The 110.

Hopefully! Finally plucked up the courage to splurge nearly £300 on parts for the engine. Have now got stuck in cleaning it, finding room in my cave for it and fitting the aforementioned new bits!
Hit a bit of a stumbling block with the timing belt but other than that, I have made some progress.
I think your engine will be in before mine though!!

Hope you are well!
Rich

Romcom's & Floors
Musings Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 11, 2016 22:28:58
My youngest daughter reached the grand old age of 16 years old a couple of weeks ago and her birthday treat was to go to the pictures (that's the cinema for you young ones reading this) but due to commitments of one sort or another (all hers not ours) we didn't end up going until this morning.
Thankfully she wanted to go to the early showing of a film at 11am after having a nice relaxing brunch of course. The brunch place was called Chiquitos which indeed served rather a nice brunch but of course the embarrassing Dad part of me found a rather large sombrero to wear, which is no mean fit in a very quiet restaurant, turning on my best Mexican accent for a few minutes.


Then I got everyone else to wear it that was sat around the table...



Well it amused me for a bit anyway before we filled our bellies and headed over to the rather comfy cinema to watch my daughters choice of film...

That film was of course a romantic comedy which appeals to every woman in my household and was called...hang on I need to ask one on them...Me before you or "The saddest film on the world" I have just been informed.
Look I will be nice here from a girly point of view I am sure it was very very good but from an old dinosaur hairy arsed Dad blokes point of view it was like every other romcom I have ever seen but it was not my birthday so not my choice. The girls were happy, or sad, or happy they were sad who the hell knows but they said they enjoyed themselves up until the early afternoon when we got home.
Before we left I had to pop into the toilet and as is usual there was lots of farting sounds as all of the men present relieved themselves of what they had been holding in during whatever film torture they had been watching.
This got me to wondering whether women do this in their toilet as well? Or do they still hold it all in trying not to explode because others are present? I don't know why but I just picture women having disgusted looks on their faces if they hear any bottom burps anywhere well apart from the ones in my household that is.

Now then today I have been feeling a bit better physically so I thought I may as well pull the old Discovery down under the car port so I could strip all of the carpets etc out of it's boot so I could see the extent of the rust on the floor back there.
Turns out it was not as bad as I expected.
Deciding that it may as well be sorted now I had a good go around with the hammer then cut out the worst of the edges.


A quick dig around in the welding box I hastily threw any of the welding bits in I came across before the move a couple of months ago, out came enough metal along with a pair of cutters to shape it to size so the patch up could begin.

You see I may well need this to last another winter because I am going to go all soft and not ride at all if the weather is bad. Secondly I have every intention of having the 110 on the road before winter arrives but you know what happens with the best of intentions from time to time.
A couple of tea breaks later I realised I had been plodding along doing a bit at a time and all of the welding had been sorted.


All this work was happily completed whilst the rain was pouring down underneath my car port I do bloody love having a car port!! Anyway I had a quick stretch testing how much I hurt as well as checking the time then threw caution to the wind getting out what little of the underseal I had left and luckily found in a box a few days ago whilst pottering. Having been exposed to the odd paint brush or two of late I soon had it thrown on both the new metal and old making the whole boot area look a damn site better!


Just the front inner wings to weld up now but I will be doing that over the next couple of weeks as well as fitting a new set of front discs and pads that after finally sorting the wheel bearings out presented themselves as warped...sounds about right eh!

nickysmith.me

You can go off people ...... how do you do that good a job in a 'bit of spare time.....'? (I managed to talk my 16yo out of that film, but then its not her birthday - phew....) A

LOL it's just a few patches Anyway you will be pleased to hear that I found a lot more welding needed in the rear off side inner wing as well

As for the film that's two hours of your life you get back

Spray Paint & Suckered!
The 110 Posted by Nicky Smith Mon, June 13, 2016 18:19:37
Did you all enjoy the summer?
Yes I know it is only June but that week that we have just had was probably about it for your sunshine fix this year so dig out those jumpers and mittens because the rain has fallen for a few days now with no letting up!
It turns out the rumours were true about the weather up here in sunny Selston, when it rains it does like to rain and I can see why we have a couple of steps up into our home!
Still can't complain it has to rain sometime eh!

It was the Nottingham Land Rover Club's Committee meeting last week and I cannot for the life of recall if I mentioned that I joined up onto the committee a fair few months back. Due to work I did bugger all for the first few months but was ready to get back into the game giving a bit back to the club and it's members. With teh move etc we have not had a chance to go off roading at all or even to a meet so I really needed to get my head back into the game with it all.
So I set to getting to the meeting on time and the conversation was flowing throughout the meeting until it got to the subject of the old nottslrc website and the fact it was badly out of date.
You see it transpired that they needed someone to have a go at improving it dragging kicking and screaming into the modern day world and this is when the group got decidedly quiet. I have to admit I was writing something down at the time (doodling) so my face was planted firmly in the downward position when I realised all conversation had stopped.

You know that feeling from your nightmares when you know everyone is looking directly at you? Yep I had that. I slowly raised my face upwards and sure enough there were a group of folk looking directly at me expectantly.

"Why do I feel like this decision has already been made?" I asked.

"Well we knew you would have a stab at it seeing as you like to write all of that drivel online" Said a now ex friend with a smirk on his face.
"In fact we decided you could volunteer a while ago but you kept going to work instead of coming to the meetings" said the same friend.

"OK then it seems I don't have a great deal of choice here!" I replied laughing wondering how the hell I was going to make a half decent job of it but in all fairness I demanded "Full rein and control of it" which meant "If I bugger it up I can always say I have used some artistic licence on it" to which it was happily agreed.
I think they would of agreed to anything as long as I took the job on!

So I have had a stab at it and it's only in it's first draft so pop along and have a look then let me know what you think www.nottslrc.co.uk

What can you do to the 110 in the rain then? Well I need to get the old seat bases out as they are in the way of the new seats going in and someone wants to buy them off of me which puts a few coffers back into the rebuild pot.


I was about halfway there when the heavens opened and as seeing as the Discovery is under the car port awaiting more welding I decided playing in the rain on the driveway wasn't much fun and headed quickly for cover.

What to do then? Well the 110's wheels were all over the place in the garage and there was no way I wanted to try and hump those around yet (still hurting and not going to push too hard) but I could get the silver spray out that my daughter picked up for them and have a quick blow over I thought.
It didn't take too long if I am honest and they do look well for it!


That done though my body told me enough was enough so I called it a day. I am looking forward to getting a bit more welding sorted on the Disco later in the week though then tackling replacing the front disc s and pads, that I did not know were warped when changing the damned wheel bearings or it all could have been done at the same time!
Hey ho them's the breaks!

nickysmith.me

Sounds like you're well on the way to recovery, painting and sheet metal working like your old self.

Selston? Just a short run up the A615 to Paddocks. That must be tempting.

Getting there slowly chap thank you

Disasters & Discs
Musings Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 18, 2016 21:34:51
I have not written a great deal this week at all as I have been taking advantage of the lighter nights to get stuck into getting the Discovery sorted before the dreaded MOT in August.
Yo do have to love the summer heading in though, after a few hours of pottering around trying to get bits sorted a mate will pop around to say hello and you sit back relaxing chatting whilst forcing yourselves to drink a beer or two in the late evening light.

That has been my week if I am honest and I love it. There has been cutting of metal then the smell of weld in the air as I managed to get the boot floor and rear wheel arches back into a solid metal state all under the protection of my little car port that has kept the rain storms that have been rolling through at bay...God I really love living in this house!

I had literally just finished welding up the rear at lunchtime when Wifey came out to inform me that our eldest daughter had had an off on her little moped on the way to work. Of course the first thing I asked was "Is she alright" to which I was informed that yes no problems there but the bike was a bit worse for wear.
"Here we go again" I thought to myself before the next line came out of
"Will you pick it up and have a look at it"
"Nope I told her to get breakdown cover...oh who am I kidding here yes where is it?"

So I grabbed a mate and we hooked up my little 5f oot by 3 foot trailer along with lots of rope and headed off to collect it. After suitably ramming it into the little trailer and applying copious amounts of rope (I am so glad I had to rope and sheet loads on trucks when I first started driving them as there it literally nothing now that fazes me when I need to secure it) we headed back home with it to check out the damage.

Turns out that it was not too bad in the end and an hours pottering about with it fabricating the odd bit for the throttle linkage saw it right and roadworthy once more.
Kids...gotta love eh. They scare you to death then you fix their cock ups...I am a Dad though and this is my job.

With that sorted and one happy daughter on her way over to collect it (no I was not going to deliver the bugger back there again as well although her Mum did pick her up to come over which gave us a chance for a good catch up) I turned my sights towards the Disco once more as I had visited Paddocks this morning and collected new discs and pads for the old thing.
To say I am a practised hand at stripping down wheel hubs now would be an understatement so I had the whole lot stripped off on one side and rebuilt in short order. There is indeed something extremely satisfying about fitting shiny new bits to my motors, it makes me feel all sort of nice inside. I suppose women feel that way about new clothes but bugger that leave me covered in oil and grease with shiny new parts fitted any day

By the time that one side was fitted the achy side of my body decided enough was enough so I called it a day.
One to note for the books though was that I took my daughters little 125cc out for a reasonable run to make sure all was well with it. Getting back onto a bike even a little one was becoming more than rather a large issue in my head so I did my usual stubborn approach to it of getting kitted up and doing what exactly what I most fear. Things should be just fine...yes it was only a 125 but within a matter of feet I was smiling like an idiot, taking my time don't get me wrong, but enjoying the ride no end.
I don't think riding my bike when I get it back will be that much of a problem after all...

Fabrications & Fannying About.
MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Sun, June 19, 2016 20:18:05
It has been a busy day to say the least. Fathers Day arrived once again along with lots of cards, chocolate and a new motorbike helmet to replace the one that got damaged in the crash.
Back to the chocolates though and lets have a quick chat about Maltesers along with the fact they seem to think that a small packet of them are excuse enough to share I mean check out the picture...


"More to share" please..more like "More for me!"

Yes I am a greedy bugger but I do like a malteser or hundred!
After popping those into the fridge to chill down a bit so I could make myself feel sick with them later on we popped out for a stroll around a car boot looking at nothing in particular but rather getting the old body back working and up to a better fitness level from my month off of enforced rest.

We were home soon enough and the old work togs were soon put back on then my focus once more turned toward the Discovery.
Last night I had managed to get one disc and it's pads changed over so I had to get the other done to make the car drive-able again.
I don't know who had last had tightened the wheel nuts up or the brake caliper bolts along with every other nut and bolt I had to touch but they must have used a six foot long breaker bar!


The old discs were definitely warped but they were soon off of the hub without me managing to wreck the brake pipes in the process. Now I had to separate the disc from the hub and by far the easiest way to do this is to pop the whole thing back into the wheel and stick a couple of the wheel nuts back on. This way you can then use the weight of the wheel to stop it all turning around because you will without fail need to use a breaker bar to get the bolts out that hold the pair of them together.


Shiny disc on and I was fitting it all back together onto the hub. A little bit of internal swearing saw the new pads fitted and it all back into place.


I jumped into the driving seat heading off for a drive for a few miles to bed in the new pads and discs enjoying the sheer luxury of not fighting a horrific steering wheel wobble every time I wanted to slow down.
There was an emergency stop or two on quieter side roads when in the all clear leaving me happier with the old Disco than I have been in quite a long time.

I knew that now the back end was welded up and the brakes sorted that there was less to do know than had been done but the eternal tin worm was in the front wheel arches so when I got home I backed the poor old boy back under the car port removing the battery again ready for some more welding up.

To be honest I didn't feel like doing what I had already been done today let alone getting stuck into a welding session so I settled for a quick brew to consider my options. I decided that nope I would not be welding at all today but I could start the prep on the drivers side so one evening later in the week I could just weld the bugger up in one go.

Of course whenever you start poking a Land Rover seeing if there any holes you will always without fail wish you had not started! Trust me here there is no point in gentle probing here just get stuck in knock all of the rust out and deal with what you have left!



As I looked at the half a dozen rather large holes I had created the idea of lots of patches seemed a bit daft as I would probably be back under it soon enough patching the patches so after a bit of hunting around the sheds I found my larger bits of metal then fabricated up a new front section for the whole wheel arch.


I didn't get around to doing much with it though and I did not get to cleaning back the old metal to get a good weld because quite frankly I had had enough for one day. The tools got packed up I headed off for a hot shower and am now sitting here with my feet up drinking a hot cup of tea...

nickysmith.me

Plates, Welding, Plates, Welding.
Musings Posted by Nicky Smith Wed, June 22, 2016 21:30:40
I make up a plate weld it into place, find another hole then start the process all over again. Seriously I have no idea how on Gods green earth this old Discovery of mine has managed to stay in one piece for the time I have owned it!
I remember checking it out when I bought it noting that it was a bit crusty in the usual areas and that there was some seriously bad welding on the chassis but it definitely was not as bad as is it now. Do you recall the picture of the nice inner wing panel I had fabricated on the last post? Well I put it up into place and was using my body hammer to shape it for a tight fit when the hammer slipped a bit to the left and promptly went through the rest of the inner wing...time for another panel to be made up then.

Honestly yesterday when I got home from work I took one look at it sitting lopsided on an axle stand under the car port and thought "Bugger that I am having an evening off of it". And what a relaxing Land Rover free evening I did have! I kicked back pottering with several other of the chores off of my ever increasing list and it made for a really pleasant change. But the rusty nail needs to be sorted out as I will not have the hire car for ever so this evening when I got home to find no one in soon recalling that Wifey had told me they would be back a little later tonight I decided to suck it up and have a stab at finishing up the off side front inner wheel arch.
After a visit yesterday afternoon to the sadistic short physio I am more than a little tender today all down my right hand side (who ever said that physio is a good thing i do not know because I hurt far more afterwards than before it) so getting comfy whilst working along with not overdoing it was on the cards.

Some serious grinding off of old underseal took place then out came the welder to get the job done which promptly ran out of wire. That changed over I started welding away to then have a bit drop back down onto my inner wrist making me jump cracking my knuckles off of the wheel arch. A few deep breathes later after the red mist had subsided from my eyes I carried on welding the inner arch up struggling initially to get a decent weld to the most unrusty bits that were left but after a little perseverance I got there.

After remembering I needed to weld up the battery tray the underseal came out for a liberal dosing so to hopefully hold off any more rot at least for a little while. The end result was pretty good though and now folks there is only one corner left to do and the old Disco should be good to party on for another winter...




nickysmith.me

Dancing, Disco's and Dog Collars.
Musings Posted by Nicky Smith Sun, June 26, 2016 21:35:01
What a weekend! Talk about busy!!
Where to start then...Saturday was our first real proper day off with nothing to do that could not wait so Wifey and I decided that enough was enough and we were going to head up into Derbyshire to have a gentle walk breaking me back into the exercise front slowly.

You know what I am exhausted so if you are reading this I will finish off the write up tomorrow evening as I can barely keep my eyes open! Enough is enough and I am off for a shower then bed...night all

Right I am back nicely rested before I hit the wonders of work of course but that for us all is a necessary evil. So where were we? Oh yes heading up into Derbyshire for a gentle walk along the Monsal Trail. We drove up to Millers something parked the car and started the gentle walk along the pretty flat pathway. I do love walking through the old train tunnels and apart from a 10 minute shower the weather was superb.
Now the old body has taken a hit but I took it steady and it didn't seem too sore so happy days (I was quite wrong because when I woke up on Sunday I knew I had been out walking in a big way). At the end of the trail we headed down to the riverside to admire the view and what a view it was!


As we were enjoying the view so much I dug out the map to find there was a pathway that ran all the way back along the riverside more or less to where the car was parked so we thought hey we will head back that way. What a walk it was! The path was well travelled enough to see where you were going but not travelled enough to meet too many other folks on a Saturday morning.
The valley was just astoundingly beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off of the slow moving water that cascaded over the occasional stone drop to keep the water gently flowing away through the valley. I don't recall the last time I had had a walk in such beautiful unspoilt surroundings.




We meandered along the riverside in no rush with time passing both too quickly and slowly at the same time. Soon enough though we were back at the car heading back into Bakewell to catch a cheeky lunch only to find there was some sort of dance fete type festival going on with all sorts of styles merrily prancing away in whatever direction you took!


It was rather good though watching those folks whacking sodding great sticks at each other always missing the other persons fingers even though the crowd were secretly hoping they would misjudge it at one point sending the receiver of the blunt end onto their knees in agony...maybe that was just me...well maybe I am the only one that is going to admit it.

We somehow managed to kill a few more hours without realising and decided that seeing as I was yawning like mad it was best to head back homeward.

Once we got back and after a refreshing cup of tea I got stuck into the front passenger side wheel arch on the Disco. I had stripped it all out the evening before so it was a case of grind cut weld for a couple of hours that saw that wheel arch completed. Now that sounds easy but it was not as it seemed every time I set to with the welder the old metal was so thin it just kept blowing hole after hole in what I was supposed to be fixing. I have to admit I will be happy to see the other side of the MOT on this one!
Enough was enough for one day though and I packed the tools away as we had yet another busy day in the morning coming up.

Sunday arrived to the sound of heavy rain pounding off of the rooftop which saddened me a touch because today was the day that one of my little brothers was to become a fully blown Deacon with the service being held over at Peterborough Cathedral. This is something he has been working extremely hard towards for a number of years so I am happier than words can say that he achieved what his heart so much desired.

So we set off in heavy rain towards Peterborough and thankfully the further away from home we went the better the weather got and by the time we arrived there the sun was beating down in a bright blue cloudless sky. After managing to back a cheeky parking space literally outside the front of the Cathedral we headed in to watch both the culmination and the beginning of my brothers hard work.

In short time he was ordained in front of his friends and family, his smile just said it all.


I did have to ask him what his dress size was though I mean he is my brother, who will soon become a Vicar, that wears a dress a great deal...who hasn't wanted to ask?
Seriously though Danny if you are reading this I could be no prouder if I tried, your hard work, dedication to your beliefs and general all round niceness are an example to all.
Still not sure about wearing a dress in public though.

The whole family headed off to the Cathedral gardens for a large summer picnic along with those others that had been ordained and their families. I can think of no better way to pass an afternoon than in the company of those you love sat outside enjoying the warmth of an early summers sun. It was a very good day all round.

All good things though must come to pass and we were heading back home once more, the Disco sat there taunting me upon arrival though so I decided to give it a couple more hours to finish up what I could.
Much to my surprise I finished the lot off! With one final hiss of the jack lowering the the old motor back down onto it's wheels the job was done, there were no more holes to weld up at least for now.

What a feeling of relief washed over me as I stood there looking at the old boy with all of his rubber touching the ground once again knowing that I could put the welder away for at least a week until something else fell off!
I did get around to fitting a light bar I had bought for it this evening though and after wiring it up then wondering why they did not work my daughter pointed to two wires coming directly out of the bar itself, you know the ones that actually make them work, and said "Are they supposed to be connected to something?"
Felling somewhat foolish (I blame the fact I am rather sore and tired, yes yes I am getting far too much mileage out of that excuse) I connected them up and then there was light abound!!!!! Far more than I will ever need no doubt but it looks good.



With the Disco finally driven out from under the car port I can get the 110 in and start to make some serious headway upon it. Within the next month my shift pattern is changing to 4 on 4 off so more time to tinker there no doubt. I will start with the simple things though like tidying up my garage (looks like a bomb has hit it) and put the engine crane together in anticipation of the upcoming heart transplant.

Looks like I am going to be busy...

Back on Track.
The 110 Posted by Nicky Smith Fri, July 01, 2016 21:54:56
Well the Discovery is hopefully MOT ready and finished for now thankfully so this evening my attention turned once more to the 110.
I may have been neglecting the poor bugger over the last couple of months with other things getting in the way such as bike accidents and lots and lots of welding but I have been picking up the odd part for it as we have been trundling along.

The main bit was of course the 200tdi engine that had come out of a Discovery so I had to then start hunting around for the correct exhaust adaptor to make it fit into the 110. These it seems are more than a little pricey for a half decent make so I grabbed a bargain hardly used second hand one for the princely sum of £55 delivered so that's a nice big tick off of the wanted list...


I fired up the old boy which he did without complaint after weeks of standing making me wonder once again if changing this indestructible lump is a good idea but I will be keeping it anyway so if the 200tdi is a bit of a lemon there's a back up waiting in the wings. My car port once again, much to the Wifes delight, is now under the car port awaiting some tlc on the front brakes tomorrow along with identifying what else is going to be needing doing.




Looks good under there but the motorbike is making threats of coming home next week so best keep the 110 mobile for now so I can get the bike in and out of the garage...if I can actually get over my sudden fear of riding it of course.

After a quick poke around under the 110 whilst changing the rear wheel I noticed there is some rot on the tub where one of the out riggers attaches to it and I wondered if any of you good folks know whether or not me just popping a patch in there without welding the ally up is ok or not? If not I am going to have an issue seeing as I cannot weld ally...



Still no point in worrying, if I need to change the rear tub so be it because this 110 of mine is going to be the mutts when it is finished...

nickysmith.me

I would rivet or bolt an ali plate to the tub where it has rotted away (probably one plate over the whole face) and bolt it to the tabs on the chassis.
Great work, mate! Im still enjoying the updates!!

Rich

Morning Rich Yep I think that is the way forward chap, nice and easy!
I didn't get the chance to do much yesterday as I was working on the house but hopefully I will find the time today...

Hehe I was hoping for a tinkering day too but, alas, the gaffer has other thoughts!
Enjoy!
Rich

Sunshine & Shying Off.
The 110 Posted by Nicky Smith Sun, July 03, 2016 20:44:40
There should of been lots of work done to the 110 today but the sun was shining and our first course of action was to shoot off and buy lots of plants so that our back garden can look something like normal. As soon as that was done our good friends turned up so with good company came along good food as well as good conversation.
This then some how led to a couple of beers sat on a garden wall with our neighbours in the blazing sunshine...I love living around here!

With all of this shirking off it somehow came to my mind that I had not mentioned the fact that there was a shiny new engine crane sat in my garage waiting to be used to fit in the 200tdi on the 110. Yes it was an extravagance no it will not be used that often but yes yes it will last me a lifetime helping out with gearboxes as well as engines.


After a couple of summer afternoon hours sat around forcing a couple of cold ones down my neck in good company then yet another smashing meal of roast chicken cooked over eight hours in the crock pot, our friends bid us farewell and my attention turned to the front of the 110 and the wheel that I removed on Friday evening to then walk past for the last two days doing nothing with it.

Now having had a couple of beers along with a belly full of food I have to admit that I did not really feel like doing anything at all to the Land Rover but the sun was still high in the sky so I decided that at the very least I should strip down the whole brake assembly to the stub axle.
Now this should of been a quick job but of course everything was rusted solid so it took a little longer than expected but with a little gentle persuasion with a breaker bar and a lump hammer it was all soon in good order.


The grease poured out of the bearings in liquid form so I think it may have been some time since this was last done! I have soaked the bolts that hold the disc onto the hub so hopefully they will come off in short order when I get the chance one evening this week to carry on.


My intentions were to get the front brakes finished today but life is for living and the 110 has waited this long to get back onto the road so a few more hours will make no difference to it at all eh...

nickysmith.me

Good to hear you've got an engine crane. That's on my birthday present list too. What I need though is a flat surface to wheel it about on. I'm hoping to get my mate's yard concreted flat this summer sometime and then I'll be able to do engine swaps and gearbox changes. I can't believe I've had a land Rover for 50,000 miles and never taken the engine out.

Pictures of the garden please!

I shall take some pictures of the garden just for you Brown

Ah, you're very kind.

Not Much Doing.
The 110 Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, July 09, 2016 08:59:09
Still not much doing this week I am afraid folks. After another torture session with the physio closely followed by another follow up session with the Docs the next morning I have been hurting a fair bit on the neck and back front so sulkily have not wanted to even move around a great deal. It still astounds me that I managed to hurt myself this much in the bike accident and the amount of time I am taking to heal is disconcerting to say the least because it may just turn out that I am mortal after all and not some sort of super hero!

Not to moan though I am still here kicking and each and every day is a bonus!
We are off as a family today to my Uncles "Kicking the Bucket" party yes you read that right his kicking the bucket party. He was diagnosed a few months ago with terminal cancer but his response to this was not to fall into a constant deep despair (I am sure he has his moments in private) but to embrace all that life has to offer while he still has the time and energy to do so.
I would like to say that he is a fighter but that would be the wrong description in his case, no he is better clarified as a "Liver". Not as in the type you eat but as in the realistic acceptance of the cards life has dealt you then weighing up the options you have left and seizing every moment filling them to the max with life love and experiences for himself and memories for those he leaves behind when his time comes to pass.

So one of his big wants before he leaves this mortal coil was to have kicking the bucket party. (And a Maserati...he bought himself a Maserati...as you do.) His reasoning for this was simple, everyone would get together at his funeral to have a few beers share in the laughter and memories and quite frankly he wanted to be a part of that so he told us all we should do it while he was still here so he could join in the celebration of life that comes with these things. Why not eh! I personally think this is a great idea if you know that your time is short you get to actually say goodbye to family and friends that you may not normally get the chance to see before the final curtains close.
Today is the day for that party and it will be good to see a few faces that not have been around for many years.

Even in darkness there can be light, within the worst of storms there is always some calm, even within great pain pleasure can be found.

Uncle Dale you sir are an inspiration to us all of bravery in the face of adversity.
But you still made my head wonky when you dropped me on it from a great height when I was a baby and the years upon years of ridicule from Dad over it really cannot be forgiven