Roses add beauty to any garden. We have a lovely pink rose bush in our allotment garden that was there already when we took over the garden, and last year I planted two climbing white rose bushes, one on each side of the garden arch at the entrance to the garden. Last year, they settled in and started climbing, but did not bloom. This year, they have climbed a lot and have bloomed incredibly. Lovely beautiful white flowers.....
Monday, June 26, 2017
Today's rainbow
We've been having a fair amount of rain lately, and every now and then the sun comes out after a rain shower. And then a rainbow appears, like today's.......
And a close-up view:
And a close-up view:
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
The garden is finally starting to take off
After a fairly rainy first two weeks of June, the weather has improved to the point where the garden is finally starting to take off. The sun has reappeared and that means warmth and longer periods of light. The strawberry patches are going to produce a lot of strawberries this year; I have never seen so many flowers in a strawberry patch as I have this year. And the black currant, red currant, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and mulberry bushes are also starting to produce berries. My corn plants are developing thicker stalks and growing taller, the pumpkins are growing, the bean plants are doing very well, and the snap peas have attached and are growing up along the trellises I made for them (I learned how to make them from twigs from an online gardening site). And in the greenhouse, the tomato plants are big and healthy, and the sweet pepper and cucumber plants are also doing well. I've only grown tomatoes once before, and that was indoors in our apartment, with limited success. I am enjoying working in the greenhouse; on chilly or cloudy days, it's a nice place to be. And so far, the slugs have not found their way into it, probably because it gets so warm and dry in there that it's not optimal for them. I'm hoping it stays that way.
The flowers I grew from seeds are also growing, but slowly. I planted two hydrangeas this year, and they seem to be doing ok so far, although I read that they need a lot of water. I planted sunflowers for the first time, and they are also starting to grow taller. I also planted pansies, more lavender plants, and more grass (mostly to fill in the bare patches here and there).
Here are some recent photos:
The flowers I grew from seeds are also growing, but slowly. I planted two hydrangeas this year, and they seem to be doing ok so far, although I read that they need a lot of water. I planted sunflowers for the first time, and they are also starting to grow taller. I also planted pansies, more lavender plants, and more grass (mostly to fill in the bare patches here and there).
Here are some recent photos:
pansies |
hydrangea |
hydrangea |
tomato plants |
our lovely rhododendron that we rescued last year from a garbage heap |
corn plants top left, string bean plants top middle, pumpkin plants in the foreground |
our lovely rosebush next to the rhododendron, and the bird bath in front of it |
another view of the pumpkin patches |
check out the strawberry patches near the garden arch and how many flowers there are |
my sugar snap peas growing up the trellises |
more tomato plants |
another view of the garden |
the greenhouse--you can see the tomato plants inside |
Monday, June 19, 2017
Fra ”Melkespannet” til ”Capricorn” – en 32,5’ racer fra Otto L. Scheen Jr.’s hånd
by Trond Stokke, styremedlem Furuholmen Motor Yacht
Club
Historien
om denne 32,5’ raceren med V-bunn og skarpe vinkler i overgangen fra
underskroget til fribordet, skarpe slag, starter i midten av 50-årene. Otto
Scheen tegner denne båten for Tom Wilhelmsen, som ble bygd i 1955-56 hos Hans Berg-Olsen
(bygg# 423, senere kalt ”Capricorn”). En lignende blir bygd for Fred Olsen i
1957 (bygg# 427) som ble kalt ”Hudibras”, denne heter nå ”Orkan” og eies av
Torbjørn Lensebakken. Begge disse ble nye utrustet med 200Hk Gray Marine
motorer. På den tiden var turbinmotorer populære for ymse formål, og Boeing
hadde en marinisert variant med giring passende for marine/propell-drift.
Wilhelmsen fant etterhvert ut at denne motoren med høy ytelse/vekt forhold (ca.
1 Hk/kilo) kunne stå for fremdrift i runabouten eller plattgatteren, som hun
også kan kalles. Som tenkt, så gjort (Bilde 1). I 1961-62 blir 2 båter til bygd
over samme lest, også hos Berg-Olsen, en til Tom Wilhelmsen (bygg# 445) og en
til Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (bygg# 446). Begge disse skal ha blitt utrustet med
turbinmotorer som nye, 300 og 400Hk respektivt. Basert på Berg-Olsens
byggelister må det være feil når Gøthesen opplyser i ”Motorbåten” at Tom
Wilhelmsen fikk bygd 2 båter med gassturbin, på henholdsvis 30’ og 34’, og at
det ble bygd en 34’ for Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk.
Bilde 1. Testing av ”Melkespannet” utenfor Bygdøy. |
Skrog og konstruksjon.
Når Otto Scheen
konstruerte denne båten, her kalt ”Melkespannet” eller ”Capricorn”, siden det siste
var det navnet hun hadde når jeg var på besiktelse i 1998, la han vekt på at
skroget skulle tåle høy fart. Scheen hadde akkurat returnert fra et 2-årig
opphold i USA hvor han studerte design hos Sparkman & Stevens i New York. I
løpet av sin periode i statene signerte han bl.a. en 53’ commuter for
tobakksfabrikanten R.G. Reynolds. Byggingen
av Capricorn ble påbegynt i 1955, og muligens fullført i 1956. Bilde 2 fra 1962
viser Tom Wilhelmsen (til høyre) og Hans Berg-Olsen poserende foran Wilhelmsens
andre og lignende 32,5’ (bygg# 445) og båten som ble levert til Kongsberg
Våpenfabrikk (bygg# 446).
Bilde 2. Hans Berg-Olsen (t.v.) og Tom Wilhelmsen foran Wilhelmsen's andre båt og Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk's. |
Underskroget er av dobbeltplanket mahogny, 7+12 mm, og dermed stivt. Skroget er konkavt over vannlinja i front for å ta unna spray fra baugen, glidende over mot type tumblehome/barrel-back mot hekken. Det er ikke bare skarp vinkel i overgangen fra underskrog til fribord bak mot hekken, men til og med en utdragning av underskroget, som gir noe av samme effekt som en steglist (Bilde 3). Knekken i spantene vises tydlig i Bilde 2. Mot front fungerer lista mer som en spraylist. Det er ikke step i undervannsskroget. Bilde 4 viser plantegning av ”Capricorn”, antagligvis ble samme brukt ved bygging av ”Hudibras”/”Orkan”, Wilhelmsens andre båt og KV båten.
Bilde 3. |
Når jeg traff henne, hadde hun en big-block GM V8 med V-drev, så tyngdepunktet var behagelig langt bak uten at båten dyppa rumpa dypt i vannet ved stillstand (Bilde 5). Det kan virke fra bildene som GM 454 motoren og Boeing turbinmotoren var plassert omtrent likt i båten.
Jeg var og så på Capricorn i 1998 i Stockholm med alvorlige hensikter om å kjøpe båten. Mer om det senere. Det var en båt å bli forelsket i! Under prøveturen viste det seg at båten skled gjennom vannet så det var en nytelse. Planingsterskelen var lite utpreget, Capricorn kom sakte og rolig ut av vannet fra 10 knop og opp mot 20. Dette skyldes antagligvis den forholdsvis spisse vinkelen på V-bunnen. I 25 knop oppførte båten seg glimrende, det var ikke antydning til at baugen gravde og styrte, hvilket ofte kan være tilfelle for plattgattere med tyngdepunktet lenger foran. (For eksempel graver min nåværende båt ”Foxy Lady” med baugen i 20 knop.) Bilde 6 gir et inntrykk av hvordan Capricorn skjærer gjennom vannet.
Motorer.
”Capricorn”,
også kalt ”Melkespannet” på folkemunne, ble altså utrustet med en Gray Marine
200Hk orginalt. Gray motoren ble byttet ut med en Chrysler 275Hk i 1958. Jeg
har ikke funnet ut av nøyaktig når Wilhelmsen fikk satt inn turbinmotoren, men
det må ha vært helt på slutten av 50-tallet. Turbinmotoren var en Boeing 502
10c Turbo-Mariner turbinmotor (Bilde 7). Denne veide ikke mer enn 285kg (625
pund) med girkasse og det hele, hvilket gir en meget gunstig effekt/vekt ratio
enten vi regner 260Hk (Popular Mechanics november 1961) eller 300Hk (Boeings
spesifikasjoner). Overføring til propellakslingen gikk via et V-drev, for å få
tyngdepunktet langt nok bak. Det karakteristiske tilnavnet ”Melkespannet” fikk
selvfølgelig båten på grunn av avtrekket som stikker opp fra turbinmotoren
(Bilde 1). Turbinmotoren skal ha fungert bra, men det sies at båten måtte taues
ut Bestumkilen til utenfor Killingen før motoren kunne startes. For ikke å
skremme vannet av folk og fe... Boeing oppgir et forbruk på 32 gallon/time ved
full effekt, så drivstofforbruket var nok heftig. Fordelen var at man kunne
fore motoren med bensin, diesel, eller omtrent hva som helst som kunne antennes
i nødsfall.
Bilde 7. Boeing 502 motor. |
Det er uklart når turbinmotoren ble byttet ut med en vanlig stempelmotor igjen, det kan ha skjedd i forbindelse med at ”Capricorn” skal ha blitt overdratt til Niels Werring Jr. i 1961. Berg-Olsen stod også for ombygging av overbygning og inredning for Werring. Ombyggingen har ikke eget byggnummer hos verftet, men er nevnt på linja under byggnummer 446. (Niels Werring Jr. var partner i rederiet Wilh. Wilhelmsen.) Turbinmotoren kan også ha blitt byttet ut når båten eventuellt havnet i Sverige en eller annen gang på sent 60-tall (?). Sannsynligvis har det sittet flere forskjellige motorer i ”Capricorn” frem til 90-tallet. I 1998 var motoren en General Motors big block (454CID) med 370Hk fra tidlig 90-tall. Også denne hadde V-drev. Selger oppga en topphastighet på 35 knop, 5 knop mer enn med Boeing turbinmotoren. Selv om jeg ikke fikk testet båten i full fart, føltes det som motoren knapt hadde fått opp dampen når vi gjorde 25 knop.
Historikk og hvordan det gikk med båtkjøpet i
Stockholm i 1998...
”Capricorn”,
eller ”Melkespannet” som hun het på folkemunne rundt 1960, ble altså tegnet av
Otto Scheen og påbegynt bygd for Tom Wilhelmsen hos Berg-Olsen i 1955. Den
svenske selgeren Jan Abelin, visstnok eier nummer 6 i rekken, opplyste om at
båten ble overtatt av Niels Werring Jr. fra Tom Wilhelmsen i 1961. Dette kommer
også klart frem fra Berg-Olsens byggelister, siden hun som nevnt ble ombygd på
den tiden. Jeg har ikke funnet ut hvem som kjøpte båten av Werring eller når
det skjedde, men det skal ha vært 3 eiere mellom ham og Abelin. Sannsynligvis
var flere av/alle disse svenske, da ”Capricorn” visstnok skal ha satt
fartsrekord over Vänern, men også gått til bunns ved Smögen ved en annen
anledning. Jeg angrer på at jeg ikke spurte Otto Scheen om tidlig historikk og
andre detaljer mens han var i live.
Jeg
skylder leseren en forklaring på hvorfor jeg ikke endte opp med båtkjøp i
Stockholm i 1998. Prøvekjøringen gikk veldig greit en stund, som nevnt over
gikk båten alldeles nydelig i vannet. GM motoren hadde ingen problemer med å dra
”Capricorn” opp i plan, og jeg hadde ikke halv gass en gang ved cirka 25 knop.
Bare fryd og gammen m.a.o., inntil det tok fyr bak i motorrommet... Det viste
seg at selger hadde skrudd sammen rustne risere og eksos i en fei før vi skulle
teste båten, så det lakk eksos både her og der som sannsynligvis hadde antent olje
eller bensin som fløt rundt. Vi fikk slokket brannen ganske raskt, men ikke
raskere enn at politi, brannvesen og det meste hadde blitt alarmert. De kom med
båt, biler på land og helikopter (!) Jeg skjønte raskt at dette ikke var noe alvorlig
problem, det var nok bare at selger var lite hissig på å bruke penger på nye
risere når båten skulle selges. Vel tilbake på brygga gikk jeg nøye gjennom alt
treverket. Skroget virket meget solid og uten råte. Overbygningen derimot var
tildels ganske råtten og moden for utskifting. Med en prislapp på 200kkr og
utsikter til 100kkr til for ny overbygning, skygget jeg banen. (Til
sammenligning betalte vi 165k for ”Foxy Lady” samme år.) Det er også begrenset
med fasiliteter ombord i ”Capricorn”. Det er soveplass til 2 på et par benker i
kabinen, men ikke stort mer. Det er (var) heller ikke toilett eller vask
ombord. Sånn sett har jeg fått en mer andvendbar båt i ”Foxy Lady”. Men hvilken
nytelse det hadde vært å grise plastikkbåtene i fjorden med en 50 år gammel
Scheen-konstruert mahogni båt!
Jeg vet
ikke hvem som kjøpte ”Capricorn” i 1998, eller om hun faktisk ble solgt i det
hele tatt på den tiden. For noen år siden sa ryktene at hun var tilbake i Norge
igjen, nærmere bestemt i Østfold. Siste nytt er at hun skal ligge ved Ullern
Båtforenings brygge. Jeg gleder meg til å se ”Capricorn” igjen, gammel
kjærlighet ruster ikke.
Forfatteren ønsker å takke Anders Johnsen for
hjelp med å få ut opplysninger fra Berg-Olsens byggelister. Videre en takk til
Torbjørn Lensebakken for opplysninger om ”Hudibras”/”Orkan”.
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Rhododendron getting ready to bloom
One of my recent photos from the garden......Rhododendron getting ready to bloom
I joined YouPic.com a couple of years ago and am making a concerted effort to upload photos to their site. Here is the link to the rhododendron photo:
https://youpic.com/image/10858557/
And here is the actual photo for those of you who would prefer to see it here:
I joined YouPic.com a couple of years ago and am making a concerted effort to upload photos to their site. Here is the link to the rhododendron photo:
https://youpic.com/image/10858557/
And here is the actual photo for those of you who would prefer to see it here:
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Zig Ziglar--quotes from a smart man
- What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.
- The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.
- With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.
- If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you.
- Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
- When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that's when passion is born.
- Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome.
- When you encourage others, you in the process are encouraged because you're making a commitment and difference in that person's life. Encouragement really does make a difference.
- He climbs highest who helps another up.
- The person who dumps garbage into your mind will do you considerably more harm than the person who dumps garbage on your floor, because each load of mind garbage negatively impacts your possibilities and lowers your expectations.
- Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That's success.
- If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost.
- Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.
- You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
- If you want to reach a goal, you must 'see the reaching' in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.
- Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining - it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn't solve any problems.
- Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.
- People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.
- You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.
- Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Being distracted by criticism and negativity
"Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you".'
~ Zig Ziglar
Saw this quote recently and it made an impression. You could replace the word criticism with negativity--it also works. Criticism is fine, as long as it's constructive (but it so seldom is). Negative criticism is destructive; its aim is to squash initiative and motivation. That's where negativity comes in. By negativity, I mean the words and behavior of those who wish to discourage others at all costs from dreaming and achieving those dreams. They behave that way because they don't want you to get ahead (of them). Maybe they had dreams and were defeated, by themselves or others or both. Instead of learning from their experiences, they want to inflict them on others.
You've got to really weigh the words of the naysayers. A few of them have your best interests at heart and don't want to see you get hurt; those are the people who love you and whom you trust and go to for advice. So listening to them is not in and of itself a bad thing--you can weigh what they say and decide for yourself whether or not to take a specific risk. They'll discuss it with you and won't try to stop you or squash your dreams. It's the naysayers you meet in everyday life, the ones who say, 'why would you want to do that?', or 'I would never do that', or 'I would never do it that way' ('You should do it my way'). Or the ones who, no matter what your plans, goals, or dreams, always put a damper on them by saying 'I thought about doing that, but there were too many problems involved, so if I were you, I would forget about it'.
I bring this up today because I realized today that too many women simply never pursue their dreams and ideas. They will tell you that they are bound by family obligations, work, and other things. But the truth is somewhere in between. I think what happens is that many women turn to other people in their lives for support and encouragement when they have a dream or an initiative they'd like to pursue. Or they discuss a potential dream with colleagues. And maybe the majority of the people they talk to are naysayers. And so they give up on a dream before it even gets a footing. We've simply got to really listen to each other, to respect the dreams and goals of others, and to encourage them to achieve them. This way of thinking cannot just apply to children or teenagers; adults must also be encouraged to achieve. It's part of my way of thinking--that motivating others to achieve is a lifelong goal. We are never 'finished products', we are always seeking and searching for ways to grow and become better. We are always looking for outlets for our talents. We should be able to encourage others to do that, and to allow ourselves to do that as well. It is what our lives are really about.
~ Zig Ziglar
Saw this quote recently and it made an impression. You could replace the word criticism with negativity--it also works. Criticism is fine, as long as it's constructive (but it so seldom is). Negative criticism is destructive; its aim is to squash initiative and motivation. That's where negativity comes in. By negativity, I mean the words and behavior of those who wish to discourage others at all costs from dreaming and achieving those dreams. They behave that way because they don't want you to get ahead (of them). Maybe they had dreams and were defeated, by themselves or others or both. Instead of learning from their experiences, they want to inflict them on others.
You've got to really weigh the words of the naysayers. A few of them have your best interests at heart and don't want to see you get hurt; those are the people who love you and whom you trust and go to for advice. So listening to them is not in and of itself a bad thing--you can weigh what they say and decide for yourself whether or not to take a specific risk. They'll discuss it with you and won't try to stop you or squash your dreams. It's the naysayers you meet in everyday life, the ones who say, 'why would you want to do that?', or 'I would never do that', or 'I would never do it that way' ('You should do it my way'). Or the ones who, no matter what your plans, goals, or dreams, always put a damper on them by saying 'I thought about doing that, but there were too many problems involved, so if I were you, I would forget about it'.
I bring this up today because I realized today that too many women simply never pursue their dreams and ideas. They will tell you that they are bound by family obligations, work, and other things. But the truth is somewhere in between. I think what happens is that many women turn to other people in their lives for support and encouragement when they have a dream or an initiative they'd like to pursue. Or they discuss a potential dream with colleagues. And maybe the majority of the people they talk to are naysayers. And so they give up on a dream before it even gets a footing. We've simply got to really listen to each other, to respect the dreams and goals of others, and to encourage them to achieve them. This way of thinking cannot just apply to children or teenagers; adults must also be encouraged to achieve. It's part of my way of thinking--that motivating others to achieve is a lifelong goal. We are never 'finished products', we are always seeking and searching for ways to grow and become better. We are always looking for outlets for our talents. We should be able to encourage others to do that, and to allow ourselves to do that as well. It is what our lives are really about.
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The Spinners--It's a Shame
I saw the movie The Holiday again recently, and one of the main characters had this song as his cell phone ringtone. I grew up with this mu...