Originally Posted by
WHBM
Alex Frater, in his brilliant book "Beyond the Blue Horizon", which all here should read, went in about 1985 to recreate the route of the old Empire Flying Boats from 50 years previously, stopping at all the same points along the way and comparing old and new accounts of places, including of course many mentions of timetables. Anyway, on the very last page he is back on the steps of St Pauls Cathedral in London, and wrote he looked up and just saw a BAe146 slipping across the sky. So it was more than a little appropriate that yesterday, standing on London's Embankment within sight of St Pauls, just as the Marathon race leader approached, a Swiss 146 turned overhead us at 2,000 feet for an easterly final approach into London City.
In addition to being a first rate airline historian, you're also a fine salesman. Upon reading the above referenced comments I went right over to Amazon and purchased a copy of this book. It looks like a great read. Thanks!
Squirrel Update: Last year I went online and purchased some "Squirrel Be Gone!" type powder, apparently infused with the scent of some predator's urine that would cause squirrels to think twice before setting up shop in my cabin. The reviews I'd read on this product were good and so I sprinkled and sprayed it liberally about the cabin exterior expecting that my squirrel problem would shortly be but a distant memory. Well, the local red tree squirrels apparently didn't think much of that product at all as the assault on my cabin continued unabated. It should be noted that because they'd nested there prior to my having moved in, the cabin is apparently "marked" and now is a natural attractant to squirrels desiring better accommodations than can be found in the local witches broom or spruce rust found throughout the black spruce forest I live in. Further research on the internet revealed that squirrels don't like hot, spicy things. I remembered the scene from "Cool Hand Luke" where Paul Newman's character instructs a local kid to sprinkle chilli powder around a barn to help cover his tracks as well as provide some entertainment for the kid as the hounds sniffed it up. Ever hopeful for similar results, I put together a concoction of Cayenne and White peppers and distributed them liberally. Alas, the squirrels seemed unaffected. Now I'm spraying ammonia. So far as I know, I'm about the only one in the region attempting to use non-lethal methods. Everyone else recommends .22 caliber lead poisoning. Since I don't own any guns, I went out and purchased a BB gun. Squirrels that have taken an inordinate amount of interest in my place, i.e. those that have moved or attempted to move in, get the BB. I've become a pretty darned good shot over the past year and though I'm more than willing to blast the squirrels into oblivion, my preference remains the non-lethal approach.