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So last night tea was the first of my butchers Pie Pack. Steak & Kidney. It was rather good & decent size for a single portion & with lashings of gravy.

spud sr has been back in school last week and this week. swmbo has been remote teaching second level the last month or so after the maternity and sick leave. today shes had to go into school to teach a class. to help out we have ask her brother drop spud sr to school. we have protection protocol agreed - windows are 1/3 open, both wearing masks, and his booster seat on passenger side rear to maximise distance. today was the furst day of the arrangement. BIL arrived this morning, sr waiting at the front door announces "i need my sunglasses, theyre in the shoe press". im like wtf??? then i copped - BIL had his on - early morning low sun. now, the sunglasses are actually a pair of my tinted safety glasses from work, they are nicely fitted, but the shoe press is an outdoor storage cabinet at the back of the house, so you know, cold over night.... so this what spud sr looked like going out the door... full face covering.. he got half way down the drive and he says "theyre gone all foggy, i cant see!" as the cold lenses just fogged up instantly from him breathing it was hilarious

Ten year old granddaughter returns to school last week. Greeted by her teacher at the school gates, "welcome back Evie I bet you can't wait to get in and see your friends again" Evie replies "no I prefer it at home actually, I don't like them"🙄 Our Evie always speaks her mind.😁

Sadly I did think when one country did it would make it “acceptable” and others would follow. I don’t think it’s so bad for the Uk as we have two plants making millions of doses and Oxford has the VMIC coming online this summer. https://www.vmicuk.com/home-1 I’m angry if I am honest because one of the groups who have banned exports have millions of doses in fridges going unused, but that’s not for here. Far more worrying is that India was one of the main sites for the production of COVAX doses. The longer the world goes unvaccinated, the bigger the issue for everyone.

I get quite annoyed in pubs when the 'pie' arrives and it's a casserole with a puff pastry lid

Whilst we're on the topic of dogs and their sometimes unwelcome behaviour ...

Snap - well nearly. My dad (also worked for GM) had a Magnum 1800 auto in metallic brown metallic with brown velour upholstery - very '70's! Basically it was a Mk3 Viva with a bigger engine, different dash & 4 headlights instead of 2. The 1st day he got it I was in it & all over it & I found out that they had wired the indicators arse about face i.e. indicate left & the right hand indicator front & back flashed. Typical british build quality for the mid '70's! My Dad also had a Chevette which I borrowed one day & got damaged when a dog ran out in front of me & smashed the front headlight. Luckily the dog was OK & insured so repairs were covered on the owners insurance. Even though it wasn't my fault was the last time he let me drive any of his cars! There's even a better B&W video of Gerry at wheel of a 2.5ltr Viva GT vs a 1,600 Twin Cam Escort vs a 5.7ltr Chevy Camero in a British Saloon Car championship race at the old Crystal Palace track in '71 & commentated by the late great Murray Walker. The Viva & Escort beat up the Camero on the twisty bits & the Camero comes back at them on the straits. Nip & tuck all race, sideways on every corner until the Viva's brakes give up, the Camero overcooks it on a corner & the Escort takes the win. Edge of your seat racing between very different cars (there's even mini's in this race) which you just don't seem to see anymore. It was this race that made me decide to get a Viva GT which I modified quite a bit. Have a look here Crystal Palace race & read the responses from those YouTubers who've watched it. Priceless. Motorsport moguls should take note & revive this type of David & Goliath formula racing. Just my 4 pence worth! Dam you beat me too it. Great minds think alike.

I found it easiest to unclip the plastic from the bootlid, reattach the rubber and simply clip the plastic back in. If I recall, there were two clips on the long sides that need prodding.

Tyre fitters are mindless automata, it's still possible for the wheel to be rotationally balanced even though it wobbles.

With a reasonably relaxing day, bit of vacuuming and a bit of soaking up some sunshine........... along with one Paracetamol earlier. Headache gone and not feeling so tired. I do feel I'm getting back to normal now, well about as normal as I get, Lol.

Talking of old school in-car race footage here's my all time favourite Super Saloon race car & driver. Gerry Marshall in Baby Bertha - a Vauxhall Firenza based wide bodied super saloon with a 5.7 Chevy engine. This car was was amazing back in '70's & is still a big favourite with a lot of people these days on the classic racing scene. Back in '70's I was working for GM as an apprentice so I had an affinity with Vauxhall / Opel cars & the DTV racing team. Simpler times & when the racing was on terrestrial TV every Saturday (Grandstand or World of Sport) or I'd "borrow" a work Vauxhall Victor, Opel Ascona or Manta & drive down to Brands Hatch to watch in person with a girlfriend. Good memories. Baby Bertha & Gerry Marshall

Went to the revo dealer and couldn’t resist to make it stage1 The fabia went from 169 whp to 193 whp Feels a lot more top end than stock, assuming that I’m putting sooner a 200cel cat downpipe, I hope to pass the 200whp barrier. Next mod? BRAKES IMG_5943.MP4

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/lose-with-dignity-celebrate-with-grace-part-i/

Seems he had more clue than you though?

The Skoda Factory / Technical do not need telling what they already know. The were the ones that decided sending the cars out with functions faulty was 'simply clever' and they can get away with that for 'long time mister;, let the Dealerships take the flak and let the owners mess about contacting the media and posting on forums.

I believe Ikea are doing some early product testing for next Winter ...

Given interior full detail, vinyl and leather treated with zymol conditioners, carbon and piano black trims waxed with zymol detail wax and alcantara wheel cleaned too

I found paracetamol to work well (recommended by the vaccinator - although he was probably a shelf stacker a couple of months ago, so perhaps isn't the most qualified person, who knows :D)

This one ticks all the boxes, Crystal Palace 1971, Chevrolet Comaro, Escort RS1600i Vauxhall Viva pedalled by Gerry Marshall and commentary by Murray Walker, its my all time favorite. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/cawBXWWgqCI

Bit of history & further info. Before Baby Bertha above, was Big Bertha - below. A Vauxhall Ventora based super saloon - also driven by Gerry Marshall. After Baby Bertha came Mega Bertha. A Mk1 Cavalier with an 8.1L 800hp Reynolds/Chevy V8 seen left below beside Baby Bertha. The Mega Bertha program was cancelled before it could be raced in anger. MB was mothballed for 20+ Years before being re-commissioned & has made appearances at Goodwood Festival of Speed & other classic racing events. I had a MK1 Cavalier 1600L but it never looked or went like Mega Bertha! Mega Bertha at Goodwood

This evening's sunset

Can confirm oil filter housing will have to come off if you need to replace the coolant pipe. Mine was held together by dust.

I'm puzzled as to why they'd try and balance buckled wheels. Balancing them is a waste of time because they are toast.

Still planning on recording the sound when I can. Hoping to capture sounds/footage from inside and outside the car, when it's clean, when I have time - so the stars need to align The lower mount's a tricky one. There's some vibration in the cabin when in D and not moving, and during low speed maneouvres, but otherwise it's fine. The vibration has eased off slightly since it was first installed too. It's annoying but liveable during normal everyday driving, but when you push on you have the reassurance that the engine movement is more controlled and wheel hop is a thing of the past. Next... ? Not sure! I doubt I'll take this car any further now as I'm really happy with how it looks and drives. I've considered an ARB upgrade but honestly I'm happy with the handling balance - it's neutral already, so a rear ARB upgrade alone might make it unstable. I could retrofit virtual cockpit and upgrade the sound system, but I don't drive it enough to really benefit from the cost of those so the plan is to save money for the next car purchase, which is likely to be a Superb Sportline 280. I can transfer a lot of the Octavia's mods onto it, gain a load of interior space and AWD in one go, plus it has the potential for a lot more power.

I think it's official - pies are contagious.

thats different though

Nope. Hole its already in place and lines up with the original. Indeed. And it'll probably arrive tomorrow now 😂

Och....typo. Actually I wish it was fixed. It broke itself again. Water now going out of holes now spraying car behind!! Going into dealer to be fixed on the 5th April.

Just treat them as part of the series of sacrifices you have to make for family

I remembered this post then I saw this notification

Octavia IV Combi - FULL wind/rain deflector set : SUPERSKODA.COM (kopacek.com)

Hmmm... avoid that stuff, it seems to have stained your interior purple

Because Section 4.1.4 of the current MOT Manual says so. 4.1.4. Compliance with requirements Existing halogen headlamp units on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986 must not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp for light source and lamp not compatible. Now if you ask if it does make sense, that is another story. For starters, either HID or LED in projectors work just fine, and the 2 sided thin plate narrow LED strip lamps also work fine in reflectors, but if the MOT manual says fail, they will fail MOT check. Much like not having a guy walking in front of your car with a red flag some years ago (The Locomotive Act 1865). In the meantime, if you want to make your H7 headlamps light the road better, see my earlier post here. HTH

Most commercial waste companies will sort waste put in large wheeled bins at businesses. Those who don't will usually charge more as an incentive

When the engine was introduced, VW made lots of noise about the belt lasting for the life of the engine - it did not have a replacement interval and the VW blurb said maintenance free - see page 13 of the VAG Service Training manual here: https://procarmanuals.com/vag-ssp-511-new-ea211-petrol-engine-family/ VW blurb here, about half way down about toothed belt: https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/the-new-golf-das-auto-international-driving-presentation-2797/the-new-golf-powertrain-structure-engines-and-gearboxes-2835 Inspection was at ~160k miles, then again every ~20K, change only if needed. But Skoda UK suggest change it every 5 years/50K miles: https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/8b70c541-726b-4996-9999-66ebc7ca520b Take your pick....

I just collected my new karoq yesterday with the virtual cockpit. It's a £495 option on a new build.

The other posters are all correct. The issues you are talking about are not known as a problem with the 1.4 TSi in the Octavia 3. It is a belt, not a chain. I've a 2014 model which I've owned since it was 9 months old, and not had a single issue with the engine. One thing for you to ask about on examples you look at: according to the official Skoda UK schedule, a 2014 1.4 TSI should have had its cambelt replaced by now. You may wish to use that as leverage on price if it has not been done.

Sunset last night from Stanage end, south yorkshire.

After a short and uhhappy "travel" with NGK i returned back to the old-reliable-beloved Platinum Champion RC89PYC.

Springs arrived and the toads are spawning

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gb8x6vumkm5g7el/received_291116799093146.jpeg?dl=0

So - some good news. I've fixed the problem. I managed to unhook the cap from the back of the washer arm and found that the washer nozzles were slightly pushed up. Pushed them back down and replaced the car. It's now realigned and the holes and the jets now match up. Result.

So @J.R. was spot on with his prediction...

Give me knobs and buttons any day of the week, and I agree there are safety issues. I also find it very frustrating that however clean and dry my hands are, the screen will end up with lilac/purple paw prints on it that I then feel the need to clean off. Gaz

I queried JBS about it when i had the hybrid done. You can very easily swap the boxes out and shouldn't need to change anything else. For coding in for the gear recommendation (and cruise in 6th) i'm not too sure what's needed, best to message JBS about that i imagine. The 5 speed box is PED, the 6 speed box is PRQ, they are drop in replacements.

Probably due to previous emission scandal by VW Group hence they had to come clean and make sure the cars they produced going forward after the scandal became public knowledge would only start with a cold engine in Normal or Eco rather than the dirtier more polluting Sport. Sport mode may also damage a cold engine until the oil has reached the proper operating temperature. I put my 2020 Superb diesel in Eco soon after I start it to reduce emissions and with much coasting achieved 60mpg just 2 miles after I left work which is what Skoda designed my 2.0 TDi Evo engine to do.

Wohooooo Today, they’ve arrived!