El Nino - Chassis Refurb

Does this look as late as it actually was ?

Saturday Bill and I must have worked something like 9am-1am on Nino's chassis.

Lots of rubbing, grinding and blasting was done and we were left with a beautiful surface to work on.

Determined to get some paint on the chassis our day got longer and longer ... but it was so worthwhile!  We went to bed that night with more sand in our shoes than if we had rolled down a dune ... but we had a chassis cleaned, prepped, and in primer.

Yesterday, we even got some 'chassis black' top coat on it. 

July 2012 @ FTC

OK, so this is late.  So late I nearly need to do my "August 2012 @ FTC" post.  Although that will be easy, I shall simply write "the Gathering happened" with links to photos and show reports.

Anyway, in July ....

The kids enjoyed yoghurt.

 Esme cruised.

 Alfie climbed (no surprise there then!)

The racecar shack took another step forward with the completion of the structure and another roofing section going up.

And after being quoted £40 by Stevenage Glass the caravan even got a new window!

Alfie got the best present ever.  He has a real thing for bins.  No, that isn't a typo.  He is obsessed with bins, with opening bins, with organising bins, with spotting bin men, and best of all watching men on bin day.  And so I went looking for a bin lorry for him.  Thankfully Wow! toys do the best toy ever.  Alfie still managed to find fun with the box though!

We had a tiny break in the non-stop wet summer which enabled the kids to play in the splash pool.  Thanks to our friend Michelle, who was wonderful and brought us chocolate brownie that day, for the photos!

It was also the month Tash went back to work, securing a job at Thomsons.  We celebrated by buying her a bike.  Then we all rode to Baldock and ate fish and chips.  Oh yes, we are rock AND roll!

 

And as I mentioned in my Olympics post we spent a nice afternoon around London after watching the Equestrian.  We visited the Cutty Sark, which was just awesome, and finished the day off with the best ever pie and mash from the best ever pie and mash shop! 

 

 

Racecar Shack Build, Day Two

Weekend just gone (Oct 29/30) Bill paid FTC a visit to help me complete the first stage of the racecar shack build.

This is where we got up to last time if you don't remember.

In the few weeks since his first visit I'd sorted 8 metal roofing sheets, the 'special' nails for the sheets, as well as the hangers and wood for us to erect another joist.

Friday night was a little later than planned, and that plus an early Saturday morning F1 Quali session saw us a little slow to start.  We quickly realised we were light on wood for the noggings so decided on a swift visit to wickes ... and calculated en-route (with the use of a dusty Benz dashboard) that if we could get 360cm lengths of wood we would be able to notch them - and the joists - and get everything to interlock nicely.  This was a little too much use of the little grey cells for such an early hour, and so after loading the wood into the Benz we dived into the adjacent fast food retaurant for a flame grilled wopper!

Once we got back lunch time was fast approaching and so we got busy erecting the second joist;

and then notched our first nogging;

 

followed by notching of the joists;

and nogging No1 was in place by the time round two of burgers were ready (this time flame grilled on the Barbie!)

With one already done we were quickly into our rhythm;

 

and the remaining notching went super fast ... but it always helps when Tim from next door passes over a couple of pints!

With the woodwork complete it was time to throw the tin sheets up!

And 45 mintes later we had a full roofed front section of the shack!

Now's time to get the Fig Tree moved, and then the rest of the shelter can be erected up to the barn.  More tin sheets will go down to extend the roofing and it'll be an awesome usable waterproof space!  By the end of the day Bill and I were pretty proud of our achievements, its just a shame this photo only accomodates one - thanks though mate, I couldn't have done it without you!!