The Perfect Fix

My dad was a skilled and clever man. He was a technical engineer working at what became British Aerospace for 42 years. He could fix almost anything, although his solutions, whilst practical, weren’t always pretty. He once made a downlighter for his Victorian pedal organ by attaching a plastic flower pot with an added lightbulb to shine down and illuminate the music. Not quite what the cabinet maker had in mind when he included tiny shelves for candlesticks in the design.

This is another of dad’s inventions, a home made metronome. Made from a square of Formica and a motor housed in a throat lozenge tin on the back. Apparently, it was to assist a pianist who was recording some music for some missionaries in Africa to use to sing along to. The original recording he sent wasn’t easy for them to sing to as the timing was all wrong. So, dad made this metronome for him to keep time to and re-record a more suitable version for them.

Also, note the background is a ‘candlewick’ bedspread. Remember those?

It’s our last full day at the house tomorrow.. I’m not expecting to find any more ancient gems…but you never know.