This week I had to go to a corporate Golf day sponsored by the company I work for. The past few weeks of practise has been killing me. Golf is not my natural game and just add a bit of pressure there was everyone looking on and the scoring. It was a wonderful day to be out in the countryside, manicured and clipped. Sunny and bright with a cool breeze. I finished in the bottom third but near the top of the third. So not too shabby.
When I got back to the hotel after Golf and taking the clients out I sat out on the veranda with a glass of red wine at two in the morning of a very clear night. The sky was black, no Moon, but punctuated at regular intervals with the flashing strobes lights of distant aeroplanes. From the veranda I was able to see the planes moving in and out along the flight paths of two centres just over the horizon. One was Stanstead and Gatwick.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Landys, Landys Everywhere
I got up early on Sunday last, which is unusual enough to report. I made a couple of bacon butties and a brew, one of me and one for H. The reason for this madness was a show that was staged at the East of England Showground in Peterborough. I was at the showground about quarter past nine. As I pulled into the vast, well organised and appointed car park. The content of the car park was a clue to the reason for the event. Nine out of ten vehicles in the car park were Land Rovers of one sort or another. The event was the Land Rover Owners Magazine autumn show.
Having been mugged at the ticket office I went through the showground gates. I was very impressed with the facilities at the Showground. The event was quite small or was it that showground is so vast. In any case there must have been a thousand Land Rovers. I only saw four vehicles that were not an LR or one of the derivatives. There were stalls and clubs in attendance. Some of the stalls were more like an auto-jumble. You really have to know your stuff to identify one piece of grubby metal from another. It was all scrap to me. There were army surplus stalls. Lots of things you never knew you needed and all painted green. Then the specialist stalls, off road suspension and all the individual parts. Others stalls with special stainless steel panels and exhausts. Yet other suppliers of touring tents that fold into roof racks and yet others with storage solutions to fit out the back of the landy.
Then there were all the clubs. One for every marque and interest. Individual clubs; for Series 1, 2 and 3, Defenders, V8s, Forward control 101s, Paris Dakar, Lightweights, ex-military, Freelander, Range Rover, G4 and Camel rally and monster land rovers. Then clubs based on districts or geographical areas, off roading, green laning and over landing.
Later in the day, and on another part of the venue, there was a proper auto-jumble called the Sodbury Sortout. It was a bit of a disappointing turn out. However I did get a wheel brace for less than half price. I had a list of things to buy but it was as if the list was written upside down. The things I really needed, at the top of the list, were not to be had. The low priority items were found, a hasp for the filler cap, spring clips for the trailer and, of course, the wheel brace. I just need a length of scaffold tube to be a extension handle to the wheel brace.
In the main arena there was the usual parades, a bike stunt rider and bird of pray flying display. I went round lots of times, this way and that. Everything got a good coat of looking at......twice. Perhaps the best thing I got was not a Land Rover item. One of the stall sold tools. One of the gadgets was a "finger ratchet". Imagine a the ratchet that you use on sockets then saw off the handle. It is the handiest thing. There are lots of times when the room to swing the ratchet handle is restricted or you just need the spin a nut with a socket. the finger ratchet is just the job and cheap as chips. Coming across the finger ratchet just about clinched the day to justify the cost and getting early on a Sunday.
Having been mugged at the ticket office I went through the showground gates. I was very impressed with the facilities at the Showground. The event was quite small or was it that showground is so vast. In any case there must have been a thousand Land Rovers. I only saw four vehicles that were not an LR or one of the derivatives. There were stalls and clubs in attendance. Some of the stalls were more like an auto-jumble. You really have to know your stuff to identify one piece of grubby metal from another. It was all scrap to me. There were army surplus stalls. Lots of things you never knew you needed and all painted green. Then the specialist stalls, off road suspension and all the individual parts. Others stalls with special stainless steel panels and exhausts. Yet other suppliers of touring tents that fold into roof racks and yet others with storage solutions to fit out the back of the landy.
Then there were all the clubs. One for every marque and interest. Individual clubs; for Series 1, 2 and 3, Defenders, V8s, Forward control 101s, Paris Dakar, Lightweights, ex-military, Freelander, Range Rover, G4 and Camel rally and monster land rovers. Then clubs based on districts or geographical areas, off roading, green laning and over landing.
Later in the day, and on another part of the venue, there was a proper auto-jumble called the Sodbury Sortout. It was a bit of a disappointing turn out. However I did get a wheel brace for less than half price. I had a list of things to buy but it was as if the list was written upside down. The things I really needed, at the top of the list, were not to be had. The low priority items were found, a hasp for the filler cap, spring clips for the trailer and, of course, the wheel brace. I just need a length of scaffold tube to be a extension handle to the wheel brace.
In the main arena there was the usual parades, a bike stunt rider and bird of pray flying display. I went round lots of times, this way and that. Everything got a good coat of looking at......twice. Perhaps the best thing I got was not a Land Rover item. One of the stall sold tools. One of the gadgets was a "finger ratchet". Imagine a the ratchet that you use on sockets then saw off the handle. It is the handiest thing. There are lots of times when the room to swing the ratchet handle is restricted or you just need the spin a nut with a socket. the finger ratchet is just the job and cheap as chips. Coming across the finger ratchet just about clinched the day to justify the cost and getting early on a Sunday.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
25 things in 21 days
It has been a while since I blogged. I just have not had time since came from holidays. So here is an an abbreviated catch up.
- I had to do an all nighter at a client site, implementing a new server. It's a big deal.
- Stayed at a odd, but nice place, in the West End
- Took a look at the lottie. French Beans and Squashes have gone mad
- The Potatoes where blighted whilst I was away and the weeds have gone berserk
- Checked out the bees. Huzzah the new queen is viable and busy
- Checked the other hive. It will die off.
- Harvested the onions and shallots
- Harvested some Honey and extracted it
- Outing to the Railway Inn to organised the summer bash at he lottie
- Started to lift the spuds
- Attended the Summer bash. Very good if a trifle staid
- H and Miss L had to go a Brownies bash. 100 years of Girl Guides.
- Went to Steve's after the summer bash, much better
- Went to a seminar in Manchester then went to see Mum and Dad
- Checked out the bees. One hive is thriving and one is dead
- Cleaned up the dead hive
- It was our 23rd wedding anniversary at the end of August, so we had a nice meal
- Went Fencing on the 1st Sept. It was the first day back after the summer break
- Saw the farmers and now have permission to have a few more hives in the meadows
- Went to the lottie to weed, tidy up and to harvest the last of the onions and the garlic
- Cleared out the greenhouses. Lots of Toms
- Went to the Land Rover show in Peterborough
- In between times I have getting out on the bike whenever I have 35 minutes spare
- I have to go to a corporate Golf day in few weeks so I have been getting out on the driving range.
- I got a sun burned back on Saturday whilst digging the spuds
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