Roger Clarke Hide

Some images from Wicken Fen today.

 

Therfield Butterflies

 Male and female Blue butterflies and a not-fully-grown Wasp Spider on the Heath near Royston.

In and Around the Pits

Peter wondered whether an orange 911 would be better than a new kitchen for Holly.  Perhaps fortunately it was not for sale.  Nor was the Daimler Dart, which has a 'mixture' control instead of a choke.  The racing 911s seem to have the oil filler and filter on the bodywork instead of the engine block.  I'm not sure what engine that white trike had, but there were four (large) exhausts at the back.   

 

50 Years Ago this month . . .

 I first went to the motor racing at Snetterton, then driving a Triumph Vitesse 1600.  This was Historic Racing, with a special Alfa class, including a Sud (no. 44), several Guilias (no.55) and the lovely GTV6 (no.96).  The driver of the Lotus was sporting a yellow and blue helmet; Ukrainian colours?  Herbie (no.53) was in Belgian colours.

Munch, Munch, Munch

 Cinnabar moth caterpillars on Ragwort in the garden.  The last pic is of a Yellow Flag Iris Sawfly larva and its exuvia on an iris leaf.

More From De Havilland Museum

From the top:  Heron flight deck; Mosquito B35; Vampire, Sea Vixen 22, Gyron and Gyron Junior engines; Sea Vixen in need of shelter from the elements; Mosquito FB VI with four machine guns and four 20mm cannon (which extend back well into the bomb bay); wrecked Merlin engine and the cockpit of the Vampire T.11, also showing the effects of the weather.  Lots of open hatches and covers to enhance the visitor experience. 

 

50th Anniversary

50 years ago, on December 17th 1971, Concorde 101, G-AXDN, flew for the first time.  A lunch to celebrate this anniversary was scheduled for last December 17th, but of course Covid got in the way.  We finally got around to it today.  Simon Peachey, DAS secretary, did the nose droop with many of the aircraft's former engineers present.  Brian and Lesley Kidd, both DAS stewards, posed for the camera, and had a laugh with Alan Longworth and David Hands.  After a good lunch, the guest speaker was Capt. John Hutchinson.