Dave Claxton

19/07/2022

Was out walking with our local ChandlersFordu3a last week and we returned to a route at Eling and Bartley Water we took in September 2019. Back then my attention was drawn to a bench opposite Eling Tide Mill that feature a crab and I had taken photo of it. So this time I thought I'd check it out to see how it had fared. Its only been 3 years but the wood has weathered and cracked but it was still there for all to see.

14/07/2022

Time certainly flies by. This time last week I was in my hotel having a cold glass of cider and reflecting on the 6 Business Presentations I had helped to judge at Formula Student UK, Silverstone. Luckily we were based in the Silverstone UTC where the rooms were cool but I did venture out, through Copse tunnel, to the Paddock and Pit Garages to see the teams and their cars. I was also able to catch up with the folk at RaceTach magazine who I hadn't seen for a while. The weather was warm and it was good to return to the cool of the UTC. The 6 Business Presentations were from Formula Student teams across the UK and Europe so some were presenting in a second language. This was my first experience of judging in-person for last year the judging was held remotely over Teams. The interaction with the Q&A and feedback sessions is much better face-to-face. Formulastudent Imeche Silverstone Race Tech magazine

14/07/2022

Time has certainly flown by. This time last week I was en route back to my hotel having been on the judging panels for 6 Business Presentations from Formula Student teams at Silverstone. Both intensive and rewarding and looking forward to the second day of judging on the Friday. Yes, it was warm outside and I did take the opportunity at lunch to visit the paddock and pit garages and to catch up with the folk from RaceTech magazine. It was not my first time judging as I had been a judge in 2021 but that was held remotely over Teams rather than in-person as this year, Race Tech magazine Formulastudent Imeche Silverstone

03/06/2022

Well done to Whitton (Twickenham), amazing image. Hope you all enjoyed the day. Tip of the hat from an ex-resident of Whitton, though often cycled along the High St/Percy Rd on my way from Isleworth to school at Hampton.

28/05/2022

Just seen this from on social media which has prompted me to remind people, not just mariners but all those who recharge batteries, particularly lead acid types, about the need to ensure good ventilation.
When lead acid batteries are recharged, hydrogen may be released into the atmosphere and can, with poor ventilation, build up to dangerous levels. I'm not saying this is the case with this £6m, 85ft Princess yacht in as there could be other factors at play such as with cooking/heating gases or electrical issues, but it served as a reminder.
I used to work in the field of batteries and would regularly post items reminding battery users of the need to be careful about adequate ventilation during battery recharging.
For those of you who use jump-start packs, also known as slave battery packs, please make sure you recharge them in a well-ventilated space.

12/04/2020

April 2020, Covid-19 Lock-down Garden Project

It is said that the Devil makes work for idle hands and to be fair who wants to stay cooped up in the house when (a) you have a garden and (b) such good weather?

Last year we had a new drive laid and also some paving slabs and decorative stones delivered for the garden. Much of the materials came on pallets so rather than waste them I stripped them down and used them to build a couple of vegetable trugs and a log-store.

When visiting the guys at DEK Graphics, a very able and handy design and print outfit in Chandler's Ford, I noticed that they left the small pallets, used for deliveries from paper suppliers, out with their rubbish. I know Roger, Keith and Paul pretty well so asked them if I could re-purpose some of them. They had no objections so I took a few and stored them in the dry over the Winter & early Spring. However with nothing else to do and the much improved weather on the run up to Easter it was time to do something with them.

First of all was a smaller veg-trug which I intend to use for tomatoes. Using one pallet as a base I used slats and blocks broken down from other pallets to form the sides. The second item used a single pallet inverted with legs salvaged from a long-dilapidated wooden patio table. Some more slats from other pallets formed the sides of this shallow type which I'll probably use for herbs.

The third project was a table put together using 3 pallets, one as the top and two as sides. The beauty of using pallets as sides is that I can have either potted-plants or bottles in troughs either side of the table.

OK, so they're not Garden Centre quality but hopefully I'll get a few years use out of them before they get re-re-repurposed.

30/03/2020

Is a form of Community or National Service on the cards now.

A few years ago,during my time with the Infrastructure Response Equipment Group, I wrote that in future consideration should be given to providing some basic training to young folk (16-20) so they could help support disaster relief efforts. Then, of course, I was referring to humanitarian programmes overseas, as in Haiti.

Last week I was discussing the current situation with my older son who is just out of the British Army and running a couple of TA units on the outskirts of London. It was apparent to him, given the reaction of the people to COVID-19 that after 3 generations of relative peace or minimum threat to society, that we have lost a sense of urgency in the need to protect ourselves and our communities.

Maybe one outcome of this pandemic could be an element of basic training – call it national or community service – where as part of the nation's educational strategy is a period, maybe 12 months, where folk are given basic training in providing resilience and infrastructure support in emergency situations such as we are facing today.

Interesting times ahead for sure
daveclaxton.uk

29/03/2020

29/03/2020