Spring in Maghull,England

It always amazed me how these bulb flowers can survive even the harshest of winter but still pop up when Spring arrives.

These were to be found all around Maghull,many just seem to grow wild.

Where is Cape Town?

Where indeed,lets face it the name Cape Town is an odd one,we are used to it but the first time I heard it I did wonder about it and why it was named so,its not a name one would forget,unless you also have to ask where in South Africa?

I was in my home town named Maghull,it was once a village but urban creep from greater Merseyside,or Liverpool to give it its proper name soon spread further and further and while once I was thought a little strange not to have a proper scouse accent,I was nick named Maghull at work in Liverpools Dryden Street factory at Tysons,a large building contractors,I now find that everyone in Maghull speaks with a very broad Scouse accent,such is progress!

My trip to the UK was to see my elderly mother who is now in a very good care home named the James Page House,the place is spotless and the grounds large and well run,my mother is well thought of and gets really good attention,this includes food of course and was an issue I had also to address.

Hake and Chips for one.

We still have the family house and thats where I stayed,a trip to Morrisons supermarket saw me stock up with the basics,bread,butter,cheese,coffee,milk and some easy to prepare pitza's,which where a lesson on what not to spend my money on,if it was not for the garnish of nice mushrooms I cooked in butter they would have been a disaster but we learn.

Then there was the local shop The Chippy,its in Dover Road and on my way home,day one saw me call in and order a portion offish and chips,at four pounds,it was a great buy and was more than I could eat in one go,each order is cooked for you while you wait,so its really fresh.The Chippy was to see me twice more and saved the day as far as eating was concerned.

Why the name of this blog,Where is Cape Town? on my last visit and while waiting for my order to be wrapped,I got talking to a girl standing next to me,she was mid twenties or so,I told her that I had once lived in Maghull but had emigrated to Cape Town long ago,where is Cape Town was her reply!

A new support vessel arrives in Hout Bay

I was away one week,a week to long,catching up took me two weeks,I am back on top I think and the blog stuff can restart.

This 30 meter alloy boat has three Catapillar engines and can do 30 knots but uses around 700 litres of fuel at that speed,she is on a delivery trip and will cruise at one third of maximum I was told.

Just in from Simonstown,the captain and one bridge officer are friends of mine,I told them I would be taking pictures of her arrival,thanks for the nice show guys!

The speed so close to the harbour is misleading,the Canon G11 was on part tele lens,bringing the subject closer to the eye,when she entered the harbour there was minimum wake.

Just check how little wake is behind this boat,not much that I saw.

Hout Bay Harbour entrance approach and slowing down.

They went to a fuel dock for the night,thanks for the arrival,its good to see such new craft being built in Cape Town.

An old Grosvenor wrist watch

On my recent trip back to Merseyside, UK, I was packing family gear and came across an old gold wrist watch, it had been my late fathers and while I had seen it in the past it had slipped my mind, for some strange reason my Seiko stopped working the evening I arrived, was this some hidden force at work?

My dad had a number of watches, two self winding,both broke and two electric, neither worked (one did later with a new battery) right then this left me just one option,the rather nice Grosvenor watch,its is a wind up type with a 15 jewel Swiss movement, will it wind up and will it work?

This is a similar watch that I found on the web, note the small crack on the side of the casing. The entire front case and plastic face is side hinged and opens away from the winder crown.

The answer was yes and its still on my wrist right now, it keeps very good time and I am pleased to wear it,what was its history? asking my mother she informed me it was a 21st birthday present to my father and from his mother. This gives me a start line on its age of some 72 years, that's assuming it was new when my gran bought it?

Note the styling, its really well done, the strap has to be hand sewn, as the cross bar is a part of the actual watch main body.

My father was born in August 1918  and the year of my dads 21st birthday will have been in 1939, which as I say makes his watch at least 72 years old now, excepting I am sure my grandmother would never of had the funds to buy him a brand new 9 carat gold watch (some say its plated) I have found evidence that they can be dated to 1928, which sounds very much more probable and takes it back to the 1930s, or some 83 years old! I have also found a very similar watch by the same maker dated 1918, or 93 years old, I need to keep looking and do hope it keeps ticking?

My fathers Grosvenor wrist watch.

 

I had thought to buy a new strap, the one on it now is serviceable but used, its also flap riveted on from the back of the leather, not to be found again I think, so the strap will remain.

 
Roy.

Note, you can find a similar style by the same maker for as little as 99 pounds sterling, or as much as 250 pounds sterling. You can also find the same watch marked Rolex, its exactly the same watch but the changed name takes the value to between 1550 pounds to as much as 2500 pounds, what's in a name I ask?

Found today,

Ref. 0040

ROLEX - ROLCO Gents Watch
Manufacturer: Rolex Watch Company, Swiss

Case: 9ct Gold

Model:

Movement: Rolex cal. 700, 15 Jewel, Swiss

Year: 1935

This lovely vintage Rolex - Rolco gents watch is cased in a 9ct Gold case and hallmarked in Glasgow in 1935. It is fitted with a Rolex calibre 700 movement and has a recessed small seconds dial.


Price £ 395.00