After yesterday’s late start but 40 launch day we had everything to play for today. However, with ‘warm sector’ conditions prevailing at 0900 (the cold front of which was due over the local area at 1200) it a case of watch and hope that conditions would improve for the afternoon. So, having consulted the ‘To Do’ List, by a process of natural cell division we formed two groups: the ‘Fencing Team’ and ‘Pop Rivet Party’. Duellists Roger Appleboom and “I’ll give it a Go” Richard Roberts comprised the Fencing Team, whilst the Howarths (Peter and Paula), Adrian Irwin and myself) (the heavy gang) made up the Pop Rivet Party.
Having sized up their weapons of fence construction: barbed wire, staples, stakes and basher, the Fencing Team set about repairing the fence opposite the clubhouse, stripping away the impeding brambles with slashing saw action (bare chested of course) and planting four new posts which should keep the cattle on their side of the field for a good while longer.
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“Epee, foil or sabre?”
Roger Appleboom looks bemused at the weapons on offer as a member of the Fencing Team. |
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| One of the four ‘Sunday Posts’ delivered by the Fencing Team. |
Down at the other end of the airfield, the Pop Rivet Party was going with a bang! Head for heights member Adrian Irwin was chosen to ascend to the heavens with pop rivet gun in hand, rejoining the panels at the back of the launch point that had recently come adrift, whilst Peter and Paula Howarth brushed up their painting skills on the inside walls around the doorway and stairs, making a vast improvement to first impressions. Unfortunately, the paint ran out before the walls did so the cry is for “More Magnolia, please..!” (Richard Roberts has already arranged for any ‘spillages’ at B&Q Plymouth to be made available to us free of charge, but if you have some magnolia going begging then that would help speed the process to completion.)
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| The Pop-Rivetting Party ready for the off. |
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“Greatest Height Gain of the Day was claimed by Adrian Irwin, with a massive 1.2m
whilst pop-rivetting at the launch point”. |
After checking that the forecast update revealed the clearance was not going to materialise before 4pm, and a quick hoovering (which Jerry Wellington would not have approved of) we decided we had done our bit for home improvements and shut the generator down (in fact the sky remained overcast until about 4:30 the following day, after which it looked very soarable.) Let’s hope we can give the ‘To Do’ List a stiff ignoring next week..!
Martin Cropper
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