showing willing

Yesterday, when John popped in, I was in my overalls and he asked if I was working in the workshop and I said no, just showing willing. I wore them all day and never got down there.

sigh

crisis of confidence

Personally, I am having a bit of a crisis of confidence. What with the Venice trip, a several-week bout of what the docs dismiss as the 100 day bug (which implies that you must just put up with it) and work, I have got nothing done for nearly a month out of my rather pressing restoration timetable. It is beginning to feel like this has been going on for ages and that I will never finish. Of course, I am no quitter, but I am anxious. The trouble is that this is a big project and my first, and worse still, I am learning everything on the job.

I need my mate John to come round and give me a boost. Sometimes he will come round and I will be telling him what I plan for the next bit and he will say, "Well let's try that" and within an hour or so we'll be well into it, when I might otherwise have been just standing around looking at it; I seem to do a hell of a lot of looking at it.

a restorers' co-operative

Had a phonecall at lunchtime today from Brian to say that he has access to a truck today and could he go to the Goat Lady's farm to collect the roof-rack. Gave him the details, then rang Ted, the landowner, and confirmed it all with him. He made a pretense of being cross because it is a useful thing to tie his donkeys to.

The roof-rack is the most save-able bit of the van and it is good to know that it is going to a good home. I had blogged that I was going to visit Brian, but that was cancelled when I injured my back, so we haven't actually met yet, but he is a good chap, a friend of Truman's. The reason I wanted to write today was that his call got me thinking that what we have as a small group of like-minded people is far more valuable than any owner's club. Brian was asking if he should join and that was what got me thinking.

Like I told Ted, his generosity in giving me free access to the old lady's van had started a pattern. I was able to give Truman some bits he needed and he has given me a lot in return. Brian has been very helpful to Truman and in turn Truman had asked if Brian, who very kindly brought some springs up from Truman, could have the roof-rack that he and I had rescued. Money does not change hands. I have lost count of the many transactions which, if they had involved money, could easily have been very expensive. Truman is very generous - glad to have the opportunity to say a big thank-you to him here.

What we have is, in fact, a co-operative. It has come about rather naturally and it is one of the splendid things about the whole project (yes, I know splendid sounds old-fashioned, but sometimes the old things are the best.....not least of all for restorers of old things).

Rants about insurance have moved

Blogging here about my insurance situation certainly got things moving but it brought a negative air to a blog which is meant to celebrate J Types, and in particular the positive progress on my Austin 101, so I have started another blog of insurance rants and moved all the relevant postings from here to there.

Anyway.....back to the shed

So anyway, back to the workshop for me this Saturday to do some more welding and then on Sunday I am visiting a chap who lives 40 miles away who has a J type and who brought a pair of leafsprings up for me from Truman's on his last visit. My girlfriend is coming too because she has never seen a complete J before. I am that rare kind of man whose lover is 100% supportive of his hobby. I am off to bed now with a smile on my face for that.