Nick Jones Posted June 13, 2021 Posted June 13, 2021 Not been doing car stuff today. Perfect weather so SM and I cycled 20 miles this morning before it got too hot. A rather hilly 20 miles involving almost 1500 feet of climbing….. bad planning that was! The bikes were showing up a few foibles so they got a bit of a clean and fettle after. Also found time for an evening walk, which involved some of these And some of this Apologies for the sideways pics . It’s an iPhone thing
Nick Jones Posted June 13, 2021 Posted June 13, 2021 On the orchid front… turns out we have 3 species in the garden…… which is unusual apparently…… (but also sideways ) Amazing what can happen if you don’t mow your grass!
Escadrille Ecosse Posted June 13, 2021 Posted June 13, 2021 4 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: On the orchid front… turns out we have 3 species in the garden…… which is unusual apparently…… (but also sideways ) Amazing what can happen if you don’t mow your grass! That's rather special I think. No Mow May. We are trying to do the same with our 'lawn although on a somewhat more modest scale
JohnD Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 That's great, Nick! I'm not mowing my road verges, we'll see if residents object, but I'm sorry, I like a mown lawn around the house! John
Nick Jones Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 Most of my grass (lawn implies something smoother and grassier that it really is!) is mown. Just one area is left. Partly because it’s often too wet to mow except by hovercraft, but more recently because prolonged non-mowing in 2018 revealed a couple of orchids. Since then I’ve been doing one early mow and then leaving it untouched until autumn. This year we’ve had 16 orchids (so far) in at least 3 flavours, which feels like quite a privilege. The area where they grown is the part of the garden least disturbed by humans over many years and I don’t think expanding the unmown part will increase numbers.
JohnD Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 Have you IDed them, Nick? I make them, top to bottom, Early Purple, Southern Marsh or Common Spotted (if leaves spotted) and Bee Orchid, but that's just from my book of wild flowers. To have one is special, three species is tremendous! John
Nick Jones Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 We thought the first was southern marsh or early purple (they were the first- have been out a couple of weeks now). The second does have spotted leaves, so we think common spotted. The third is bee orchid. They are the extra special ones.
Escadrille Ecosse Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 19 hours ago, Nick Jones said: Not been doing car stuff today. Perfect weather so SM and I cycled 20 miles this morning before it got too hot. A rather hilly 20 miles involving almost 1500 feet of climbing….. bad planning that was! Meant to say that's a decent bit of topography.
Escadrille Ecosse Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 Today I tried out my new senior concessionary travel pass. I need to make a mould for the small panel that goes inside the Mk1/2 door shell to take the early twist handle latch. Decided in the end that the easiest way to make the pattern is from a block of balsawood. In my younger days this was basic modelmaking stuff from the model shop and there used to be plenty in Glasgow, including the excellent Southside Models which was just down the bottom of our road. Most sadly gone now so it was a trip to Millers Art Shop instead. Walked in to town as it was a nice, sunny morning, although blowing a near gale, and it's only a little over 2 miles. Balsa purchased but they were out of balsa cement - another thing in short supply at the moment it seems. I need two blocks, each 68 x 120 x 21 mm. So a bit of 1/2" and 3/8" should do the trick. Then in to Central Station to try out my 'Saltire Card' (yes the propaganda is relentless). However three stops out to Crosshill was only £1. Thank you Barnett Formula, we'll miss you (sorry slight political drift there). All very easy and pleasant. The 'bollocks' part of this is that I had forgotten it was Scotland vs Croatia at Hampden today (next stop) so town and the trains were starting to get busy with fans although I was on the train before the special trains started running.
RedRooster Posted June 14, 2021 Posted June 14, 2021 Took the Sprite out, nasty crashing noise from the rear suspension, found the culprit as a stripped bolt on the fwd suspension hanger. Threads shot so have to repair that, unfotunetly that's that side spring coming out to get access. Easy not as it has too many Bolt on things in the way.
Nick Jones Posted June 30, 2021 Posted June 30, 2021 So yesterday marked my 54 anniversary. In celebration I've taken the week off. SM is also off. From somewhere she got the idea that it is the done thing to cycle your years in kilometers on your birthday. She did this on her birthday back in March. I'm a bit doubtful about the precedent here, but as it was quite reasonable cycling weather I decided to humour her this time. We needed a destination and I chose Burrow Mump. It's a ruined chapel on top of a hill in the middle in the levels and something of a local landmark. Though I've seen it many times and been close to it a few, I've never been to it/up it. Also, it was about the right distance and the levels are.... well..... level (ish)..... right? This is Burrow mump (not my pic) This is the view from the top (my pic) You can see a fair way in all directions and it would be a great place for a picnic (it even says so on the National Trust sign in the car park), but for the truly astonishing quantities of sheep poo. The whole hill had a good sprinkling but the bit around the ruin was an absolute midden. So we ate our flappo in the car park..... It was almost exactly half way. This is more or less what it looks like from the car park...... The levels themselves are level-ish which makes for fairly easy riding, but whereas on the way out we'd snuck through a gap in the ridge where the River Parrett goes through, the way back went over the ridge. To be fair, it isn't very high, but quite steep. All in all, not too painful. I could have gone further but was glad I didn't have too! I could even walk afterwards, and this morning, though no urge to sit on a bike today. Then a bit of well earned sitting around and eating cake followed by a bit of pottering in the garage and polishing the Soot Monster (not very rewarding) and looking forward to the pub (rare and special treat!). Then No 2 son at the window wearing only a towel and declaring a plumbing emergency........ the shower is overflowing because my old "mate" the saniflo has gone on strike. Running but pumping nothing...... Marvellous...... Which led to this...... If you own a saniflo, you REALLY also need an aquavac........ As birthday "treats" go..... it's still preferable to a bladder flush ! Pub was good though.
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 Oh crap! But happy birthday Nick and I'm glad the rest of the day went well.
JohnD Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 Into each liife some shit must fall..... Still, overall a Happy Birthday, I hope, Nick!
Hamish Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 these things are sent to try us happy birthday you certainly earned it
Nick Jones Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 Thanks all…… the bloody thing is working again now, though I don’t know why - never found anything wrong with it. Yesterday I took the Vitesse to Devon to spend a pleasant few hours with John Bonnett, creator of the lightweight “GT4”, https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2017-05-20/cars/ref-49-1972-triumph-gt6-gt4/ in his workshop “assisting” with his latest project. Details here https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/218220/reliant-kitten-rebodied-formed-aluminium Today, SM and I have (Vitesse again) visited Minterne gardens in Dorset. Some risk I may have to sit on a bicycle again later…… 1
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 What a remarkable build epic. Glad the sh1t pump is working again. Sounds rather like our shower pump except that the consequence of failure is far more unpleasant. Very picturesque too.
Nick Jones Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 While I'm pleased the Saniflo is working again (they, and parts of them are very unreasonably priced in my skinflint opinion), I would really like to know why it wasn't before, as being able to solve the problem in the future without dismantling half the bathroom would be a huge benefit! Oh yeah.... the shower pump..... I have one of those too (and I think it has previously featured in this thread with capacitor failure), it supplies all the water to the ensuite (when it feels like it), not just the shower. It's party trick is deciding it's running dry and turning itself off. It waits until you are fully soaped up first though. The reset button is at the other end of the house. If I ever meet the plumber that did this bathroom......
RedRooster Posted July 1, 2021 Posted July 1, 2021 Say hi to JB next time you see him, he owes me the mother of all washing up piles after his possie visited. Talking of shit jobs, I'm on the way back from Dakar.
Nick Jones Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 Ah…… the Mumford link was my idea this time (I thought). He was going to use a panhard rod but the Reliant boys told him the axle would fall apart if he did that. Also he had one on the Frontline kit on his MGB V8. Do you have one on the Tiger? Funny you should mention the visit of the “posse”. That came up in conversation as Jerry also called in briefly (yellow GT6 Mk3). You scored top marks for bravery (asking them in the first place!) and hospitality. No washing up was mentioned…… Dakar….. you get all the best jobs…. thought you were in the Canaries somewhere?
RedRooster Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 I really shouldn't let JB poke around in my garage unescorted, he's got a good eye for things. The tiger has a rear traction bar arrangement it's a Yankee thing for their 1/4 mile spurts of power.
Martin Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 Belated Happy Birthday Nick. l‘m heading today to southern Germany for the first tour with the E30 convertible. I have always some reservations on the UK plumbing. Especially at some of the B&B‘s I visited so far. Cheers Martin
Nick Jones Posted July 2, 2021 Posted July 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Martin said: l‘m heading today to southern Germany for the first tour with the E30 convertible. Have a good one Anyone who puts a Saniflo in rented accommodation, especially short-term rental….. is really begging for trouble. And yes, there are an awful lot of “plumbers” in the UK who can’t be trusted to change a tap washer
Martin Posted July 13, 2021 Posted July 13, 2021 Today I assisted my son in dismantling an E36 328 to upgrade his 318
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now