Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I look forward to seeing you Wendy..... Your book is waiting for you....

[Sue]

This morning I will be back on youtube to watch Eve in the 4 by 200 freestyle relay. She has a good swimming weekend achieving several pb times. Its been a good way to stop her worrying and working herself too hard before her GCSE s start tomorrow.

Is this the Swim England North East? My granddaughter did the 50M butterfly this morning.

Excellent, thats a fast race .

Swim england west Midlands. She has had a busy weekend, 800 free,400 IM, 1500 free, 200 free, and today the 4 x200 relay. Its great watching on youtube isn’t it. Eve doesn’t do short sprints, she likes distance in the pool and does openwater distance too

[Big Kev]

Excellent, thats a fast race .

Swim england west Midlands. She has had a busy weekend, 800 free,400 IM, 1500 free, 200 free, and today the 4 x200 relay. Its great watching on youtube isn’t it. Eve doesn’t do short sprints, she likes distance in the pool and does openwater distance too

Elyza did much better with the 50M, she didn't do so well with the 200M butterfly yesterday.
33.07 for the 50 isn't too bad for a 15 year old
The butterfly looks like hard work to me.

[Sue]

It certainly is hard work Kev. Here is Eve first leg of the 4 x 200 freestyles, diving in over the boys that have just finished. Lane 4 only visible by the splash

IMG_3656.jpeg

[Big Kev]

The boys cleared the pool before the girls went in, they were 'diving over' yesterday for the 200.

[Sue]

The boys cleared the pool before the girls went in, they were 'diving over' yesterday for the 200.

Yes I think they only dive over for relays and distance. Eve did another pb on her leg, 1 second faster than yesterday for the same swim . Not bad when its not her preferred race.

[Stanley]

I shall start the day (after attending to the site of course) by skimming the gravy off my pork belly and putting it in the freezer for an hour to separate the fat. I shall be in the shed as usual putting the last cuts into the crosshead and later in the morning is, as yet, a mystery. I shall make a decision on a walk when I see what the weather is like. I think it might be warmer than yesterday.

[Sue]

Morning

Its a very sunny and very cold morning. We hope to leave by about 8.45 as we are meeting friends Sue and John near Oxford at around 2.00 at a garden centre for a cuppa and a chat. John was Bob’s best man at our wedding and they have only recently moved southwards from Charnock Richard as both their sons live in the area. Its a couple of years since we have seen each other so it will be good to catch up. We are staying near Portsmouth this evening and the ferry is tomorrow night. Enjoy your day

[Stanley]

The first image is evidence that Colin Faulkner is a good friend. I asked if he could help with wood for my engine bases and two days later I have them. It doesn't get much better than that! The second image is evidence of my work this morning finishing the machining of the crosshead and then fine tuning it to fit in the crosshead slide, tomorrow I shall be drilling and tapping it to accept the piston rod but this morning the next job is breakfast.

[Gloria]

Only got one image.

[PanBiker]

There is only a single image in this post Gloria. There are two images in Stanley Shed Matters post.

[Gloria]

There is only a single image in this post Gloria. There are two images in Stanley Shed Matters post.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed as usual early doors doing an hour of Occupational Therapy on my latest engine. At some point I may think about oiling the plinths that Col has made for me.
There is nothing pressing in on me so I shall decide what to do later after I have had second sleep. (I could always do some of my favourite extender cooking!)

[Sue]

Morning

It was a cold day down here yesterday, a sunny day but a biting cold wind. I think today is more of the same. We had a lovely meeting with our friends at a garden centre near Oxford. We stayed and chatted for over two hours which gave us a nice break to our journey.

Today we are spending a day in Portsmouth doing another City Mystery sight seeing tour, and perhaps a browse at the outlet centre. The ferry starts loading just after 6 and leaves at 8.00. We are away until June 1 st. Have a good day all .

[Stanley]

Looks like a nice crossing Sue.... I hope the journey goes well.



My first job this morning was to complete the marking, drilling and fitting of the piston road to the crosshead and the finishing touches to it. Once I had that done I replaced the flywheel and the bearing caps and then turned my mind to the three plinths that Colin made for me. I Replenished my ready use pot of raw linseed oil from the reserve in bottles squirrelled away in the far corner of the shed. That took more doing than it sounds and involved getting the stepladder out! When I had accomplished that and put everything away I gave the plinths a good coat of linseed oil and left them to soak on the bench. Then I looked for my breakfast! All told a good productive hour in the shed.

[Stanley]

I shall do an hour on my engine and at some time this morning I shall have a walk and get milk at the Co-op. Apart from that nothing else presses in on me. There is much to be said for being old!

[Stanley]

My first job this morning was shed maintenance. I gave my small surface plate a good cleaning and then a rub down with very fine abrasives and Scotch Pad. Finishing up with a wipe down with WD40. It's such an asset, it deserves looking after. Then I set to to refine the crank pin brass.I've attended to the width and the two faces, I shall go further with it tomorrow. Right now I want my breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

We have arrived at the house following a good crossing. Its sunny and cloudy about 14 degrees but no cold wind like in Portsmouth. Yves has cut the lawn and cleared out a lot of the storeroom. We had told him to help himself. The garden is overgrown but nothing a few hours won’t clear over the next few days. Otherwise all ok. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I'm glad it was a good crossing Sue and that all is in order. Enjoy your weather, it is dull and colder than it should be this morning, Gloria said the same thing so it's not just me being nesh!

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed as usual and if the weather forecast is right I might have a short walk and a sit on traffic duty..... We shall see later this morning.

[Stanley]

My task this morning started with turning the outside of the top extension on the crank brass that takes the screwed plug sealing the lubricating hole and then drilling and tapping it for the plug. I have to admit to a senior moment.... I used the wrong drill for tapping, too small, as my eyesight let me down. I realised that and used the correct drill and then found that I had drilled and tapped it the wrong size. Luckily I can just get away with it but will admit to not covering myself with glory! Nevertheless, I am allowing myself breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

It was a pleasant afternoon yesterday, not hot but certainly no cold wind like in Portsmouth and Oxford where we met our friends the other day. We pottered in the garden pulling weeds tidying the small rockeries under the trees in the lawn and pulling a few in the gravel paths. It all is now tidy enough to sit out uner the wisteria without feeling we should be doing something. It seems it was Evan who cut the lawn and he also cut all the grass and ditch outside the house that runs by the side of the road . He has done a really good job, we are impressed and we will ensure he receives an appropriate reward . He is not quite 16 but is doing a 3 years apprenticeship on maintenance of agricultural machinery and other similar equipment and I think a responsible attitude shines through.

Today we will do a bit of a food shop to top up the freezer for our stay here. I will be on the look out also for some grass seed for a very bare bit of lawn and a few rockery and veggie plants. Other than that it will be a little more weeding but this evening Laetitia and family are coming round for a beer. No doubt we will find out more about the saga of the non existant house move. They have to be out of their place by the end of the month and no appropriate home has appeared on the rental market. Their plan is to move in with Laëtitia's elderly mother just south of Rennes’ and Yves is busy doing some interior alterations there so they have enough bedroom space. This will put them about 25 minutes away from us leaving quite a big hole in our social calendar here.

Its due to be cloudy, 18 degrees and occasional light rain, the normal pattern for here at the moment. The rain does not seem to be wetting the soil particularly which is like dust just like home. Have a good day all’

[Stanley]

Evan sounds like a decent lad! So sorry Laetitia hasn't found a suitable rental. What a mess! It's sunny here this morning, I think we are into the improvement we have been promised. Back later, I hope the day goes well.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed early doors and will decide about later when the day unfolds. Most probable outcome is a walk and a sit on traffic duty. I shall pop into the Co-op to see if their situation has improved.

[Sue]

Morning

We had a couple of brief heavy showers yesterday, the most rain I have seen in weeks. I had to rush to get my washing in. It will however be good for the grass seed, that I had just managed to spread. It has now been covered till it sprouts to prevent the birds eating it.

Today is a visit to the the local market to buy some veggie plants, which I will try and plant over the next couple of days, followed by a little more weeding and generally tidying. Nothing too strenuous. The forecast over the next few days is scattered thunderstorms and showers. Have a good day all