#meccano
Algywaited and waited for the ferris wheel to start turning, and as the day faded into dusk and still nothing happened he became increasingly concerned that he would not be able to hold the magical cherry blossom under his tongue for much longer, and would shoot up to full size again before he had had a chance to ride.
Worried that, if he were to expand abruptly, he might damage the wheel and upset all the other wee riders, Algy decided that the best thing to do was hop off again and continue waiting at a safer distance. After all, if the wheel did start to turn while he was still a suitable size, he should be able to fly up onto his seat without too much difficulty.
The dusk deepened into increasing darkness, and Algy was just about to give up and dismount, feeling rather disappointed, when - without any warning - the magical cherry blossom suddenly lit up, the wheel started turning, and fairground music began to play…
Algy was absolutely thrilled, and as he rode joyfully round and round on the tiny wheel, he sang along with the music:
By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!
You and me, you and me, oh how happy we’ll be!** Best viewed full screen
[This video features an original soundtrack by Algy’s assistants, based on the melody of the early 20th century popular song By the beautiful sea.]
Algy’s little green dragon friend demanded to know more about his adventures on Easter Island a year ago, and so Algy recounted the story of the ferris wheel which had sadly seemed much too tiny for a large fluffy bird to ride upon, until the magical cherry blossom had shrunk him down to a miniature size…
Algy could still hardly believe that he could have taken such a ride, but the incontrovertible video evidence (acquired by some mysterious and magical means) proves beyond any doubt that he did ❣️
1888 The Eiffel Tower under construction in Paris, France. No. 4 in a series of 11. Théophile Féau captured the construction of the tower by taking photographs from the tower of the Trocadero at 15 day intervals.
1912 The Titanic leaves Southampton bound for New York. The Titanic left Southampton on her maiden voyage but on the night of 14th April 1912 struck an iceberg in the northern Atlantic and the ‘unsinkable’ ship went down with 1522 passengers and crew less than 3 hours later.
1934 Tramcar Collision. The wreckage after two tramcars collided on London’s Embankment, injuring six people.
1939: Crowds march through the streets of Dublin to commerate the Easter Rising, the armed uprising of Irish nationalists against British rule in Ireland.
1941: Members of the Nazi Afrika Korps on desert patrol, leading the Axis offensive in Libya.
1943 Tank making. Russian tanks in their winter white camouflage being assembled at a Ukrainian plant.
1944 Bombs Away. An American B25 Mitchell bomber blasts a Japanese warship just off the north west coast of New Zealand. The ship was eventually sunk off New Hanover. The bomb dropping is circled.
1945 Princess Elizabeth Drives an Ambulance. Now Queen, Elizabeth drove an ambulance during her wartime service in the A.T.S. (Auxiliary Territorial Service) as she began to undertake public duties.
1947 The Lie-Detector. A crowd studies the interpretation of the brainwaves of Mr W G Carradine (in the chair), an Assistant Regional Officer of the Minstry of Supply during a demonstration at Imperial College, London of the Edissen Divert Recording Electro-Encephalograph, which has come to be known as the lie-detector.
1947 Glass-Blower. A worker at Glass Developments Ltd in Didcot making glass animals shaped out of hot, pliable glass.
1951: Judy Garland (1922 - 1969), originally Frances Gumm, in London.
1954 Meccano Set. Two men examining a fairground ferris wheel made out of Meccano at the Toy Manufacturer’s Fair in Brighton.
1954 Toy Heaven. Shiny new toys on display at the Toy Manufacturers’ Fair at Brighton.
1957 Demonstrating an underwater camera. Two women in a glass tank at the British Photo Fair, National Hall, Olympia, London, taking photographs of people watching them with underwater cameras in order to demonstrate the equipment.
1961 US Missile. A US Air Force TM-76 B Mace tactical range ballistic missile blasts out of a prototype hard site at the US Air Force Missile Test Centre at Cape Canaveral.
1967 Academy Awards. Exterior of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, where a line of valets stands with their backs to the camera during the 39th Annual Academy Awards, Santa Monica, California. Crowds sit in bleachers awaiting the arrival of celebrities.
1972 General Idi Amin, Ugandan Dictator, born 1925 pictured playing with the Uganda Air Force band. Idi Amin seized power in 1971 and was responsible for the murder of thousands of Ugandans and the expulsion of thousands of Asians during his tyranny. He was forced into exile in 1979 after an invasion of Tanzanian forces.
1975 Patchwork A La Mode. Model Ellen Liu wears a woollen two-piece patchwork knit outfit with a matching hat and scarf. The outfit was designed and made in Hong Kong and is part of fashion show held at Hong Kong House in London.
1984 A-ha In London. Norwegian pop group A-ha posed in London on 10th April 1984. From left to right: Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pal Waaktaar.
1992 New PM. The new British Prime Minister John Major poses with Conservative Party Chairman Chris Patten outside Number 10 Downing Street, one day after his victory in the general election.
