and today i have mostly been...

[Doggy]

Thank you kindly gents.

Being officially a boring old fart doesn't really seem like something to celebrate, but there's an abundance of other stuff to be grateful for. Daily hikes in lovely countryside and glorious weather are obvious examples. Having time to spare / no need to rush feels great too.
Not being able to travel is a bit of a bind, but for now I'm grateful for this opportunity to enjoy the simple things.
My daughter in law's parents and sister are recovering well from the dreaded virus, I'm hoping it doesn't get nearer than that.

Stay safe

[steve_earwig]

That is a bit close for comfort, it must have been very worrying and I'm glad they're recovering. We don't actually know anyone affected, I'm not sure how lucky that makes us, but we do have a few older relatives we're quite worried about. Also there are quite a few olds amongst the neighbours.

The weather's been pretty good here too, I'm still wearing my shorts from gardening earlier Not going anywhere is kind of business as usual for me, I usually bitch and moan about having to go anywhere but now I'm kind of missing the breaks it gives me

[Doggy]

They weren't too badly affected, braved it out at home. Something like 7 days from first symptoms to being on the mend, described it as deeply unpleasant, "a real nasty dose of flu with serious aches and pains".

They're a dozen years or so younger than me and apt to do the odd Lands End to John O Groats bike ride by way of relaxation. Doubt I'd fare as well. My game plan is (hopefully) not to find out.

[Welly]

I'll be 55 in a couple of weeks, who'd have ever thought?

You were 42 when you joined the forum.

Hope this helps.

[Welly]

A few months ago I saw a nice little battery trickle charger in Lidl and snapped it up pronto...... who'd have thought how useful it'd be now.

Charged up 2 of the car's batteries over the weekend where they'd sat idle for 2 weeks.

Biggest problem I'm finding is not being able to get DIY stuff, I'm still actually working full-time at home but at the weekend it'd be good to catch up on some home maintenance....Amazon seem to be hiding non-essential stuff which is totally fine but terrible timing for me, I can't buy paint without remortgaging the house

[steve_earwig]

Hope this helps.

Er, no

Both the hardware and paint stores in town here are open, if this helps Not a hope of getting to the big DIY stores in town though

DIY is my permanent state these days, plus I tend to over-order everything, so I have a good supply of stuff like paint. Also I hoard junk, part of the fun is making do with what I have. And there's always gardening, although I was forbidden to work out there during the nice weather over Easter. And now it's snowing, bugger

[Welly]

4 weeks of working* from home pretending the Dining Table was an Office Desk has now f*cked my back up royally. Something shifted at the base of my spine on Monday morning and been in agony ever since. If I don't keep moving it locks up and then me rising from a seated position looks (and is) ridiculous.

I work alone anyway so I've gone back to my Office where I'm the only person with access. All of our construction sites are open again so my work hasn't changed at all......apart from my temporary* 20% pay cut

[steve_earwig]

Couldn't you just pinch your office chair? If it's any help, a slipped disk is always agony so it's hopefully nothing so serious. But if symptoms persist, erm, bugger

The kittens turned 1 yesterday, I made some movies but they no longer play together so it's just brief encounters. Plus some idiot keeps yammering away all the time In other news, we have another cat. It's another derelict stray, he turned up last week looking like death. Seriously, he came in the dark and my first reaction after grabbing a torch and having a look at his face was to grab all the other cats and lock them indoors.


And then I thought he's just a pussy cat, we should try to help him even if it's a one-way trip to the vet's, so I spent an hour talking to him, getting closer and closer until I was able to grab him and put him in the shed. He didn't protest. In the morning at the vet's he got 5 injections (!) and eye drops and he's been going back every other day. His left eye is clearing up but his right will need surgery. His breathing is also improving but I've still not heard him purr.


His downside is mainly he's been an outdoor cat, he'll use a litter tray but not always. He's imprisoned in the cat room and the sofa in there will need some serious cleaning. He stinks too.

Plus sides? He's gentle, he protests at the eye drops but no teeth or claws. And he's enormous, even as emaciated as he is he still weighs 4Kg, he has something like a Norwegian forest cat in his ancestry, which also accounts for his odd looks.


I've named him Brian.

[Welly]

But if symptoms persist, erm, bugger

Indeed. It doesn't feel like the slipped disc, I get back ache a lot (especially after gardening and car cleanage) but this is a bad one for sure.

Bloody hell Brian was in a bad way!

One of ours is a grey Norwegian Forester; they can be super nice and horrid in equal measures ours likes to bring you various nearly-dead animals and does indeed spend most of its time outdoors unless its 'really' cold. They have especially big feet/legs.

Oh and tell Mrs_Earwig that her stash of Handbags needs 'rationalising', well tell her out of arms-reach...like 15mtrs away

[steve_earwig]

I'm sure if you search the internet you'll find a whole host of exercises that'll do more harm than good...

Pop some non-steroidals and take it easy, don't do anything to aggravate it and, above all, if you're going to sneeze, brace yourself against the furniture[/t-shirt]

Brian still is in a bad way I'm afraid, Mirela said I could let him out today but I didn't want to risk him running away because of the dogs (he spits at the dogs, some history there perhaps) or getting further injured in some way. Which turns out to have been a good idea because, after I wrote the above, we went up to do his eyes to find he'd yacked up everywhere and was having a hissy fit in the corner. He's calmed down a bit now but he's thrown up again (as well as watered the sofa, oh dear). Back to the vet's in the morning. If he's still about I guess, sadly I'm beginning to think he's too far gone.

Ah, you have one of these things, I didn't realise. Tbh it never even occurred to me he might be anything out of the ordinary, I'm so used to the usual 50 shades of mog, but the guy waiting outside the vet's with me Friday asked me if he was a Norwegian wotsit - "a what?'" So I went and looked it up. Yeah, big chin, curly lug hole hair, stupidly huge feet and that comedy tail like a sausage balloon.

The handbags are as nothing compared to the shoes

[Doggy]

I've named him Brian.

Not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy?

Hope the little fella pulls through

4 weeks of working* from home pretending the Dining Table was an Office Desk has now f*cked my back up royally.

That's a bitch. Had similar things once or twice, hope you're over it soon.

[steve_earwig]

He's actually a very good boy, I named him after a mate of mine from when I was a teenager who had a similar, albeit smaller, cat called Banshee.

I managed to get some chicken down him yesterday evening and a bit of fish this morning and it all stayed put. At the vet's he got anti-emetics and vitamins. I also asked Mirela to check out his gob 'cos he looked like he was having trouble eating - "oh yes, you see those red bits in the corners'? He either has herpes or aids." Oh ffs

So now we're giving him mouthwash, there are chemicals but sage tea is meant to be better. We've done him once, there was lots of struggling followed by squeaking and foaming at the mouth. Sorry big fella, it's for your own good. If it's herpes then it'll clear up but if it's aids there is no cure, he could last years but it'll mean keeping him away from the other cats, special diet etc. etc. Lordy

[Doggy]

You seem to have given yourself a serious challenge here, hope it all works out.

Attempting to fix the Cistern's washers at the moment. This is complicated by the fact PSA saw fit to do away with the tried and tested flexi hose fitted to proper vehicles, replacing it with crap similar to this:



Pic is from a VW, but it looks the same, (naturally it isn't quite the same - lots of repair stuff for VW washers, none for my heap). Tried a fleabay repair kit, (plastic hose + variety of straight & T connectors), but it's not a good enough fit inside the OE shite to seal). Planning to try gluing them in with Araldite, (other two-part epoxy adhesives are available in normal times).

Currently scanning Google Maps to determine if a suitable cliff-edge can be reached without violating the lockdown rules.

[trem1]

You seem to have given yourself a serious challenge here, hope it all works out.

Attempting to fix the Cistern's washers at the moment. This is complicated by the fact PSA saw fit to do away with the tried and tested flexi hose fitted to proper vehicles, replacing it with crap similar to this:



Pic is from a VW, but it looks the same, (naturally it isn't quite the same - lots of repair stuff for VW washers, none for my heap). Tried a fleabay repair kit, (plastic hose + variety of straight & T connectors), but it's not a good enough fit inside the OE shite to seal). Planning to try gluing them in with Araldite, (other two-part epoxy adhesives are available in normal times).

Currently scanning Google Maps to determine if a suitable cliff-edge can be reached without violating the lockdown rules.

same as the 407, replacement cost is £1.79 iirc

[Doggy]

same as the 407, replacement cost is £1.79 iirc

Thank you, that's interesting. Which bit(s) do you get for that?

My rear washer pipe has been bodged several times around the tailgate hinge and the front has leaks before & after the bonnet hinge, next to the branch before the first washer jet and in the pipe between the two jets......

I was considering digging my way into the washer reservoir and replacing the lot.

I've checked out the French Car Forum, Citroen owners et al. They suggest removing the tailgate trim & pulling down part of the roof lining to fit the OE pipe to the rear washer jet for about £13, seems a common issue. No mention of front washer problems.