Welcome to my new Blog



Welcome to my Blog.
My Blog is mostly about my hobbies, ie Model boats, Cross Stitch, Gardening, Days out and about, Lego Technics and Photography you might recognize the hat rather than me. My models and other hobbies can be found in the Tabs at the top below the header picture.
There will also be entries of days out with my camera, weather permitting of course.

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Continuing OL2

Whilst pondering the problems of the layout in the bottom of the boat, I've been doing anything but making a start on that stage of the build!.
As you can see I've made a deck hatch , a net pond and a tool box, not been painted yet but will look more solid when they are.

And there is Mr Pointy checking the welds!.

Then it was a couple of battery boxes, all simple Plastic Weld stuff, put two edges together and wipe a brush with Plastic Weld down the edge and its done.

Painted the crane gantry, as there is nothing that colour to go on that.

Then I cut out and tidied up the parts for the Trawl boards.

After Sunday dinner at John's, we had a brain storming session in his workshop, he on his problems of the Manuel, plans and parts not matching up,  me with the layout of the bottom of my boat!.

We sorted out John's problem and my Plan "A" for the bottom of my boat was scrapped and plan "B" devised.
 Plan "A" was to put in a length of plastic down spout on each side of the boat, cut off one side to make a trough and put the weights mentioned in an earlier post in them. the only problem with this was, it made the weight's too high up with the keel sloping down to the middle of the boat, which worried me.
John said why not make the two trough's out of the 1.5mm plastic card the nice lady at model Slipway had given us when we visited to buy John's boat, so it came in very handy and here is the results of a couple of hours cutting and glueing.
As you can see the weight's will now be lower down in the boat, just have to wrap them in sections and mark them so I know where they go at the lake, the plastic will go into wooden boxes for the batteries so will make them stronger to carry the weight of all those weight's!.
If this isn't clear here is a picture of the inside of the hull, nothing fixed in yet though.

These couple of strips have been in a while, first epoxied in and the next one a bit longer (the sides of the hull not straight at this point) glued and screwed.  

Initial layout with some weight's for size. 

Weight boxes in 

As you can see the weight's are slanting down deeper into the bottom.
Needs battery boxes making and then all glued and fitted in.
Feel a lot happier now and can get on with this section of the build, John not as long into boat building but the technical draughtsmanship keeps coming out doesn't it!. 
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They say two heads are better than one, even if they are sheep's head's 
That's all folks

Saturday 28 July 2012

Friday in Derbyshire

Yesterday Pepe and I went to Derwent Valley Centre, Fairholme!.

The Cafe here is open everyday except Christmas Day which is ideal if you are thinking of going and their Bacon and Sausage Baps are great says Pepe.
Took these bird pix's a few yards away from the seating area.





Could do with this sign at Etherow, some days it seems that it's going to turn into porridge!.



Bridge over the A57


Looking towards Hope which was Our next port of call, but not before checking out this fabulous Honda Goldwing trike, why didn't they do these when I had my Goldwing and sidecar, Pepe wouldn't like it though and cost a bit more that my car I'll bet.



In Hope we saw this other form of transport.

Come a long way in the last 100 years haven't we! but is it for the better though?

Then it was on to Castleton, where we bought a pair of shoe's a bargain at £30 might fall to pieces in the first rain but our Summer's don't last that long do they.
This pub sign said "Dogs welcome as long as their owners were not rowdy"!

Main street

Some good bargains here.

The market Place

Pepe was very interested in these, must have smelt familiar, he could eat one feathers and all!.


Two world wars

And talking about food here he is ready for afternoon tea
Its the thought of those chickens I'll bet.

That's all folks


Thursday 26 July 2012

Ashton Shopping

On Tuesday I went to Ashton shopping, Ashton-u-lyne that is!.
Whilst there I called in at what used to be Roundabout Toys, there was some confusion as to if and when they would be opening again.
They never did much in the way of boats, but always had a selection of materials we all use at one time or another.
I've cleared up the problem, they have opened up again and one of the staff that worked there before as taken over the smaller premises but is only doing computer games and whose war games figures you see in that kind of shop, still it's each to their own and it would be a sad world if we were all the same wouldn't it.
Next door that was the other half of roundabout toys is now going to open as a Fancy dress shop, so some thing for others perhaps?

Then it was off to M&S to spend my Vouchers! I'd got £75 of vouchers and Son John got £75 worth as well for recommending me, can't be bad, anyone need recommending??

They don't give you money so it was something to wear for the holidays!.
Also called in at the other model shop there, but don't get too excited, they only do trains, cars and dolls house stuff which was al-right for my Narra boat.

 There I got an Eddie Stobart truck, limited edition "Marie Keating Foundation" at a reduced bargain price



On the back here you can see the reason for the truck design.
I remember this being on the channel 5 program "Stobart trucks and Trailers" where people paid to have their names on the side of this trailer and hope you can see the money raised by the company for this charity.
As you will have guessed by now I'm a fan of Stobart trucking and just thought, I could have got an anorak with my vouchers couldn't I!!.
Still its something close to my heart, anything to beat cancer!
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I was surprised to see my mate playing poker with his dog, "That's a smart dog" I said,
"He's not that smart" said my mate, he wag's his tail every time he gets a good hand!

Boom Boom
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That's all folk's

Tuesday 24 July 2012

The past weekend

Over the past week end Pepe and I have been out and about.
Saturday we were at the lake and had a nice walk right round both lake and up to the weir at the top.
We had company for a change Sylvia ( friend of Etherow) and her new Jack Russell "Molly", and also (club member) Donald. It was like a singles day out, very enjoy-abell .

Great crested Grebe


Then on Sunday it was off to Colwyn Bay Model Boat Club Mayors Regatta.
As you can see from the above picture it was a nice summery day and the trip there was the first time I'd had a chance to have a trip out in the new car, everything went well and we arrived in time for the opening, with no ill effects which I've had with other cars in the past (back ache).
The regatta was a great success with quite a few of our club members there,  Bob was on centre stage with his Great Eastern, and when there was a lull in the sailing he had the pool to his self with GE fighting the swells that had sprung up with the wind, but Ge didn't let us down with me sailing her whilst Bob took his photo's.
This "Our lass 11" was there and a great job the builder had done detailing it, I took quite a lot of pix's of this to try to copy on mine!


There I am on the left in the Tilley hat at bob's great eastern.

On the way home Pepe and I stopped off at Rhyl as it was the Rhyl Air Show and we were just in time to as the acrobatic's with two Spitfire type aircraft and then two Tornado's thundered past and did a few passes, much to the appreciation of the crowd but not Pepe!.

Still nice weather as you can see


Yesterday it was off to Etherow again, you've got to get out and about whilst the weather is good haven't you, it might change again before you know it.

For more of the Colwyn Bay week end visit
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Did you know that Alexander Bell invented two telephones?.

An Israeli chemist invented a new laxative and patented the brand name "Let my people go".

A hen pecked husband decided to revolt "I'm fed up, I'm leaving you and going to join the French Foreign Legion".
"Well, don't come back traipsing sand though the house", she said!.
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That's all folk's

Friday 20 July 2012

A bit more on the OL2

Over the past couple of days between going to the lake and housework I've done a bit more on the model OL2.

First it was additions to the gantry supports,

Then it was finish off the detailing inside the net area walls

Then it was detail the bulwarks on the rear deck.

Then I thought I'd finish the gantry by constructing the Power block crane base.

 Then another bit of  the kit was done whilst other parts were drying and setting

This is the Engine room vent started 

And this is it finished, as you can see from the diagrams all quite simple construction.

The next bit was a mite trickier,it was the Stone Guard and not being a fisherman, can only mean it guards against stones getting in the works!

A water tight door was made from a bit of scrap plasticard and wire for a door from the net area into the fish room.
There it is, now only need to make a ladder from the net room up into the escape vent on deck, might see one at the Colwyn bay show on Sunday, save making one!.
Well that's it folks, will take the camera's to Colwyn bay and get a few snaps and video's for the club blog, watch this space.
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Oh yes and a couple of pix's from the new camera.







Still getting the hang of it.
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