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Hi all.
The silence is ominous.
Where is everyone?
All on holiday or too busy?
Or is it just that nothing is going on?
Went to a motor car show today here locally in Stroud.
Was pleasantly surprised, not usually a petrol head, but was quite interesting really, well worth the two pound entrance fee. Brought back a few memories I must admit.
There was a cracking example of a Ford Zodiac present, a proper fifties courting car, big bench seat and a column change. Chatted to the owner of a Rolls coupe 1930 model, only eight ever built, original cost about two thousand eight hundred pounds. I will post some piccies and I think they speak for themselves.
Note the Stanley steam car, I am quite friendly with a steam car owner and he says that his will cruise all day at 45 to 50 MPH and is much quieter than an IC engine. The down side is that they only do between eight and ten to the gallon. The upside is you can use just about any liquid fuel, he often runs on paraffin or heating oil, but will run on petrol or diesel just as well. The monotube boiler runs at very high pressure, in excess of a thousand psi, a friend of his claims that due to a fault, on one occasion his built to three thousand and above, the boiler was OK, but he claims that the performance became a bit lively!!!!!!!
Finished up the day down at the park at the miniature railway track playing trains, courtesy of the Stroud Society of Model Engineers. A real fun day.
Should have been in the garden though, feeling guilty now!!!!!!!
Have fun.
Sticky.
PS Included the photo of the Jowett Javelin 'cos Archie Alvis used to have one!!!!!!!!

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Sorry Sticky and all,
Have had friends staying over from Canada and acting as 'Mine Host' has taken up the hours. The fact that Derek was another collector so both Sundays were spent at Arms Fairs in Farnham or Bedford was also a factor. Checked out Silbury Hill,  Avebury, The Biddestone Arms. White Hart, Ford etc. etc. too! The only observation compared with Sticky's pictures of cars and trains is that collectors seem to be 'of a certain age' (and waistline) as my snap of buddies at Farnham shows! Also had contact by e-mail from a college chum not seen for 45 years. Strange instant aging from when he had hair to none. I don't have that trouble!

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/p> Hi all, Everything seems to happen at once for me. Apart from the dreaded decorating we've had in law illness, Dad (heart) sister (hip) Mother( everthing else) so memsahib has been darting up and down to Weston. A film crew have asked to use our house in the shooting of a 3 part drama to be shown in the Autumn. I have been trying to search out a reasonable 2nd hand desk for my newly finished office. I went to Holt in Wiltshire to a meeting of the Milsom family( Mum was a Milsom) and have got hold of a 73 sheet family history I knew nothing about and am entering it all gradually on to the family tree. You will also notice the lack of paragraphs in my posts of late. This is due, not to the fact I was a duffer at school, but to the fact that since I've had the new laptop all my postings come out in one long thread. So I thought I'd save the thing the trouble and just do one long rant !!! Best Wishes to everyone. Rich.

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Hi all.
Guess you've been pretty busy Graham, especially at the White Hart etc.
Your observations regarding collectors being of a certain age appears to be fairly accurate regardless of the objects of their desires. Tractor collectors appear to be the same on both points, age and waistline.
Interesting that you went to Silbury Hill. I went there once when I was about six years old, always promised myself that I'd go back one day but never have. Really must do it!
Don't know if you saw it on TV but Chapel Plaister is open to the public every Wednesday afternoon until the end of the summer, as it dates from the thirteen hundreds and has had various uses during its existence I suspect it may be worth a look.
Sorry about the health problems of your relatives, hope they soon improve, Rich. It 'll be good when 'er indoors can at least reduce the frequency of her Weston visits.
Interesting that you say about your recent good fortune regarding your family tree as I had a similar experience about a year ago. A second cousin of whom I was completely unaware, made contact and furnished me with a similar document. Apparently I am distantly related by marriage to the German scientist Rontgen, the man that gave his name to the unit of measurement of radiation. Wow!!!!!!!!
Have fun all.
Sticky.

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Bonjour Mes Amies

Haven't been to the Avebury area for a few years, but for anyone who does visit take a walk up to the West Kennet Long Barrow, quite fascinating.

So Lanham Acres is going to be on the telly Rich, or is it Castle Lanham ? do tell I'm sure we're all agog ! Intended to take the day off on Wednesday but the boss asked me to work at the slipway for a couple of hours, had Channel 5's gadget show filming there, show goes out on May 30th. apparently. They were filming a couple of things to do with water sports, the only couple of things to do with water sports that I saw hardly fitted into her wetsuit, the wife was with me and the doctor says the swelling around my right eye should go down in about a week !

Hope Steve and Sue are OK. the Spanish earthquake happened about 50 miles away from them, I know that in world terms it was only of low magnitude, but Spain's not prepared in any way for earthquakes.

Nothing much happening down here, the weather's returned to normal for the time of year, the veg in the allotments coming along nicely, just passed our 37th. year of married life, all in all pretty average.

Anyone heard from Tony and Bill recently ? must drop them an e-mail. Mick Little's been posting pictures of motorbikes on Facebook, other than that all quiet on the Western front.

Chin Chin Stu

P.S. Sticky did you know that the chapel at Chapel Plaister was a waystation for people on a pilgrimage, you can tell by the scallop shell carved above the entrance. I believe it was on the route to Santiago de Compostella, a route now defunct in the UK.

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Hi Stu and all.
I think you are probably thinking of Lanham Towers on the tele.  'Basil!!!!'
Shall look out for the water sports item on five, especially the two items you describe. Hope the swelling soon goes down.
Yes I knew that the chapel at Chapel Plaister was a waystation, but always thought it was because it was on the route from Malmesbury to Winchester. You live and learn!!!!!!!
Have fun all.
Sticky.

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Morning Chaps, Not sure why this stays in bold! It sounds as if we will all be wanting Rich's autograph after his trip to Cannes but perhaps the Channel 5 pneumatic experience might distract us all first? Keep your glasses on and avoid the retribution? When we drove past Avebury a tourist bus load of visitors was heading for the long barrow! When I worked in Trowbridge (1969-1971) I drove past the chapel every day. I have yet to visit! Below is the Wiltshire County description. Nothing exciting this week. Tried a couple of pints of 'Muddy Boots' real-ale on Wednesday at a Bristol pub. Usual Arms Fair at Yate on Sunday. I have cadged a lift by a neighbour who is a traffic cop! Have a good one. Congratulations on the longevity of wedded bliss Stu! I will have 'served' 44 years in August! Longer than a lifer gets! Family history is my Missus' thing. I may be related to Charlie as it looks as if my 3xgreat grandmother was put in the family way by King George III! There is a grand portrait and a 'block' on her daughter's records that is well known for illegitimate kids of royalty. Missus still calls me a b*****d quite often!

Graham

Chapel Plaister, BoxThis was originally a resting place for pilgrims on their journey to the shrine of St. Joseph of Arimathera at Glastonbury and it was sited in the vanished Hazelbury parish. In the 13th century Hazelbury was granted to Bradenstoke Priory whose Augustinian canons probably built the original chapel. Tradition has it that it was founded c.1235 by Sir John du Plessis. In 1340 it was rebuilt by Richard Plaisted of Castle Combe and a preaching licence was granted in that year. The building was of one storey with separate accommodation for men and women for mass but designed so that both sexes could take part in the celebration. A hospice was built next to the chapel and called the Bell from the bell cote on top of the chapel. This later became an inn of the same name and remained so until the latter part of the 19th century.

In the 15th century the chapel was heightened and a porch, with a holy water stoup, was built. After the dissolution the chapel was converted into flats by the addition of an upper floor in the later 15th century. The building was later used for storage and the upper floor was lost in the restoration of 1893. This restoration had only been partial and it was completed in 1930 by George Kidston of Hazelbury Manor.

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Thanks for that Graham, "chapter and verse", on Chapel Plaister, nice to get the full story, didn't think of looking up Wiltshire's historical records myself, Doh!!!

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Hi Guys.
I guess that we have now exhausted the information on Chapel Plaister, incidentally pronounced 'Plaster' by the locals. I'm surprised that no one else has intervened with a local gem of their own by now. I guess that Bill has not been following the thread!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it Wiltshire has done fairly well with the chapel, Star Well (Holy Well or Wishing Well of stars) and the dry arch. Apparently in the latter case the theory goes that a public footpath crossed the woodland at right angles to it's edge but there was a 'Walk' from the big 'ouse, (Corsham Court) that ran the length of the wood longitudinally. The arch was built so that the 'Toffs' walking did not have to come into contact with the riff-raff using the footpath above Whether there is one iota of truth in this heaven knows.
Further to Rich's forthcoming Attenborough moment, by sheer coincidence an old friend that I was talking with last Saturday said to keep an eye open for the forthcoming Country File (Sunday evenings BBC)
They are doing a thing they call 'Back to back', the idea being to shear a sheep and turn the fleece into an article of clothing in a day. He is the guy shearing the sheep, his name is Paul Verney.
Have fun all.
Sticky.

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Good to hear Steve, thought you'd probably be OK given the distance and magnitude. In world terms not a particularly big quake, but considering the buildings weren't designed to sustain earthquakes disastrous for Lorca, and it's inhabitants. Don't know about the earth moving, but the dirt does fall off the shovel occasionally...lol!!

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