The Life of Vaughan

Car washing time...

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:34:00 +0000

Time to give the old girl (my GT4) a wash. It was raining heavily when I first went out to start on it so thought I'd give it a few minutes... I'm pretty sick of being out in the rain for now, as you might by now be aware lol

Sun came out nicely, then the wind started ... doh :-)

So, got on with it and did the job...

(if you wondering why it looks like you looking through a tube, I have a protective cover over the camera lens to protect it from the weather, you can just see the edge of it in the corners)

The time lapse of me being a car wash boy...
Nope - it doesn't go on for ever .... I don't think?

Job done :-) Ready to wash the motorcycle now... NOT!

A little 'grumble' post...

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:26:00 +0000

Well, it has been AGES since my last post so I have to get something up now... quick.

So here's a grumble post for today ;-) Hey, it's better than nothing so just accept it and read... lol

I have a few things on ebay for sale, stuff that has been sitting in the spare room for ages so I thot, time to get them moved on... So plan today was to meet a bloke half way from his place on the motorway. Sale was for some 6x9 speakers I have had for a few years and have no need for them now.

Well; What a day to sort it out! Got up round 8ish (which is fine), to get myself and bike sorted (decided to take the bike cause traffic at that time is not so good at all), it was and still is raining! But never mind, I got all the waterproof gear and a bit of rain is 10 times better that sitting in traffic (for me anyway...)

So all set up, Speakers and box wrapped up in 4 black bin bags and strapped to pillion seat. Off we go, happy days. Still raining but hey ho... Plan was to meet him at Junction 11 on the M62 motorway (about 15 miles from me - but a lot more further for the buyer so not to worry) at around 10am. So got there at 10 and after waiting there 'til 10.15 gave him a call to see if everything was ok.

He was waiting at J11 already? Ok, 'Housten, we have a problem'! To be sure I hadn't missed him I had a good look around, its not a big area, and saw no one. Asked him to confirm he was on the M62 motorway and he was sure he was. Anyway, after a lot of messing around, me riding up and down to check the other junctions (10 and 12) incase he was at one of them, bear in mind it's STILL &$^£(@£& raining and I'm getting cold, hands are now soaked from water running down my jacket sleeves into gloves and visibility is bad from all the spray from the traffic (but it's still better than sitting in slow traffic - although a car interior seems a mighty fine place to be right about now... Hmmm, music, heating, windscreen wipers ;-)

To cut a long story short, and after me riding all over the place, I call him back and ask him to definitely confirm that he is on the M62 motorway and not one of the others nearby - he realizes he IS on the wrong motorway!! My goodness, where do they come from these people...

Whatever happened to natural selection?... lol

Anyway, transaction went fine in the end, Im home now, coffee down my throat, riding gear dripping away in the kitchen (onto newspapers so the floor doesn't get soaked, see, house trained me... ;-) and bike drying off outside - protected from the rain by the side of the house.

What a miserable few hours I have just had, and to top it off I was recovering from my mild cold and sore throat, am waiting to get pneumonia now!!! Not just any pneumonia but the deadly MAN pneumonia (the tough strain that women don't get cause they can't take it... lol)

Well, gonna make myself another cuppa tea, then might think about a bit of lunch to get my energy up ready for the above attack to come on ;-)

Been a good morning otherwise...

How your day been so far?

Dulux Wars - Paint Balling: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:51:00 +0000

A few weeks ago - or a month, whose counting... :-) I went paint balling with a mate and his work buddies. There was about 15 - 20 in our group and a few other large groups. All in must have been about 60 of us there. A good sized group for an interesting day of paint and pain... Hooah lol

Below: us signing our life away after being issue with our 'combat gear'. The forms the usual; if you die don't come looking for us kinda thing - most of us put random names and such on it - why not eh, it's only paint. Not like a lion or rhino gonna come charging in and drag/trample one of us... Would have been interesting tho - one yellow and pink rhino coming up lol
Dave's the bloke at the back with the white trainers - urban camo ;-)

Dave giving the familiar war salute... Depends where you come from. Iish comrade lol

Part of the ragged bunch. Dave and I were on the RED team, so we infiltrated into this photo - part of our deep insurgency training you know... Dave is so good you can't actually see him in this pic - he's blended into the shadows behind the bloke on the right (Pssst - I'll make you famous... :-) If you look real careful you can just make out his 'urban' trainers...

Ok, this was the gents 'urinal'. Quite good actual considering we were in the middle of nowhere (for England we were totally cut off from civilization - about 10 miles from the nearest tarred road)!! Wow - Isolated huh! Notice how the walls are even camo'd out.

Well, you p*ss into the tray and the theory is that it runs along to the outlet, down a pipe and into a hole in the ground - except that the tray leaked all alone the seams hahaha. So just let rip on the floor - same thing?! Watch them boots soldier!

Below Dave 'zeroing' in his rifle, serious stuff this Dulux Wars!

Me doing the same - this was actually near the end. I was getting rid of the last 5 rounds I had. Notice the yellow 'hit' on my shoulder above my subdued water bottle? One of the less painful ones...

Part of RED team, during a break between wars. Dave on right, some of his work buddies with him.

Part 2 will be the battle stories and results... So stay tuned in for more...

Building a Cabin - In the middle of nowhere

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:07:00 +0000

Working for my Dad, while he was in the logging business, I stayed out in the 'bush' to manage the operations, keep the equipments maintained and working and generally dealing with any urgent problems that may have cropped up.

(excuse the damaged fender-I got mad with the pickup.Think I was an angry lad?)

Because I was out there for long periods of time, It was worth building a 'temporary house' to be comfortable in. This is one of those houses I made for myself whilst in the area behind the Matusadona Mountains. The wood I used was all cutoffs from the trees we were cutting and planking.

Perimeter fence done and the 'rain-boards' up, to stop rain-rivers running thru the cabin...
My assistant trying to move a little tree out the way! I asked him to move it the other side of the boards but he didn't seem to be paying much attention...? lol

Coming along well now, Got running shower, toilet (you can just see it to the left of the water drum-with proper house flush system and all - my throne!!! lol) and another water take off to my sink area on the left of the cabin (follow the hose along the roof of the building)

Using nails, screws, hammers and axes (this one belonged to an axe) it was a matter of when rather than what-if.... no stitches needed - thank goodness (Rambo was miles away with his sewing kit!)

Mostly done now - I made up a pulley system so I could close the 'wind-gap' above the blue tarpaulin by pulling a rope down and securing it - useful if it rained (I was there thru the rainy season). Here you can see my kitchen area on the left.

Inside my little cabin - not much to say except: I wish all houses could be wood...
Need an extra hanging point - nail, hammer, job done... :~)
Yep, calender says 1997...

Trying to take a pic of my little guy, found him on the side of one of the bush roads, lying in a little stream caused by the rain (it was still raining) - he was soaked and I doubt if he woulda lived thru the night. I had a good look round the area for 'mommy cat' spoor but nothing. Think he was abandoned so I took him in - thats for another story tho... (I musta had him for about a month or two at least when I took this pic)

Once the main shelter up - onto the recreational buildings...
Click on the photo to enlarge it (if you didn't know?) and you can see me building my night club to the rear left of my 'bullet stop' (just joking - no, really...lol)

Once we finished in an area we left it as we found it (as much as we could) Soooo, away goes my cabin, and start over in the new area...
I did need a hair cut, but it also kept the sun off my neck so was convenient ... hmmm.
Plus the fact I was out here most of my time - who cared right... lol

It burned for a long time!! I stayed til it burnt out - think I just ended up spending the night it took so long. (Gotta be sure not to start any bush fires)

When just moving into a new area and before building, I'd first make a temporary shelter. Such as the one below... Get an idea of the prevailing winds, arch of the sun, the smells of the area, any game movements then get stuck in and build.
Notice my assistant - almost grown up and still a slacker! Sitting on the job... lol
Black drum contained water - I ALWAYS took too much, not very nice when you run out, let me tell you that...

My 'bedroom'. Man, to think I thot nothing of living like this for a week or two...
Gundwani used to catch rats and mice and come eat them in the middle of the night RIGHT by my ear! Seriously!! I could feel his body against mine as he ate them, crunch, crunch, crunch!!! Why do they do that... lol

Hill Exploration - Driving off the Makuti-Kariba Road (why not??)

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Driving a pickup off the side of a hill is not recommended, even if you are very lucky to suffer virtually no major damage to your vehicle, the inconvenience... well, let me tell you a story that happened to yours truly and his Ford Cortina 3.o ltr V6 (no brandy & coke included lol)

The location: (Thank you Mr. Google maps man for letting me use these maps-hope I'm not gonna get into trouble for that?...)
Roughly halfway between Makuti and Kariba (driving home after a weekend away)

Time: Early Evening

Road Conditions: Damp, you know the dampness I mean. Just after a very light drizzle, enough to wet the road but not enough to wash the oil and grime away. Nightmare for biking, but oh so good for 'playing' in a powerful pickup with no weight in the back... ala Drift King style (I need more lessons tho, as you will soon see... lol)

Looking at this map, the drop doesn't seem that great, but it was a 'few' feet to the bottom of the hill. I know cause I almost fell out of my 'Big Red' to the bottom (Question: why do guys name their cars?)

Pic from where I went off, very fortunate there wasn't any oncoming traffic at this moment.. I know it was a silly thing to be doing. Even if that road was VERY quiet in the evenings...

Well, for most of the trip I had been power sliding the 'Red out of most of the bends, doing fine but this one left hander was super slippery! I was looking at the cliff wall directly in front of me, you know the one - you looking where you going through the side window...!
Well, full lock on, gas off, thinking 'is this one gonna come right, hmmmm**, its not looking so good...!!' **Substitute any good alternative word here!

By now we're in the ditch on the cliff side of the hill and I'm bracing for impact into the cliff wall when, snap!! I'm sliding the other way, looking thru the passenger window! Rear wheels sliding in the ditch, fronts on the road. Before I could get full lock on the other direction I'm sliding backwards. Brakes full on now, looking out the passenger rear mirror watching the drop closing on me FAST (amazing the time you have to think about all this when it's all happening in split seconds!) 'I'm not going to stop this one' was the last thot thru my mind, before trying to wedge myself down by forcing my arms straight against the steering wheel and wedging my legs hard against the floor board. Then I don't remember going off the edge...
I had stopped half way down the drop, wedged in the soil and loose boulders. I was looking round, up, down, straight in front of me trying to figure out how on earth I had come to face the direction I was - I definitely went off backwards, now facing forwards? Good!! The front wheels were full lock left still (from trying to get it corrected out of the ditch) and they had wedged into the soil or I probably woulda gone straight to the bottom. 'How did I not roll, man, glad I never - woulda totally wrecked my spot lights!'
'Ok this is ok, its good, check body, arms good sore but good; legs, feet wedged between pedal-please be ok, I gotta walk outta this... yep, good. Head, body - check, cool. Lets get out this mess'.

Door open, and it fell straight open. 'Ok, hold tight, its quite a drop out of 'Red.' Undo seat belt, wwhhooooaaaaaa, out I slid, had to grab the 'B'-pillar to stop rolling all the way down. I remember thinking 'I'm gonna pull the pickup down on me!' Nope, wedged solid.
I man-handled my toolbox and overnight bag up to the roadside. Then started thinking, how am I gonna get back to Kariba? Wasn't worried too much about 'Red. He wasn't going anywhere... Put the torn up grass back where it had come from to cover where 'he' had slid off.
I wasn't too worried about staying the night out either, had a few snax and always travelled with my .357 Revolver. Might even do a bit of Hyena hunting while here - I absolutely HATE them...
I was pretty angry to be in this situation tho and remember letting a round off, as you do. Still had 11 left so no worries, replaced the empty cartridge when, who should come round the Kariba side corner but... Rolf!! (He was training me to get my Pro Guides License! Was my boss at the time...) Out on a 'sun-downer' drive. I put the fire arm away as he pulled up.

'Vaughan, what you doing in the middle of nowhere?!? You p*ss someone off and they told you to get out their car?!' Hahaha (I used to hitch rides sometimes)..
So explained what happened, cracked open a cold one from his cool box and we enjoyed the sunset...
Wasn't that pretty that night - maybe I just wasn't in the mood? ;-)
Then back to Kariba for a good nights sleep.
The next day 'Operation: Save Big Red' begun... We had to pull him up a little at a time, wedge him fast, let the traffic pass, then start again. Took a while but got him up without too much hassle. Here you can see the corner I came sliding round and the ditch at the base of the cliff face I was sliding in before being shot across the road...
The sign used for locating 'Red. Someone had conveniently put a bullet hole in it?! Looked just like a .357 round too. Wow, wonder who else has one around here ;-)...

Started him up and drove him back, needed to replace a few rubber bushes but otherwise he was good to go... Tough thing. And a decent day out in the sun...

A Joke For The Mechanic's Amoungst Us...

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Subject: Tool Definition

I have more than a passing familiarity with common precision tools. When I got the information below, I immediately recognized it as being amazingly accurate.

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted fender which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and
hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, Oh sh*t.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any possible future use.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out
Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are attempting to hit.

MECHANICS KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines , refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts .. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling DAMMIT at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

An afternoon biking - in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:31:00 +0000

An Afternoon Ride out to Delemere Forest (a little woodland 30-40 minutes from where I live, a nice place to go to chill and be quiet for a couple hours):

Well, my first stop:

An OLD rail bridge, still in use but to me just seems to hold sooo much history, very imposing and solid.

Then onwards to my next scenic find

A little canal about a mile further on from the 'ancient' railway bridge (yea, excuse the 'helmet' hair - bikers will understand ;-)

Pic of me and my steed just on the slipway that leads into the canal (I didnt wanna get too close to the water - bike doesnt need a wash just yet....you cant trust em brakes you know!!!)

A random lamb all on its own across the canal?? Whats that all about? Poor thing...Wont go hungry with all that food at least...

Onwards with the day, a random farmers field overlooking a beautiful view (for where I live anyway :-?) Those 8 huge chimneys are part of a power generating plant. So scenic huh lmao...

I actually got told off for being in this field, trespassing and all... Well, ended up having a 10 minute conversation with the farmer about 4x4 drivers being idiots and tearing up his fields... So I thot I'd mention how I LOVE ragging Moto-X bikes and Off-Roaders round fields just like this one, especially when muddy... NOT!!!! lol He had 2 large dogs with him too - no, really, one was a Rotty, the other... dont know if they allowed to make dogs like he was, not very environmentally friendly i don't think! :-0

Boy, was I nice and polite to him ;-) Was a decent bloke actually. Started telling me the history of his farm then... lol

But it was quite a view though

Next stop some random field near the road that I quite liked... Dont ask lol

Another shot without the roadside litter... hmmmm?

Yep, I was there

My final destination, Delemere Forest. Like it here, makes me feel 'safe' for some reason? All those trees perhaps? With nothing dodgy hiding in them...

Yep, feeling very safe lol

Lotsa dead cut branches, hmmmm, Im not alone here.........

If I hide here for a while I might see a squirrel or some form of wild life???

The dam/lagoon below where I parked, are those crocs down there. Im outta here, hungry now anyway!!

Good old Walkers, Smokey Bacon; mmmm, breakfasts up

Washed down by good old Scots Energy Drink; Iron Brew (well, I reckon its Scottish lol)

Time I got off home any way, getting cold now :-( Had fun though.

See you on my next outing, wont have long to wait :-)

Cheers

The Reason For the Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:56:00 +0000

The reason for me starting this blog is for my family and friends to have an idea of what I get up to, have been up to and what I intend to get up too.

A very dear friend of mine has a few really good blog sites going and, while talking about them suggested I get one up and running. So, with her help, here we go… :-)

Plus, as a motivating kick in the ass, the wife of another best mate emailed me saying, and I quote, ‘Vaughan, you are a sh*t friend, when you going to get in touch!’ (Or something very close to those lines) Seriously – that is how bad I am lol

Well Tinks ;-) Here we go… You get the credit for giving me the incentive to get this started…

And Tirzah, a very, very big thanks for all the help you have given me to start this up…

Cheers x

BUT: I don’t just want this to be a one-way thing. If any of you have any ideas, comments and suggestions or just plainly think something is crap, get involved. It’ll be much appreciated… Unless the latter, then some people may be stopping in to give you a ‘friendly’ visit…So any bad or crappy comments, please include your home address… lol ;-)

This is not going to be in any chronological order either, I could update with something from today, 25 years ago (wow!), 5 years ago or something for tomorrow but not posted yet?! Hmmm… Like a box of chocolates, eh. You don’t know what you’re going to get next… (to quote something from somewhere…) Yea, I know where its from… Doesn’t everyone…

Well, I guess it really has begun now...

noreply@blogger.com (Vaughan) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:25:00 +0000

It has begun....