On 10/22/2025 at 5:58 PM, TomsFocus said:

I don't own a kettle! 😮 

Crikey! How do you keep going? I'm currently drinking my umpteenth cuppa from my "Mug of positivitea" according to the logo. And we have a framed motto on the wall: "With a cup of tea in your hand, anything is possible"!😀

4 hrs of free electric this weekend . Will make the most of that. Bit of cake baking I think amongst the usual energy hungry appliances.  I can rattle through 18kwh an hour when it's free. That's going some. 😂😂

duplicated.

Middlesbrough Police Go Topless 🤣

Not click bate 😉

The Old Folks' lunch.

Our taxes get spent on an annual luncheon for which we are expected to contribute 5 Euros.

Kir and entree of vol au vents and terrine de saumon.

White wine and fillet of salmon that would comfortably feed three people with a macedoine of mixed vegetables.

Guinea fowl in cream and raisin sauce with half a baked apple filled with honey. A decent Bordeaux.

Cheese. More decent Bordeaux

Almond and pear tart and more decent Bordeaux

Coffee.

Three fingers of Whisky

Three more.

Now that's the way to spend my taxes!

 

That sounds terrific! Can you copy that to Rachel?

(Only thing is....I don't like cheese. Could I have a bit more of the decent Bordeaux or another finger of whiskey instead do you think?😀)

 

I do like being on holiday until the 17th November! 

 

Apart from Sundays and a couple of trips down to Aberdeen for hospital appointments, tomorrow is my first day off in 24 weeks! 

 

2 weeks in the sun beckons and you can bet that I'll enjoy it! 😎

1 hour ago, Turvey said:

I do like being on holiday until the 17th November! 

 

Apart from Sundays and a couple of trips down to Aberdeen for hospital appointments, tomorrow is my first day off in 24 weeks! 

 

2 weeks in the sun beckons and you can bet that I'll enjoy it! 😎

Benalmadena? 

1 hour ago, iantt said:

Benalmadena? 

Just for a change! 🤣

1 hour ago, Turvey said:

Just for a change! 🤣

Thought as much, we the same now in coming  January, Lanzarote, same hotel  for a third time . 

We've spoken about trying somewhere different but we've been so many times now we're frightened wherever we go we'll be comparing it and wishing we had just gone back to Benelmadena 😀

Id quite like to do a car trip though to south of France or further into Spain or Portugal. Maybe early summer next year. before it gets too hot. ( And in my EV!!! Shock /horror. 😂😂😂😂) 

6 minutes ago, iantt said:

Id quite like to do a car trip though to south of France or further into Spain or Portugal. Maybe early summer next year. before it gets too hot. ( And in my EV!!! Shock /horror. 😂😂😂😂) 

Using the AC reduces range that badly?

3 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Using the AC reduces range that badly?

Nope, just I don't like it too hot when outside the car. Plus traffic gets busy as soon as the schools finish at beginning July. 

I do like the fact that our friend sponsored by "Maypole"  😉 must be feeling a little better and is having a browse of the FOC 🎉

 

3 minutes ago, unofix said:

I do like the fact that our friend sponsored by "Maypole"  😉 must be feeling a little better and is having a browse of the FOC 🎉

 

I just as only thinking today I haven't seen him posting on here recently. Didn't know why. 

Do like preconditioning the car this cold morning while Im still in my warm bed. 

Nice toasty 22c , all windows and mirrors defrosted and clear. Then got to work and 6c inside. Oh well, can win them all 😂😂

 

6 minutes ago, iantt said:

Then got to work and

Did you go via Lewisham again ? 🤣

36 minutes ago, unofix said:

Did you go via Lewisham again ? 🤣

Not this morning. Still not heard anything. 

I do like the Ute getting a clean bill of health last week 👍

Apart from bursting a brake hose on the test and an advisory for a steering gaiter (both fixed for the retest) I was more than happy with the result, not bad for a 23 year old vehicle.

On 11/27/2025 at 7:49 PM, Turvey said:

an advisory for a steering gaiter

Funny you should say that! My 19 year old Focus got its 14th consecutive MoT Pass at the end of September with an advisory for both steering gaiters.

I'd had a panic that morning with a horn that emitted a feeble squeak and gave up totally. I fixed it with a little electronic sounder I found, barely audible with the engine running, but the MoT man said he did not care as long as he could hear something. And both rear outer brake lights had failed! I only found that when I got to the garage. I had one spare bulb, fitted that, proved it was the bulbs, not the wiring, and the MoT man let me off the other one, he trusted I would fix it pronto!

Then I got home, looked at the gaiters, and both were split right in half, I could see the rack! A bit of examination soon revealed the cause. I had changed both wishbones the week before, then taken it to a garage to have the tracking done. They had twisted the track rods without releasing the clips on the gaiters, and the ancient and rather brittle gaiters had both broken in the middle.

But it was a blessing in disguise really. They were on the way out, I think they had some little cracks I had not noticed. This winter they would have gone, I would not have noticed until muddy water got in and trashed the rack. Very expensive! So 25 quid for new gaiters was a good investment. And it had been dry for the few days they had been broken. Quite a lot of extra work, but well worth it!

 

I do like unexpectedly coming across a TV programme from my youth! Used to love watching this chap. 

How many folk here recognise him?

 

 

1 hour ago, Turvey said:

I do like unexpectedly coming across a TV programme from my youth! Used to love watching this chap. 

How many folk here recognise him?

 

 

Jack Hargreaves?

Closest I can come up with is Steptoe!

3 minutes ago, Tizer said:

Jack Hargreaves?

How??