Jump to content
Wetman

How we all doing?

Recommended Posts

I haven`t had time to blink lately much less do anything hobby related. Had to clear my area ( or the corner of the dining room as its better known) ready for the carpet fitters tomorrow so gave my shelves a bit of a clear up. Sat and looked at the Gwagon Snotmobile and it really isnt doing much for me looking at it and I don`t have time to run it, hence the post on the for sale add, looked at what i had to start messing with the defender and an interior etc but not a hope of starting on it so all in all a pretty slack time of it at the moment. So hows everyone else doing, either Tamiya wise, RC wise or just in general?

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've got lots of shells to paint... Last time I painted anything was in May when it didn't rain often.  bYCVU6x.jpg

Now is also a good time to paint.  Not too hot, not too cold, and no more summer rain!  

At the same time, my wife has this crazy idea that this is a good season to dry the varnish, if we do the floor.  (By 'we,' she means 'me.')   I was going to say, "no, fall is not a good season to paint the floor finish," but she knows about painting. (thanks to me babbling about good painting weather...)

mQcgRNS.jpg

Because of RC, she thinks that I can fix floor boards too.  It's not the same thing. (but it's not that hard either)  The floors had carpets before. Some nails rusted and left black nail holes.   

QaskXD4.jpg

There. The worst offenders are replaced.  Others will sand out.  

But no... she keeps saying "off with nail head!"  (well, nail holes, really... but that didn't rhyme with 'his head.')  

FtemIWF.jpg

So that escalated into this...  

Oz36IKU.jpg

I'm starting to think that I should charge her $10 a board, so I could buy M08 or XV01 ;).  I was going to paint Honda S800. But that might have to wait until next spring.  210mm wheelbase won't fit M07, and I have 4 painted shells that need to be stickered anyway.  

fsYvLX3.jpg

I haven't even chosen the color for Konghead.

gKikGQW.jpg

And what on earth happened to the 4 Blackfeet?  They turned Whitefeet!  

rnbi5F0.jpg

My wife also had this idea about something in the backyard.  Which resulted in me being sore from working on it yesterday. She's out there cleaning the backyard now.  Today, she wants me to bake pizza since the weather is cool enough to use the oven.  So now I'm brewing some dough. (Kitchen is where men belong, while women are out in the yard)  

gD2Bisz.jpg

In all, I'm doing what she thinks is fun. (That's the definition of marriage --according to her <_<)  

 

  • Like 10

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Let's see... RC-wise, I'm contemplating selling a few things in order to fund a couple of project ideas I've got kicking around. Trying to decide which ones go and which ones stay.

Otherwise, we're prepping our vintage Aristocrat trailer for a trip coming up shortly; we'll be taking it out to the coast to a gathering with a bunch of other vintage trailers and campers. We went last year with our little Venture, but we're really looking forward to this year with the new bigger trailer. Covid precautions will make it a little bit strange, but I'm sure we'll still have fun. I'm trying to decide which RC car to take; it's between a Traxxas Stampede and a Wild Willy 2... leaning towards the Stampede for reliability and the fact that I don't care about it as much.

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

RC life’s good, just had a game of Tetris with the nib kits in the wardrobe and to get another one in, result.
 

Had a tidy up of the body shells, stickers, spares, sprues, hop ups, tyres, wheels, motors & electronics, I need a bigger home with a man cave. 

  • Haha 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Juggular said:

Because of RC, she thinks that I can fix floor boards too

Because of of my hobbies, working on houses is easier, well they all help each other in turn really.

 

  • Thanks 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
25 minutes ago, J@mes said:

Tetris with the nib kits in the wardrobe

This statement will live infamously!

Since you have put that way, i can now approach my closets with a game mind inset and see it as fun and not the chore it seems to be.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ll start off mental and physical health wise. I’m “ok” but stress and depression have taken their toll. Work has been a slog since pandemic hit ( but at least I’m gainfully employed ).

My wife is teaching university online (composition) and taking her own grad level courses so her anxiety level get up there at time, and sometimes it feels like we barely see each other, even under the same roof.  Physically I’ve gained a little weight but staying active and getting out of doors as much as I can.

Well first thing NON RC Project, I got an elliptical trainer and assembled it this weekend. That ought to help with the physical and mental health.

R/C project wise I’ve got a new to me Original Hornet in the Mail.  First thing, I ordered ball bearings and new rear tires.

Next will be a trans brace / battery door from Ampro  then eventually a new body to paint. 

DED561FA-B63E-4A43-839A-00ED6A94F24B.jpeg

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In terms of RC, I'm in an ok spot at the moment.  Sold a few things last month and cleaned up my work space and storage room.  With that said, I haven't had much drive to do anything lately and it feels like the window to complete some painting is quickly closing until next spring.  As the temperatures turn cold the next opportunities include electronics installation and working on 3D printed detail parts on several projects.  I doubt much will happen until I get my 1:1 car put back together, make it through leaf cleanup season, and finish scanning paper photographs from family albums.  There will be plenty to do as the holidays come as well.

In terms of life in general, I'm more irritable than usual.  Work is a drag.  My wife keeps shopping for houses we can't afford.  My son is taking his sweet time launching.  I hate having to wear a mask and be deliberate with excursions into the real world.  I also hate having to consider if domestic terrorists are marching through my AO and what parts of town to avoid.  I miss going to movies, hockey games, the apple festival, and the county fair.  I'd love to get back to the more care-free, spontaneous life we were living before.  I wish businesses would just focus on serving customers and drop all the virtue signaling they've latched onto.

If you've ever laid in bed and felt the room was spinning around you, that's kind of how I feel in the real world right now.  Everything is still here, but everything is "off" in one way or another.

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Otherwise, we're prepping our vintage Aristocrat trailer for a trip coming up shortly

Yes get away, i think people should just bite the bullet and get out of Dodge, i would but work, and other things are keeping me here, yes being self employed i can do just about anything i want or need to do. My son and my mother are both ailing and i just couldn't take off right now, then the question always arises but when is ever a good time to go?

Enjoy the coast and get sandy, water just sets the mind in a peaceful motion, be it sea or stream.

1 hour ago, Dakratfink said:

I’ll start off mental and physical health wise

My prayers have already been sent for you and your family

Take it day by day as they say, but no time in history since my conception has days by days ever felt exactly the same mode, it's like that movie with Bill Murry, Ground Hog Day.

i'm sick of it also, but in my dreams i saw not one light but several at the end of this tunnel and it comforted me.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm doing well - I've approached the very strict lockdown in Victoria as a unique opportunity to enjoy a quantity of time at home with my family I would never otherwise enjoy. My work involves all the usual corporate buzzwords and pressures, so to have time off with those all gone (hard to be criticised for not making targets when almost everyone's forced to stay home) is very different to taking annual leave.

I've been productive around the house, walked the dogs with my wife and exercised with the kids every day, smashed through a fair bit of my to-do list and spent as little daylight hours as possible in front of a screen. Plenty of RC'ing within my 5kms radius, too.

I know I'm fortunate, and I know others out there are struggling and they have my deepest sympathies and thoughts, but I think it's important to share that there are positives to come out of all this, you just have to find them.

Stay safe and healthy, and for everybody's sake wear a mask

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, Juggular said:

Because of RC, she thinks that I can fix floor boards too.  It's not the same thing. (but it's not that hard either)  The floors had carpets before. Some nails rusted and left black nail holes.   

I get a lot of this because I can fix airplanes. Though usually the tasks I’m asked to fix/ help with aren’t hard. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, lsear2905 said:

smashed through a fair bit of my to-do list and spent as little daylight hours as possible in front of a screen. 

This is the KEY!

Television was designed to rot minds and lay waste to bodies:lol:

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, Ill contribute. Been swamped as the kids(3) had to readjust to online school again. My wife is back to work as a teacher. The irony of her being required to be in a classroom during this with students and our own kids being home is a thing. As such i am now a proctor daily here at the house. I have been spending time reasearching parts for some builds. I have aquired about 10 nib kits over the shutdown. Ive havent been building but have been collecting stock. have about 25 cans of PS here ready for if i need them. Have been repairing my broken cars and then putting them on the shelf one at a time.But also ordering and catologing the spares and hopups to use at a later date. Focusing on two cars at the moment, shall remain my secret for now, not that anyone cares. But finding all the parts i want before i open the boxes has become a slight obsession. But also a smart thing i suppose. My all blue M-0-6 is coming along. Basically have all the "blue" i can find. But theres a few more pieces i need before i mount the wheels and add elctronics. 

Wifey is def composing a to do list so thats beena bit of a time issue. Fix that improve this. And with the kids home since March, Time and focus hasnt been as avail. 

Its football seson here as well so sundays are filled. Also since my wife goes to bed way early ive become old and have been also. So that killed my late night builds. 

    

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

About the start of lockdown (in UK and Ireland) I offered to build a stable for the good lady so she could rescue a couple of mini Shetland ponies.

OH BOY..........I have just yesterday finished sheeting Part 1 (cant do part two till a tree that is in it is cut down which as I want to use the timber as fire wood sooner rather than next decade I need to wait on the leaves dropping off - any week now as some are already down)

Shortly after this we took on some hospital urgent contracts so my free time disappeared and my feet have not touched the ground since......... I reckon this stable project is well over 300 hrs of my time and about 80 hrs for my eldest lad who is only with me every other weekend. (not exactly what a teenager wants to do at his dads I can tell you!!!)

Cost is WAYYYYYYY over my original idea and I still have another 2 bays to do...........

I would add photos BUT turns out my flicker needs upgrading. RC - whats an RC????? Oh I know its something I look at in a display case as I have not got near our family fleet due to a stable!!

Holidays away in the caravan to de stress.........2 weekends, one at good ladies parents and one to a mates house. ALL and I do mean ALLLL other weekends taken up by that **** stable.

Jetski - out about 3-4 times over the summer as guess what I was doing with my free weekends? OH and went to take it out Sunday about 3 weeks back and started it up and it revved up high and would not stop..........so after pulling kill cord, nope still running, then the spark plugs......seriously its still running.......then the fuel line and FINALLY it runs to a stop. Have I just cooked my engine? so its in with a man that knows at the minute and I am expecting a bill that will be sever hundred AT LEAST.

Mentally I am knackered, physically I am knackered. BUT the stable looks good and I do get a warm glow every time I look at it --now I dont have to work on it every free minute I have! Opps spoke to soon, it still needs doors, electric and a water drinker!

As to my display collection. I realised I was not going to do the last 4 bodies as its the part I hate about the build process (cutting painting and decals just a torture for me and more difficult as eyes are not what they used to be) so I put an add on here and sent them off to someone who likes doing the part that i don't!

they are now all done and should be winging their way back to be added to their chassis. I just have one knackered Manta ray to tart up ready for its Dirt Thrasher body. I also have a small list of to do's to leave each buggy finished but in reality unless I get a lot more free time it will likely get nout done till Christmas holidays.

anyone else?

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

doing good its rainy lately where i am. last weekend or maybe 2 weeks ago my nephew drove my arrma truck into oil as i was changing the oil on my car. fun clean up lol. my top force might be getting a gear diff up front and a ta03 ball diff in rear. my other 2 rc buggies won't be used until 2021 spring. 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We have been lucky. We think we got a mild dose in March (loss of taste and smell before it was classed as a symptom).

Mrs BC kept her job after protracted redundancy wrangling. Well, for the moment anyway.  My work stayed fairly busy throughout but I got a fair bit of RC time in with the kid, more than last year.

As for now, WFH means less RC tinker time before work as I’m home helping get el kid ready and Mrs BC on furlough means less ‘me’ time in the evenings. 

I’ve done well to only buy one car this year - last month’s FTX Outlaw - but I’m left feeling that I have too many and with too many projects and not enough time. Not helped by slow progress on my trail truck - one year in and going round in circles. 

I nearly snapped and bought an Axial kit today but someone attempted fraud on my credit card so that has been blocked. Also means I can’t be tempted by the MF-01X @Wetman, even though it has been on my want list for a while.

Time concentrate on what I have, find some quick wins to get me RC Happy again.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Luckily there is no lockdown here in Jakarta, only "social distancing", "working from home" and 'open hour restriction to malls/shopping center/stores" regulation. After 3 month "WFH" from march to june and with no positive result with COVID conditions in general, im back to office with regular 9 to 5 clock. Mask and handwash becoming a necessity.

Every day I pray that i dont catch that virus and spreading it to my family at home.

The positive thing is there is almost no traffic jam since most of workers/ empoloyees stay at home (if they can/ their company approve it).

The rainy season is starting, some area is flooding already. Need to prepare for annual flood (hopefully not) when the peak time comes (Jan-Feb). Pending my DB02 build till i get all the parts i need XD.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Getting a bit fed up here (West London) - there's only so much time you can spend at home without getting sick of it. I'm WFH at the moment and looks like it might stay that way forever :blink:

Have built plenty of kits since March though to keep me occupied :D

- Plasma Edge II (TT02B) 

- M07R

- Xray XB4 2020

- LC Racing EMB-1 Pro (built as mini monster truck - its awesome). 

Got a couple of bodies left to paint, and a small number of hopups and new electrics to fit to the M07. Not sure what to do next, thinking about a Mini Lunchbox and also considering modeling  interiors for the M07 

Also have a TC to pick for the stable (TB05 or TA07 I think) and quite fancy a DN-01 with a few TRF201 hopups to have a go with once club racing is running again. 

That lot should get me to Christmas - have been learning CAD recently and want to do a completely scratch build buggy next year (modernised competition grade T-Tech Predator X10/X11 clone), so hopefully 2021 will be an interesting year :)

 

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

interesting to read how different people have been affected.

For my self, most of my normal work went away completely for about 3 to 4 months. I work in the film industry and it was completely shutdown. I was however pretty lucky to pick up bits of extra work with one of my few no film work clients and I'd saved some money for a rainy day. So in the end financially it wasn't too bad and ended up being kinda like a weird holiday. Luckily also that I don't know anyone directly affected. I put that down in part to our State government actually doing a proper job of handling this pandemic. 

So I was hoping to get some extra projects done, and I did to a degree, but not as much as I'd hoped. We are in a rental too, while the bank decided to do nothing with our building application, on teardown/rebuild but thankfully we were able to go to a different bank. That has probably been the biggest downside for our family this year, wasting time trying to finance a rebuild of a home that should have been relatively easy. Film work has now come roaring back, so I am busier than ever, especially since the orange blob (sorry to get political, but I do not like that man), did a crap job. So a number of productions have also headed to the bottom of the world and film production in Australia now looks to be very busy for a few more years. This of course means I have little time for RC, but I'm still collecting for that rainy day when I will have more time.

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, what a year it's been.

Back when it was all kicking off in France and Spain, I found myself almost paralysed by terror.  I had no idea how I would survive a lockdown.  I'm what one might call a "reluctant family man" - I had my ideas of what I wanted my life to be about, but then marriage and parenthood happened, and I couldn't cope.  I worked hard and found a strategy to get through, and that involved taking time out.  Once a month I have a weekend away from family, on my own, doing whatever I want - be that RC stuff, watching motorsport or just camping in my van and enjoying the great outdoors.  So when I was told I would have to stay home, indefinitely, surrounded by my family and with no chance of escape, I honestly thought I was going to break under the strain.  How could the world take away the only thing that kept me sane?

But the truth was totally different.  I bonded with my family in a way I had never done before.  I'm not saying it was easy - for several days straight I didn't sleep with worry, I spent a long time on heavy sleeping tablets and barely had the wherewithal to do my job, cook a dinner and go straight to bed.  But I adjusted to the new routine, made time for video calls with family and friends and (once restrictions allowed) I went out for a lot of walks, both alone and with my daughter.  I got back into cycling and also had the time to give my RC collection the attention it deserves.

My wife and I both worked during lockdown (we've not really had much holiday all year).  It was tough trying to do a full-time job as well as keep my 3-year-old entertained - by the end of lockdown she had picked up an American accent from watching Disney films back-to-back all day, but she's been a little angel and took it all in her stride.  Her vocabulary has expanded massively, she's developed a terrific imagination from watching so many films, and it hasn't impacted her physical fitness at all - during the summer I've taken her on lots of walks and despite being a late walker (she was nearly 2 before she started walking) she can keep on going for as long as I can.  Seriously, a few months of watching films and entertaining herself has done her no harm at all.

The summer was fab.  In the UK we were blessed with an unusually good summer, right from the start of lockdown.  I remember taking time out and sitting on a lounger under a thick blanket back in March, when the weather was bright but cold.  Throughout April and May we had lunch on the lawn most days.  Two years ago that lawn was a building site, knee deep in mud and shoulder-high in nettles and brambles.  We had some contractors in to sort it out a while ago, if we hadn't had that done we'd have been housebound during lockdown, and that would have been harder.  We don't have a particularly big garden but at least it's big enough to sit on the grass and eat sandwiches.

RC-wise, it's been a good year.  During lockdown we initiated a new day off strategy, where my wife gets every Saturday to do what she wants and I get every Sunday.  Saturdays I would take my daughter for a walk or cycle ride, play some games and cuddle up on the sofa to watch films, sometimes I'd build an NIB on the sofa, and Sundays I would spend the whole day up in the workshop wrenching on RC projects.  I got so much done I had to start my Projects thread to keep track of it all.  As I got more into a routine I was able to spend some of my Sundays working on music as well, which is a great confidence booster as long as it's productive (and not staring at a keyboard with absolutely no idea how to progress, which is normal when I'm stressed out).

In the end, the late summer turned out great.  I did lots of racing, and I really enjoyed it.  In the past I've been a bit meh about racing - I go for a bit, hit a plateau after a few weeks, then get bored.  I figured I don't really like indoor / evening racing.  I prefer to be outdoors, and I prefer day events.  I've done modern FWD at Cotswold, vintage touring at Stafford and West London, and of course the Iconic Revival at BMR.  All events have been superbly organised, well set out for social distancing and even the weather has been kind.  A lot of outdoor clubs are continuing to run through the winter due to problems getting indoors again, so I'm planning to do the TORC at Stafford or FWD at Cotswold for as long as it's allowed - although looking at how things are progressing (or regressing) in England right now, I'm struggling to see how we'll get to the end of the season before more restrictions come in.

So we could well be going back to that old routine of working all week and a day in the workshop on Sunday.  If racing is cancelled but travel is still allowed, I can throw on my heated gear and ride my motorcycle to the coast.  And if not, I can throw some logs on the burner and work my way through some of these projects.

My biggest struggle right now is staying stocked up on the parts I'll need.  Some parts I just can't get (especially stuff from the US - there seems to be no stock anywhere), I'm getting through hardware (like screws, metal sheet and extrusions) and other consumables (like paint and masking tape) at a rate I've never seen, some of my projects need a cash injection (ESCs, radios, servos, winches, beadlock wheels), and a lot of it needs me to sit down in front of the screen and work on CAD and fight with the 3D printer, which isn't really my idea of a day off.  So I'm trying hard to keep things flowing and not get too bottlenecked without completely blowing the bank.  So my last couple of weekend days have been a bit frustrating, and I really need to list the stuff I need and prioritise over the next few months so I don't end up out of cash and stuck with a dozen stalled projects.

Add to this - the wife has decided she wants to live closer to the sea, so we've got the house on the market.  If it sells, we then have the hassle of finding somewhere to live.  The place we want to move to is currently under strict lockdown, so we might not even be able to go house hunting there.  Or maybe we can, and we find somewhere, but we move into an area that gives us way less freedom than we have here.  The whole thing feels like it's on shaky ground, but hey, I like it here, so if it falls through I won't be upset.  I said to the wife, I'm not prepared to move if it means making compromises - if we have to compromise, it's not worth it.  It should be about improving our quality of life, not reducing it.

Anyway, winter beckons and life goes on, work is OK and I've probably got a few days holiday I can use to get a bit of a break from it, as I don't feel I've had much time off this year (I had to burn a lot of leave allowance to do childcare in the last lockdown so we couldn't afford even a staycation this year).  So I'll just keep plodding on and doing what feels like the right thing at the right time, making the most of getting out and racing while I can and parking myself inside to work on my projects if I can't.

:)

  • Like 7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/6/2020 at 10:35 AM, yogi-bear said:

interesting to read how different people have been affected.

For my self, most of my normal work went away completely for about 3 to 4 months. I work in the film industry and it was completely shutdown. I was however pretty lucky to pick up bits of extra work with one of my few no film work clients and I'd saved some money for a rainy day. So in the end financially it wasn't too bad and ended up being kinda like a weird holiday. Luckily also that I don't know anyone directly affected. I put that down in part to our State government actually doing a proper job of handling this pandemic. 

So I was hoping to get some extra projects done, and I did to a degree, but not as much as I'd hoped. We are in a rental too, while the bank decided to do nothing with our building application, on teardown/rebuild but thankfully we were able to go to a different bank. That has probably been the biggest downside for our family this year, wasting time trying to finance a rebuild of a home that should have been relatively easy. Film work has now come roaring back, so I am busier than ever, especially since the orange blob (sorry to get political, but I do not like that man), did a crap job. So a number of productions have also headed to the bottom of the world and film production in Australia now looks to be very busy for a few more years. This of course means I have little time for RC, but I'm still collecting for that rainy day when I will have more time.

It is. Hoping those that have been phsyically affected and mentally affected are doing ok

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/6/2020 at 2:57 PM, Mad Ax said:

Well, what a year it's been.

Back when it was all kicking off in France and Spain, I found myself almost paralysed by terror.  I had no idea how I would survive a lockdown.  I'm what one might call a "reluctant family man" - I had my ideas of what I wanted my life to be about, but then marriage and parenthood happened, and I couldn't cope.  I worked hard and found a strategy to get through, and that involved taking time out.  Once a month I have a weekend away from family, on my own, doing whatever I want - be that RC stuff, watching motorsport or just camping in my van and enjoying the great outdoors.  So when I was told I would have to stay home, indefinitely, surrounded by my family and with no chance of escape, I honestly thought I was going to break under the strain.  How could the world take away the only thing that kept me sane?

But the truth was totally different.  I bonded with my family in a way I had never done before.  I'm not saying it was easy - for several days straight I didn't sleep with worry, I spent a long time on heavy sleeping tablets and barely had the wherewithal to do my job, cook a dinner and go straight to bed.  But I adjusted to the new routine, made time for video calls with family and friends and (once restrictions allowed) I went out for a lot of walks, both alone and with my daughter.  I got back into cycling and also had the time to give my RC collection the attention it deserves.

My wife and I both worked during lockdown (we've not really had much holiday all year).  It was tough trying to do a full-time job as well as keep my 3-year-old entertained - by the end of lockdown she had picked up an American accent from watching Disney films back-to-back all day, but she's been a little angel and took it all in her stride.  Her vocabulary has expanded massively, she's developed a terrific imagination from watching so many films, and it hasn't impacted her physical fitness at all - during the summer I've taken her on lots of walks and despite being a late walker (she was nearly 2 before she started walking) she can keep on going for as long as I can.  Seriously, a few months of watching films and entertaining herself has done her no harm at all.

The summer was fab.  In the UK we were blessed with an unusually good summer, right from the start of lockdown.  I remember taking time out and sitting on a lounger under a thick blanket back in March, when the weather was bright but cold.  Throughout April and May we had lunch on the lawn most days.  Two years ago that lawn was a building site, knee deep in mud and shoulder-high in nettles and brambles.  We had some contractors in to sort it out a while ago, if we hadn't had that done we'd have been housebound during lockdown, and that would have been harder.  We don't have a particularly big garden but at least it's big enough to sit on the grass and eat sandwiches.

RC-wise, it's been a good year.  During lockdown we initiated a new day off strategy, where my wife gets every Saturday to do what she wants and I get every Sunday.  Saturdays I would take my daughter for a walk or cycle ride, play some games and cuddle up on the sofa to watch films, sometimes I'd build an NIB on the sofa, and Sundays I would spend the whole day up in the workshop wrenching on RC projects.  I got so much done I had to start my Projects thread to keep track of it all.  As I got more into a routine I was able to spend some of my Sundays working on music as well, which is a great confidence booster as long as it's productive (and not staring at a keyboard with absolutely no idea how to progress, which is normal when I'm stressed out).

In the end, the late summer turned out great.  I did lots of racing, and I really enjoyed it.  In the past I've been a bit meh about racing - I go for a bit, hit a plateau after a few weeks, then get bored.  I figured I don't really like indoor / evening racing.  I prefer to be outdoors, and I prefer day events.  I've done modern FWD at Cotswold, vintage touring at Stafford and West London, and of course the Iconic Revival at BMR.  All events have been superbly organised, well set out for social distancing and even the weather has been kind.  A lot of outdoor clubs are continuing to run through the winter due to problems getting indoors again, so I'm planning to do the TORC at Stafford or FWD at Cotswold for as long as it's allowed - although looking at how things are progressing (or regressing) in England right now, I'm struggling to see how we'll get to the end of the season before more restrictions come in.

So we could well be going back to that old routine of working all week and a day in the workshop on Sunday.  If racing is cancelled but travel is still allowed, I can throw on my heated gear and ride my motorcycle to the coast.  And if not, I can throw some logs on the burner and work my way through some of these projects.

My biggest struggle right now is staying stocked up on the parts I'll need.  Some parts I just can't get (especially stuff from the US - there seems to be no stock anywhere), I'm getting through hardware (like screws, metal sheet and extrusions) and other consumables (like paint and masking tape) at a rate I've never seen, some of my projects need a cash injection (ESCs, radios, servos, winches, beadlock wheels), and a lot of it needs me to sit down in front of the screen and work on CAD and fight with the 3D printer, which isn't really my idea of a day off.  So I'm trying hard to keep things flowing and not get too bottlenecked without completely blowing the bank.  So my last couple of weekend days have been a bit frustrating, and I really need to list the stuff I need and prioritise over the next few months so I don't end up out of cash and stuck with a dozen stalled projects.

Add to this - the wife has decided she wants to live closer to the sea, so we've got the house on the market.  If it sells, we then have the hassle of finding somewhere to live.  The place we want to move to is currently under strict lockdown, so we might not even be able to go house hunting there.  Or maybe we can, and we find somewhere, but we move into an area that gives us way less freedom than we have here.  The whole thing feels like it's on shaky ground, but hey, I like it here, so if it falls through I won't be upset.  I said to the wife, I'm not prepared to move if it means making compromises - if we have to compromise, it's not worth it.  It should be about improving our quality of life, not reducing it.

Anyway, winter beckons and life goes on, work is OK and I've probably got a few days holiday I can use to get a bit of a break from it, as I don't feel I've had much time off this year (I had to burn a lot of leave allowance to do childcare in the last lockdown so we couldn't afford even a staycation this year).  So I'll just keep plodding on and doing what feels like the right thing at the right time, making the most of getting out and racing while I can and parking myself inside to work on my projects if I can't.

:)

That is a brilliant result from an enforced situation

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...