Oh Happy Days!!

There is nothing like messing about in boats and the same applies to a Morgan,  it's guaranteed to lift your spirits......  not that mine need lifting at present but you know what I mean.

                                                              Preparing to leave.

In fact,  a bit like Bertie Wooster I am feeling absolutely top ho!  What with restoring ancient fishing tackle and building model aircraft,  I am well and truly back in the 1950/60's and what is more I am driving a 1930's style roadster.

                    Singleton Fire Station,  'Fire Engine' is written on a plaque above the door.

But before I start getting melancholy and ruminating about past times,  what about this afternoon in 2020 during a pandemic.

Wrea Green with 'The Grapes' public house and the church in view. Bill Beaumont the former England  Rugby captain used to frequent the pub....perhaps still does! 

The weather today was not expected and only yesterday I was thinking about getting the screens on 'Nellie' in preparation for Autumn,  but the sun was shining and the Morgan and the open road beckoned , so off I went for an hour.

                                                           The pond at Wrea Green

Brilliant,  just brilliant.  Don't let anyone tell you that Morgans with all their little foibles are not fun...they are and full of it!

The pictures I hope will go some way to describe the enjoyment of not only the car but also of our lovely country.

Two more projects!

The weather dictates that the Morgan stays in the garage underneath its dustsheet. 

When it comes to the weather I am the supreme English pessimist,  so although it is there with the side screens off and raring to go in the sunshine I am rather inclined to put them back on, put the roof up and prepare for Autumn!!

Anyway, as you all know I need projects to keep me sane during this ghastly period we are all living through....at least I am still living!

 The other day we visited my old chum for a 'chinwag', a meeting which now always take place relaxing with coffee on his lawn.  Anyway during the conversation he produced two vintage split cane fishing rods, both of which were in a poor state and he suggested that I might like them because he would never use them and anything bordering on DIY, restoration of any sort, decorating or gardening is not his cup of tea.

                        Terrible way to treat the original the original Picasso we have on the wall!!                                                                                                                                                                                            I did not refuse and my thoughts were already honed in on trying to restore them to near original 50's/60's condition.

It was quite ironic really,  in the sense that having given a small lightweight rod to one of my grandsons and shown him the rudiments of coarse fishing I find myself without a suitable rod having recently concentrated on fly fishing.

The sad fact being that in the 80's I sold for a pittance all my tackle including two fabulous split cane rods that command big prices now, manufactured by Hardy and  Allcocks. Ah well we all do silly things at times!

Anyway these two will be very suitable for the job and I love traditional objects...hence the Morgan I suppose.

Restoration has almost been completed on one of the rods while the other remains to be completed, when I have received the bits from a traditional rod manufacturer.

My other project which is on hold at present will be the building of balsa flying model of a Sopwith Camel....more news of that when building commences.

A fool at one end....

 ....and a worm at the other!!

Well in my case it was a fly at one end and me at the other,  although you can't call someone a fool for enjoying scenery like this,  which I have done for the last 5 hours.

                   Barnsfold reservoir in the Bleasdale Fells with Beacon Fell on the left.

Problem was that it was too hot both for the fish and me....30+ degrees and as fly fishing involves quite a lot of walking the heat was troublesome for an old beggar like me.

                                                              Parlick Fell in the distance.

Ah well, it was lovely but I do wish that the trout had been a bit more cooperative!

Very, very hot !!

The prospect of an ice cream on Fleetwood's lovely promenade was too good to miss.

It is lovely living by the sea,  although a house in Norfolk by the river,  with a motor cruiser tied up at the bottom of the lawn might be of interest!....and I suppose it would be lovely to be closer to our family.

Anyway, off we went,  negotiating a new roundabout that the County Council in its wisdom have constructed at a cost of millions no doubt and something that in my opinion was not needed, but their efforts have resulted in an absolute confusing horror with inadequate signage etc. There is definitely going to be an horrific accident there soon.

Anyway,  we got through it again after much mental contortion as to which lane was the appropriate one to take and made our way to Fleetwood.

                          Training for Mariners studying at the Nautical College, on the boating lake.....

This is a former thriving fishing port and ferry terminal and a place that, before the axe man Beeching imposed his devastating changes to the rail system had a wonderful Victorian Railway Station which was demolished years ago.  The name of the nearby hotel, 'The North Euston. gives the game away as being the departure point for rail passengers travelling on the ferries to the Isle of Man and Ireland.

                                                       ....and the inevitable 'crabbers'!

However, Fleetwood, although a little tired now and requiring a major benefactor to inject a large amount of money into it,  it is a place with outstanding Georgian buildings and much history...and with the best view of the Lakeland mountains across Morecambe Bay.

Great ice cream too,  an absolute must on a day like this!

60 Years on!!.....

 ......and here I am building a simple balsa rubber powered model from the Vintage Model Company in Buxton.  They do a huge range of their own designs and also the kits that old fossils like me used to build by such manufacturers as 'Frog' and 'Keil Kraft'.

Anyway, the deviation from model boat building during the present crisis was brought about by the fact that my two grandsons in Surrey have a wonderful area of open grassland that I thought would be ideal for flying a model plane.

So the idea was born and the prospect of trying my hand at building one gathered momentum.....the prospect of retrieving the aircraft,  if it does fly, does not fill me with much confidence however!  but theirs are young strong legs and they can do the 'donkey work'!

The pictures show the end result,  a beginners model and I can't wait to give it a try. 

I shall certainly be building another just for me...probably a First World War biplane.

Along with our Morgan which offers great fun and plenty of picnic opportunities,  these additional hobbies do offer some respite in these crazy times!

My other lovely grandson has just taken ownership of a fishing rod to compensate for not being particularly interested at this time in a model aircraft.