The Merry merry month of May...

[goodlookingone]

About time we had a new thread: Cold and Windy start for the Month - Ne'er cast a clout till May is out and all that.

[goodlookingone]

Oh Gawd - New month means another months washing up to do,

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Then no more washing up for a month. I shall do mine in a bit. I loaded the dishwasher yesterday, so it's just a matter of adding today's, and switching it on.

I had rushed out last night to get the washing in, but some of it was still wet. I was afraid this afternoon it would rain again, so I rescued the last of it.

Someone said on Facebook yesterday that our new District Council had changed his address. I gave lots of good advice, and hope it helped. Maybe he was in a new build so it doesn't matter. The two district councils merged in early April, so the chances of sorting it out should be pretty good.

Every day something new appears in the garden. I just realised that the saggy tulip leaves in a clump were about to flower as Alliums. They should look spectacular. My Azalea in its pot after I moved it into a boring spot has begun to flower, and there are dozens of buds about to open.

[goodlookingone]

Hi... No new councils here, but Much concern among the Political classes, and looking like Borough Council has "Changed proprietorship" to back to where it was when I had my legal address. But does change of council really make a difference??? Back in my Working days I was a Senior Presiding Occifer. I'm sure that most people have no idea what they are voting for... I remember in Mrs Thatchers Days, one old dear couldn't write (or maybe couldn't see) so wanted help "To Vote Her Out" .. Hexplained that you can't vote anyone out, you could only vote FOR someone. That you could only vote for one of the names in your own ward, and it is a Council Election and there Is No "she - I think you mean the National vote and can only vote for your own Area" . She clearly didn't understand the names I read out; in the right order and only the eligible candidates - She didn't understand what she was Voting for, and I couldn't advise..... Then there was the Students who staggered from the pub at closing-of-the-poll time of 22:00. They didn't live in that area (Southend) had not registered on the student address, and had to be thrown out by the constabulary. I also remember presiding in a Polling station at Gants Hill, It was in a Church Hall, but most of the Voters were Jewish Cab Drivers. They were goodheartedly ribbing the Vicar (Vicar asked a group of Jewish Taximen why He hadn't seen them in Church Lately, Cab driver asked why the Vicar wasn't at the Golf Club on Sundays...) One Lady raised her voice that "No One is Being Very Helpful, Now, Tell me where I Live" - seems the Local Council had just got her a Higher grade of Care Home - She was 104. Didn't know her address, but only knew she wanted a 179 bus to her old mates. Very Helpful Cab driver worked out Exactly where she lived - and Lo. she was on that roll. Oh welllll....

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Fortunately I knew what I was doing and voted for new councillors in the merged district councils of West Somerset and Taunton Deane. We are more vociferous out in the country, used as we are from calling the cows in. Two of the people I voted for got in, and the Independents did well. I don't think it was a protest vote. The local town council have alternated between threatening each other, and plonking eyesores on the sea front while not cleaning the toilets at all. One disabled bloke has made it his business to trundle round in his wheelchair cleaning up litter and dog doos in the streets. Co opted on to the council, he stood unopposed as an Independent. None of the Party faithful stood for the town council, choosing to stand for the District. I think they got bloody noses. The Lib Dems did better than usual, and Independents made up the rest. The other customer in the hairdresser's was describing a very slow day as polling clerk in a rural station when in between flurries of voters, she sunbathed for much of the day.

Gant's hill sounded like a nice community. It restores one's faith in human nature.

I have changed my email address, and will be sending a general message round soon. I will be clearing my contacts list of extraneous bods I barely remember from more than 10 years ago, first.

I managed to get a kettle for the breakfast on Sunday. I have organised a Dawn Chorus Walk, which will finish with a breakfast barbecue. Then it will be home for a shower and choir when our Bishop will be visiting our benefice, in the continued absence of applicants for the Rectory. She will be pretty busy blessing us all. The Archbishop of Canturbury came a year ago, so we won't be overwhelmed. Just welcoming.

[goodlookingone]

When I tried to post Yesterday, I got a Missive telling me that I could not post as I had too many characters. - So I tried to edit it, and the second missive was that I was too late to edit it.

The only "organised" walk here is From Town Centre @ 10;00 on Monday. Starts with a 15 minute walk through the town, into The Park, walk through the Housing that has been built in the park (???), and then a stroll (all metalled footpaths) for 40 or 50 minutes, then a walk back. -
I can do better on my own - on a weekday when I can get a bus up to Langdon Hills - Nature reserve - real grass, woodland, pastures (sometimes with horses) and views to Thames and Kent.. Or cross the road to another Nature Reserve (Next Borough), More trees, Different Greenery, and sometimes, some tame Highland cattle grazing there.. and (I believe) Mr Legs on his Bike?

I shall await your new e-mail.

[Rwth of Cornovii]

I've been catching up on my sleep. This morning, my gardener came and planted my climbing roses. A cream flowering one (the Pilgrim) for the sycamore at the front , and a pink one for the one at the back (Constance Spry). He did some major weeding, finding plenty of plants thought to have failed, and complained about the lack of rain, so I watered things that most needed attention.

The Dawn Chorus walk went well yesterday. When I was barbecuing the bacon, I saw something move, and when I looked properly, there at the edge of the brick surround was a robin, watching my every move. It was the closest encounter with a bird since a Canada goose tried to eat a button off my coat at Kew Gardens. I had to get home and go off to church because the Bishop was coming and I was in the choir. We put on a good show and she whipped us into a frenzy of enthusiasm. Think Blues Brothers and James Brown.

I've just checked the Quiz League Website and we escaped relegation by a whisker this season. It depended on the team above us losing their last match.

[An Tarbh Dubh]

Greetings! I have recently migrated this site to a new server, and updated the software - you shouldn't notice the move, but you may notice effects from the upgrade, including disappearance of custom "styles". I'll work on getting some alternative styles back sooner or later! Meanwhile, if you see strange things happening (like pop-up menus that won't go away), you should clear your browser's cache

To clear the cache for Firefox:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ho ... -the-cache

If you are using any other browser, you'll have to look it up yourself!

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Thanks very much. I wrote a message then found I wasn't logged in so it vanished.

I had set my step target to 3000 steps but after I took my car in to sort out the misfiring problem, I got lost in the local footpaths and ended the day at 4850 steps. The mechanic asked me when I last put oil in. Thank goodness his daughter wasn't there. She was the last, back in November. It goes better with another 31/2 litres of oil

[goodlookingone]

Nearly half a Gallon of Oil... Gulp.

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Yes, that's what it did. I'm wondering if a can of STP would console it? Handbook says not, but that was when it was new. I'll ask my mechanic for his advice, but you big car experts might know better. I drove it half way up Dunkery Beacon yesterday, and it didn't object. A Morgan enthusiast told me Volvos go on for ever. I didn't blow it up, and never go above 3000 revs.

[goodlookingone]

For what it's worth: I'm not convinced that diluting your oil with STP will help. Is it Leaking, or Burning? An Armstrong Siddeley 18hp has 13 pints of oil, (and anothewr four and half in the Gearbox), My Triumph 2000, holds 9 pints and a Volvo 240, 11 pints.

Yup, my "modern Car" (not that I've driven since my stroke) is a Volvo, and there are a few reasons why they have such a long life. Not exactly "Sporty" but a comfortable long drive.

The last Car Factory client was only was only far as Damson Lane (nearby to Birmingham airpor/NEC). A Once respectable superb car, (1946 - 2017) but a bit "dated" now. I remember a bloke on a bench in an outbulding taking each new engine from Ford's, Taking the Jaguar badge off of the rocker box, and applying a LandRover badge in its place. It is an Indian firm now, (but Ford has it's patents now so it can only making RangeRovers now).

And so much oil in a Tractor (Seven and a half litre deisel engine: no idea how much oil?) that there is difficult to fill it as it passes-by on he flo-line before it gets out of reach..
I hope I can post this - Blasted Connection won't connect?

[Rwth of Cornovii]

My apologies. I thought STP was thicker and more likely to soothe rubbing parts. Molyslip E being much thinner and more slippy. I think I'll just check the oil every 1st of the month from now on. The 850R goes in two modes, Economy and Sport. Jeremy Clarkson wrote glowingly about it, but he probably drove it in Sport mode. I read his article to Roger (Blunders) in hospital hoping it would wake him from his coma. He did wake up a day or so later. My husband did take the trouble always to check my car every now and then, especially when I was going on a long trip. I miss that as well as everything else.

A friend of mine once bought a Mahindra (Indian Landrover copy) in hopes that he could get it to go. He never did, and sold it on several years later. They did very well in the trans Asia rally, but probably not that one. He also once owned two examples of a car that ran on gearbox oil. Heinkel/Wankel engine. Eventually he settled down to driving Jaguars.

[goodlookingone]

I think Molywotsit - whatever brand - will put into the oil what the respectable oil-makers has already put in. (but not into auto or self changing gearboxes and preferably not on any gbox. Synchromesh, Auto, and self-changing gearboxes rely on grip for the newly selected geardrive - making the oil more slippery will will cost a fortune in repairs. Bit Difficult if You need engine oil in the gearbox - Oils are not the same as when My car was made - I have to get oil from a Vintage specialist).
Yup Dip the oil each week.
LandRover changed proprietership several Times. But The Flo-line through "Body-in-White" shed had provision to take an assembly off the track in mid flo - to go to specialists outfits to put their build into it before returning it for completion (e.g., Fire Tenders, Ambulances, Military radio-shacks, and Machine-gun platforms for the Italian Police..???) so their other flo-lines had to be tailored around this access.The Four-door RangeRover Robot in particular need a Heavy-counterbalance Fork Truck to stop it tipping over when long-reaching a rack of Nearside Doors into place - The truck had to scrape along the LandRover track - even moving it(?). That's why Ford took the Patents and left the Factory to themselves. ... (but did sell them Engines).
Gotta go - more Address-changing Battles to set up.

[Rwth of Cornovii]

More power to your elbows, knees, nails and tooth. I'm sure you will win out in the end. Has your MP come back to you yet?

At Blunders' funeral, one of his stepsons came to talk to me. He was a whiz at Logistics and waxed enthusiastic on the topic of installing equipment and building hospitals round it. He was charmed by the rapt audience he received. The half brother of engineering methinks.

The Wankel engine used engine oil as fuel I think I suppose that means that it was ultra high compression and would use even less fuel than a diesel engine.

I arrived late at the fun quiz yesterday evening, using next month's start time as my guide. I was welcomed on to a table of three, from the same house. The questions weren't too difficult, but we won the contest, despite a sad result on the last round, the parameters for which were laid down at the beginning. It was embarrassing coming home laden down with prizes, since they insisted on buying me a bun and donating a candle lantern raffle prize as well.

[goodlookingone]

No to MP - or at least, I have been concerned elsewhere - not well.
Hospitals equip .... One Local news item was a Crane hoisting a Shower Unit over someone's house, overreached and the whole thing -crane and shower - collapsed on the house roof... Nothing to do with hospitals, but it reminded me of my Hospital days when four complete and very heavy fancy new Scan machines lifted one by one over the roof of The Middlesex Hospital Closed the road - Interesting Traffic problems caused in Tottenham Court Road.

Not certain about Wankel Engines powered by engine oil. Several times the cost of petrol, so will cost a fortune - especially if someone decides to tax oil. Not my dept. but I think you had to add oil to the petrol- something to do with sealing petrol-vapour seals being abraided by the rotor lobes.

Never done any quizzes. I'll leave that to you.

Gotta go. I don't know if this happens in your neck of the woods, but due to a shortage of police, they nowadays move a "Discussion" from place to place inviting "Problems in your area", but this one they are sharing the display with Fire and Rescue people. I'm wanting to ask about the change-of-addresses farce was the excuse to fill in the fire access to this otherwise-pedestrian estate...

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Let me know how the 'discussion' goes. Take it as close to the bone as you can. it may encourage someone younger and fitter than you to get involved.

[goodlookingone]

OK, Three things.

1) Someone Local (website) interested in the change of Local Gov (Conservatives no longer the Majority - not that I believe it makes much different), But their is a move want joint support of different Councillors groups, incl address changes; I have tried to rouse the poster to contact me.

2) The ex (as of 12 months ago) Councillor (The one who was being helpful) is now the Agent of New (Parliamentry) Candidate Brexit I think is looking for tools to detour the Tory - I'm not a Presiding Officer now (because I can't get a position without an address) so I may just look into their Town Centre Stand on Saturday)

3) Ah.. I need to go back a little for this: In my Working days, I did some Management Jobs for Royal Mail. I got some info on address changes (i.e., if the occupant needs to change an address) to summarize: House Name or Building Change - Do what you Like *: Road Name Change - if no name, Council Must find one if no trace can be found: but if a name exists, it can only be changed If all the occupants of the road approve to that particular: If its a House Number change - Need approval from lots of people (incl Neighbours, Land Registry, Council (and/or Business) tax collectors) But you havn't got a hope in Hell of getting a Number change - Think of all those Bomb damaged Houses in London - Replacement Houses take the same number - or suffix 'a', or 'b', or so on (Thinks - I did an Ambulance job in Maida Vale with numbers like one-hundred-and-twenty-four-and-a half? but the principle is the same). Under a 1925 Law (When many men had become motor driver trained by the Army) Address changes also had to be approved by Public Ambulance and Fire Service... for obvious reasons.
This would be an expensive case to argue, but all I am trying to do is to get The High Courts Decision activated. I have Previously Complained to Royal mail ("Don't tell us, Gov - we do what we are told") and The Post Office ("we do what the Council tells us") and The Electoral Commission (same response as the Post Office), BUT --- A Useful Bloke in the CAB - an ex Insurance enquirer - found another complaining outfit but they will only take an interest if they have a response that one got back from ones complaint to certain bodies involved in mail deliveries, to pass to a next higher authority....
Should be straight forward but so long ago, I re-applied to Royal Mail and The Post Office to the complaints I made originally - I must now specifically respond to their later response directly to the outfit The CAB gave me. I know "Postery" was included in their Title.

* One can add a house/building address, but NOT the first Line (number and Road) - I once worked in a Place called "Keir Hardy House", Very odd, The Councillors were Shop Steward's who's day job was pressing Ford for a pay increase, but at their own Council, they had to deny their workmen any increase?

[Rwth of Cornovii]

Nil Desperandum. I hope you get help with this.

I've been to another rehearsal. It went quite well except it was someone else who hadn't practiced. Though I was struggling to reach some of the notes. The viola is a much bigger instrument, and I've been having cramp in my fingers. More Quinine tonight. It doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me. I only take it when I get symptoms.

[goodlookingone]

A rehearsal, but when is the actual production?
I had to Google re Quinine - Nasty stuff by what I saw - have a care: But useful to treat Malaria and aka Tonic Water! Can you actually buy the stuff retail?