No going back now.......................

[FLYING BANANA]

.................................unsupervised.

11 years ago whilst my wife was in hospital I decided to redecorate our flat, well someone else done
the work I just paid the bills. I bought all new furniture and so on. I also bought a matching pair of lamps, one floor standing and the other being a table lamp. Never any problems with the table lamp other than changing the bulbs. But the floor standing lamp used to wobble, it never seemed to stand right. Permanently leaned.

When I first moved down here so the lamps came as well. In the rented house there was thick carpet and the floor standing lap still leaned but at least it didn’t wobble. Again when I moved here to my new home it came along. Now downstairs I have laminate flooring but upstairs thick carpet. So the lamp has mainly stayed upstairs and used there.

But today I decided to bring it down and use it in the lounge. Gave it a clean and it went back to wobbling and leaning. Then the light bulb in the brain switched on. Got the sockets out, laid the lamp across the sofa and I preceded to unscrew the base. It’s either made of lead or concrete but it is heavy. Once unscrewed I then set about getting the chrome cover off. Except it wouldn’t come off. No idea how it is held on. But I put the base on the floor to see why it wobbled, but it didn’t. Mmmm!!!!!

So I threaded it back onto the stem, and tightened it up with the socket. Stood it up, and now it doesn’t wobble or lean. So after all this time all it needed was to be tightened up. Another lay down in a darkened room was called for.

Our neighbour who suffered the heart attack has since passed away. Turns out he was nearly 90 so a good innings I suppose. I only met him the once when we had our social distancing VE Day celebration. He lived with his son. Not sure if the son will stay on in the house. It is has 5 bedrooms, 2 were added when the extension was built.

It has never bothered me about the lockdown until now. Starting to get a bit fed up with it all. But I have started building model cars again, takes my mind off of things. On eBay there was a “Wills Finecast” 1928 Bentley 4/12 litre for sale in kit form. Starting price was £25, so I put a bid in. Then another came to light and I bid on that as well. Some of these kits sell for over £90, so I knew the bids would rise. I was prepared to go to £90. So you can imagine my surprise when I got one for £48. Well pleased, but totally forgot about the second one I had bid on. And I won that as well for £31.

So that’s a pair of white metal kits to build once I have finished building a resin and white metal Ford Escort van. Poor fittings has lead me to make some alterations to get the floor pan to fit the body. And am also converting a standard “Vanguards” MG ZT into a wide arch model. I look for the damaged models, they are always cheap. This ZT cost me £10, missing its mirrors and no box.

Which leads me to another pair of bargains bought off of the bay. Both 1/18th scale but two different manufacturers. TSM and Autocult. Bentley Exp 8 Le Mans cars. The TSM one had it’s original packing plus box but had a snapped off rear wing and both mirrors missing. The Autocult one had no box, nor any chassis. But it had a complete rear wing plus mirrors. I paid a combined price of £80 for the two. If you look on eBay the TSM ones can sell for up to £250. So I now have one complete plus spare body, wheels and a few other bits.

I had a clear out of model spares, bits I have had years and never used. There was over 100 odd wheels and tyres, suspension parts, interiors plus other odd bits that I would never use. So I packed them all up and contacted Mininuts aka Paul Townson on here. He builds model Mini’s, does conversions and rescues to odd damaged one’s. And so the package went off to Paul.
Another rescue of mine is a 1/24th Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II convertible, paid a fiver for it. No Flying Lady and three snapped off wheels. All fixed other than the Flying Lady.

Thanks for reading. Hope to catch up at some point with some of you in the New Year.

Keep safe.

[FLYING BANANA]

..................................... and she is 79. Another special date engraved into my heart, never to be forgotten. I sing “Happy Birthday”, well I call it singing, and always wish her a good day. I still talk to her every day, still ask her advice and ask her opinion when I’m cooking anything new.

Val’s Dad was not called up till 1942 as he was a bank manager. Like my Dad he started off in the Royal Signals but unlike my Dad he went on to serve in REME and traveled all over from North Africa to Monte Cassiono, where he lost his hearing, a jeep and his Major.

Keep Safe and I’ll catch up with most of you next year.

[squire]

Me too, Happy Birthday Val.

[Dallas]

Happy Birthday Val xx

[Rev Jules]

Sorry forgot to say.

Happy Birthday Val.

Dawn And Julien.

[FLYING BANANA]

................................. for a drive out. With a full tank in the Bear off we went. The idea was to go to Looe, park up and have a wander armed with a camera. But I drove through Looe and carried onto Polperro, I was here last week. But I carried on towards the ferry at Bodinnick via Crumplehorn & Lansallos. Some very narrow lanes, where the grass grows in the middle of the road, Met a few cars.

Parked on the approach to the Bodinnick ferry. We was going across to Fowey. Val and I used to holiday there in Fowey. Done the self catering, but the last time we was here in 2008 we stayed in what used to be called The Fowey Hotel overlooking the estuary.

Onto the ferry, we was the only car, with a couple of foot passengers. Across we went. once off I found a space in the car park. and went for a wander. The memories came flooding back, some escaped and rolled down my cheeks. There is a cracking pub called the Lugger Inn where we used to eat, it was open but I never went in. Walked past the church and past the war memorial, the poppy wreaths seemed to wink to me. Walked past the Aquarium where the largest lobster shell is on show.

Stood looking out over the river towards Polruan. Only been there once, we went over on the passenger ferry back in 2008 and had a beer or two. Polruan is bounded on three sides by water Pont Creek, River Fowey and the English Channel. We went to the blockhouse museum which has been rebuilt. There is a corresponding blockhouse on the other side in Fowey but that is more of a ruin. Lots of history.

I then walked back towards where I had parked the Bear. Then out and headed home via Lescrow, Castledore and past Milltown before joining the A390 towards Lostwithiel. On through Fairy Cross through West Taphouse, Middle Taphouse, East Taphouse, Redpost before joining the A38 at Dobwalls.
Past Moorswater, Liskeard, Lower Clicker, Budge's Shop and past Castle Motors. They have a Lightening Jet on a pedestal in the car park. Next door is Castle Taxis who operate helicopters.

Stayed on the A38 past Polyne Garage, Bear has been there 4 times this year. Through Trerulefoot, Tideford which is the most polluted village in Cornwall, through Landrake, past Tremanto and turned off at the bottom of the hill towards Burraton and into Saltash.

A few photo's.

[planenut]

Nice weather, nice pics, great memories?

[coolguy]

Making me jealous! I have holidayed in Cornwall most years sine 1982 (for over a year in weeks) and was unable to come this May due to Covid. Hoping to get down in May 2021.

[FLYING BANANA]

Originally Posted by coolguy

Making me jealous! I have holidayed in Cornwall most years sine 1982 (for over a year in weeks) and was unable to come this May due to Covid. Hoping to get down in May 2021.

Let me know when you are down, meet up for a coffee.

[edwardmk]

Originally Posted by FLYING BANANA

................................. for a drive out. With a full tank in the Bear off we went. The idea was to go to Looe, park up and have a wander armed with a camera. But I drove through Looe and carried onto Polperro, I was here last week. But I carried on towards the ferry at Bodinnick via Crumplehorn & Lansallos. Some very narrow lanes, where the grass grows in the middle of the road, Met a few cars.

Parked on the approach to the Bodinnick ferry. We was going across to Fowey. Val and I used to holiday there in Fowey. Done the self catering, but the last time we was here in 2008 we stayed in what used to be called The Fowey Hotel overlooking the estuary.

Onto the ferry, we was the only car, with a couple of foot passengers. Across we went. once off I found a space in the car park. and went for a wander. The memories came flooding back, some escaped and rolled down my cheeks. There is a cracking pub called the Lugger Inn where we used to eat, it was open but I never went in. Walked past the church and past the war memorial, the poppy wreaths seemed to wink to me. Walked past the Aquarium where the largest lobster shell is on show.

Stood looking out over the river towards Polruan. Only been there once, we went over on the passenger ferry back in 2008 and had a beer or two. Polruan is bounded on three sides by water Pont Creek, River Fowey and the English Channel. We went to the blockhouse museum which has been rebuilt. There is a corresponding blockhouse on the other side in Fowey but that is more of a ruin. Lots of history.

I then walked back towards where I had parked the Bear. Then out and headed home via Lescrow, Castledore and past Milltown before joining the A390 towards Lostwithiel. On through Fairy Cross through West Taphouse, Middle Taphouse, East Taphouse, Redpost before joining the A38 at Dobwalls.
Past Moorswater, Liskeard, Lower Clicker, Budge's Shop and past Castle Motors. They have a Lightening Jet on a pedestal in the car park. Next door is Castle Taxis who operate helicopters.

Stayed on the A38 past Polyne Garage, Bear has been there 4 times this year. Through Trerulefoot, Tideford which is the most polluted village in Cornwall, through Landrake, past Tremanto and turned off at the bottom of the hill towards Burraton and into Saltash.

A few photo's.

The Fowey Harbour Hotel is still there if that is the same one. Very limited parking but a nice hotel. We've watched the Red Arrows from their balcony several times when they used to fly very low through Fowey and you almost felt you could touch them as they went past.
I almost always drop into Castle Motors when we return from a visit to Plymouth to ogle all the exotica we can't afford and take another pic of their English Electric Lightning. What an incredible piece of British engineering that was at the time! I still remember a squadron flypast at Farnborough at above the speed of sound (when we still allowed that kind of display) and the return flypast when they all stood on their tails and climbed vertically to 50000ft. They were gone in seconds due to cloud cover lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DdUwIhI-ZA
I did wonder what made Tideford so polluted since it has always looked quite pretty from afar?
That run must have been very nostalgic for you. A lovely part of the world to tour and re-visit memories. Happy belated birthday to your Val and all the best to you too.