My last week on Furlough so taking it easy with not much PC time editing films and getting things finished up at home and in the garage while I have the time. And also get in a couple of Jeep day trips.
I will be working part time on my return to work - my choice and will coincide with plans I have to pursue a part time business of my own, more on that soon..
In the meantime here is a lovely film of the stunning countryside and views to be seen here in East Lothian has been launched on Youtube last week to kickstart tourism here in the Shire, and the film really does capture just how stunning East Lothian is, and how lucky we are to live in this little corner of Scotland,
There is even a nano second clip of a guy and his girlfriend on `cough` Fatbikes enjoying themselves...
It's always good when you sort things with something your a bit worried about, the last week it was trying to sort a continuing oil leak on the transfer box on the Jeep, replacing the sump gasket with silicone did not work, then re tightening the sump bolts and disaster! a bolt snapped!, I guess 55 year old bolts and too much tightening took the toll, help was at hand and with a loan of some bolt extractors and friend Chris starting the job drilling the pilot hole we got the offending item out, and replaced it with a new bolt,
This was after i removed the sump for a second time and refitted the original much thicker gasket using High Temperature (HT) silicone sealant and it of course meant the fiddly job of re filling the sump oil again!...
Oil drip fixed!;
But all done and it is staying leak free, impressed as the pressed steel sump is not flat having placed it on a window to check it. but its leak free after a drive to Garvald and back getting everthing heated up, so happy days!.
I also have a new engine sump gasket which if it still seeps a bit despite using Loctite on the sump bolts on that also I can swap it when the engine oil is due to be changed...
Park Brake fixed!
The parking brake previously had stopped working after I stupidly left it engaged and with the torque of the motor it simply pulled away and your not a where of it until you smell the burning shoes!,
I thought I had cooked the brake shoes in this drum on the prob shaft and they would need replaced at £25 and they are not in stock in the UK at the moment, I also thought the drum would maybe oval with the heat and also need replaced at a cost of £75 so it would cost £100 to safely leave it parked, but I persevered with adjusting the two shoes which is more awkward than hard to do lying underneath but its adjusted perfect now and the drum seems to be ok and not oval so result!
Engine running well;
Giving everything a once over to check if tight I did a quick spark plug check and clean and the plugs are running a tan/brown colour so not running too lean or rich...
So with hopefully no more salt on the roads after this recent sunny but frosty weather turns more warmer I washed all under neath using the small power washer to reach the hidden corners etc to get rid of the salt without being to strong to force water into electrics etc, then using the paraffin gun on the compressor I sprayed underneath with Duck oil which while protecting the metal will also remove moisture in the electric connectors and the Jeep is near ready to go for warmer days...
Brakes;
I will tune up the drum brakes in the next few days as there are good videos on YouTube showing how to correctly do this as the new shoes will have worn in a bit now in the 500 miles or so I have now driven...
Out around the local quiet country roads the Jeep is in it's environment!...
Short film, and the weather is finally warming up!
We have been busy and not wasting time when off on Furlough and we have been researching the history of the war time artefacts at John Muir Country Park. This is still on going and this post like my WW2 XT Class Submarines wrecks post will be updated as more history is obtained...
Here to get the ball rolling is G`s latest social media write up on what we uncovered yesterday after research and information by several people;
The A and the F.
About two years ago someone uncovered an 8 foot A at Youngs Knowe at Hedderwick...
I met G through a FB message after I had posted a picture and again mentioned that I would love to know the history of this - I presumed it was for aircraft during WW2,
After G had also discovered the A while out cycling she has spent hours trawling through old photos, maps and generally all over the internet in an attempt to find out what it was.G also always had a notion it was some sort of aerial target.
The trees you see today in John Muir Country Park at Hedderwick Plantation were planted in the late 1950s, so it’s difficult to visualise the area without trees. rewinding time there was a golf course on the land now planted with pine trees and there was a race course in what is now 2 fields to the west of East Links Family Park. The Military go back a long time in Dunbar with Cavalry barracked in the Town,
During WW1 trench systems were built for training and defence and firing ranges built.
During WWII the area was requisitioned by the War Office for ranges, along with coastal defences built along the shore and across the bay. There were two separate ranges.
Map from the 1940 Bylaws
The first being Field Firing ranges for anti-aircraft, small arms and anti-tank weaponary and the second being for Battle Shooting practice using mortars and grenades.
A walk around the Park with a local Archaeologist who lives in the town and is a keen war time researcher gave us a lot of answers to questions both of us had, including most of what we see today around JMCP is actually from WW1. The trench systems you see in the title photo, the rifle ranges, and mortar/grenade ranges. He was unsure the actual reason of the letter A, but the answer to it would come from the help of someone else and things started to really fall into place a week ago when G was pointed to a link to a 1940 document entitled West Barns Ranges Bye-Laws. We were both astounded to find reference to the A within the document!. G printed it off to add to her growing local history book;
And on Page 3 F and A which explains the hinges on the A you can see today were indeed for covering it up from Aircraft...
And you read that right there was also a large F marker for aircraft for when the Mortar range is in use...
And other information...
So we now know the A was an aerial marker to warn aircraft that the Field Firing range was in use. However the document also mentioned that an F aerial marker was built to warn aircraft that the Battle Shooting range was in use.
So the hunt for the F started...
A while back a chap called David mentioned to G he recalled playing in an underground shelter with steel doors as a child. He gave us vague directions. We went looking for this a few months ago but had no luck finding it. However if there is such a bunker in the plantation it is yet to be found.
After about a week of further research and making an intelligent guesses where the F could be we went for another poach about yesterday. Much to our surprise, not far from the area we were searching for David’s bunker, we spotted a chunk of concrete sticking out the ground...
This was all you could see...
We initially thought we had found the bunker...
But after a little excavation we uncovered the bottom of the F...
Painted in the same style of red white and back as the A...
I did a bit further excavation to expose a bit more of the F and the hinges that were used to cover the marker when the ranges were not in use. They still work...
We popped home for a bit but returned a bit later with the newly recruited battle field detective Spider to help with further excavation. Later the same evening online we were told by a local resident that he and friends as kids had dug out a Den underneath and they were warned to be careful incase it collapsed which it finally did after heavy rain, so we also know how it has broken up.
We gave it a brush down and the lifted turf has been laid around the marker as we originally planned to cover it up if there is a hoo ha about it, but with the excited response of so many locals already to us finding this and G putting all the links together to tell a story of an important part of the towns link to the military were going to leave it uncovered for folk interested to come and see.
Were now relying on the memories of elderly local people now to help find the last few pieces of the jigsaw that I have give a massive credit to G for all her research...
The red arrow marks the F, the A is on the north side of the former sand quarry at Young`s Knowe...
Both of us have cycled past this undiscovered 80 year bit of history unknown to most visitors to the Park, it's great to share local history on here and via social networking to interested folk...
The Royal Observer Corps Post and Garvald we have both visited many times. It is the only open one of 3 remaining posts in East Lothian, North Berwick Post is welded shut and Cockburnspath Post is locked and privately owned. You can check back through the Cold War and ROC labels on the Blog to read more, or watch the film from a few days before this visit on a visit with a friend in the Jeep as more info on that film.
Just as good as a look at the bunker is the trail over Sled Hill, a lovely old disused road that was probably abandoned from use with its steep tight hairpin bend. It was very muddy through the wood with recent forestry work but the road was scraped after and this now a lovely dry trail...
Big Sky Day...
Down the hatch...
Wee film from today, Song is `Orange Romeda (Unmixed)` by Boards Of Canada
I live in East Lothian, S.E. Scotland.
I fill my time with my hobbies, interests and passions. Often cycling along the coast here. I ride steel bikes with big wheels, I like to enjoy all interests of the coast, Its scenery, wildlife, local history, with my other interests in art and music when out and about...
I was diagnosed with Relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis in August 2018, it`s early days but i plan to continue to live my life as i have and show that having a medical condition like MS does not mean you need to stop enjoying your life,
Please excuse the bad grammar, i am working on it!
