Woooh....! <shrugs> Then again, I've been called worse.



I've never done any ink sketches other than cartooning, but I'm sure that if I did some then they would naturally be absolutely fabulous DA, possibly even gaining me the MBE or a Knighthood. I had some very good advice on this by PM actually, from a forum member that knows the publishing game. That has helped me shape up the way I will now proceed.

The paintings idea is out, colour is out, and it is now down to me to strike a balance between reality and humour. If I were writing a novel, then it would have to stay within the bounds of credulity, but life is often so far stranger than fiction.

For example I was once working as a roofer, and was on a roof with a lad who was an ex para. He was convinced that he could jump off the roof and survive by rolling as he had been taught to do. Next thing I know he came flying past me, took a running jump - and off the roof he went into the ether!
I peered over the edge of the roof expecting to see a broken body and there he was on his feet grinning up at me, his arms outstretched in one of those 'come on in the water's lovely' type gestures. Well, not to be outdone....

We were both sacked off the job that day as the owner of the house (she was home at the time!) had rung up the roofing company complaining that two men had just jumped off her roof!

WARNING

Don't try this at home, these people are ma....professionals.

Well you have to have a laugh don't you, it passes the day on.
I remember going for my first day at a new job. When I got home later that day, at around tea time my wife (now ex) said to me:

"Where have you been? I've had the kettle on since 11.00am?"

"You know where I've been, I started that new job today" I said.

"Yes I know, but you don't normally last that long so I had the kettle on 'just in case'"

I’ve had quite a few different jobs, some of them were quite well paid but boring, while others I took on not because of the financial reward but because they interested or stimulated me. The Doorman’s role for example was an example of the latter.

I just can’t do working a daily grind day in day out, watching the clock and praying for home time. I said ‘can’t do,’ but I have done such jobs in the past. I was working in a factory as a production line foreman once when a brother in law asked if I could get his son on as a temporary worker , to enable him to earn a few quid during his summer holidays from uni.

I got the lad a job and he began working with us for two weeks, during which time he always seemed to wear a strange bemused grin. In the end it came time for him to leave and I asked him had he enjoyed it?

“Enjoyed it?” He said. “No not at all, in fact my dad told me that I should come here to work in order to experience what fate awaits those who don’t study hard at Uni”

Bastard!

Random thought time.
It's just occurred to me that I'd like an old 1930's Radiogram. For those too young to have known what one was, they were a radio, with sometimes a turntable , encased in a large wooden piece of furniture, your gran might have had one.



Anyone that has never listened to one perhaps can't imagine why I would like one, but they had such wonderful warm tones, a deep mellow sound quality that hasn't been reproduced with modern stuff. Switch on and the dial lit up as the valves slowly warmed up, and then the radio came on.



I wonder if it was the cabinet that gave that deep sound? Whatever it was I used to love switching on my parents old radiogram. And to think they put it on a bonfire when they bought a transistor radio.

I know exactly what you mean, I've got a '50s McMichael set, currently resting in my Dad's loft because we've got nowhere to put it at the moment! It must be nearly 2 foot square, and a foot deep, and it makes a lovely sound. MW or LW only though, which isn't incredibly useful these days. It's got an input for a record player though, so I'm keeping a very vague eye open for a small DAB receiver with a remote, which I could put inside as well, behind the glass. I'd recommend looking at car boot sales if you're after one. I've only ever seen one proper radiogram, but there are plenty of wooden valve wirelesses still about, I think this one cost me £8, and you can get some from the 50s with VHF, which is a bit more useful.

I think most of the sound quality comes from the wooden construction, as I've got a few transistor sets with wooden cabinets (can you tell this used to be a bit of a thing with me?!) and they all sound great as well. Currently in the kitchen we've got a big old 8-band russian transistor set, with a largely wooden cabinet. Sounds great, and depending on the weather, it's capable of picking up the english programme on Radio Prague!

You can still buy valve radios, they are very expensive, but the quality is far superior to transistor radios.

It makes me wonder then if there's anyone out there converting old Radiogrammes into modern DAB sets? If it was the heavy wooden cabinets that gave the rich tones then putting modern innards in them shouldn't much affect the sound quality.

Someone once told me to fill my speakers with sand to get a better tone, I never tried it, but it tends to lend weight (har-de-har) to the theory that a heavy wooden cabinet might be the key.

http://www.dabhandradios.com This guy does. The cabinet is pretty much all that's left by the time he's finished though. And his main selling point seems to be crystal clear sound, without that slight background mains hum, or the fade up or down associated with turning valves on or off. That's half the appeal for me!

Just come across a german website, who will sell a PCB, mounted on the valve base of your choice, which will allow you to receive FM. Pricey at 60€ though!

That link isn't going anywhere Luke he must have moved. I like the idea of an old cabinet radio though, it seems very comforting somehow. The house I'm in at the moment was built in 1939 and still has the art deco mouldings on the ceilings and so on, I was just sat staring up at that moulding when it took me right back to the old deco radiogram that we had 40+ years ago, hence the post.