Occulomency

Shattered Visage

So Doctor Who is having a 'gap year'. I can cope with that. Just.

Anyway, Gearboxes. Now I have to be slightly careful here because Mother reads this, and this story may contain information which may (or should have been) used in evidence against me.

For some reason Mum bought a red MG Metro.

It was a normally aspirated 1275 block producing 67 horsepower at 6,000 rpm (to put that into perspective, the modern Ford Fiesta ST produces nearly 100 horsepower more....)

I was driving down to London a fair bit at this stage, and one Sunday, fairly late, I was driving back at about 90 miles per hour (6,000 rpm in top!) for the duration of the journey. When I slowed down, the noise from the gearbox became apparent, I had cooked it. The 4 speed box was located in the engine sump, and a result of this was that high speed, the gearbox could suffer from oil starvation.

The gearbox, well died that evening. But the good news was that Mum bought a 205GTi to replace it.

Now I know that it sounds like I killed the car through brutality, but I have never, ever driven such an unreliable car as that metro. It broke down constantly, and small wonder that less that 1.5% of the production run of 1.3 million are still on the road today. It is ranked as Britain's 7th most scrapped car.

It was a dog, and yet I've looked on the web and there are people who eulogise the sodding thing. I ask you.

Lupus nocens

This is the "Australian Stink Tree (nemus feteo australis)"
It's had to be removed from my car, as I was nearly asphyxiated by sticky date pudding fumes about halfway along Gregory Terrace this afternoon.

I stuck it on my wing-mirror. Now Brisbane stinks of sticky date pudding.

(Trouble is, now I've brought the sodding thing into the house......)

5 Sleeps (and no safety net)

I'm pleased to note that the UK's advertising watch dog has allowed this ad (link) to be shown on British television. Apparently the use of the phrase 'where the bloody hell are you" was considered a might risque by some, and there were calls for it to be outlawed.

Now that they have allowed this foul language to be used (in front of the Queen, no less), what can we expect next?

"Why the F*** don't you come to France?"

"Holiday in Finland you old ********"

and presumably

"**** **** ******** **** **** **** **** **** ******** Bolsover"

By the way, for Richard.

Keke wins the 'tache, Nige gets him on the eyebrows.

While my Jarvis Gently Weeps

Martini'd up.

Can I just say "THREE DAY WEEKEND!"

So, on my bonus day off, I get to get new tyres for the Prof's 206GTi (I love that car), then I get to go to find out if I am going to get an xbox 360 on it's day of release.

I am disappointed that U2 have postponed the Brizvegas gig.

Now Garth, from the selection of programmes that you sent over, it appears that you have climbed inside my brain and worked out exactly what I think is funny. Thank you.

Alison. Excellent. Also June 2007 looks pretty much perfect. I haven't had time to e-mail from work but I will next week.

In the meanwhilst, I shall add more Stolichnaya to a dash of dry vermouth and shake well over ice. I shall then pour the contents into a chilled glass and garnish with an olive.

Goodnight.

Tommy Warwick

Mums been investigating Tommy Warwick, this is what she has found....

"Tommy Warwick was born in 1823 or 24. As this was pre birth certificates no-one knew for sure their birth year. He was born in Calverton and lived all his life there. I think he was born at The Homestead (my Grandma's house) but that it was then more than one cottage.

There was certainly plenty of land attached as the people's occupation was described as "cottagers"(yes, I know Daffyd). This means they were farming in a small way - like market gardeners. To put Tommy in context as he was getting born George Stephenson was cobbling up The Locomotion ready for the opening of the Stockton to Darlington railway in 1825.

In the census returns of 1851 (the first ones available ) he is living in Muse Lane - this spelling persists through all the census returns up to 1901 - he is living with his mother Ann who is 60. She is a widow and a cottager (oooh Matron!). Tommy is a framework knitter -along with all our Calverton ancestors!

He is listed as being 27 and unmarried. His mother died in the spring of 1860 and in the census of 1861 37yr. old Tommy is lodging with his sister and her husband in Muse Lane.Tommy's brother-in-law is a brick-layer who is 38 and Tommy's sister Ann is 35. Their surname was Patching. They have a 13yr. old son John.

In 1871 nothing has changed.Tommy is 47. Still unmarried,still a framework knitter and still lodging with his sister and her husband. In 1881 same again. Tommy's 57,single and a framework knitter  classed as the lodger.

In this next decade I think this is when the house was altered as in the 1891 census the Patchings have a servant girl (they are now 68 and 65) Tommy is 67 and is classified as head of an establishment  - living in two rooms by himself. He is still working as a framework knitter. He would have worked for himself at home.

In 1901 all is change - the Patchings have gone - probably died and 77yr.old Tommy is retired and living alone in his two rooms. Samuel Hind, a widower aged 66 lives in the other 4 rooms. Tommy Warwick died in 1905. His age is given as 82.

Little Granny (my great grandma, who famously lived with Mabel and Cis(Ces in later years) at H.Q.) would have been 16 in 1905. She told my Mum that he always wore a yellow and black striped waistcoat of the kind servants wore and that he talked to himself as he went round the village muttering "What shall I do with my money!" over and over again.

An interesting thing is that my great great grandfather John Watson married a Miriam Hind so we may have had relatives living in The Homestead many years ago!"

Thanks Mum, but why was he standing outside Grannys bedroom window at 2 in the morning when he had been dead for 60 odd years?

Excuse me. I've got to see a man about a dog

Housekeeping.
New photos in February 2006 album, and a new album, imaginitively called March 2006. Who would have thunk it.

Garth, thank you so much for the DVD's, loved, and I mean really loved hyperdrive, laughed until tea came down my nose. Haven't done disc 2 yet, that'll be tonight's treat.

Watched "The Island" on Box Office last night. Great idea, deep, well thought out, ruined by some tosser trying to turn it into an action film for the second reel. Worth watching for the first and final thirds though. Kind of "Logan's Run" minus Jenny Agutter, and hence minus the nudity.

I love Jenny Agutter, seeing her name on a credits list virtually guarantees nudity, or something close too. Even in the bloody railway children she rips her bloomers off and waves them at a passing train.

Did I type that out loud?

Bugger.

Anyway, Edith Nesbit, who wrote the said Railway Children, had a bit of an interesting old life, check out her Wiki here.

Told you.