weekend debrief

[Steve Lake]

Brilliant weather here in the East....loads of jobs around the house completed (and brownie points accrued)....took great pleasure in rebuilding an old sack barrow, must be 100 years old, and this will be the second time I have replaced the woodwork....this time i have used hardwood (2 windowcills rescued from the skip next door to where i work....double glazing company....who bring back what appear to be perfectly good wooden frames and doors! from places where they have fitted their ghastly plastic crap)...wonderful to be working with wood again...loved honing my chisels...paring feathers of wood to create firm tight joints...
rounded off the weekend with a blat round the lanes this evening on SRX #4...ending up at the only pub in england to get voted twice as best pub by CAMRA (Fat Cat, Norwich)......great pint of Pale Rider....just got home...one of the better weekends
pip pip

[squirrelciv]

Had a bit of a bikey weekend in so much as I got to do an oil change and replace dolly's chain and sprockets. Got my monies worth too. The old chain was 1 link less than the new one, but when placed side by side on the garage floor, appeared two links longer! As for the rear sprocket, I've seen grinding discs with more teeth on them!
Of coarse No 1 son and I had to try everything out so we had a pleasant run out over the hills and valleys around here.
Did have an oddie though. Pulled over to admire the view but when I went to start the bike......Nothing! No neutral light or sidestand warning light. Nowt on the starter, but the horn worked Checked the ignition fuse and all was fine, so wondered if it might bump. As I started rolling, the neutral light came on and she started on the button. All very confusing. Everything fine today, but knowing me, I'll fret about it all the same. Heyho.

[guest7]

Yep, a grand weekend here too.

I have been racking up mucho brownie points by cracking on with the renovation of our middle bedroom. So far: ceiling replaced and plastered, two walls rendered and plastered, new skirting, new electrics, new coving, new light rose and new architrave. We're at the paint and paper stage and we've hit an snag... we can't agree. However, all the good work has been noted by SWMBO and I'm quite popular in Castle Carrick... which is rarely the case.

Talking of Camra, my mate Andy (who some of you have met) rang me yesterday to tell me that his cider has just won a bronze Camra award. He's only been making it for a year or so. He's a talented sod.

GC

[SteveC#222]

Had a fairly lazy weekend really (for a change!). Managed to get a couple of hours down at the local park flying kites - new hobby- very addictive. Did the family bit down at the garden centre and then around the garden. Went for a quick blat around on the XBR on Sunday around the local twisties. Just coming around one corner and noticed the traffic up ahead slowing right down.   Around the corner there were around 30 Raleigh Choppers!  ( 70's bicycles not butchered 30's classic motorcycles!!) Dunno what was going on, either an owners club rally or some sort of charity ride probably...bizarre. Spent Monday doing bits & bobs around the house to keep family happy and earn some browny points to get to the annual rally    ....all in all a good weekend.

[Hondapartsman]

My weekends tend to be lazy anyway, I helped my wife with a few things outside. We did all the usual weekend stuff but I did get a single ride out, about 30 miles all around which may not seem much but nice to travel with no great purpose and I have to pace myself all the time, part of living with CFS.

[pigafetta]

I got my CB900 frame back from the powder coaters. Lovely job and cost me nowt thanks to my Brother-in-Law and my Dad. It's not my bike of choice but it's this years project. I've been having an Ebay junk sale to raise funds. Just waiting for some parts from CMS then I can start the rebuild in earnest. I'm itching to get my teeth into it but I have a couple of weeks hard studying with my OU first then I get a couple of months off.

Weather has been bloody lovely in North Wales. XBR is sitting in the garage with a full tank and I'm too busy to go anywhere

Dave B

[guest7]

...but I have a couple of weeks hard studying with my OU first...

Is that you being optimistic about your degree? In my case I'd be saying "my OU 2.2"

Serioiusly, how are you finding doing an OU course? I was thinking of doing another degree subject. Mind you it's funny how unnerved some of my more snooty customers get if they find out I have a degree. Some people can't understand why I've given up being a desk-wallah to be a handyman.

How do the courses work these days, is there more material on DVD, etc.?

GC

[pigafetta]

Hi GC.
I'm doing an Open Science degree. Been doing it for a few years now and I must admit I have a fairly casual approach towards it. I'm not in any hurry. Most of my time is spent bringing up 2 little'uns at the moment so it keeps my brain ticking over while my Missus earns the crust. I started off doing a Biology honours degree but over the years I've decided to widen my options a bit and pretty much study anything that takes my fancy that'll contribute towards my BSc.

The main problem is time. The recommended minimum 16 hours a week for a 60 point course doesn't seem too bad until you actually try to find an extra 16 undisturbed hours every week. It's bloody hard work sometimes but it's rewarding and you really get to appreciate your spare time when you're not studying.

I'm not sure about the Arts courses but pretty well all of the science and maths courses use DVD and CDrom based material now.

I'm currently doing a maths course for no other reason than my last couple of courses were molecular/biology based and I'm sick of writing bloody essays.

I should be finished by early next week,
All good fun!

Dave

[guest27]

Andy's cider

Guess this is a Welsh brew - do you know what apples he is using - are they a heratage Welsh bunch or imported English / French?

There are some old apple trees near here that I am coming to believe are cider apples - and thinking of getting some grafts made.

Does he grow his own apples or buy them in.

R

[guest288]

Could we arrange a sampling session?

Weekend spent doing odd bits mainly in the garden enjoying the sunshine, managed to do a bit on the bike lift yesterday, almost ready for painting now- at last I can start rebuilding the XBR!

ps. anyone got a Gilera cougar?