Imprisonment - Day 56

Imprisonment - Day fifty six
Saturday 16th May 2020

Cycling Statistics
Cars - 9
Motorbikes - 0
Bikes - 3
Dog walkers - 2
Walkers - 0
Runners - 3
Horses - 0
Horse walkers - 0
Molehills - 0
Cycling temperature - 5.9c

Saw Double Dog again this morning she doesn't seem to walk every day as she used to. I also saw Dog Beard who I've not seen since January. I use to see him every morning and he could hardly ever bring himself to grunt good morning. Today he actually said hello before I had a chance to say good morning. He's called Dog Beard as he has a beard and walks a dog.

I couldn't make my mind up whether to carry on spraying lacquer or stay indoors and sew the trim. I think I made the right decision and stayed in to sew. I must admit that on the odd occasion when the sun shone I thought I'd made the wrong choice but when I went down to the Motor House to take some measurements it was frightfully cold so I'm glad I'd stayed in. I did however start to rebuild the head and side lights. I find that silicon sealant is like cling film it never goes where I want it to. So on each lamp I put half a dozen small dabs of sealant on the rim and carefully placed the glass on top. When the sealant has hardened the glass will be held in place snd I can then gently seal round it to make it waterproof.

The trim is taking shape but it is a shame to replace the original upholstery. On the back of one piece someone had written 'Off S F quarter 1205'. To think this writing has not been seen for ninety five years. 1205 is the chassis number. The problem with the trim is that it has deteriorated with age and was quite honestly falling apart. Some years ago I covered the front seat swab and left the original underneath. The recovered swab is now well worn and looks original even if it's not. A few years later I recovered the back of the front seat again leaving the original underneath. That too is ageing nicely and I'm sure the new trim will do the same. I have decided that there is space behind some panels to hide the old upholstery so it will be a nice find for someone in the future. Although our son Hayden's got his name on the car when I'm dead and buried. Which actual I'm totally happy with as he's got the expertise to repair and look after it as long as he can afford the parts.

I do the sowing on my wife's old Singer hand machine. It's an amazing tool as with the right needle it will push its way through all sorts of strange materials. It'll sew through six layers of leather with a little coaxing. When doing this type of work I just go for it and if I make a mess I have to be prepared to chuck away what I've done and start again. I take the veiw that however many times I have to do this it's cheaper than getting someone else to do it. I took exactly the same view with the spraying and at the end of the day money will fix anything but I'd much rather carry on and do it myself. Well fingers crossed it will all be fine.

On completion of my working day a glass of Prosecco and some nibbly bits welcomed me. Cheers to W O Bentley.