The story of the refurb so far. Looking through my various books on the Western Desert campaign, I realised that there are very few photographs of the Grant; the most frequently reproduced being the famous image of Monty in one. That is interesting in itself - does it mean that few photographs were taken, or that few Grants were in theatre, or that there were plenty of Grants, but with a short lifespan, or that picture editors don't like them? Anyway, the images I could find suggested that the turret hatches were split not fore and aft (as I had crudely split them nearly 40 years ago). This was a pain, as the holes that I had cut so long ago were rather hacked out of the thick plastic and if I re-aligned the hatches then I would be forced to make a new turret top. This is not the idea behind 'refurb'. Happily, I discovered images of hatches split fore and aft! So, that was sorted. The next stage in the refurb was new sandshields. These seem to have come in a wide variety of shapes, so much so that they must have been field applied. I am going with a simple, boxy, shape:
Just getting this far with the sandshields took a surprisingly long time. The idea that I had was that refurbing would be less stressful than building from new, but it isn't turning out that way - I've spent a good part of the day worrying about 'light stone' as opposed to 'desert sand'. But, at least the little project continues.
Plant of the moment: euphorbia (a large variety!). I love the flower heads, they look like something H G Wells dreamed up - aliens from another world. I had two clumps of the things in more suitable settings, but the 2010/11 winter killed them, so, at the moment, I only have these, self-seeded (another plus in my book) fellows in a rather odd spot. But I like them.
P.S. be careful of euphorbia sap - nasty stuff!
Didn't grow them when the girls were small for that very reason but am tempted mightly by that acid green and yellow...
ReplyDeleteI see a greenhouse lurking fertively in the background of the photo -d o you use it to grow seeds or what?
Yes, they are very striking. There are also a number of varieties, including low growing ones that make jolly good ground cover. My budget greenhouse (the ultimate in flat packs!) is absolutely indispensible for the allotment - currently, I've got courgettes, French dwarf beans, cabbage, and tomatoes potted up in there, along with my small collection of cacti, and a few pots of Old Man's Beard/Traveller's Joy. These are seeds I took from a railwayside hedge and I hope that they will soon be in the hedge I have in progress (a replacement for a very old and annoying privet).
DeleteI seem to have missed your last few posts, which is a shame. There is something wrong with my blog list so I am missing posts. Anyhow, this looks like Euphorbia wulfenii, which is a top seller at work. I have noticed too that it can be knocked back by cold weather, but then spring up somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteYes, the blogger thingy does seem to be temperamental - I often have problems trying to leave comments on other blogs. Thanks for the 'euphorbia wulfenii' - a brilliant name! I rather like this interaction - I post a picture of a plant whose name I only partly know, and, hey presto, I get the proper name by return!
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