Like father, like daughter Under a maintenance contract, Steels, the Hereford Honda dealer, pick up Mike Weaver's Jaguar Sovereign and service it annually. For most of us this would be a normal and desirable state of affairs. But not Mike. "I feel guilty when it goes into the garage," he says. Because, although he has the skills to do such work - and more - it's often a matter of finding the time. It seems this ability has been passed down to the next generation. Here's Mike's 11-year-old daughter Laura in front of a doll's house ("The Classic") she's assembled and furnished. Note the music score over the keyboard of the grand piano and the lighting in every room. "She has her own toolkit and soldering iton," says Mike. Out of the picture to the left is Arkwright's Shop, a retail doll's house work-in-progress project. It comes as no surprise to find that Laura prefers building them to playing with them.

Mike Weaver is a self-confessed sentimentalist when it comes to vehicles. The proof is in his driveway where a Jaguar Sovereign and a Land Rover Discovery stand shoulder to shoulder - both models predating the acquisition of their parent companies by foreign interests. For better or for worse they're British cars.

Inside the garage, however, there's an even greater expression of Mike's vehicular patriotism. An 850 cc1972 Norton Commando (that's a motorcycle to the uninitiated) awaiting restoration. Does restoration include curing it of a famous tendency to leave oil behind at the briefest opportunity? No, says Mike, how could it? There's a pipe that runs from the oil reservoir which intentionally drips oil on to the chain.

The BR website found it hard to imagine such a design feature on, say, a German bike. Mike laughs: the German solution would be "to sell you a chain that cost five hundred pounds". Let's quickly point out that this was meant as a joke. Not a bad joke, either, as those who have been compelled to master aspects of German automotive engineering would confirm.

The Norton was bought from a couple in Malvern although, says Mike in an aside (it's always worth waiting for Mike's asides), "the wife wasn't happy about it because the bike appeared in all their wedding photographs"

The Norton is merely Mike's most recent restoration project, some with his Dad (presently at work on a genuine classic - a 1949 Sunbeam Talbot) and some on his own. He provides a partial list: a 1965 Ford Cortina GT, a Hillman Imp an Austin Seven. There may have been more but there's another aside in the offing. "The registration number from the Seven - XMW 75 - is now attached to the Jaguar Sovereign."

The logic behind the Norton is impeccable. "Because I can't fit a vintage car in my garage," says Mike. And when it's finished it will provide day-to-day transport, possibly displacing Mike's present mount which - whisper it not in Gath! - has two wheels and came from Japan. Whether Mike will dispose of the Asiatic intruder is a moot point. The family likes to surround itself with transport and Mike's wife, Lisa, who does nurse training at Hereford hospital, gets to and fro by Chinese scooter. Making five vehicles in all if one excludes the two-wheel trailer nestling somewhere or other on the driveway.

Restoring a motorcycle is a change for Mike although he did once renovate a 1958 Lambretta scooter. Then, he was helped by his father though this is debatable. During reassembly his father "left out" what proved to be an irreplacable bearing. When Mike drew attention to this, his father had a ready reply, saying that the Lambretta had only two wheels and had Mike tried to ride it he "would have killed himself".

Having a second two-wheeler means Mike can take his time over the Norton. The mains will be changed and you can't get more radical than that. The valves will also be replaced so the bike will run on unleaded. He has, however, decided to retain the original paint on the frame. But for those who think a bike is a soft option compared with a car, there are some tricky jobs ahead. The internal structure of the pillion seat is badly rusted and will probably need replacing. Reinstalling the seat will call for minor re-upholstery. Bikes aren't just spanners and sheet metal.

All of which will need fitting in round his real job as fire safety consultant (Mike Weaver Fire Safety Services, tel 370148, email Mwfires@aol.com) which he started after 25 years in the Fire Service. Given his handiness with nuts, bolts and cylinder-heads this comes as a mild surprise but nowhere near as big a one as when, after photography, the Norton is being wheeled back into garage. "What are those loudspeakers all about?" asked BR website. Mike shrugs and comes up with yet another aside. "As a musician I have to have music in the garage."

Musician? A saxophonist to be precise. Which sort - tenor, baritone or soprano? "I've got them all but I play tenor. I started out playing the flute at school - it's the same fingering, you know." He likes Stan Getz but is not limited to jazz. He's presently a member of Stranded a six-man group who'll do you a wedding reception at, say, The Three Counties. MOR stuff to kick off with, Rolling Stones to finish the evening.

A thought occurs to the BR website editor. How did Mike react to the Buncefield disaster at New year. "Jealous I couldn't go and fight the fire." A man of parts, Mike Weaver

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