Day 50: 28th March – Trains and . . . – Na rathaidean fada, lùbach tro Chuimrigh agus Alba

Today’s trivia is on poo:

Wombats produce cube-shaped feces for territorial marking, as the shape prevents rolling.
Dried elephant and human manure have historically been used as fuel for fires.
The white part of bird droppings is actually their urine (uric acid).
Young Komodo dragons roll in their own feces to protect themselves from being eaten by adults.
Elephant dung is high in fiber, which can be processed to create paper.

and on toilets . . .

While often credited to Thomas Crapper, the flush toilet was perfected by him, not invented. The “S-bend” pipe, which prevents odors from entering homes, was designed by Alexander Cumming in 1775.
The Roman army used a shared sponge on a stick, called an Artisaurium, for cleaning themselves in communal, public latrines.
Commercial toilet paper was introduced in New York in 1857.
The most expensive toilet is on the International Space Station, costing approximately $32 million.
November 19 is World Toilet Day.
In Japan, many public toilets have a “sound princess” (Otohime), a device that plays water sounds to cover embarrassing noises.
The first toilet cubicle in a public restroom is typically the cleanest because it is used the least.
South Korea has a museum dedicated to toilets, shaped like a toilet seat, called “Mr. Toilet House”.
Despite their prevalence, nearly 4 billion people still lack safe and sanitary toilet facilities.
On average, a person uses about 57 sheets of toilet paper per day.

The above will become more relevant should you visit and/or stay at THE Windsor Castle located in sunny Moss Vale.

and as an adjunct to yesterday’s trivia on York, we wondered why so many tatts and goths . . .

The high visibility of goths in York is driven by a combination of the city’s deep, macabre history, its atmospheric gothic architecture, and its close proximity to the nearby coastal town of Whitby, which hosts the internationally renowned biannual “Whitby Goth Weekend”.

Requirements for staff greeting hotel guests for breakfast are:

A big fail for journey step No. 5. I asked for the waitress’s number and yes, I got that blank look.

We’ll never get back that hour we spent getting to and from . . .

Then it was off to the Samsonite Store as my luggage has gone out in sympathy with me . . .

It was then back just in time for a tour of the Treasurer’s House . . .

Frank loved collecting unique items . . .

but the best bit about the museum is . . .

Frank was an antiquarian, but not for investment, and to show case his collection of objects d’art and antique furniture, he tried to create ‘period rooms’ wherein the furniture and artefacts reflected a style or age. So every room was different.

He gave Treasurer’s House, other York properties and his collection to the National Trust in 1930, thus providing the Trust with its first fully furnished property.

and then off to the Natuonal Rail Museum . . .

Laddie was an Airedale terrier, born in 1948, died 1960. With a box strapped to his back he collected money for the Southern Railway Servants Orphanage and worked at Waterloo Station for seven years.

The Flying Scotsman wasn’t in today😥. In fact we missed it’s appearance by four days, but it looks like this from what I remember . . .

Royalty carriage . . .

Due to Graham doing some works . . .

it was a torturous walk there, even by my standards and 2IC was in one of those moods, like a dog, lying down and not budging so we caught the kiddies train. I was lucky averting any tantrums with this being the first day back from the winter break, yep HGiT!

Some more fake grass topiary sculptures were come across . . .