VR

The plumber called round this morning to check out the boiler. After much furtling and phone calls to Worcester Bosch it was deemed that my flow rate was at fault and this has been adjusted down. I was going to ask him for some nipple grease - for a friend you understand - but he didn't look old enough to have had any cause to grease a nipple so I didn't bother.

Then I set off out to the big wide world which I've not been able to visit for a while due to the pressure of work. I headed down to Dungeness to see how work is coming along at the RH&DR station and the Light Railway Café. In the extras you'll see that there is a goodly amount of structural work going in but it looks as though they are saving some of the original features which is rather lovely.

Then along the coast to Folkstone. It's a lovely drive with the sea visible on the right for much of the time. I often stop at Sandgate to take some photos of the sea but there are very big Tonka trucks moving up and down the beach and dumping shingle to strengthen the sea defences. I'd have got you some shots of that happening but the dust was dreadful so I eschewed the opportunity. 

Heading in to Folkstone I spotted this pillar-box - isn't it a beauty? It's hexagonal which means that it's an early design, between 1866 and 1879 and is called a Penfold after the the designer - the only pillar-box designer remembered in this way and he also gave his name to Danger Mouse's sidekick . The top of the box is decorated with acanthus leaves and bud and this is a later design as the letter slot is below the decorative crest. On version 1 the slot was higher, above the crest, but letters became lodged in the top. It was a faff parking to grab these shots and the people in the bus stop next to the pillar-box must have have thought I was a tad bonkers bananas taking pictures of it but that's just how the world works isn't it? There's one thing for certain sure - no woggle-hopping a box this high with that thing sticking up on top!