Moments of joy in your day today

[SteveTheElder]

1 hour ago, skomaz said:

New contact lenses...   My old hard gas permeable ones were 12 years old a bit worn ans starting to film up and cloud a bit as well as being the slightly wrong prescription. 

 

The new ones are a more modern material, and the right prescription so since getting them yesterday it's been like going from Minecraft to HD. 🤣

 

For several years I used daily disposables - so comfortable I never knew I was wearing them. Until, that is,  dry-eye got the better of me so frustratingly it’s back to the specs. which are a PITA with binoculars, cameras and steaming up.

Edited 23 April, 2023 by SteveTheElder

[J.R.]

A similar experience for me on the 24th of March when I had cataract surgery with a multifocal lens implant done on my one remaining eye, it was a high risk strategy as had anything gone wrong it would be a disaster but I decided the benefits were worth the risk and luckily found an open minded ophtalmo who would go with my decision.

 

First 2 days were superb and as the surgery was still healing it should have got better and better, I didn't go full on evangelical at that point as much as I wanted to as I knew there could still be complications and it was likely that a secondary cataract would grow (happened in the other eye when it still had vision) which would need subsequent Lasik surgery.

 

Anyway it went downhill massively 10 days post op and I could not even see enough to call an ambulance, luckily I had my old school Nokia which does what it says on the tin and does not need you to go through menus to make a call and with raised digit braille type keys, I called 112 as I could not be certain of hitting 15.

 

Since then I have spent 11 days with varying levels of vision and unable to drive most of the time, my ophtalmo returned from holiday and I saw him 5 days ago (my birthday!) I think he has correctly diagnosed the problem and its cause, retinal inflammation as a side effect of some of the post op medications, things are a lot better now hence very few typos, I am without glasses most of the time and I reckon in 6 months when any further minor tweaks are done like the Lasik and perhaps corneal excision if the uncorrected vision is not 100% I will have 20/20 vision again from close to far, I think I was at 9/10 2 days post op.

 

I am going to wait till then before shouting from the rooftops but even now its so much better than before and I made the right decision.

[skomaz]

3 hours ago, SteveTheElder said:

 

For several years I used daily disposables - so comfortable I never knew I was wearing them. Until, that is,  dry-eye got the better of me so frustratingly it’s back to the specs. which are a PITA with binoculars, cameras and steaming up.

 

Yep...   I switched to contacts in 1990 for the same reasons and for sport (I was finding it difficult to play fast sports like badminton competitively with glasses) but do get dry eyes every now and then.  The problem i have now is close vision due to my age so I now have reading glasses for use with my contact lenses and varifocals without. 

[Zlin]

Fabia Went in for its oil change today, garage has checked over suspension and nothing obviously badly worn, happy enough with that. They've ordered up two new tyres, should get them fitted sometime next week.

There was a Skoda with Ukrainian number plates there when I went to collect mine 😎

[mac11irl]

took the lawn mower out of the semi outdoor storage i keep it in. (a "log shed" i built very roughly from the remains of the previous owners half rotted shed

a june 2020 lidl middle aisle special during the first easing of lockdown, it was about 130quid, metal cutter casing, so nearly 3yrs old now.

put some petrol in it, checked there some oil, pushed primer 5times instead of 3 aaaaanndd...... it fired on the second pull.

yeay for the 125cc Briggs and Stratton engine they had the sense to put on it and reason i bought it..

[skomaz]

Those Briggs and Stratton engines are pretty much indestructible.  Ive got a self propelled mountfield with one that's at least 20 years old and has had a bent crankshaft for over 15 after the blade hit a tree stump and stopped it dead.  I hammered it a bit straighter and haven't changed the oil since and it still runs fine albeit with a vibration.

 

Mine has occasionally failed to start but that was because the primer bulb wasn't sealing properly and the carburettor gasket was leaking.  Cleaning the first and a dab of sealant on the second and its been fine since.  Oh and i had to clear some crud out of the petrol tank once...  I rinsed it with fuel the filtered what came out with a coffee filter paper and then chucked the filtered fuel back in the tank.

[skomaz]

Following on from @mac11irlpost above...

 

Tomorrow is 1st May...   Or MX5 day as my daughter called it earlier... 

 

So out of the garage it came for the first time in 6 months.  It started on the first turn and ran great...   No sticking brakes and no hydraulic lifter rattle...   So it was treated to a wash (as was the Kodiaq but not the swift as it started chucking it down just as I was about to move on to it). 

 

Unfortunately I've spotted some rust just above the belt line on the offside rear arch where a previous repair ties in so I'll need to get that done and it also needs an MOT (it ran out yesterday 🙄 and taxing).

 

 

[OldTrilobite]

1 hour ago, skomaz said:

Following on from @mac11irlpost above...

 

Tomorrow is 1st May...   Or MX5 day as my daughter called it earlier...

 

Snap! Unfortunately I had to buy it a new battery. I have often had trouble with the HB063 batteries that Halfords list for the MX-5. They just don't seem to last. The latest one failed dramatically recently, with an internal short, less than 2 years into its 3 year guarantee. To be fair, Halfords tested it, declared it totally useless, and refunded me the full £60 that I had paid for it in 2021. My dear wife has paid for a 4-year guaranteed "calcium" equivalent: HCB063; let us see how well it does. Have any of you any experience with these slightly superior (?) batteries. The good Yuasa batteries, as fitted to original MX-5s, are really expensive.

[skomaz]

9 hours ago, OldTrilobite said:

Snap! Unfortunately I had to buy it a new battery. I have often had trouble with the HB063 batteries that Halfords list for the MX-5. They just don't seem to last. The latest one failed dramatically recently, with an internal short, less than 2 years into its 3 year guarantee. To be fair, Halfords tested it, declared it totally useless, and refunded me the full £60 that I had paid for it in 2021. My dear wife has paid for a 4-year guaranteed "calcium" equivalent: HCB063; let us see how well it does. Have any of you any experience with these slightly superior (?) batteries. The good Yuasa batteries, as fitted to original MX-5s, are really expensive.

 

Excellent! 

 

I've been through a few batteries in the last 25 years...   The original Panasonic AGM lasted well at about 10 years but died suddenly so I replaced it with a Westco AGM that was supposed to be superior but wasn't as it only lasted a couple of years, possibly because I let it discharge too much.

 

At that point I was only using the car over the summer so fitted a standard Bosch Blue lead acid.  That was good but got very cold one year in an external garage as the weather was atrocious and again I forgot to keep it topped up over winter.  I'm now on a Yuasa lead acid which seems good and has survived a discharge this winter and seems to have recovered OK after being left on a charger maintainer the last month or so. 

 

To be honest I'd not use an AGM again and will stick with a standard lead acid but properly vented given its in the boot. 

Edited 1 May, 2023 by skomaz

[Gaz]

Randomly coming across this YT video:

 

 

Because it features G999 PCD, a car I inherited in 2002 and owned for several years.  Lovely to see the old girl's still going 😎

 

It's made my day!

 

Gaz

 

[mac11irl]

i got out for an evening 6k trail run! first one in 6months.

terrible quality video below from just before finished.. cant upload the sent whatsapp compressed version 🤷‍♂️

 

 

spotted at 5.8k of the 6k, had only crossed the road again for 2nd "lap" of the route as i needed to run to that birch on the left and back to the gate to make the 6km..

 

 

[skomaz]

My 28 year old MX5 passed its MOT first time again yesterday so is now taxed and roadworthy for the summer 😀

Edited 6 May, 2023 by skomaz

[Breezy_Pete]

Colin From Accounts

Just watched the first one again, soon after watching the whole of the first series.

 

Just brilliant.

[@Lee]

31 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Colin From Accounts

Hard agree 👍 I binged the first series after episode one but I'm watching them again before Newsnight. I see no reason for not having a second series and I hope it's not too far off. 

[@Lee]

Maxing out my 1.6 Rapid on the Autobahn today. Well over 180Kph (I didn't check the Speedo after, too busy keeping my eyes on the road ahead). Nice long stretch outside Hamburg on the A7 and almost no traffic at around half six.

Until some Bavarian in a fast Porker flashes me and I had to move right and made me feel I was stood still 😂

 

[mac11irl]

Having a work meeting Cobh this morning, and be down on time to watch todays cruise liner arrive and dock

on the way....

 

passing the dock..

 

and doing a 180 in under 5mins in the channel right beside my car

 

 

 

 

fun listening to the crew radio comms aswell from the guys on shore.

 

view from work..

[Gaz]

On 13/01/2023 at 14:57, Gaz said:

 

And she's off:

 

Picked it up today - 2020 Suzuki Address 110. 

 

Gaz

 

To say she's been bitten by the biking bug is a bit of an understatement - it'd seem she's a lost cause already.  After having been on her twist & go for what, four months, she decided it's not enough, so recently started learning on a manual 125.  She's been doing really well, so much so that she's been riding a 650 Kawasaki around the training centre.

 

Passed her Theory today, with a score of 49/50! 😎 Proud Dad moment again 

 

After she completes her Mod1 and Mod2, it sounds like her bike of choice is going to be a 660 Triumph Trident.

 

Gaz

[@Lee]

Raising my new flag

 

[Warrior193]

Well, maybe joy is a bit strong - but fitted replacement drive pinions and wheels to the lawnmower today - drive at both wheels again. Yay! 😊

[MikeTheThinker]

1 minute ago, Warrior193 said:

drive at both wheels again.

Beats mowing in circles, then?

 

[Breezy_Pete]

Finishing a garden bench refurbishment.

All new wood slats. 

 

[mac11irl]

i have a pair of cast iron bench ends beside my shed for about 11yrs... 

still waiting for me to go get the timber and fix it up. looks fantastic.

[mac11irl]

my joy -

a box arrived from germany.

 

moment of less joy..

 

a summons letter for jury duty.

but it clashes with a training course i have to do for work, so hoping that will be enough of a reason to avoid it. the course almost never gets run, but is pretty important for my role since a recent change in procedures 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Breezy_Pete]

I was chatting to a neighbour who's always making stuff with wood, and he pointed out that you can get kits on ebay specifically for this bench job.

I found one with a dozen slats of the right dims in Sapele (didn't/don't know much about that) at a slightly gasp-inducing £108 delivered. 

Sent him the link to see what he thought. 5 mins later he sent me a link to 16 bits of similar dims for £70 delivered. 

Looks lovely with a bit of Danish oil, we think.

[Breezy_Pete]

I feel mildly offended that I've got to 56 without ever being asked to do jury duty. 

Do they think I'm unfit for it mentally or something?