Baldbloke

Twitter is full of wisdom?

And then there’s the upcoming Salmond rape trials. Tasty lot these Nats[emoji1304] They all suggest they’re covering the moral high ground, and it’s either the Tory’s fault or Brexit, but when the shit hits the fan there’s a big push to bury it. So many chips and so few shoulders to carry them.

It may we’ll have been Francs. I’m getting a bit senile at my age[emoji12]

Not wood related, but... Forty years ago I travelled around France on a motorbike doing odd jobs, and met up with a rather gullible Irishman also travelling around on a motorbike. He was down to his last bit of cash and was keen to cash in some traveller cheques. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t speak /understand French and was a bit concerned about how to go about it. I got him just about word perfect in asking for a shag in French,- which sounded very like what he thought reasonable in exchanging a few cheques for some Euros. Of we go to the local Credit Agricole where he waits in the queue. I’m meanwhile out of the firing line inspecting the currency rates and more customers have backed up behind Chris. He reaches the counter and stammers out his lines absolutely perfectly to this old crone. There was a stunned silence at which point I legged it out of the bank.

Our Georgian house is supposedly the fourth on the site. Previous incarnations included wooden structures. Heavy clay soil up here. When I was doing some drainage I came across some enormous wooden footings with burn marks at the top. These lumps would have been a minimum of 200 years old and possibly a great deal older. Some sort of pine and in perfect order.

I can clear up a couple of your supposed myths but not the one about uniforms. Modern speed apparatus doesn’t need calibrated as often nowadays. It used to be the case, but not now. Been there, tried that and got the official response[emoji3] If the notice doesn’t appear in your postbox within two weeks of the offence you’re off the hook as long as the log book’s address pertains to the offending driver and his residence. And if you lent the car you are obliged to name and shame. If it’s a hire car an allowance is in place for extra time as is when the log book paperwork is being updated. The police helmet must be true [emoji1303]

We get carry out crap 18 miles from source too. I also pick it up so as not to have to daily view it. I did see one perpetrator chucking it out of his car a few years ago and did an early morning drop into his garden. Trouble was there was only what he’d chucked and I don’t think his brain power would’ve computed that it was originally his.

Not tree related but... A few years ago someone was offering local stone from a torn down steading /barn for the uplift. Went around with a trailer and soon realised that to get anywhere I’d need a digger to shift some of the larger pieces. As I was finishing the man of the house turns up and asks if I could do him a favour by digging a pond. For free. I agreed, as it was light late being the summer, and as I didn’t want to have to come back decided to crack on and do it there and then. Got him to mark it out and reassure me there were no services in the immediate area, especially as there was a Water board mound adjoining his property next to where he wanted this pond .... Got stuck in and did the shallow end before getting a little more adventurous at the deep end. Long story short the bucket found his water supply at around 10.30 pm. I did the decent thing and unsuccessfully tried to find the shutoff. The pond was about a quarter full by the time his wife went mental at me and I did a sharp exit[emoji23]

I snapped my favourite old and slightly knackered chain the other day, so thought it time to look for a new one. Plus I’m not sure how they’re graded. They all seem a bit short (2/3 metres) and quite costly! Any suggestions for finding something in 20 foot/6 metre length that’ll take say 4 tons?

Drill out and helicoil[emoji1303] German car stuff often has steel bolts into an Alloy and the best solution is often a helicoil kit that includes the right sized drill and helicoil. Usually lets you use the original sized bolt too. I’ve Helicoiled all four callipers on an old Porsche we have. The end of the steel bolt corrodes and strips out the aluminium hub, and there’s no access to clean out the steel end that corrodes.

I’ve got a White’s too. Used it for finding lost pins from the digger and other implements lost in the undergrowth. Invaluable for that as it’s saved a day or twos work. Tried it around the house for perhaps two hours in two years but really need someone in the know to show me how to get the best of it.

Maybe Big J is right

We’ve done a bit of AirBnB over the last few years and I’m considering putting in an outside wall charger while the fitting subsidy is still available. Seems a shame not to do it with a wind turbine sending some of our generation back to the grid. We had a two VW employees staying with us a year ago who were employed on their electric vehicle research. They were suggesting that the purchase of any early electric vehicle was presently a bargain. This because all early models are over engineered (because all manufacturers wanted to reassure their efforts are super reliable)and a better more up to date battery pack can be fitted when the original one wanks out. Electric motors are relatively simple and cheap to replace after 500,000 miles compared to a gas or diesel motor plus ancillaries

Saw a report last week where what you’re saying is actually already possible

Don’t think there’s any mileage in accepting rotten strainers and posts to burn in my biomass as all the local farmers bundle it up next to their newly erected fencing and set light to it. The only people up here likely to take the like to recycling are town folk.

Believe the public charging points in Scotland are still free to use at the moment.

New lithium-sulfur battery could charge your phone for five days, researchers say APPLE.NEWS Australian researchers claim they have developed a battery that can keep a smartphone charged for five days or power an electric car for 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles).

Early adopters have the hassle of shorter range but a bigger subsidy over purchase. But once they’ve come down in price to be a more viable purchase and the range is better they’ll drop any subsidy and whack on black boxes and charge by mileage. Otherwise the revenue loss will need to be covered elsewhere

Believe the new upcoming battery technology will mean the current crop of EVs will be cheap buys. That’s unless the new tech can be retrofitted

Most of the bigger stuff I’m dropping nowadays seem a bit soft/pumped. Even the stuff that was in leaf a couple of years ago.

Kennels are before and after shots from about 10 years ago taken from different sides. I discovered these gates buried underground when doing some drainage. They’d been hit by a car and needed a heat and a stretch to get them back into shape. Then mounted them at the back garden to keep the dogs in. Metal work is my hobby.

35 years ago I spent my spare time as a gofer to our local country blacksmith and learnt a few tricks from him. 2 years after he died our local foundry in the nearest town closed down and I bought their forge with a 3 phase blower, tongs and assorted equipment. Used it for 20 years to make and repair fire baskets, gates, flower stands and even did a few cart wheel refurbs for a chap who ran horse drawn carts. Unfortunately I moved house about 11 years ago and had to leave my workshop and equipment. I have however recently bought a farriers portable forge with a hand cranked blower. Good enough to straighten some gates and effect some repairs[emoji1303]

Land cruiser is a good towing vehicle[emoji1303] 3.5 tonnes[emoji1303] Toyota Land Cruiser - Towing Capacity & Weight Limit Information WWW.TOWINGCAPACITY.CO.UK

Went to buy/look at a V10 Touareg a couple of weeks ago but the steering was dodgy so walked away. Tried the smaller V6 from the same garage and that had fuelling issues so no sale. I really liked the V 10 and would have bought it had the steering been better. I have a 300Tdi defender, an early 3.9 Disco, and an early V6 RR Vouge. I’ve just got rid of a Freelander 2. The only one worth having is the old Defender and the V8 Disco. The rest are trouble, to the extent that LRs reputation for reliability is a bit of a joke.

I did do a commercial application through limited B&B business (sub£7500/pa to ensure tax free income)and they needed proof of 50 +% of floor space available for business use. A lot of work as well as additional generation meters. It was approved but I declined the subsidy as I was concerned it would compromise my domestic consumer subsidy payments over a wind turbine. The whole subject is an absolute minefield, with no absolutes! Kennels may be less than the 50% threshold?