Great photos guys!

My ex-boss and mentor in Melbourne years ago was with 1770 Squadron in Fireflies, Arthur was an observer and squadron photographic officer on board HMS Indefatigable.

He has a lot of original photos from his time with the squadron in the Nth Sea/attack on the Tirpitz and then with the RN Pacific Fleet.

Arthur gave me his observers wings, cap badge and a photo of him standing in front of a Firefly, I’m still in contact with him and will see if his daughter can scan some photos for us.

cheers from Norway,

-John

could get some ground resonance problems

Not once it shoots out the garage door and gets off the ground!:p

I wonder if there’s a way to make the inlets on top of the engine lower so the engine fits into the Spitfire cowling?

-John

Come on Canpark,

don’t be such a sad case, there are plenty of aussies who celibrate Australia Day and are sorry for what has been done. Most celibrate because they love their country, they were born in Australia and like the place.

By the way, rednecks are usually people who can’t let something go and it ruins the rest of their (and others) lives.

cheers, and please have a happy Australia Day next time!

-John

My brother and his wife in Kinglake fought a fire to within 30 meters of their house, he told his wife to get inside with their 10 year old son, then Peter finally went inside because he just coundnt handle the heat anymore, the fire burned his sheds near the house and some farm equipment but thank God he, his family, and house were spared. (mud brick houses are the best in fires).

Peter’s best friend from school days (he’s 53 now) lives in an area where contact has been lost over the weekend because it’s in the worst hit area in Kinglake so we do not know if he and his famiily are o/k or not.

My sister’s sister-in-law lost her mother-in-law (trying to save animals in a burning shed that fell on her) and her father-in-law suffered bad burns at their farm.

My other brother tried to get up to Kinglake to help on saturday morning but was turned back by the police because it was too dangerous on the roads to Kinglake.
He will try to get to Kinglake again today (monday) with a generator for Peter because the power is off, but so far the police have blocked people going into some areas because of it being a crime scene.

Strangely, some phones began working on sunday night and we heard from Peter that he and his family are o/k. (No contact since early saturday).

Not a good summer……….. (It was -10.5C when I walked to work here in Oslo this morning!).

-John
P.S. look at the tree on the right of that last photo, the oil in the trees make them burn like that, I can’t immagine faceing that even with the very best equipment!

Hi Mr Door,

As I have become used to driveing during these long, long, long, long winters (sorry:(), I have learned to go very gently on the brakes and it’s not very often that I get that ABS shudder through the steering as the tyres ‘gets a grip’.

I have always wondered about ABS and how much better it really is. I guess it must work, it has been in use for many years!

The tyre studs are quite good….. I have been driveing with them for three weeks now after over seven years driveing in Norway without them. (But it could also be due to haveing an Audi Quatro for the past three weeks as well).

cheers,

-John

Yep,

it is expensive to keep things goeing here and not just at local government level. We must have winter tyres (a fine it you get caught without them, but you’d be stupid not to have them anyway) and sometimes have them with metal studs because of the ice on the road, I don’t mind a bit of snow, it’s the ice that’s the problem!

Many large buisnesses have their own tractor for winter, private home owners have a small snow machine or pay extra for a local farmer to do their driveway (or have both).

Sometimes there’s only one way to get about.

Most farmers (no crops in winter) are contracted by local governments to work with their tractors throughout winter, it gives them an income and keeps the roads open.

Sometimes things DO stop here, but not often or for very long………..

-11.3C this morning, I’m walking to work soon!

cheers,

-John

Thanks Steve,

it’s 10:54pm and -8.5C outside.

I keep thinking of my parents in Eltham, they both turned 80 years old in november and have had a pretty tough time over the past week with those high temperatures!

cheers,

-John

Hi,

Just to show you that snow is not always bad and can actually be enjoyed, here’s our family cabin in the mountains. I just bought my father-in-law’s Audi Quatro wagon (he bought a new car, 4WD of course).

It helps to have a friendly farmer with a snow-plough/tractor liveing close to the cabin!

cheers,

-John