Jessie The Jeep Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 The area next to the village church gave a good view out over the fields, but once again, I was looking directly into the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 On to the next village where there's a nice country lane that I often visit for pictures. There were a couple of places to stop for pictures along this road. With it being a quiet road, it was still mostly snow covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 A little further along the lane is my main spot for pictures. It was here I brought the two Jeeps for the sunset pictures in 2021. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviem Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 Fantastic even in the cold it looks brilliant 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 There was one last stop towards the end of that lane, in a bit of a hollow with steep banks on either side of the road, an ideal vantage point for getting some slightly top side views. I headed back home after that, having covered about 7 miles. Of course the garden hose and tap were frozen, so I had to wash the Dodge down with a bucket of water and a brush before putting it back in the garage. I also had my "Camera-Carrzie" head-cam on for the drive and a heavily cropped version of the trip can be seen below. I would have liked a bit more snow, but I'll take what was provided. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 No snow here. But it is cold though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 It was -6c yesterday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Dodge Fuel Trip - February 4th My daughter and I took the Dodge out for fuel this morning. It was the first trip for the Dodge since the Winter photoshoot in the snow at the start of December. The Dodge had been stationary for about two months, so rather than take a couple of jerrycans to the petrol station, I gave it a run out. I don't like it sitting on the same spot on the tyres for too long and it gives all the mechanical parts some exercise. On the way home, we called in to sunset lane again for a nicer route home and to grab a few pictures. Before putting the Dodge away, I checked all the tyre pressures. It was just the spare that needed about 10 pounds putting in but I can't recall the last time I checked it! After that, it was just a matter of squeezing it back through the tight garage door opening. I think I've given up on getting builders to alter the garage door openings and will probably put it on the list for a next year project after we finish the garden landscaping this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) February 15th - Display Fencing and Crate Since building the crane on the Dodge and the additional crates, I've wanted a better fence to encircle the display; whether I've got one or all three vehicles on show. I recently bought twenty steel fence stakes. I cut an inch and a quarter off the bottom of the stakes and welded it back on half way up to add an extra hanger for a lower layer of barbed wire to hang from. From watching other displays, small kids just walk straight under the single upper wire. I also got 100 metres of silver/grey nylon string to make some fake barbed wire. Some of the string was cut into two and a quarter inch lengths, the ends melted to stop fraying and they were tied and glued along the remaining 90 metres of string, spaced at about 8 inches apart. I also made a new longer, but narrower bobbin to wrap the 'barbed wire' around. The steel stakes arrived in a cardboard box that barely made it through the post. As a result, I decided to make a wooden crate to keep them in. I didn't want it to look out of place with all the other stuff I carry around, but I couldn't find any pictures of original suitably shaped crates to copy. In the end, I made a crate big enough for the stakes and barbed wire and stencilled it up as a box of replacement barrels for Browning .50 calibre machine guns. The new narrow bobbin also fits inside the crate. Edited February 17, 2023 by Jessie The Jeep 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 I like that you made a special crate so it looks authentic, plus less clutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 1 minute ago, Enigma said: ........less clutter. It makes life much easier for going away to the shows. All our camping gear is in two ammo crates too. You just need to pick up which ever boxes are needed and you know everything you need is there - plus they make display items once at a show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZM305 Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 Stealing this idea, that is awesome. 🤩 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rootes75 Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 I think it looks brilliant. And making up your own barbed wire to go round the display is an idea that I think I may well be doing to looking at how yours has come out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatchFuzee Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 5 hours ago, Rootes75 said: And making up your own barbed wire to go round the display is an idea that I think I may well be doing to looking at how yours has come out. If you want ready-made barbed wire there is the choice of silver, red or black, you can even have leather barbed wire. There are plenty of videos on making fake barbed wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 18, 2023 Author Share Posted February 18, 2023 (edited) 2 minutes ago, MatchFuzee said: ....you can even have leather barbed wire..... I did look at the leather stuff online, but had doubts about its strength, having seen the number of kids who pull and swing off wires around other displays. I figured the nylon string would be child proof. Edited February 18, 2023 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1950 Posted February 18, 2023 Share Posted February 18, 2023 Nothing is child proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 (edited) March 21st - The Dodge is Put to Work! We've slowly been working in the garden on the area that was a woodland. Last year, part of that area was levelled and my observatory built next to the shed. The rest will become another lawn and have a fullsize railway feature. To help move to the next step of that project, we had seven bulk bags of slates, topsoil and gravel delivered onto the front drive this morning. It needed to move almost 200 feet to the back garden, over a gravel driveway. Pushing a wheelbarrow over the gravel drive was going to be back breaking and take forever, so I decided to put the Dodge to work and give the crane a proper test. The bulk bags were around 850Kg and I didn't want to try and lift that load in one go. I did have a number of half ton bags I use for taking hedge clippings to the council tip, so I'd move some into those to lighten the load. The soil was first to be moved, so I shovelled it from each of the big bags into two of my small bags. When they were full, I used the Dodge to carry them one by one to dump them by the shed. This soil was to fill the raised bed vegetable planters which are beside the shed. Edited March 21, 2023 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 The two big bags of soil were next, dropped down by the workshop hedge. These still looked around three quarters full, so must have been around 600Kg each - the heaviest test of the crane so far. The vegi planters were filled soil from the small bags, leaving me those bags free for moving the gravel. The large bag probably had more weight in it than the soil, so I split the load into five, using four of my small bags and the original large bag. Once they were all loaded, they were transported around to my workshop hedge. By this time it was late afternoon, I was tired and so I dismantled the crane and put the Dodge back in the garage. We've ordered some more small bags to help manage the remaining four bags of slate still on the front drive. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 Blyth Battery Goes to War - May 20/21st In past years, the weather at Blyth Battery hasn't always been friendly! As a result, rather than camp, I've travelled to Blyth each day. Since moving to Durham from Washington, it's added another 12 miles each way to the trip, so to save fuel, I took the Dodge and decided to camp for the weekend. This year, the event had unusually good weather. I arrived on Friday afternoon to sunshine, clear sky and no wind ( I had to check I was at the right place!! ). It was hot work setting up camp, but a nice change for Blyth! The clear sky allowed the temperature to drop quite a bit overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 The sea breeze pulled the temperature down a little on Saturday and it took until late morning to burn the sea mist off. The misty start didn't stop the public turning out in their thousands. An email on Monday from the organiser, estimated around 46,000 visitors across the two days of the show. The show itself is located around the gun battery. The displays are on either side of the battery complex, a few on the edge of the car park, in addition to the museum exhibits within the gun battery buildings. Looking at how far the displays were spread along the sea front this year, it looked to have been the biggest show so far; certainly since my first trip there in 2009. The show field to the North of the battery was full and to the South, the displays were spread along both sides of the coastal path, much further than usual. In past years, the area to the South was always the German area, but this year, there were so many displays, it also included a US re-enactor and vehicle group. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 In addition to the various dioramas, a number of vehicles were parked up around the battery and towards the edge of the car park. Some only attended for one day of the show. These were a mix of military and civilian vehicles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviem Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 Looks great bud do you go to woodhall spa 1940s weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 Many of the dioramas had a large amount of kit on show, so I've combined several photos from each group. I've tried to include all the displays in the attached pictures, but I know some have been missed or not shown in their entirety. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 1 minute ago, steviem said: ....woodhall spa.... No, it clashes with another event I attend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 (edited) The next few photos are of the gun battery and its associated buildings. On a Saturday evening walk, I also spotted a pill box on the edge of the beach at the far North of the site. The two 6 inch guns are replicas, fitted in 2019. Edited May 22, 2023 by Jessie The Jeep 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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