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Stunning and well worth the wait. An immensely captivating and educational WiP too Tony. Thanks for sharing

Great to have you on 'the team' Terry! I'll look forward to the WiPs

Another skill mastered Steve - admirable stuff. St John eh? I think that's the location for the TV cop drama 'Hudson and Rex'. Rex is a dog. A very clever one. Love it. Recommended, if you like that sort of thing…

Ah, there you go again with that 'patience' stuff. I really must get some The ferry was great Bill - loading in the evening so time for a beer in the bar before kip and then, lo and behold, waking up in St Malo. Drive to Bléré to find 28º temperature and warnings of a heat wave - they cancelled their music festival even though the stage had been set up Next day to Amboise - 39º with a 41º forecast so drove around in the car with the a/c and only occasional trips out. On to La Loge to the next hotel but then back to Le Château du Clos Lucé for Parc Leonardo da Vinci to see all his great inventions. They have 'full sized' models in the grounds: Great fun! Visit the Chateau at Chenonceau, built impressively across the river. Next stop Fontvraud-l'Abbaye to see the the Abbey, founded in 1101! Impressive building to say the least. And that weird kitchen! Bought some wine in Samur - nice! Final night closer to St Malo at a great hotel in Chateaubourg. An old mill with huge grounds only open to guest and full of sculptures. Recommended. Lunch in Dinard, mooch around St Malo and then back on to the ferry for the overnight back to Portsmouth. Nice trip, and no airports! Rats, if only we'd known! Thanks John Thanks Cookie Not much more will get done for a week or so because: …we've got the painters in and we're off to Devon with the family. Then I must get on with the masking!

Amazing recovery there Johnny. I bet you said 'whoops' or something similar I sympathise dear boy, believe me This is going to be very special - nearly there.

Marvellous pair Johnny, looking forward to the RFI shots when you have time

Lovely stuff Johnny, he's looking very special already!

Thanks Ian! Looks like a Windows feature… on my Macs, there's a couple of methods. The easiest is to hold down the key to accent and choose one from the pop-up menu. So you can à é ī ö ū č to your hearts content!

Very slow getting back in the masking groove: In my defence, life has been getting in the way. I've picked up my new specs which are making a huge difference - the cheap ones didn't correct my astigmatism apparently, but these (more expensive) vary-focals are great. I can see! Had a trip to the Roman Villa at The Newt - amazing. They found a villa in the grounds, had archeologists document it and then built a full sized 'replica'. Stunning! Hot though - 28º, phew. We grabbed a quick break too - overnight ferries to St Malo and then four nights looking at Chateaus in the Loire. Very relaxing, if not a bit hot one day - 38.5º! Leonardo da Vinci moved there for the last three years of his life and there's a great museum at Chateau Clos Luce (sorry, can't remember how to accent 'e's) Also found a great hotel in Chateaubourg; Ar Milin stands across the river and in large grounds with art works scattered around. Worth a trip. Police Advisory Group taking my time trying to recruit. Eldest down for the weekend with connected grandchild care. Old Theatre - my first tour, went OK. No more excuses. I shall continue to mask. Slowly.

Well, er, hot for England! Shorts on (you have been warned!) Thanks Steve You need a 'Baby Boa Constrictor Strap Wrench' (posted above) to hold the jars. Make sure you get a small one. Cheap as chips. Ah, FaceBook. I came off that as I was fed up with being tracked and sold to. I may need to re-activate Thanks Rob - it's a trial to be honest… Great news Terry

Very nice finish on the tail end Giorgio, very nice

Great stuff Johnny. That prop looks good - great tip on the Seraphim!

Strange looking pair, beautifully finished - great job Heather

Very nice Heather. Weird, but very nice

Nice one Stew Despite all the trepidations she's turned out beautifully. Great job.