Southerners: You are urged not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Northerners: You will need your big coat.
They make the same joke in the UK as well..except it's Geordies..you'll need a Jumper..
What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
- Thread starter dave
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What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
They make the same joke in the UK as well..except it's Geordies..you'll need a Jumper..
My work coleagues travelled to central Canada ..maybe 3 hours north of Niagara
-40 often.. on bright days -20 seemed 'pleasant'
Just thought..
The concept of
'Plug your car in overnight..or you are staying home tomorrow' isnt about battery vehicles
-40 often.. on bright days -20 seemed 'pleasant'
Just thought..
The concept of
'Plug your car in overnight..or you are staying home tomorrow' isnt about battery vehicles
I'd refer you back to that Jonathan Pie video.
But in real terms, more people will die without action.
My wife works in high dependency ICU, so even though they all voted to strike, it's unlikely any of them will walk out. So there are limits they wont go to, but if you can give a better course of action then they'd be all ears.
I agree, it's the people at the "coal face" who do all the work with little reward, whilst upper management, the quangos, the beneficiaries of PFI contracts, pharmaceutical companies, etc. continue to suck more money out, no matter how much of the tax payers money is pumped in to the bottomless pit.
It's not even one political party, Tony Blair stitched us up with PFI and apparently is on his way to becoming a billionaire.
Slightly different subject here but still involving the "little man/woman" at the coal face getting turned over, maybe.
Christmas eve the 'phone rings. It's No2 son, nothing unusual in that, he rings me all the time. However on this occasion he wants to know if I know where he can get a second hand wheel and tyre (alloy) for a Hundai i10. It's Christmas eve son, or hadn't you noticed?
Well, turns out his wife's best friend has just called to deliver presents for the kids (the two families are close with their kids playing together often) and she misjudged the stupid built out kerb near his house and took out the N/S/F tyre - big gash in sidewall - and damaged the rim (actually slightly bent according to him. "Don't think you could just bash it out Dad"). Luckily he's become very good friends with his local garage owner so I suggested he ring him as I couldn't think of anything I could do on Christmas eve. Thankfully the garage guy didn't mind being rung at all and he suggested dropping the wheel round to the workshop when they reopened on Tuesday. He, the garage guy, is friends with a chap who has an alloy refurbishment business and told my boy he could sort the wheel problem out and fit and balance a new tyre for £130 max - quite possibly less if the wheel doesn't "fight" them to much. In the meantime my boy fitted the spacesaver, in the pouring rain, to get her home. Makes me proud of you son! - luckily it had an inflated spacesaver
So, yesterday I rang my boy to suggest he goes round, picks up the wheel and takes it to the garage to save her the journey - The husband is quite severely disabled so they can do with people helping them - Oh Dad, I was just about to ring you because that was exactly what I was going to do but she said she'd been thinking about it and she wouldn't be able to feel confident in a wee garage doing a makeshift repair like that so she'd already taken it to "You Know Who" fast fitter of tyres, as she felt she could trust a repair done by a large professional organization like them. I've yet to see the result but my son tells me the wheel looks untouched and the damage to the rim is still very evident. A new tyre has been fitted and the bill shows a "wheel alignment" charged. Totaling just south of £140. I'm very much reserving judgement on this and I'm hoping to see the car next Tuesday when we will be picking up the grandchildren for a day out. I'm feeling somewhat underwhelmed just now though and I'm not too keen on the idea of the Toe having been checked (I very much doubt if a full alignment check would have been done for that sort of money?) with an obviously damaged wheel in place.
I'd have been much happier to have seen her going to the wee village garage and perhaps ending up with the wheel specialist if a serious problem was found.
What do you guys think?
Christmas eve the 'phone rings. It's No2 son, nothing unusual in that, he rings me all the time. However on this occasion he wants to know if I know where he can get a second hand wheel and tyre (alloy) for a Hundai i10. It's Christmas eve son, or hadn't you noticed?
Well, turns out his wife's best friend has just called to deliver presents for the kids (the two families are close with their kids playing together often) and she misjudged the stupid built out kerb near his house and took out the N/S/F tyre - big gash in sidewall - and damaged the rim (actually slightly bent according to him. "Don't think you could just bash it out Dad"). Luckily he's become very good friends with his local garage owner so I suggested he ring him as I couldn't think of anything I could do on Christmas eve. Thankfully the garage guy didn't mind being rung at all and he suggested dropping the wheel round to the workshop when they reopened on Tuesday. He, the garage guy, is friends with a chap who has an alloy refurbishment business and told my boy he could sort the wheel problem out and fit and balance a new tyre for £130 max - quite possibly less if the wheel doesn't "fight" them to much. In the meantime my boy fitted the spacesaver, in the pouring rain, to get her home. Makes me proud of you son! - luckily it had an inflated spacesaver
So, yesterday I rang my boy to suggest he goes round, picks up the wheel and takes it to the garage to save her the journey - The husband is quite severely disabled so they can do with people helping them - Oh Dad, I was just about to ring you because that was exactly what I was going to do but she said she'd been thinking about it and she wouldn't be able to feel confident in a wee garage doing a makeshift repair like that so she'd already taken it to "You Know Who" fast fitter of tyres, as she felt she could trust a repair done by a large professional organization like them. I've yet to see the result but my son tells me the wheel looks untouched and the damage to the rim is still very evident. A new tyre has been fitted and the bill shows a "wheel alignment" charged. Totaling just south of £140. I'm very much reserving judgement on this and I'm hoping to see the car next Tuesday when we will be picking up the grandchildren for a day out. I'm feeling somewhat underwhelmed just now though and I'm not too keen on the idea of the Toe having been checked (I very much doubt if a full alignment check would have been done for that sort of money?) with an obviously damaged wheel in place.
I'd have been much happier to have seen her going to the wee village garage and perhaps ending up with the wheel specialist if a serious problem was found.
What do you guys think?
I agree with you 100%.
The trouble is people are too dumb to know when a genuine person is helping them and would sooner believe the power of "National Advertising" and let some ass hole working on commission rip them off.
They don't realise the guy from the local garage makes his living by repeat business from giving good service to people who know good value.
As you'll all know by now, I'm a little more than "nervous" about the condition of Becky's rear axle (tin worm). She's soldiering on well but the spring pans, O/S especially, are pretty rusty with bits flaking off. This morning Mrs J, her sister and my daughter have decided to go off to the local retail park - Craigleith - for a bit of retail therapy before we all, including my boy's and their families, all meet up at the local Pizza Express for a clan gathering meal. Mrs J keeps herself reasonably trim - but she's no anorexic - however my daughter is a person of substantial proportions and sister in law might be best described to have proportions commensurate with the typical "Devon Housewife" - no offence meant to Devon Housewives but I'm sure you get the picture?
The approach to the retail park and within the park itself are littered with speed bumps, some being those very sharp rubber ones which are screwed down, so this will be a very real test of her spring pans. I'm staying, nervously, within listening distance of the 'phone meantime.
The approach to the retail park and within the park itself are littered with speed bumps, some being those very sharp rubber ones which are screwed down, so this will be a very real test of her spring pans. I'm staying, nervously, within listening distance of the 'phone meantime.
It was great to see our oldest daughter, her hubs, and our two granddaughters over Christmas. It was also great to wave good bye to them as they started their two day drive back home. Mrs.Cheest and I started to reclaim our home but have decided to kick back and watch bad movies instead. Old people naps are also figured in to that.
Heh Jock! Nothing wrong with Devon housewives, built for comfort , not speed
, my problem was when they suddenly lost weight and started to stay out late .
Hell yes!
Delighted to be able to report Becky has survived the shopping expedition and we then used her to go to Pizza Express as well. Looking at her in the dark after we got home a few minutes ago she still seems to be riding straight and level! Maybe I'm just being over cautious about that rear axle? I really enjoyed driving her this evening and she was running just so smoothly. Think I'm going to treat her to a new axle this summer even if the old one lasts that long - MOT in Feb if I remember which might be a deciding factor?
Now our septic system will have some time to recover. Mrs.Cheest and I normally run the dishwasher two, maybe three times a week. Washer & drier usually once a week. Dishwasher ran twice a day and the washer was every other day. Mrs. Cheest changes out her tea cup once a week. My coffee mug gets washed whenever Mrs.Cheest can get it away from me. The kids changed out their cups twice a day. As far as bathing, my teenage granddaughter was everyday. The youngest kids was whenever I said, "Christ, kid. You stink. Go take a shower."
It was brutal.
Booked a family holiday...then immediately thought "balls, last time we did this I had a bigger car and it was stacked to the roof".
Checked the boot to see if cases fit technically yes..with no room for anything else and no view out of the back window.
Not to worry, plenty of time let's look at hiring a bigger car... 380 quid for an MPV..sorry SUV and all its gonna do is sit in a car park for the duration of the holiday with a total mileage of about 150 miles.
Ok...time for a bit of lateral thinking what else can I rent? Roofbox...yeah that may be happening. Even a 330 will double my available space. May have to buy roofbars..though they will come in handy next IKEA trip.
Checked the boot to see if cases fit technically yes..with no room for anything else and no view out of the back window.
Not to worry, plenty of time let's look at hiring a bigger car... 380 quid for an MPV..sorry SUV and all its gonna do is sit in a car park for the duration of the holiday with a total mileage of about 150 miles.
Ok...time for a bit of lateral thinking what else can I rent? Roofbox...yeah that may be happening. Even a 330 will double my available space. May have to buy roofbars..though they will come in handy next IKEA trip.
I finished rebuilding the hydraulic pump for the digger 
Tomorrow’s job is refitting it
Tomorrow’s job is refitting it
Many years ago, we had a trip to Scotland. Train from Bristol to Edinburgh, taxi to hotel, then hire a car for tour around Scotland. My partner loaded two suitcases, in addition to my one small one. I said, "if you can't carry it, you can't take it", as we would need to do a bit of walking, in and out of stations, etc. The luggage got condensed to a very small case.
The reason for that diatribe, is, might be an opportunity to seriously cut what you take. Consider 'need' against 'want'. Or, go with a roofbox. Get one large enough to put a nagging passenger in, if necessary.
You can't really say that to a small child though...you'll get to the other end and find his weeks worth of packing comprises an empty fruit shoot, a sock that for no readily apparent reason contains a wooden hotdog and someone elses shoes. Which he would be entirely happy with...I might not be when 5 minutes after arrival he jumps into the nearest mud puddle and goes face first.
It'll be doable main issue is the cases were bought for a different car. In the old one you could lie them flat side by side on the boot floor but not possible now. That and it's one of those "active" holidays so it's not 300 changes of evening wear it'll be things like wellies and changes of clothes, swim stuff for 3 people.
The 2 cases was enough for me and the wife for 18 days when we went away without him..but children do rather accumulate crap.
Things tend to multiply as you get older, mid 70s first wife and I went on a canal barge holiday for a week and took all food and clothing etc. needed in a Fiat 500, 250 odd miles flat out most of the way 55mph and 55 mpg, but slightly deaf
.Some years later went camping for a week at a steam Rally with second wife and by then five children in a Peugeot 504 Family Estate, filled to the roof, just about shut the tail gate, with a very obliging Alsatian bitch laying on the top of the stuff in the back with her head against the roof lining.
Only issue I recall was after unloading and erecting a tent in the pouring rain had a brew up on a camping gas stove in back of Estate, no problem there until brother in law produced a toasting attachment, it was a little while later we realised it directed heat downwards towards the fuel tank etc. Apart from some melted boot lining we escaped to be able to continue, but decided against anymore toast
.Mrs.Cheest and I have been car camping since 1974. We also have a penchant for smaller cars, so we learned to pack light. We were able to instill that in our kids, even when they were little. But, yes, we had to go through what they packed to remove the wooden hot dog hidden in a sock. 26 years of flying for a living pared that down more and now that I no longer have to travel with tools, it's even less. Mrs. Cheest and I did an international flight some years ago and checked only one bag. The clerk asked if we had more. Nope.
To counter the above, when our eldest was in college, Mrs.Cheest and I were somehow nominated to be 'Parental Cartage Corp' to ferry eldest and her friends from the college on the shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin, to O'hare airport in Chicago, because we lived 40 minutes from the airport. Shannon had her one bag and each of her four friends brought their entire closets along. I had my 95 F150 extended cab with a 6.5ft bed, so I could haul it all comfortably but I don't think I ever carried a bulkier load in that pickup.
To counter the above, when our eldest was in college, Mrs.Cheest and I were somehow nominated to be 'Parental Cartage Corp' to ferry eldest and her friends from the college on the shore of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin, to O'hare airport in Chicago, because we lived 40 minutes from the airport. Shannon had her one bag and each of her four friends brought their entire closets along. I had my 95 F150 extended cab with a 6.5ft bed, so I could haul it all comfortably but I don't think I ever carried a bulkier load in that pickup.
Hadn't used the Panda for a few days. Had to drive a short distance, stop, run an errand, then on further. The initial start, then a stop and a restart, will take a lot from a battery, especially one that had been unused for a few days.
A mile or so into the second journey, turned the headlamps on, and was met with a squeak, and the steering warning light on. No issues with the steering operation, so continued to journey end. In town, used the City buttom to make it work a little harder, no issues. Been fine since. Battery recharged by the alternator, seems happy again.
I think it was just teasing me for having neglected it.
A mile or so into the second journey, turned the headlamps on, and was met with a squeak, and the steering warning light on. No issues with the steering operation, so continued to journey end. In town, used the City buttom to make it work a little harder, no issues. Been fine since. Battery recharged by the alternator, seems happy again.
I think it was just teasing me for having neglected it.
I'm hoping stuff required will have reduced, last time we went away he was still potty training so we had all sorts of fun and games and about 300 outfits.Things tend to multiply as you get older, mid 70s first wife and I went on a canal barge holiday for a week and took all food and clothing etc. needed in a Fiat 500, 250 odd miles flat out most of the way 55mph and 55 mpg, but slightly deaf
We shall see, car itself is fine long distance at least although only 75 miles each way anyway tend to do more than that on day trips.
Roof rack would be a handy thing anyway I think, fairly sure at some point I'll need to shift bikes, also flat pack and do tip runs. Only time I miss the old car really is when I need to go full van mode...at that point the difference between a car that's 4.4m long and one that's less than 4m long becomes extremely obvious... usually when whatever you're carrying is stopping the boot from shutting.
