The Bankrupt Inn (part 4) New and Improved

Youthiswastedontheyoung

Me too, but I will finish what I set out to achieve this evening first (wrap daughters and husbands presents at the very least).

Good luck shopping hope it isn't too busy and manic out there!

Night
x

Youthiswastedontheyoung

blind-as-a-bat wrote: »

Never mind the bedtime bit, that explains my whole life:eek::rolleyes:

I know the feeling, distractions are keeping me sane though so I can't complain

fiveyearplan

We had more snow last night! They were the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen and just as I thought we might get the car out today it is snowed in even more. We may be having cornflakes for Christmas dinner at this rate!

nervousmother

Luckily we have not had anymore.. does anyone know what the weather is like north of birmingham city centre? A38 A61? birmingham trip today....

Lightattheend

Don't know about North of Birmingham but over this way there's been no more snow since the first load on Thursday/Friday. Still very cold though so the snows gone very crisp and icy! Oh well, it'll probably snow when I go back to work! :rolleyes:

alastairq

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8421374.stm


we're not the only one's out there...

alastairq

north of birmingham city centre?

oooooh...wouldn't go there if I were you......the listing within the Admiralty Manuals for Navigation, describe 'north of Birmingham' with a simple line...''' 'ere be dragons''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

alastairq

mind..the above is a recent upgrade, they used to describe all areas north of Watford Gap likewise..

alastairq

yesterday had unexpected expense...the results of which my Christmas dinner has been downgraded from 'Turkey' to 'Chicken'....or what passes for chicken round these parts.


Went out to 22-year-old tank-of-a-swedish-car....namely a Volvo of the estate kind...as in....qualifies for National Trust status-size......[built, oddly, in Belgium].....to eventually find the radiator had in fact decided to retire.
[possibly on health grounds......dire incontinence!]

Now..I don't flap about labour charges, and garages....no, not me, I'm BR!

So rang my[local-ish] supplier of used Volvo spares..who informed me he had not one, but several radiators , and yes, I should give him a call when somewhere near to his yard, and he'll open up for me!
{If I had rung a dealer, no doubt the first question would have been, ''how big a room is this radiator for?'']

Made 3 [three] attempts to get out of village...got 3 miles, boiled up, turned round and went home again....never mind the snow!

I'd initially fixed, using some magic,very hard, putty that comes in a roll....and some tie wraps.....but discovered the rad had failed in more than one place!!!


The third attempt..involving more putty, and even a very long roll of duct tape...actually stayed coolant-tight for the whole journey......

{sadly, car radiators have, for some time [at least 22 years?} not been made as sturdily as they used to when I was a young driver..no more brass tanks, all soldered together...no....now its plastic tanks, held on with silly little metal taggs, sealed with a rubber O-ring thingy.]

Got there at 3 PM...quite cold, but I'm used to it given my past ...err....'career'...luckily, being a Volvo, design detail is superb...unlike Ford.....so radiator could be removed by simply un-doing 5 hose clips, 2 screws, and 2 bolts...without recourse to inserting in a convoluted manner, any part of my anatomy.


Volvo-man admired my ingenuity at ''keeping-going' without recourse to the AA [couldn't get far enough from home for them to come out to me anyway].....and exchanged my rad for one out of a much newer, exceedingly more 'high-performance' Volvo.....we re-fitted, re-filled, bled...and now even the heater worked!...£30 changed hands, and all parties were happy!

He did observe that, ever since [he knew] I had brought the Volvo into my family [I even got custody..the OR was happy too]....this was the third radiator he had supplied me with.....[along with all matter of other parts]....and in that time, the price had risen by five quid! [ 6 years!]

He also suggested that I could replace my car with a similar, but much better looking model..of which his yard was full......all better-looking than mine.....I said I'd do that when this one had run its course....he observed that I'd better make it quick because he's retiring in 15 years time!


so, it was back to my local town, to buy 5 litres of antifreeze...[essential given the minus-brass-monkeys weather we are enduring]......duly done, but miffed, couldn't get any cheap antifreeze, cost me £13!

So there I was, 4 o'clock in Tesco's car park, draining off a load of water from cooling system...to replace it with neat antifreeze...managed to get in about 2 1/2 litres of the stuff! [memo, must get some better torch batteries....will raid one of daughter's twaggers, she'll never know]....


got this far?

did the deed in tesco's car park for two reasons...one, revenge, and two, the short drive home [6 miles] will allow the coolant to thoroughly mix before I park up for the night.


so....43 quid lighter, means chicken instead of turkey.....

confused76

phew Alastair what a day...i've noticed a few car posts of yours before and i've thought 'hmm i wouldn't know how to/be able to do that' hats off to you for sorting it out

turkey can be overrated....just as long as you remember the pigs in blankets....they make the dinner not the turkey