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Aviation Memories
Starting 2021 with another dip into the written archives :)
Another page from one of my school note books - what a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
I had just turned 14 years of age, and I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
Some comments on the sightings
In September 1976 aged just turned 14, I made my first visit to the Farnborough Airshow. I bagged a huge variety of planes, and even ventured to take a few snaps on my newly acquired 'state of the art' Kodak Instamatic camera :) Some examples in the comments section below.
And for a full list of the aircraft present, see Scramble: www.scramble.nl/database/show-reports/united-kingdom/farn...
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
A page torn from one of my school note books - a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
The sheet shows the results of a whole day at Heathrow - a small feast of 1970s movements on this one sheet alone :)
Highlights from the log books
I-DEMB Alitalia Boeing 747 takes pride of place, along with
EI-ASI Aer Lingus, both of which were visitors to LHR
I-DIWJ & I-DIWW made it a bit of an Italian fest :)
SP-LZB Antonov 12 of LOT takes equal pride of place, arriving on a cargo flight :)
Plenty of Biz Jet action too:
N770AC, N2601 a couple of American G2s
Not sure what F-BUQC was??
F-BTTP Corvette flying for DLT
HZ-GP5 Saudi Learjet
And two more Italians I-FIMI Learjet & I-EDIS Falcon 20
Not a bad haul :)
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
After numerous issues with Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) over the years the final straw was broken earlier this month with a critical failure, the result of one of their numerous updates.
N3FJP's ACLog has been waiting in the wings for some time.
I first downloaded it years & years ago & guess what?
When I emailed Scott to ask for my password, he still had it on file!
I was floored.
Long story short, I wound up purchasing the entire suite at a special discount & at a very reasonable price I might add.
There are so many features I have fallen in love with such as the automatic QRZ lookup as pictured & it's ability to interphase with WSJT-X.
My entire log has now been transferred over after many months of periodic testing & I am very very happy!
72/73
Daryll
Aviation Memories
Continuing Year 2020 with a dip into the written archives :) So I wasn't just into logging aircraft registrations.
Another page from one of my school note books - what a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
Sometimes my imagination got the better of me, and my artistic side came out - still on the theme of aviation here though :)
I had a thing about Aeroflot and used to like practising the Cyrillic lettering :) The Philippine Airlines drawing was inspired by my sighting of PH-DTK on runway 23 in these notes somewhere.
I had just turned 14 years of age, and I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
Continuing 2020 with some time travel back to Heathrow in the 1970s :)
From a page torn from an old 1970 diary - I was an early adopter of Recycling :) It shows a variety of Heathrow arrivals and overflights in 1977, as noted by me from the back bedroom and garden of my house in Southall :)
So here is a challenge for my aviation friends on Flickr!
Can anyone tie-up any of my unusual aircraft sightings from a mere 43 years ago :))
Highlights from the log books
Star player in June:
04Jun77 DM-SCW Interflug Tu-134A on a VIP flight - the only Interflug 134 I saw at LHR, although I was lucky enough to catch a couple of their Il-18s :)
Other than that, most of those identified were from the usual range of lights and biz jets:
I-FIMI Italian Learjet
A6-HHF G2
D-CLUB Sabre-75
EI-AWY Mitsubishi Mu-2
May/Jun highlights
Tie-ups still needed! -
02May77 American Airlines 747 - I have no memory of seeing one of these, as they bowed out from the Heathrow scene just as I got started in 1976/77
07May77 2x French Air Force Mystere 20s, along with 3x RAF Wessex meant probably a VIP visit
23May77 Air France 747 I the new livery
23May77 THY 707, not rare but perhaps one of the early build 707-100s?
20Jun77 Lufthansa 747 - one of the first I would have seen
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
Aviation Memories
Starting 2021 with another dip into the written archives :)
Another page from one of my school note books - what a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
I had just turned 14 years of age, and I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
Some comments on the sightings
In September 1976 aged just turned 14, I made my first visit to the Farnborough Airshow. I bagged a huge variety of planes, and even ventured to take a few snaps on my newly acquired 'state of the art' Kodak Instamatic camera :) Some examples in the comments section below.
And for a full list of the aircraft present, see Scramble: www.scramble.nl/database/show-reports/united-kingdom/farn...
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
It seems a lot of you liked the posting 'Keeping a record', so here's another extract from one of my old bus driving log books. As I said before, I kept the notes of my own volition, it wasn't a requirement. Again the book was opened at a radom page for scanning.
4098 at 17/2/83 was either a short term loan from Hockley, or short-lived transfer to Wolverhampton. I remember that it still had a painted khaki roof.
4038 at 18/2/83 was by then a rare late evening working for an XON-J Fleetline, as they were used in the main on peak hour working and schools.
4045 at 23/2/83: TMD = Ticket Machine Defective
6425 at 18/2/83 refers to an night time incident, where I pulled out of Ednam Road in Wolverhampton on to Goldthorn Hill (a main road), when the propeller shaft between the gearbox and back axle snapped with a terrifically loud bang, leaving a trail of oil down the road. The bus was repaired and it looks like I next encounted it a few days later on 25/2/83.
4045 at 23/2/83 further entry at bottom of page. This refers to an incident when I was driving 4045 one freezing cold morning and just about everything went wrong with the bus, eventually resulting in me being stranded in it for a couple or three hours with the engine stopped and no heating. Although an older bus at the time, I never felt quite the same about driving 4045 after that.
"Mata Pela Boca”, Diário de Bordo - A história do Peixe-Sticker que queria ver o mar.
Porque em terra que peixe morre pela boca, o camarão que dorme a onda leva.
Visita ao AquaRio, Museu do Amanhã, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil e praia de Copacabana.
---
“Kill through the Mouth”, Logbook – The story of a Sticker-Fish that wanted to see the sea.
****
Jan M.O.
2016
#janmo #art #street #streetart #instaart #stickers #sticker #beach #stickerporn #sea #mar #fish #acquarium #acquario #copacabana #AquaRio #ccbb #ccbbrj #museudoamanha #rio #RJ
A very odd car here, the Sport Spider, in the rarer red colour. This one only has 12,255 miles on it although it has been climbing by 1,000 every year recently. The last logbook change was on the 24th May 2012 although I suspect it may be one owner as the new logbook changes came in around 2010-2012.
Seen at the Stony Stratford classic car show.
Sat. 15th March 1986 1Z25 - 'The Vulcan Vantrain' railtour
Locos Used: 33201, 33206, 50025 & 73003
EMUs Used: 68001 & 68005
Stock Used: 35130+4839+4941+5044+7161+1684+7074+5023+4965+4871+35114
LocoStockRoute
50025[1] + [2]London Paddington - Greenford East Jn - Greenford South Jn - Drayton Green - Ealing Broadway - Kensington Olympia - Clapham Junction - Beckenham Junction - Swanley - Tonbridge - Wadhurst - Hastings
33206[1] + [2]Hastings - Rye - Ashford
Trains split (A & B) : TractionStockRoute
Train A : 33206[2]Ashford - Folkestone East
Train A : 73003 + 33201 (1)[2]Folkestone East - Folkestone Harbour
Train A : 33201 + 73003 (1)[2]Folkestone Harbour - Folkestone East
Train A : 73003[2]Folkestone East - Ashford
Train A : 68001 + 68005[1]Ashford-Sandwich - Dover - Ashford
TractionStockRoute
Train B : 68005 + 68001[1]Ashford - Sandwich - Dover - Ashford
Train B : 73003[2]Ashford - Folkestone East
Train B : 33201 + 73003 (1)[2]Folkestone East - Folkestone Harbour
Train B : 73003 + 33201 (1)[2]Folkestone Harbour - Folkestone East
Train B : 50025[2]Folkestone East - Ashford
Trains re-joined :
LocoStockRoute
50025[1] + [2]Ashford - Maidstone - Swanley - New Beckenham - Lewisham - Brixton - Clapham Junction - Mitcham Junction - West Croydon - Selhurst - Clapham Junction - (reverse of outward route) - London Paddington
The railtour, organised by the Southern Electric Group (SEG) and the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) covered some very rare track for a Class 50, the highlight being the first ever visit of a Class 50 to Hastings and also the first standard loading gauge Mark 1 loco hauled train to traverse the line from Tonbridge to Hastings.
185 miles of Class 50 haulage ;)
More on the railtour here: www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/860315lc.htm
All the captain needs, in a portable, battery free, finger top model.
Features - swivel desk for any orientation (suggested use on non-dominant hand).
Attached inkwell. Attached, replaceable quill. Leather bound log book with decorated endpapers. Genuine blue Kyanite stone. Engraved "Ship's Log" and "Respect the Sea".
copper, brass, silver, Kyanite, feather, cork, paper, leather.
Registration GOR698K
Make ROVER
Model 2000 SC
Date of first registration June 1972
Year of manufacture 1972
Cylinder capacity 1978cc - PETROL
Export marker No
Vehicle status Tax not due
Vehicle colour RED
Date of last V5C (logbook) issued - 23 March 2018
Class 40 Indian Summer - the railtours
Sat. 2nd Jun 1984 'The Midland Executive'
R.E.S.L.
Locos Used: 33060, 40122, 56031, 73114, 73125 & 73140
Locos & Route
73114 + 73140 London Waterloo - Reading
56031 Reading - Derby
40122 Derby - Crewe
40122 Crewe - Bescot - Coventry
56031 Coventry - Reading
33060 + 73125 Reading - London Waterloo
Info.courtesy: www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/840602re.htm
The railtour was organised by the R.E.S.L and covered both Derby and Crewe Works open days!
140 miles of Class 40 haulage ;)
More on the railtour here: www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/840602re.htm
You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/
'Indian Summer' - a period of happiness or success occurring late in life...English Electric Type 4 1958-1984
Railway ephemera from my archives
Here we have a TOPS report showing the entire Class 37/4 ETH fleet. The locomotives were spread around the following depots:
Eastfield (ED) - for West Highland duties
Inverness (IS) - for Far North duties
Cardiff (CF) - for Welsh duties
Laira (LA) - for West of England duties (china clay trains?)
Immingham (IM) & Thornaby (TE) - not sure what these locos were allocated for?
The hand written details of actual locations and workings are courtesy of superb50002
You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/
1890.
The previous St Ambrose Church in Alumhurst Road, which became the church hall, and is now Alumhurst Day Centre. Note the ironwork which was transferred, along with the litany/prayer desk and the red banner.
Copyright © 2016, St Ambrose Parocial Church Council.
The last entry in the logbook before our arrival was back in August, 2017 and we were there in October. Many entries talked about a female moose and her calf visiting the cabin every morning.
Antone Station is a U.S. Forest Service rental in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Montana.
Railway ephemera from my archives - Apologies to all Class 31 fans out there!
Here we have a TOPS report produced for the Duty Manager at Bristol Temple Meads, dated 24th July 1989. The report details a catalogue of Class 31 failures over the summer of 1989 and make amusing reading - though probably not so amusing for the drivers and other BR staff trying to run a railway at the time :)
In the summer of 1989, someone in BR had the brainwave of using redundant life-expired Class 31s on long-distance Inter City services on summer Saturdays. The diagrams worked between Manchester/Liverpool/Stockport and Paignton.
This report shows the result - even with pairs of locos, there were failures every single weekend except one!
Faults ranged from flat batteries and low coolant through to locked brakes and even a loco fire.
You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/
Continuing the New Year 2020 with something a bit different :)
Another page torn from one of my school note books - a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
The sheet shows Heathrow arrivals as noted by me from the bedroom window of my house in Southall :)
Highlights from the log books
Quite a feast of movements on this one sheet!
Star player would have been F-BPVB Air France Boeing 747 on AF850 if I hadn't seen it the day before! Unusually not even a peak hours flight
***So the star must go to a Swissair DC-10 on evening flight SR806*** still waiting for the tie-up!!
N747PA Pan Am Boeing 747 flying in on callsign PA1747 - a positioning flight?
N45JM Gulfstream 2
SV601 Saudia DC-8
CCCP-86610 Il-62 Aeroflot
SX-DBH Olympic Boeing 720 - not a common as the 707s
N491PA Pan Am Boeing 707 flying in on callsign PA1491 - another positioning flight?
G-ARVM BA VC-10 is nice as this was the only one that I saw flying with BA
EI-ASI Aer Lingus Boeing 747 on EI164 booked a 737!
N5117H another Gulfstream 2
*** A BALAIR DC-8-63 on Ghana flight GH704! I don't even remember seeing a Balair DC-8 at Heathrow. Interestingly, the regular Ghana VC-10 followed in a while later callsign 'Ghana Oscar' so again a positioning flight
and I had just started logging 'trails' or overflights - carefully segregated with brackets! One of the more interesting was at 16.00 EP250 Hercules - I have no idea what that would have been? Also N8630 International Air Bahama stretched DC-8. And USAF Starlifter 40611 'MAC40611'.
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
Registration P499TMA
Make MERCEDES
Model 208D
Date of first registration July 1997
Year of manufacture 1997
Cylinder capacity 2299cc - DIESEL
Export marker Yes
Vehicle status Untaxed
Vehicle colour WHITE
MOT Expired - 2 July 2010
Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 20 August 2009
Continuing 2020 with something a bit different - time to raise the bar a little with typed up notes:)
So here I am - not quite a 15yr old who's just inherited a typewriter:)
I decided to practise my typing skills by transcribing some of my Heathrow logs, taken from my scruffy school notebooks.
Trails - overflights - contrails
Not only was I typing, I was even making good use of the red ribbon, indicating the overflights or 'trails' as we called them - and by that I mean logging the overflights that passed 30,000' above Heathrow, mostly on corridor Upper Green 1 (UG1), from memory! What we had discovered, was that some of the staff at the desks of the European airlines in Terminal 2 would, if asked nicely, give you registration tie-ups off their computer systems :) This made logging them much more rewarding.
What then developed was a philosophical argument as to whether these reg's 'counted' in the same way as seeing an aircraft at an airport - a never ending debate!
The log records my 'cops' for the day, and just a few other highlighted aircraft, and here are the highlights from the log books
VH-SLJ - an ultra rare Australian biz jet visitor!
D-ABNI - Condor Flugdienst Boeing 727
YR-BCC - LAR BAC 1-11 - these came in occasionally on TAROM flights
N8SC - JetStar
62-6000 - USAF VC-137A 'Air Force One'
I-ALWW - a light aircraft?
F-BSRA - was a regular TAT HS-748 which had an attractive livery [see comments section below]
G-AYMG - BIA HPR7 Herald - not sure what this Gatwick machine was doing at Heathrow?
G-BOAA - and I was still copping Concordes!
and the overflights:
D-ADLO Lufthansa DC-10
N8630 International Air Bahama Douglas DC-8S
both of which I was lucky to see on the ground at Heathrow on other occasions!
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
Continuing the New Year 2020 with something a bit different :)
These two pages are in one of my school note books - a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
They show runway 23 arrivals as noted by me from the back bedroom and garden of my house in Southall :)
I've included the back of another school book which I have emblazoned with a British Airways baggage sticker! This leads me onto another of our 'breakaway' activities as a well adjusted young teenager. We used to cruise the Terminals at Heathrow looking for baggage stickers and labels tucked behind the desks - I still have quite a collection somewhere. I can feel another Flickr theme coming... :)
Highlights from the log books
Best highlight must be me 'copping' the famous Kar Air DC-6 OH-KDA at 01.19 in the morning!! I still had the airband radio on under my pillow and would have looked through my bedroom window as it growled over on 'Kar Air 713'. This was repeated many an early morning over on 23, and was often my first indication that they would be using 23 that day - happy days :)
More highlights
National 2 - the morning National DC-10
Icelandair 124 - using an Eagle Air Arnaflug Boeing 720 - now they had a nice livery
Speedbird Concorde 170 - 9 times out of 10 when they were on 23, Concorde still used 28L, as Concorde didn't mind crosswinds, but that day was an exception.
And three biz jets - HS. 125s G-BART, G-AVAI and G2 A40-AA
Interesting to note the different callsigns that British Airways used back then:
Speedbird - for long-haul ex BOAC flights
Bealine - for short-haul ex-BEA flights
Shuttle - for the mainly Trident 3 shuttle service (walk on walk off - the original 'no frills' service
Albion - Viscounts and sometimes the BAC 1-11s - these were the ex-Regional flights of Northeast airlines, swallowed up by BEA
Note the many missing registrations. Although they went right over my house, they were often still in cloud, even at 4 miles out - ask crusader752 :)
I can't believe I logged all the times! I think I might have been getting a bit obsessive :)
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
A small example of the many entries in the logbook describing doors opening and closing on their own, the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and the ghostly appearance of a "Chinaman" who walks outside the place at night. The dog and I heard what sounded like footsteps walking around the bed about 2 am one night but that was about it.
Forest Glen Guard Station. A US Forest Service rental in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California.
Coachwork by Stabilimenti Farina
Chassis n° 814023
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2019
Estimated : € 290.000 - 350.000
Sold for € 264.500
The 2.3-litre Alfa Romeo 6C-2300 was designed under the supervision of the company's legendary technical director Ing. Vittorio Jano with the 2300 B introduced in 1935. It came with a much-modernised new chassis design featuring independent front suspension and swing-axle rear suspension. Some 86 of these first-series 6C-2300B variants were manufactured in the run up to the Second World War.
This particular example – wearing particularly elegant four-door sports saloon coachwork by Farina – was one of the many highly-original collectors' motor cars acquired by avid British-based Iranian collector Fuad Majzub through the 1970s-80s. As the current owner relates: "I bought the car in 1991 at the Brooks Majzub Millford Farm sale. Originality was always a key issue for me and this was the main attraction – reinforced by the fact it had a bespoke body by Farina..."
Having acquired the car its always-adventurous new owner – himself a respected car restorer – decided with a few friends to take it to Leningrad for the New Year to witness the final lowering of the Soviet Union flag. His own company, Prowess Racing Ltd, prepared the car, bills being available for the 389 hours undertaken. Numerous minor problems were identified and rectified, the whole engine thoroughly serviced, new gaskets made for cam-covers and sump etc, the speedo drive was repaired which entailed removing the gearbox, and a cracked left-side differential cover-plate was welded and its hemispherical inner face re-machined. Modern constant-velocity-joint boots were also modified and fitted, while all the suspension, pedals, brakes etc were removed, dismantled and rebuilt – as were the wire-spoked wheels (by SAS - now Torino).
Sadly, "...when approaching the Polish border, a small piece of old and brittle gasket on the pressure side of the oil system failed at night and we did not notice the oil pressure collapse on the tiny gauge in the speedo. This resulted in a big-end failure. I found a barn and removed the sump, cleaned the engine as best I could, replaced the oil and ran the engine on 5 cylinders with a plug removed back to Hanover, whence it was recovered to home...".
This handsome Alfa 6C was then used occasionally until 2006, when the water pump gland failed, allowing vital fluids to mingle. The decision was taken to have the engine thoroughly rebuilt. Respected specialists Jim Stokes Workshop of Waterlooville carried out the necessary bottom-end work, white re-metalling etc, while the engine was rebuilt by Jeremy Brewster at Brewster Mudie near Bromsgrove. The water pump and its drive were thoroughly re-worked, and a remote oil filter and the original inlet manifold and carburettor – which had been acquired with the car in 1991 – were both fitted. Until that time the car had run with a twin-SU carburettor system, but the owner took the opportunity to refit its original single twin-choke up-draught Solex upon which "... it runs better than it ever had on the SUs".
A subsequent reverse idler shaft failure then saw gearbox dismantled and rebuilt. "Precious little" wear was found during this work, which focused upon making a new shaft and getting the freewheel system to operate properly. Again, this was done by Brewster Mudie.
The car has been used so sparingly since successful completion of this work, because the owner is now too engrossed in Riversimple, developing hydrogen electric cars, that it is now offered for sale. A member of the Bonhams motor car department recently drove the car in January during the photography shoot. The driving impressions were that the car rode well on the recently refurbished suspension (and new Blockley tyres); good turn of speed, pulling very well; crisp gear-change; direct and responsive steering, and reassuring stopping power. The car behaved very well with good oil and temperature readings.
The accompanying history file contains correspondence from the 1950s, including the old style buff logbook indicating first registration in the UK in 1952. A subsequent owner, a Mr Neale, owned the Alfa from 1955 to 1974. Mr Majzub acquired the car shortly thereafter, until 1991. This is a fine and still highly original example of this renowned Alfa Romeo 6C model and we recommend it for the closest consideration.
Badbury Clump, near Faringdon, Oxfordshire.
HINGEFINKLE'S LOGBOOK (Seventeenth Instalment)
Notes Towards the Definition of Druids
It now remains for me to relate those extraordinary events which overtook us as we traveled to the far north of Cambria: the horrible death of the Archdruid Vervain, the singular repentance and transformation of the eagle Llew Llaw Gyffes, and the somewhat untimely arrival of King Math and Codpiece on their annual taxation tour. Alas, this must also be the story of the inevitable ensuing wrangles, in the course of which Agrimony demonstrated his great political acumen - not to mention his remarkable forebearance in not turning Codpiece back into a frog. I am sorry to have to add, my dear little Alias, that the telling of this tale also compels me to explain the most tantalising near-miss in my entire professional life, for it was at the great Druid’s Circle that I, Hingefinkle, came within a basilisk’s whisker of solving the greatest of the multifarious mysteries of dracobiology.
I refer, of course, to the mystery of the sacred and dreadful Ovum anguinis, that most splendid and perplexing product of oviparity: revered by Druids, feared by Kings, and coveted by dracobiologists. But never found by them, my dear little Alias - never found, and when I think of what I left behind at the Druids’ Circle amid the heathery moors on the north coast of Cambria, my hand trembles with the horror and the amazement of it all, and I can hardly hold my quill to write these words. Yet write them I must, for in the Ovum anguinis has the fate of Druids been incubated; from the Ovum anguinis has the Creature stepped forth; and through the Ovum anguinis - or at least, veracity compels me to admit, through a rather convincing replica of it - have the warring factions of the realm been pacified, and peace has been brought to the land into which you were born.
“But Hingefinkle -” I can hear you say “- but Hingefinkle, you have started the story upside down, or inside out, and in spite of all your scruples about narrative technique, you are giving the distinct impression that you are a narrator with something up his sleeve. What is it? Or, if you are not going to tell me straight away, then you should at least start the story at the beginning, and tell me about the Druids’ Circle, and how we got there, and what happened there, and why!” And you would be right to say it, my dear little Alias, but since I have already used up one perfectly good piece of parchment in starting the story the way I have started it, I shall just have to let it stand.
We came upon the Druids’ Circle in the midst of some rather inclement weather for the time of year, and as I remember, I was carrying you snugly wrapped up in my cloak, thus making my ascent of the moors even more tiring than it usually is. The wind whipped about my ears, and every now and again, great drops of rain splattered on the stones, and lightning filled the skies over the sea to the north. The moorland ponies, of which there are many, galloped about, whinnying anxiously. At the time, in my state of near-exhaustion, I assumed that they were merely afraid of the thunder, for the whites of their eyes were showing, and their very manes seemed to bristle with anxiety. The track wound its way across the undulating landscape, diverting here and there in order to pass close by the places where the Ancients had erected their standing stones, and once drawing near to a precipitous crag littered with discarded stone axe-heads. There are many stone circles in those parts, but the one which has in recent years come to be known as the Druids’ Circle is by far the largest. I could see the arc of stones looming over the brow of the hill from some distance away, and despite the rain, I grew sweaty beneath my cloak as I continued to climb, and you poked your nose out beneath my chin and blinked in the wind. At last we drew near, and I perceived to my surprise that a man, garbed in white robes, lay prostrate at the exact centre of the circle of monoliths. I put you down on the ground, and together we picked our way through the patches of bog and clumps of heather, and hurried into the circle.
“Hum,” I said, perceiving that the recumbent fellow was a Druid, and assuming that he was in prayer. “Rather an unsuitable afternoon for such devotions, is it not?”
There was no reply but the whistling of the wind, which ruffled the Druid’s garments and flecked them with detached flowers of heather. I prodded the fellow with my toe, and he did not stir. I knelt at his side and touched his hand; it was still warm, but I recoiled when I saw his face, for it was half-turned into the mud, and bore the bood-drained pallor of death. The glazed eyes and open mouth bespoke a horror such as I had never seen on the face of mortal man.
“Fiddlesticks!” I cried, “He’s dead, Alias! We had better go and find help!”
At that moment, you let out a loud squeal, and as I turned to see what you were doing, a tall man, cloaked and silhouetted, bore down on me and grasped me firmly by the shoulder.
“Hingefinkle, you old codger!” said the mysterious stranger. “Look at the mess you’ve made with those clodhopping boots of yours. Don’t be so clumsy. You’re destroying evidence!”
I do not think, my dear little Alias, that I have ever in my life been so surprised - or so relieved - to see my old friend Druid Agrimony, as I was that afternoon atop the moor, with that other poor fellow sprawled dead at my feet.
“Uncle Agrimony! Uncle Agrimony!” you squealed, and clapped your arms about his knees as he ruffled your auburn ringlets with detached affection. “Where’s Snowdrop, and how did you know we were here?”
Agrimony eyed you through his monocle and laughed ruefully. “Snowdrop is still in the village. There was no time to bring him. And I must confess, my boy, that I did not know you were here. The arrival of you two on this particular scene at this particular moment is one of those coincidental variables which it is quite impossible to forsee, still less to forestall. I am compelled to add, when I observe how your foster-father’s footprints have obscured those of the Archdruid Vervain and his assailant, that it is also most vexingly inconvenient.”
“Hum,” I said, a little disgruntled, “am I correct in deducing that you did expect to find the Archdruid Vervain lying stone-dead in the middle of a circle of ancient monoliths on a windswept moor in the far north of Cambria? Surely that is the more unlikely variable of the two!”
“Variable, schmariable!” snorted Agrimony, pushing me brusquely aside, and poring over the dead body, his eyelids twitching with excitement behind his monocle. I stood aside, involuntarily changing my stance so that when Agrimony turned his attention back towards me, he would perceive that I was now on tiptoe, and therefore doing the minimum of damage to his precious evidence.
“Hum,” I said at length. “What do you think has happened to the poor fellow, Agrimony?”
Agrimony stood upright and grasped the hem of his cloak with one hand. “Beyond the obvious facts, that the Archdruid Vervain came up here quite alone in order to perform an arcane ritual, that in the midst of said ritual he was bitten on at least five separate occasions by a small multicoloured reptile with wings but no legs, that said multicoloured reptile was highly venomous and newly hatched from its egg, and that Archdruid Vervain, whether rightly or wrongly, was under the impression that the egg in question was the sacred Ovum anguinis of Druidic legend, I can deduce precisely nothing, Hingefinkle! Nothing at all!”
“Fiddlesticks,” I said sceptically. “You couldn’t possibly have guessed all of those things just from a cursory glance at a dead body lying in the mud. And everybody knows that the Ovum anguinis is -”
“On the contrary,” interrupted Agrimony, “I did not guess at all. I know for a fact that Druid Vervain, apart from being an incorrigible bureaucrat, was a great apologist for this newfangled appropriation of ancient lunar observatories as ritual sites, in favour of the far more practical sacred groves. I also know that legends concerning the Ovum anguinis concur in their testimony that it is particularly useful when one wishes to keep the secular powers favourably disposed. While you have been off on your foolhardy ramblings, it may interest you to know that King Math has launched a massive taxation drive in order to pay for his new wardrobe, and having placed Codpiece in charge of raising the funds, has acquiesced in the fool’s proposal that the Druids, being so fond of forms in triplicate, should be appointed chief tax-collectors. This did not go down at all well with the local Druid fraternity, I can tell you. Vervain always cherished his popularity. So, when I say to you that the Archdruid came here to perform an arcane ritual with the Ovum anguinis, I am presenting you not with a guess, but with a deduction.” He lifted the Archdruid’s forearm, and the hand hung limply at the wrist. “When I observe no less than twenty puncture marks in the fellow’s arm, thus arranged, I think I am also justified in deducing that he was bitten five times by a creature which has paired fangs on both the upper and lower jaw. Furthermore, since the fellow is dead, I do not think it an unreasonable assumption that said creature was poisonous.” He pointed to a double row of bright red welts, snorted haughtily, and let the arm drop to the ground.
“Hum. Indeed,” I said, feeling somewhat bewildered. “But you said that the creature was multicoloured -”
Agrimony let forth the kind of groan which a teacher may be forgiven for emitting in the presence of an exceedingly stupid child, and picked up the arm once more. He pulled a pair of tweezers from his pocket, and plucked three tiny objects from beneath the fingernails. “Put those in your pipe and smoke them,” he said.
I pulled out Gladys Sparkbright’s pocket microscope and examined them intently. “Scales!” I said enthusiastically. “And quite indubitably the scales of a reptile - and one red, one yellow, and one blue! Thus you deduced that the creature was multicoloured.”
I was about to congratulate my friend on his powers of observation, when you, my dear little Alias, murmured, with your eyes fixed on the mud, “And since there are no tracks leading away from the stone circle, the creature cannot have walked or crawled or slithered away, but must have flown. Even Hingefinkle would have noticed that.”
“Capital!” cried Agrimony, clapping you on the back and almost knocking you over.
It was then that the realisation hit me. The Ovum anguinis! Perhaps it did exist after all. It all seemed to make perfect sense: what could better answer to the ancient descriptions of the pockmarked, leathery Ovum than the egg of one of the smaller and lesser-known species of the genus Draco? I was about to burst into a rapturous cheer, when doubt got the better of me.
“Indeed,” I said. “But we have no proof that what the Archdruid Vervain thought was the Ovum anguinis really was the item in question.”
Agrimony turned away and looked out towards the sea, sighed, and said casually, “Hingefinkle, you really are tiresome sometimes. You might try digging about a bit in the mud.”
Together we probed about in the mud, while Agrimony contemplated the lightning with an expression of the purest contentment on his wizened face. Presently, my dear boy, you gave a triumphant shout, and held up a tattered piece of parchment. I wiped the mud off it with feverish fingers, and read aloud:
Ovum anguinis:
ever ingenious
old gods rule it.
Legends relate
its value unfailing.
Its oval enfolding
shell made of leather
shall ‘mid foul ether
split to reveal
a serpent’s travail.
Coiled and poised,
cold and possessed:
with dread of the anguis
the Druid forth goes.
“A page purloined by our illustrious Archdruid from the Codex Druidicus in the Spodleian Library,” said Agrimony, his back still turned. “Now do you have reason to doubt that the Archdruid came here to perform a ritual?”
“Hum. No indeed. But it still doesn’t prove that -”
“You might also try turning over the body. I’d do it myself, but quite frankly, I can’t be bothered,” said Agrimony expressionlessly.
We heaved at the body (Vervain had, I fear, been rather too fond of stodgy puddings in life), and rolled it face-upward in the mud, and there, lying beneath it, was a large, flattened, leathery object roughly the size - well, roughly the size and consistency of a pig’s bladder. I picked it up between thumb and forefinger, and a quantity of bloodstained albumen poured from a tear in its side. I stared at it for some moments in sheer incomprehension, and when the import of our discovery hit me, I was so shaken that I dropped the thing back onto the ground.
“The O-” I gasped, but Agrimony had turned, and grasping us both by the shoulders, he propelled us back down the hill as fast as our legs would carry us, leaving the empty shell of the Ovum anguinis atop the moor, to be stolen away by some rook or hungry bird of prey. At the time, his action seemed, I must confess, quite incomprehensible.
*
“I presume,” I remarked, as we sat chewing our breakfast in front of our campfire the next morning, “that you knew all along that the Archdruid had procured the Ovum anguinis, and that you had deduced, perhaps with the aid of my own humble writings, that it was probably the egg of one of the lesser dragons, and were therefore hoping to prevent him from doing something stupid.”
“Precisely,” said Agrimony, whose mood was markedly more agreeable with breakfast in his stomach. “And I did, as a matter of fact, sneak a glance at your own Monsters Misc. Indeed, I must admit that it was your very own observations on the breeding habits of the genus Draco which convinced me that Archdruid Vervain was in imminent danger.”
“Hum. I’m afraid I don’t see the point.”
“You remark in Monsters Misc. that one of your reasons for assuming - wrongly, as I think - that Dragons are descended from birds and not from reptiles, is that Dragons have to incubate their eggs. I presumed that your statement was based on observation and not on hearsay. I was also aware, having kept my own chickens, that eggs will retain their fertility for quite some time, if kept at a lower temperature, and may be incubated later on. Now, think, Hingefinkle. If you wanted to carry a leather egg from the village to the north coast of Cambria, where would you put it?”
“In my jerkin!” you said, gobbling the bacon, of which Agrimony, rather uncharacteristically, had brought a plentiful supply.
“Precisely,” nodded Agrimony, “thus providing the perfect conditions - warm and, since it is a rather arduous trail, somewhat moist - for the embryo to develop inside the Ovum anguinis.” He stood up briskly. “Which leaves us with only one vexing problem.”
“Hum. And what may that be?”
“Why, Hingefinkle, you old codger, we have to work out a way of silencing a tax-happy King Math, that’s what!”
“Indeed, yes,” I said with a sigh. “Do you have any ideas?”
“He needs a suitable counterbalance,” said Agrimony, “someone with the authority to counteract his absurdities, but without the public approval to think of seizing power himself. Someone, in short, like Llew Llaw Gyffes, the son of Gwydion.”
“Hum. Really, Agrimony, do you think that’s wise? The last time Llew Llaw wielded any political power, he annihilated an entire city in cold blood.”
“Oh,” said Agrimony dismissively, “I think a few years spent as a rather wretched eagle ought to have induced a certain degree of penitence. It’s time for me to bump him up the evolutionary scale a bit.”
“But where will you find him?” I enquired. “Fiddlesticks! An eagle could be anywhere by now.”
“Nonsense,” replied Agrimony. “Eagles are creatures of habit, with a defined territory. He will be in the same place as last time. Don’t you read your history books, Hingefinkle?”
It was then, my dear little Alias, that your sweet little voice broke into song; the strangest song I had ever heard, and a glimmer of admiration flickered in the eyes of Druid Agrimony:
“My son! My son!” cries Gwydion,
“Where art thou flown? Where art thou gone?
O! Awful deed of Blodeuedd!
Gronw hath brought him near to death!”
“Brother! Brother!” echoéth Math,
“Hold back thy grief! Release thy wrath!
Go! Bring thy son back to Gwynedd
And punish wayward Blodeuedd!”
The land of Gwynedd he traverses;
His wrath he nurses, Gronw he curses.
No trace of Llew Llaw hath he met
Until a swineherd cries, “Well met!”
“Well met, my man,” saith Gwydion,
“Mayhap you’ll give me board anon?”
“Verily,” the swineherd saith,
“If you’ll find where my best sow strayeth!
Every morn she disappears;
She’ll not be found ‘til darkness nears!”
“I shall indeed,” says Gwydion,
“I’ll track her by the light of dawn.”
At dawn the sow runs from her pen,
She scatters goat and goose and hen,
She snorts and squeals and runs in front,
The forest fills with gripe and grunt.
Gwydion takes his riding crop,
The sow runs onward through the leaves.
She does not flag and will not stop,
Her grunting echoes on the breeze.
Through moss and fern the sow hath gone,
Gnarled oaks loom overhead.
The trees close in, Gwydion goes on,
His horse by halter led.
At last he comes upon the sow,
He ties his horse and wipes his brow.
On writhing maggots she is feeding,
And on flesh, rank and bleeding.
Above there towers a giant oak,
He holds the stench back with his cloak;
He drives away the snorting sow
And looks up through the gnarled boughs.
An eagle spies he in the tree;
He sings, “My Llew Llaw, come to me!”
Dead flesh falls from the eagle’s crop,
And from there the maggots drop.
The eagle flaps his tattered wings,
Weeping Gwydion softly sings,
“My dear Llew Llaw, come thou to me!”
The eagle flies down from the tree.
The eagle alights on Gwydion’s knee,
“My son! What hath they done to thee?”
Gwydion strikes him with his wythe.
The wretched bird doth wax and writhe.
The eagle turns back to Llew Llaw,
Yet still the maggots by the score
Drip from Llew Llaw’s stinking chest;
His father holds him to his breast.
Physicians they find at Caer Dathyl,
With leech and herb they cure his ills
‘Til Llew Llaw stands serene and proud;
The people praise him in a crowd.
*
I shall not relate the details of our journey to the forests of Gwynedd, of the delightful hospitality of the swineherd, or of the repentance and transformation of Llew Llaw Gyffes - for the depth of the eagle’s contrition led to scenes so poignant that it would be unfitting to describe them in prose. Besides, my dear little Alias, I have no doubt that you remember these things yourself. Suffice it to say that on that day, we had the - to my knowledge unique - experience of watching the eagle weep as he perched on Agrimony’s knee, and a pathetic sight it was, covered as Llew Llaw was with suppurating sores. And then at last, Agrimony relented his sternness, called up the powers of the Demiurge, and I watched delightedly as the poor creature began to evolve backwards to a point on the evolutionary scale from which it was possible to progress, along a slightly different track, to the status of hominid. And then Llew Llaw Gyffes stood before us, his hair tangled, his hands and face grimy, his sunken eyes staring from their sockets in an expression of combined terror and relief, and Agrimony offered his hand in a gesture of peace.
Nor shall I bother to relate, as a more responsible writer might insist on doing, how the four of us travelled back through the Bluebell Wood to our own village, arriving in time for the festival of Samhain and the celebration of the anniversary of your arrival, my dear boy - and, incidentally, also in time to witness the arrival in the village of King Math, Codpiece and their retinue. I shall not even dwell on the fact that their triumphal entry was marred by Codpiece’s horse who, blinded by a map flapping in the wind, managed to trip King Math’s horse head over heels, propelling its disgruntled rider gracefully through the air and into a large pile of manure. No, I shall lurch the narrative forward to the moment when King Math, scrubbed clean and smeared with a year’s supply of the Mayor’s best deodorants and unguents, sat at the table in the village hall with all his retinue, with twelve of the Mayor’s favourite geese, perfectly dressed and basted, set out before them, and at last received Llew Llaw Gyffes into his presence.
“Verily verily, merrily, milord!” bawled Codpiece as we entered, “Methinks this fellow is to blame for the transformation of your Grace into a frog. He has a big head, milord, and big heads will have big ambitions! Chop it off, milord! Chop it off! Ker-flop, ker-plop, and vice-versa!”
“You will do no such thing, confound it,” roared Agrimony, his flaccid cheeks suddenly tightening and turning red. “I absolutely forbid it.”
“We are not accustomed to being forbidden from doing anything,” said King Math haughtily, goose-fat running down his chin, and turning to the nearest knight. “Do as our esteemed advisor Codpiece has suggested, Sir Ponsonby-Wagglebotham, will you?”
Sir Ponsonby-Wagglebotham stood up obediently and drew his sword from its sheath, but as he did so, Agrimony clapped his hands, and the cranberry sauce unaccountably sprouted legs, leapt from its bowl, and splattered itself all over the hapless knight’s visor. I seem to remember you laughing delightedly, my dear little Alias, as Sir Ponsonby-Wagglebotham stumbled blindly into the table, sending the various delicacies flying in every direction, so that Codpiece ended up with his head inside the Mayor’s largest and most succulent goose.
“I suggest,” said Agrimony commandingly, “that you and Llew Llaw come to terms, in case I have something more dangerous up my sleeve than flying condiments.”
King Math looked grey, but to give him credit, he stood up, and would have pounded the table commandingly with his fist, were it not for the fact that the table was no longer in front of him, but upside-down on the floor. “We shall do no such thing,” squeaked Math. “This man is a traitor, and a treasoner, and a trickster, and a troublester, and a terribly nasty fellow -”
And then Agrimony did a thing which no one could have predicted. Out of a pocket in his cloak, he produced a large, globed, pockmarked, leathery brown egg, and placed it delicately at the feet of King Math. The King blinked, and looked down at it suspiciously.
“You have, I presume, heard of the dreaded Ovum anguinis, aid of Druids,” said Agrimony darkly. “You may even, in your saner moments, have reached the supposition that it could be nothing less than the egg of one of the lesser species of the genus Draco. And I am sure you will be enlightened, and indeed grateful to hear that this supposition is true, and that the Creature it contains is in fact highly venomous. Moreover, I am sure, King Math, that you will be interested to know that I am in possession of the ancient ritual by means of which the Ovum anguinis may be hatched -” And at this rather dramatic juncture, as I am sure you will agree, Agrimony held up the tattered piece of parchment in his hand, and began to intone:
Ovum anguinis:
ever ingenious
old gods rule it.
Legends relate...
“Quite so, quite so,” said King Math hurriedly, glancing anxiously at the egg. “We do not think a practical lesson in dracobiology is very appropriate on this occasion.” He opened his arms in a princely gesture of magnanimity. “Well, Llew Llaw Gyffes, we are delighted to see you looking so much better...”
*
“Well, Hingefinkle, I think we can safely say that the peace of the realm is no longer in jeopardy, and that the local Druid fraternity owe me one or two favours.” Agrimony chuckled softly to himself, and stirred the embers of the fire.
“Hingefinkle,” your voice peeped from the opposite side of the wall. “I can’t sleep. It’s too cold.”
“Hum. We need to stoke up the fire.”
“Stay where you are, Hingefinkle, you old codger. I think it is my turn to fetch the wood inside.” I had rarely seen Agrimony in so expansive a mood.
And then, as he closed the front door behind him, curiosity got the better of me. There sat the Ovum anguinis cold and unincubated, on Agrimony’s workbench, propped against the armillary sphere. I put down my pipe, got up from the armchair, and walked over to it. I prodded it doubtfully with my little finger. The skin was firm, and only yielded slightly to my touch. Glancing towards the door and finding it still closed, I took a scalpel and a little specimen phial from my pocket. There was no need for Agrimony ever to know that I had taken a little albumen specimen for chemical analysis. I held the scalpel to the shell, and the phial underneath it, and gave a tentative stab.
To my horror, the blessed Ovum anguinis began to deflate so rapidly that it shot from the desk and began to fly about the room, bouncing off the walls and making a hideous farting sound. Agrimony came back through the door laden with timber as the empty shell dropped, limp and flaccid at his feet. I rushed forward, got down on my hands and knees, and examined it through my pince-nez. Agrimony was silent for more than a minute, and then slowly, and very softly, he began to laugh. The laugh became louder, and louder, until at last he reached such paroxysms of roaring hilarity that he collapsed into his armchair quite exhausted.
“Hum,” I said. “I do apologise. I seem to have damaged the Ovum anguinis.”
This time, Agrimony positively wept with mirth, and you, my dear boy, climbed out of bed, sat on his knee, and laughed with him, warming your feet at the fire.
“My dear Hingefinkle,” he said at last, “I have seen you looking perplexed often enough, but the expression on your face just now was so priceless that I wish my experiments with chloride of silver were more advanced!”
“Hum. Whatever do you mean? The Ovum anguinis -”
“- is nothing but an inflated pig’s bladder. Or at least it was,” bawled Agrimony, laughing so hard that his monocle fell into his glass of mead. “It was meant to be a placebo.”
“A placebo?” I cried, perplexed, and not at all sure that I was not the victim of some crude practical joke.
“Yes - a placebo. When I found out that the Archdruid Vervain was in possession of a real Ovum anguinis, I contrived to manufacture a fake one out of a pig’s bladder and a generous helping of the proverbial Second Element. I planned to make a switch before he reached the Druid’s Circle, but when I failed, other possibilities suggested themselves.”
I need not tell you, my dear little Alias, that for a while I felt as though the whole world had come crashing down around me. I had left a perfect sample of the Ovum anguinis shell to the rooks and raptors atop the north Cambrian moors. Another had proven itself to be nothing more than a tarted-up piece of offal from the local butcher. If Agrimony had not swindled me, circumstances certainly had. My brain reeled with unanswered questions, and I longed that just once I could see the creature which had wrought such havoc, and whose very reputation was enough to make a haughty King pliable and affable - even if it were the last thing I saw in my life.
“Well, Hingefinkle, you old codger,” said Agrimony at last, “don’t stand around moping. Come on, I need your help.”
“Hum,” I said, feeling as deflated as Agrimony’s fraudulent creation, “Whatever for?”
“The peace of the realm is at stake,” he said, dramatically sweeping his cloak from a peg by the door. “Without the Ovum anguinis for insurance, King Math and Llew Llaw Gyffes will be on the verge of starting a civil war.”
“Fiddlesticks!” I cried, memories of the last war haunting my mind like wraiths. “What on earth do you propose to do about it?”
Agrimony turned and addressed me with an air of exaggerated patience. “Really my dear Hingefinkle, it is perfectly simple. We shall just have to acquire another pig’s bladder, that’s all.”
Slide show (F11 = full screen): www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/sets/72157649643428956...
Album mosaïque: www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/sets/72157649643428956/
Notre CARNET DE VOYAGE VIETNAM TRAVEL LOGBOOK, JOURNEY DIARY:
www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/collections/7215762238...
INVITATION ET PRÉPARATION AU VOYAGE VIETNAM
Sites recommandés: saigon-vietnam.fr/accueil.php
belleindochine.free.fr/sommaire.htm et nguyentl.free.fr/html/liens_fr.htm
ENGLISH: We propose our photo collection on our many trips to different cities of the Mekong, unforgettable walks along the river banks on small well appointed roads, flowers and fruits everywhere, pretty houses, friendly people, "Looks the earthly paradise. "Do not forget the stilt houses: They are disappearing: Photograph them.
A cruise in the Mekong is an exciting time. We meet constantly any size new colorful boats. Old engines backfiring, careless drivers who maneuver the rudder with their feet. Families smiling . And this immense silty surface water that stretches out of sight.
FRANCAIS: Nous proposons notre collection de photos reportage sur nos nombreuses excursions dans différentes villes du Mékong, Promenades inoubliables le long des rives du fleuve sur de petites routes bien aménagées, des fleurs et des fruits partout, de jolies maisons, des habitants accueillants, "On dirait le paradis sur Terre". Ne pas oublier les maisons sur pilotis: Elles sont en train de disparaître: photographiez les,
Une croisière sur le Mékong est un moment passionnant. Nous croisons sans cesse de nouveaux bateaux colorés de toute taille. De vieux moteurs pétaradants, des conducteurs nonchalants qui manoeuvrent le gouvernail avec leurs pieds. Des familles souriantes. Et cette immense surface d'eau limoneuse qui s'étend à perte de vue.
Cute, Awesome, Priceless, Amazing, Stunning, Oustanding, Beautifull, Lovely, Charming, Great, Excellent, Wonderful, Super, Delightful, Bello, Fantastic, Superbe, Nice, Beau, Belle, Extraordinaire, Magnifique, Surprenant, Étrange, Insolite, Ravissant. Macro, Pow, Close Up unbelievable
75 Mots clefs:
delta mekong "mekong delta" "delta du mekong" delta mekong "mekong river" vietnam "viet nam" "my tho" "can tho" "vinh long" "long xuyen" "sa dec" "soc trang" "cao lanh" "chau doc" "cai rang" "ca mau" "cai rang" "phmg hiep" "phong dien" "cai be" "marché flottant" "floating market" vietnamien vietnamienne "vietnamese people" vietnamese man men woman women lady ladies femmes hommes fleuve paysage "tour operator" "croisière mekong" "mekong cruse" tour guide curiosité "office du tourisme" traveling trip "national geographic" "lonely planete" routard cute awesome amazing stunning oustanding beautifull great excellent wonderful super delightful fantastic superbe nice beau extraordinaire magnifique surprenant étrange insolite ravissant "carnet de voyage" "journey diary" unbelievable
Autre mots clefs:
Cute, awesome, priceless, amazing, stunning, oustanding, beautifull, lovely, charming, great, excellent, wonderful, super, delightful, bello, fantastic, superbe, nice, beau, belle, extraordinaire, magnifique, surprenant, étrange, insolite, ravissant. oustanding amazing gorgeous nice young graceful pleasant attractive cute stunning oustanding beautifull lovely charming priceless wonderful super delightful smile smiling generous magnificent pleasant attractive kind kindness happy happiness brave nice elegant smart classy mode fashion jeune belle jolie agréable superbe gracieuse épanouie heureuse généreuse superbe souriante ravissante élégante sourire gentille courageuse sourire
The original layout of the High Altar and reredos, complete with riddle posts, before the removal of the top three steps (to accommodate a larger altar) and the lowering of the reredos by 18 inches.
Copyright © 2016, St Ambrose Parocial Church Council.
Slide show (F11 = full screen): www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/sets/72157649507913833...
Album mosaïque: www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/sets/72157649507913833
Notre CARNET DE VOYAGE VIETNAM TRAVEL LOGBOOK, JOURNEY DIARY:
www.flickr.com/photos/natureboheme/collections/7215762238...
-*- ENGLISH: Đà Lạt, Vietnam, Lâm Đồng Province, Waterfall, Langbian Plateau, Southern Parts of Central Highlands, "City of thousands of pine trees", "City of Eternal Spring", "She gives to some the enjoyment, in the others the good time"
TIPS AND TRICKS: Take the municipal very economic buses, and go where you want! Be amazed in exploring this magnificent region!
-*- FRANÇAIS: Đà Lạt, Vietnam, Chutes d’eau, Paysages & Cascades, Région des Hauts-Plateaux de Langbian, "Cité aux mille pins", "Cité de l’Eternel Printemps", "Elle donne aux uns la joie, aux autres le bon temps"
TRUCS et ASTUCES: Prenez les bus municipaux, très économiques, et allez où vous voulez! Émerveillez-vous en explorant cette magnifique région!
REMARKABLE PLACES WATERFALLS AND LANDSCAPES DA LAT:
Tiger Cave Waterfall, Prenn Waterfall, Pongour Waterfall, Jraiblian waterfall, Elephant Waterfall, Datanla Waterfall, Dambri Waterfall, Cam Ly Waterfall, Bobla Waterfall, Ho Xuan Huong, Dreamlike Hill, Mong Mo Hill, Langbiang Peak, Valley of Love, Golden Stream Lake,
INVITATION ET PRÉPARATION AU VOYAGE VIETNAM
Sites recommandés: saigon-vietnam.fr/accueil.php
belleindochine.free.fr/sommaire.htm et nguyentl.free.fr/html/liens_fr.htm
75 Mots Clefs:
"đà lạt" vietnam "lâm đồng" province waterfall landscapes langbian plateau highlands "city of thousands of pine trees" "city of eternal spring" "chutes d’eau" paysages cascades "hauts-plateaux" "cité de l’éternel printemps" "tiger cave waterfall" "prenn waterfall" "pongour waterfall" "jraiblian waterfall" "elephant waterfall" "datanla waterfall" "dambri waterfall" "cam ly waterfall" "bobla waterfall" "ho xuan huong" "dreamlike hill" "mong mo hill" "langbiang peak" "valley of love" "golden stream lake" "chutes de l’éléphant" prenn dambri datanla pongour jraiblian "cam ly" "vallée de l’amour" "tour operator" tour guide curiosité "office du tourisme" traveling trip "national geographic" "lonely planete" routard cute awesome amazing stunning oustanding beautifull great excellent wonderful super delightful fantastic superbe nice unbelievable remarkable beau extraordinaire magnifique surprenant étrange insolite ravissant
"carnet de voyage" "journey diary" vietnamien vietnamienne "vietnamese people" vietnamese man men woman women lady ladies femmes hommes
A page torn from one of my school note books - a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
The sheet shows the results of a whole day at Heathrow - a small feast of 1970s movements on this one sheet alone :)
Highlights from the log books
KAF-321 Douglas DC-9 Kuwait Air Force :) - one of a pair that visited LHR at the time, the other being KAF-320
A couple of Herons which were a 'blast from the past' even then
G-ANNO Fairflight Charters
G-AOTI Rolls Royce
N447T Conroy CL-44-0 Skymonster
and not one but two USA registered light aircraft
N1727G Cessna 340
N7275R Beech 90
And CCCP-85188 Tu-154 - operating the Friday only Leningrad flight (SU637/8)
When I had just turned 14 years of age, I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
Continuing the New Year 2020 with something a bit different :)
So here we have some of my neatest handwriting as a 15yr old :) These two pages are in one of my school note books - a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
Trails - overflights - contrails
They show what I believe to be the first full day of 'trail watching' - and by that I mean logging the overflights that passed 30,000' above Heathrow, mostly on corridor Upper Green 1 (UG1), from memory! What we had discovered, was that some of the staff at the desks of the European airlines in Terminal 2 would, if asked nicely, give you registration tie-ups off their computer systems :) This made logging them much more rewarding.
What then developed was a philosophical argument as to whether these reg's 'counted' in the same way as seeing an aircraft at an airport - a never ending debate!
The log records a whole afternoon and evening at Heathrow, looking up at the heavens, starting just before mid-day, and going onto two further pages, with 41 overflights recorded up to nearly 7pm - such devotion to the hobby!
Highlights from the log books
11.53 - 889 US Navy P-3 Orion? Lambourne-Woodley
13.18 - JM213 US Navy C-130 Lambourne-Brookman's Park
13.24 MAC40650 USAF C-141A heading for Mildenhall
2x Alitalia DC-10
1x Alitalia 747
I gues the Alitalia desk wasn't forthcoming with registrations!
HB-IHD,E Swissair DC-10s
F-BPVR, N63305 Air France 747s
Strangely no Lufthansa?
Over the page we had:
OO-SGA,B both the Sabena 747s
Olympic 747
Swissair 747
N8630 International Air Bahama DC-8S
quite a treasure trove...
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
Another page from one of my school note books - what a useful way of utilising what we called our 'Rough Books' - I was an early adopter of Recycling :)
Trails - overflights - contrails
This loose page shows my developing interest in 'trail watching' - and by that I mean logging the overflights that passed 30,000' above Heathrow, mostly on corridor Upper Green 1 (UG1), from memory! What we had discovered, was that some of the staff at the desks of the European airlines in Terminal 2 would, if asked nicely, give you registration tie-ups off their computer systems :) This made logging them much more rewarding.
What then developed was a philosophical argument as to whether these reg's 'counted' in the same way as seeing an aircraft at an airport - a never ending debate!
The log records some of the early overflights that I had tried to tie up!
Highlights from the log books
07.05.77 D-AMAT Bavaria Germanair BAC 1-11
07.05.77 N109RD Airlift International DC-8
29.06.77 An unknown Argosy flying west to east
How many Argosies were still flying in 1977???
And a flotilla of USAF MAC Starlifters!
40610, 40642, 40645, 61046, 67948 & 67955
When I had just turned 14 years of age, I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
this newest book in my mo.no series of modular notebooks (choose your own title, book fabric and cover design) goes out in the mail today.
Usually I am printing with black oil based book printing color. On request I can also use eco-friendly water based paint, though. And this was done with white water based lino printing color on this dark fabric.
Photographer - Isaac Erb (1846-1924) was born in Kars, Kings County, the son of John Erb and Mary Ann Morrell Erb. He married Frances Huestis and they had two children, John H. and Lavinia F. A professional photographer, his career spanned more than 50 years, from 1870 to 1924. Whether in the studio or on location, Erb’s camera captured the many facets of contemporary Saint John, and his work led him throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Maine. The composition of his portraits and commercial photographs show the artistic temperament of the 19th century cameraman. This personal style continues well into the 20th century. His attention to detail and unique perspective on his subjects contributed in equal parts to his success in a business marked by transiency and brevity. By the end of his career he had produced more than 12,000 images, all of which he meticulously recorded in his logbooks. The approximately 3,400 extant glass negatives make up one of the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the Maritimes, and one of the best in Canada. Isaac's son, John Erb (1876-1939) was also an accomplished photographer in his own right. By at least as early as the time of the 1900 directory, Isaac's studio was listed as "Erb & Son". According to his death certificate, John Erb continued in the trade until his death in 1939. LINK - archives.gnb.ca/Search/Collections/Details/0/6323/en-CA
Rothesay is a suburban town located in Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located within Saint John's metropolitan area, it borders the town of Quispamsis to form the Kennebecasis Valley and is located along the lower Kennebecasis River. As of 2021, the population of Rothesay was 11,977.
Rothesay College School in New Brunswick
LINK to - 1906 Rothesay Collegiate School Hockey team - hockeygods.com/system/gallery_images/12765/original.JPG?1...
1932 Team Photo - R. C. S. / Rothesay Collegiate School, Second Rugby / Football Team, Rothesay, New Brunswick
(back row - left to right)
Lewis J. Archibald - Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia - Lewis Johnston Archibald (b. 1 April 1916 - d. 1988 in Nova Scotia, Canada) - LINK to his find a grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/36098150/lewis-johnston-archi...
William Fraser Napier - (b. 1916 in Campbellton, New Brunswick - d. 2 December 2004 in Victoria, B.C.) - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/times-colonist-obituary-for-wi...
H. B. Kee - Fair Vale, (Rothesay), New Brunswick - Harold Burgess Kee (b. 23 November 1920 – Deceased)
F. B. Edgett - Moncton, New Brunswick / Fred Brewster Edgett (b. 16 April 1915 in Moncton, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada - d. 18 December 1988 (aged 73) in Moncton, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada) - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/200848543/fred_brewster-edgett
R. B. Coates - Hampton Station, New Brunswick / Ralph Bamford Coates (b. 15 November 1917 in Scoudouc, New Brunswick – d. 26 June 1993 at age 75 in Moncton, New Brunswick) - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-transcript-obituary-...
Norman Sproul - Chatham, New Brunswick -
(b. October 2, 1913 in Chatham, New Brunswick - d. February 20, 2014 at age 100 in British Columbia) - Dr. Norman Sproul passed away at home on February 20, 2014 with his daughter by his side. He was born in Chatham New Brunswick on October 2, 1913, the youngest of 7 children to Dr. George Jasper Sproul and Janie Amanda Sproul, nee Searle. In December, 1941 he married Marjorie Campbell Armitage from Deseronto, Ontario. He graduated from University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry in 1943. He served in the Canadian Army from 1942 to 1946 rising to the rank of Captain. Following the war he opened a dental practice in Kingston, Ontario. He was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee medal in 1977 for his contribution to geriatric dental care. LINK - www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/norman-sprou...
Eric Blanchet - Rothesay, New Brunswick / Eric Sidney Blanchet (b. 14 November 1916 in Rothesay, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada – d. 4 December 1993 at age 77 in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada) - LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/6c...
Harold Harding - Hammond River, New Brunswick - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-obituar...
Mr. Jackson - Coach
(front row - left to right)
Ralph Mason Burchell - Little Bras D'Or, Nova Scotia (1916-1998) - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/249548348/ralph-mason-burchell
Horace MacDonald Browne - (b. 1916 in Hamilton, Bermuda - d. 2005 in Bermuda) - Spouse - Kathryn "Kay" Mary Gault (1919 - 1981) LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/146313774/horace-m-browne - LINK to their marriage - www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-standard-mrs-horace-m...
Donald Walton McNeill Good - Sussex (1917-1990) - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/226562911/donald-m-good
Ian Montgomery Malcom (1915-1985) - Frederickton - LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/114532026/ian-montgomery-malcom
James Lawrence Gerry - New York (b. 31 May 1916 in
Pelham, Westchester County, New York, United States - d. September 1978)
Keith Burton Logie - Nassau, New York (b. 6 February 1917 in Lancashire, England - d. 1998 in Surrey, England)
Henry Blair Blanchard - Truro, N.S. LINK to his Find a Grave site - www.findagrave.com/memorial/212790642/henry-blair-blanchard
LINK to - 1932 Rothesay Collegiate School - List of Students - www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-1932-ro...
Aviation Memories - continuing 2021 with another dip into the archives :)
Here is one of my early notebooks from 1976, and I have made a note of the Concorde timings - the aircraft was then flying to Washington and Bahrain only, before Concorde was 'allowed' to fly into New York! I can't recall why the Bahrain flights started, but I think it had something to do with being able to fly supersonic over sparsely populated desert?
I was 14 years of age, and I was looking to expand my portfolio of hobbies! I had already been indoctrinated into the world of bus spotting and train spotting by my older brother, but he never had an interest in aviation. It was my school mates at senior school who encouraged me to visit Heathrow - a mere 4 miles from where I lived in Southall! I was quickly hooked, and the interest never really went away, although it waned by the early 1990s when all the best aircraft had disappeared :(
You can see a random selection of my aviation memories here: www.flickriver.com/photos/heathrowjunkie/random/
'Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, aircraft spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record information regarding airports, air traffic control communications and airline routes.'
See more here! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_spotting
Laying the of the Foundation Stone by Mrs Abel Smith, wife of the MP, on 20th October, 1898.
Copyright © 2016, St Ambrose Parocial Church Council.
An early log book from the summer of 1976 showing where I had made a note of the very first scheduled Concorde flights, to Bahrain and Washington!
Alongside is my copy of Aircraft Illustrated from January 1976 which had a feature on the first scheduled Concorde flight on 21st January 1976.
In the summer of 1976 Concorde was a new and exciting sight at Heathrow. It took a few months before I started to get a bit tired of visitors coming over and asking "when the Concorde was going to take off" - I'm pretty sure that a lot of them thought there was only one Concorde rather than the five we had at the time G-BOAA/B/C/D/E :)
I missed the inaugural flight, but I was there when the first Washington flights started in May/June 1976. New York didn't get going until the following year:
'Scheduled flights began on 21 January 1976 on the London–Bahrain and Paris–Rio de Janeiro (via Dakar) routes, with BA flights using the Speedbird Concorde call sign to notify air traffic control of the aircraft's unique abilities and restrictions, but the French using their normal call signs. The Paris-Caracas route (via Azores) began on 10 April.
The US Congress had just banned Concorde landings in the US, mainly due to citizen protest over sonic booms, preventing launch on the coveted North Atlantic routes. The US Secretary of Transportation, William Coleman, gave permission for Concorde service to Washington Dulles International Airport, and Air France and British Airways simultaneously began a thrice-weekly service to Dulles on 24 May 1976. Due to low demand, Air France cancelled its Washington service in October 1982, while British Airways cancelled it in November 1994.
When the US ban on JFK Concorde operations was lifted in February 1977, New York banned Concorde locally. The ban came to an end on 17 October 1977 when the Supreme Court of the United States declined to overturn a lower court's ruling rejecting efforts by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a grass-roots campaign led by Carol Berman to continue the ban. In spite of complaints about noise, the noise report noted that Air Force One, at the time a Boeing VC-137, was louder than Concorde at subsonic speeds and during take-off and landing. Scheduled service from Paris and London to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport began on 22 November 1977. [Wiki]