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Jan 11, 2018 21:36:48 GMT
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More from the archives (another old camera from a few years ago) SHMBO decided keeping bees would be a good idea, and found a place that would supply a happy bee colony (on a rack of honey so they had some food for their journey). Then you *just* (there's that word again ) need to build a frame to drop the rack into. I some found measurements and a beehive was soon knocked together. Top tip for anyone thinking of buying a bee colony : there are 2 standard size/shapes of hive, it's a really good idea to make sure you know what type is being bought before you start to build the hive !
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lightyearman
Part of things
GYJDM - Grimsby based Japanese car club - Find us on Facebook
Posts: 639
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Jan 11, 2018 22:23:50 GMT
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Tell you what, that wooden escalator is a bit mega! I don't know what it is or even how to properly describe it - but I'm sure some of you folk must feel the same way - when you see something odd / different / old and it just makes you feel good? no?
just me?
Surely not
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'89 Honda CRX siR Glassroof Flint black fully restored track beasty '90 Nissan S13 Pignose - pass the mig wire '86 Mini - matt orange, 13" Wellers, Project 2018 '97 LDV Convoy home built camper/tramper van '04 Saab 9-5 Aero HOT. Anyone want it? '91 Honda VFR400 NC30 17,000 km from new '87 Honda XR80 4 stroke baby crosser '03 Mini Cooper S - honestly, they are fun... '15 VW T5.1 LWB daily brick
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Tell you what, that wooden escalator is a bit mega! I don't know what it is or even how to properly describe it - but I'm sure some of you folk must feel the same way - when you see something odd / different / old and it just makes you feel good? no? just me? Surely not I remember when metal ones were a novelty! Anyway, nomad, some more apiary tales if you please. We've had dogs, cats, goats and sheep, let's have an insight into bees.
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taurus
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,084
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Jan 13, 2018 22:47:32 GMT
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I've got 5 beehives in the garden. This year's project is to build myself a top bar hive, but I like the idea of converting it to take standard frames. It would make it interchangeable with my British Standard hives.
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I spy another bit of recycling- night store heater bricks under the beehive legs.
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Jan 27, 2018 23:55:43 GMT
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There's been quite a lot happening recently so the planned winter hibernation didn't last as long as I expected In no particular order : The project that has kept me out of mischief for the past few months is now finished, hopefully I can now find time for a belated rest / holiday / roadtrip before I pack my bags and move to pastures new I've *still* not found spare time to take the Hunter off the road for some very overdue TLC but it's now very high on the "to-do" list The "sensible modern daily" I bought to run around in is *still* not working the way I'd like It's a fantastic machine but it's just not the right car for me Question : if you could move anywhere (let's say "UK only" to make it simple), where would you live and why ? The latest makeover was very 1980s, especially the tiles and pale peach suite (I forgot to take a photo before I removed the sink and started work. Oops! ) : Now finished Gentle wombling turned up some very usful stuff : New chrome door handles and hinges (£8 ) on every door to replace the dated imitation brass ones made a big difference. The illuminated mirror was £12 from the local auction / clearance house, and I love it Tip : mirrors are a cheap way to make any room feel a lot bigger The wall panels are commercial 10mm thick plywood backed shower boards, normally £120 each, I got the pair for £90 as they were a cancelled order and taking up space at a local plumbers who were preparing for a stock-take. Remember, "Shy bairns get nowt" (Southern translation : "You don't know unless you ask"). The shower area got fully panelled, the offcuts were used for splashbacks behind the sink so no wastage New window cill & vertical boxing (just visible on left of the photo) was from a single 5m window cill costing £15. I love this stuff, super cheap, easy to fit, and looks great The taps are smart but it took a long time to find anywhere with a sale on, and I refused to pay full price (£100 ) just for taps ! The modern toilet & vanity sink were on offer, and by moving the main drains slightly the toilet went back to the wall to give more floor space - many years ago I moved the bathroom door about a foot so the hallway got shorter and bathroom got longer. With the latest changes it's even better Not everything was done at discount prices (I had to pay full price for the bath) In the end I took the easy option and got a chap to fit new carpets and bathroom lino - he did a very neat job as always "Plans are for other people"
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Last Edit: Sept 18, 2019 0:10:36 GMT by nomad
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Things have been a little bit hectic around here recently, but to catch up... Apiary tales? It sounds like taurus may have some input here My contribution was doing the manly stuff and spectating while SHMBO looked after the rest I was working away from home at the time and getting regular texts of : "the bees are *really* distracting - love watching them, could do it for hours but nothing else gets done" You get the idea? lightyearman - you are not alone I love the vibe when I see odd / weird / fantastic-but-totally-unnecessary engineering (often a solution to a problem that didn't exist in the first place). We have a couple of ponds up here that are built into sloped land, it's a similar "wow" feeling when you are walking up a hill and realise you are head height with the surface of a pond you didn't know was in front of you ! The latest fix-it task got done a couple of days ago, to shave about 6" off the back of a large wardrobe so it would fit in a small bedroom. The result is great, but we moved here with the furniture exactly 20 years ago - I wish I'd done the work when we first moved in Notice small gap in front of the wardrobe, the green box for scale, and the way it's proud of the desk next to it Strip it down (2 sides + top, bottom, and middle shelf), run a biscuit jointer (new new favourite toy ) along the back edge to get a factory finish, rebuild. Done ps. The house has now been sold and this will be surplus once I've got a date for moving - is anyone local looking for a wardrobe??
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Mar 15, 2018 20:38:58 GMT
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Todays episode is more about skip-diving than the usual (random?) topics. I'm trying very hard to get rid of anything I don't need, but one of my neighbours asked me to help them move some unwanted furniture they were taking to the tip. It soon ended up in my workshop (ie front room ). So much for me getting rid of stuff I've had a lot of pine funiture over the years but this is best quality I've ever owned. 100% timber, dovetail joints on the drawers, the drawer bases are made from slatted timber (not the usual hardboard or plywood). Nice The idea was to give it a quick tidy it up then use while I worked out what the long term plans were. The top responded well to a very gentle sanding (any more would have removed the original stain colour) followed by French polishing. A mate who has offered me free storage saw it before I had decided what I was going to do with it - I'm delivering it to them next week Karma in action 2 weeks earlier the same neighbour gave me an unwanted set of drawers to match the desk above, that also come up very nice. It's the same very high quality, but I don't understand why the maker didn't colour-match the 3 repairs they made to the knot holes on the top edge Full credit to the original manufacturer, the lable said "Pickwick Pine" - worth hunting for if you are looking for quality furniture Once again, I'm amazed by some of the stuff folk throw away ! For info, it looks like I'll be visiting friends in Wales in the not-to-distant future, let me know if you're based there and have coffee & biscuits in stock * *Plans may change at any time
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Last Edit: Sept 18, 2019 0:14:20 GMT by nomad
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Mar 16, 2018 14:09:27 GMT
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Where in Wales? If North - get up into the Mountains - Capel Curig/Betws Y coed/Llanberis - I grew up on Anglesey (but live in Pembrokeshire now) and love that whole area. Anyway; I digress - great to see things others don't want repurposed/brought back to life.
Keep up the great/amazing work.
If you're in Pembrokeshire or Cardigan or Carmarthenshire - you're more than welcome to come over to meet etc etc.
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Mar 18, 2018 17:34:39 GMT
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Where in Wales? If North - get up into the Mountains - Capel Curig/Betws Y coed/Llanberis - I grew up on Anglesey (but live in Pembrokeshire now) and love that whole area. If you're in Pembrokeshire or Cardigan or Carmarthenshire - you're more than welcome to come over to meet etc etc. Final desination will be Porthmadog / Portmeirion, normal route is M6 through the Lake District - A55 - A470 passing thru' Betws Y coed. North Wales is staring to feel like a second home I'm there so often, love the vibe (relaxing in Summer, savage weather but very refreshing in Winter) Meeting up sounds good but I don't think I'll be that far South, will let you know when I'm in Wales and have a better idea of my plans
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Jun 19, 2018 19:22:36 GMT
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Improvising basics Has anyone heard the phrase "You only had 1 job to do ..." I'm finishing off a refurb of a lovely cottage in Wales, I got given the keys and told I had a free hand to pick what I did to it, as long as it was nice and fresh when I finished. I love this type of job, just fix any problems then paint everything We decided to replace all the lampshades as part of the work, and the lady of the house volunteered to get a joblot of shades when she went to the big city. The alternative would have been get them locally from one of the high street shops for £4 each but why take the easy option Today I got the shades from her and found she has bought a mismatched load of hanging LED lights, nice but useless as normal shades as they have no fittings A large roll of garden wire and 2 minutes adapting each shade, and we have a result Next question - what to do with a stack of new unwanted led lights
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Jun 22, 2018 17:37:49 GMT
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For anyone passing through North Wales with time to spare, I'd advise calling into some of the womble-friendly hunting grounds below : "Cambrian Clearance @ Llanbedr", satnav LL45 2LP (see photos below), 9-5, closed Sundays. Huge indoor barn, cheap or barter, lots of house clearance tat & genuine retro goodies ! Carboot sale @ Porthmadog Football Club, LL49 9PP, runs March-Oct, 7am til afternoon. Pot luck, most very cheap. The Antique Shop, Madoc Street @ Porthmadog, LL49 9NL closed Moday & Tuesdsay, 10am-5pm. Small but some interesting stuff, tools 50p in the boxes by the door, some expensive stuff & military items. Fron House Antiques, Jubilee Road, Barmouth, LL42 1EE. Olde-worlde house clearance stuff, plenty of stock but normally expensive. Rousell’s Emporium, Castle Street, Penrhyndeudraeth LL48 6AL (look for the full size giraffe outside the front door!). Interesting upcycled stuff, some ok prices. Todays haul included a joblot of engineering adjustable spanners, too cheap to leave behind. Note coin for scale !
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Bless, they're too small to have left their mother yet.
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Haven't seen a shop like that in ages, mores the pity.
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Jun 24, 2018 23:34:59 GMT
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Wales? Been there, done that - what next ? I moved to Wales early April for a sort-of-holiday, which hasn't gone according to plan ... strangers keep giving me work to do The good news is that the seaside is just a few hundred yards away, and it's a great place to relax First mistake - I was stopping at a friends place and I asked if they needed any odd jobs done around the house if I got some spare time, Oops ! Que using a jackhammer to remove faulty plaster following a leak in the roof, then a few days replastering before painting every wall and ceiling in the house. Joinery repairs to the stairs and doors / gates were done for a bit of variety. Fitting a smart "Tartan - not chequered" stair carpet was the last job inside. One other "if you get time" job was to paint the outside of the house to freshen it up. I spent a couple of weeks debating then decided to do it. Tip : painting pebbledash is not a job to undertake lightly, but the results are worth it If anyone is daft enough to think about doing something similar, it took nearly 8 x 5 litre tins of (expensive) paint, and I found a 2" paintbrush worked best I finished about 8pm on Saturday nite, and as I was tidying up (and planning to go to the pub to celebrate ), a chap waiting at the nearby bus-stop walked over for a chat. I should hear tomorrow if I've got the job of moving into his holiday cottage for a couple of months and refurbishing that Today was a relaxing day at an inpromptu BBQ at the beach (where friends-of-friends were asking if I was available to do some building work converting their annex into a holiday flat), before a quick visit to the local takeaway when I got back - to put off some decorating work for them until at least mid-August I got stopped between painting the front of the house and the gable end, and persuaded to freshen up a local community shop / cafe that had been closed for nearly a year in readiness for it being reopened. The work was mainly plastering repairs inside then painting the whole interior (including lovely but very complicated vaulted ceilings). Lots of positive feedback (and a couple of job offers) from the locals who were very keen to see the place reopened, but it took 7 long hard days + some very late finishes. All in a good cause Odd that the colour scheme of the cafe matches the car paintwork, but they looked happy together My latest plan is to have a trip back up North to get my passport out of storage in the next few days so I can book flights to Denmark asap for the Grand Prix in August. Before Denmark, I might end up at Durham or Alston but there's no gaurentees. I also had a trip to Birmingham last weekend and it looks like I'll be house sitting (+more?) there January & February I'm now trying to work out what I'm doing for the rest of the year, if anyone has any suggestions where I can go for a working holiday - please PM me
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Last Edit: Jun 25, 2018 20:32:31 GMT by nomad
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,971
Club RR Member Number: 29
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GP in Denmark?
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Last Edit: Jun 25, 2018 9:41:09 GMT by MiataMark
1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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lightyearman
Part of things
GYJDM - Grimsby based Japanese car club - Find us on Facebook
Posts: 639
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Jul 16, 2018 14:03:40 GMT
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Your Wombling thread is really a bit of inspiration y'know. I hope these endeavours are keeping you happy mate! It sounds like a fine way to see a lot of the country and meet different folks. Cracking.
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'89 Honda CRX siR Glassroof Flint black fully restored track beasty '90 Nissan S13 Pignose - pass the mig wire '86 Mini - matt orange, 13" Wellers, Project 2018 '97 LDV Convoy home built camper/tramper van '04 Saab 9-5 Aero HOT. Anyone want it? '91 Honda VFR400 NC30 17,000 km from new '87 Honda XR80 4 stroke baby crosser '03 Mini Cooper S - honestly, they are fun... '15 VW T5.1 LWB daily brick
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Jul 16, 2018 18:34:35 GMT
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I have a cunning plan* about what to do with my time ffor the rest of the year Fly to Denmark asap for a few weeks including Copenhagen Grand Prix (search "Copenhagen" for previous photo dumps ) Return in time to unpack and repack for RRG - maybe head "South" afterwards for a few months. Suggestions / offers invited ** Provisionally booked : return to Wales later in the year for a few months Provisionally booked : Birmingham for Jan & Feb (house sitting + "stuff" ) * Other cunning plans are available blackadderquotes.com/i-have-a-cunning-plan ** Question - if you could move anywhere (let's say "UK only" to make it simple), where would you live and why If anyone is looking for some Retro Pioneer ICE, I can deliver to the gathering, just let me know forum.retro-rides.org/thread/202604/major-sale-hunter-storage-housemove
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