Gondor's Grumblings

[NARSES2]

Glad to know you're ok Alistair

[Rheged]

I'm vastly relieved to hear that it was only tyres and not you that was  punctured

[Gondor]

In my early days with MTS I was driving my Cortina Mk V Estate up the A38 back toward Derby when a truck in front of me dropped one its railway sleeper loads off the back, right in front of me! 

The sleeper bounced (!) and one end went clean through my radiator grille, came to a stop against the engine, and with the other end embedded in the road, brought me to an abrupt halt. Thank goodness for seat belts and strong anchorages!

While much of the car was a wreck and had to be rebuilt at some length, I knew who owned the truck as it was my previous employers, British Rail! Needless to say my insurance people were VERY pleased to know that. 

That wasn't pay back was it Kit?

My thanks to everyone for their concern. I luckily hit whatever it was "head on" as it were, I don't think about what would have happened otherwise as I was overtaking a car at the time.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Now offically on holiday for three weeks 

Started the holiday be visiting the nearest IKEA to buy some more large packing boxes only to find that they no longer do the size I was buying so I had to buy more of a smaller size which will limit the number of kits I can put into them 

I have so got to reduce the number of models I have "to hand" while increasing the loft insulation or I will never get some of the started projects finished or even to start others which is too tempting.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Among the other Christmas presants I received this year, there was this outstanding gift from Alisa my faience

20201226_140154 small by Alastair Macfarlane, on Flickr

Merry Christamss to All, or which ever holiday suits

Gondor

[Nick]

Great T-shirt! It sums up the innocent look all cats have. That or the 'I did it and I don't care' sneer.   

[Rick Lowe]

Love the t-shirt! 

[TheChronicOne]

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!  Glorious! 

[Old Wombat]

 

[DogfighterZen]

Love that shirt! 

[Gondor]

Just finished installing a new bookcase in my modelling room, although no books are ever likely to grace it's shelves. It was purchased solely for the purpose of improving the vertical stability of the stash net to my modelling bench which until now has over the years produced the odd avalanche and landslide of boxes and kits! 
Now the kits that were in the tittering tower are all nicely sat and well behaved on some nice solid shelves which will ensure that despite the frailty of some manufacturers boxes, nothing will fall onto the modelling bench   
Not only that but I have found something called a "carpet" that was hiding under one of the piles of boxes and the fuselage of an Airfix modern Mk.IX Spitfire that had gone missing some time ago
Severall projects have also been unearthed and a very usefull tool for one of them. A Draper Sanding Mouse, I deal for those old Revell Shackletons and Fw200's you may have laying around.
Come the weekend, those kits I have just reorganised into a more stable situation, should be added to my stash catalogue which is currently sitting at just under 800 kits which doesn't include what is hiding in the bedroom 

Gondor

[Gondor]

Not much happening with the orginisation of the stash as I have run out of boxes and with the lockdown I am not going to be able to visit IKEA to get more 

Stash purchases have increased a little though 

As I turned 60 at the start of the month my Armed Forces pension has kicked in with a nice lump sum and a monthly payment too 

Some of my recent purchases are whiff related, two Lightning F.2A's have been bought for converting into both the Navalised T5 and the Phase III version.

Other items bought and ordered are various versions of Skybolt. Two "Production" version will go under a Vulcan in all over white while four "Protatype" versions will be hung under a converted Valiant if I ever get around to it. 

Gondor

[Rick Lowe]

Merry Birthday for earlier, then! 

[Gondor]

Well things have taken a bit of a twist. As you may have seen from elsewhere on the forum, I am having to self isolate as my other half's parents have tested positive for Covid-19 and as I was visiting them on Saturday a few hours befor they were informed that they may be infected I am currently self isolating. Work has been ok with this and have furloughed me for the time being.

I have lots that I can do but I really could do with more storage boxes to allow me to transfer more of my stash into the loft in an attempt to keep the modelling room and the bench clear enough to build some of the more pressing items in the stash.

Talking of which, some of the latest bits that I have bought for projects are coming together just no gluing of anything yet, just getting the parts necessary for the builds. These will be a "Navalised Mk.5" Lightning and the "Phase III" Lightning. I have bought two Airfix Lightning Mk.2A kits, Two sets of Freightdog VG Wings and Ground Attack conversion sets to go with the base kit. The Ground attack conversions are not correct in shape but will provide the basis for the shape needed and save lots of filler as well  Changing the single seat aircraft to a two seater is to be accomplished by using the Odds And Ordnance T-Bird conversion set which has parts for either the T4 or T5 in it.

I'm quite looking forward to starting those builds, especially trying to get all the different parts together and looking like they should.

More practical things that need doing is fixing at least one draw which the bottom is refusing to stay in place. All the parts have been bought, Ratchet Tie Downs, Small eye hooks and Picture hanging wire. All that is left to get is something to stop the picture wire unwinding once it has been tightened up, I should be able to find a nail or two that will do the ob. Fixing my draws the draws that have the bottom falling out of them  will good practice for fixing a similar problem that my parents have with one of theirs. If it works then the expenditure of less than £20 is much better than buying a new unit.

I also think that I need a new keyboard as various letters are not keen to type 

Gondor

[Gondor]

THought a few out there might like to know whats been going on for the last few weeks.

Keyboard problem has been sorted at no cost, I had a spare in a cupboardwhich is wireless but can use the same dongle as the one that my mouse uses so I have a spare USB socket at the rear of the tower which will get an extension lead to bring it forwards so I can plug the new toy I have for finding out where the cat is. I bought him a Vodaphone Curve, it's a GPS tracking device and I have tracked him for quite a distance locally.  One morning I had to go out as he had nit moved for a couple of hours with the utside tempreture of -8^oC and near a busy road too.  I eventually found him when after calling on him for ages he crawled out from under a bush where he had been sleeping!!!

Health wise I have had Covid-19 and am not infections according to the NHS, though saying that I feel more like a washed out limp rag than anything else. Some days I wake up, open the curtains and then need to lay down for an hour or so get get the strength up to posibly consider doing anything else.

Gondor