The latest and now final update on the mysterious water puddle in the kitchen. It is not Winnie or any of the cats as Sue discovered our kettle has a leak. She tested it this morning and it proved to be the kettle…one new kettle now purchased and the ‘old’ one in the recycling bin. Poor little Winnie was getting blamed for the one thing she isn’t doing. Yes, she is eating the sealant from the double glazing, bits of carpet and paper towels / toilet rolls as well as slowly destroying my armchair with her brother Wilf. The latter has spent more time in these past two days as he doesn’t like windy weather and he’s not too keen on the rain which given the usual English autumn and winter weather…

The Heinkel He 111B ‘Pedro’ build (Spanish Civil War) is slowly taking shape.

I bought this kit a few years ago and only read the build reviews afterwards and all agreed, it is a difficult build with poorly fitting parts and lots of filler, sanding and patience required. They also recommended it is only suitable for experienced modellers. They were absolutely spot on describing it as such.

The fuselage would not close until I had hacked and sanded off much of the internal compartment parts and even then, once that is completed the pilots canopy doesn’t fit. Plastic strips and sprue goo applied and will be gradually sanded to shape.

The starboard wing halves didn’t fit at all and again required cutting and sanding whilst the undercarriage was short and skewhiff. Once glued in and clamped, the large gap was filled with a mixture of superglue and talcum powder. This was left to dry overnight and sanded back and I will cut new panel lines and use a rivet wheel to make new rivet marks. 

This morning I worked on the port wing halves which wasn’t as bad for fit except for the undercarriage again which is a mess. I will sort that out once the wings are attached to the fuselage but that is where the next major issue is. Huge gaps as the wings are poorly aligned and more filler and sanding will be required. It’s interesting because the on-line modelling discussion I joined last night discussed how some of us like old poorly made kits and the challenges they present whilst others want everything about the kit to be a simple straightforward build. I am taking my time with this build and that of the Stranraer flying boat as I want to do a decent job on them. 

We are seeing typical autumnal weather with heavy showers, wind and sunshine. As I look out of the window I see a slate grey sky but looking through to the kitchen and the sun is shining. I managed the last grass cut this week but rain has stopped any further work and we have late blooming roses again, large pink ones. The last of the tomatoes will be picked and my plan is to clear some of the larger pots ready for planting next year and once the wild flowers have dies back, I will clear the space and finally paint the fence. Sue has asked me to clear the flower beds up to the roses and we will consider what plants to put in. The small cherry tree will be bedded into one of the large pots as will the Fuschia which is thriving. We are looking at low maintenance plants because both of us struggle in the garden. I might put some extra paving in to place the pots on and have a slightly smaller lawn. That also needs digging out and reseeding where weeds have invaded.

I also renewed my TV and internet package and saved fifty pounds a month. It appears they have cottoned on to customers moving to other providers who are cheaper and when I enquired I was offered this deal. I am pleased although at a future date I would like to cancel the TV altogether including the TV licence. It speaks volumes when I watch old TV sitcoms from thirty years and more ago because the drivel that is offered is such poor quality. But the rain has stopped, the sun is shining and I might chance a brief spell outside.

TTFN