What's made you smile today?

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What's made you smile today?

Well I'm absolutely amazed! I think I briefly mentioned some time ago about the complicated, involved and lengthy process my daughter in law had to go through recently to get her driving licence back. It had been temporarily suspended due to a medical condition. Most of the problem was due to the difficulty of contacting anyone at DVLA who could actually help. - Medical stuff seems to be dealt with by a specialist department who require evidence to be submitted in written form, you can't do it by phone or computer, and getting to speak to one of them was pretty difficult - I'm sure the Covid restrictions didn't help as I think they were often working from home.

Being now in my mid 70's I have to renew my licence every 3 years and I got the reminder from them about a week ago. Despite being quite unsure about doing "stuff" on my computer - don't have a smart phone - I decided to have a go at doing it online. The reminder letter informed me to have my passport number and NI number handy and with them to hand I input the web address they gave me and actually found it quite easy to complete their form.

I pressed the "send" button at 5:12 pm on Monday afternoon, expecting it to be quite some time before I saw any reaction from them. However the new license dropped through my letterbox shortly after lunch on Wednesday! I'm guessing that the fact I'm lucky enough not to fall foul of any of their excluding conditions means their computer probably didn't need to involve a human in the process and simply dispatched the new one out to me? Even so, that was a very quick turn around wasn't it?
 
Brought this home from Wisconsin yesterday.
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The brand name is DeSoto and that's the only reason I got it. The last registration on it is from 1981. I really didn't need another project and I don't have any plans for it as of yet but that platform over the rear axle seems to be screaming for some form of motive power. :unsure:
I'm puzzled. You say the last "registration" on it is from 1981 - is that registering the owner's name or do pedal cycles have to be registered (licenced?) or perhaps pass a road worthyness test of some sort, like a motor vehicle over there where you are?
 
I'm puzzled. You say the last "registration" on it is from 1981 - is that registering the owner's name or do pedal cycles have to be registered (licenced?) or perhaps pass a road worthyness test of some sort, like a motor vehicle over there where you are?
Registration of a bicycle is a patchwork over here. It's done at the town level, with the local police, if it's done at all. There's usually a very small fee, around a dollar. The main purpose of it is to aid in returning the bike to the rightful owner if stolen and recovered.

(rant starting)There is no national cycling training program here in the US. The old League of American Wheelmen(LAW), now the League of American Bicyclists(LAB), had what was called The Effective Cycling Program. It basically taught advanced cycling skills for riding in traffic along with bicycle repair and maintenance. I was an instructor for a few years. Almost 20 years ago, the new LAB replaced the Effective Cycling Program with something called Life Cycling. Most of the ECIs(Effective Cycling Instructors)myself included, read through the new program and said, "WTF is this?" The changes were made because the Effective Cycling Program was "too hard to pass". The new League also wanted all current ECIs to pay for the privilege to teach the new course. The bulk of us quit. Actually, we were forced out. I was a Life Member of the old LAW, so I was grandfathered into the new LAB. I rarely even acknowledge it exists anymore.(rant over)
 
Registration of a bicycle is a patchwork over here. It's done at the town level, with the local police, if it's done at all. There's usually a very small fee, around a dollar. The main purpose of it is to aid in returning the bike to the rightful owner if stolen and recovered.

(rant starting)There is no national cycling training program here in the US. The old League of American Wheelmen(LAW), now the League of American Bicyclists(LAB), had what was called The Effective Cycling Program. It basically taught advanced cycling skills for riding in traffic along with bicycle repair and maintenance. I was an instructor for a few years. Almost 20 years ago, the new LAB replaced the Effective Cycling Program with something called Life Cycling. Most of the ECIs(Effective Cycling Instructors)myself included, read through the new program and said, "WTF is this?" The changes were made because the Effective Cycling Program was "too hard to pass". The new League also wanted all current ECIs to pay for the privilege to teach the new course. The bulk of us quit. Actually, we were forced out. I was a Life Member of the old LAW, so I was grandfathered into the new LAB. I rarely even acknowledge it exists anymore.(rant over)
Dug out my National Cycling Proficiency Certificate after reading your post. Still had the triangular metal for many years, gone now.

Rant re bike theft. Bought son brand new BMX with giro steering etc. Stolen a week later, within days he was being offered parts of it at his school, told the Police, no action, days later outside our local Woolworths saw a bike with several of my sons bike parts on it (I had marked a lot of it after purchase) We stayed by the bike, no Police turned up, the rider returned and kicked up so much fuss we had to let him and the bike go! Several months later a pile of my marked stolen bike bits were sent to us by the Police in a "gunny sack" No Further Action.
A few years later I had a late 70s KTM 500 aircooled MX stolen, reported it along with Vin.No. etc. to Police along with a photo of the rear of two lads we suspected. A few months later a friend told me of a similar bike being advertised, he went to view bike and confirmed the Vin.No. etc. It was suggested that we confront and collect the bike from the thieves/sellers, foolishly I said lets get the Police involved so he gets a criminal record. Two days later they did go to the address and found bits of my bike plus several other stolen bikes and took it to a compound, where shortly after I was told if I didn't collect within seven days I think I would be billed! Case went on for months, finally I managed to get hold of the female Detective, who had moved to a different position, she angrily replied "I notified you Crown Proscecution Services have decided No Further Action! " She hadn't contacted me at all! The parts I ended up with were not enough to even half build a motorbike and the specialist aluminium rear suspension arm had been sawn in half for the incompetent thieves to remove the rear wheel.
End of rant.:(
 

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Getting a bike/motorcycle/car recovered over here is also a crapshoot, though there is better chance in a small town. That’s usually handled without police involvement. Cops won’t get off their butts unless there is at least a $5K value to it or they were friends with the owner.
Luckily, I’ve never had one stolen, though I did catch a kid trying to pinch my wife’s bike forty plus years ago. I don’t think the guy can stand up straight to this day.
 
Getting a bike/motorcycle/car recovered over here is also a crapshoot, though there is better chance in a small town. That’s usually handled without police involvement. Cops won’t get off their butts unless there is at least a $5K value to it or they were friends with the owner.
Luckily, I’ve never had one stolen, though I did catch a kid trying to pinch my wife’s bike forty plus years ago. I don’t think the guy can stand up straight to this day.
Probably the right answer, but me and my sisters were taught by my widowed mother, to the extent that on finding a ten shilling note on the the pavement I took it to the police station and three months later I was allowed to keep it! These days I and the police would probably put it a fifty pound note in their pockets!!!!
 
Probably the right answer, but me and my sisters were taught by my widowed mother, to the extent that on finding a ten shilling note on the the pavement I took it to the police station and three months later I was allowed to keep it! These days I and the police would probably put it a fifty pound note in their pockets!!!!
Me too, as in handing stuff into the police station / store where found. I have in the past seen a watch in the gutter whilst driving. Picked up a large wad on notes in a store (the guy offered me £50 but I refused), and found a precious stone ring in a Tesco local corner store. That was handed in to the store (legal requirement) and I asked for a receipt and left my details. Ring owner was over the moon that some level of honesty still existed.

I think that genuine thanks, honesty and self respect etc. are in this day age far more important (well at least to me) than running off with the find. Even better still when the owner thanks you.
 
Me too, as in handing stuff into the police station / store where found. I have in the past seen a watch in the gutter whilst driving. Picked up a large wad on notes in a store (the guy offered me £50 but I refused), and found a precious stone ring in a Tesco local corner store. That was handed in to the store (legal requirement) and I asked for a receipt and left my details. Ring owner was over the moon that some level of honesty still existed.

I think that genuine thanks, honesty and self respect etc. are in this day age far more important (well at least to me) than running off with the find. Even better still when the owner thanks you.
I agree, it restores your faith in human nature.
 
I think a lot of it's down to influences when you were young. My Mum in particular was very strong on "moral fibre" and "playing the good game". It's obviously rubbed off on us kids and, for me, anything like that would have to be handed in to the police, shop where found, etc. I'd feel terrible if I just pocketed it! I'm glad to say I believe my older boy and daughter would act in a similar manner but I wouldn't be so sure about my youngest boy - which saddens me.
 
I think a lot of it's down to influences when you were young. My Mum in particular was very strong on "moral fibre" and "playing the good game". It's obviously rubbed off on us kids and, for me, anything like that would have to be handed in to the police, shop where found, etc. I'd feel terrible if I just pocketed it! I'm glad to say I believe my older boy and daughter would act in a similar manner but I wouldn't be so sure about my youngest boy - which saddens me.
You can only do your best, when they become adults they must live with their decisions.
 
Reading the forum about car stuff and who gets charged how much for what. (Re car tax) Im not sure if its a smile or a sickened grin in that respect, but w hen I was pissed off with Fiat and wouldnt pay £350 or £500 for a different colour when I bought Noop I saved myself from a colossal con job there, and now after the long hot summer I am so glad my car is white and Im doubly happy that I am cool and they are £350 worse off. Not so happy the tax is £165 when my last identical car was £30 though.

At last I am on the trail of hospital treatement too. Apparently I can't have a gen anaesthetic for 7 weels post covid but I'm now down to 5 weeks and 1 day to go, fingers crossed. Having an end point or at least some hope of one is a massive mental relief. I cant undertsand why some indications on timescale cant be given. Its not as if we dont all know such guidance is at least, shall we say flexible.

I have now problems in the garden, but wheel barrow loads of tomatoes,cropping at 1 KG a day, marrows, cougetted and aubergines trying to swap us is good therapy for lifes woes. Mrs has been hard at work cooking, relish, chutney and tomatoe souce along with vegetarian concoctions. I am now certain we are in profit!
 
This isn't much but I took the DeSoto, the one with four wheels, to a car show last Sunday. It rained the entire way there, at the show, and on the way home. I pulled it into the garage and just walked into the house, kind of disgusted with how the day went. This morning, I went to the garage to put a new to me campstove away and was pleasantly surprised that parking the wet DeSoto in the garage on a cool, humid day resulted in zero water spots on the finish. This is the first time the car hasn't had water spots in some form since I got it.
 
This isn't much but I took the DeSoto, the one with four wheels, to a car show last Sunday. It rained the entire way there, at the show, and on the way home. I pulled it into the garage and just walked into the house, kind of disgusted with how the day went. This morning, I went to the garage to put a new to me campstove away and was pleasantly surprised that parking the wet DeSoto in the garage on a cool, humid day resulted in zero water spots on the finish. This is the first time the car hasn't had water spots in some form since I got it.
Rain? Whats that?
 
An absolutely amazing day at Snetterton. I got to meet all the drivers I wanted to, most of all, Jason Plato. It was great to see him having a good day on the track, including his last ever BTCC podium at Snetterton. Me and my friend also got given tickets for a race 3 Grid Walk!! 😃😃
 
I bought these 3 years ago at least. They are AMAZING! They are still as good as when first opened. Silicon sealant wipes off your hands like it was never there, ditto expanding foam. I have used them for all manner of jobs while doing up daughters house and they have done the lot. Cement on windows after pointing around the edge, drain jobs cleaning the composite door, removing the glue from sticky lables on window frames etc. Today I got them out again and started cleaning our plastic windows not touched for the last 5 years Efflorescence, fly muck ivy suckers scratches pollen green algae, all go without much effort at all. The seals come back like new even some of the engrained mould on silicon inside has gone. The window reveals, hinges and lock strips back like new, even removes the slight oxidation on the metal bits. Used again after putting mastic on various bits of our roof / cponservatory and I cant rate them highly enough fro perfomance. I even tried them on out tiled kitchen floor and the pale grout comes up as good as when we use bleach with a little rubbing. Cleaned the grimey kitchen bin and paintwork in the hall where dog and dirty hands have been. Everything looks like new. It says your essential companion for all cleaning jobs and I agree. Surprisingly Tool Station are currently cheapest and we actually have 1 near here. My fingers will probably drop off tonight, but no skin reaction noted with the first 97 used. Cost c £9. Worth every penny.
 

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Well not so much smile as grimmace because I want it to be gone forever, but then burst out laughing...

The Seat Leon 1.4S 16v passed its 17th MOT today, no advisories. It drinks oil like it's got shares in BP, smokes and burps and farts its way about creaking grinding and knocking, but it still passes its mot its either 3 or four years since the sill was patched and then painted by me. Its got to be some of the cheapest moroting ever. Its all in cost is little over $450 a year includig all MOT's repairs and its original cost. Perhaps it deserves an oil change..... If it makes it back to Norfolk I will treat it. At least its emissions guffage is slight so theres a bit less to go wrong.
 
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