Testing Times

The Stylus is coming off the road at the end of the month, I shall cash in the tax & the DVLA can send me a cheque (yes really! They're that retro), so in the last few days I've been testing the axle. I took it to Wickes to get some DIY stuff (not a large quantity obviously) & I took it to the Burghfield starter & Alternator centre to collect my lovely girlfriend's new alternator, I also took it somewhere that shall not be named to pick up a Christmas present for said girlfriend. Today I was intending taking it to Guildford Christmas shopping, but around lunchtime as I was cutting what passes for grass at the moment (the mower picked up six bags of pine needles & my shoe picked up some cat sh*t) when a message came through from Mark of the Rogues saying he fancied taking the car out. I suggested Lasham airfield & we agreed to meet there.

 

I did see a member of the local constabulary on my way, isn't there a rule about parking on the pavement?

Perhaps the grass verge doesn't count.

In fact it was a tale of four airfields, I set off avoiding the motorway & as I was slowing for a roundabout on the A30 there was a bit of a thump, so I called into Blackbushe - an EX RAF base - to shake the wheels & generally look for gaps where something might've fallen off.

The sign for RAF Odiham is just behind the Transit van

Finding none, I moved on, passing RAF Odiham where a transit van spoiled my picture of the signage, but there was a Chinook with a couple of slings hanging from it flying about.

So eventually I arrived at ex RAF Lasham which was where 613 Squadron (no, not the Dambusters - that's 617) took off from on a raid to hit the Gestapo's population record office in The Hague. In a feat worthy of modern day laser guided bombs, the Mosquitos arrived at a height of 50ft, the first two put high explosive bombs in through the roof, the next three dropped incendiaries in through the hole, the sixth aircraft suffered a "hang up" (the bombs didn't drop). Only about 25% of the records were destroyed, but the mess created & the staff killed meant many Dutch resistance fighters could use false papers as they could not be checked against the duplicates.

We parked on one of the "dispersal" circles the Mosquitos would've been parked out on & I went & read the memorial while I waited for Mark. We had coffee & cake & chatted while sitting outside watching the gliders taking off & landing. Very pleasant.

So that was three airfields, then on the way back I turned off the M3 at Junction 4a & went home via Farnborough, passing under the replica Gloster Whittle on the roundabout.

But the best bit is - drum roll - when I got home, no drippage from either end of the rear axle!