Muxworthy's Musings

My Dad used to be a pipe smoker and gave it up after having a bad chest cold. The one thing that I recall quite clearly was the tobacco he used, and I recall the three varieties he favoured, there was Condor Long Cut, Condor Ready Rubbed and Clan – mainly because he sent me to the shop to get them (despite me being well underage). He always kept it in a leather pouch that was down the side of his seat in the front room. For some bizarre reason I occasionally took to opening the pouch up and smelling the contents inside and I must admit the aroma was something I found quite nice. Then one day I must have taken leave of my senses, probably after hearing that people chewed tobacco. I reasoned that if people chewed it and it smelt nice then it would probably taste nice too. For once the fact that we have a sense of smell to tell us whether something is fit to put in your mouth proved wrong! I picked out some of the tobacco and placed it in my mouth and began to chew! Well, the chewing didn...

  Acts 17v11. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. When you are travelling by train does the thought ever occur to you ‘I wonder if the driver knows where they are going?’ Please be assured that before any driver is allowed in the cab of a train on their own they have to pass what is called their ‘Route knowledge.’ It is very much the same as a London cabbie learning ‘The knowledge.’ Drivers have to know every inch of the route they are travelling as well as the risks associated with it; the list is pretty extensive; it includes obvious things like stations, tunnels and signals. However most importantly a driver must know where particular signals at junctions will take them. These signals will come with additional indicators in the form of lights fitted to them to show which route the signaller has set. Signaller...