Wednesday 22nd May 2024
I was trying to plan the logistics for my next section for following the River Eden downstream, and was getting the feeling that there were paths and access on the recognised Eden Way that were not shown on the OS map.
Am Internet search turned up a revised version of the guide (2022) The Eden Way by Stuart W. Greig,
see: www.pocketroutes.co.uk so good money was spent - £10.00.
The guide arrived and with anticipation I opened the package, but with my many years of experience, I hope without boasting too much, I should have looked more closely before ordering.
The guide is written for walking upstream and so far I have been walking downstream from the source
I certainly didn't fancy trying to interpret the guide backwards, but then I thought, why not just start at the other end? Once I mulled that one over the whole concept seemed to be more attractive. That was a few days ago and when I looked at the forecast at that time it was ok for today (Wednesday) but that was short lived. As I look out of the window it is damn-well raining again and forecast so for the rest of the day! The next chance is Friday albeit a somewhat marginal forecast.
As the start on the edge of the Solway is only a couple of miles from Carlisle I reckon there will be good taxi opportunities for the first few sections at least so I will be able to walk six miles or so on the route each time.
There seems to be much conspiring against my desire to walk on new ground with poor weather and frequent medical appointments for me and my son W. where I need to give support.
Before you buy your next guide for linear walking I suggest checking that it is written in your desired direction.
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Modelling has continued and I finished the Avro Anson a while ago.
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| The officer, centre of the group of three is briefing the pilot and navigator before take-off whilst a couple of mechanics attend to a minor problem with the tail wheel. They are actually there to hide the wires going to the battery box underneath for the lighting in the cockpit and the landing light on the port wing - they were mot included in the kit - both of these are switched on for the photo. Must do a night scene, but more tricky to photograph. *************************************** I started on a 1/24 scale Fiat 500 from Tamiya. The attraction for me was a striking colour scheme, ivory white with a classic Italian Red stripe. Without that I wouldn't have ben quite so keen but it is of course an iconic little car and my late wife Ann had two of hem amongst many other cars, so nostalgia played its part. |
Brimming with confidence I spurned use of the decal in the kit for the stripe and decided to paint it myself. After the main body colour I masked off for the stripe. That had to be so precise and the whole of the rest of the car masked as well. I did take great care but after spraying with the air gun and removing the masking there were a few spots where red had leaked onto ivory, mea culpa. I started trying to overpaint and it all went from bad to evil and the point of no return.
I didn't quite resort to stamping it underfoot but, the body is now residing in a bath of isopropyl alcohol which initially removed a lot of the paint, but some of the ivory and most of the primer are resisting and I'm not sure if I will be able to get the body back to bare plastic so I can repaint.
I've just replied to a comment on Big Brother's blog reminiscing about our paternal grandpa and I recalled that his favourite song was Harry Lauder singing "Keep Right On To The End Of The Road," an appropriate epithet to get me through this modelling disaster, although for me Shackleton would be more apposite I think.
Which Shackleton quote were you referring to?
ReplyDelete“Through endurance we conquer.”
“Difficulties are just things to overcome.”
BC - No particular quote, just his unwavering persistence to see things through. Everybody knows the story.
ReplyDeleteAll these things are sent to try us. I’m surprised the alcohol didn’t melt the car. As for the weather it hasn’t stopped raining here for 3 days, bring on global warming.
ReplyDeleteAlan R - After a lot of soaking all but the primer came off, but the primer was softened. I then removed that fairly easily with some very fine wire wool and ended up with super smooth bare plastic. I have just put on the primer and that has gone down well. I was not prepared to have my name on the botched up version that was emerging from my attempts to rectify those little blemishes. Anyway, I'm off to the sea end of the Eden Way tomorrow with a taxi booked so I can use all my walk on the route. Looking forward to that.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading about your walk.
DeleteI should stay away from the downstream Eden for a few days, if `I were you - I passed along several stretches both yesterday and today - could have been renamed the Wild Red River - even the rapids up-stream of Armathwaite were invisible under the volume of the raging torrent, laden with the red earth of the upper valley - an awe-inspiring sight. Bon voyage !
ReplyDeleteWhen you say "officer" in the Anson caption are you certain he carried commissioned rank? One of the oddities in the RAF during the WW2 was that a plane might be flown by a sergeant pilot (ie, an NCO - a non-commissioned officer) while other members of the crew (Navigators, especially) could be commissioned officers. Obviously what the pilot says, goes, and thus this situation offends the hierarchy of rank that the armed services are based on. I believe this anomaly was eventually straightened out.
ReplyDeleteBut how could this happen? I was never sure. Was it a form of comment based on social etiquette? Did it happen during training? A man was found to be competent enough to fly the plane but didn't know which forms of cutlery to use when sitting down to dinner? Or was unaware of the existence of underpants?
gimmer - I ignored your advice yesterday (Saturday) and I've survived - see my next post when I've put it up.
ReplyDelete-------------------------------------------------
RR - Wiki confirms what you say. All pilots are now commissioned officers. My use of the word was a generalisation to indicate the crew were being briefed by somebody more senior. Normally the Anson was flown by a crew of three, which comprised a pilot, a navigator/bomb-aimer and a radio operator/gunner. I am not a slave to historical accuracy with these models although I will make them reasonably accurate.
O n this occasion the after market little kit of figures didn't allow for any more than the five I modelled. Let's assume this was a non- operational flight that didn't demand the full crew.
I might be wrong here but during the war I think it took 2 yrs to train a pilot and not every pilot was commissioned due to the amount of planes shot down. If you were good enough you flew.
ReplyDeletepretty obvious really - the chariot was driven by a 'horseman'' but the fighting (which yieldeth the true glory) was done by the man on the platform - Achilles or Hector perhaps - and so on to staff cars and naturally to WWI biplanes (used initially for spotting, which required the ability to read the lie of the land - but not writing), thus leaving the other stuff (eg shooting or bombing) to people who really understood (or enjoyed) that part of it. The advent of the single seater fighter forced the paradox into the open. Et voilà !
ReplyDeleteMy theory anyway.
Nice little car, Conrad, and I've enjoyed catching up with your other recent entries.
ReplyDeleteHoping all is well with you.
Martin