What's made you smile today?

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What's made you smile today?

I’m hearing whispers of Wheeler Dealers doing a FiatCoupe restoration, while this may be good news to a degree, it would have been better if SOS had been n the frame. Brewer is just so annoying, still if it does come off, it will be interesting.

I saw a trailer for the guy ( British mechanic..) from the US version building his own 'Alfa F1 car'

A proper Stirling Moss era car :)
 
Spent a happy morning doing a service on a 2002 Suzuki Carry van. All good, nothing worn out or broken, it just keeps working gently for a living.

Suzuki make a nice cheap car/van or did.

One of the things that struck me with the Swift was that owners manual gave instructions for what with other manufacturers amounts to interim service. Eg, filters and fluids.

Not a massive thing but when other manufacturers give the instructions for changing a bulb as "contact your dealer" it's a nice thing.
 
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My thing for the day...realising due to Bank Holiday my payday is next Friday not the following Monday.

Not a huge thing but every month has been a long month recently. Started when the washing machine broke (still waiting for my cashback..) then our summer holidays (which to be fair was elective expenditure but going away to sit and eat beans seems to defeat the point) and my wife being off for a month for her 30th birthday and our sons 3rd so we were doing things every weekend as normally we don't see much of each other except before or after work...then this month literally on pay day 480 quid for service and MOT and paying for his school uniform for September.

Should calm down a bit this month do have the road tax due and my nieces birthday coming up but that should only total about 200 quid which compared to the bills I've been footing seems alright :ROFLMAO:

Will say can't complain really, I can pay my bills, still have savings and put food on the table despite all this which I understand in the current climate is a privileged position but I'm still happy pay day is landing 3 days before I thought it was :p
 
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Will say can't complain really, I can pay my bills, still have savings and put food on the table despite all this which I understand in the current climate is a privileged position but I'm still happy pay day is landing 3 days before I thought it was

Well you are right about being lucky to a point, but its still sounds hard and I well remember the pressure of having to go out and bring home the bacon with a young family. When your basically up against it all the time its hard but your not on your own there. It is very tough at times, and men don't get recognition for this part of their lives I feel. Keep ploughing on and remember to look round you at the things that really matter - your family as they grow up - and try and be relaxed enough to enjoy this time, you only get one go. Its so easy to stress it out and miss the good things and satisfaction to the extent you deserve. Bring on short months I say!!! I used to love February.

Just had to pay for MOT and replacement spring on daughters car as she is buying a house and doesnt quite have the funds for a month or two.... nothing changes!

One day I'll be dead and I bet there are money worries in hell too.
 
message from a friend, "..I need help, our toilet seat has come off..".

When a friend mails you with this news, and you think your going to be involved....

they fall into the bracket of a friend in need is" a bloody nuisance"
 
Back from Manchester to Norwich last night 175 miles average 52 mph and 44mpg. The twin air mullers runs like this and it was laden to the roof with tools too. It certainly makes it worth leaving it till late as it took half the time of doing the run in the afternoon. I wasn't held up once and just ran back at around the speed limit.
 
Well you are right about being lucky to a point, but its still sounds hard and I well remember the pressure of having to go out and bring home the bacon with a young family. When your basically up against it all the time its hard but your not on your own there. It is very tough at times, and men don't get recognition for this part of their lives I feel. Keep ploughing on and remember to look round you at the things that really matter - your family as they grow up - and try and be relaxed enough to enjoy this time, you only get one go. Its so easy to stress it out and miss the good things and satisfaction to the extent you deserve. Bring on short months I say!!! I used to love February.

Just had to pay for MOT and replacement spring on daughters car as she is buying a house and doesnt quite have the funds for a month or two.... nothing changes!

One day I'll be dead and I bet there are money worries in hell too.

The bit in bold reminds of when I moved out...had everything in place and as favour my partners dad who is plumber and gas fitter by trade said he'd put our washer in.

We got a phone call later in the day saying there'd been a leak behind the washer long term and it had damaged all the kitchen down that side. Seem to remember saying "I'll have a look we'll see what we need to do" come back and the kitchen was gone, he'd gutted the whole thing literally an empty room. He goes "aye you need to do is go to B and Q and pick put another and I know a kitchen fitter and we'll put it in". Which would have been great but I'd not budgeted for a new kitchen...and so endeth the story of why 11 years later our kitchen only has one drawer as at the time I couldn't afford 2.

Ended up working on the house till 11-12 o'clock at night trying to get things done after a full day at work.

Compared to that period even with a toddler about current situation is the absolute life of Riley. At the minute a bad day is it's raining so I've got to play with duplo rather than drag him out and about to stately home or park or an air museum or something to do with tractors.
 
The bit in bold reminds of when I moved out...had everything in place and as favour my partners dad who is plumber and gas fitter by trade said he'd put our washer in.

We got a phone call later in the day saying there'd been a leak behind the washer long term and it had damaged all the kitchen down that side. Seem to remember saying "I'll have a look we'll see what we need to do" come back and the kitchen was gone, he'd gutted the whole thing literally an empty room. He goes "aye you need to do is go to B and Q and pick put another and I know a kitchen fitter and we'll put it in". Which would have been great but I'd not budgeted for a new kitchen...and so endeth the story of why 11 years later our kitchen only has one drawer as at the time I couldn't afford 2.

Ended up working on the house till 11-12 o'clock at night trying to get things done after a full day at work.

Compared to that period even with a toddler about current situation is the absolute life of Riley. At the minute a bad day is it's raining so I've got to play with duplo rather than drag him out and about to stately home or park or an air museum or something to do with tractors.
Oh yes, tractors are "GO". Always does it for my wee grandson. cherry pickers, fork lifts, bull dozers, combine harvesters, etc, etc, all very interesting but tractors have it every time!
 
This little guy turned 5 today.
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For his birthday, I took him to the Chicago edition of the International Motorcycle Show, which ironically, was held 50 miles west of the city this year. And held outdoors in August instead of indoors in February.

Owen is too small and too young to participate in any of the riding demos, so we found other things to do, which was mostly playing in a big pile of sand and him making friends with other little kids doing the same.

We ran into a downpour on the way back home but, even if grandpa's scouting career was less than stellar, grandpa was prepared with rain gear. We got covered up before the rain hit and had a soaking 30 minute ride. When I pulled into Owens' parents driveway, Owen was sound asleep in the sidecar.
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He was snoring, too.
 
Oh yes, tractors are "GO". Always does it for my wee grandson. cherry pickers, fork lifts, bull dozers, combine harvesters, etc, etc, all very interesting but tractors have it every time!

Aye, don't know what it is about tractors but guaranteed show stopper if you're out for a walk.

Last Friday went out with as I do after work to take him to a park and play with some sports gear they've got out for the holidays.

Of course a tractor with an empty trailer and a spike loader arrived as we were walking past a field of bales and we were there until he left with a full trailer. By which point we had 30 minutes until they locked the car park and were a 40 minute walk from the car at his speed.

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Gotta say very jealous of the Cheest child transportation device, clearly I'm not adventurous enough.
 
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Gotta say very jealous of the Cheest child transportation device, clearly I'm not adventurous enough.

I didn’t know it would be a child nap device when I bought it. My wife is also not adventurous but the oldest grandson talked her into getting into the tub. She snoozed in there, too. Sometimes, she suggests cheeseburger or ice cream runs on the bike. I’m hoping, that in a few months, this little girl will be another convert. Meet Anna, the Demon of Darkness.* Our grand puppy.
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*Some demon. Ants scared her off the patio.
 
So hows this E10 better for the planet if MPG drops

Oh don't be so silly. Its obvious. Basic physics.... I suppose it works.

I suppose every little helps. Be a lot quicker to limit cars with poor mpg or ridiculous and un needed excesses of power. But that would limit the personal liberties of those who just don't give a monkey's for anyone else. Surely getting rid of new cars, of say over 200bhp would be quick easy and nor particularly limiting for speed chasing lunatics??
 
Finally, I have managed to clean the car and it looks a hell of a lot better for it. It took me 3 days in short bursts of activity. I don't think its worth taking it out anywhere if its this much trouble to restore order. I was looking for the post on here when it was last done but it was so long back I couldn't find it. May be ailments are a form of cure for my 'OCD car'.
 
I reached the 40 mile mark today. :) Sunny up here all day, set off on the bike to Cannich, a very steep bicycle run indeed, that was 20 miles. Coffee and a goody, then back home the other side Easdale single track road 20 miles. Interesting run back home, taking in the scenery and went down an embankment full of jabby bushes and nettles :eek Got off lightly by just some scratches to my arm.

Lost my handlebar end mirror, that was the only casualty. My wee bike computer came off as well, but I managed to find that. The difficulty was getting my bike back up the embankment on to the road again. I had the long leg padded Lycra shorts on so that saved my legs. The adrenaline was still pumping so with effort bike back on the road. Chain came off, easy fix. Back to my journey again and I’m laughing at my own stupidity :
 
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