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grockle
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Brand new 63 registered Vauxhall Astra Tourer will soon be parked up the driveway at home. I ordered one today and could have it delivered within the next couple of weeks. If not then I will have it before xmas eve.

Its a xmas present to myself.

Ian

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Well the once trusty Mazda 626 esate ain't no more. its gone a sprung a water leak which I can't be bothered to find. So instead my youngest daughter has let me lend her trusty car.

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Its a 1989 Ford Feista 1.1l 3 door hatchback with a 5 speed manual gearbox. That should be fun for a while. Just got to remember to change gears when necessary.

Having said that when I got home this evening there was a call left on the answer machine from my Vauxhall dealership tellling me that my new set of wheels will be ready for collection a week today. They even gave me the registration number so that I can get some councill paperwork sorted out.

Yes I did remember to removed the L plates before driving it on the road

Ian

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Had a great day out Sunday with youngest daughter, her partner and the grandkids. Went to Exeter to see the Coca Cola lorry and have our picture taken plus a few others around this lorry. Then had lunch and then Gandad was treated to a milk drink from a Milk Bar. Never had anything like it before and it was Yummy Yummy. Then it was on to Toy's R Us for more christmas present shopping. From there it was a very wet and windy drive home to the daughters where upon some bugger had moved the bloody brick wall as I managed to scrape the paintwork on her trusty little Fiesta. :oops: After all that it has to be the experienced driver that puts the first War mark on Mummy's car. Gandad has now got to get it fixed pronto. I'm in the dog house at present.

Ian

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Oh Gandad, how could you do that to Mummy's car? Must have been the milk drink!

:lol::lol::lol:

Well the new Vauxhall Astra Tourer is now parked up on the drive at home.

Pictures will follow in due course once daylight appears.

I'm like a kid with a new toy as there are plenty of gadgets on it that probably I won't use half of them at all. Traction control, turned that bugger off. Parking sensors, bloody annoying so turned that off as well. Haven't buried the foot into the carpet yet, so don't know what its goes like yet. Suffice to say it bloody shifts so much quicker than the old Mazda.

So far only one little niggle. The light switch for the main lights does not illuminate until you've turned the car lights on. The rest of the dashboard has a slight glow to it all the time. I had to open the car door to find the switch as I couldn't remember where it was. :oops:

No spare either but I'm going to remedy that with a quick trip to a scrapyard for the correct size space saver or steel equivalent. Rather spend £20 than what Vauxhall want £100+.

Ian

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...I'm like a kid with a new toy as there are plenty of gadgets on it that probably I won't use half of them at all. Traction control, turned that bugger off. Parking sensors, bloody annoying so turned that off as well....

That sounds like a quick course in how to change a Hornby main range loco back into a 'Railroad' version! :lol:

Have fun!

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Pictures as promised.

The brand new Vauxhall Astra Tourer, Design model, colour Asteriod Grey.

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View of the instrument panel from the drivers seat

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Miles done to date.

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Its a bloody ''TART's'' car

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The business end. 1598cc, 16v, VVT lump. And it bloody shifts too.

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Ian

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To all that have taken the time to browse my some what hectic year that was 2013, here is hoping that 2014 can only get better.

Quite a few personnel friends have said that my Xmas started early, back in July when SHE walked out of the family home. Looking back it would appear to be true, as a lot of people that I meet on a regular basis have said that I have cheered up, take more pride in my appearance and am generally a haappier chap.

Santa has also been busy delivery early pressie's. As you have all seen, the new car, plus a new mobile phone, Xperia, that is certainly more up to date than my 10 year old Nokia. 32 inch flat screen TV replacing a rather ancient analogue beast that must weight a ton. On the train front Spencer found its was to the GGR along with a Mainline Collet Goods in br green, and a Southern School's class loco 'Cranleigh', and last but not least the Bachmann shunters truck.

Christmas day is being spent the youngest daughter, her partner and the kids Leon and Makayla-Louise.

Thoughts go to those that have lost family and friends over the last 12 months. It can be hard at this time, but remember we are only at the other end in cyber space somewhere if a chat is needed.

Have a Happy Christmas and a Prosperious 2014

Ian

aka Grockle

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....Quite a few personnel friends have said that my Xmas started early, back in July when SHE walked out of the family home....

I've clearly missed a lot more than I thought. Just had to revisit previous pages to catch up with what's been going on. Sorry to read about that Ian because I know how hard and difficult it can be at the time (been there myself some years ago). If you are happier now then that's the main thing and shows that the right decision was made in the interests of you both. Life's too short for anyone to be unhappy but it does sound like you're moving forward so here's hoping that 2014 is a better year for you.

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  • 3 weeks later...

What are we know, half way through the first month of 2014 and for me personnaly its looking good. However daughter has been having some serious issues with her landlord. Ceiling in the master bedroom of her flat has paint and plaster failing aagain and the ceiling is again damp to the touch. Landlord got yet another call telling him of the latest issue's concerning the so called fixed roof that ain't. Finding the leak however if provong difficult so at present its on going.

Now to bring you right up to date, daughter whent to put gas on her gas meter and some mindless moron called the landlord has changed the lock to the cupboard and not issued any of the tenants with the new key. A quick call to the emergency call out as it as always has to happen outside of office hours and she was told she would have to wait until the following morning for someone to open the cupboard. When she told me this I was on the phone bloody quick and told them in no uncertain terms that as the gas had to be topped up before the morning I was going over to her place with my crowbar and 2lb lump hammer to smash the lock and open the cupboard. This was the kick up the backside that her landlord need to call out a locksmith and when he arrived he used an angle grinder to cut the lock and then jemmied the door open.

Daughters landlord has also been present with a bill for my mileage at 50 pence a mile, round trip of 14 miles and the cost of her having to buy a takeaway meal so that the kids were fed before they went to bed.

I have also raised an official complaint yet again about the landlord,s gross incompetance, as I found out that the fittrs had replaced replaced the WRONG lock.

Now think of a well known brand of butter that has an anchor on its labelling !

Ian

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  • 1 month later...

Daughter and the grandkids are all doing fine, after she kicked out the kids father, who is a complete waste of space and a lazy bar steward to boot.

Me however, its a different story. After a couple more visits to Torbay hospital I am going to have my Hernia operated on. Nearly a year since diagnoses and finally going to get it sorted. Down side is though its going to put me out of action for a while.

The shed is going to get a complete new front after having the frameword rebuilt using a couple of steel frames that were aquired from a now disfunctional bed. Recycling being the name of the game and keeping the costs down. The timber frame is also reclaimed timber from some bunk beds that were getting thrown away. Daughters new fella is a first fix builder so knows his way around timber and has offered his help and expertess in the recontruction of the shed and the refelting after some boards have been added to the roof for extra strength and security. He has also offered to do a scaled drawing of the GGR and how I want it to finally look and again has offered his services to help contruct the permenant way before I get along with laying the track and all the other bits and bobs like a sixteen foot long three platform station. Island platform will serve the UP and Down main whilst the two outers will serve UP and Down slow stoppers and also act as a passing loop for through expresses.

Ian

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It's worth getting that health problem sorted ASAP, Ian, as you'll be a new man afterwards and find lots of things easier. Nothing to be anxious about - should all be pretty routine. I hope the procedure goes well and you bounce back quickly. As for your family news, it sounds like a stroke of luck to have another set of hands occasionally working on your layout. Better make good use of the fellow while he's around!

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  • 1 month later...

Been away for a short break and now have got some serious sorting out to do. As you know already the old Mazda 626 estate is going but now the old Sprite Alpine CI caravan is also going. Got a Bailey Pageant comming my way as a replacement. Might also be getting a Bedford CF camper van. Just got to removed all the stuff stored in the Mazda and the caravan as both are being taken away by a mate of a mate to be raced at Arena Essex in a caravan banger race. A date that I will be keeping, to see both meet their final demise.

Ian

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  • 1 month later...

Not what I wanted. More exspence not related to the GGR stock or upkeep.

Dropped by mobile phone and have smashed to screen. :evil:

On the plus side its still working okay so for the time being will have to put up with a crazed screen.

Ian

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  • 1 month later...

House is a present undergoing a major revamp. Infact a total makeover, but alas not by Tye Pennington of Extreme Makeover fame. It was all going well until today when the next delivery required was the bathroom suite. Duly arrived on time but the bath was badly damaged so it remained on the lorry, back to whence it came from. This is now going to put all the other trades out of sync by a few days until the replacment bath arrives.

Ian

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  • 2 months later...

Busy busy busy. The house revamp should be finished by this Friday. I'm just awaiting the delivery and fitting of a brand new front door. The rest of the house is finished. Now its just a matter of getting new fixtures and fittings along with new curtains throughout.

A week ago I was in my local hospital for the day. Finally after nearly a year my Hernia has been sorted. Now comes the long road to recovery. No lifting at all for a couple of weeks at least and then slowly build up. They recon it could be a couple of months before I'm back to full fitness, whatever that is. Was allowed to drive after 24 hours but left that for a couple of days and was finally back driving Friday afternoon. Even managed to get a seatbelt exemption certificate from my doctors as well for the next month.

Ian

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  • 9 months later...

10 months since my last update. Where has the time gone.

Work on the GGR has been none existance. Done exactly nothing now on it for the last couple of years. Lose of interest and family come first.

Grandson Leon starts school this September, thats nearly 5 years gone already, they grow up too quickly. Grand daughter Makayla-Louise starts school the following year.

The old Mazda 626 estate is no more. Last seen at the local scrap yard minus quite a few bits. All that was wrong with it was the automatic gearbox but finding one was a non starter and a refurb was going to cost more than the car was worth. Now I'm running around in a 1998 Toyota Estima Emina 8 seater with LPG conversion and fitted towbar, DVD player for the passengers and I treated myself to a decent European satnav and new all singing, all dancing steroe system. Added a 1000 watt amp to the DVD player so that I can use speakers now mounted in a rear parcel shelf that I constructed myself, thereby keeping the DVD player and speakers totally seperate from the car stereo system. I've still got the 2013 Vauxhall Astra Tourer, but finding very uncomfortable to get in and out of and drive. However as I'm going to Germany later this year I'm going to preserve with it as I want to see what it goes like on the German Autobahn. Also plan on visiting the model railway in Hamburg along with hopefully a couple of trips on preserved lines at a couple of other places that I intended to visit whilst in Germany.

Ian

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  • 3 months later...

Finally I'm back home after spending two whole weeks in Germany.

Main reason was for a squadron re-union which was held over the last weekend of my stay, but prior to that a little bit of sight seeing was involved.

First on the agenda was a trip to Hamburg, not to the Reeperbahn, was there last back in the early 70's, but to visit the Miniature Wunderland. There was so much to see that I spent 2 whole days there and still managed to miss a behind the scene's tour.

Second was a visit to see an very old school friend who I last saw back in 1972 when he was my Saturday boy where I worked full time and he was part time.

Also got to see my now ex father in law and boy was he glad to see me. Yes we did reminise about our times spent in Detmold whilst stationed there whilst in BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), talking about fellow colleagues who have finally found peace. Also personnel stuff which was enligthening to me to say the elast. I found quite a lot out about a certain person. Enough said on that score.

Plenty of pictures and a few video's as well, once I've got myself sorted out

Ian

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