Amazing world we live in.
On Thursday and member on VZI reached out to me...... As we all do at times.
Anyway, my friend Craig had an item to collect in Romford, Essex about 38 miles from here, so I thought that Steve, the VW Bus guy and the pickup could be orchestrated and I could pop in at my friend Henry "Rider 51" who lives in Romford as well, while going to meet Steve. So three jobs done in one, as I get charged for use of the Company car, it made perfect sense to,strike three spots in one.
While chatting to Steve on Friday while between seeing customers, I asked him if he would collect the item for me, to which he,agreed.
Turns out, his,dad who recently passed away, worked with the item seller 30 years ago....... You see, there goes Karma again.
Anyway, he collected the item, which meant a visit and a brew (tea for you colonists) was on the cards, and fixed as an appioint,net for today.
So typically, having gone to bed at 23.00 I woke and got up to feed cats and open doors at 04.30 which was not what I had planned.
Anyway, had a cuppa tea, walked around the back yard looking at the garden, then surfed the web, and eventually left at 08.15 to go to Steve's place for 09.10 as he has to take his daughter to gymnastics on a Saturday.
I got there early and saw him drive off to deliver his princess to her training centre.
When he came back, I drove up and parked up, followed by meeting Jenny who was working on some curtains for their restored and extended 17th century home.
I was just soooooooo impressed with what they have done, these houses are really difficult to make work in the 21st century, as people have grown by at least 6-8 inches in height. Steve and Jenny have managed to get the restoration and making liveable of this home, a reality.
Ohhhh, and Steve honestly makes a better cuppa tea than I do for myself, an accolade I cannot even direct at Nicola.
After close to an hour in the house, chatting to both of them, it was time to go to the Shrine......
Steve has what I can honestly say (I owe him nothing and he owes me nothing) is one of the most incredibly detailed restored and updated 1964 VW Splitwindow campers I have seen, with Safari Windows 360' and loads of seriously trick updates and mods, plus a very fruity motor, it is a bus I would be happy to own. Bare metal and TrueType no expense spared..... It kinda made me want my truck back on the road.
I will only post up one photo of the bus, there was too much detail.
When we got into,it's very special garage, Steve turned off the dehumidifier.....call that dedication?
The family had other chores to do and it was a,axing how fast two hours sped by.
Before leaving, I got to meet the rest of the family....... Three hens that earn their keep, as former battery hens that got rescued, it's hard to believe the state they got to Stwve and Jenny's
They were tame enough for me to stroke and "chat" to the hens.
The little Bantam cockerel chief was less trusting.
I give you..... Ruby, Betsy, Daisy.... Fearlessly led by Marvin the Bantam.
While Imwas there, Steve produced this plate, it was off a car he had bought in 1990 when Miss Dora got too old to drive her Mustang.
I feel very honoured that he felt it right to share and give me the rear plate off the car he had imported, I suspect Ms Dora is a distant me,Roy in her children's minds by now.
Still, I have the memories to add to my collection.
Old girl Tabitha, at 16 yeas old and a Royal PITA woke, looked and went back to sleep. She is the reason Harley is stay g with me.
After all my goodbyes, I left to get to Henry's place, but missed him, so went shopping at Lakeside,for stuff we needed in the house, then came home, had a sandwich and carried on cutting the grass, followed by the job Imhave looked up,and avoided the last few weeks.
Cutting and fitting the drainage gutters in front of the garage.
Weirdly, this takes a lot longer than it see,s to warrant.
Once levels were established, raised and set, I mixed some,strong cement and fixed the gutters and paving stones.
Finishing off by filling the one creepers hole, this is where the replica petrol pump I made a couple of years ago, will rest, with the vertical compressor from CraigRK inside.
The dummy petrol pump build thread.
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thre...ca-retro-build
Other side......
So that brought the day to an end.
Tomorrow bootfair, followed by a nice ride on the bike with an old friend.
This was another heard job that just needed to be done.