10th September 2024

Our Latest News

Come Rain or Shine

The time has come to finally update our blog entry with a current news update. Many visitors to the site will have been disappointed by the lack of new stock postings during the year to date, so time for an explanation. Sadly, as reported in our December 2023 blog entry, the severe weather last winter had a direct impact on us. Located on the very edge of the Somerset Levels and we had the misfortune of being badly flooded on 4.12.23, and again exactly one month later thanks to the attention of 'Storm Henk. '

I predicted then that we would face 6 months of total disruption because of the damage caused to our home, but sadly I totally misjudged the situation. Now, more than 8 months in, reinstatement of the property has yet to commence. Our revised estimate was based around the hope we could move back by Christmas, but even that date is now looking problematic. Dealing with a plethora of different agencies and personnel has proved hugely challenging and has effectively become a full-time job. In the meantime, whilst the business is still ticking over, it has effectively been run on autopilot, and is likely to continue without the CO on the bridge for the remainder of the year.

On a more optimistic front, and despite the lack of progress restoring our flood damaged home, we have been proactive in other areas and have invested heavily in a comprehensive flood mitigation programme. Despite zero assistance from outside agencies, we now have a system in place that we hope will prevent any repeat of the incidents we experienced in the winter of 2023/4. These measures will enable us to sleep at night without constantly watching out for the next weather warning and approaching storm.

In conclusion, rest assured we are still in business and hopefully come the New Year normal service will be resumed, when we can continue to service clients old and new. If in the meantime you have any special requirements, please drop us a mail via the enquiry screen and despite the external challenges we face, we are still offering a restricted service. One casualty of our current situation, however, is for the first time in over 20 years trading we have taken the difficult decision to axe our widely anticipated company Christmas card, but hopefully normal service will be resumed for 2025!

21st December 2023

Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2024!

Where did that one go? To quote her late majesty Queen Elizabeth's epic speech describing events of 1992 she stated "This is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis". Here at the Oldnautibits HQ we would not go quite as far in our summary of 2023, but let's say we have had better years.

Sadly, it seems the impact of global warming is making its presence felt here in the UK and across the world, with a succession of climate related catastrophes. In Britain we have faced a succession of named storms (the latest being today as these words are typed) and with our HQ being located on the very edge of the Somerset Levels we are very low lying and what we term locally as 'The Inland Sea' has returned again this December to worry many. Related issues have meant the team here have had to spend significant time 'manning the pumps' (both literally and metaphorically) and as such this has impacted on servicing the website and benefitting from our normal buoyant Christmas trade.

It is hoped, however, 2024 will see a new dawn for us all and the year will not present the challenges many of us have faced in 2023 and the team here are adopting the late Captain Sir Tom Moore's mantra "The sun will shine again the birds will sing and we'll all have a lovely day tomorrow. "

With very best wishes to our friends and customers here and across the world and in the hope that 2024 will finally see the 'Peace on Earth' that we all crave but is currently so sadly missing as we say goodbye to the year now ending.

2nd December 2022

Christmas Greetings and forward into 2023!

They say everything speeds up as the years go by and that certainly seems to be the case in the Oldnautibits HQ. This week we invested in our Christmas tree and a purchased a new set if lights, but with postal and rail strikes here in the UK and with Asian Flu decimating the turkey population it hardly feels like the season to be jolly. 2022 has proven to be a year to remember for all the wrong reasons including the sad loss of Her Majesty the Queen in September.

Amongst all the gloom and doom we do have one bit of local news that has put a smile on our faces here. Some of you will know I have personally been leading a fight to prevent a totally inappropriate open cast stone quarry directly on our 'flight path' here. This has been going on since 2018 and despite being turned down twice the applicant went to appeal. Fortunately we mounted a robust campaign and the appeal judge took note of the many local concerns and the application was finally (and we hope definitively) rejected in the autumn. We and our rural neighbours are delighted this sword of Damocles is no longer hanging over us. This 4 year campaign has taken a significant amount of time (and quite a bit of money)but it is hoped in 2023 we can again devote ourselves to operating the business which has been forced to take back seat in the recent weeks, months and years.

We conclude this piece by wishing our friends, customers and colleagues in our niche profession the compliments of the season and in the hope that early in 2023 we sees Putin's warmongering defeated in the Ukraine. And that once again we all see Peace on Earth.

26th August 2022

Autumn update from the Control Tower

Late August may seem a premature time to post an autumn update. Here in southwest England however, the impact of global warming has resulted in an incredibly dry summer, that in turn has led to our autumn leaf fall starting approximately two months early. Nights are also drawing in and it is sad to report that winter is only just around the corner.

The disaster that has fallen Ukraine now stretches beyond 6 months and the ramifications of Putin's unjust and unacceptable war is impacting on not just the Ukrainian peoples but the whole world. The United Nations seem powerless to help although our soon to be ex PM has done more than many world leaders in supporting President Zelensky in his struggles.

Closer to home our local fight against a totally inappropriate stone quarry located in a residential area in our village continues. The current appeal, was due to be decided upon in June but was then pushed back to July and then August. The most recent information is the decision will now not be made until September and in the meantime we and our neighbours live on tenterhooks. We have done all we can to fight this proposal and we can only hope justice will finally be done, as this issue has been hanging over our community since 2018. This issue has absorbed a totally inappropriate amount of our time and it is hoped once this is behind us, we can concentrate more on the job we so much enjoy.

Sadly our major War & Peace Militaria fair was cancelled again in 2022 and many of our other local sources for both marine and aviation kit have yielded very poor pickings in recent months. That being said we plan to filter out some choice items from our reserve collection as well as other inventory items held back for the rainy day that looks to be approaching. We hope to restock the website once autumn proper finally arrives in October but as ever if you have a special requirement do drop us a line, even if you do not see an appropriate listing on the website currently.

And finally issues of exporting to and buying from the EU since Brexit remain and as such we continue our moratorium on exports to Europe. The hassle and costs involved for both us and our customers remains unacceptable, but we will continue to monitor the situation. It is hoped with our next blog update we will have more positive news to report in what is fast becoming in Her Majesty's famous words of 1992 an 'Annus Horribilis' for us all.

1st February 2022

Spring is in the air!

Christmas and New Year now seem a distant memory, but it is hoped all our regular customers and friends had a good one, wherever you may be located. Here in the UK life seems to be returning to some sort of normality,except in Downing Street and its enclaves, but we prefer not to wash our dirty laundry in public, so will swiftly move on!

We intimated in the December blog entry that Mr Oldnautibits has been somewhat distracted in 2021 assisting with fighting several unacceptable local planning applications. Sadly, one that relates to the reopening of a redundant quarry right on our doorstep, that has been rejected by the local council twice has now been taken to appeal. We are mounting a robust and final campaign so this entirely inappropriate scheme can be finally consigned to history. We hope this should be concluded by the spring, but in the meantime the business is having to play second fiddle. We are, however, still here in the office so if you do have a specific requirement just drop us a mail and we will respond promptly in the usual manner.

Despite reporting the Covid situation on the ground is returning to some form of normality, this is not entirely true. The end of January normally sees all the key UK and EU dealers assemble at the Stoneleigh Militaria Fair where we all meet to buy, sell and trade. Sadly, the organisers were not prepared to commit in view of the Omicron variant of Covid and the event was pulled at the 11th hour. It has now been rescheduled for the 22nd of May so it is hoped this and other key UK fairs will be back on the agenda as 2022 rolls out.

And finally, have you ever considered owning the classic sports car beloved of RAF pilots in the 1930's, 40's or 50's? If so your opportunity to invest in a 1954 MGTF 1250 registration 359 UYN will be up for sale through Charterhouse auctioneers with viewing on 2nd March with the sale the following day, Thursday 3rd March at the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset. The TF is the final derivative of the classic T series of cars and regarded by many as the prettiest. This is an original right hand drive example with matching engine and chassis numbers and is of course finished in flame red with wire wheels. Bidding is in person on the day or online and full details can be found via this link: https://charterhouse-cars. com/next-car-auction The TF has sadly been consigned by me as owning three classics as well as a small sailing boat has proved a bridge too far. These cars like to be used, hence making the difficult decision to rehome the MG. We will be posting a few photographs on the site to perhaps whet your appetite and with spring just around the corner, what better time to invest in some open top classic motoring?

Keep safe and let's hope 2022 proves to be the year when life returns to a new normal!