The weather was better than expected

As has become the norm of recent weeks, I headed out to the garage this morning and continued with the clean up of my little Royal Enfield. 

The new battery was connected up and the electrics were tested. All seems to be working well, and the new battery is a sealed unit, so I will be able to use an Optimate charger to  keep it charged in future.

After lunch 30% and I headed up the lane with the dogs for a walk. The weather is blustery with sunny spells and, as we walked, I noticed that the grass was quite dry.  This prompted me to consider my plans for this afternoon.*

The lawns were definitely due for a cut, and I didn't think I would get a better conditions for mowing than today, so the mower was dragged from the shed.

A couple of hours were spent mowing the lawns at the back of the house, and it all looks rather tidy now. The neatly clipped sward. will also mean that my feet are less likely to get soaked on my early morning walks up to the chicken coop. 

I will finish today's Journal entry with one more poultry related comment. The clocks go back one hour tonight and we will move from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time. As the days have shortened the chickens have slowly stopped laying and their egg production is now intermittent, at best. It won't be long until we have to resort to tasteless commercial eggs to keep us going through until next spring.

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* Should I mention that the hedges really need cutting and I have yet to submit my tax return.

That's just the job

The autumn leaves are starting to fall, and within a few weeks the Ash tree by the gate will have covered the drive and front lawn with leaves.

Last year, for the first time, I collected up the fallen leaves to make leaf mould. We had three large wooden crates* and I lined them with chicken wire, before relocating them to the orchard, behind Rose Cottage.  

Last year's leaves were deposited in the crates and I can report that they are breaking down nicely. My expectation is that we will have a decent quantity of leaf mould by next spring.

I had another of these crates,** so, this morning, I spent a happy hour lining it with some left over plastic mesh. The crate has been moved up to the orchard and I am ready for this autumn's sweep up.

In the afternoon I returned to the garage and spent a happy few hours underneath the Enfield. I can also report that its new battery arrived this morning, and is now sat on the bench connected to a charger.

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*The stone tiles laid in the kitchen and utility room were delivered in them.

** It has been annoyingly abandoned up the side of the garage. It is sufficiently out of sight to avoid being referred to as an eye sore, but an irritating obstacle when I mow the small area of lawn by the garage.

A Break

A couple of orders have come in for batches of honey. An ex-colleague of 30% reached out and requested half a dozen jars, and another acquaintance requested four jars, two of which were set.

With the dishwasher out-of-order I had delayed fulfilling these orders, until I had proper washing facilities for jars and jugs and bowls and honey buckets and god knows what other paraphernalia is needed to bottle honey.

We now have a working dishwasher, so I stepped away from motorcycle cleaning and settled to bottling a couple of batches of honey. This job extended over most of the day, but in the intervals, when the honey was melting, I did find twenty minutes to fit the replacement rear indicator to the Enfield.

In other news, a chap turned up to repair the scratch that had appeared on the rear door of 30%'s car. Fortunately it could be polished out, as the original colour would be challenging to match.*

Today's worrying news was that Whiffler managed to knock the Sky remote control in to a full cup of black coffee. He demonstrated some skill, as the cup remained upright with the remote poking out of the top. As I type this, the remote is sat in a sealed plastic bag with a large quantity of moisture absorbing crystals. I have also learnt that the Sky Go app has provided me with basis remote control functionality from my phone ... phew!

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* It is a very unusual metallic brown that changes as the light falls across it, showing flecks of gold and red. When the car is clean and the sun is shining on it it looks amazing.

Bees, bikes, Tai Chi and the dishwasher ... If You think you can come up with a more concise title

My daily metal polishing activities are playing hell with my hands, and a manicurist* would blanch at the sight of them. Fortunately the absence of a working dishwasher has meant that long sessions with my hands in a washing up bowl, has worked wonders in ridding my cuticles of nasty ingrained grime.

This fortuitous set of circumstances has now come to an end. New dishwasher #2 was delivered and installed yesterday, and Nathan turned up this morning to reassemble the kitchen units. We now have a fully operational kitchen and I now need to remember to wear rubber gloves to keep my fingers from getting very manky indeed.

Today's weather seemed likely to be the most clement this week,** so I gathered my beekeeping paraphernalia and headed up to the hives. It was encouraging to see that a few bees were flying, so a brief opening of each hive should not impact the colonies adversely.  

The reason for the brief inspection was to remove the Apistan strips that were inserted about eight weeks ago.  "Inspection" is actually be a bit of an exaggeration, as I simply pried off the crown board, carefully extracted the Apistan strips and quickly shut up the hives again.  I won't actually look through the brood frames again until the weather warms in the spring.

For the next few months the bees will be left well alone. A further varroa treatment will be given in early January, *** and I may place a pack of candy**** over the aperture in the crown board, if I feel that the colony is running short of stores.

In the afternoon I returned to the garage and continued my cleaning of the Enfield. It looks much more presentable, but there is still a way to go. I keep looking at the spokes and thinking, "those are going to take an age to get anywhere near clean." I also found that its battery has died, so a replacement will need to be ordered before it gets tucked away. Earlier in the week, I noticed that one of the rear indicator stems had been broken, so a good while was spent on the internet tracking down an identical replacement.*****

The early evening saw me at my weekly Tai Chi class and, again, it was very enjoyable, although I find the little meditation session at the end of the class somewhat challenging ... I find that my mind does tend to wander a little.

I can also report that Pinky is still with us. There has been a slight improvement and her condition seems to have stabilised. She is not out of the woods yet, but at least her condition hasn't worsened.

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* They, apparently, now refer to themselves as  Nail Techs ... wtf! 

** A storm is heading in over the next few days

*** Oxalic acid vapour

**** Image a kilo pack of something akin to soft Royal Icing. A hole is cut in the pack and it is placed over one of the holes in the crown board. If they are hungry, the bees will come up and eat their way through the pack.

***** I could have gone to the original Trials kit supplier, but they are far from cheap. I actually managed to find the exact indicator for less than half the price.

A shock

 Once again I took up residency in the garage and have been mostly occupied with cleaning the Royal Enfield Trials special. 

It is going to take a good few days to polish up the tarnished metal work, so I am just going to have to suck it up, and put my nose to the proverbial grindstone. I realise that it is going to make my Journal entries somewhat samey, but it could be worse; I could be documenting my working life prior to retirement.

Also, remember, there may be an interlude, but I'll need to do the same for the Honda, when it is eventually discharged from the workshop.

So that was how I spent Tuesday. The fingers of my right hand are aching from hours of polishing and my finger tips are stained black from a mixture of metal polish and aluminium oxide.

We did have some unsettling news today.

Over the weekend 30%'s old friend, Pinky contacted her to advise that she had ended up in hospital with a suspected twisted bowel.  It seems that an operation to correct the problem has not been successful, and a second surgery was required. Further complications have followed and she is now in intensive care with a pessimistic prognosis.*

30% is, understandably, unsettled by this, and headed off to support Pinky's mother this evening. The poor woman is well in to her eighties and has no family living locally to provide support. 

We are both afraid that this is a case of hoping for the best, whilst preparing for the worst.

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* 30% was alerted to Pinky's deterioration by Pinky's ex-husband

Bagged up

 Sunday's big news, which  I totally forgot to mention, was that we had our first fire of the autumn.  I had brought in a load of logs a few days previously, along with some kindling.  Sunday was grey and gloomy and we were having a lazy day, so I did the decent thing and added a little warmth to our afternoon.

The effect on the dogs was amazing. Dog #4 aka The Rat appeared from upstairs and immediately settled on the sofa at the end nearest the log burner. Whiffler took the other end and Hobson took up a place in the large dog bed, affectionately known as The Paddling Pool. We were unsure whether TB had any experience of a real fire in his previous home, and how he would react. His approach was to sprawl on the rug at a sensible distance, soaking up the warmth.

Now on to today.

First call of the morning was a visit to the local surgery for an appointment with a physiotherapist, to get some advice and guidance about my knee.* The session was reasonably informative, but I wasn't particularly taken with the therapist. He seemed to be in a rush and to want to get me out of the door as quickly as possible. I now have a set of exercises that I need to follow and to report back to him in a month or so, if there is no improvement.**

Back at home, I begged some assistance from 30%, and got the BMW and Guzzi tucked away on their vac bags for the winter.***  I am well aware how much condensation collected on the bikes last winter, so I not only used the provided moisture absorbing granules, but also added a disposable dehumidification device in each vac bag too.

Each of the bikes are now sat enclosed in a large, heavy duty bags, hopefully dry and dust free. They'll remain there for the next five or six months, until the weather warms again.

I then turned to the Enfield. It has sat ignored in the garage for far too long, and has suffered from this lack of attention. Rust is appearing on the steel work and the acres of polished chrome and aluminium are now dusty and tarnished. I made a start with the Autosol metal polish. It is going to take a fair amount of time, but the handlebars look much better already.

I just need to settle down and apply myself to the task.

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* it has, fortunately, finally started to improve.

** He was such a charmer, I think I'll try to avoid that encounter

** Phil The Postie delivered them this morning.

Will I keep to my word?

 I finally finished preparing the BMW and the Guzzi for their winter hibernation. They have been washed and polished and will be popped in to vac bags at some point in the next few days.

I am certain that a diligent inspection would find a smear of road grime here or there,* but I'm satisfied that they are clean enough.

I also made a tentative start on the Royal Enfield. I am embarrassed to say that she has been neglected since we moved here at the beginning of 2021, and her chrome and alloy is looking rather tarnished. My plan is to get her cleaned up and polished and then put her under cover for the winter. In the spring I propose to get her out, give her a service and attempt to get her running. I know TP would be pleased if I do. For some strange reason he has a strong affection for this primitive and crude machine.**

She should run, but there is a strong possibility that her carburettors will need to be cleaned, and a new battery attached.

As I said. "that can wait until the spring."

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* The underside of the mudguards is a case in point.

** I'm rather fond of it's eccentricities too.

Two in one ...

 ... or, perhaps, a case of rinse and repeat.

Friday and Saturday have both been very similar. Most of my time has been spent in the garage polishing motorcycles, with a break in the afternoon to walk the dogs across the fields.

One might wonder how it is possible to spend so much time cleaning bikes, particularly if you have never owned one, or see them as an instrument of the devil.*

So here we go; They are incredibly intricate pieces of machinery. Almost every component is one show. Nothing is concealed behind panels as it is on a car.** All of these intricate mechanicals seem to be a magnet for dirt and it takes an age to clean each and every crevice and groove. I am also a bit of a completer/finisher, so, once I've started, I do tend to keep going until I real the shiny end.

There is also the safety element. Giving a bike a damned good clean means that each and every external component is given a visual inspection. It is an opportunity to identify loose, damaged or missing components, and rectify, before a mishap occurs.

The other thing is that I am retired and can afford to take a week or so to get my little collection looking as good as possible.

So, there you have it. I've been bike cleaning, dog walking, and I did give Michelle a hand to set up a VPN on her phone and tablet on Saturday morning.

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* I'm not joking. I have encountered people that are absolutely appalled and literally terrified of them. They have been raised with a mindset that to sit on one will lead to imminent injury or death, and that they should be banned. I've ridden them for over forty years and have fallen off on a few occasions, mostly when riding off-road. I love them, but am well aware that I am incredibly vulnerable when riding them. Safe riding, good observation and keeping within one's limits are key survival skills.

** I accept that faired sports bikes do have panels, but they don't enclose the mechanicals in the same way as car bodywork. You still need to remove them and clean behind them.

In the zone

 Today's entry will not be lengthy.  I was busy for most of the day,* but my focus was on cleaning the bikes, and I can't make an interesting paragraph out of that. 

I have just about finished cleaning the BMW. I still need to give the front forks a wipe over, but I'm still waiting for the GT85 to be delivered.** I have, therefore, moved on to the Moto Guzzi, and can report that the front half is looking rather splendid. I am still uncertain how to clean up the brushed aluminium mudguards and other trim, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

I also gave the mudguard of the Enfield a tentative polish. The poor thing has been neglected for far too long and she will take a lot of work to get her looking sparkly again. 

I also ordered a couple of vac bags to, hopefully, keep the bikes dry and dust free over the winter.

I told you the aforementioned paragraphs were likely to be boring.

So that's it for Thursday. Friday will be just the same.

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* I was home alone, as 30% had gone in to Birmingham with the coven to see a performance of Moulin Rouge.

** I've never used it before, but, unsurprisingly, the manufacturers claim miraculous results for a wide variety of uses. Watch this space.

So what exactly does your guarantee cover?

 Matt, our kitchen fitter, arrived early this morning and spent a good couple of hours extracting and testing the new dishwasher. It still failed to operate, so 30% attempted to get support from the manufacturer.  The manufacturer advised that they were more than happy to book an Engineer in for a support visit, but advised that their engineer would not be able to dismantle or re-assemble the kitchen.

Let's just have a think about that. Neff are quite happy to sell an integrated dishwasher, and, allegedly, provide guarantees and warranty the device.  Now let's look at the term integrated". In this context it refers to a device that is built in to fitted kitchen. It is most definitely not stand-alone.  The dishwasher needs to be incorporated in to the kitchen so that it can be connected to water supply and waste pipes before you can use it.

How on earth can Neff dispatch an engineer to deal with a problem on an integrated dishwasher, if the aforementioned engineer is not able to extract the device, resolve the issue, and then return the kitchen to it's original state. It sounds to me like a) their warranty isn't worth anything, and b) they really don't give a shit about their customers.

In the end 30% contacted the retailer; John Lewis. John Lewis were far more helpful, and quite appalled at the response from Neff.  They advised that they would supply a brand new device and install it for a significantly reduced fee ... They are booked in for next Tuesday.

Whilst all of this was going on, I headed out to the garage and continued with my vacuuming and floor tile laying. I can now report that a 20' by 10' rectangle of flooring has been laid out and I can finally go back to polishing my bikes.

We managed a walk across the fields with the dogs in the late afternoon, before I headed off for a Tai Chi class. I really don't know what has got in to Kung Po Fran,* but it was one hell of a workout! Normally I come away from a Tai Chi class with a calm and relaxed aura. This evening I came home thinking, "This is gonna ache later!"

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* The class teacher

It was all going so well

Yesterday I mentioned my notion to insulate the garage floor with interlocking foam floor tiles.

This morning I made a start. The garage is mostly devoted to the storage of my bikes and the ride on lawn mower. Most of these items can be wheeled out of the way as I lay the tiles. but there is a small carpenters bench sat in the front corner of the garage.* It doesn't really belong in the garage, I just never got around to giving it a light refurb and finding a proper home for it.

This morning I manoeuvred it in to the carport and gave the top of it a good clean and a coat of wax polish. I paid particular attention to the wooden threads of the two vices that are built in to the structure of the bench. One of them was quite difficult to operate, and I hoped that a good clean followed by a coat of wax would improve matters.

I am happy to report that the bench vices are now operational and it has found a new home in the corner of the workshop. At some point I will need to knock up a pair of doors for the cabinet.

With the garage now clear of non-essential items I was able to make a start on laying the tiles. Section by section I have vacuumed up the dust, and laid the tiles. I have no idea how resilient they will be, but it is certainly much more comfortable to stand on, and it looks very smart.**

We also had our favourite kitchen and bathroom fitters in residence today. They had been booked to fit the new dishwasher. The job took much longer than they expected, as much dismantling was needed to get the new unit in place. Early this evening we topped up the salt and rinse aid and started the inaugural wash.

The effing thing flashed up an error code and refuses to operate.  Calls to Neff and the fitter followed and the fitter will be back in the morning to check that the pipework hasn't been badly routed. An engineer visit is likely to follow if that doesn't sort it out.

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* I swapped a bottle of Irish Whiskey for it a couple of years ago from this chap.

** I think I will need to be very conscientious about using side stand pucks to prevent it being damaged.

Making myself comfortable

The motorcycle cleaning continues, and today the BMW was turned around to improve the illumination on the side yet to be polished.

At this point I will head off an a slight tangent. I'm sure it will all make sense in due course.  A few years ago The Neat & Today Piano Movers* provided me with a reasonably generous voucher for a nationwide auto accessories store.  The store didn't have anything I particularly needed, but whilst wandering around their store I noticed that they sold foam floor tiles. Having spent many hours lay on the floor cleaning the lower parts of a motorcycle, I saw the benefit of an insulated, slightly cushioned floor covering. The garage was measured and ten packs of floor tiles were purchased, and they have sat on a shelf ever since ... until couple of days ago.

I wasn't particularly enthused about sitting on a cold hard floor, so I grabbed one of the tiles to insulate and cushion my tender arse. It was a revelation. I was warm. It was relatively comfortable and it made cleaning the bike a much more pleasant task.

As I continued cleaning, I wondered why I hadn't laid down the tiles, and thought it might be a good idea. I had also thought of purchasing some motorcycle vacuum storage bags for use over the winter.** I had the vain hope that an insulated floor might warm the garage somewhat, and the slightly more realistic notion that foam floor tiling would make it less likely that the vac bags would be abraded or punctured by the concrete floor.

I suppose I had better get the bikes cleaned first, before I start stuffing them in to enormous polythene bags!

In other news, I heard from BMW Motorrad. Apparently the threaded hole, noticed at the weekend, is normal, and a vital component hasn't rattled loose ... phew! We also dealt with some recent correspondence from our Financial Advisor and I reminded myself that I really must submit my tax return.

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* my penultimate employer

** The garage does suffer from condensation the cold weather, and vac bags are brilliant for keeping a bike dry.  They are a complete and utter faff to use, and there is no way that one would take the bike out for a ride on a dry winter day. It is a case of tuck the bike away in autumn, and leave it there until the spring.

Should I be worried?

Sunday was another day featuring motorcycle polishing. I think you'll need to get used to reports of this activity, as it is likely to continue for many days, if not weeks. I want to put my bikes be as clean as possible when they are put to bed for the winter. It is then a delight to uncover a pristine machine on the first sunny day of spring.

While cleaning the BMW I noticed a threaded hole at the lower end of the rear shock absorber mount. The hole was surprisingly clean considering its location. I would have expected any hole so close to the road and the rear wheel to be quite dirty, even after cleaning. I was suspicious that some vital component had rattled loose, so I took a couple of photos and fired off a technical support enquiry email to the local BMW dealership. I really don't fancy riding a bike without some reassurance that it is complete and safe.  I hope they answer promptly.

In the afternoon we headed out across the fields for a short walk with the dogs. My knee finally seems to be improving. The pain is reduced and my sleep is less disturbed. At this rate I could be doing a circuit of the Three Miler before too long.

I also got around to putting the mouse guards on the hives this afternoon.  The bees have been so active in the recent mild weather that I was reluctant to impede their access to the hives. However, I am aware that mice will be seeking out prime nesting sites as the weather cools, and I don't want the little sods to set up home in any of my hives.

I can report that the lawns are now looking almost presentable after the long dry summer. However, there are a couple of holes where TB has decided to investigate an interesting smell beneath the turf. Now the lawns have greened up these holes stick out like the proverbial sore thumb, and it is time to attend to them while the grass is still growing.

I neatened up one of the holes with a spade to make a rectangular hole about three inches deep. I then watered the hole and wandered off to dig an identical shaped piece of turf from an overgrown area of one of the borders.  The new piece of turf was trod in to the hole and watered liberally. All being well, it should be indistinguishable from the rest of the lawn within a week, or so.

A booking

The motorcycle polishing continued on Saturday morning. Well, it did until just before eleven o'clock when I was chauffeured in to the village to join Bob & Jo for morning coffee.

It seems that Bob and Jo organise a monthly get together for village retirees in the Parish Education Centre.* Each month a guest speaker gives an informative talk or presentation, and tea and cake is consumed. They outlined the subjects of recent talks, and I must admit that I was tempted to join.

Now why had I been invited to coffee with Bob and Jo? About seven years ago I was asked to deliver a presentation on bees and beekeeping to the local Women's Institute.  It was a one-off request and I have never done one since.

However ... there is always a "however" ...  Mummy Sheila was at the original WI presentation and found it really interesting. She is also a member of Bob and Jo's monthly group, and happened to mention my beekeeping talk as a suitable subject for one of their meetings. 

To cut a long story somewhat shorter, I have been booked for April next year to give a repeat performance.

As for the rest of the day, I finished mowing the lawns,**and we were joined by Mr & Mrs Tweedy*** for dinner this evening. It seems that 30% had invited her parents over to see a performance by a local male voice choir. I sensibly declined an offer to join them, and was only required to provide a taxi service at each end of the evening.

As for today's auction lots, they were lovely, but the price was a little too high for us, especially when the commission is added in.  We are after an oak refectory table, and are certain another will come along eventually.

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* A rather pleasant facility adjacent to the church. I attend a weekly Tai Chi class there too.

** except for around the garage and the verges at the front

*** My in-laws, who bear an amazing similarity to Mr & Mrs Tweedy in Aardman animations Chicken Run film.