Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed for an hour as usual and after second sleep will be veggie cooking. I went shopping yesterday because the forecast for today wasn't one to encourage you to go shopping. It looks as though I was right, the wind is set to rise, rain is forecast from 09:00 onwards and the glass has plunged to 996mb. Deep Joy!

[Stanley]

I pop back in to report that I realised that I didn't want to go in the shed this morning. Don't ask me why, it just went off me so I'm having my breakfast and an early second sleep.
(It's nice being able to do exactly what I want!)

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday turned out to be a very busy domestic day of changing the bedding, washing, ironing and cooking as well as finishing off tidying the back garden. I made soup for lunches this week and a chicken pie for a meal during the week plus the roast beef dinner for the meal at night.

As with most of the week today promises to be wet and cool. I have zoom pilates this morning, then I have Wendy’s 80 th birthday present to finish. I am making her a watercolour art travel kit as they go away a lot and she always travels with art stuff. I having bought all the bits, I have half made the bag and just need to finish it. Zoom yoga this evening.

Have a good day

[Stanley]

Morning Sue, I'm back up after a two hour second sleep and I'm having a pot of tea before cooking veggies. As I forecast, we have a cool day with serious rain, not the day for going trailing off to the shops.
Also, it wouldn't surprise me if the heat kicks in any minute, it's cold enough.....
I shall cheer myself up by cooking, that always does the trick!

[Stanley]

Just finishing veggie cooking.....
Lovely. I shall roast my chicken tomorrow.....

[Stanley]

Veggie cooking all done and chicken will be in the oven very shortly. Then a spell in the shed and a sleep before finishing the chicken off and dealing with the gravy and by-products....
Later at 05:45.... Just sat down after putting my chicken in to roast with all its accompanying veggies and spices. Now for a short breather before going in the shed!

[Stanley]

I thought this morning would be largely routine but had a surprise when I realised how much work I had to do to make the crank pin bearing fit. I even had to go into the mill and do some very sketchy milling of one side. All done very carefully and successfully. Then there was the matter of installing the con-rod and fitting the piston rod to it to confirm that my measurements are correct and that the piston doesn't foul either of the covers. I did that and it's perfect so then I moved to installing the back cover with its packing. That's done and two studs installed. Tomorrow I shall start by finishing installing the studs. The piston, rod and crosshead runs accurately and really freely. So far so good!

[Sue]

Morning

Well we had a lovely sunny afternoon yesterday, definitely not forecast. Today is rain all day, which it is doing with a vengeance. I did finish Wendys travel art kit. It took some doing with numerous design changes when I realised, there were too many layers of fabric to go through the sewing machine smoothly.

This morning I have sewing with Maxine for a couple of hours, which no doubt will generate some sewing tasks. This evening is pilates and yoga in the studio.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

A day for staying in the house I think. Same here Sue, raining heavily and the wind is rising..... Remains to be seen whether CH kicks in, kitchen is warm because of the oven......

[Stanley]

All's well here. Good second sleep. I have sorted my chicken and have a load of washing in. Now for a brew!

[Stanley]

Like yesterday, a day for staying indoors unless you have to go out..... All cooking is done. I shall be in the shed working on my engine for an hour than second sleep. No walk today, we are forecast to have wall to wall rain!

[Stanley]

I concentrated this morning on the valve and started by finishing installing the studs on the back cover. Then i ensured that the valve could physically move on the valve face to be fully open at each end. This meant milling the edge of the valve and filing the end of the valve chest until I achieved my goal. Then I installed the packing between the valve chest and the cylinder and the packing in the stuffing box. I am ready now to attack the complicated little casting that is the governor stand and the valve rod support. That's for tomorrow..... Fitting at this level is fiddly work and rewards all the care and attention to detail that is put in it. A nice morning and all is going well.

[Sue]

Morning

Just pottering doing some crocheting this morning but I have a zoom watercolour art workshop with Jeremy Ford this afternoon from noon till 4.30, the topic being hydrangeas. Afterwards I have zoom pilates and it will be 6.30 before I know it. I have been i,proving my french on the Duolingo app so that happily fills in an hour or so. Its amazing what I have learned that I don’t think I ever knew. I am on day 30 now and do find it usefully addictive.

Have a good day everyone, stay dry

[Stanley]

Positive as usual Sue.... It's still looking like watch the wind and the rain through the window.....

[Stanley]

I'm back in the world after two hours second sleep. The wind has dropped a bit but we still have serious rain. I might get serious and fry my sweet potato chips!
As usual I think about anyone who has to work outside in weather like this. They have my heartfelt sympathy.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed for an hour before second sleep. After that if it's still dry I shall go for a walk to the pharmacy to collect my meds and perhaps do some light shopping...... I still haven't fried my sweet potato chips..... a treat in store.

[Sue]

Morning

Its a chilly clear morning with rain forecast this afternoon. The garden looks sad after two days of heavy rain, though yesterday afternoon was sunny. Most of the geranium flowers have been destroyed so now there are just a few random flowers left and the faithful fuchsias which go on and on. Autumn is definitely here, and its September 21 st , reinforcing the fact

This morning we may take advantage of the bright spell and go for a walk, something we have not done for ages. This afternoon I have some sewing stuff to do after my lesson with Maxine the other day.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Yes, it looks like a better day and I too will take advantage and go out on some errands and light shopping. Mind you the penalty is it's colder and the CH is firing....



I concentrated on the governor stand and rod support this morning. The first job was to grind the different faces flat and at 90 degrees to each other. Then I drilled the stand for the rod and also drilled it for the two 5BA bolts which will fasten it to the bed. Once that was done I offered the stand up and marked the bed for drilling and tapping 5BA. Then I had to hold the engine while I drilled the bed and you'll see that that was definitely a very sketchy set up! I got away with it and tomorrow I can tidy up the stand , tap the bed and fit the stand.... Another good morning of fiddly bits and no errors. Nice!

[Stanley]

I shall of course be in the shed for an hour but this morning I shan't be doing early doors shopping as I did my Co-op shop yesterday and don't need top up veggies as my shopping schedule is completely different now due to me having such small helpings. So no need for any other shopping either and if the weather is fine, just a walk and a sit at midday. I shall take my meat delivery as usual later today but it will go straight into the freezer to wait until I need it.
I might even get round later to frying those sweet potato chips!

[Stanley]

I started the morning by tapping the two bolt holes on the governor stand mount on the engine bed. I found two 5BA bolts and made sure they fitted. Then I spent almost half an hour cleaning the stand casting up and fitting it to the valve rod once it had been installed on the cylinder again. Then I rebuilt the valve train and installed the eccentric on the crankshaft again. Next I adjusted the length of the valve rod so that the valve moves equidistantly on the valve seat. That's where I stopped. Tomorrow I can address the timing of the valve movement in relationship to the position of the piston. Worrying stuff, I am getting close to a finish and that means I have to decide about spending money on castings for the next engine. I have to do it because it's this hour in the shed each morning that keeps me on the road!

[Sue]

Morning

Once more productive work for you Stanley. Its all looking good. I don’t understand all you and Bob do, but fully appreciate both the skill and the end product.

It was certainly a nice day yesterday. We went to Clitheroe in the morning instead of having a walk. We needed a specific wine for our zoom wine group on Saturday so went to Majestics there. We followed this up with a coffee and a walk around, finding two more wine suppliers but more important we found the market was on.What a lovely market, beautiful fruit and veg and loads of other things. We were told Tuesdays are even better.

We were home for a late lunch. Bob then went in the workshop and I tackled drafting a sleeve master pattern ( called a sleeve block) it is to my new measurements but created as many problems as it has before. I tried three methods but could not get it to fit into the master bodice pattern. This morning I shall try one more method, that I found lurking in one of my sewing books . Being Friday its lunch out with Wendy and Keith. We are trying a different venue to see what it is like as the wine group want to use it for one of our face to face social meetings.

Its 8 degrees and a very autumnal start to the day. The flowers in the garden, the few that are left look tired. Our annual delivery of aged horse manure came this week but I won’t spread it till I cut everything back.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I like Clitheroe market as well Sue. Haven't been for a while....
I feel much the same about your sewing!

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed making the last adjustments to the valve timing and doing finishing touches on the engine. It's a bugger because I shall have to order castings for another one.
I should add, there are cheaper alternatives but I know this engine so well I have a good chance of building it without errors. I know my limitations and I am not the man I used to be!
It looks as though my midday walk and sit on traffic duty will be OK as long as I wrap up well! (I feel the cold more than I used to....)

[Stanley]

I checked the valve for centrality and then set it for the position of the piston in the cylinder. I flooded it with oil and put the lid back on the steam chest. Then I fastened the engine down onto the surface plate, fired the compressor up and gave it a whiff of air. It went like hell! (This is the bit that China used to love, when the castings suddenly became alive!)
Then I tidied the stud lengths up on the cylinder cover and steam chest lid and took the engine to its new home on the kitchen table. A session putting tackle and spare engine parts away, a good clean up and both surface plates oiled and a clean tablecloth put on. Now I have to decide on what comes next......

[Sue]

Morning

I opened one guy to do my daily diary when I was met with a please donate. This I have done. Its Saturday, its cold, its sunny, its flu jab day and Bacup market, so its up and out early. We are booked in for 9.05 fo our jabs. The rest of the day is unplanned, we shall take it as it comes.

Yesterday my sister drove her daughter to Edinburgh from Barrowford. She has just moved to a shared flat there. Anyway Jane did a diversion to Chester Le Street to see our old family home. She was born up there in Durham but regards Burnley as her home town being only8 when they moved there. I regard Chester le Street as mine as I lived there from age 7 to 18, important years in someones life. Your way in life tends to be formed in those years. I felt very nostalgic when she told me.

This evening is u3a zoom wine appreciation meeting. This time its the cabernet sauvignon grape so we have a bottle of red and a rose, both bought in Clitheroe on Thursday.

Have a good day all