Prop Me Up

This day-glow cowling caught my eye as I passed the hangar. That's a Moraine MS 733 Alcyon looking all colourful, behind that a DeHavilland Chipmunk and in the front is the port end of a Miles Gemini - offering a glimpse of the little Bristol Cirrus. The great thing here is that all this hardware is under the cover of a WW I Bessanau canvas de-rigeable hangar. These incredible structures littered northern France during the Great War and this one still keeps the rain off.

Getting up Steam

By far the easiest way to set the dining room ablaze is to fire up some steam power after a big lunch, very seasonal - and the smell of burning meths and furniture is such an evocative stab. This is the 1965 Mamod SE2 out for an airing. This motor has previously powered a sizeable Meccano crane and a ferris wheel but on this ocasion is just having a no-load test run to provide a postprandial soundtrack for my siesta. If you haven't been able to fire up your steam engine yet this Christmas you really ought to get on with it.

Roll out the Barrel

Christmas treat for everyone. Who could fail to get excited by this ? Here's a barrel and sleeve from a Bristol Centaurus IV. The main reason this has to be here is that an eighteen cylinder sleeve valve radial engine that develops 2500 horse power at 2500 revs can't be ignored. A few years ago I had a Hawker Tempest project, that's the Tempest that superseded the Typhoon towards the end of the war. The mark II actually failed to see service in the war because of engine development issues and was beaten to the spot by the mark V which was powered by the 12 cylinder Napier Sabre. However the II was an extremely slippery machine and, personally, I think much prettier for not having the gaping rad under the engine. Archive's in a bit of a state but I'll post some pics when I find them. In the meanwhile feast your eyes on these puppies. MORE POWER.

Crow in Vane

Early morning shot of the local weather crow doings its job - light Westerly. I quite like the way his mate's waiting patiently for his turn. The sun was just making itself known over the wood-crested hill to the south, bathing the top of the spire and fields behind in a pink wash. Just out of shot is a fine public house where Timothy Tailor's Landlord used to be served to the order, "a pint of grumpy old bastard - please". A friend of mine fell into the fire in the bar and set himself alight, nobody'd spare their beer to put him out so he lost his Barbour coat and most of his hair.

Santa's Grotto

Oh, the seasonal joy of a well organised 'shop. Can't fit everything in one pic so herewith only 8 internal combustion engines. Out of shot, on and around the bench are another 5. There are two Howard rotovators in the corner there, a 350 with a 5hp Kohler and, for'd of that, a Gem with the lovely Hatz diesel, the latter started first swing after 13 years of slumber ! In the background is the old slappy 3 main 2 1/4 series 2A motor, the Wheelhorse has a 13hp Kohler and in the series is the replacement 5 main ex series 3 motor. 4 cylinder International BD154 motor in the 434 and I nearly missed the Briggs & Stratton in the Mountfield, Komatsu stroker in the strimmer, behind the Series bonnet is another B&S for a go-kart project. The photocopier's electric and the bent filing cabinet is ex the A43 incident witnessed by Lord Ashley. Ho Ho Ho

Pickled Cabbage

The B250 was a useful tractor in many respects but having no live-drive rendered it pretty useless for running the topper. What I hadn't appreciated until I came to flog it was just how popular they are with the vintage ploughing community. The guy who came to pick this up arrived in a rotten Bedford TK on trade plates with no windscreen - all the way from a fen. To keep the chill off, he was completely covered from head to foot in old potato sacks. He did bring me some cabbages and his young lad (at least seventy) who was driving wouldn't let go of the lorry for fear of getting lost. This transaction must have been eight years ago now and I saw the tractor again in a ploughing competition this September. The jar on the exhaust stack is ex Branston Pickle.

Flight of the Virgin

I was delighted to catch this lot on their way to New York for a spot of Christmas shopping - "it makes so much sense daaarling, what with the dollar rate and that". I was particularly struck with the idea of the Virgin up there, bulging with shoppers hightailing it across the Atlantic, while down here at this time of year she's bulging with child and heading for Bethlehem to pay some more tax. I also rather like the bronze cross. On a clear day like this you can hear the distant roar of the Rolls Royce Trent 500s - a good soundtrack to any story. FULL THROTTLE.