to choke on my tea because

[spaciallyunaware]

a man had only three hours sleep last night and is so exhausted that the army is now on standby?

Can you elaborate OP?

standby for...?

Eh?

Did you have a number of replies in mind you had to reach before you'd come back to tell us what on earth is happening?

?

The Army's on standby down south for the floods isn't it? I'm just taking a shot in the dark here. OP please come back and explain its bothering us all now! :)

sorry making the tea.... yes Missp! Looking back to my years with small DCs and smirking at the thought of battalions on standby outside my chaotic house as I stumbled through the days with bleary eyes and fogged brain on autopilot

its not the fact that the army's going to save the situation for the poor flooded people - so awful for them all - just the way the newsman phrased it how they are going to have to help because the man is exhausted

I'm being unreasonably dense but I still don't understand...

What man?

OK - I was drinking some tea and the newsreader on the scene at the broken railway in Devon said how the army are on standby now because of the exhaustion of the railway menders, particularly one of them who had only had three hours sleep and I spluttered at the thought of how half the nation only has three hours sleep some nights and doesn't have an army to fall back on when they have to carry on day after day.... sorry for befuddling - obviously in need of some military support myself

We drove through there today (live nearby) and there are loads of people there, including all the camera vans. I've never seen one before so I was pathetically excited.

I had the army on standby when I had DS. Well one of 'em.

So you are saying that the railway engineers should be able to do their difficult and dangerous job, efficiently, quickly and safely on less than 3hrs sleep?

I was always under the impression that I managed to look after dc on three hours sleep because it...errr...wasn't very difficult. I couldn't do my day job on three hours sleep, let alone engineering. Lorry drivers also have very clear rules about how often and how much they have to sleep.

They used to let Doctors work continuously for 36 hours, but then they decided it was a bad idea. I think being a railway engineer is just as important. They should get some sleep too.

they could park all the media vans up end-to-end underneath the swinging track and let the trains get across while the exhausted man catches up on his bo peep

Amazing idea, spacially

I think you have missed the point completely.

I imagine it is pretty exhausting to do though. Even on s full night's sleep?

Engineering isn't really safe to do in the wet anyway let alone on 3 hours sleep. I'd struggle to do my job off that

oh wow aren't you just sooooooooo amusing.

Have you any idea about what is going on down here?

Theres another massive storm coming in with a record forecast of waves up to 35ft in the SW on Saturday. It's been pretty relentless since the New Year in the SW.

People are working round the clock to shore up their properties, put some kind of infrastructure in place to try to save a large number of properties from being either flooded or, in some cases, swept away for good in places along the coast, move hundreds of livestock to stop them from being cut off and drowning.

There are people out all night checking properties, power lines, boats, roads, working relentlessly to keep people safe. you never

My friends elderly mother is in hospital after waves crashed through her front room windows peppering her with glass and stones. God knows when she will be able to return home.

So you sit there making snide remarks, dear, about lack of sleep

No Cumbercookie what I'm saying is when I was on three hours sleep, I would have loved to have had an army to step in and help. I was not suggesting that these men should work without being fit for it, nor doctors, nor lorry drivers (like my DH)

I apologise for causing offence and am truly sorry it was about the newsreader's comment not the actual situation