Z is for ZOO and Zoom

The last one.

Z is for Zoo and Zoom in the last of the A-Z Challenges.

A few pix's from the visit we had to Blackpool Zoo a few years ago.

Hello there

Where's the nuts then?.

Here's Duckie with his camera again.

Older than me, Just!

Pete's parrot

Its behind you!!

Would have been better with my present camera with its 18x Zoom lens.

The Zoom 

Saturday's pictures Zoomed

Coot with rebuilt nest after predators spoiled the last one. 

More chicks hopefully

 Across the channel

Un-awares.

Same picture Zoom-ed.

And last one honest!

How do these trees manage to stay up with most of their roots exposed?

So all in all a good day out with Pepe on Saturday, as you can see the sun was out but so was the wind, and a cold wind at that.

Not that Pepe is worried with his fur coat on.

3 month's old, and already a fur ball.

Well that's it for another year, hopefully the A-Z Challenge will be organised again.

Enjoyed this first years challenge, hopefully the photo's and not much written word will be a change for some of you writer's out there!.

...........................................................................................................

I don't mind people looking at their watches when I'm making a speech, but its so darned disconcerting to see them shaking it to see if they are still going.

Whoever said you can't be wounded by a blank obviously hasn't received a taxation form.

Times are so tough at the moment the Keep off the grass signs are being changed to Don't eat the grass.

 A cloudful of clergymen arrived at the pearly gates and were gathered round the reception desk when a fanfare of trumpets signalled a late arrival, St Peter told the clergy to stand aside.

The new arrival was a tax man and he was ushered straight in on a red carpet!.

The clergy were amazed and demanded to know why the special treatment for him.

"Because that bloke " said St Peter "has put the fear of God into more people than all you lot put together!.

BOOM BOOM

...............................................................................................................

That's all folk's

May you slide down the bannister of life, with nary a splinter.

Y is for Yacht's

What else could it be for "Y" than Yacht's in my Boat themed blog's

Starting at the smallest there is the Micro Magic from Graupner a German company.

Micro Magic

Then we go a bit bigger with a fiesta, the club race these on the first Sunday of the month

My Fiesta

Another German company Robbe produce the Comtess'a

Comtess'a

Then bigger still there is the One metre yacht's by Bantock an English company.

My One metre 

Bigger still is the "J" Class, the club race these beauties as well!

Leading or trailing?

Then there is the really big ones such as this one.

 Won Best yacht at Bury, Pocatannia scratch built by my Mate Bob

Here he is with his trophy, he called this picture 

"Pleased as Punch with two Judy's", Velda and Joyce his wife

Then its the really big ones

"A" Class, carbon fibre hull

Talking big money now as well.

Then how about this scratch built schooner.

This one is cheap enough to build though!!

So there you have it, a run down of most of the yacht's sailed in our club,

................................................................................................

Notice board sign's

Sign in Indian beauty parlour, Ear's pierced while you wait!

Players picked for the dart's team will be pinned to the notice board!.

"Try our home made pies, you'll never get better"

Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

One for the road could be the pint of no return.

"Customer's giving orders will be promptly executed", New Delhi restaurant. 

...........................................................................................

That's all folk's

"X" is for Xena

In my A-Z Challenge to-day its "X" for Xena the Warrior Princess.

I know there are a lot of writers out there will come up with lots of X's such as Xylophone,X-ray's, Xenophobia and Xenon!

The first thing that sprung to my mind was Xena the Warrior Princess, watched it every week on the box plenty of action scenes, but all tongue in cheek with not a lot of blood round as in the film's these days
Ran from 1995- 2001.
Why can't they have a re-run of this series instead of all the cooking programs?
Click here for more info

Action pictures 

With her Chakram, (the throwing ring)

There are countless versions of the series cobbled together with modern tunes and here is one of them, just for laugh's

And the main topic of the day was, were her and Gabrielle an item??
.......................................................................................................................

Words
Three guys talking,
One was lamenting the fact he and his wife had no children.
"My wife is unbearable" he explained.
"No you mean she is inconceivable" said the second.
"You are both wrong" said the third, "He means his wife is impregnable.

Fred always called a spade a spade, until the day he fell over one.

To waken a student sleeping in his class the English teacher threw a book at him!
"What hit me?" spluttered the student.
"That my lad , replied the teacher, "Was a flying Chaucer".

He was going to have a few words with his wife, but found she had cornered the market.
........................................................................................
That's all folks

W is for Wyeforce tug

To-day's A-Z is "W" for Wyeforce a Tug registered to Itchen Marine in Southampton.

Model Slipway in Barnsley do a beautiful kit of this in their catalogue!.

My wife wanted to start sailing and picked out this tug straight away.

 Model Slipway are sited in Barnsley. so off we went to the factory after making an appointment and got a nice friendly welcome and when I said I'd never put in a prop shaft before Laurie took a hull off the shelf and gave me instructions how to go about it , you can't get better service than that .

It has two motors and as it was only my first electric build I was a bit worried at first to say the least  but the plans and excellent instructions made it a pleasure to build!. 

This is the finished Boat, photo by Bob.

My mate Bob won the club photo competition for this picture that year!

Click here for pix of real tug

There are lots of builds on the internet of this boat, to check it out search "Wyeforce tug", mine's the top one.

Here is a video of my model in action, Captain Velda at the helm in April 2011.

Its got two motors and is what they call "Tank" steering; ie independent controls for the motors and as you can see Velda had it down to a find art! without even using the rudders.

How's that for strength, pulling a real boat!

And not forgetting the crew Tom,Gloria,Dick,Harry,The Captain and Fred,
Doesn't look the same without figures does it !

After seeing a rescue device at Bury MBC, on the way home we had to call and get some plastic pipe from B&Q, a few angles and some cladding to make The Captain this rescue device, just clips on to the front of the tug and away you go to scoop up your first rescue

Total Cost £5

A trial first rescue so no salvage charge!

Some extra's added.

Rack of jerry can's 

Fire extinguishers 

And a locker on the deck for the on/off switch, al-right until you lose the key for the padlock.

Well that's my "W" for to-day folk's

V is for Velda and Video's

To-day is "V" in the A to Z challenge.
 I couldn't miss out this as V to me is Velda!.

Velda was my wonderful wife for 51 years, I was finding it hard at first coping as I've had everything done for me all that time, the only trouble was if I asked to help it was a case of  NO! you don't do it right,  well I've got to get it right now I'm on my own, at home that is, I've got a wonderful extended family seeing that I'm al-right.

A few pix's of Velda

Dinner at The George in Compstall,Stockport.

That's not shaking with the cold that's fear!

Sailing her Best-est boat at Lyme Park.

Will try anything, as long as it doesn't moveeee??

Velda's favourite Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmhv_8khwVw&feature=fvw

Chihuahua vs Great Dane, could watch this all day.

If you try entering "Etherow" in the search on YouTube you will find quite a few of my Video's there.

In a lighter mood, Cheryl Cole is now over her divorce and is now available! 

What's those pink things with curly tails flying past the window you might ask, well you can dream can't you, it doesn't cost anything.

.................................................................................................

 "I'll go to the ends of the earth for you", he said.

"Yes but will you stay there she yawned.

What did Mrs Quasimodo give her husband for Christmas?

A wok! she thought it would help him iron his shirt's.

Paddy took his crocodile into a pub and said "Do you serve Jehovah's Witnesses".

Yes said the barman.

"Well Ii'l have a pint and two Jehovah's Witnesses for my crocodile!"

......................................................................................................................

That's all folk's

Nearly there now.

To-day's A-Z challenge is U for Uniforms.

I've always been a sucker for Uniforms, perhaps that's because the first time I remember seeing my Dad was in his Navy Uniform home after the war, and I was a very impressionable 7 year old.

He was in Minesweepers, so didn't get back home for quite a while after the war finished.

Talk about one parent families!, we were all one parent families then!.

Blazer badge

The component parts of the badge are a shield bearing a shark (representing a submarine), pierced with a marlin spike, against a background of two mines and a fishing net; with a rather stylised round turn and two half hitches to either side; surmounted by the Royal Navy crown; with below the scroll bearing M-S A-S, representing the two major aspects of Minesweeping and Anti-Submarine duties.

I first met my wife and would you believe it, she was in the Girl Guides,Uniform again.

I was in the regular army, Uniform again,

Only a bridesmaid at this point

  Then came out of the army and joined the Auxiliary Fire Service (volunteer) with a nice Uniform, so did Velda!
Broke the golden rule there from the army, Never volunteer didn't I.

Off to the National Fire Exhibition at Olympia.

During peacetime, AFS crews frequently attended fires and accidents alongside their regular colleagues. They provided significant assistance at some of the worst fires, such as that at Billingsgate Market and at Barking wood yard. AFS personnel were trained in firefighting by their own officers and with assistance from full-time fire officers. Many were trained to the St John Ambulance Higher First Aider Certificate standard - often proving invaluable at major incidents involving injury.

These were never Army vehicles, only painted green as they were to be used in event of hostilities, and later the army used them during the Fire Service disputes,as they were there doing nothing after AFS disbanded years earlier.

See the auxiliary fire service here

Green goddess.

Not to be confused with this one

Then it was on to the Ambulance Service, Uniforms again, so did Velda!

Standard equipment at the time.

Velda working Christmas Eve with me.

  

Now it would seem that Rachel, my eldest grand-daughter as got the bug as she is an item with Ryan

Yes!! you guessed it he's in Uniform!

And last but not least my latest Uniform 

Helping John!.

.................................................................................................

They say that children brighten the home. 

That's because they never turn the blooming lights off.

"Mum, Dad's going out again"

"Well pour some more petrol on him again".

The outfit made her look a million dollars, all wrinkled and green.

.....................................................................................................

That's all Folks, not far to go in the challenge now.