Wednesday, April 26, 2006

One of the four Fox cubs, this year

The Fox loved the eggs


Here is a photo of the Fox (Vixen) taking the eggs. She isnt happy for me to be close to her earth as yet when her cubs are out so I will wait a while and see how it goes!

One for Fuff! Evanthia had these ready to give to me Monday!


but I didnt get there until today so I will give them to the Foxes and try to photo them taking them! I wonder what they will make of them?

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Saturday, April 15, 2006

I`m Back!!!!!!!! briefly!!

For the last four days I have been in Brighton working on stripping and repairing my straight six 250 BHP Volvo version of a mooring anchor (Port side engine). I finished at about 19-00 yesterday and spent the next three or so hours with stain remover getting the oil off the upholstery and the fixed carpets. Yes, Yes, I removed most of them! but I tripped with one seat cushion as I relocated it and fell, landing on top of it with an oily cylinder head under, Eugh!! haemorrhoids !!!! a real PITA. The engines now run like a swiss watch (a smokey, noisey, Swiss watch, but never the less a Swiss watch! seriously though it is really first class, if I do say so myself. I am indeed chuffed with my efforts! The boat is now sparkling clean and running well (until the next time) Christ! Volvo spares are over priced! and they really "had my trousers down" with O rings at £2-40 each (nothing special usual price £2-50 for a box of a thousand) head gaskets sets at £100 each (I needed two) needless to say, where I could I purchased good quality "same sort" spares! Shame I didnt ask Feltham Marine for a price before committing them to ordering me just a couple of exhaust gaskets, a small bag of O rings and four filters ? Wammo!!!! £270-00 Quid !!!! Ouch!! eqivalent from another supplier £180-00 what a rip off! Ho Hum!!!who Cares its only money!! Yea right!!!! it`s not the money its the principle Volvo have of Ripping off the customer, as for Feltham Marine thats another thing! I am at Beauleiu on the weekend and have a stand at the Boat Jumble. its a usual pilgrimage much like the rock concerts that I attended as a Young person. I go there the day before and enjoy the surroundings! the New forest is a beautifull place (I used to keep one of my sail boats in the river there "Genevievre") have a great Dinner and sleep on the site ( ablutions are a bit basic but available) wherever I can,in the dry, and wake refreshed???? to make my fortune on the day. I do spend a lot of and money recieved on enormous Burgers though, and come home about a stone heavier! I am on my way back to Brighton soon to get the outside of the boat cleaned and polished and to attack the small "beard" that has started to form on the bottom, but thats another story! The engines are Brilliant now and both finally fully rebuilt and thats what matters at this juncture! Have a great Easter weekend! even if the Church has placed it, this year, at the beginning of summer!!!!!!!!!!!:o))))

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

I get a regular.....

Update from Lin and Larry Pardey and look forwards to its arrival, they are still very active in their "Dotage" I`m sure that Lin would never forgive me for saying that if ever she found out. It is so refreshing to hear about their life to date with Larry now almost full recovered and back to "his old self" they have now more or less settled in New zealand and have a cottage on an Island with a boatyard attached. Their books are something that most cruisers can relate to and indeed learn from if ever one gets the chance to read them. The cost concious sailor ISBN 0-9646036-5-9 and Storm Tactics ISBN 1-85310-787-5, to name but a couple.

I remember the first time I met them they were giving a talk about storm weather tactics at the Earls court Boat show and I had just arrived there and "tricked" my back out in the subway tunnel from the tube station, I headed like a doubled up tortiser to the first aid post on arrival and after about an hour of lying down on a hard trolley and several paracetamol I was now starting to creep around the show (well having got there I was Blo*dy well going to have a look). Hardly able to breath and certainly not able to straighten up, I got as far as the lecture stand and stopped by its curtained doorway which housed many chairs. Whilst I was evaluating the possibility of getting up again after sitting on one of them, Lin came out of the darkness, and said Oh! your our first customer! to which I said that I didnt like to disillusion her but My back has "gone" and I was actually looking for somewhere to sit. She made me very welcome and introduced me to Larry and I stayed for the show. I have to say that I was entranced with their vigour and knowledge of their trade/craft.

I knew about Hiscock and many of the the others but hadn`t really thought much about Lin and Larry until then. I hope that I may meet with them again in the future and look forward to the possibility but in the meantime I will cherish their words in their "Updates to me". Did I get home from the show? yes I did but I went direct from their lecture, and spent the next five days flat on my back, not something I would ever want to happen again. Excert from "The ravings of an old man".

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

have I finally .......

Got rid of Word Varification???? Maybe I will want it back! who knows?

Booring blog or what?

I have decided that my Blog is now worse than Booring (its always been booring! ) so I think a rethink is needed!!

Monday, April 03, 2006

Arrived at the office (A1 cafe) and...

I was confronted with Paddy sitting on his own with about 60 rolls on a large plate waiting for me to come in and start throwing them about. I guess it was Evadne`s way of saying that it was alright and that I was allowed to spend my money on their premises. So the rolls went back carefully onto the counter and it`s back to normal for a while!

Well the Ma........

trix is all sorted and painted, ready drying for a second coat when I get back from the office. It really was a mess the black covering is similar to the tar that is to be found in cancerous lungs from smoking and needed neat petrol to remove it and a good blowing from an airline to dry it off. I guess that the previous owner of the Matrix assembly (not me) had a faulty Turbo thats bearings leaked burnt engine oil it smelt very much like it. Ah well its all clean now and off to the office I go! Hi ho, Hi ho!!

look at that matrix it looks just like a cancerous lung

look how gungy it is inside the airway

Well today I have....

to get stuck into my engine repairs and don my overall and get out into the workshop, its quite cool but not too bad here I have to strip down my intercooler and clean the fins out so as to let fresh air get through and then reassemble it and give it all a coat of "Volvo green" or VW "royal marine" green, cheaper volvo is £27 a small can and the VW from Halfords is about £5. I shall still go to the Office for lunch and its going to be memorable I am sure. Ill let you know how I get on!

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Its Billy nomates Sunday to day

Im off to lunch with the future in-laws today in a minute Phew! Im not relishing this. I have been lectured on how I am going to have to behave myself and I feel as though I am going to get a lick and spit of the hand to sort out my quiff (Which dissapeared long before I was adult age) I feel like a kid being taken to meet an old aunt that I have never seen. 62 and feeling like a kid I spose I should be grateful ?
The mouse thing went well ( as I expected with Evadne asking what it was and trying to pick it up and shake it, where uopon she was told to leave it alone as it was for paddys daughters school nature project and that it was a live mouse) I then picked the box up and discovered the hole underneath and exclaimed thet the animal had eaten its way out and that we should look for it around the edges of the cafe floor! with the now panic stricken (but trying to be Josephene cool!!! )Evadne finally looking behind the slot machine only to find a computer mouse. The lunchtime denegrated into a roll throwing (some 30 rolls thrown at us) and banning of Paddy and I for our joke. I asked if I could have my box back for another mouse and Evadne tore it up in discust :o(( John was in histerics back in the kitchen, he saw the humour as did the rest of the family now down from their chairs. Te he I think I will try and gain acces on Monday but Im not holding out much luck! this time I will have a live mouse with me, or perhaps I shouldnt eh?