On the up

On one of this summers very rare sunny days the kids and I went for a walk in the once popular local seaside resort of New Brighton. As a typical Victorian resort its heydays of the 50's and 60's passed with the onset of cheap foreign holidays and by the eighties it was a rundown mess with the economic prospects of zero, or so it seemed. The last few years have seen a turnaround with private investors and local govt both seeing potential in the open beaches coupled with cheap property and so the old girl is now on the up. The new resort does lack though a centre point to bring in the crowds, something the old New Brighton certainly had in the form of its pier and tower. Both are now long gone and will never be replaced so it seems Starbucks will have to suffice....ha! The kids and I walked through the woods that once held court to the towers fair and I tried to figure out exactly from old pics just what went where but the only sign of the tower and its ballroom is a plaque recording how many times The Beatles in their early days played there. The Beatles in their rocker days played the ballroom at the towers base both on their own and backing visiting talent, something I'd like to have seen. But as much as I admire the band I'd sooner more was made of past architectural glory and perhaps an effort made to enhance the area with some fitting and quality new building....we shall see!

who ate all the pies

The warm wet summer here has given us a bumper crop of blackcurrants and we plan to take advantage of the plump little beauties in pie making this weekend.......beats working!

Johnny Ramone gtr build 7

Guitar finished....happy daughter....job done, a cold one is in order  think.

Juice loose about the hoose.

I pass through Lovelock Nevada twice a year and one of the minor highlights of that rather flyblown place is Lovelock correctional facility, home for the past 8 years to OJ Simpson. As I drive past I always give a wave to the murdering shit OJ and  travel on my happy way.....small minded I know but that's me! He is getting out in October but I doubt we have heard the last of him.

Friday fun 2

In this pic I get to combine my love of the Ramones with my intense dislike of socialism...win win!

Johnny Ramone guitar build 6

I'm not much of a fan of anything electrical but after shielding the guitar body cavity with copper tape ( hopefully to reduce any interference) the job of wiring the various controls and pickups was pretty straightforward. I had copied Johhnys bridge pickup modification by adding a Dimarzio and a tap test confirmed its a pretty hot pickup which I hope will contribute to the sound I'm after. The only difficult bit was the grounding to the bridge post which due to my cack handidness was a bit of an effort but eventually  job done.....now to fit up.

Sunday Times lies?

I don't bother much nowadays getting bothered by the nonsense much of the media runs with but today I just couldn't ignore the poison being published in the Sunday Times. The Times has gone full front page on an alleged scandal involving rogue SAS soldiers in Afghanistan. The paper has devoted a significant proportion of its coverage to a so called cover up of multiple incidences of SAS mass murder. Their major much repeated evidence revolves around terrorists being shot on joint Afghan/UK  forces raids with  Nato 5.56 ammunition rather than Afghan soviet issue 7.62. Now I'm no genius but a simple google search brought up hundreds and I do mean hundreds of pics of Afghani commandos with.......guns in 5.56 calibre, to the exclusion of any other calibre in fact (pics below show both units with same calibre weaponry). So why I ask is the Times trying to tear down another institution and further tar British servicemen with the label of murders? I think we deserve to know and our soldiers deserve better than being second guessed by agenda driven journalists and second rate politicians.

Friday fun

It hasn't been too great  a week so I thought I'd end on a little lighter note.

Tick tock

Just finished roof shingles on the kids playhouse before the rain arrived, a bit flimsy by my usual Welsh slate standards but the asphalt American style shingles were fun to put up and look good. I just need to get door sorted and kit interior and the kids should be ready for summer fun in time for end of term....and some peace for me perhaps?

Too much misery

There is way too much doom and gloom around at the moment with the commies working furiously to somehow copy the anti Trump resistance crap here along with the usual guff from the BBC etc.Well here at OTW we are celebrating the birthday of my eldest daughter and looking to a brighter future.....have a great day my dearest.

Johnny ramone guitar 5

The neck of the guitar has been a quick and easy job with no real surprises and a pleasing end result. to get a vintage colour I used my childrens toy paint set to dye the maple  as opposed to buying a specialist product....cheap! Then I used truoil ( a gunstock oil) to give the neck a silky finish using about 10 coats, with wire wool rubdown between coats. The frets needed a quick going over with fret file and after oiling the rosewood with lemon oil it was job done after the 10 minute job of fitting the machine heads........next!

Voting

I proudly cast my first vote at 18 for my local M.P. Harold Wilson the labour party premier, from that point on I quickly veered off to the right. Being a Tory in Liverpool is pretty much of a nonstarter in all social interaction even with friends and family, but I've quietly stuck to my guns and I look forward to voting this week. The polls show a narrowing between the two major parties but I still think it shows the inbuilt bias towards labour due to conservative voters not wanting to be identified. Now why would this be? for me its because A. I don't want to end up arguing with most people I know mainly because my arguments tend to get physical quickly...yes I know...I'm an idiot! B. conservatives tend to be busy and have lives beyond identity politics, no idols for us (praise be Maggie). The left just loves a cult of personality and also most of the lazy bastards have nothing else to do other than get pissed/stoned and run around chanting "Jez we can!" So come Thursday I'll vote for May even if I think she is rather gun shy on most issues and then get on with my life.....the left can riot/cry or do whatever it is commies do when thwarted.

At times like these

I went for a walk on the beach with my youngest this morning, a walk to try and make me forget the horrors other parents in our neighbouring city Manchester were at that moment enduring. I knew Facebook and the media would be full of horror stories and of the usual clichés....I wanted none of it.Our govt and betters refuse to do what is needed to stop the slaughter of our children and I am beyond angry.If I speak out I will be punished if my words reach the wrong ears and the wicked comforted, so I do in my own quiet way the myriad small things I can do to secure my childrens safety.....my little girl played in the sand.

Serving my time

One of the first jobs I ever took on was a Georgian townhouse in Liverpool's Hope street the home of the cities two Cathedrals complete with views of the river and the mountains of Wales. I'd lived in the area for a few years and even though it was the red light district and bordered Toxteth I knew it was a good place to buy as it was a rare untouched survivor of Liverpools more prosperous past. The entrance to the house needed new steps and railings cast from the surviving few, the door and surround dismantling and painstakingly repaired and replaced where required. I didn't have as much money to spend on my renovations then and so I was hands on most aspects of this restoration  to cut costs and for many more afterwards........ something of an apprenticeship I think