The Engineer

Was invited to address the assembly at Emma's school this morning. Headteacher introduced me and showed the footage from NottsTV. A few hands were raised so we took a couple of questions: Q. Are you REALLY an engineer? A. Yes, I've been an engineer for over forty years. Q. If you've been an engineer for over forty years, how old are you? The innocence of childhood - priceless.

Pobbies. Rip up a couple of slices of bread, pour warm milk over and add sugar to taste.

My avatar is of course Frederick Rowland Emett. Will have to change it for my next project....................... TBI: It was Emma and me on telly, both BBC and NottsTV.

Yes, that is Emma and me. We've just come away from NottsTV studio. It was the 6:30 show, to be repeated later this evening.

Thank you for the kind comments, especially from those of you who have followed me on this journey. On location, I think the natural daylight is great - it is after all meant to be a sunflower, cobweb and various flora and fauna. The daylight will do them good! On seating, I am pleased that there is no seat backing onto the clock; should mean it is more visible. I've heard there will be seating in the general area so that you can sit away from the clock and gaze at it (or eat your lunch or whatever). Haven't seen or heard any coverage yet on TV or radio. If I were in shot, I was wearing

Nope, not TT. On the matter of drinking, each day I've worked within that enclosure has been physically exhausting because of the heat and humidity - somewhere between a greenhouse and a sauna. Have drunk gallons of water and soft drinks just to stay hydrated. Was there until after ten last night and back just after 8 this morning. I had to remove, drill, tap and refit loads of new brass bearings to try to get the butterflies to pivot as they should. I was still not entirely happy with two or three but we needed to get some water in to test the fountain and spout. At first the fountain s

Another busy day but the end is in sight now. In fact I've left it running as a 'soak test' (albeit still a dry installation - they are planning to fill the pool tomorrow). I've overcome a few minor snags and at present, the petals go up and down, the three top pendant things rotate, all four clock faces are going (maybe a few minutes out - I just set them roughly). The bell rings and the music plays (I've left volume at around half for now). Tomorrow I expect to fit the orchestra players and to fit the butterflies to the cobweb wheel (just realised I might need to take wellies). ........

Had a very busy week on the clock. Finally connected electric today; looks promising. Will be doing more building/testing tomorrow. Petals are on but I need to connect them via the rods to the gubbins below. If you're passing you might just hear the bell ring and Rameau playing. If you see the top things rotating, it's a sign that I am around (probably hot and bothered - it's like a sauna in there!) Still on target for Wednesday's official switch-on (must connect the big red button soon).

Nominees have to be Visual Artists; did Aneurin do any Welsh landscapes in his spare time?

Not that we really get to vote but aside from Emett, I'd be torn between Stan Laurel (he still makes me laugh) and Watson Fothergill (I like fine brickwork and he was of course a local lad).

Just looked on the Bank of England website. The public can only nominate (it's not an election by poll). There's an advisory panel who will create a shortlist based on the contribution made by each nominee and the Governor of the Bank of England will choose the winner. There's some stiff competition already including: Augustus Pugin Alec Issigonis Alexander McQueen Alfred Hitchcock Beatrix Potter Capability Brown Charles Rennie MacIntosh Charlie Chaplin Clarice Cliff Colin Chapman David Lean Francis Bacon Frederick Henry Royce Gerry Anderson Isambard Kingdom Brunel John Cons

From the bank of England website: The next £20 note will celebrate Britain’s achievements in the visual arts and we would like the public to nominate who they would like to feature on the back of the £20 note. Visual artists include architects, artists, ceramicists, craftspeople, designers, fashion designers, filmmakers, photographers, printmakers and sculptors. The Bank will not feature fictional or living characters, with the exception of the Monarch, who appears on the front of our notes. Please make your nominations by 19 July 2015.​ http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pa

The BBC solution showed that n2 - n - 90 = 0 but it didn't go on to solve the equation to find n. For the curious among you, here's how: The equation is called quadratic meaning it can be written in the generic form of ax2 + bx + c = 0 (we tend to use x for the unknown but for this problem where they used n, we could say an2 + bn + c = 0). The first approach to finding the value of n is called 'solving by inspection', which means you look at the values of a, b and c to see whether the solution is obvious. In this case inspection works: we need two numbers that equal b (-1) when added but al

I often need mathematics, but that's engineering for you! Not so much algebra, usually just arithmetic and maybe trigonometry. I've pretty much forgotten calculus and other higher level stuff. My son and I do a bit of maths 'sparring' from time to time; keeps us both on our toes. The answer was ten sweets by the way. Chance of first orange one was 6/10. Chance of second orange one was 5/9. Chance of two orange ones was therefore 6/10 x 5/9 = 30/90 = 1/3.

A little cleaner http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j12/blackfish3/scan0011b_zpsetxhnljg.jpg

Ah, Project Maths: Project Maths is an exciting, dynamic development in Irish education. It involves empowering students to develop essential problem-solving skills for higher education and the workplace by engaging teenagers with mathematics set in interesting and real-world contexts. Sounds like what I would call Applied Mathematics (as opposed to Pure Mathematics). I agree with you though, the examination should only include material that has been taught.

Installation at the Parcel Sorting Office was before my time but I had the pleasure of maintenance in mid to late 1970s. There were some Sovex Marshall conveyors in the Letter Sorting Office across the road that pre-dated the PSO ones. Not absolutely sure but from what I heard, David Lindfield, a former employee at Sovex Marshall (quite high up at the time, probably director) left (or was pushed out). The business declined (not necessarily because of David's absence) and later folded. David bought the rights to the name and set up a new business called Sovex Systems, currently based in The

Saw today's news item - GCSE students complaining about 'difficult' maths question. It was in a GCSE Higher Tier paper. It involved a bit of probability, juggling simple algebraic equations and solving a quadratic equation (I'm implying it was easy for that level). The question (paraphrased): Hannah has a bag of sweets. Six of them are orange, the rest are yellow. She takes two sweets and they are both orange. The chance of that was 1/3. Show that n squared - n - 90 = 0. Solve this equation to find n. Eng

Just a brief post as I've had a long day. It culminated with spending around three hours this evening with a crane, a fistful of screws and nuts and various guys to assemble a few main parts of the clock as follows: The control box and first tower. The sunflower (no petals yet). The next tower with the top turntable (no arms or pendants yet). The clock tower and four clock faces and finally the spire. The hoardings are back in place (they had to move some for the crane and a cherry picker) but the clock is quite visible from the mall now so you can have a butchers. I left it smiling ten

Little Bounds was a playing field off Wilford Lane used by the old Becket Grammar School (recently demolished). They also used a playing field called Big Bounds (adjacent or fairly close).

Tramper, Thank you for offering to assist. I've PM'd you. I'm assured by intu that the required screws are ordered and will be delivered to site by tomorrow lunchtime. We expect to start assembly tomorrow evening (sorry, no spectators; it will be done after hours). Engineer

Am spending all of my spare time on the clock at present (and some time that wasn't spare if the truth be told). Everything seems to take much longer than expected but we are still on target for E-Day (17th June). The frame is in place as of this evening, albeit still hanging from a gantry - you might see its top above the hoardings. We're expecting a crane to lift the main chunks this Thursday evening so there should definitely be something to see on Friday. If anyone has any hex head 5/16" BSW screws, I need 22 by Thursday (11 x one inch long, 11 x one and a half inches long) - don't wan

No worries; I'd like to think it's more than just a clock but as they say: "each to their own". I'll be there anyway.

BREAKING NEWS - It's a date for your diaries: Wednesday 17 June, sometime in the morning (maybe 10am) - the clock shall be ceremonially switched on (though to look at all the bits and my 'to-do' list, I and other players need to crack on to get it ready!) Right now I am just about to modify the electrical panel so that it can control the water works. Back to work.....

There has been activity within those hoardings. I understand that the concrete basin is there and that they have lined it with GRP. The access doors are not as high as the rest of the surrounds but still too high to see over - it needs someone with a selfie-stick to grab some photos. The Emett plaque is in there as well but no other parts of the clock yet.