Last few weeks!.

Since my last post I've been out and about and even bought another new boat!, a model one of course and new to me. Bought it off one of the club members who was finding it a bit too heavy now he's getting older.

I was thinking of doing the same myself converting to just yachts and selling off my motorised boats, then I go and buy this big yacht still I've wanted one of these for a while and the price I was offered it at I will always get my money back and will have the pleasure of it in the meantime won't I!.

The new "J" Class, going to sail it until the winter then will give it and the stand a facelift.

 So to get back into sailing after a bit of a slack period decided to get down to the lake and practice with some of my smaller boats, here is the Fiesta.

The Micro Magic and my Spektrum tranny.

 In between of course it's a trip to the Cafe for lunches and there is Pepe putting his "I'm never fed at home" act on for the other customers.

One of Pepe's friends at the Cafe "Breakfast club" most mornings.

On the gardening front, added a couple of  brackets for the hanging baskets I had hung on the washing line, but got fed up with being garrotted every time I went to the bottom of the garden with the weight of the baskets pulling the line down.

Also changed the plant in the boat as the first one was too fast growing and would have covered the boat very soon

  This past Sunday I went to the Colwyn Bay Model boat show and met up with quite a few of our members there, Colin, Pam, Donald, Gordon, Rob, Dave (the) Sharp and Eric Presley, no relation though!.

If you would like to see that event 

Click here

Met man and wife Garth and Elizabeth Jones there who we had read about many times and followed their builds on the Model Boat Magazine forums, nice to have met in person for a change, over from Yorkshire.

Not many ladies build and sail their own yachts, that's some of hers in the background!.

Also bought a battery pack and charger for the new "J" Class boat, always get a good deal at the shows!.

Friday Marjorie and I went to Biddulph Grange Gardens, a National Trust location near Congleton .

Marjorie loved it being a keen gardener and it being somewhere new to her and good weather, which always makes the day doesn't it.

  The lake full of Koi carp.

Giant redwoods.

 One of the themed gardens

 No show without Punch they say.

NO NO NO, we were only calling in at a pub for a cool drink where this horse and carriage was waiting for the bride and groom!.

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Getting old

 Everything hurts and what doesn't hurt, doesn't work.

You've finally got your head together and your body starts to fall apart.

The pharmacist has become your best friend.

You sink your teeth into a steak, and they stay there.

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Thats all for now folks!.

Boat trials and tribulations

The week before last went with friend Bob for the trials on his latest model boat "Brutus", I'd forgot to mention it until my Sister from OZ asked how we went on, and here is the story!. 

No the tests were a big failure, but there again it was a big laugh from start to finish.

First Bob arrived in his camper, I had also told our friend Charlie, who is a laugh a minute any way, what was going on!.

First we all had dinner in Bob's camper, beans on toast with beetroot which they both thought was funny to start, but I've been having it that way for years,

My Dinner

Charlie tucking in

Bob the Chief cook and bottle washer

Bob's carrier

I can fix it!.

No!, you can't have a ride Pepe

Then it was on to the water with the boat, it slowly crept the middle of the lake and stopped, I said I will get the rescue boat out as I normally do, Bob said I'll come with you?, when I was rowing to the model Bob said "I have trouble getting out of the Bath and this boat is a bit like a bathtub"!, "Now you tell me says I, the only difference is that the water is on the outside here for the moment!, how are you going to get out of this then".

We finally got the boat (model one) and got back, I got out and Charlie and I pulled the rescue boat out with Bob in it, then rolled him out.

The other thing was Bob had given his Camera to Charlie and said take as many pictures as you can for my Forum on Model Boats Magazine, Charlie another old geezer had been pressing the on off button all the time so there was nothing on the camera only his dirty finger marks!.

Still it was all good laughs and when I said are you sure you set the speed controller up right Bob snapped "I know what I'm doing", obviously not said I, when he got home he found it wasn't even working never mind set up, that's Bob though, he is the sort that thinks reading the instructions is the sign of  homosexuality I think!.

When I was telling Marjorie about it all the next day I thought she was going to wet herself she laughed so much! Good job she wasn't there on the day, she said it sounded like something out of "Last of the Summer wine" do you remember them 3 old codgers getting up to mischief!.

It's all Esprit de Corp isn't it says Bob, he wouldn't have known I'd had it on my cap badge for three years in the Army, it's the Royal Signals Motto!, "The spirit of the Corp".
Stands for Camaraderie among a group of people.

Marjorie and I went to Son John's church on Sunday and then on to The Stable Gate at Denton for Sunday carvery roast dinner, didn't want John to think they had to invite us to dinner every time we went to his Church, then we went to Brookside Garden Centre to check up on their stock, nice day out, cold but sunny.

Had a bit of sad news later in the day as Archie the big Retriever that was part of the family for years passed away and John went up on Monday to help bury him in the garden, quite old and had a good life at Philip and Jean's I know that for sure!.

That's Archie trying to make friends with Pepe.

And here is the big fellow, centre stage here on holiday last year in St Andrews with all the family, 8 grown ups, 1 baby and 6 dogs!, can't be bad.

In the Garden centre the other day saw these two planters,

A Tug boat 

And of all things a green goddess, that brought back happy memories of when I was in the Auxiliary Fire Service, someone else must have thought it was a good idea to make a planter of this, might even get one for my garden, happy memories again hey, bit pricey though!.

A picture of my back garden new plants, framed by mate Bob

 And a new plant (centre) for the front garden

This is a hanging bird feeding table that Marjorie had given me to mend for her and I thought it needed a bit of a spruce up, so painted it and added a few for those Wheelie bin stickers, I'm glad to say it passed with flying colours!.

Well thats all for now folks

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Ellesmere Weekend 2014

Just spent a great weekend at Ellesmere Model Boat Show with my good friend Bob.

There were plenty of other members there at our stand showing off their boats and explaining the in's and out's of them to the visitors.
Here is a short video of the site to give you an idea of the action there

If you want to see more of the show
Click here

I thought this boat was a nice touch, built by a member of the Liverpool MBC for his daughter

It's a springer tug and you can have any design for the superstructure, 

And at the back it tells you what its powered by!!.

Plays Disney tunes from the sound system too!.

This past week been out with friend Marjorie, visited a couple of new (to her) garden centres  namely Gordon Rigg's GC  and All-in-One GC  in north side of Manchester, Rochdale.

My Star buy was this massive succulent, beautiful hey, if you like that sort of thing that is!.

This is a present from Bob and his good lady Joyce to add to my rapidly growing collection, good job the plants are not the rapid growing type 

And here is friend Bob and Joyce with Bob up to some more of his Photoshop tricks!

Got up a bit late today after all the walking round this weekend, so decided to make up for that by doing a bit of housework, I suppose you have to do it sometime hey!, other wise won't be Abell to open the doors for the pile up of dust.
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When the wife said she was going to change the baby.
He said well get a quieter one!.

Small boy watching his Mother do the washing up
"Mum where did you work before you got this job here with us?".

Children, what a comfort in old age.
And how soon they bring it on!.

Don't worry if our life's a joke
and your success's are but few
Remember that the mighty oak
was once a nut like you!.

Did you hear my last joke?,
We hope so they said!.
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Thats all for now folks.

Ellie the Vintage Broads Cruiser

Today Pepe and I went to the lake at Etherow to assist my mate Bob the Abell launch his prototype model boat, I was the filmmaker really whilst Bob setup and  sailed his boat.

This boat was designed by Paul Thomason off the Model Boat Magazine forum, and it's a hull with three different superstructures, and commissioned Bob to make the first prototype (Vintage Broads cruiser version) after seeing his efforts with his Great Eastern, which had had three articles in Model Boat magazine and appeared in the "Coast" program about laying the first telegraph cable to America .

Back to the "Ellie", the plans for this boat are for sale now that Paul is satisfied that all the wrinkles with Bob's help are all ironed out, and the proceeds will all go into a charity.

Click here for Paul's charity details

As you can see the maiden voyage went very well, it hadn't even been wet until the lake today, there's confidence for you, so well done Paul the designer and Bob the builder!.

Enjoy the video and if you like the boat perhaps this could be your next build and we have the prototype builder in the club if you run into any trouble, can't get better than that can you.

           

Click here for the thread in Model Boats on the complete build

More good publicity for our club .

Good day at the lake, made better still with an excellent dinner in Bob's campervan!.

Thats all for now folks.