My wife saw this and we both cracked up at your facial expression. Loved the castle shot too. I’m happy you could do that and get back to some fun times.
We were out by the firepit last night and now I’m going to order a portable projector so we can have movie night, outside.
Was too irritated to think of taking a picture before I got out of the parking stall. In 40+ years of driving I have never been more tempted to cave in the side of someones vehicle for parking too close.
Wheels
Palace not castle. Built for, and gifted by the crown to General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (top general of his day) . He earned lots of honours for:
Monmouth Rebellion
Battle of Sedgemoor
Nine Years’ War
Battle of Walcourt
War of the Spanish Succession
Battle of Schellenberg
Battle of Blenheim
Battle of Elixheim
Battle of Ramillies
Battle of Oudenarde
Siege of Lille
Battle of Malplaquet
Siege of Bouchain
The Palace was later the birthplace of Winston S Churchill.
Photo’s to come. Guess where Fliss and I are going today. Not East Kirkby but related to it.
Ah… the classic, four Rolls Royce Merlin’s in perfect formation flying 
Just Jane not flying yet. Soon. It is worth noting. The Grand Slam bomb in the video is one of two that were displayed with her. It is un-verifiable but possibly true that when the bombs were moved in the 50’s for road widening the crane could only lift one of the bombs. The other bomb was still filled with explosive. It was removed carefully and detonated at sea.
I heard a similar sound two days ago … Was driving towards Harlow town, past North weald airfield, and I think they have their spitfire flying … didn’t get eyes on it, bloody trees beside the roads
Fliss and I were lucky enough to hear 12 Merlins in three Lancs. No luck involved we had driven down from Scotland twice for the event. On one fly past, Just Jane went to take off power and accelerated enough to lift her tail off the ground. An awesome sight. The crowd was willing her to leave the ground and join her sisters.
Sadly a never to be repeated sight.
Couple years ago a lancaster flew from the UK to NL for liberation day and did an overflight at multiple points. I didn’t really see it unfortunately but it’s one majestic machine!
I bet that made a bit of a splash, when it went off …
That will have been PA474 ‘City of Lincoln’ from the RAF BBMF at Coningsby. My home was chosen partly because it is under the historic flights path in and out of RAF Coningsby.
Not least for their role in ‘Operation Manna’. Dropping food to the Netherlands in the last year of the war.
And the ‘Mug’ came too
A lovely day in deepest Fenlandshire. The proposed simpit in the balcony comes out well behind the upstairs arches. We had decided to do this journey yesterday so the forgoing posts above concerning Op Manna were very apposite.
My extended family have five, perhaps seven names inscribed.
| SAYERS, Albert John | Sgt | 962804 | 02-03-1945 | 24 | 625 | PB158 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAYERS, Albert Laurie | Sgt | 1866235 | 08-07-1944 | 19 | 207 | LM218 | |
| SAYERS, Arthur William | Sgt | 1322634 | 15-05-1943 | 21 | 27 OTU | X3785 | |
| SAYERS, Basil Mervyn | F/O | 78861 | 08-03-1942 | 29 | 226 | Z2209 | |
| SAYERS, Frank Gordon | Sgt | 814160 | 14-04-1943 | 12 | ED714 | ||
| SAYERS, John Bertram | S/L | 131547 | AFC MiD | 25-02-1945 | 25 | 1660 HCU | ME490 |
| SAYERS, Joseph Fisher | F/S | R/53361 | 07-02-1943 | 27 | 408 | HR655 |
But it is not just a sombre place to visit. The view across to Lincoln Castle and Cathedral is stunning. The large buildings in the foreground were aircraft and tank factories in BOTH world wars.
The food is great.
Finally. A new memorial has been erected on the site in commemoration of Operation Manna.
Fabulous photos!
You know @Scoop…If we could get some significant signatures on that mug you would own the most important of all the mudspike mugs.
One mug to rule them all
Yeah I remember that. I was just driving along and spotted it just above the skyline. Is that? I think it’s a … But that can’t be… Did you guys see that? Do you guys realise what it was you all just saw?!
I did just that with a teddy bear. I will see if I can find the pictures of ‘Go Bear’. Most were prints that went into his logbook. He flew F18 off a real US carrier. Two displays with the red arrows. Mutiple trips round the world on airlines with all the big players. Nigel Mansell flew him in his King Air - the one the French impounded for not paying VAT (residents of the Isle of Man do not have to pay VAT). Before Go Bear could fly in the Tornado and stand QRA he had to have a full aviation medical and a dental exam. I should have the photos of these. In two photo’s he is between the junior pilot/nav of 43 Sqn on QRA. The crew look very embarrassed but their boss said do it. I knew the boss. I should also have him briefing 3 Flight Army Air Corps at RAF Leuchars on their mission (Gazelles). After a year of this lifestyle he was auctioned by Peterborough parachute club for charity. With his log book signed and annotated.
Go Bear
At RAF Leuchars getting his aviation medical with the SMO to alllow him to fly Tornado
You know, when @Scoop casually tells these epic stories to us all, I really feel like I should get mudspike prize or even a trophy for finding him and bringing him here. Not to blow my own trumpet to much 
I can keep the Go Bear Stories going. Go Bear helped a cardiac surgeon with his twin conversion onto his Cessna 340.
The surgeon wanted to know how we flew into the islands without navaids. He kindly agreed to fly Go Bear and I out to Islay.
While there I had my first view of the new Scottish Air Ambulance King Airs that I would go onto fly for six years
The airfield fire crew took him for a ride in their new pump. We got pictures of him in the cupola firing foam at a fuel fire and going cross country at speed.
If you land at Islay you can just see the Machrie hotel. They will send a car for you. The Bear quickly got to make friends with the surgeons
Later the same day back at Perth Go Bear went flying in G-DISA and checked out Dr John Salamonski to fly it.
I kept G-DISA in the WW1 hangar at RAF Leuchars, then the wash hangar. When I went to collect her for the flight back to Lasham I found three things:
How did a B17 come to feature in one of the photos? That is another story.
But that day was not over for Go Bear. He went soaring in the Scottish Gliding Unions ‘walking on air glider’ that was converted to be flown by the disabled.
@BeachAV8R I nominate @Victork2 for the 'Leading Mudspike astray by introducing shady character to the group’ award
