Busier still

I forgot to say that last week I had to do the Lottie meeting and follow up with the minutes, I had to go to Harrogate to see clients on Monday. I had lunch in Harrogate wandering round Harlow Carr because it is just across the road from one of my clients offices. I took a long detour to Manchester to see my Mum and Dad. Dad been out of hospital for a few weeks now and is beginning to perk up. We chatted for a few hours. I passed over the swag. I had had to take some frames out of the hives and one of them was full of honey. I roughly extracted the honey from the frames and filtered it. I got a jar and a half. Jean had the smaller and Dad the larger one. Then home. I arranged that I would go on to Tuesday morning to see a motor I have been pursuing. It car checked out so we shook hands on it and arranged to pick it up this weekend [27th June] brother Al's birthday, coincidentally. I missed fencing for the first time in ages, I was knackered. I am very busy at work and had to go to London on Friday for an all day seminar. It was good but tiring.

Saturday was the big day for which I had been waiting months. I have managed to track down a Series III Land Rover for money I was prepared to pay. It is a bit scruffy but then it was first registered in 1981! It has a full MOT good tyres, starts first time [touch wood] has various new parts and not much rust. It is marine blue with cream hard top. Miss L and I got up early to get he train from Burton to Shrewsbury via Birmingham. We got to Shrewsbury without a hitch Peter picked us up and ran us out to Llansilin where the landy was stored.

The ride home was an adventure. I said I would see Peter back at his house but what with Shrewsbury having a festival, learning how to drive a car that weighs over two tons and has drum brakes to stop with and needs double de-clutching I got disoriented and could not find Peter's house. I gave up after an hour and chugged back to Moira. 40 mph is the max speed. Not only the max speed but also the brakes can manage to haul it up if the brake pedal is stamped on from 40. The noise of the off road tyres drumming on the road is colossal above 30mph. Miss L and I had too have a break and found a nice gastro-pub near Telford, The Wicketeers. After a short break and food we set off again. I had got the hang of steering and changing up and down gears. You just have to watch out for "modern" cars cutting into the space you have left for stopping and then they jump on their brakes. More than one eager driver had to dodge back out of the space i.e. my braking zone, when two tons of Landy blotted out the sun in the back window of their car. I was not being mean just doing best I could with what I had. One thing is for sure people hear you coming and the smart ones get out of the way.

We got home in one piece having covered 100 miles without incidented, if a little deaf and a little poorer. The Land Rover has been christened "Degsy"by Miss L. I had enough time to do the poo run before I had to be home to meet Jim & Soo and get ready for a party. Casandra's boy is 21 and was having a party. He is a Star Wars nut so Sandra aranged for Jim, Soo and a friend, Stuart, to do a guest appearance. They all belong to a Stars War society [apologies if a got it wrong] but they do charity events as characters from Start Wars [I got that bit right]. Jim and Stuart are Imperial Stormtroopers and Sue is a Imperial Officer. They have all the kit including voice boxes which gives an extra element. Alex was detained by the "Stormies" and read his citation before been permitted to continue the party. The Stormies stayed around for pictures. It was completely out of the blue for everyone, Casandra had not told anyone. Click HERE for 99th Garrison website. The party began to wind down so home again. H was away at the 40 anniversary do for the Open University so missed the trooping.

Because we had not over indulged we were up at a respectable time on Sunday. I made the full English. Over breakfast Sue was daft enough to ask what I had in store for them until H turn up. H was schedule to be home about midday. Bees and lottie anyone? We all piled into my car, not Degsy, and went off to see the bees. It was quite a dull morning. I parked the car next to coppice and we walked the half mile across through the tunnels to the apiary. We gave the bees a good coat of looking at and had a walk round the meadow, then it was back to the car. Stuart was interested in having a look at the lottie. We trundled over there and had the place to ourselves, more of less. I go the fork and spade out of the car along with the baskets and proceeded to dig up the remaining "weed" potatoes. I was wrecked after took rows even with Sue helping. so Jim and Stuart finished off the remainder, it was getting hot by now. We bagged three shopping basket worth of earlies and I got the cabbage patch cleared. We came home to find H had got back early. Unfortunately Stuart had to go so we sent him off a with load of spuds, a bottle of Cider and a bottle of Elderflower syrup. H made dinner for us all and we had a very pleasant afternoon.

I forgot the mention a little adventure. Jim did not miss Degsy sitting on the drive. Eventually curiosity got the better of him we went for a poke about the motor. Jim said he had never driven a land rover so I remedied that straight away. I got Degsy off the drive, pointing the right direction and handed it over to Jim. I jumped in the passenger side. Shall we say it was a revelation. We did a circuit of the district and when we came back Jim was very pleased that car manufacturing has moved on enormously since 1981 in Solihull. You laugh alot in Degsy, from fear, survival or happiness I am not sure which but any car you drive after a old land rover feels like a Bentley.