The next project has come and gone. Our ensuite bathroom has been deconstructed, remodelled and rebuilt by professional plumber and bathroom fitter Craig Smith. As agreed, to keep the cost down, the final touches, painting and fitting of accessories were left to me to do. Might publish pictures later.
Next up is to finish painting the kitchen as I have done the ceiling and gloss work (that is matt white ceiling and gloss white doors, frames and skirting boards. I've also done most of the walls with just the area around the window and the bit behind the radiator left to do.
Next up was to be the utility room. Then it would have been the rockery as that needs serious attention but last night a reversing lorry demolished part of the garden wall out the front so that will probably take priority over both of those projects. It never ends.
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Shed electrics - update
Three months after of successful running the power to the shed died. With the cable buried under the new path there was no way I was going to dig it up to investigate.
The result was a proper security power cable getting buried across the garden and a visit from an electrician to connect the two ends so that (for a change) it was all done properly.
And it works!
The result was a proper security power cable getting buried across the garden and a visit from an electrician to connect the two ends so that (for a change) it was all done properly.
And it works!
First ride
Monday saw me get the bike out of the shed and off for a first ride since early November last year. My destination was an office in Manchester to deliver some papers. The outbound ride was mostly up the A52 / A523 on the route that does Ashbourne, Leek, Macclesfield, Stockport. As a result of not setting out on schedule I was left with a blast back via the M6 / A500 / A50. Boring! But what a chilly ride and a bright clear day resulting in a massive grin and an hour of trying to get warm on returning home.
My drives
A couple of pictures of what I've been driving:
One of my regular drives which I refer to as 'Big Bus' - A12UOD is a 17 seater VW Crafter
Another of my drives - a 15 seater Ford Transit
The VW Crafter is one of several vehicles owned by the University, all identified by their 'private' number plates. The rest are on short term lease by manufacturers (or their main dealers). A12UOD is 5 years old and has done 84k miles. The engine is strong, the gearbox is a rough old dog and it is prone to electrical failures, mostly down to faulty diagnostics reporting faults that do not exist. The Fords (I've driven several) have lovely gearboxes but the engines are weak and lacking the BHP of the VW which means that driving requires a whole load of gear changes. The VW also has a tow hitch which results in interesting reverses to park up the bus at the end of the day, ploughing the university verges where reversed in (as can be seen in the photo).
One thing that is taking some getting used to is driving on the digital tachograph. Getting the damned thing in the unit is a trial as it never wants to accept the card. Then the unit location, very low down, makes it very difficult to see what it says you are doing. Then remembering to to switch to rest period, sticking to driving hours and remembering to remove the card at the end of a shift. But I am getting there and staying inside the law.
Then there are the cars, the small stuff. Ford Fiestas, Focuses, Kugas and S-Maxes, Vauxhall Zafiras and Vivaro 9 seater minibuses with the most recent addition being a Fiat 500. The Vauxhalls are a pleasant surprise and way better than the models that preceeded them. All of the cars listed have their quirks but the one thing they have in common is factory fitted GPS satelite navigation which is virtually incomprehsible to use. Why? Because it is incorporated into the sound system (a mixture of AM/FM/DAB) and buttons have a dual use for the 2 seperate functions that results in making changing radio channel a time consuming hit and miss affair. My solution is to use those units for sounds only and use my personal sat nav for navigation as it is a purpose built tool and not a dual purpose piece of electrickery. I like the manual Kuga but not so keen on the automatic one, so overall the Vauxhalls get my vote over the Fords which (on past experiences) surprises me.
One of my regular drives which I refer to as 'Big Bus' - A12UOD is a 17 seater VW Crafter
Another of my drives - a 15 seater Ford Transit
The VW Crafter is one of several vehicles owned by the University, all identified by their 'private' number plates. The rest are on short term lease by manufacturers (or their main dealers). A12UOD is 5 years old and has done 84k miles. The engine is strong, the gearbox is a rough old dog and it is prone to electrical failures, mostly down to faulty diagnostics reporting faults that do not exist. The Fords (I've driven several) have lovely gearboxes but the engines are weak and lacking the BHP of the VW which means that driving requires a whole load of gear changes. The VW also has a tow hitch which results in interesting reverses to park up the bus at the end of the day, ploughing the university verges where reversed in (as can be seen in the photo).
One thing that is taking some getting used to is driving on the digital tachograph. Getting the damned thing in the unit is a trial as it never wants to accept the card. Then the unit location, very low down, makes it very difficult to see what it says you are doing. Then remembering to to switch to rest period, sticking to driving hours and remembering to remove the card at the end of a shift. But I am getting there and staying inside the law.
Then there are the cars, the small stuff. Ford Fiestas, Focuses, Kugas and S-Maxes, Vauxhall Zafiras and Vivaro 9 seater minibuses with the most recent addition being a Fiat 500. The Vauxhalls are a pleasant surprise and way better than the models that preceeded them. All of the cars listed have their quirks but the one thing they have in common is factory fitted GPS satelite navigation which is virtually incomprehsible to use. Why? Because it is incorporated into the sound system (a mixture of AM/FM/DAB) and buttons have a dual use for the 2 seperate functions that results in making changing radio channel a time consuming hit and miss affair. My solution is to use those units for sounds only and use my personal sat nav for navigation as it is a purpose built tool and not a dual purpose piece of electrickery. I like the manual Kuga but not so keen on the automatic one, so overall the Vauxhalls get my vote over the Fords which (on past experiences) surprises me.
So far, so good
Well so far 2016 has been quite good to me in my new driving job. Ferrying students to sports events including volleyball, netball, basketball, 6-a-side FutSal and football (11-a-side), dodgeball to name a few. Then there have been educational events where I've taken students to venues where they have been having off-site learning or providing younger college students with educational experiences that are aimed at bringing them into Derby University. Then there has been University Open Days and Graduation days where we just shuttle back and forth between locations across Derby. This semester I've taken on a regular Tuesday night run from the University picking up young riders (mostly female, the lads prefer to drive themselves) and taking them out to an Equestrian centre near Etwall for 2 hours with the horses before I do the return run, dropping them off on the way.
Airport runs are a big feature in my working life which involves fetching and carrying UoD staff between their home locations to various airport locations. So far Birmingham International Airport, London Heathrow and Manchester have been the most frequently visited, but already booked are London Stanstead, Liverpool and East Midlands Airport. These runs can be the most informative as the staff usually like to converse for a portion of the ride - 2.5 to 3 hours in the case of LHR. These conversations often revolve around travel and that has made me realise just how well travelled Sue & I are considering that our travels have all been self funded and not been paid for business trips like those the UoD staff are experiencing. One suggestion has been that I create a travel blog and record our travels. Some trips have appeared in this blog and some on my website so I can understand the suggestion to put them all in one place. Makes sense but time is the issue, decision deferred....
Airport runs are a big feature in my working life which involves fetching and carrying UoD staff between their home locations to various airport locations. So far Birmingham International Airport, London Heathrow and Manchester have been the most frequently visited, but already booked are London Stanstead, Liverpool and East Midlands Airport. These runs can be the most informative as the staff usually like to converse for a portion of the ride - 2.5 to 3 hours in the case of LHR. These conversations often revolve around travel and that has made me realise just how well travelled Sue & I are considering that our travels have all been self funded and not been paid for business trips like those the UoD staff are experiencing. One suggestion has been that I create a travel blog and record our travels. Some trips have appeared in this blog and some on my website so I can understand the suggestion to put them all in one place. Makes sense but time is the issue, decision deferred....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)