A Pootle to Pilling

 For those of you who are unaware,  Pilling is an ancient settlement,  founded on what is essentially an 'island' with the sea on one side and marsh on the others. 

From artefacts finds there is evidence of spasmodic human activity dating back to the neolithic period.

What amazing knowledge you can gain from turning up a place on Google!!!

             The very distant horizon across the marshland towards Barrow and the Lake District

The village lies just east of that booming resort on the Fylde Coast,  Knott End on Sea.

Proof of the spasmodic activity that exists even now is the boarded up shell of the only public house,  a victim I suppose of this wretched Covid pandemic.

                                     The spire of Pilling Church and the surrounding village.

Anyway everything else appeared to be alive and kicking with many residents,  judging by the car parks,  attending morning services at both the Methodist and Church of England churches. I did try to keep my foot off the accelerator as we drove passed!

A coaster in Morecambe Bay that appears to be aground but probably isn't and just waiting for the tide.

It was a nice little run.  We did plan to travel further but the traffic was building up so we decided to shorten it and stick to the little roads endowed with even more potholes than the main routes!

25 Degrees?....

 .....Yes,  in England,  the Lake District to be precise so there was not a moment to spare.

I filled the Morgan with a full tank of gas and we got on the road again.

                                                          Outside the 'Lakeland HQ.

Sadly, in one sense anyway,  thousands of other marooned residents of the UK had similar ideas so although our first stop at the 'Lakeland'  headquarters in Windermere was quiet we soon hit the crowds as we travelled through Bowness.

This is a place that is relatively busy at all times of the year but at present is heaving with visitors.

Outside Blackwell House

So a back road was selected that brought us to Blackwell House, an 'Arts and Crafts'  house that we have visited before but on this occasion,   having avoided the car park and much to my wife's horror driven passed visitors in the cafe,  who admired the car immensely,  I positioned it in an appropriate photogenic spot to collect another photo or two for this blog post! 

Then it was on to a lovely picnic spot that seemed to have been avoided by most where we enjoyed some refreshment and absorbed the scenery.

         View from our picnic spot with the Langdale Pikes just visible in the distance, at far right. 

Our friends who live in a village called Finsthwaite,  just inland from Lakeside,  were our next port of call and we spent a lovely couple of hours with them before heading home via the M6 motorway,  still without ear defenders which we think are an absolute must if travelling on a motorway with the top down.

                                In front of the lich-gate of Finsthwaite church and the church itself.

Wonderful weather and a great day. 

                                                                       Finsthwaite.

Rumours of my demise..........

 ........are greatly exaggerated!!

However,  it is very true that I have not made a contribution to my blog for some time.

                                            Quick vacuum of carpets and window cleaning               

Anyway,  yesterday while polishing the Morgan I promised myself that today my dear wife and I would once again venture into them there 'ills' on a trip to buy some of our favourite pork pies in Lancaster.

The day dawned rather cloudy and I began to feel that it would not be an ideal day to go but as the hours progressed the day got brighter and the decision was made to go....but not before vacuuming the Morgan carpets and cleaning it's windows.

Once we had cleared the main road out and the A6 we were in perfect Morgan country once again.

We made a brief stop in Scotforth, a small hamlet on our approach to the Farm Shop in Lancaster.

                                                    The bridge and river at Scotforth

I waited in the car for my wife to return and it was clear from the expression on her face that something was amiss.....WHAT?  NO PIES!!!!!....well not hot ones anyway so our little picnic had to be large sausage rolls and syrup flapjack!

Fortunately our journey was not wasted as we were able to collect some pies for freezing and other items.

                                 Our picnic spot with a misty Morecambe Bay in the background

It is an appropriate moment to once again mention the appalling state of the UK's pothole ridden roads,  only really appreciated in a Morgan with sliding pillar suspension.  Modern suspension systems can cope much better so most drivers don't appreciate fully how bad the roads are.  Needless to say Covid will be used as the excuse for delaying proper repairs in the near future.

                                                                    Not far from home

You would think that we would be used to them by now but it is nerve-racking and bone shaking to say nothing about the ghastly crashing noises emitted during every impact. 

I am tempted to invite the head of Lancashire County Council to spend a week driving in the Morgan with me when he might understand my chagrin.

Nevertheless it was a good drive in very pleasant conditions and at least the Morgan has had a good run and we have had a good dose of fresh air and are both yawning vigorously to prove it.

Morganitis !!....

 ....a dreadful unremitting disease that affects anyone with an affection for the Morgan Sports Car!

Of course I suffer from this debilitating affliction and one of its many symptoms has recently manifested itself in the form of the 'Great Malvern' jigsaw which as you can see features two Morgans in the splendid Worcestershire scenery with the Malvern hills in the background.

The 'Bounty's' Launch 1789

Started around the 2nd January I have now completed this very interesting model.

It is a large model,  scale 3/4 inch =  1 foot, of the ships boat that Captain William Bligh and 18 of his crew were cast adrift from the 'Bounty' by Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers in 1789. The actual boat, based on plans from the Greenwich Maritime Museum, was 23 feet long, 6' 9" wide and 2' 9" deep weighing 2.5 tons.

Work begins on the building jig.

Christian and the rest of the mutineers variously made their way to Pitcairn Island,  Tahiti and freedom in England or death at the end of a rope.

First planks in place

Due to the fact that Bligh survived and wrote a comprehensive log we have a detailed account of the 4000 mile voyage from Tofua in the Friendly Isles group to Timor near the north west corner of Australia in 48 terrifying days.

Planking complete and the jig (mould) removed.

Dangerously overloaded the launch was typical of boats issued to the Royal Navy ships of the period, It has been calculated that when loaded with 19 men, gear and provisions,  she floated with a bare 6 inches of freeboard which is why the men spent all of the time in shifts baling water.

Gunwhale and foor planking completed.

Day after day, Bligh and his crew experienced mountainous seas,  rain,  wet sleepless nights, and a diet consisting of bread and teaspoons of rum. On lucky days they enjoyed seagull entrails and blood.

Completion following a challenging 'Sewing Bee' operation on the sails!

Little is known about what gear and provisions they carried but Bligh makes reference to "water vessels", whatever they were, and wrote.  "Seamen who were to go in the boat collected....an eight and twenty cask of water..." They had containers aboard to carry 60 gallons.  These included "four empty beakers" and perhaps some gourd calabashes. A carpenters chest of tools is believed to have been on board.

Note water barrels, carpenters chest and ten oars.

What is for sure is that there would have been very little room  in the boat!!

Not much room there!!

No more models planned yet.  As Spring slowly approaches there is work to do in the garden,  vegetables to plant  rehanging the old log store door,  painting the back yard and above all ensuring that 'Nellie' is ready for the road and our idyllic picnics in the local fells.....that is if the old body holds together (mine!!!!)  and Covid allows.

 

Fishing, a Camel and a Mask!!

The other day I pootled down the road to a nearby village to fish at a local fishery and to test and hopefully 'blood' one of my recently restored vintage rods.

                                                                Hambleton Fishery

Well, I did catch some fish,  roach, perch and two unidentified specimens,  all were embarrassingly small, hence no photographs!  Incidentally it is probably 50 years since I last coarse fished and bought some maggots for bait, it was therefore with some surprise that I had to part with £3 for a pint of grubs!!!!

The Sopwith Camel is taking shape and is proving more difficult and demanding than the previous kit I built for the boys down south. At least the pilot is prepared for take off....let us hope that it will not be a futile gesture on his part!

In a conversation that I had with a lovely lady in Yorkshire when I was ordering another bespoke rod bag from her for my second renovated fishing rod,  I happened to mention that I had tried unsuccessfully to buy a mask with the 'Morgan' logo on it from either the Morgan Club or from the factory shop.

                                                   Not a perfect match but pretty good!

As we are going to be encumbered with these wretched masks for some time I thought that it would be a useful commercial opportunity.   I did receive a reply from the Sales/Marketing guy at the Company,  only after vigorous complaining about the lack of good business practice nowadays etc.,etc. but he admitted that they were too busy meeting the huge demand for the latest models which are in the £60-80000 price range....and people talk of austerity!!

But I digress as usual. Anyway I joked with the lady that if she had a bit of dark green material lying around she could knock one up for me!  What a surprise when the immaculate rod bag arrived complete with 'free of charge' mask!

Naturally I phoned her immediately to thank her and sought an embroidered logo to put on it.

To cut a long story short,  the small one I ordered from the Club was too large and would have looked ludicrous and then I spotted an old Morgan baseball cap in the garage with a super logo on it and as all 'one size fits all' caps look like peas on a drum on my huge cranium I decided to carefully detach the logo and dispense of the remains of the cap. 

                                                                   Not a pretty sight!

The result of these efforts can be appreciated in the photographs and I can now hold my head high with all the F1 drivers and pit crews who sport their company's logo on their masks.

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.

Good picnic ruined!!

On a day that we knew would have temperatures soaring to 30 degrees or so,  the idea of a picnic was a definite consideration.

My dear wife who is excellent at conjuring meals or picnics from nothing, filled our little basket and two more containers with goodies comprising amongst other delicacies, two lovely pork pies and a bottle of Rioja Rose....I should add that we only had a small glass each!

Ready for off.

Anyway the Morgan was loaded up and off we went with great hope in our hearts,  picking up some fuel on the way.

The target once again was Littledale on our friend the Duke of Westminster's estate,  indeed our spot overlooks his grouse moor, where on the glorious 12th August the little road that leads up the fell will be crowded with Range Rovers carrying extremely wealthy individuals and their expensive guns.

Whether or not that will take place this year with this blasted virus goodness knows!

Coffee time

Well,  we arrived,  set up shop with table and chairs and I settled back to read my Telegraph, while Helen poured our coffee and served the 'choccy'  biscuits. Oh boy! It was heavenly, the peace being broken only by the calls of curlew and lapwing....then it happened!

A small vehicle  parked almost alongside us, whose occupants appeared even older than us,  wound their windows down, switched the radio on and destroyed the intense peace of the occasion. It was one of these ghastly commercial radio stations which are not appreciated by us!!

We endured it for a while and then we decided to pack up and move on.

We have never seen the Trough of Bowland so crowded, with four cars occupying our normal favoured spot with, amongst other individuals, a grossly overweight woman with skirt tucked in her knickers paddling in the river.

Overlooking the River Hodder

It was not for us,  so on we drove until we did finally find a spot where we could relish our pies and sup our Rioja.

This is all a result of Covid19,  as normally in midweek we oldies would find ourselves virtually alone and all those crowds we saw today would be either at work or school.

As the temperature soared it became a bit too hot for us and we drove back home for a welcome cuppa and a bit of peace!!! The day could have been much better!! 

First picnic of the year!

Normally we would have been at this very spot, one of our favorites, probably 8 weeks ago but due to the 'Lockdown' we had to wait.

Relaxing by the river

It was great to be back,  the weather was scorching,  the Morgan running well,  the birds singing, including a cuckoo and all was lovely with our world....except that for the whole population that isn't true at this time!  But it was super to get back to something approaching normality.

What a wonderful way to spend a few hours and this spot is just 25 minutes from our home.

What Crisis?......

.....I am joking of course,  but in these strange times there are some things a man must do apart from sitting around,  watching TV and imbibing copious quantities of alcoholic appetizers!

Preparing to begin the polish.  No I am not promoting 'AutoGlym'  but those are the products I use!!!

Anyway,  these are two things that have and are keeping me occupied until they let us out!

All finished including the leather and as a chap once told me,  'A car is never properly cleaned until the tyres are  'blacked'.

These activities are great but just at the present time we are enjoying some lovely Spring weather with reasonable temperatures and under normal circumstances that would mean delightful drives in the Morgan for picnics in the Bleasdale Fells,  Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District.....stopping by the odd local tavern to enjoy their hospitality.

You will have seen this type of wooden fishing boat all around the Mediterranean.

None of that now,  so I am building another model boat to keep me occupied and my wife sane!

This is produced by the Spanish firm Occre based in Barcelona I think and the second of their kits I have built,  the first being the 'Soller' tram.  Now back to my first love,  boats!

Progress,  but oh those bulwarks were tricky!

More on the build in the future.