On Saturday my son had a party for his sixth birthday and during the course of some horseplay with about 15 of his demented friends I think I may have cracked a rib
It was a good day for the little fella and we rounded it off by having some neighbours and their kids over for a take-away and some drinks.
Sunday, however, wasn't a day of rest. I had offered to clear out a garage for a bloke I know who has gone to live in Poland. His ex-wife had finally decided that she didn't want a garage full of Russian motorcycle parts and so he took me up on my offer. At a very early hour I set off for Bristol on an M4 that was full of Cardiff City fans heading for their appointment with destiny at Wembley (how many stretch limos?!).
By 9.30 I was elbow deep in somebody else's garage mess. If I tell you that amongst the items we loaded on to a trailer were five broken pannier boxes, six rear racks and four Dnepr rear wheels, you will get an idea of his hoarding levels. The most interesting items were the Dnepr frame modified to take a neat (non turbo) Subaru engine. This isn't as mad as it sounds, the engine is a compact boxer and weighs hardly any more than the original bike engine. There was also a matching gearbox with a new mounting plate for the Subaru lump. there were also some real gems amongst the nonsense: a full set of pristine Craven luggage and some BSA Gold Star parts.
Another friend of the hoarder had agreed to store the stuff so we set off for his place with a full 12' trailer. This other bloke was interesting too, he showed me his beautifully restored traction engine (for you steam enthusiasts this was a winch engine, originally used to winch a plough across fields).
It wasn't a terrible job and I was back home by 3.30. Between the exertions of the day and my aching rib, an early night was called for.
Oh... and well done Cardiff, back in the FA cup final after an 81 year break.
Cheers
GC
