So What Else is New and Exciting?

 From my previous post, you'll be thinking I have increased pace with my livery designs. Well, you wouldn't be far off the mark. Take a look see at these two ideas...

I am playing with ideas about starting up for myself. All my job applications so far have resulted in comments like "Great CV, but overqualified for this role. For "overqualified" read "Way too much life experience" - 58 is not an attractive age for employers. Ah well.





So what to do?

Well some while back - 2010 - I was approached by a real world airplane owner and asked to design a livery for his Marchetti SF260. I was only too happy to move from painting flight simulator models to real planes. The result turns out to be rather pretty - first the artwork:

Now the real thing:

Georgeous, isn't she?

Anyway... a couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail "Do I do airliners?" Two shakes of a lamb's tail and hey presto:

So what to do with all this talent? Go back to the beginning of this post and take a look at the two logos. "I Design" - liveries for trucks, boats, planes...

A New Adventure for 2012

Hi there, it's me again!

So what's new? Well, one thing I haven't blogged this year is the fact that I decided to learn to ride a motorcycle. Officially, that is! Oh I have been riding on and off since I was about 12 and we kids used to play around in the local "Chalk Pit" on a "Noddy Bike" - to the uninitiated I mean a Velocette motorcycle as ridden by English policemen in the 50s and 60s.

You know, I never really bothered with a driving test - in my day we were allowed to ride a 250 cc bike. Later the various laws dropped this down to 125, but I have had a string of 125 cc machines over the years. Let me see now... My first owned motor was one of those 50 cc Honda things with the engine inside the rear wheel. Then, during my Army trade training, I owned a Lambretta LI 175 scooter (which was duly reamed, ported, polished and did almost 90 mph!)

On my first posting in Germany, I did actually buy and rebuild a box of bits, which turned into a Triumph TR6 Trophy - but being limited to "L" status, I only ever got to ride that on Army training areas...

Later, in Cyprus, I went mobile on a Suzuki TS 185. Fun! The only way to survive the green lights on Archbishop Makarios Avenue in Limassol was full throttle and even wheelies to get well ahead of the nutters...

There was an interlude with a Suzuki 125 cc twin in the late 80s - for half a year ish. And then, when I moved to Greece, there was a Honda "Monkey Bike" and then in 2003 I progressed to a BMW C1 scooter - which I still have and love to bits!

In January this year, I decided to kill the piggy bank - well, I have been putting money to one side for many years - a fiver here, 20 Deutsche Mark there, a bottle full of loose change, the collection from deposit bottles returned, a tax refund or two... The original purpose for this slush fund was actually to learn to fly and get my PPL - but have you seen what it costs to keep a PPL current?

So... I visited a few motorcycle showrooms and bought this:

...no... I hadn't passed my test, but I bought her anyway and then booked lessons.

Surprisingly, the training went well and I passed first time on April 20th. I've now taken some advanced driver training too and I am approaching a 3000 Km total on the clock.

The question is... grey is soo dull! What could I do to pep it up? Well, if Germany win the Eurpean championship, then maybe this:

Or even this:

And then, as a crowning glory, I even considered doing same to my car:

Of course, the Italians wouldn't like that, now would they? I even had a reserve scheme if Greece should surprise us:

OK - see you next post!