Natasha has developed an interest in Meccano, based on a present that my brother gave Kay for her birthday last year. We have been building a helicopter with Kay's set. But I as a kid I loved Mecaano and I have a box full of it upstairs, including the Meccano Elektrikit, and lots of gears and stuff.
I haven't touched this box in probably 35 years, but this afternoon I decided to bring it down and sort it out, with the idea of building some electrical stuff for Natasha. I recently found the manual for Elektrikit on the web and I quite fancy building an "Electric Shock Generator", which in these days of neurotic safety regulations is something that I doubt you can build with any construction set on the market.
Anyway, I have been cleaning out all the rubbish from the box and starting to organize the various components. There are three layers in the box - which was beautifully made by my Dad to look like the famous "Meccano Set 10" box. When I got to the bottom layer, I removed various bits of paper and other junk, including for some reason some Tinkertoy bits. And I was left with the following:
I'm absolutely completely choked up with emotion, there's a lump in my throat the size of a potato, my eyes are practically bursting from their sockets with the pressure of tears behind them.
This is so "out of left field" that I'm just stunned. I suppose that there's a 1/27 chance that it could have been a letter "K", but that kind of misses the point. What's it doing there in the first place? There are no other letters in the entire box.
I can't let myself think about this too much, otherwise I'm going to crash and burn in another wave of grief and pain. Better get on with my plan to electrocute Natasha.
No more than 4.5volts LT Rob. Dad.
ReplyDeleteDon't crash and burn, feel the warmth that Kay is with you still, she's taking an interest.
ReplyDeleteYeh, it's spooky - but it's not bad. Not quite the shock you anticipated?
Looks like a load of fun - don't go giving anyone severe electric shocks though will you!
Love and hugs
Linda xx
Hi Rob, wow!!! That's made me all goose-bumpy!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are doing the construction project with Nattie. (I can't spell macanno.. Maccanno...whatever!). I used to be so envious of you having all that stuff!!! I've always joked about being given three Lego bricks and a wheel when I asked to share Lego time with you and Jamie... Until Mum and Dad got me my own... Mum and Dad, I love you very much, so don't take this personally, but why did you buy me a Lego Kitchen sink kit??? It was lovely and everything and I got to put flower transfers on the kitchen tiles, but I was still hankering after the moon landing kit!!!
Well, if Nattie is anything like her old Aunty, she will absolutely love doing this with you... And, it will set her up for doing a lovely degree like mine. I thought Electrical engineering would be about making intruder alarms or lie detectors, or motion activated light systems, but I spent 3 years learning to differentiate in three dimmensions... Not sure why?!!! What was all that about?!!!
Anyway, enjoy it! I wish I could come and play too, but you'd probably only let me have one bit of wire, two bolts, and a flat battery!!!
Lots of love, Ali xxx
I married an engineer!?! Have fun Nattie! And yes... if that's not a sign of approval from Kay, I don't know what is! Go Kay!
ReplyDeleteYou talk about three layers, Ali mentions three dimmensional. Kay makes her presence felt in every tier and when she feels that sometimes you are missing the subtle indications of her presence all aound you she will give you a big bloody kick up the arse so you get her message. Enjoy your meccano with Nattie x
ReplyDeletePure and simple.....Kay is with you. Accept the signs.
ReplyDeleteYour friend, Debbie
..."which was beautifully made by my Dad".
ReplyDeleteThat rings a bell. When we moved house last week a box emerged from under the stairs that Sue had never seen. It's a cabinet on wheels which now contains various tools. It was originally built for some Corgi cars, with an added sliding box on top to hold some Lego, and later modified to hold a train set. It had a very brief period holding fishing kit but now holds the tools that my dad used to make it. Are dads still making boxes? Perhaps, but I suspect that toys now get discarded too quickly. Sadly my dad's Meccano, which I used to play with, got left behind in a 1970's house move.
BR
Alistair