The Ambassador's Daughter is something of a nutritionist and, knowing that I make my own bread, she suggested I tried using Spelt flour. I did and jolly delicious it is too, but...

If you think that's bad, you should have seen the first one - the Caped Crusader could have worn it without embarrassment. Learned Counsel popped his head round the door and gave me a few tips (I've been doing it for 10 years, he's been doing it for 1 but, paying attention) and this second attempt is a bit nearer the mark. Still, the aesthetics of a loaf of bread come second to taste and texture. I slip a handful of walnut pieces into the mix to give it a lift (so to speak).

I managed at last to get a few moments in the workshop and spent the time making up a jig and turning a few thou out of the exhaust flanges so they'd accept the stainless steel pipe. Although the published diameter is the same as the mild steel pipe, it isn't. This week I hope to get the exhaust on the car and once again, start-up will be hoving into view.

The nice thing about TIG welding thick material (and dissimilar metals at that) is that with a stainless filler rod, it all goes reasonably smoothly. I was very pleased that all the flanges went on in their respective places without me blowing holes in anything. I remembered to spend time cleaning off the black from the welding areas on the mild steel - absolutely essential for success.

So that looks a bit racy...

.. as does this view.

Earlier, I was debating about which way to get around the rear axle and then I saw that in cutting the vertical part of the downpipe to a length that avoided the whole system hanging from under the car and looking like a prolapsed something-or-other, I'd managed to make the horizontal line exactly right to clang into the axle casing. I couldn't have got it more right if I'd tried. So, between the silencer (now packed with a quantity of Rockwool) I'm going to let in a joggle. Unfortunately, the only pipe benders I can find locally are the ones that creased up my last 2" pipe and, following a quick visit to their scrap bin, all the good stuff has gone. Still, the Works Manager has assured me that all will be well and I'm to return next week to collect a couple of bends from which I can fabricate the joggle. I'm going under the axle; there's bags of room and less of a chance of something coming together.

And dreaming of roaring round the yard (and beating Learned Counsel and the Jowett Jumble Sale to it) it dawned on me that a gear lever would come in handy. Where does a nice tapered gear lever rod come from? There wasn't anything hanging about in the farm buildings (although I made a mental note of the wand on an old John Deere tucked away in the corner) so I considered an Austin 7..... and then got a Model A Ford one which although probably shorter, is a bit more manly. With the bend in it, I can't screw it in to the box directly so have hit on the idea of a turnbuckle arrangement. Fortunately, I've got left hand taps and dies so the whole thing should be like falling off a log.

The joke I planned about 'sinking' and 'falling off a log' turns up a paradox, so I'll leave it.