Over.. Andover

[DaveB]

I'm having one of those days that should really be reserved for Tuesday (known the world over as the worst day of the week) :roll: I'd been after a hedge trimmer for ages and finally got my hands on one last Thursday. Having done all the bits and pieces I have to do on a Monday.. the time was 2PM so I thought I'd take the hedge trimmer out of the box for the very first time and attack a straggly bit of hedge I have at the end of our footpath. There's not much to it.. maybe 4ft high, 3ft deep and about 6 to 8ft wide before it disappears into nothingness. All it really needed was a bit of a haircut so off I went.. extension leads plugged in.. brand spanking new trimmer in my gloved hands. The world was good

Two mins.. 3 at the most and that little hedge is now smart as a guardsman if not quite as tall. While I'm here, thought I.. I'll have a go at tidying up the pyracantha(sp). Two minutes later, I'm standing there with gouts of smoke coming out of the trimmer as it died before my very eyes. First thought going through my head.. wish I'd bought the Flymo one now While disappearing in said smoke, reflecting on my lot.. I heard a noise.. an unfamiliar noise in the sky above and glanced up to see what I first thought was a 748 but finally settled on an Andover as it disappeared serenely behind the trees.. RR Darts whining sweetly with the rapidly lowering sun reflecting off it's nacelles The smoke finally cleared leaving me standing there with £30 of rubbish in my hands and I stood for a while listening to the Darts disappear into the distance.

The moral of the story.. well, if you're thinking of buying a LandXcape hedge trimmer from Argos (cat no. 720/0425) at £29.99.. then don't bother.. unless of course you want it to trim your Bonsai tree. Used once a year for no more than a minute at a time.. you'll probably get 5 years use out of it.. maybe 8 at a push

Had it NOT broken down.. I may have missed the Andover so it was probably worth it ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Chris Sykes]

sounds like one of those master card adverts Dave??? Hedge trimmer, £29.99, Tree £50, Trimmer breaking at the right time for airplane to pass over.... Priceless...

[Trev Clark]

Perhaps the Argos person (sorry Derek ;-) ) put a motor from a Scalextrix into your trimmer body by mistake.....oh, that is only HMV that could do something that stupid. Still, an Andover (Boscome Down's?) is indeed a real treat.

[DaveB]

I like that analogy Chris

Trev..
Yup.. I guess it was Boscombe's. It was one of those moments when I quite literally didn't believe my eye's. First found the aircraft then worked from the front back (noting that it was about to go out of view) and all the time thinking.. 'It can't be'. Then, I clocked the nacelles and there was no mistaking it was one or t'other. He was still quite low so could conceivably have just come up from Benson

That's another 'first' to the list. Lived here over 7years and now have 1 x VC10 and 1 x Andover ticked off Keeping an eye open (still) for the Martin Baker Meatbox ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Chris558]

Hi Dave!

Glad you enjoyed the Andover. Your trimmer going tits up was a blessing in disguise!!

I know Boscombes Andovers do very occasionally shoot a circuit or two at Benson, so it's quite possible that the one you saw was doing just that. And how nostalgic (with Benson having a long assosiation with the type.)

The most unusual and rarest type I ever saw on approach to Benson was the RAE Varsity from Farnborough (now at Cosford.) Dakota ZA947 also used to pay the very occasional visit when with RAE Farnborough also.

[DelP]

hhmmm..the old 720/0425... :roll:

..when you take it back Dave, spend an extra fiver and get the 042/2891 instead ;-)

Derek

[DaveB]

Chris..
That's exactly what I thought mate. Born in the wrong time I'm afraid :-(

Del..
Already a foregone conclusion mate. SWMBO has her instructions for tomorrow ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab: