Rene, Mac, Nigel & Scottie - Thanks.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please Note:
There is very little to do with my Cordite project in this post, so feel free to ignore it and wait for the car building photos to return.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Reflective Mood:
It is fair to say that the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur, so this is a chance for me to take stock.
The main reason I put the car project on hold was to give myself the time needed to find some work that actually pays.
As it has become clear to me that taking a career break to build a car has made it significantly harder to get another job.
Despite the fact I am self funded, and not on benefits, firms read the absence of a traditional employer as simply being unemployed.
However, quite by chance, I got an offer of 4 weeks work in Canary Wharf the day after I stopped working on the car.
I am over qualified for the role, it pays a lot less than my last job, but is still an ideal way for me to break back into work.
I spoke to the company on Friday 15th and they expected a start date of either Tuesday 26th May, or Monday 1st June.
Unfortunately, the very next day I found out my cousin had died and by Saturday night we knew the date of the funeral.
- Sunday was spend arranging the trip
- Monday I flew out with my mum (it was her only brother's son who died)
- Tuesday was the wake (more on that later)
- Wednesday was the funeral
- Thursday evening I left New York
- Friday morning I arrived back in the UK.
I have previously mentioned that my own younger brother died many years ago, but haven't really covered the details.
He died in 1980 on our very first family trip to New York when we went to visit my uncle & aunt who have just lost their son.
My brother was actually buried in my aunt & uncle's family plot in America to avoid the extra trauma of bringing his body home.
My cousin's "wake" was held at a funeral home where family and friends come to pay their respects, but there is no drink involved.
Another tradition over there is for an "open" gasket, although this is only the second time I have seen one & my brother was the first.
It was only when I walked in, saw my cousin and all the flowers, that I remembered this was the very same funeral home my brother was in.
So even though it has been almost 35 years since I set foot in that place, it was like I had been hit with a huge sledge hammer.
This really has been a tough few days (physically, mentally & emotionally) as something else dawned on me while I was over there.
My youngest daughter has just turned 13, which means she has now lived longer than my brother, who was 12 when he died.
My eldest daughter is 15 and therefore the same age I was when my brother died and this brings home how young I was at the time.
There was a back ground check survey waiting for me when I returned from NY, so this will delay when I start back to work.
But at least this delay it will give me a chance to catch up on all the other things I was supposed to be doing last week.
I might even be able to sneak a day on the car if all the timings work out in my favour, but don't hold your breath.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Some Photos:
Obviously I was not on holiday, but I did take a few photos out of the plane window...
Landing in JFK, with the Manhattan skyline just about visible in the distance.
Some London landmarks on the way back to Heathrow.
My house is probably in this photo somewhere.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cosmotron:
I know many of you are fans of what
Tribute do to BMW Z3s.
So I thought you might also like this "
groovy" Z3 conversion.
http://www.motorpunk.co.uk/articles/cosmotron/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Until next time, take care, Paul.
