14 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

Indeed Ghana!!  Or rather not anymore, seeing as I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole after their cluster today.  Good thing we also have the Hyundai, as if the 405 was our only car and we depended on it going through the MOT today then I'd be completely screwed!

It's quite handy having two cars, you can take one off the road to do something major at your leisure.  Unlike trying to finish it hurriedly on a Sunday night, in the wee hours!

24 minutes ago, GMX said:

It's quite handy having two cars, you can take one off the road to do something major at your leisure.  Unlike trying to finish it hurriedly on a Sunday night, in the wee hours!

Exactly!  That's why I bought the Hyundai in such haste when we sold the Primera (and only had the 405), as I hate relying on just one car - or anything for that matter!  Hence why I have multiple vacuum cleaners, televisions, irons, typewriters, computers etc...

I learned this morning that something who is not put off by tiger poo or drawn to slug pubs is molesting the young sweetcorn plants overnight.

Several have lost their growing points and have their leaves semi-shredded.

A lack of paw prints suggests a bird of some sort, perhaps the pigeons who bother the brassicas

I learnt that no matter how much hayfever medication I take, I still get hayfever -_-

I learned today, that no matter how much potting compost you make up: you will never have made the up right quantity for all the hanging baskets and all tubs you need it for, and have to make up some more.

Which naturally ends up with having too much left over and nothing else to pot up with the same requirements

Basket compost is 50:25:25 (Compost: Perlite:Vermiculite)  Whereas tub compost is 30:30:20:20 (Compost, John Innes No.2: Perlite: Vermiculite) Basket compost needs to be lighter yet have moisture retaining properties.  Whereas tub compost needs to be free draining, aerated and still be bulky

I rather assumed that PS and BHP (old fashioned horsepower) were the same. But I have just learnt they are not! A German horse strength ( Pferdestärke) must be a bit weaker than a good old British shire horse.

One PS is about 98.6% of a brake horsepower .

This means car makers have been able to add one or two assumed horses to their cars just by changing the unit.

Moral: Stick to SI units, the proper unit is the kW, the same all over the world.

 

 

I learned that alcohol doesn't always impair ones judgement or remove ones ability to work on ones car....

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4 hours ago, jeebowhite said:

I learned that alcohol doesn't always impair ones judgement or remove ones ability to work on ones car....

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Indeed, it can often be helpful. 

Sometimes it makes it more interesting!

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Today I've learned that every time I get the mower out, put it's grass box on and unwind it's cable: it rains.

I've also learned the formula for working out true cleaning power of pressure washers, when comparing different makes and models.

Which is, should anyone want/need to know too:

Bar x Flow (litres per minute)/600

I've now just learned Brandy prefers frozen tripe, still crunchy, cold and mainly frozen, it had only been thawing for about an hour. 

it must be like a sorbet to her.  She helped herself to plate of thawing tripe and ate the lot

 

Edited June 12, 20169 yr by GMX
another learning event

I've learned (in hindsight), a brown patterned hall carpet was not the wisest purchase, with a view to the troubles an older dog and cat can have. 

There's a certain camouflage effect,where you don't notice it until you feel it underfoot, or worse still, between your toes, when bare footed

20 minutes ago, GMX said:

you don't notice it until you feel it underfoot

"Like This" is not really appropriate, it sounds a bit gruesome, but you telling the world (or any part of it that wants to look anyway) about it, has made me smile a bit. Which is good.

I have learnt today, that trying to help other people with problems like broken cars, can be a good anti-dote to depression. Even if just one or two of my efforts is of any use at all, it makes me feel better.

 

3 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

"Like This" is not really appropriate, it sounds a bit gruesome, but you telling the world (or any part of it that wants to look anyway) about it, has made me smile a bit. Which is good.

I have learnt today, that trying to help other people with problems like broken cars, can be a good anti-dote to depression. Even if just one or two of my efforts is of any use at all, it makes me feel better.

 

I know exactly what you mean.  It makes you feel useful and gives you a purpose in life, if only for a few hours.

I have learned I am more capable of driving an artic with 45ft trailer on the road, I know I have an advantage over new candidates as I have been shunting trailers round the yard for the last year.

But my instructor said at the end of today " you are more then capable of passing the test, road position is brilliant, turning corners absolutely no problem. Just a bit more mirror use and distance between the vehicle in front occasionally and approach speed occasionally. I think of you took a test right now you would pass it."

To say I am elated would be understatement. After doing the reverse at the test centre he asked me if I wanted to drive out and said he normally takes people on a short drive first to show them how to handle the truck.

Fantastic first day and to be told I should be able to pass the test after my first drive out is pretty amazing, seeing as I have been driving for 20 years and passed my class 2 back in 2003, pretty happy I haven't got too many bad habits to confront.

Buzzing and can't wait for tomorrow morning. Test is next Monday so hopefully I will be a very happy bunny.

I learned today, after I mislaid my cufflinks for a formal shirt for an appointment with our bankers, that Screwfix M4 Inter Screws made a handy and functional substitute.

The heads are sufficiently wide enough not to slip through buttonhole whilst wearing the shirt and they don't look that different from cufflinks

As worn

 

I learned today, after I mislaid my cufflinks for a formal shirt for an appointment with our bankers, that Screwfix M4 Inter Screws made a handy and functional substitute.

The heads are sufficiently wide enough not to slip through buttonhole whilst wearing the shirt and they don't look that different from cufflinks

As worn

 

I learned today, that it doesn't take much heat on a thermal printed receipt to "erase" it.

I was well aware a hot cup of tea could render it useless but didn't realise just leaving it on the desk in the sun would turn it from legible to an entire grey piece of paper!

Ive learned that led wattage is different to halogen wattage measurements.

I bought an 80 Watt led flood light for the back garden,

link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PREMIER-PIR-Motion-Sensor-LED-Floodlight-10W-20W-30W-50W-Security-Flood-Light-/201271305382?var=&hash=item2edcb464a6:m:m_XpKtZinazlFOzHtZ3xqrQ 

Turns out 80W led is equal to a 1000W Halogen 😁

back garden is lit up like a stadium along with another six houses all 6000 kelvin artificial day light.

A work mate also informed me that led lights will increase the level of depression people tend to get during winter months due to lack of sunlight, because leds operate on a very fine spectrum.

I told him the led light I've just fitted instantly increases my next door neighbours depression each time I turn it on 😁 as he's only got a 20W Halogen and well haters be hating 😀

 

I learned to this afternoon, much to everyone in the neighbourhood's annoyance, that the gentle click click click of a car alarm with a faulty door switch and a battery with a low charge: turns into a full 108 dB BARP BARP BARP when you hook up your booster to start the car.

It wouldn't cancel either, when I started like it's supposed to!

After five minutes of trying to jiggle the door switches, for it to cancel itself - which it didn't, all the while being glared at by various neighbours and passers by,

In the end, i had to resort to pulling the cable out of the power sounder, leaving the indicators and headlamps to flash silently, whilst I figured out how to I was stop the alarm

 

I've learned that a few days doing naff all with great company in the middle of nowhere really is good for the soul!!

6 minutes ago, SeanW said:

I've learned that a few days doing naff all with great company in the middle of nowhere really is good for the soul!!

Puts alot of things in to perspective 👍

looking forward to week off at end of this month myself, been working six day weeks since January 

I've learnt just how much nail must be under the skin on a thumb...  About 2 weeks ago I slipped off a bolt and caught my thumb between the ratchet and a solid subframe (yes, ouch lol)...  It immediately went black up to about half way up the nail...but the crack only become visible yesterday...but has moved up about 1mm in just 24hrs!  Grow quicker than I thought lol.

1 hour ago, GMX said:

I learned to this afternoon, much to everyone in the neighbourhood's annoyance, that the gentle click click click of a car alarm with a faulty door switch and a battery with a low charge: turns into a full 108 dB BARP BARP BARP when you hook up your booster to start the car.

It wouldn't cancel either, when I started like it's supposed to!

After five minutes of trying to jiggle the door switches, for it to cancel itself - which it didn't, all the while being glared at by various neighbours and passers by,

In the end, i had to resort to pulling the cable out of the power sounder, leaving the indicators and headlamps to flash silently, whilst I figured out how to I was stop the alarm

 

Was that the Vauxhall?  Or have you got rid of that by now?

1 minute ago, jmurray01 said:

Was that the Vauxhall?  Or have you got rid of that by now?

That is indeed the Astra, that so far, the only interested buyer has failed to turn up for, nor actually confirm he's no longer interested.  It's been getting close to 7 months now!

It will, however be going this week, I'm putting it on the "removemycar.co.uk ATF auctions tomorrow.

It will be nice not to have to move it out the way, every time I want to something to the Foci

3 minutes ago, GMX said:

That is indeed the Astra, that so far, the only interested buyer has failed to turn up for, nor actually confirm he's no longer interested.  It's been getting close to 7 months now!

It will, however be going this week, I'm putting it on the "removemycar.co.uk ATF auctions tomorrow.

It will be nice not to have to move it out the way, every time I want to something to the Foci

Car buyers really must be picky down your way, as here it would be snapped up (whilst it still had MOT) for £100 within a couple of hours of listing on Gumtree.