Phonebox rephurbishment

With a day off from work because I needed one, I had a thoroughly lazy morning watching an episode or two of Yes, Minister.

After lunch the sun came out good and proper for once, and I had a little mission in mind!  I pedalled out to Colinton village to see how the repairs to the community-owned K6 telephone box were coming along.  A few days ago they were scraping off up to nine layers of paint, and now the thing is resplendent again in the proper Currant Red.

I hadn't expected anyone to be working on it, but I had a really good chat with the man who was installing the glass panes.  He told me that it's the original glass which they've cleaned and polished.  I hadn't known before that each pane is not a flat piece but a rectangular 'bowl', and each is set into the frame using brass pins and modern neoprene gaskets.  Some of the panes clearly fitted more easily than others!  He also explained that his team managed the installation of the colourful train mural in the Colinton railway tunnel (which goes through the hillside somewhat behind the phone box and much lower down).  This K6 was made by none other than our beloved Lion Foundry.

Back home I unearthed my trusty, rusty Africa Twin and gave her engine a run.  I had quite forgotten just how high the seat is off the ground!  Despite the thousands of miles I've put on Fidra in the last year, the AT also still feels a bit like coming home.