AlexMF

Pat, let me know if you ever fancy a crack at making some Calvados... can't say too much more!

on nights this week, had a maccies breaky on the way home today, went to sleep, woke up early so got the s**troen booked in for its MOT tomorrow, changed the indicator bulbs on it for ones where the amber film hasn't fallen off as a pre-emptive strike, now going to go back to bed for a while. Will be dropping the car at the garage on my way from work tomorrow morning, nice 3 mile walk home, let's hope it's not raining.

better ask Bill if you can lend a few carrier bags...

Here's a work wear update from me, I'm forever snapping the buttons off my trousers, so have modified them with velcro... which seems to do the job, but only because there's never much weight in my trousers! I've also found during the recent snow, that they are very much "keep you cool indoors" not "keep you warm outdoors" trousers! I've also just bought some new trainers for work not worn them for a shift yet, just wearing them in round the flat. Because my £30 Nikes were looking a bit weary, and they have started to cause me knee/ foot pain. Mrs AlexMF and I went down to TKMaxx for some clobber for the flat/ to be miserly bargainisters. I ended up in the mens shoe section while Mrs AlexMF was looking at bars of soap and swimsuits... they had some Reebok ZigNanos reduced from £90-£29.99. My First thought "God they're vulgar", undeterred I then tried them on and what a revelation! So light, so comfy & they somehow (witchcraft) put a spring in your step or something due to the Zig-Zag sole. They also have a removable foam insole to allow an orthotic insole to be inserted. Which will be my next purchase if the knee pain continues. To give an idea of just how vulgar, Here's Lewis Hamilton looking worried by his (same colours as mine!) and here's Amir Khan in his, not even Kelly Brook can distract him from how awful his trainers look. anyway, form over function and all that... I'll let you know how I get on. "if your knees don't hurt, you're lying"

oldham and leeds double at 77/1. had £20 on... don't tell Mrs AlexMF... EDIT just had a call off vodafone, been upgraded to Vodafone VIP, with unlimited everything, for free!

yup, we've got some in Liverpool... on sunny days you can see the Welsh hills from my bedroom skylight, not so today!

excellent photographs David, well done for braving the weather! I'm especially enjoying the series Land Rover shots, oh and I spied one I built earlier, just like Blue Peter. (not the sprayer..)

it does appear to be working yes, I think next I will see about sealing the under door gaps. for reasons unknown there are large gaps under all of the doors. so my hard earned heat is leaving under the front door into the freezing communal stairway.

clagging draft excluding film over our drafty sash window in the sitting room. not pretty, not practical (can't open the window) but seems to have increased the temperature! my breath is no longer clouding, and the curtains are no longer flapping in the breeze! period properties... ugh... otherwise, hiding money... anything to stop me buying a(nother) car.

yes. they try and keep it secret, but it's actually better for getting a girlfriend and loads of money. tell them you want to go to Halewood!

parked next to my mate in the car park at work, we usually park next to each other as we walk in and out together... I got out of the car without looking and got the "Kate Winslet just fell off the back of the titanic" feeling... I'd parked in a puddle. So having hopped out of the puddle to limit the damage to one foot, I spent about 4 of the 8 hours in work with one soaking wet trainer and one dry. As you can imagine, got ripped into for that. Then by the end of the shift when my foot had dried out, I went out to the car to find I needed to scrape the windows, it had frozen over night. Went to open the drivers door and slid right past it onto my ar$e. forgot about the fudging puddle didn't I. My mate nearly swallowed his tab he was laughing so much. in other news i have developed a habit of getting drunk at friends houses and then falling asleep on their sofa. I've turned into my dad.

congratulations, definitely good people to work for! dealership work experience? don't look too hard, you might think again about working for JLR!

went to the fridge to get a burger for lunch, and they're off!

Oh Lord won't you buy me a mercedes benz? My friends all drive tractors I must make amends..

is that the "Pullen after a few too many ciders" spell checker?

OK so this weekend was very busy. I finished work at 0030 Friday night/Saturday morning, got up at 00630, drove to the parents. Filled the C2 commercial, (no back seats!) with a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold (made by yours truly), twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors on an inlet manifold (made by me), OMP steering wheel, GAZ lowered shock absorbers and a RadTec radiator, (for the silly clubman estate with the vauxhall engine). Collected my partner in grime, drove to the old barn (where all our clag still lives until we borrow a trailer..) locked it all in the boot of the mini. Then went off to Maccy D's for some much needed breakfast, it was about 0900 by this time.. then to B&Q for 30 litres of white emulsion. Drove to the new barn (for those who missed it we got spectacularly burgled at the old barn, all of our tools etc..), smaller, but taller, with our own bigger access doors and (most importantly) more secure, oh and the small matter of a pub across the road!! The farmer runs a pair of John Deere 2650's on F plates one in 2wd flavour and the other with 4wd and a JD 245M loader, both with the SG2 cab on, possibly one of my favourite cabs, so much curved glass! He's also got a MF 135 with a scraper on the back. So back to the job in hand, painted the walls, and then painted them again, and again, and so on until all the paint was gone, and it finally covered fully and evenly, we found masonary brushes the best, having tried a roller, and a pressure weed sprayer.. Any ambitions of being a painter/decorator have gone well and truly out of the window. The (black) C2 was used as a radio, and is now covered with white speckles. Can you say, "not gone well" and "should have thought that through?" Then we went to the pub for a spot of light refreshment, burgers and chips with a pint of stowford press! Then back to the decorating, opened 20 litres of red Industrial floor paint, lashed a few coats on the floor (roller on a stick!) and called it a day! Today, skirting board and architrave cutting for kitchen utility room and downstairs loo at my parents, mitre joints, tape measures and pencils behind the ear, the full "I know what I'm doing- honestly" effort. So once Dad has attached it to the walls and units (filling in my not so accurate mitre joints) that should be the end of the want a new kitchen/util/toilet but can't afford one so we will do it ourselves saga. The only thing that's taken more time is the mini. Just got back to Liverpool, for a microwave meal and bottle of Rattler. Up at 4am for work. Here's some pictures, I realise that the above is a right essay. close up of the granite, no floor yet... (excuse the helmet, I painted that though...) Units (cushion close drawers etc) appliances, granite, and underfloor heating and limestone floor in, not yet grouted. Under unit lights in, floor half grouted, my father had gone in search of a bottle of port at this point.. 4-2-1 manifold carbs on manifold Farm fresh 135 in what is now our barn

Wishing all my FTF friends a Happy and Healthy 2013!

very last ditch from me, antiques fair this morning, bought The Shire Library book of car mascots and badges, and a 1909 police whistle.. Then having watched the recent Stirling Moss (who I was fortunate enough to meet when I was only 12) documentary (which I Sky+'d while at the pub) and bought his books, "Great Drives of the Lakes and Dales" and "My Cars, My Career", then "British Cars of the sixties" by Doug Nye, and "Ferrari 250 GTO" by David Clarke, (a man who I was very fortunate to know, and possibly the most inspiring I have known). They should last me a while as I still have a few titles to work through from my birthday and Christmas. Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2013, Best Alex.

ayup me duck 'ow ya goin' on? junction 29 of the M1? my parents are off 23..

I bet it was Marky. He'd probably "parked" Hattie in a ditch again...

we call Britpart ***tpart. you don't want to buy a steering box* off them Gavalar...they make a snapping noise followed by that scene from the titanic where the boat doesn't steer away from the iceberg despite frantic wheel twiddling. *or anything, actually.

two birthday presents from Steph Austin 'Flying A' next to a MF industrial badge, only pictures I can find of one is on a UH MF 20B. side by side they display my initials, which is their purpose

I'm not sure any one looked at me... you're lucky I got a full shot of it, mostly I was taking shots of aspects of cars i thought were cool... this wasn't the only tractor aspect of the show! and this Persuaded Steph to buy me a Massey Ferguson industrial grill badge from the autojumble... no pictures though as it's for my birthday next week! here's some more farm-ish ones from the show donaldsons fish and game... Landrover series 1, what every farmer needs to pootle round with some straw and a churn of milk! Skoda Felicia pickup, I secretly want one, but not in yellow. my favourite car of the show, 250GT Not at all relevant, but i'm struggling for other farm related things to post, Steph and I had a long weekend in Geneva, here are some seagulls looking at the jet d'eau!

bit of a resurrection, the UK Lamborghini club took this to the NEC with them for their stand, not entirely sure why the bonnet etc is concourse and the rest barn find though. hope you enjoy.

best of luck with the move Sue, hope you and the pooches find somewhere you all love. as for me, mooching around the house doing a few chores before work, 1530-0030 today... ugh. off to the classic car show at the NEC tomorrow, have taken the precaution of emptying my current account so I can't spend too much (read: make another irresponsible car purchase)