winning the war.

    As an aside. Given his status it would have been impossible for him to
    have visited Germany in the 1930 and avoided meeting "high ranking
    Nazis"[1].
    He was undoubtedly pro-National Socialist, but so were a significant proportion of the chattering classes in those years.

    [1] Yes, he certainly could have just avoided any visits to Germany.
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Snidely@snidely.too@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 16:07:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Saturday or thereabouts, Richard Tobin asked ...
    In article <mn.3a6f7ea51baad98f.127094@snitoo>,
    Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> wrote:

    [...] the 1969 Moon landing was faked, etc. Nothing is proven.

    Laser ranging reflectors.

    There are Russian retroreflectors on the moon.

    Not at the Apollo sites.

    The point is that the Russian retroreflectors demonstrate that that
    the ones at the Apollo sites could have been placed there without a
    manned landing.

    -- Richard

    I'll grant you that, but the means of putting the retroreflectors there
    would have been tracked, and unmanned landers have different tracking features.

    /dps
    --
    Rule #0: Don't be on fire.
    In case of fire, exit the building before tweeting about it.
    (Sighting reported by Adam F)
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 09:29:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 10/05/26 01:42, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at
    the outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one
    at the Rainbow Wood tram terminus near Bath, so people could catch a
    tram 'out to the countryside' and go for a walk in the woods, then
    have tea and sandwiches before returning home.

    Apparently it was once the custom in Newcastle (NSW) to take a Sunday
    trip on the tram out to the countryside. At its greatest extent the line
    was 25 km long. The tram service closed in 1930.
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Tony Cooper@tonycooper214@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 20:32:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Sun, 10 May 2026 09:29:29 +1000, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On 10/05/26 01:42, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at
    the outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one
    at the Rainbow Wood tram terminus near Bath, so people could catch a
    tram 'out to the countryside' and go for a walk in the woods, then
    have tea and sandwiches before returning home.

    Apparently it was once the custom in Newcastle (NSW) to take a Sunday
    trip on the tram out to the countryside. At its greatest extent the line
    was 25 km long. The tram service closed in 1930.

    According to my parents, when they were just dating each other in the mid-1930s, neither of them had an automobile or access to one. On
    many of their Sunday dates, they'd take the interurban to some
    outlying small town, have a picnic there, and return later in the day.

    One of those small towns was Greenwood, Indiana. They liked Greenwood
    so much that's where they eventually got married. Greenwood, today,
    is about a half-hour to forty-five minute drive from Indianapolis, but
    in those days it was considered to be quite a bit out of town.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From snipeco.2@snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 02:13:35 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> wrote:

    On 10/05/26 01:42, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at
    the outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one
    at the Rainbow Wood tram terminus near Bath, so people could catch a
    tram 'out to the countryside' and go for a walk in the woods, then
    have tea and sandwiches before returning home.


    Apparently it was once the custom in Newcastle (NSW) to take a Sunday
    trip on the tram out to the countryside. At its greatest extent the line
    was 25 km long. The tram service closed in 1930.


    As a child in short trousers in ~1955, I once the rode the Blackpool
    seafront tram all the way to the terminus at Fleetwood and back.
    Pleasingly, the seat backs of the transverse benches could pivot at
    the base so that when the tram reversed, you could still sit facing
    forward.

    \ <--seat back
    \
    \----- <-- seat base
    \
    o <-- pivot

    My mum told a tale of London trams before WWII: apparently the seats
    were made of flat wooden boards. If she was wearing silk knickers and
    a silk petticoat, the motion of the tram would make her slide about on
    her bottom.
    --
    ^-^. Sn!pe, bird-brain. My pet rock Gordon just is.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 04:15:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Sat, 09 May 2026 20:32:54 -0400, Tony Cooper
    <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:

    One of those small towns was Greenwood, Indiana. They liked Greenwood
    so much that's where they eventually got married. Greenwood, today,
    is about a half-hour to forty-five minute drive from Indianapolis, but
    in those days it was considered to be quite a bit out of town.

    I would regard a 45-minute drive as "quite a bit" out of town,
    assuming that one was driving out of town and not into it.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From wollman@wollman@hergotha.csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 02:37:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    In article <10tog0t$h82$1@dont-email.me>,
    Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> wrote:
    On 10/05/26 01:42, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at
    the outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one

    Apparently it was once the custom in Newcastle (NSW) to take a Sunday
    trip on the tram out to the countryside. At its greatest extent the line
    was 25 km long. The tram service closed in 1930.

    It was not uncommon for streetcar companies or their affiliates to
    build amusement parks at the end of the line to drive up business at
    what would otherwise be low-traffic periods.

    -GAWollman
    --
    Garrett A. Wollman | "Act to avoid constraining the future; if you can, wollman@bimajority.org| act to remove constraint from the future. This is Opinions not shared by| a thing you can do, are able to do, to do together."
    my employers. | - Graydon Saunders, _A Succession of Bad Days_ (2015) --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Tony Cooper@tonycooper214@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Sat May 9 23:26:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Sun, 10 May 2026 04:15:54 +0200, Steve Hayes
    <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    On Sat, 09 May 2026 20:32:54 -0400, Tony Cooper
    <tonycooper214@gmail.com> wrote:

    One of those small towns was Greenwood, Indiana. They liked Greenwood
    so much that's where they eventually got married. Greenwood, today,
    is about a half-hour to forty-five minute drive from Indianapolis, but
    in those days it was considered to be quite a bit out of town.

    I would regard a 45-minute drive as "quite a bit" out of town,
    assuming that one was driving out of town and not into it.

    The distance between Indianapolis and Greenwood is 14 miles according
    to a search. However, my driving time estimate is based on traffic
    conditions and the route one would have to take.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@admin@127.0.0.1 to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 08:37:20 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Sun, 10 May 2026 02:13:35 +0100
    snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) wrote:
    Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> wrote:

    On 10/05/26 01:42, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

    The tramway companies sometimes built cafos and other attractions at
    the outer ends of their lines so as to increase trade. There was one
    at the Rainbow Wood tram terminus near Bath, so people could catch a
    tram 'out to the countryside' and go for a walk in the woods, then
    have tea and sandwiches before returning home.


    Apparently it was once the custom in Newcastle (NSW) to take a Sunday
    trip on the tram out to the countryside. At its greatest extent the line was 25 km long. The tram service closed in 1930.


    As a child in short trousers in ~1955, I once the rode the Blackpool
    seafront tram all the way to the terminus at Fleetwood and back.
    Pleasingly, the seat backs of the transverse benches could pivot at
    the base so that when the tram reversed, you could still sit facing
    forward.

    \ <--seat back
    \
    \----- <-- seat base
    \
    o <-- pivot

    I saw that type of bench still in mainstream rail service in Sydney in the 90's.
    My mum told a tale of London trams before WWII: apparently the seats
    were made of flat wooden boards. If she was wearing silk knickers and
    a silk petticoat, the motion of the tram would make her slide about on
    her bottom.

    --
    ^-^. Sn!pe, bird-brain. My pet rock Gordon just is.

    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@admin@127.0.0.1 to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 08:42:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It
    was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly board as a child.
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 19:44:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk
    there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable
    pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From wollman@wollman@hergotha.csail.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 19:18:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    In article <im4MR.29$z8a.3@fx09.ams1>, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable >pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.

    Not something we have an opportunity to do on this side of the
    Atlantic, although there are a few parks that center the material
    culture of the original inhabitants. (Unfortunately not much has
    survived in the east.)

    I once belonged to a club of people who collected radio-station bumper
    stickers and other ephemera. I have a whole box of that stuff
    somewhere.

    Between 1995 and about 2012 I drove all around North America trying to
    see every licensed broadcast station (studio and transmitter), of
    which there were about 17,000. (There are more now, but in fewer
    physical locations.) Mostly I did this with friends but sometimes I
    took a road trip on my own in some part of the country I hadn't seen
    before. The self-guided collapse of the industry and the loss of many
    of the most interesting historic facilities took the fun out of it for
    me, and I stopped, although I still know where all the local ones are
    even if I don't listen much any more.

    -GAWollman
    --
    Garrett A. Wollman | "Act to avoid constraining the future; if you can, wollman@bimajority.org| act to remove constraint from the future. This is Opinions not shared by| a thing you can do, are able to do, to do together."
    my employers. | - Graydon Saunders, _A Succession of Bad Days_ (2015) --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From nospam@nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) to alt.usage.english on Sun May 10 22:05:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk >>> there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.

    There are marked Roman Limes Trails that you can walk.
    Unfortunately most of the Limes along the trail is missing,

    Jan

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 00:31:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 10/05/2026 21:05, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk >>>>> there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting
    train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It >>> was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a >>> hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly >>> board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable
    pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.

    There are marked Roman Limes Trails that you can walk.
    Unfortunately most of the Limes along the trail is missing,

    In Britain I suppose both Hadrian's and the Antonine Walls would count
    as Limes.
    Both are popular walking routes.
    (Well, not popular with me you understand, but there are some who enjoy
    that sort of thing.)
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 09:55:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 11/05/26 05:18, Garrett Wollman wrote:
    In article <im4MR.29$z8a.3@fx09.ams1>, Sam Plusnet <not@home.com>
    wrote:

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly
    respectable pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably
    clubs dedicated to this activity.

    Not something we have an opportunity to do on this side of the
    Atlantic, although there are a few parks that center the material
    culture of the original inhabitants. (Unfortunately not much has
    survived in the east.)

    In Australia, visiting aboriginal sacred sites is considered to be disrespectful, so we don't do it. For a few years now there's even been
    a ban on tourists climbing Uluru (formerly known as Ayer's Rock).

    I once belonged to a club of people who collected radio-station
    bumper stickers and other ephemera. I have a whole box of that
    stuff somewhere.

    Between 1995 and about 2012 I drove all around North America trying
    to see every licensed broadcast station (studio and transmitter), of
    which there were about 17,000. (There are more now, but in fewer
    physical locations.) Mostly I did this with friends but sometimes I
    took a road trip on my own in some part of the country I hadn't seen
    before. The self-guided collapse of the industry and the loss of
    many of the most interesting historic facilities took the fun out of
    it for me, and I stopped, although I still know where all the local
    ones are even if I don't listen much any more.

    I can approve of a hobby that gets you visiting places you wouldn't
    otherwise see. My genealogy research did something similar for me.

    It recently occurred to me that I, and many others, have changed in that respect. In the past I probably visited all the small towns within a 100
    km radius of Newcastle, and a fair few places elsewhere in the country.
    Now, after a gradual improvement in the road network, I do most of my travelling on freeways and major highways. The little towns on the back
    roads are fading from my consciousness.
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 04:12:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Mon, 11 May 2026 09:55:56 +1000, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    I can approve of a hobby that gets you visiting places you wouldn't
    otherwise see. My genealogy research did something similar for me.

    Yes, my wife and I have sometimes done that. One of our longer
    journeys, mostly to places neither of us had ever visited before, took
    us along the path of her great-great grandfather, an explorer and
    elephant hunter in what is now Namibia and Botswana. If interested,
    see here:

    <https://hayesgreene.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/drowning-in-the-okavango-in-the-steps-and-wake-of-the-brothers-green/>

    It recently occurred to me that I, and many others, have changed in that >respect. In the past I probably visited all the small towns within a 100
    km radius of Newcastle, and a fair few places elsewhere in the country.
    Now, after a gradual improvement in the road network, I do most of my >travelling on freeways and major highways. The little towns on the back
    roads are fading from my consciousness.

    I still prefer travelling on the back roads, even though they often
    have pothols nowadays, partly to avoid the tolls on the highways, and
    partly because they are more interesting.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From athel.cb@gmail.com@user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 09:08:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english


    Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> posted:


    [ ... ]


    I can approve of a hobby that gets you visiting places you wouldn't
    otherwise see. My genealogy research did something similar for me.

    I'm trying to think of a place I've visited for that reason. Not many, certainly, but Cawsand, on the historic border between Devon and Cornwall,
    may come into that category, as my great great great grandfather, at one
    time the most distant paternal ancestor that I could identify, lived there.
    I tried to get into the church, but it was closed, and there didn't seem
    to be a graveyard.

    Come to think of it, although I have visited Lourmarin, in the Luberon, many times, I did once search around the graveyard (where Albert Camus is buried)
    in the hope of finding the grave of a relative who is supposed to be buried there, but without success. The source said he was in the Protestant
    Cemetery, but as far as I could discover that doesn't exist, so I searched
    in the municipal cemetery. I also spent an incredibly boring half hour attending
    a service in the Calvinist chapel (the Luberon was a centre of protestantism
    in France) in the hope of looking around after the service, but I couldn't stand waiting that long, and there didn't seem to be anything much in the way of monuments anyway.

    It recently occurred to me that I, and many others, have changed in that respect. In the past I probably visited all the small towns within a 100
    km radius of Newcastle, and a fair few places elsewhere in the country.
    Now, after a gradual improvement in the road network, I do most of my travelling on freeways and major highways. The little towns on the back
    roads are fading from my consciousness.

    --
    athel

    Living in Marseilles for 39 years; mainly in England before that,
    with long periods in Singapore, California, Chile and Canada
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Tony Cooper@tonycooper214@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 11:20:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On Mon, 11 May 2026 09:08:36 GMT, athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:


    Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org> posted:


    [ ... ]


    I can approve of a hobby that gets you visiting places you wouldn't
    otherwise see. My genealogy research did something similar for me.

    It recently occurred to me that I, and many others, have changed in that
    respect. In the past I probably visited all the small towns within a 100
    km radius of Newcastle, and a fair few places elsewhere in the country.
    Now, after a gradual improvement in the road network, I do most of my
    travelling on freeways and major highways. The little towns on the back
    roads are fading from my consciousness.


    My hobby of photography has taken me to towns and areas distant from
    where I live. Old vehicles and abandoned buildings are favorite
    subjects.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From nospam@nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 20:33:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 21:05, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk >>>>> there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour?

    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting
    train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It
    was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a >>> hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly
    board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable
    pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.

    There are marked Roman Limes Trails that you can walk.
    Unfortunately most of the Limes along the trail is missing,

    In Britain I suppose both Hadrian's and the Antonine Walls would count
    as Limes.
    Both are popular walking routes.
    (Well, not popular with me you understand, but there are some who enjoy
    that sort of thing.)

    'Limes' is often used with the restricted meaning
    of just the heavily fortified part from Rhine to Danube,
    but it is also used for the entire outer border of the Roman Empire.

    In the news here some time ago: A Briton who was determined
    to travel the whole Limes, from the Irish to the Black Sea,
    on a small Roman-sized horse. [1]
    He also gave lectures on it in some of the towns he passed through,

    Jan

    [1] He said he intended to go on to Egypt, if possible.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Sam Plusnet@not@home.com to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 20:03:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 11/05/2026 19:33, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 21:05, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once walk >>>>>>> there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour? >>>>>>
    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting
    train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. It
    was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly a >>>>> hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a monopoly
    board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable
    pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to
    this activity.

    There are marked Roman Limes Trails that you can walk.
    Unfortunately most of the Limes along the trail is missing,

    In Britain I suppose both Hadrian's and the Antonine Walls would count
    as Limes.
    Both are popular walking routes.
    (Well, not popular with me you understand, but there are some who enjoy
    that sort of thing.)

    'Limes' is often used with the restricted meaning
    of just the heavily fortified part from Rhine to Danube,
    but it is also used for the entire outer border of the Roman Empire.

    In the news here some time ago: A Briton who was determined
    to travel the whole Limes, from the Irish to the Black Sea,
    on a small Roman-sized horse. [1]
    He also gave lectures on it in some of the towns he passed through,

    Jan

    [1] He said he intended to go on to Egypt, if possible.

    Poor horse.
    --
    Sam Plusnet
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Snidely@snidely.too@gmail.com to alt.usage.english on Mon May 11 14:12:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    on 5/11/2026, Sam Plusnet supposed :
    On 11/05/2026 19:33, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 21:05, J. J. Lodder wrote:
    Sam Plusnet <not@home.com> wrote:

    On 10/05/2026 08:42, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:
    On Fri, 8 May 2026 09:50:33 +0100
    liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham) wrote:

    Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

    [...]
    P.S. I've never taken a train to/from Fenchurch St; but I did once >>>>>>>> walk
    there to stare at a wall.

    Was this any particular wall or is that just your normal behaviour? >>>>>>>
    I'm not a member of a wall-staring club. My speciality is spotting >>>>>> train-spotters.


    It was a bit of the old town wall. Possibly the lowest bits were Roman. >>>>>> It
    was mostly just somewhere to go whilst awaiting erm something (possibly >>>>>> a
    hospital trip for my SO). Maybe she was inspired/traumatised by a >>>>>> monopoly
    board as a child.

    Visiting Roman (bits of) walls in Britain is a perfectly respectable >>>>> pastime. I haven't looked, but there are probably clubs dedicated to >>>>> this activity.

    There are marked Roman Limes Trails that you can walk.
    Unfortunately most of the Limes along the trail is missing,

    In Britain I suppose both Hadrian's and the Antonine Walls would count
    as Limes.
    Both are popular walking routes.
    (Well, not popular with me you understand, but there are some who enjoy
    that sort of thing.)

    'Limes' is often used with the restricted meaning
    of just the heavily fortified part from Rhine to Danube,
    but it is also used for the entire outer border of the Roman Empire.

    In the news here some time ago: A Briton who was determined
    to travel the whole Limes, from the Irish to the Black Sea,
    on a small Roman-sized horse. [1]
    He also gave lectures on it in some of the towns he passed through,

    Jan

    [1] He said he intended to go on to Egypt, if possible.

    Poor horse.

    If you're realistic about how far you can cover in a day, have lay days
    at a reasonable interval, and you're reasonably trim, I don't think the
    horse has to be pitied any more than any pleasure riding horse.

    A Roman-sized horse doesn't need to be a wee thing. The biggest draft
    horses were bred as much to carry knights in armor as for farm and
    commerce, but horses like the Scottish ponies carried men over heather
    and brae, and Haflingers have a draft build in a compact size.
    Consider also the tin mine ponuies.

    /dps
    --
    "What do you think of my cart, Miss Morland? A neat one, is not it?
    Well hung: curricle-hung in fact. Come sit by me and we'll test the
    springs."
    (Speculative fiction by H.Lacedaemonian.)
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2