Must have been an interesting life.

I've had a passion for proper BIG aircraft carriers for years and for me the only people that can make em are the yanks. Check this old girl out a true blast from the past Navy wise, and from a time when the rest of the world behaved,(well to an extent)Sadly the USS Kitty Hawk has just been decomped after 48 years service in the biggest Navy in the world. Cant imagine us Brits ever keeping anything for half that time. what facinates me is not only the size of American Super carriers but the life they led on the seas and the people on board,yes I know they had to work and stuff but think of all the places she and them sailed too. Impressing all who must have seen them whether friend of foe. For me they not only represent mans skill in making things,but his aptitude for having mechanical material that can bring people together in such ways that it is difficult to imagine unless you've experienced it yourself. I think the word is comradeship and the way in which it comes about within the human race,friends for life etc.

Perhaps there are things we could all learn from ships like the kitty Hawk. A sense of belonging to something........

Mankind?

A man not forgotton.

Oh dear not written much lately. So time for something interesting , fascinating and impressive. Louise's Great Grandad 2nd LT Randall Garnsworthy of the Devonshire Regiment. Won a DSO at the ripe old age of.......20 years. He basically saw the old red mist and charged a machine gun post capturing it and its occupants single handed. Born an ordinary man of humble linage,he worked as a farm hand untill enlisting in early 1915 into the 8th Devons. By July 1917 he had shown enough prowess on the western front to be selected for Officer training, this being passed he was then attached to the 1st/6th Kings Liverpool Regt, with whom he spent the remainder of the war with. In October 1917 his commission was highlighted further by the award of the DSO.

Here is a picture of his Distinguished Service Order for which I feel very honoured to have seen and held.

Friends

One of the most important interests a human being can partake in is the keeping of friends,preferably of the human kind and of simular characteristics to yourself. There can of course be major differences in other peoples attributes,but there does need to be some level of common good or likemindedness. As in all peoples lives good things sometimes appear to come to and end at some point,and friendships are no exception.

Yet these wonderful and fulfilling friendships dont really end,they just drift or move slightly to other areas be it location,working life or another relationship that commands,demands,warrants the greater time. It is almost inevitable that these drifts will happen if both parties experience the above and at the same time.

Through the wonders of modern technologies and the amazing ability of the human spirit i have been able to re-kindle some of the magic that is having FRIENDS.

Another Interest

Here is a picture of another of my major interests usually carried out during the summer months this particular occasion was during a recent trip to Verdun in France. Unfortunatly not enough of this hobby can be done as I am nearly always broke, I dont like talking of monetry matters it is so Vulgar, but hopefully some further experiments in this fascinating and rewarding activity can be done in the coming months.

My New Hobby

Well its obvious the Victorian Monster failed to get me but it damn well tried, it eventually shifted to the next level with the help of an entire platoon of Gurkas,so thats the end of that story sorry if it is a anti-climax for you all but i have other things to write about.

Firstly i must say sorry to my massed legions of followers for not writing much i wont mention both their names. Yes any way i have another interest well its always sort of been there but on the side lines as it where. A WW1 Pickelhaube helmet it cost me some wheel parts and the building of when my mate is ready he's got tons of ww1 stuff tucked away,so i let him know that i had an old steel helmet from 1916 but that i had always wanted a pre 1916 picklehaub. Here's some pics.

A dangerous encounter

Here is a picture of a rather large and extremely heavy victorian wardrobe yes it is very ornate and quite beautiful, unless of course you have to shift one. Quite a long story cut short here but I spent most of yesterday doing some general building and labour work for my landlord, before we could start on the conversion of the attic space (on a three storey victorian town house)the attic had to be cleared. there was two gigantic behemoth wardrobes they where the size of Battlecruisers, in fact they could have been used at Jutland in 1916 if they;d had guns on them. You should by now get a feel for the shear size of these monumentous and gargantuan pieces of carpentry if the picture does not relay the sense of scale.

Anyway the landlord who shall remain totally nameless for fear of being taken away and questioned by the Health and Safety Inquisition who by chance is actually a thoroughly nice chap and i really do enjoy working with ,over stepped my normally high degree of optimism.Oh yes we shuffled , we shimmied, huffed, and puffed , swore, and sweated and got to the begining OF THE TOP STAIR CASE. A winding three level ornate and delicate staircase of 100 years old the epitomy of the grand staircase in a grand Victorian villa. There was no way the wardrobe was going to go down in the conventional manner well not with just two of us.

So the landlord decided to prop the end of this wooden Tyranasaurus Rex on one end of the bannister rail, heaving and hoofing, coughing and spluttering it was propped. we stood back and pondered well i did, the landlord went to the next level and told me to push. Reluctantly and still pondering our next move i pushed. The beast slid further out dangling precariously towards the next level, it then came to me what was happening to i shot to join the landlord on the next staircase. Now we where both there he was convinced we could take the weight so we let gravity bring the monster closer to the next level. OH MY GOD i cried this is going to kill us both.

Some piston rings

With no paints suitable for the new prussians and no time for any serious day dreaming, I have been doing some more work on the website thats been in the planning stage for ten thousand years. I now have the bare bones of a home page. http://www.pistonringshop.co.uk/



I have realised though that some readers (if there are any) may actually not have a clue as to what piston rings are, so here is a picture of some. These are old ones very similar to what I try and sell every day, they will never make me richer than beyond my wildest dreams but they do sort of prevent me from having to jump through hoops and say yes sir three bags full sir every day.

No Time

Been very busy still am though finally getting my website finished this is all down to my friend Richard in the AMOC he is an absolute genius.Whilst planning stuff for the home page I found a rather interesting photo on a Bradford transport museum site,it is of the old Hepolite piston factory at St. John's works.I think it is still there today.
















Still waiting for some new paints to get on with my newly aquired and simply exquisit Eureka 15mm Prussians, they will be Prussians this time, no more Hessians or Brunswickers for me. Back room at home is all sorted as well now so all my crap and stuff is finally in one place were I can get to it. The downside of sorting stuff though is you get to realise just how much stuff you have that you dont want and how much stuff you need but dont have. Paints have raised their head here I simply did not realise how my paint box had been depleted over time, so extra foundry paint order coming right up when I've more green and folding.

Dunkirk

Yesterday there was no DD,i was just too busy (stripping a bathroom out) proved to be a tiring job so i sat back in the evening with my sore hands and decided to finish my new book on Dunkirk. Only i couldn't really remember where i got to or the content of what i'd already read so...... I did the only real sensible thing and started again.

I have always pondered on just how the French managed to get themselves into such trouble in 1940 considering all the mechanized equipment they had and the shear size of their Army, i think this book shall provide some of the answers. Mismanagement and petrol! have come to the fore within the first few chapters,what i'm really looking forward to is the British last man rearguard stuff in particular LT Jimmy Langley of the Guards Division. Well i'll keep up with this book in close sittings unless million pound piston ring orders come in.

A reoccurring dream

I was kind of in one of my Dukes of Hazzard type worlds today having spent late last night perusing old photos of when i lived in the US followed by a Clint Eastwood and Clyde film, so today's DD's contained much thought on classic cars from the good old USA in particular this baby i found stashed in the depths of the PC.

Well today being Valentines i duly served breakfast to the beloved in bed and i think it was well received, lunch in the High St was not required but to be left in peace with a lie in was requested, so i left her to rejoin the land of fairies and fluffy pink animals. This of course enabled me to DD more on Dodges and Plymouth cars of the late 60's pic above is a 68 Dodge Coronet and check this beast of a Plymouth. Again its 68 and a obviously a Road Runner.

I have a plastic model of one of these fantastic cars must get round to building it one day,its been in the box for about 7 years also i have spent around 15 yes 15 years building a Technical Lego one but thats for another time.

Valentines day

Yes it is valentines tomorrow and i have forgotten,not a very promising start to show of my thoughts and affections hopefully i'll be forgiven, a surprise breakfast in bed and some lunch in the High St could do the trick.

Piston rings drove me mad today 2 sets took 4hrs to find when it would normally take 2 minutes getting them sorted again,all together, and set out in size and make order is a priority plus i get the painting and reading room back instead of it being full of rings and other related paraphernalia. Talking of reading i must get Dunkirk finished.

To round off my waffles for the day it was anounced on the BBC that inflatable jackets for motorcyclists be made compulsary. The riders special jacket will according to the report be attached to a rip cord connected to the bike,if he/she then comes a cropper the cord breaks and out pops michelin man!!!! imagine if you forget to disconnect when you get off,could be some red faces on the roads.

Snippet of the day found on http://www.ajs-matchless.com

"If you want to make God laugh then make plans"

Thursday 12th

Well this is the first day of my daydreaming blog career.It has snowed again today preventing me from attending club night,ah well another meeting in two weeks. Quite a lot of DD done today mainly revolving around the return of spring and the possibility of doing some serious mileage on the matchless,(it has been hibernating for 5 months now)yet not a drop of oil lost! who said Brit bikes leak oil. Some intense DD also on wargame figures which ones next etc,i think i have probably spent 20 years trying to work out whether i could hack 25mm in my collection,of course i've painted em before well odd ones here and there,but never seriously bought, painted and gamed them.Just been informed by she who knows best that it is super hero day tomorrow!she is going to be..........Wonder Word Woman?And on that note i'm off to talk to WWW.