Toy Landrover kits from Toylander

To watch a very small girl and her dad in a Toylander,copy and paste this link into Google.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANdHuABZ8dw&feature=related


Toylanders,the electric car toy Land Rover will be available as a quality pre cut plywood and epoxy kit, or a built up body shell, are available from CKD Boats cc,Cape Town,South Africa.

Check out this link to a video of a Toylander,copy and paste it into Google. http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=i3KWtL4loyk&NR=1





note: we do the setting out and all cutting for you.

To make building these models easy we supply paper patterns and a build manual full of instructions. The patterns are fixed to the board and cut out with a jigsaw; the manual shows how to assemble them into a body tub, how to bolt on the running gear (no chassis required), how to wire up using the electric wiring diagram, to apply the detail and complete the model. All the manuals contain easy to read workshop drawings for those who like to manufacture the metalwork themselves. But do not fear all parts, including some ready cut body panels, are available from stock. For those who want a speedy build there are some complete bodies, ready to prepare and paint plus bonnets and grille units available, saving time and effort. The manuals also contain full instructions on driving, charging, servicing and maintaining this Child's toy to keep it in tip top condition for many generations to come.

Superior Quality Motorised Toys from Real Life Toys Limited; children just love to drive them. Kit cars for Kids of all ages.
All designs meet or exceed Toy Safety Standards requirement and are CE marked. Vehicles are sold as children's toys and should not be used for other purposes. Replica vehicles are not four-wheel drive.



We are licenced to cut this wonderfull toy 12 volt electric car landrover,we do the cars body shell,you buy the plans from the designers in England and assemble it here,its a really cost effective 12 volt electric drive that can be built easily.We can also supply the engineering parts,plus the correct 12 volt sealed battery the Toyrover needs.

Small Land Rover models for children and adults to drive made of wood and electric power. Plans, Parts, Kits, Ready cut panels, Ready made bodies.

Copyright:
Jeep © is the copyright of Chrysler LLC and Chrysler UK Ltd.
Land Rover © and Defender © are the copyright of the Ford Motor Company

Please note: we will only supply you a CNC cut plywood kitset when proof of purchase of plans is supplied from Real life Toys Ltd.

Summer sailing in Cape Town waters

This shot was taken with my Canon 1.4 50mm camera,its a nice shot of Captain Notty and his mates out for a summers day sail on his Fortuna 37.

Liverpools waterfront church,St Nicholas

This church is just out of view in the waterfront picture on the blog below this,its just to the left of the picture,before the waterfront was built as you see today,the water came right up to the front doors of the church,my granparents on my mothers side were married in this church.St Nicholas was the patron saint of saliors,so this church is known as The Sailors Church also,built in 1760,there has been a church on this site since the 13th centuary.

Liverpool to Dublins Seacat pulled out of service

When Jean,Janet and myself went to Ireland for a weeks driving holiday,we went on one of these ships,its quite a ride,the car went below we were upstairs,sort of like being on a large Boeing 747 but with no wings,the ship is jet powered,no Pilot is used,they can move sideway,as well as reverse and forward,acceleration is kept to a minimum,you dont want your tea or coffee split do you.

Built in Italy and in all aluminium,they are very deceptive speed wise,I was thinking around plus twenty knots,you can imagine my surprise to find they have a service speed as high as thirty eight (38) knots! At such speeds there are three watch keepers in the bridge,all with binoculars,looking for shipping or flotsam,they take these cats out of service when the winds go over 25 knots,the sea state becomes unmanagable I was told.






Seacat ferry service axed
Nov 23 2004 By Petra Mann & Mary Murtagh, Liverpool Echo

THE LIVERPOOL to Dublin Seacat ferry service has been axed.

The Steam Packet Company runs a daily service from Liverpool to Dublin and back from March to October, but staff were told yesterday the operation was being withdrawn.

There will be redundancies from the 48-strong staff, although it is not yet known how many will lose their jobs.

Many will be offered alternative work within the company.

The end of the service means there will no longer be a direct foot passenger service from Liverpool to Dublin. Instead, foot passengers will have to travel via Holyhead.

One employee said: "Everyone's mood has plummeted. It is a close-knit team that works on that route. We eat together, share cabins and are more friends than colleagues. We are all worried."

The announcement came on the same day that Ryanair revealed it was bringing in four new aircraft and nine new destinations from Liverpool, many beginning in March.

The new flights, which include Cork and Shannon in Ireland, mean the budget airline now travels to13 destinations from John Lennon airport. EasyJet also operates daily to Belfast.

A spokesman for the Steam Packet Company said: "The announcement follows a series of company decisions to expand other Irish Sea ferry services to and from the Isle of Man.

"We regret having to withdraw the Liverpool-Dublin seasonal service, but we have had to react to market conditions and focus our resources on our core services.

"We have faced tough competition from other surface operators and this has been exacerbated by the explosion of new air routes by the cheap operators."

The company has expanded its Liverpool to Isle of Man service next year and will use a larger and faster ferry which can carry more passengers and vehicles.

Norse Merchant Ferries and P&O Ferries operate a car passenger service from Liverpool to Dublin, but no foot passenger service.

Companies offering foot passenger services to Dublin go from Holyhead.

Hillman Imp/Sunbeam Sport and Race exhaust systems.

We are receiving regular requests for pricing and cost to supply the full race exhausts,we can make them without the inlet trumpets,we can also make them to take just one Weber DCOE 40/Dellorto DHLA 40 carburetor also,this is one of our fabrications with Hillman Imp expert Richard Tompkins,here on a holiday vist recently.

Didi Mini Transat Cruise kit collection for Austrailian delivery

This is the third Didi Mini Transat kit we have shipped this year,two are the Cruise versions with more space below and an calmer rig,one went to England,the one that left today is going to Austrailia.The third Didi Mini Transat is the full race option,that is already in Mooi River,Kwa Zulu Natal,near Durban.

Note the packing,we have become experts at this now,with sales to twenty two (22) countries now,we have invested in the best equipment for making crates and strapping them together.

SSI Opening Port Light plastic hood covers

The German flag,a picture of it flying at a mast head.


These items are now sold to a customer in Germany,which makes his country our twenty third (23) export country for sales.


New and a discontinued item,we have two only to sell,allow postage of R100 to most countries.They are part number 70120000 and made to suit a port with a 12" (305mm) opening,the clear opening is 13 1/4" (330mm).

The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta,action photo

A nice sailing boat photograph

This photo was taken exactly three years ago by myself on a fine summers day in Hout Bay,the camera was my Sony Cyber-Shot 5.1 mega pixel on a jpeg setting,its lowest possible.You can see the lazy foredeck crew but can you see her Jack-Russell dog?

Roy

Flat Holm Island in Wales

Farm House and later hotel,now again it seems.

Flat Holm Farm House Records show that monks from St Augustine's Abbey in Bristol established a dairy farm and grange on the island after Flat Holm was granted to them by Robert, Earl of Gloucester in 1150.[29] Dr Thomas Turner, who was stranded on Flat Holm during a visit in 1815, passed the time by exploring the island. He noted that the tax-exempt abbey farm was prospering and counted "seven cows, two bulls, five sheep, one horse, two pigs and two dogs".[5] The 1881 census record for Flat Holm shows that the farmhouse was later occupied by Henry and Emily Morgan, their four sons and four daughters, a governess (Henry's niece) and Emma Craddock, a 14-year-old servant.[30] In 1897 the farmhouse was converted into The Flat Holm Hotel, and a bar and skittle alley were added, but the hotel closed after a few years.[9] The farmhouse has been renovated by the Flat Holm Project and is now used as accommodation for visitors staying on the island.



The men of the Flatholme Hotel,note the name spelling change.


Image taken by Hebburns James Goring


Continuing a religious connection with Wales and Ireland,with the Church of St Tanwg not so far north,in the parish of Llanbedr with Llandanwg,
we now have a Nordic connection as well it seems but none religious?


History

Flat Holm is part of the Parish of St.Mary's in Cardiff and inextricably linked to Cardiff's history.

The axe head found on the island is believed be from the late Bronze Age, 900 to 700 BC. In the absence of any other archaeological evidence it is not known if the island was settled at that time. The Anglo-Saxons called the island "Bradanreolice", and Steep Holm "Steopanreolice" confirming the religious associations of the islands, as 'reolice' derives from an Irish word meaning churchyard or graveyard.

The earliest known visitor to Flat Holm was St. Cadoc. He made frequent visits to the island in the late 6th century for periods of tranquil meditation, especially during Lent. Gildas, Barruc and Gwalches, all disciples of St. Cadoc, are known to have visited Flat Holm. Gwalches and Barruc were returning from Flat Holm, where they had been sent by St. Cadoc to retrieve a book forgotten on a previous visit, when the boat overturned and they were drowned. Barruc's body was washed ashore and interred on Barry Island, whilst the body of Gwalches was carried to the Island of Echni, and buried there.

In the year 918, following their defeat by the Saxons at Watchet, Danish invaders took refuge on the islands of Steopanreolice and Bradanreolice, though for how long is uncertain. From the Anglo Saxon Chronicle:

"918-In this year a great naval force came over here from the south of Brittany, and two earls, Ohter and Hroald with them. And they went west round the coast so that they arrived at the Severn estuary and ravaged in Wales everywhere along the coast, where it suited them... Yet they stole inland by night on two occasions - on the one occasion east of Watchet, on the other occasion at Porlock. Then on both occasions they were attacked, so that few of them got away - only those who could swim out to the ships. And then they remained out on the island of Flatholme until they became very short of food and many men had died of hunger because they could not obtain any food. Then they went from there to Dyfed, and from there to Ireland; and this was in the autumn."

Another entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states:

"1067-And Gytha, Harold's mother, and many distinguished men's wives with her, went out to Flatholme and stayed there for some time and so went from there overseas to St. Omer."

The name of Holm or Holme derives from the Scandinavian for river island and although the Danes may not have stayed on either island for long they certainly used both Flat Holm and Steep Holm as navigational aids during attacks along the Severn estuary

The battleship HMS Victoria,sunk in Lebanon,the pictures

HMS Victoria, Memorial
Posted by James Goring on 2/3/2009, 3:44 pm, in reply to "Re: HMS Camperdown"

This is a Memorial to the crew killed in the disaster, in Victoria Park Portsmouth, it was
originally erected in the towns main square but at the request of survivers was moved to the park
in 1903 were it would be better protected. an
actual photo of the moment HMS Victoria took her
death plunge exists.




An artists impression of the ship size against Nelsons Column.


Crewmen and sailors jump over the side as the ship starts to sink,it sank very quickly.

THE wreck of HMS Victoria, once the flagship of the Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet, has been discovered off the coast of Lebanon, 111 years after being rammed by another British warship during manoeuvres and sinking with the loss of 358 lives.
The disaster was the largest peacetime loss of life in the history of the Royal Navy.

And in an extraordinary fluke, the wreck, lying in more than 350 ft of water off the coast of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, is in a vertical position, with about a quarter of her length buried in the sea floor. It is thought to be the only known shipwreck in the world in a 90-degree position.

HMS Victoria was discovered last week by Christian Francis, a Lebanese-Austrian diver who has been searching for the wreck since 1994 and teamed up with Mark Ellyatt, a British deep-diving champion, in March.

They found the ship’s general location with the help of fishermen’s tales about an area off the coast rich in fish, indicating the possibility of a wreck. On August 22, Mr Francis and Mr Ellyat explored the spot, following a rope toward the sea floor.

“I saw a huge shadow off to the left between us and the setting sun,” Mr Francis told The Times. “We couldn’t imagine what it was and swam over to see.” To their astonishment, the two divers discovered HMS Victoria resting in her vertical position. “We are both experienced divers, but we were completely and totally speechless and amazed at what we saw,” he said.


HMS Victoria was considered, in her day, one of the most successful designs of Barnaby's tenure as Director of Naval Construction (DNC). The derivation of her design is from Hero, Conqueror and other harbor-defense ironclads of the 1870s and 80s: the theory was that the ship would only be attacking as a ram, using her guns for forward fire as she swooped in on her prey, so no guns were provided facing astern. This design had three drawbacks. One, that the vessel was not a full fighting ship without guns all round; two, that the concentrated armament could all be knocked out by a single hit; and three, that no major fighting ship won a battle by ramming after 1879: gunnery, not collision tactics, was the deadliest weapon (though torpedo and mine came close behind).

Destined to be the flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Victoria was a very low-freeboard vessel with her single turret of 16.25" guns -- the largest in the British fleet at the time -- sited forward, almost amidships as measured fore and aft, and 5 feet lower to the sea's surface than in Collingwood. A sole 10" gun was added almost as an afterthought to cover the ship's rear. The barrel is visible in the illustration at top, pointing aft above the aftermost (swung out) small boat. The main guns were in a robustly armored turret, but the 10-incher had only a thin splinter shield to protect the crew: protection of very dubious value in combat. Victoria and her sister ship, Sans Pareil (shown at left ready for launch), carried a 16-18" Harvey armor belt, with 17" armor plate on the turret. They were the first British battleships to rely on triple expansion engines. Side-by-side inverted vertical engines shafted to twin 2-bladed screws gave them a speed of 16 knots, with ~17 knots attained on trials under forced draft.


The wreck of the Victoria as she stands (literaly) today,amazing!




This was an accident that killed hundreds of men,rammed by another british warship,it should just never of happened,I think I read that the front guns and turrets weighed a massive 110 tons,it was that weight that took her down as fast as she did.


Amazingly, the wreck of the Victoria was discovered in 2004 in the waters off Tripoli. 111 years after the sinking, the aftermost third of the hull projects vertically over the sea bed, with the intact propellers and 10" gun still pointing skywards. Apparently the great weight of the 16" turret pulled her down like a stone, and her ram bow buried itself in the muddy bottom. This lethal leviathan and its dead thus were fused inseparably with the watery portion of the earth: full fathom five.

The real meaning of S.H.I.T ,more trivia for you

We have all been in it at some time or other and as they say its just the depth that varies,this is what it really means.

The Meaning of S.H.I.T.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, before the invention of commercial fertilizer, everything had to be transported by ship. Therefore, large shipments of manure were common. It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas.

As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening. After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T," which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I. I always thought it was a golf term.

Building our Argie 10 boat kit,some pictures

Nigel using his large format CNC machine to cut the next Argie 10 kit set panels.







This is one of Dudley Dixes most popular designs,its simple to make and maximises the size ofboat that can be cut from just three sheets of 6mm (1/4") marine plys (five ply) it is both strong,light but its also spacious too.

And even more trivia,Once in a Blue Moon,its meaning?

Was this flying over Hout Bay last night?

This came to mind early this morning,I could hear the buzz of a mosquito,terrible little monsters that they are,this one was flying around my pillow,swat! got it? maybe but then there it was again.We are lucky I thought to myself to only get them in Hout Bay Once in a Blue Moon,whats that mean?

Once in a Blue Moon ... is a common way of saying not very often, but what exactly is a Blue Moon?
According to the popular definition, it is the second Full Moon to occur in a single calendar month.

The average interval between Full Moons is about 29.5 days, whilst the length of an average month is roughly 30.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two Full Moons, though it does sometimes happen.

On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century, so you could say that once in a Blue Moon actually means once every two-and-a-half years.

Nice! Roy

Even more trivia,the meaning of Two Bits?

Buying,That will be two bits please sir.


Pieces of eight came from one single coin.


Local single hander yachtsman,Justin,asks what the term Two Bits means,was it those large mooring bollards we see on the dock side with large Dolly Parton things projections,well I found this for now.

Roy

Word Origins:
Where did the Term "Two Bits" Come From?
During the colonial days, people used coins from all over the world. The most commonly used coin was the Spanish milled dollar. When our nation adopted an official currency, the Spanish Milled Dollar was chosen, and it later became the model for American silver dollars.

"That will be two bits, sir."
The Spanish milled dollars were easily cut apart into equal "bits" of 8 pieces. One "bit" would be equal to 1/8 of a dollar, and 2 bits would equal 2/8 (or 1/4 - a quarter of a dollar). So, it is easy to see why the coins were called "pieces of eight", and "2 bits" was commonly used to refer to 25 cents.

Assignment: Get your copy of The Desert Trail or The Hi Desert Star. Find some ads for common items. Select 10 items, and create a new ad using prices in "pieces of eight". For example, bananas at 49 cents a pound would be 4 bits a pound. (You will need to round!).

Click below to go back to Word Origins

http://www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_tpes/twobits.html

And a marine Blue Bottle with a sting in its tail

Blue Bottle Jellyfish (Portuguese Man of War) (Physalia utriculus)

The Blue Bottle Jellyfish.

In Australia and New Zealand, this jellyfish is known as the blue bottle, due to its colour and shape when strewn on a beach. Elsewhere in the world it is known as the "Portuguese Man o War" as it is said to look like a Portuguese battleship with a sail.

This jellyfish is actually made up of zooids. The blue bottle is not a single organism, but made up of a number of zooids. Each zooid has a specific role and together they function as if it were an animal. For example a number of zooids will make up the stinging tentacles, others will make up the feeding tentacles, etcetera.

The blue bottle feeds on small fish and other small ocean creatures. They envelope their prey with their tentacles, where a poison is released thus paralysing its prey before being consumed. The tentacles adhere extremely well to their prey. If a tentacle is put under the microscope you will see that it looks like a long string of barbed hooks, which explains the ability of the tentacle to attach.

If a tentacle attaches itself to a human, it releases a poison (through the use of nematocysts), and if you continue to rub the skin after the tentacle has been removed more poison or venom will be released. If you are stung, it is best to wash the area without touching. A cold pack should be used to relieve the pain. If stung, please consult a doctor immediately. No fatalities have ever been reported within Australia or New Zealand from the sting of a blue bottle.

The blue bottles colour can range from a blue to a pink hue, with a transluscent body. The float or body of the blue bottle measures between 3 to 15 cms. The tentacles can range in length from 15 cms up to 10 metres!.

Did you know? The blue bottles tentacles can range up to 10 metres in length!

Even more trivia,The Bitter End?

The Bitter End Club

Bleecker Street between LaGuardia Place and Thompson Street ,New Yorks longest running rock club.

When Dylan began hanging out in the Village again, in the summer of 1975, he played here with Patti Smith, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Bobby Neuwirth, before embarking on the Rolling Thunder Revue.

Or:

The bitter end
Meaning

To the limit of one's efforts - to the last extremity.

Origin

Bitter has been an adjective meaning acrid or sour tasting since the year 725 AD at least. The word was in common use in the Middle Ages and Shakespeare uses it numerous times in his plays and poems, as do many other dramatists. The phrase 'the bitter end' would seem, fairly obviously, to come directly from that meaning.

But not so fast. Enter, stage left, Captain Smith. Here's what he has to say, in his publication Seaman's Grammar, 1627, which is the earliest citation of the phrase in print:

"A Bitter is but the turne of a Cable about the Bits, and veare it out by little and little. And the Bitters end is that part of the Cable doth stay within boord."

As you might have deduced, a bitt is a post fastened in the deck of a ship, for fastening cables and ropes. When a rope is played out to the bitter end, it means there is no more rope to be used.

But again, not so fast. Folk etymologists are those who say something is true with no more justification than that they would like it to be true. They are thickest on the ground in the area of military and especially naval attributions. People seem to love a sailor's yarn, and anything with a whiff of the sea is seized on with enthusiasm. So much so that more thoughtful etymologists have dreamed up the inventive acronym CANOE - the Committee to Ascribe a Naval Origin to Everything.

So, is this one from CANOE or not? We like to be definitive and, although the naval origin does seem to have a good case, it isn't conclusive. This time we'll sit on the fence and let you decide.

More trivia,Back to the drawing board?

Back to the drawing board
Meaning

Start again on a new design - after a failure of an earlier attempt.

Origin

This term is been used since WWII as a jocular acceptance that a design has failed and that a new one is needed. It gained common currency quite quickly and began appearing in US newspapers by 1947, as here in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Washington, December 1947:

"Grid injuries for the season now closing suggest anew that nature get back to the drawing board, as the human knee is not only nothing to look at but also a piece of bum engineering."

It was well-enough known by 1966 for it to be used as a title for an episode in the 'Get Smart' TV series, and has also been used as the title of several books.

A drawing board is, of course, an architect's or draughtsman's table, used for the preparation of designs or blueprints.

The phrase originated as the caption to a cartoon produced by Peter Arno (Curtis Arnoux Peters, Jr.), for the New Yorker magazine, in 1941. The cartoon shows various military men and ground crew racing toward a crashed plane, and a designer, with a roll of plans under his arm, walking away saying, "Well, back to the old drawing board".



Copyright © Gary Martin, 1996 - 2009