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DatManBu

The home of David, Penny and Friends

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penelope penny with carcruiser caravan

As you can see, Penny is no ordinary girlfriend - the wife even allows me to go out with her, sometimes at night!

And look who she meets on her days out

penny and friends

And look who we encounter at the end of the day - Dial Post 4th July 2009

steam silhouette

Of all farm equipment, the McCormick International Farmall M brings memories of a working life back to the forefront of my mind.
Originating in Chicago Illinois, and also built in Britain the Farmall became a symbol of power and beauty.

farmall

The Farmall logo and the circled 'M' show the pedigree from McCormick onwards.Cyrus Hall McCormick invented the Harvester and Binder, building on his own and others' work. The pictures in this link are dated to 1931 - the same year as my car.

farmall_works

The Ferguson system for the first time allowed engineering to replace brute force in agriculture. A small, low powered tractor gained extra traction by transferring weight from the implement. Here is a sectional drawing; the original is half full size and I received it in lieu of wages in the late 1950's or early '60s

Little grey fergie cropped

Since 2004 I have been drawn to Amberley, not more than a few miles from scenes of my bygone working life. Here you see an old interest in a new setting. I used to see the smoke billowing upwards as the old chalkpit was cleared of the detritis of decades of industry.

pict0274small

Strange to think that the first farmer I worked with was a railway engineer: Some decades later I am behind the camera recording volunteer colleagues on a narrow gauge industrial line.

pict0309small

Also strange that my first job on leaving school was as a civil engineer, during which time I was in the team that designed and built the first railway bridge outside Brighton Station on the London Line. Thats not a chronological first - I'm not that old. It replaced an earlier structure.

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