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30th November 2008.....I was up at the crack of dawn but decided against my usual 5 mile jog. Okay Spot woke me at about 9:30. I can't do these late nights any more. Wait till the others get to my age, which won't be long by the way,  they won't th ink it so funny then. We staggered to the barn and started work, although much slower than Saturday. Flod and Deon packed up and went home about midday. I must say that Flod is beginning to look like an old man to me. (Still he cooks a mean stew). We carried on till about 6:00 when we packed up and got ready to go out for the evening. Edd wanted a curry as he doesn't eat them in Germany, so we went to the 'Thame Spice' first. Believe it or not I had a curried boiled egg and it was great. I wasn't drinking tonight as I drove into Thame because it was still raining. I think we were in bed for about midnight. I wanted to go clubbing but they couldn't keep awake so that was that. All in all another great weekend with great company, food and drink. I still learn a lot when I'm with this lot and am even beginning to take things in. My one claim to fame this weekend is that I didn't cock anything up. The only thing they could possibly laugh at was when I poked myself in the eye with the safety glasses. For more pictures of the weekend click here.
 29th November 2008.....Edd's birthday weekend has arrived. I got up and brushed the pond over before starting the Astra. I hadn't loaded the car up Friday night because I didn't know if the Astra would start. She did so I drove her round the garage and loaded her up with the bits I had for Edd and the baby front suspension for Spot, plus food, tea etc. and some of my designer finery for the evenings out. I set off slightly later than I expected but they are always late so it wouldn't matter. I arrived to find them all there, just waiting for me before Flod started making the bacon butties. After the general greetings and piss taking had finished we got stuck in to AMC. My job was some rubbing down, some underseal removal and holding things while people drilled holes or ground something. I cut out some fine panels which everybody agreed were perfection. Well they did if I kept on about it till they gave in. After a good day on the car and a fine stew cooked as ever by Delia Flod we stopped at about 8:15 and went back to our rooms to get ready for an evening of fine conversation, sparkling anecdotes and some beer tasting. After a few beers were supped they played a jolly jape on yours truly by asking me to go get the beer in, then filling the last of my Guinness with pepper and paper. Oh how we all laughed as I took a big sip. They are childish imbeciles and should know better. I rose above their childish stupidity and ignored them. At about 2:45 in the morning I decided that I didn't want any more beer so literally threw it over the bar. This was the signal for us to drink up and head home. It was cold and wet as we walked back to our rooms, in fact it was very cold and very wet. We had a coffee in the all night garage then went to bed at about 3:15.
24th November 2008.....Well I thought I'd put an update in just in case people started to think that I'd dug the hole and jumped in it, never to be seen again. The weather has been really unkind to me and so has work. I start mixing cement and it rains on me, washing away all my expert building work and making me look like an  amateur! Mind you, I only do 'rustic' anyway. The waterfall is nearly complete and can soon be tested. Once that's done it just leaves the pointing around the edge, re-laying the top quarter bricks on one wall, then the fish can go in. The bad news is that now Joanne wants the whole garden re-done! You start a simple job to get 'brownie points' and they work it so that you have to landscape the bloody garden! I've now got to knock down walls, level a raised area, make a gravel area, lay a new path and level and turf the grassed area. What does she think my name is....Charlie Dimock? Work has been very hectic as well and the nights have closed in and even I wouldn't garden with a lamp strapped to my head. The two pictures show the waterfall nearly complete. It still needs some more stones adding and the pool at the top finished. I've now got the new electrics and new filter pump so I'm well on the way. This weekend is Viva time for a change. We are meeting up at Edd's barn for Viva's, beer and food, intelligent conversation and sparkling wit. I'll write a report next week when life gets back to normal.
1st November 2008.....It rained this afternoon so I had to stop work on the garden!!! I decided to put all the stuff back in the garage that had been taken out and to sort out the collapsed shelf that had happened while I was away on holiday in July! I moved DHR out into the rain...I know, it broke my heart too, then I wheeled SHW into the middle of the garage and started picking up all the engine parts which had crashed to the ground. I fixed the shelf, (properly this time), then put everything back, but in a neater order. I swept and hoovered up then pushed SHW back to the wall and brought DHR back in from the rain. It felt good doing car work again so I spent the rest of the day working on the spare big valve head I have. This needed the oil hole drilling out to fit my block, which was accomplished with precious and no fuss at all. I know; I was as surprised as many of you reading this. So I've now started to clean up the head and the valves. The head has had a fairly good rub down in the ports and the outside casing and is looking reasonably good. I still need to work the ports more but it's coming on and I've cleaned up one set of valves at the moment. It feels good to be back but of course it didn't rain forever and I spent Sunday back in the garden. Don't know when I'll update again but here's hoping for more rain.
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