Yesterday was a busy day with a glorious funeral at church followed by the somewhat less glorious eyeball check-up. Any funeral of a committed Christian is such a positive recognition of the strength and joy for the departed as he is welcomed into eternity. There is human sadness, of course, but Stan (aged 90+) has now moved from death to life!
The eyeballs have not deteriorated since the last check-up over six months ago which equates to two years of stability.
But the overall consequence is a weariness not conducive to detailed blog work.
But fbb has built his first ever Lego kit. It is of a red double deck front engine rear entrance bus, vaguely akin to those that once graced the streets of London Town.
The box contained two bags of Lego "bricks" plus an instruction booklet which wasn't even in English. It began with an instruction to sort the components into piles of the same colour.
The whole booklet was in pictures only, so easy for fbb to understand.
In theory!
Each stage of construction had a picture of the finished section, plus pictures of the parts needed.
Readers may remember Lego sets of yore which came as a pack of parts plus a booklet showing all the various models you could make with part of those parts.
But never no more!
Most Lego sets are now of one model, some simple (like the bus) ...
In theory!
... and some fiendishly complicated. Here is Hogwarts Castle at £409 ...
... and Gustave's Parisian excrescence ...
... at a modest £630!
fbb's birthday bus is available on-line at prices ranging from £6.79 to £11.99.
So let the construction begin. Here is stage 5 ...
... but fbb pressed on at a cracking pace.
... and was soon getting ready for the top deck. To make the model resemble some sort of bus, there were many pieces apparently specific to this one model. Below, a set of wheel arches ...
... and a radiator grille in two parts.
When fbb was just a little tot, pushing the pieces together was easy peasy. The consequence was that bits fell off, equally easy peasy!
Now it needs the power of a multi-ton steam hammer to get them to click firmly together!
See the flat red strip politely declining to adhere to the white advertising panel.
But after a significant morning chunk of effort, fbb was at the roof line.
There was a flat red two piece gap ...
... top deck offside front; but, alas and alack, only a right angled three piece flat to fill it.
And look at this model specific piece, four off!
They formed shaped corner panels for the roof.
There was no alternative but to rip bits off until the mistake was found.
Of course it was fbb's bludner! He had proceeded apace and not bothered with what he felt were trivial instructions.
They weren't and the old bloke got it wrong! A seven year old assembler might struggle likewise; but knowing the nous of the average seven year old, such a Lego builder would probably teach your bodging blogger a thing or two.
But, after much perspiration and inadequate concentration, the bus was finished.
It matched the picture on the box perfectly ...
... BUT ...
... there were nine bits left over!
??????????
It's embarrassing to see an old man cry! 
Coming soon : more Internet stuff!
Next Variety blog : Saturday 28 Feb
Lego often chuck in some extra pieces. Do like any good Lego builder and put them away to gather dust somewhere!
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