Only one working week left

Another working week comes to an end, only one more to go. I'm going into the office tomorrow for my formal retirement presentation and then I finally retire on 6th April.

There are so many things I want to get on with I can hardly wait. The skeleton clock needs many hours of work yet and when that is finished I have bought an anniversary clock on E-Bay that only runs for fifteen minutes, never mind 365 days. I think it just needs a good clean but it will be fun finding out.

As the weather gets warmer we can look forward to taking the hard-top off the SL and catching some rays in style. We might even do it this weekend for the first MAC Classic Run of the season. If I don't feel like driving I qualify for a free bus pass from 1st April!

Margaret has a number of jobs round the house lined up, never mind the garden. My office cum workroom has been in need of spring cleaning for the last five Springs so it might even make it to the top of the list this year. Just in case I start to get bored we are dusting off our vocal scores of Verdi's Requiem and starting to prepare for The Really Big Chorus concert in July.


I nearly forgot, I need to develop my home business as well. I think I will carry on working I'm not sure I have the energy to retire. :-)

Do crows face the traffic?

Overheard in a pub: "Crows are clever enough to know to face the traffic when they are scavenging on the hard shoulder" or words to that effect.

I use the motorway pretty well every day so I started to look out for crows on the hard shoulder and it does seem to be true. The pub pundit seemed to think it was because the crows were looking out for traffic but I'm not sure that's right. I think crows have nearly 360 degree vision so they don't need to face something to see it coming, but as you drive past they are nearly always facing back the way you have just come from.

My theory is that the traffic causes local slipstream that ruffles crow feathers if it comes from behind. I imagine that would be quite uncomfortable so is a good reason to face into wind even if that wind is caused by passing traffic.

Are there any other crow watchers out there? I'd love to hear your comments. Another question about bird behaviour is on my bird blog.

Race for Life

The ladies in my life have decided to go for a walk. Margaret and our two daughters have decided to participate Race for Life, but at a walking pace. As a result they will be in Stratford upon Avon walking while I will be at Shelsley Walsh watching the hill climb on May 14th.

Sponsoring the trio is easy, just follow this link to go their official fund raising site.

Clockmaking is taking a back seat this weekend as I am spending some time cleaning out and generally tidying up the SL in time for the first MAC Classic Car Run of the year, next weekend. We always feel as though we are cheating because the SL is not really old enough to be a proper classic car but our fellow MAC members always make us feel very welcome and their runs are invariably well organised.

The Countdown Continues

That's it for another working week, only two more to go. Eight whole working days left and I shall have retired. Don't get me wrong, I have loved my job and enjoyed my work but it will be nice not to drive 30 miles each morning.

Time to spend on the latest clock, time to watch the birds, time to talk to friends, time to listen, time to just be. Many years ago I was drawn into a conversation in a country hotel by being asked for my idea of luxury. The conversation had been about the taxation of luxuries but when I replied that my idea of luxury was time to think the conversation was re-routed. I was a teenager at the time and embarrassed by the attention but 45 years later I still think the same.

I will still be working, of course, at marketing VMDirect and video e-mail. The difference is that I will be doing it from home and fitting it around my life instead of working at the office and fitting life round that.

Dismembered Skeleton

The skeleton clock is no longer running as you can see. After carefully letting down the mainspring I have succesfully taken it apart and have started the finishing and polishing process on the individual parts.

There are a few puzzles left. I have not yet worked out how to disconnect the fusee line from the fusee and I am not sure if I need to open the mainspring drum but there is plenty of time to sort it all out.

Most of the work is going to be finishing the frames. The faces are fairly well finished already but there is a lot of edges that are still 'as cast' and need filing clean and then polishing. These frames are the principle feature of the clock so I can't scimp on the effort here.

There is not much of this work that can be done with power tools so I shall be kept active as well as occupied.

Categories: Clocks, Clockmaking

The Common Cold

A very lazy weekend. Watched the Six Nations rugby on Saturday, which was depressing for an England supporter. Stayed in bed most of Sunday but did find the energy to check out the Common Cold website. What a wonderful thing is the rhinovirus, so small it is not even microscopic but so powerful to create symptoms. It seems that science has all sorts of information about cold viruses except the big question, WHY?

Whinge over. Time to get on with life.

Grumpy Old Man

Woke up this morning with a stinking head cold. Nose blocked, sinuses crusty, voice gone, the whole nine yards. And its my day off!

My plans for today included recording a promotional video but I think it had better wait a bit. So, slobbed around a bit, had a shower and got dressed just in time for lunch. I must sound ill because Margaret was mildly sympathetic, which is unusual.

Still, I don't have to go outside and that is a big plus with a cold east wind blowing. I watched a collared dove sitting on our fence and it was so hunched up in the cold that it's collar had disappeared. I might do some work on the skeleton clock this afternoon or maybe a bit of holiday planning.

Yea, holiday planning, Spain and southern France, the Pyrenees, sunshine, warmth, mountain scenery, eagles, vultures, maybe even a brown bear if we are incredibly lucky. I feel better just thinking about it.

And the next clock is...

My current clock project is to finish a fully machine kit of parts. The kit was a Christmas present from my family and came fully assembled and ready to run but with all the parts unfinished. It is difficult to see in the photo but the frames are unfinished castings and need a lot of work to get them gleaming. At the current rate of progress it might be ready for next Christmas!

Still, I retire in 3 weeks time so I will be able to spend more time polishing and finishing. That's when I am not trying to sell the idea of network marketing, which seems to be virtually unknown in the UK. The best presentation I have found so far is Economic Power Very American and I am sure the bit about taxation is different on this side of the Atlantic but the basic message is still sound. Give it a click and let me know what you think.

My first clock

It might be noisy and it only keeps time to around two minutes a week but it does work. The case is made from brass angle section bought from B&Q from an idea published in Model Engineer

I followed John Wilding's instructions in his book 3/4 Second Pendulum Electric Clock with a few modifications I read about. It kept me busy for many evenings

Categories: Clocks, Clockmaking

Looming retirement

Retirement is coming up fast and I am wondering what to do with my time and how to manage on a pension that is less than I would like. This blog is going to follow two possible answers to these questions

The first answer is a hobby I have had for some time, namely clock-making. The whole works, making the parts from scratch and setting the whole thing up. OK, the only one I have finished is noisy and doesn't keep very good time but it does work and looks good hanging on the wall.

The second answer is to try and generate an income from network marketing. If you want to know a bit more click on this link