Today I shall be Mainly...

[Wendyf]

Wendy, can you please delete the last two of mine. Thankyou.

All deleted Gloria.

[Gloria]

Thankyou Wendy.

[Stanley]

David was quite right to raise that matter. Glad you have all adjusted things to suit! We will all have Bob in mind and Sue will give us all the news that'#s fit to print I am sure!

I shall be in the shed as usual at 06:00 working on my valve train. That hour each morning doing something that has a concrete result does me the world of good. I have nothing I ought to be doing and no social engagements so I could very easily do nothing more focussed than a short walk and some snooker. (It's the start of the masters at Alexandra Palace today.)

[Stanley]

I started the morning by stripping the valve chest and lid off the engine and getting the small stock components sammed up ready to work with. Then some careful measuring and doing a small fag packet drawing to remind myself of what needs doing. The first target was to turn the rough bronze casting into a functioning gland and mark it for drilling for the studs. Then I modified the drilling of the steam chest to make sure the gland fitted. That all took an hour but time is no object. What matters is that the work is error free and accurate. Now for breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

Beautiful day yesterday. After Bacup market we went to Burnley to our patisserie friend, then had a coffee in a local cafe before going up to Crown Point. We walked over to Clowbridge reservoir and back, occasionally on frosty tracks and muddy tracks. We had to cross one small stream by paddling through with trousers rolled up . It was a 4 mile circuit with a couple of tough steep hills and it was 2.00 before we got home so it was a late lunch of bacon butties using the freshly bought baguette. In the afternoon we went into Rochdale , but drove as another 4 miles did not appeal. I had bought a jumper in the Marks sale, reduced from £17.50 to £8 and it needed collecting. Such an active day brought on a nights sleep of 8.5 hours!

Today is another nice ish day, and perhaps another walk but first there will have to be a bit of cleaning as bits of tinsel appear to be everywhere.

-2002043393_20240106_122810_2152923_resized.jpeg

20240106_121032.jpeg

-1998349309_20240106_121029_3039834_resized.jpeg

-1996502267_20240106_120447_2724660_resized.jpeg

Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

I have no problems with tinsel Sue..... Sounds like a good day yesterday. I never stirred out, it seemed better to stay inside in the warm. I know, I'm getting old! Off to bed for second sleep now after a good breakfast. I shall be back later.

[Stanley]

At 06;00 I shall be in the shed as usual for my daily dose of engine-building and brain-gym because that's what shed work is, more than light exercise for my body, it's also exercise for my brain. I really do believe that the day I stop doing this is the day I start to die.
Today is a red letter day for another reason, Susan and Mick set off south on a journey that will see them on board a Boeing 787 for a non stop flight to Perth on the 16th of January, They are going to spend 3 months in the sun. I shall have to settle down to surviving, I mustn't die while they are out of the country!
Don't chide me for mentioning death. It looms larger in your thoughts the older you get!
I think tomorrow may be veggie shopping day. No need to worry about it today.

[Stanley]

I started the morning by finishing the gland for the valve rod By drilling the gland itself and then drilling and tapping the steam chest to accept the studs that secure the gland. Once that was done I moved my attention to the clevis that has to be made for the connection between the valve rod and the eccentric strap arm. I turned it to length and drilled and tapped it for the 4BA valve rod but before I make the rod I shall cut the slot in the clevis for the strap arm. That's the first job tomorrow. Now for breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

Only just woken up having been awake for nearly 5 hours during the night. It was a good day yesterday. We didn’t go for a walk but after we had cleaned the house thoroughly between us, and I had ironed i pottered outside. I cleaned the bird feeders, tidied the greenhouse after its devastation when the storm blew a pane of glass out and I uncovered the pots where the bulbs are shooting well. I brought these up by the back door hoping it will deter the squirrel a bit from digging in them. Bob took the Christmas house lights down and then went in his workshop. It was nice to see it was still light, just, at 4.30 pm.

Today is pilates this morning , yoga tonight and see what else the day brings, as it happens. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I noticed how long the light lasted as well Sue, amazing what bright weather can do. Have a nice quiet day.

[Stanley]

Well, it's a lousy job but someone has to do it. I had a light lunch, then a dad nap and then in front of the TV to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan play Ding Junhui in the masters... I have just watched him win the first four frames and now it's the four frame interval so I can have a cup of tea.
( what a lovely day.... )

[Stanley]

See the TV topic for O'Sullivan matters....
I shall be in the shed at 06:00 working on my valve train. Then second sleep and after that no shopping or any need to go out during what is going to be a bitterly cold day. I reckon I am going to need my next shop on Thursday and have set my chicken to defrost slowly in the fridge on that assumption.
I am very conscious of how lucky I am to be able to afford a proper level of heat and adequate food to keep me healthy in weather like this. I do not forget that not everyone is as lucky.
(I also think of the people who complain of the price of fuel and food but spend money on things I would regard as being a complete waste of available money. I'm sorry to say they exist also.)

[Stanley]

More work on the clevis block that links the eccentric arm to the valve rod. This was a careful measuring and marking and then cutting of the slot for the arm in the block using a slitting saw in the mill, my eyes won't let me do it by hand. Then drilling the block to accept the 7BA bolt that will act as the pin in the clevis to connect to the eccentric arm. Then more adjustments to the end of the arm so that the clevis block fits. I finished the morning with the clevis block fitted and correct. Tomorrow I shall make it look pretty! That will do for this morning, very small work and so I take even more care!

[Sue]

Morning

No walk yesterday. Whilst I was doing pilates Bob walked to the post office and to Tesco Express to buy a small salad for lunch to go with our Patisserie Chanel quiches bought in Burnley market on Saturday. Later I made a batch of minestrone soup for lunches during the week. In the afternoon Bob went in his workshop and I decided to get on with my WIDDUP book, I am making progress at last.

Today I was supposed to be going to Maxine's for a sewing session, having cancelled last week because she was not well. However she is still suffering so we have postponed till Friday morning. There are no other plans for the day which promises to be a sunny cold one.perhaps a walk and more writing is on the cards. I have pilates and yoga in the studio this evening.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

If you do go for a walk make sure you wrap up well Sue. It'll be colder than yesterday.
I am refusing to go out in it....

[Stanley]

That was a good start to the day, two hours of sound second sleep. I popped my head out to test the wind, it's definitely at least as cold as yesterday. I shall cut my hair now just to prove the cold weather doesn't frighten me.....
Later at 12:00. I have ensured that the weather improves by shaving my head. That usually works......

[Stanley]

At the moment I am mainly sat waiting for the site to work, It is painfully slow this morning.
Anyone who has looked at the weather and the forecast will see that cutting my hair yesterday did the trick, we have warmed up this morning.
At 06:00, I shall be in the shed as usual working on my valve train. There is an outside chance that I will be doing another stint on the engine later on (although if I go for veggies to the Town Square I may postpone the overtime until tomorrow.) I need to put the moulding on to my three oak engine plinths and for that I need daylight and to be out in the yard. We shall see later but I think the veggies will win.
Apart from that I have no outstanding social engagements.

[Stanley]

Sorry but due to technical difficulties with the site there are no images this morning. I have, as promised, made the clevis look pretty and threaded both ends of the vale rod 4BA and am now ready to work on the valve itself.....

[Sue]

Morning

No long walk yesterday. We went to the garden centre to buy some stump killer then down to the railway at the park. They have had to have a dangerous tree taken down, and the roots are lifting the rack. It was a good walk down the track. Bob drilled holes in the stump whilst I filled the holes with the liquid killer. It was cold out there and we were thankful to be back home. In the afternoon we visited our recently widowed friend Wendy for a couple of hours, getting home just in time for me to go to pilates.

No real plans for today , except Bob has an appointment at Salford Royal this afternoon for an unrelated issue. No progress otherwise on our other questions, so for the time being we are following the Christies route with an appointment tomorrow morning.

Have a good day all

[Sue]

At the moment I am mainly sat waiting for the site to work, It is painfully slow this morning.
Anyone who has looked at the weather and the forecast will see that cutting my hair yesterday did the trick, we have warmed up this morning.

Sorry its colder here Stanley but the wind has dropped. 3 feels like 1 it says

[Sue]

We have had a phone call and have all the information we asked for, I knew it must be available, I wonder if it hasn’t been asked for before. Apparently the consultant also did some research on our behalf. All very positive and reassuring, Christies tomorrow then decision time. Phew, feel better

[Stanley]

That's very good news Sue and I am so glad for you both.
Warmer here than yesterday and I had a successful trip to the Town Square for my veggies. They have gone up again. How can one man eat £28 worth of veggies in just over a week with nothing wasted?
I've stopped honest endeavour for the day and am going to watch snooker....

[Stanley]

Today is going to be busy. I shall have my chicken in the oven by 06:00 when I go in the shed for an hour with me valve train. After second sleep I shall deal with the chicken and then cook veggies for the next week. At some point I shall order next weeks meat and I should do a bit of shopping in the Co-op but that can wait until tomorrow I think......

[Sue]

Morning

Appointment at Christies this morning , decisions will be confirmed i should think. No plans at the moment for this afternoon. Another cold day on the cards

I have a favourite cookery book, bought when we first got married some 53 years ago. Its falling apart. The other day we found a second hand one on Amazon for £2 plus postage. It arrived yesterday and it looks almost like new. I am really chuffed, a really good buy, so I will no longer have to hold pages together when looking for favourite recipes. Sometimes bargains really are that, bargains

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Always nice when a book fills a need at a low price. Well done Sue. Good luck with Christie's.....



This morning was wholly devoted to the steam valve. I milled it square and to the correct dimensions. Then I changed the cutter in the mill to a 1/4" slot drill because that's the size I will be cutting tomorrow. I went to the Co-op early doors and did my essential shopping so as to get it out of the way while the weather was not bad. Now I deserve breakfast!