My Day

[Ray]

As I took the dog out and passed my car I admired the light catching the raindrops in the spiders webs. It's beginning to look more like Miss Haversham's wedding breakfast as the webs crisscross the wipers front and back and cover the door mirrors and handles 🙂

Having thought a while I realised that it was December 16th I last used it and briefly escaped the village... I feel a bit like Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner - "I am not a number, I'm a free man"

No. 9 or thereabouts 🙂

( Not a complaint about the restrictions, I am far luckier than many 👍 )

[Meantime]

4 minutes ago, Ray said:

As I took the dog out and passed my car I admired the light catching the raindrops in the spiders webs. It's beginning to look more like Miss Haversham's wedding breakfast as the webs crisscross the wipers front and back and cover the door mirrors and handles 🙂

Having thought a while I realised that it was December 16th I last used it and briefly escaped the village... I feel a bit like Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner - "I am not a number, I'm a free man"

No. 9 or thereabouts 🙂

( Not a complaint about the restrictions, I am far luckier than many 👍 )

It's worth bearing in mind that modern day cars have so many systems that continue to run in the background when the car is parked up that they should really be given a run, or at least a charge with a good battery charger once every 2 to 3 weeks. Modern cars will begin to shut things down the longer they are left to preserve battery life, but will still struggle once you get to around four weeks. Things like alarm systems and keyless entry all drain power constantly. My car has door to door lighting where it leaves the headlights on for about 15 secs after you lock the door to give you light to get to your front door, but again it means the battery is never left completely fully charged. With more and more cars using stop start technology, if you've done a short journey with frequent stops before pulling onto your drive it's surprising how low your battery could be when you first park up.

I have AA breakdown cover on my car and I took out the Car Genie add on, which is a little device that plugs into the ODB port on the car and monitors the car for faults in real time. Having not run the car for about a week I suddenly got a text from my car telling me that the battery was below 11.5V and that the car needed a 30min run or connecting to a battery charger.

[floydraser]

36 minutes ago, Meantime said:

It's worth bearing in mind that modern day cars have so many systems that continue to run in the background when the car is parked up that they should really be given a run, or at least a charge with a good battery charger once every 2 to 3 weeks. Modern cars will begin to shut things down the longer they are left to preserve battery life, but will still struggle once you get to around four weeks. Things like alarm systems and keyless entry all drain power constantly. My car has door to door lighting where it leaves the headlights on for about 15 secs after you lock the door to give you light to get to your front door, but again it means the battery is never left completely fully charged. With more and more cars using stop start technology, if you've done a short journey with frequent stops before pulling onto your drive it's surprising how low your battery could be when you first park up.

I have AA breakdown cover on my car and I took out the Car Genie add on, which is a little device that plugs into the ODB port on the car and monitors the car for faults in real time. Having not run the car for about a week I suddenly got a text from my car telling me that the battery was below 11.5V and that the car needed a 30min run or connecting to a battery charger.

I use one of these: https://www.aldi.co.uk/car-battery-charger-2019/p/099132311147100

Sorry it's not actually available at the moment but they come up in Aldi and Lidl for about £12 to £15 every so often. Just set it up and leave it trickle charging all day. It's small enough that if you are careful you can put the bonnet down if it's raining. Not as good as a good run for 20 minutes but a good stand by. I also take it when we go away in the caravan after I found that some sites want payment for lending you a charger.

[TheQ]

I admired the spiders webs in the workshop, they positively stood out covered in dust sanded off the keel,  As I was to.. Yes mask gloves, goggles, overalls were worn. 

This is over the last two weeks holiday in the workshop everyday except Christmas day.

Various doors were made for the workshop, which kept some of the shelves clean of dust..

I then had to brush everything down, including me let it settle, brush everything off the floor, let it settle, do the floor again.. Then take the mask off .

 So the keel has now got two coats of glassfibre all over, covered in surface tissue, and up to 7 layers on the bottom of the keel. It was then filled , sanded, filled, sanded, etc. That cleaning up was done before one side had two coats of topcoat with a light sand and wash down between.

Next week it will be turned round to top coat the other side, once done, the bottom needs the same.

Also while in the workshop, two shelving units were made, well, one is built, the other is still a kit of parts that I cut.

Both the motor Scooter and the landrover are on trickle charge at the moment, and the motor boat has solar panels on the roof to keep the drive batteries charged up..

 

[Meantime]

4 minutes ago, floydraser said:

I use one of these: https://www.aldi.co.uk/car-battery-charger-2019/p/099132311147100

Sorry it's not actually available at the moment but they come up in Aldi and Lidl for about £12 to £15 every so often. Just set it up and leave it trickle charging all day. It's small enough that if you are careful you can put the bonnet down if it's raining. Not as good as a good run for 20 minutes but a good stand by. I also take it when we go away in the caravan after I found that some sites want payment for lending you a charger.

I'd urge caution on using such chargers. My car has stop start technology and uses an advanced AGM battery. Replacement price is circa £350ish. AGM batteries have different charging requirements to standard lead acid maintenance free batteries. The car is by far the best way to charge a battery by taking it for a run. If using a charger then ensure one for the type of battery, or one that can be set for the type of battery. In addition I would only use the charger to put enough charge in to be able to start the car again, not to be left continuously on charge.

[Vaughan]

I have just had something to "make my day".

The town hall (Mairie) here have naturally had to cancel all the events that would have been held over the holidays, including the "Repas des séniors" which is a big meal held in the town hall for all the retired and elderly citizens - I don't know the French for old farts.

So I have just had a knock on the door from the Maire and her "premiere adjointe" who are calling round all the pensioners' houses, in person, with a large gift wrapped box of chocolates instead.  The French don't do Christmas cards but they are very hot on the sentiment of the New Year.  Wherever you go at this time of year, in all the shops and businesses, we always exchange Meilleurs Voeux (best wishes) always accompanied by a fond handshake and often a kiss on the cheek.  The French have had to undergo a cultural revolution to get out of this habit and in small villages like ours, have often not succeeded!

I feel most cheered by this gesture and realise how nice it still is, to live in the convivial atmosphere of a country village.

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Just got back from the Dentist. For once no treatment. Had a check up cleaned my teeth and Xrays,because  I've got a dent plan no charge.So pleased  with that. This afternoon  I've got a on line pulmonary clinic due to my emphysema. Hopefully this will help my breathing. 

[addicted]

Spent today from late morning until about an hour ago taking down the Christmas decorations, Didn't expect to achieve it all  in one day as there are so many of them - we must be fitter than we thought! Glad to get that job behind us and get the house back to status quo for another year.

 

 

Carole

[Polly]

I did a 4 hour Zoom this morning with a school in Cumbria, my first paid work since last March! 
They were lovely people and the time flew past. 
It was so good to do something positive.

[grendel]

my day yesterday, first day back at work after the break, so it was a 4 hour teams meeting doing some stand down training, we had a group of consultants in and as a team, we knocked out the challenge they gave us in 6 1/2 minutes (15 minutes were allowed), halving the time they had had it completed in the past, and we puzzled them mightily by doing it almost silently, with people only speaking up when they had cracked a clue, we narrowed it down to 2 possibles, then asked the people who had been working on the last clue that would give us the first letter of their first name to just work on those 2 letters.

[BroadAmbition]

Yesterday was the first day back for me too since 22nd Dec

What as relief, apparently I have not forgotten how to do it, one bathroom floor prepped and floor tiled.

Today and tomorrow I commence wall tiling same location

I'm grateful I'm working and earning but would rather be retired

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

We have a decent snowfall at last. This is due to continue to about 1700. Made it to clients about seven mile no issues, thank goodness for winter tyres

Griff

 

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Griff, its been snowing here for about two hours now and the sky looks full of it, local Facebook groups are reporting the usual that happen every time we get an inch of snow; buses stuck on the hills etc.

Regards

Alan

[DAVIDH]

It's been snowing for around 5 hours here in Leeds, and it's only forecast to turn to light snow around 3pm this afternoon. We haven't had snow like this in Leeds for many years. 

[BroadAmbition]

Well it’s still proper snowing here. My van has good dedicated winter tyres on it. Much more of this and I’ll need Norway style studded tyres. Getting home this evening will be interesting

Gtiff

 

[grendel]

raining here, has been for days

[BroadAmbition]

Well failed miserably there. Tried to drive to my supplier - roads blocked by stranded cars. Turned round back to clients. This will cause me an issue tomorrow assuming I can actually get home this evening  Oh and it’s still snowing 

Griff

[ScrumpyCheddar]

It’s COVID fault.. No traffic out there to track the salt in Charlie.. 👍

[Wonderwall]

About 5inches of the White stuff in my part of jockland this morning. Cleared a route to the gritted roads and steady on to work, about 10mile. No dramas really, most folk taking it easy. A wee bit snow doesn't stop us 😁.

Got home and done my bit by clearing all paths for elderly neighbours either side of me. More snow tonight, so groundhog day tomorrow 🙄.

[SteveO]

I was chatting to my sister in Halifax this morning and it was snowing heavily up there. I was quite envious. Anything would be better than almost endless grey skies and rain we have had for the last couple of weeks.

[NorfolkNog]

33 minutes ago, SteveO said:

Halifax this morning and it was snowing heavily up there

Looks a bit hairy! 

 

 

[WherryNice]

I bet whoever was in the car at the bottom needed some fresh undercrackers afterwards!

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Nice drift by the bus driver!  

[OldBerkshireBoy]

3 minutes ago, WherryNice said:

I bet whoever was in the car at the bottom needed some fresh undercrackers afterwards!

Did they know what was coming. 

[SwanR]

Thanks for the photos Griff. Hope you can get where you need to be. I’m grateful that I don’t have to go out if the weather turns bad. But so far only rain here with some snow forecast for tomorrow perhaps. That’s the joy of working from home in the winter.