Thats what I call progress

Progress all round ... The Apprentices room now has a floor!

While icanfoster has a cake made for a very special occasion. 
 

Really useful

I wasn't too impressed when the militia built a new track around the Bonsai Mountain up to the 

ridge, but then again I never thought how useful it would be to be able to drive up and fetch 

Will.I.Am
 

Life's simple pleasures

The Technohermit has returned! His arrival announced by a sparrow's fart phone call asking if we had any water spare. Hence the bottles by his feet of our finest tap water. 

Meantime the build back better project on HQ continues at lightning pace...ahem. The electricians arrived today which meant working with no tea and coffee and in silence as no one had a battery radio. My job today while the paid professionals did their bit was to lay the new flooring upstairs. This took longer than expected as, yes you've guessed, no power, no power tool as in no jigsaw other than the pieces on the floor. 

Adopt, adapt, improvise! Camping gear pressed into civilian use meant that a brew could be had after all. 
 

Job done

The ever growing jobs list haunts yours truly but the acquisition of some nice new power tools makes things happen a bit quicker (or causes accidents faster) so this evening after a hard day pounding the keyboard a very productive hour was spent fitting a window to the rear of the stable  

and while this isn't the final pic as in I forgot to take one of the finished project it does show the basic premise. It works, allowing light in and keeping the weather out and remarkably is all recycled, the windows from the really useful pile of old windows stash, the frames made from the struts from the apprentices old bed and the fake sill a bit of leftover from the old aviary. 
 

New toys at the rock

Finally I found the right new toy

two owners from new

less than 23k on the clock 

owned by an engineer so he know what to service etc

so its mine now. Back in the saddle again. 
 

Come fly with me

As we had all seen Top Gun on the weekend as a father's day treat the boys are keen to get in touch with their inner pilots hence the sudden interest in my radio control helicopter. 

They are also keen on honing their survival skills 

but where sitting on a felled tree eating spicy pringles is in the survival manual is a moot point.

Pretty soon 

the burgers were changing from raw to charcoal 

which is why yours truly opted for lamb steaks and duck breasts, all foraged locally as per manual. 

Simple pleasures, so much more fun than the Nintendo. 
 

Red Sky at Night and all that jazz

Last patrol of the day 

was fairly dull as it had been 

raining mostly 

and the cows were in a playful mood

and Smush face wanted a long walk

so we crept up on the Bonsai Mountain from a different angle where the amazing display of foxgloves could be seen. 

Their pinkness only beaten by the totally unexpected sunset 

apparently caused by dust in the atmosphere from the Sahara.

 

A by gone age

What with fathers day and all yours truly was treated to a book which had 50 great bikes in it. 

Of the 50, I had this one in 1982

this one in 1983 while my big bike was being repaired 

and this one in 1989.

Ultimately I will get one of these

but for now I ride this one, again a bike I wanted when I was 18

and I cannot for the life of me remember what influenced my choice. 
 

Country life

This is what prevented the weekend starting when it was supposed to.

The joys of country life, a tree across the lane. Most likely a delivery lorry had hit it and brought it down 

but it wasn't moving without help.

Half an hour later traffic was moving again. 
 

Timeless

Dawn broke and somehow yours truly had to get this lot into 3 rucksacks and 

and all kit on the pier 

to catch the boat back to modern life. 

No time for a swim today but he youngest member of the group took tome to reflect on 

the adventure.

Boar loaded and temporarily 

fixed with sticky tape

we waved goodbye to Moby 

and Loch Nevis

Norm and Roddy

and sailed away. Well chugged due to lack of sails and a massive diesel engine.

It had been a great trip and ahead lay 500 plus miles of busy road so we drank in the scenery.

Well, most of us did,

ok just two of us did.

At Mallaig we met up with Tom's wife Jill who never ever ages

bid our farewells and called in a the Dive Centre where the bottle Ton sailed across the Atlantic rests. 

All that remained was to drive back. Just me then.