I would have taken it, but the Wolseley Hornet I was driving to a local tea party (all proceeds to the new cemetery fund) developed a misfire in one cylinder. Every now and again it would fire on all six and leap forward, not for long though.

I always liked something a bit off the wall and this motorised bicycle was both inspiring and wonderfully illegal if, perish the thought, it was to be taken out on the public roads.

An early 20hp Rolls with what was described as a ¾ coupé body by Windovers had something slightly odd about the rear window shape. It was almost as though a four-door saloon had been converted but they hadn't considered enlarging the front doors.

The day before, this Riley turned up at The Great Collector's emporium - not a body you see too often.

And of course, a bargain Bullnose Morris proved irresistible and has been temporarily tucked in next to the Hillman 14 tourer - a 1929 model, so a Rootes car. It's taken the place of a Hillman Minx saloon which went to auction a month or so ago.

Back in the workshop, I was playing with paper patterns and beginning to get the hang of identifying where panels need to be shrunk, where they might be stretched and where it might be prudent to shape them in individual sections. There's lots of good gen on YouTube and I've quite a library of learned tomes on metal shaping that I can refer to when I get into the inevitable muddle.

The glove compartment lid and the lid for the computer stuff on the driver's side of the dash went well. The slight imperfection on the right-hand cover - it's not quite parallel - will be hidden by the steering wheel.

The windscreen washer bottle had to be moved to a new position so that the fuel filter and fuel pump could be accommodated. I'm also wrestling with the installation of the heater matrix and its associated ducting. I hadn't designed it particularly well and so I'm having to make some adjustments to the air intake - in other words, doing it again. I'll be getting used to doing things twice - the exhaust re-routing means that the engine-turned panel which sits on the chassis rail will have to be remade as the cutout for the downpipe is now in the wrong place.

Another old lathe - a Colchester Student I think - has come to light in a friend's uncle's workshop. I keep thinking I'll replace my Myford as the bore in the spindle is irritatingly small, but in so doing I'd probably end up with something old and worn out.

The irrepressible Jan is having a wonderful summer campaigning with my old Hillman, this time high up in the Tatra mountains in Slovakia. Very scenic.