and today i have mostly been...

[Welly]

Scratch what I said, doing some reading up; over-charging actually reduces cooling capacity. Too much refrigerant means the condenser up front can't cool the high temperature liquid enough so when it reaches the evaporator in the cabin it's too hot before it evaporates into a low pressure gas therefore reducing 'cooling'.

Aside from this over-charging can raise the system pressure and uncover leaks!

I don't think yours is excessive but if your man is a friendly type you could go about it in a "I'd prefer the right amount, I don't mind paying again" kinda thing? I think he's likely to say don't worry about it but fussy-arsed knobbers like us car enthusiasts would say different.

[Doggy]

fussy-arsed knobbers like us

That would work fairly well in a signature - just saying.

[steve_earwig]

While I figure out what to do about the Pug I've broken out the yoyo again. I told Goran about it and, of course, he asked me why I didn't ask him, he has a guy that just does air con

Anyway. a few pics of the MOT**

8am down at HAK (Croatian RAC where they do MOTs*) By the time I'd thought to go get the camera Fido Dido had once more checked the VIN and made a note of the tyre sizes, so I took a couple of pics while him and Goran were chatting:



Already sporting it's test sticker (so basically it's already passed without any actual testing being done):


And off to test the lights (at which point I noticed one of the brake lights was out):

I was actually worrying about this as I'd had all the adjusters to bits to make them work freely but only roughly adjusted them. I needn't have worried, said test* lasted, ooh, 3 seconds...

I coughed up 58 quid for the test and then we had to go to the cop shop to see the arsehole, who stamped the logbook* and CONFISFUCKINGCATED MY V5 "But.. but.. but I need to send that off to..." Oh bugger it, my dad has the duplicate. This exercise in stupidity cost me a massive 3.50 in Billies. Back to HAK and I got my wonderful new numberplate. Job jobbed.

The whole lot took 90 minutes, which is something of a record because it usually takes a whole morning. Goran said "it's always fast when I'm doing it".

Goran fitting the lovely* new plate in it's sexy* new carrier (a free gift from the insurance co., which is why their bloody name is all over it):



A couple more when I got to my place:




I've already changed the bulb.

[Welly]

That's a really nice looking bike mate you should be proud of your achievements.

Won't the DOOVLA be pestering someone to Tax/Sorn it? I'm sure there's a bit on the V5 for 'export'.

Forgive me but knowing what you've said about the fuckwit drivers their won't riding the thing be best reserved for 06:00am on Sunday mornings?

[steve_earwig]

Thanks but it's not hard as it's only done about 20,000 miles (I had two bikes, a car and a van and only used the TDM for high days and holidays). The only troubles I have with it are due to age and the fact it's just not been used as much as it should (see a theme developing?). I really need to get on with changing stuff like coolant hoses, which look fine but are 24 years old, and sorting out all the rubber and stuff in the carbs - what was putting me off was it'll need diaphragms and they're 90 quid each but I just managed to get a pair from the US for 80 quid delivered (genuine Mikunis apparently nut I have no idea how you'd tell).

T'wife is terrified, I can understand her concern but it's not like I've just decided to start riding out of the blue or anything. I'll just have to ride slowly, try to cover for all eventualities and not trust any other bugger on the road.

There is a tear out section on the V5 for exporting a vehicle but the twat in the cop shop here would probably cause even more problems if I handed it to him with bits torn out of it so I wanted to leave it until it actually happened. It doesn't matter anyway as I sent of for a duplicate a few years back for just such an eventuality and my dad has that, so now I'll have to get him to fill it out and send it off and, hopefully, DOOVLA will stop mithering him for a SORN every year.

[steve_earwig]

We lost Viki last night, she really wasn't handling the heat very well yesterday and wouldn't eat so we called the vet out last night. Mirela wasn't sure what the problem was, maybe her heart but that seemed unlikely as her mum's still about at 13. She gave her an injection to help calm her and we were meant to take her in this morning for proper tests. Sadly it was her heart and it gave out at 1am, she died pretty much in my arms. She'd only just turned 8.

Viki with little George-

[Welly]

Oh sh*t, I'm really sorry steve you must be gutted, just reading and seeing that pic brought a tear to my eye I know how fond you are of the animals.

Try and keep positive, she's at peace now and you did a great job of caring for her throughout. Things will get better in time mate.

Kind regards.

[highlander]

It's horrible when that happens, and I'm very sorry for your loss.

[Doggy]

Really sorry to hear about your loss.

[steve_earwig]

Thanks guys, they really are our family.

The problem for me was I didn't realise she could die from this, the bit about her heart went straight over my head as they were talking in forrin and I thought they were talking about another dog, I just thought it was some kind of gastric blockage or similar, something that would maybe pass before morning but I wanted to stay up with her all night if necessary because I could see she was in a lot of distress, unable to lie down or anything. So I was really shocked when she collapsed, it didn't seem like something that could actually be happening.

I can't think I'd have done anything different even if I had known, except take lots more pictures of her as I seem to have woefully few from over the last couple of years. If it was a congenital heart condition, which seems likely, there's damn all that could have been done about it anyway.

[Welly]

What a beauty! you've kept us entertained over the years with various pics of the dogs in the snow etc and remember the one with the 'biscuits' and the Mother in Law one thing that is abundantly clear is your care for them, there is no doubt of that so please don't blame yourself for this, as you say there was little else that could've been done and the outcome, sadly, would've remained the same.

How's the other retriever seem today?

[steve_earwig]

No, I can't really blame myself, it's not like when my cat John died because I'd failed to see the signs of impending kidney failure, this time even if I had x-ray eyes it wouldn't have changed anything. Mirela even reckons that even if we'd done an ultrasound two days ago it wouldn't have shown a thing.

I think that the more animals I loose, the more I'm learning to appreciate them while they're still here. Mary-Jane, our bulimic cat, is always in the kitchen after food, I know she's a pig but I give it to her (just a little) because I know one day when she's gone I'd give all the food in the world just to have her back.

And animals are such characters, each with their own personality just like a human. How could I treat them any other way?

Mary seems largely unaffected. I don't think they couldn't care less, just they don't really understand. Saying that, about an hour ago she came in here looking about, this chair, that chair, looking for something. Then she went back and laid in the shade for a kip. I suppose if it had been just the two of them then things might have been different.

We actually had some problems with Mary a few weeks ago, the left side of her face seems to be slightly paralysed, that side of her mouth doesn't seem to work so well and the eye seems lazy, shutting the 3rd eyelid before the others. As usual she got rushed off to the vet's (can dogs have strokes?) Mirela reckons it's some sort of nerve damage, probably from too much rough and tumble with Scooter. Mary used to have an amazing smile, we'd come back from the shops or whatever and she'd stand at the top of the steps, head down, tail going like the clappers, eyes half shut and a huge smile on her face. I was always trying to take a picture of her like that but I was always too slow. "Plenty of time to try again" I thought. Now she only smiles with half her face, giving her a wry grim kind of. And that seemed like a tragedy at the time.

[steve_earwig]

Just a quick slideshow, I've tried not to use pictures I've already posted.

http://s222.photobucket.com/user/steve_ ... /2015/Viki

[Welly]

Excellent, and what a softy letting the Cat sleep on her

[steve_earwig]

Oh, they're all like that here, cats on dogs, dogs on cats, cats on dogs on dogs... Bunch of softies. Scooter bites the occasional intruder but the retrievers would never do anything like that, they're so gentle. Viki used to occasionally gently hold my wrist in her hand, she never did that to t'wife.

I immediately hid her bowl to avoid upsetting mistakes but we'll have to remember to cook less for for them now, there was loads left in the saucepan just now and I always give that to Mary to clean. I guess she won't be moving for a while now.