What's made you grumpy today?

[PuntoHowTo]

Joys of the modern era and a smart phone..turn up somewhere and it'll tell you the buses/trams you need to get, and where from and to also where you can get lunch and where things are.

Compared to going out in the 80s everything is significantly easier...

Speaking of things that absolutely would have been easier in the 80s. My son has been on about going in the front of the car for a while, it not being the 80s he still has a sizeable isofix seat and will do until he's a minimum of 135cm tall by law. Whereas I survived being in the front from about his age with no extra seat.

He's had a face on all day various reasons and my thoughts went to sod it let's make him happy...the car has isofix on the front passenger seat we'll do this. Slammed the seat in belted him up pushed it all the way back on it's runners so his head with seat is about where a normal adult head would be and jobs a good-un. It's a forward facing seat and he's miles from the airbag and belted in so all good.

Quite happy sitting there watching the world go by...on the way home and we pull in and I set about putting his seat in the back...furious is not the word. Apparently mammy needs to sit in the back from now on.

This makes my laugh my little-un loves to face forward, wife wanted him rear facing he was older but he is so nosy he wants to see everything going on. We have to point out every tractor, lorry or digger we see along the way, the occasional train when near rail lines and we’ve recently learned Van and motor bike just to add to the things that need pointing out

 

[StevenRB45]

This makes my laugh my little-un loves to face forward, wife wanted him rear facing he was older but he is so nosy he wants to see everything going on. We have to point out every tractor, lorry or digger we see along the way, the occasional train when near rail lines and we’ve recently learned Van and motor bike just to add to the things that need pointing out

All I'm going to say is the phrase "don't tell your mam" might have been broken out today...

We'll see how long that one lasts, she wasn't going to get in the car to go to work to find the child seat in the passenger seat.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Joys of the modern era and a smart phone..turn up somewhere and it'll tell you the buses/trams you need to get, and where from and to also where you can get lunch and where things are.

Compared to going out in the 80s everything is significantly easier...

Speaking of things that absolutely would have been easier in the 80s. My son has been on about going in the front of the car for a while, it not being the 80s he still has a sizeable isofix seat and will do until he's a minimum of 135cm tall by law. Whereas I survived being in the front from about his age with no extra seat.

He's had a face on all day various reasons and my thoughts went to sod it let's make him happy...the car has isofix on the front passenger seat we'll do this. Slammed the seat in belted him up pushed it all the way back on it's runners so his head with seat is about where a normal adult head would be and jobs a good-un. It's a forward facing seat and he's miles from the airbag and belted in so all good.

Quite happy sitting there watching the world go by...on the way home and we pull in and I set about putting his seat in the back...furious is not the word. Apparently mammy needs to sit in the back from now on.

Ah yes, "smart" phones, really am going to have to buy one soon. Especially as the new car seems to be crying out for one.

Youngest granddaughter is pushing for the front seat now. So far granny has been able to claim it first. I really must measure how tall she is. Oh, but then, if she's big enough, Granny will almost certainly be ousted!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

This makes my laugh my little-un loves to face forward, wife wanted him rear facing he was older but he is so nosy he wants to see everything going on. We have to point out every tractor, lorry or digger we see along the way, the occasional train when near rail lines and we’ve recently learned Van and motor bike just to add to the things that need pointing out

Youngest grandchild, is now 4 and can already tell Mercedes, Audi, Renault and others from their badges. - A chip off the old block methinks?

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Youngest grandchild, is now 4 and can already tell Mercedes, Audi, Renault and others from their badges. - A chip off the old block methinks?

Mine is nearly two now, he can spot a mini a mile off because mummy drives a mini.

I’m currently working on “Lamborghini” as the neighbour has a hurricane. So far we have “geenee” but we’re working on it. Of course anything that looks like a super car is now a “geenee”

He is obcessed with cars especially with the red car in the room just off the kitchen. Once is in it he will just sit happily, on one occasion I turned round he was gone, got to the garage just as he was opening the car door to get in it

 

[Cheest]

Youngest grandchild, is now 4 and can already tell Mercedes, Audi, Renault and others from their badges. - A chip off the old block methinks?

When my oldest was little, my folks would take her along on vacation. Their vacations mostly were hitting up old wrecking yards in the rural midwest and the western states, looking for DeSoto parts. My Dad would put her skinny little butt on top of some old car in the yard and she would point out the late 40's, early 50's Chryslers, DeSotos, Dodges, and Plymouths for him.

 

[StevenRB45]

Mine is nearly two now, he can spot a mini a mile off because mummy drives a mini.

I’m currently working on “Lamborghini” as the neighbour has a hurricane. So far we have “geenee” but we’re working on it. Of course anything that looks like a super car is now a “geenee”

He is obcessed with cars especially with the red car in the room just off the kitchen. Once is in it he will just sit happily, on one occasion I turned round he was gone, got to the garage just as he was opening the car door to get in it

Just you wait for "You always drive it's my turn!" Also when he figures out the horn and hazards aren't ignition switched..

Today he pressed the voice command button and said "play sweet dreams"...he's still obsessed with Eurythmics at the moment and in the front he can reach the button.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Just you wait for "You always drive it's my turn!" Also when he figures out the horn and hazards aren't ignition switched..

On the Punto he has (rather sadly) found the horn which is 10 times worse inside the closed garage, I may have to pull the fuse for now.

I have to hide the key now as i used to leave it on the dash in front of the clocks but he picked it up and immediately put it in the ignition.

Hazard lights he has yet to find. he is rather fond of pulling the door handle, which isn't just restricted to the Punto, I have had to put the child locks on in the Mini, as he did manage to get the door open one day on the way back from the childminder..... lesson learned quickly on my part.

in my Golf he is rather obsessed with the dials for the climate control, just likes turning them and they have other buttons in the middle of the dials he can push.

The Mini has colour changing LEDs everywhere which is very handy to keep small children entertained. He is definitely going to be into Cars as he grows up, he usually takes one to bed to sleep with, his current favorite is a Pizza Planet truck.

 

[StevenRB45]

This is why you need touchscreen ********...he's far too busy messing with blasting the radio to mess with climate control.

The main bain of my existence is he's discovered service mode on the wipers. All the stalks go off with the key after 10 seconds until then indicators operate a parking light. But any movement of the wiper stalk moves the blades to a vertical position or back for 2 and half minutes..which restarts every time you move the stalk.

One of these days I shall find the car with a flat battery, wiper blades in tatters and the screen scratched to death

For balance he does not sleep with a toy car..oh no just Darth Vader.. because he's clearly going to be an evil genius..

 

[PuntoHowTo]

For balance he does not sleep with a toy car..oh no just Darth Vader.. because he's clearly going to be an evil genius..

You joke now but when he actually builds a massive weapon of death and blows a whole planet up, you won't be laughing then.

My golf has the service mode for the wipers, thankfully its a bit complicated to do and half the time I can't remember how to do it.
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I expect he will have it worked out by next week.

Golf has a touchscreen with carplay, but he isn't interested in touchscreens. He prefers an actual button which he likes to call a "beep" anything that could or even remotely looks like a button gets pressed to test if it is or not.

 

[StevenRB45]

You joke now but when he actually builds a massive weapon of death and blows a whole planet up, you won't be laughing then.

My golf has the service mode for the wipers, thankfully its a bit complicated to do and half the time I can't remember how to do it.
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.
.
I expect he will have it worked out by next week.

Golf has a touchscreen with carplay, but he isn't interested in touchscreens. He prefers an actual button which he likes to call a "beep" anything that could or even remotely looks like a button gets pressed to test if it is or not.

You not seen what he makes out of Lego..

This is an angler fish...with robot legs and a gattling gun.

When he blows the planet up I'll not be surprised at all..

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Wow... looking at that and some of those other creations, he has some serious LEGO talent.

Edit, I have to wonder what evolutionary changes lead an angler fish to need a Gatling gun

 

[StevenRB45]

Probably the same evolutionary pressure that lead it to develop power armour with an opposable thumb.

This is what happens when you don't recycle carrier bags...

 

[vexorg]

Last few times I've parked up at the Airport and trammed it..used to park in the multistorey behind princes street near Rock star north

We've done the tram a few times recently, it is quite cheap compared to parking. I find edinburgh as less and less worth visiting in it every time I go.

Paying to go in the castle annoys me, not been in for years.

 

[irc]

Wife's Panda hit a pothole last week. No visible damage, but 2 days later she was driving to work and suddenly got a scraping noise.
I had taken the wheel off and checked the damper, spring, spring pan and hub flange after the pothole, and it all looked OK.
Got it home and did the same inspection again. Nothing immediately obvious, and the wheel didn't look out of position.
But... the tyre had definitely been rubbing against the fuel filler pipe, destroying it. Wierd!
Lots more light on the subject showed the problem.
Long crack in the beam arm, allowing it to flex wildly when it hit bumps. Then it returned to normal. When unloaded, crack was nearly invisible. Sprayed water on it and it was much more obvious.
Had a new beam ready-built so fairly quick swap, but once it was off I re-checked the spring pan and hub flange. Both completely solid, and other than some flaky surface rust, in very good condition.
Not had one fail like this before, and now I'm wondering how many others look more solid than they are.
(Its more obvious now as I did a torsion test on it once it was off. Explained a lot)

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

We've done the tram a few times recently, it is quite cheap compared to parking. I find edinburgh as less and less worth visiting in it every time I go.

Paying to go in the castle annoys me, not been in for years.

Maybe a "silly" thing to say, but Edinburgh today is not a patch on the Edinburgh I knew in my youth - or was that just because I was young and ignorant back then?

Haven't been in the Castle since they introduced an entrance fee.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Wife's Panda hit a pothole last week. No visible damage, but 2 days later she was driving to work and suddenly got a scraping noise.
I had taken the wheel off and checked the damper, spring, spring pan and hub flange after the pothole, and it all looked OK.
Got it home and did the same inspection again. Nothing immediately obvious, and the wheel didn't look out of position.
But... the tyre had definitely been rubbing against the fuel filler pipe, destroying it. Wierd!
Lots more light on the subject showed the problem.
Long crack in the beam arm, allowing it to flex wildly when it hit bumps. Then it returned to normal. When unloaded, crack was nearly invisible. Sprayed water on it and it was much more obvious.
Had a new beam ready-built so fairly quick swap, but once it was off I re-checked the spring pan and hub flange. Both completely solid, and other than some flaky surface rust, in very good condition.
Not had one fail like this before, and now I'm wondering how many others look more solid than they are.
(Its more obvious now as I did a torsion test on it once it was off. Explained a lot)

Oh dear, what I can see of the rest of that axle looks better than Becky's!

 

[s130]

Woke to a most unwelcome sight in the back garden this morning. Multiple fence posts snapped off at ground level with 6ft fencing panels shredded and strewn around like confetti! The fence is quite old now so there's going to be nothing for it, just have to take the whole run down and renew the lot - ouch, that's going to cost!

I had some go a few years ago and had the whole lot replace. I had the choice of wood or concrete posts BUT I just happened outside screwfix to see and chat to a fencer.

This is what I ended up with.

3mm+ thick galvanised posts with concrete gravel boards. The arris rails etc. have galvanised/shaped brackets and pins. Panels can be easily removed an replaced. They will outlast the current house owner as I moved house in March 2022.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I had some go a few years ago and had the whole lot replace. I had the choice of wood or concrete posts BUT I just happened outside screwfix to see and chat to a fencer.

This is what I ended up with.

3mm+ thick galvanised posts with concrete gravel boards. The arris rails etc. have galvanised/shaped brackets and pins. Panels can be easily removed an replaced. They will outlast the current house owner as I moved house in March 2022.

Wow! Now that's what you call a fence! Both my neighbour and I are getting pretty creaky these days and he has already contacted a landscaping company he's used before - this will be the first job of this type I've not carried out myself - Although I favour a scratch build (ie, not panels) he's keen to replace with what was there before - Fancy panels. The quote is reasonable and affordable so I'll just let him have what he wants, Durability is not the issue as we'll likely all be pushing up the daisies or stashed away in retirement homes by the time the new fence rots again.

 

[s130]

Wow! Now that's what you call a fence!

Indeed which is why I went with it. Each of the long panels (closed baord) are 12ft long. Also there was so much of it (42 metres) I dreaded having to do odd patch repairs in the future. Digging out old rotten posts, new posts in different locations to avoid old post concrete, etc. was something I never wanted todo ever again.

The guy who did the work I believe owns his post and fixings designs and gets a lot of work from utility companies for fencing off electric and gas substations. I was initially concerned that the posts would look to industrial and out of place in a garden but that covern soon went out of the window once they started work.

Price was excellent (year 2015). *Only* £3486 including VAT. Another respected company wanted £3522 for concrete posts and gravel boards. Bit cheaper for wooden posts. No brainer to go with the metal posts.