Gerontious

I think there's now a good chance that the Conservatives will have a new leader by Christmas.

what about this one.. uk supported. £35 and then under £5 a month. https://tinyurl.com/5b474rwk

few years ago I had all my windows replaced and the sliding patio door replaced with French doors. 8 Windows plus the doors cost me £4,500 and change. I had the front door replaced separately soon after I bought the house as that was a more immediate priority. before and after.

Greetings from the land of the unemployed. as of today I am out of work. until Monday!! No more Dementia. beginning the induction process on Monday for a return to what I know best, Leaning difficulties and mental health. So, think about people with downs syndrome, people who have been released from mental hospitals after an acute deterioration in their mental health. And people with low capacity, unable to look after themselves and are wide open to abuse and/or self neglect. Marvellous. A rare treat for me coming up. a weekend off.

Doesn't the Forza come with an immobiliser as standard? if the key isn't close to the bike it will not start? isn't that just the same as an immobiliser?

Do we? If that's the case why are so many people talking about Corbyn? and at the time everyone talking about Johnson. general elections are strange things.. the last one was an aberration, but mostly the election is decided by a very small number of voters in a very small number of constituencies and the result is always a minority government. where the minority winner gets 100% of the power. in the last election the Tories got a huge majority from only 43% of the vote... so 56% of the voters did not support the winning party. this is democracy at its most perverse. Were tory voters thinking of the constituency MP in (especially) those red wall towns and villages? no.. I think not, they were only thinking about Johnson. Tory = Johnson.

Just don’t call her Mary O’Leary because that’s definitely not her name. Begorrah.

Back at the end of June, soon after I got back from Italy, I learned of an interest free offer for a rather expensive item that I really wanted, 10% deposit and the balance to be paid over 5 years. Call it a gift to myself for my, at the time, upcoming landmark birthday and recompense for not being able to go away to Germany with Bungle and Bonio. So, the item was ordered and arrived next day. obviously the loan was set up, credit checks made. bank details handed over and checked. direct debit agreed and signed for. And since then... nothing. Ive checked my bank statements and no payments have been taken. Im signed up with Experian and as far as the are concerned I only have 1 loan (for the Bike) and my credit rating remains perfect. My usual policy is to take out these loans.. go for the most minimum monthly payment possible, so that in good months I can overpay. and in bad months the payment is neither here nor there. I tend to pay off loans very quickly. I reckoned this 5yr loan could be paid off in about 8 overpayments.. assuming no unforeseen bill. like the washing machine dying. so hopefully well before the holiday next year, in September. Ive squirrelled away a bit of cash in case they come to me with a demand... But as far as I can see this loan doesn't exist. Do you think Im right to just say nothing... carrying on waiting and seeing.

you could have been blatted too... lucky escape if you ask me!!

Doesn't really matter if the casing of a filter corrodes. its only surface rust. Corrosion only becomes problematic if the vehicle is stored in a damp environment for a very long time. And in those circumstances you will have more to worry about than the oil filter. The important parts of the filter will not rust, unless its been fitted incorrectly. all the mating surfaces will be covered in oil, the most important being the screw insert and the rubber seal. Hi-Flo produce pattern filters, designed to meet or exceed OEM specifications. I would have no problem using them if OEM is either extortionately expensive or unavailable at the time I need one. Ive never really got the hype over K&N. mostly because they are used in racing. Think about what that actually means and then wonder if they really are appropriate for road use. I think not. But, many would disagree. they believe the hype. Thinking that an oil filter used on a race bike where it might only be fitted for a few 100s of miles before being replaced is somehow better than an item that has been exhaustively tested by the Bikes manufacturer over 10s of 1000s of miles. Same goes for these free flowing air filters they produce. fitted for a few 100s of miles and then replaced, with the engine probably being completely rebuilt or junked soon after. Does any road going motorcycle manufacturer supply K&N as oem. I wonder.

Ive often been criticised about my attitude to Pas du Calais and Nord. both are tedious beyond belief compared with what's coming up... or you could make a dash to the ardennes and follow the border, but then you have to get beyond Valenciennes and into the l'Avesnois before it gets even remotely interesting. but it also gets quite slow. And the mission is usually to get through the worst of Belgium as fast as possible to the lunch stop at Spy after which its all change and not far at all to where we turn off and head for the tank at La Roche and soon after into biking heaven. Luxembourg. and onto Germany via either Dasburg or Vianden. Im thinking of a fortnight. not bothering with the Alps next June, but instead having a week at the Schloss and a second week somewhere else. or staying at the Schloss if the weather is favourable. From the Schloss its a fairly easy ride down to the Black Forest or across to the Harz, for example. so bring camping gear which we may or may not use. just see how the weather looks. you never know.. even snoddy might come along. He's been banging on about the Harz Mountains for years.

Last time we were there as a group (pre Covid) we had schnitzel twice. we also had wild boar. and some of the meats for breakfast were home made, using wild boar. I think the food is a great part of the popularity of the Schloss as its right up there in the value for money stakes. The only time that was a bit off was one time when the meal involved Sauerkraut. which is a acquired taste, you either love or hate. I think its revolting and make a point now of requesting its not on the menu for the duration. And they are more than happy to oblige. Its the only time I have ever seen a major component of a meal left largely untouched. Im fairly sure Saray was closed last time on the Monday, did we not go there on the Sunday then buy an al fresco meal on the Monday from the Rewe? Cold beers out of the fridge. salad and meats. bread. quiche and so on? Im quite looking forward to going back next year... I have a cunning plan to make it a little more 'special'.

A very strange democracy, where a party gets voted in by a minority and then gets 100% of the power. Not really very democratic. Not very fair.

Conversation tonight. why is the queen on the telly? she has died. oh… that’s sad. 5 minutes pass. why is the queen on the telly? she has died. oh… that’s sad. 5 minutes pass. why is the queen on the telly? she has died. oh…. That’s sad. 5 minutes pass… now, I have to admit this conversation if you could call it that, with a man with advanced dementia is rather more interesting than watching constant wall to wall coverage detailing the pros and cons of extreme privilege and wealth dressed up as service to the nation. Only in Britain!!

One thing is certain.. day of her funeral is going in my diary and im going to make sure I have the nights before and after off. so I can get out on the bike. It may not be like the day of Diana's funeral, but it will be on a par. and possibly the quietest day on the roads you'll ever see. (unless you were out during lockdown)

I do like the area round Beaufort, and although we have been there more than a few times, it never gets tired. "Little Switzerland" just to the north east and the wonderful Mullerthal. And its road paved with silk. Lunch stops are always tricky. sometimes, mostly, they just pop up, but occasionally they just don't. And it can mean turning off and heading for the nearest larger village and hoping for the best. I guess that's why some places have become firm favourites and we end up gravitating back to there, or its deliberately added to a route only approached from a different direction so it doesn't become stale. I don't think Luxembourg will ever become stale.

Houfalize as familiar a place as La Roche, but with the disappearing tank. First year we passed through there, there was a German Panzer. became a familiar sight and then woosh, it was gone. (and looking at street view is still gone)

I’m busily tugging my imaginary forelock and doffing my imaginary cap. I know my place.

Is it distinctive enough that anyone seeing me wearing it would immediately recognise it for what it is and therefore know that Im loaded? if it isn't.. then why bother?

Im not sure there is any comparison with John Major. Regardless of his faults he was an accomplished "serious" politician with actual convictions. who had big shoes to fill. none of this applies to Truss. Foolish.. (with a surplus of hubris) - its quite telling that even before she is created PM the drip drip drip has begun. she is already weakened. Leading a party that didn't really want her, voted in by less than half of the membership. and that makes her an even easier target when the time Is right to get rid. How long before the pejorative "remainer" is reapplied? The only people she has to worry about are Murdoch and the right wing press. once they turn against her. (matter of time) the whole house of cards will come crashing down. with a new 'saviour' waiting in the wings. with all the sh!t thrown squarely at her. and then we will have a 'new' Conservative party. and people will be persuaded that this is all her fault and "nothing to do with us guv."

Which is code for, the government are going to give the energy companies a shed-load of cash. which is the sort of thing tory members love. which will keep the cost of energy where it is now for the foreseeable. for everyone. doesn't matter if you're on the minimum wage or earn in one day what most of us earn in a month. you'll get this reduction. And you'll be paying for it in increased fuel bills for the next 10-20 years. Which will have the biggest impact on the low paid. (who cares about them) and zero impact on the wealthy. (who they care about a lot) More profits for the power companies... which they desperately need. (obviously)

A mini version of the 'running in' process. as my owners manual says: 1. Avoid excessively hard braking. 2. Avoid continuous braking. 3. Operate front and rear brakes together. (which is about avoiding the chances of no.1) New brakes. new tyres. doesn't matter, this is how I do it. Because in both cases its the same as having a brand new bike.

in normal times yes. These are not normal times and this is not a normal leader of the Tory party. I doubt she’s even thinking of this time next year, let alone 48 months from now. They'll boot her out before then. She’s nothing more than a stop-gap. I wonder how long it will be before she realises. The clever thing would be to remove any threat from Bojo. end his career as an MP. She’s not clever.

not really. 2024 is aeons away in politics. The question is will Bojo make it 5 out of 5. or will it be someone else who stabs her in the back once she becomes more useful as someone to blame.