The Night Mail

[Dave Hunt]

As expected today was taken up with burning papers containing sensitive information, sorting my part of a wardrobe, taking a load of stuff to a charity shop, food shopping and a couple of '5 minute' jobs. The frustrating bit was when the clever press a button key thingy failed to connect with the car in order to open the doors so I was stuck in Moreasons carpark until Jill could bring me the second key thingy from home. It's a good job that neither of us I was a hundred miles away. I'll have to contact the VW agents but I bet it will be expensive to get a new key dongler thingy.

At least my activities over the last couple of days have earned me a weekend of modelling and watching 6 nations rugby so there is a silver lining.

 

Dave

[pH]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

The frustrating bit was when the clever press a button key thingy failed to connect with the car in order to open the doors so I was stuck in Moreasons carpark until Jill could bring me the second key thingy from home. It's a good job that neither of us I was a hundred miles away.

You need one of these:
 

https://youtu.be/qelpcgVvrzA?feature=shared

Connor McDavid plays hockey for the Edmonton Oilers. 
 

Chicago is over 1600 miles from Edmonton.

Edited February 9 by pH

[Winslow Boy]

6 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

The black bit is my ID card holder, which was about to be ripped up.  The tie is actually blue, with Tiger sticking out his tongue, expressing my thoughts about what was happening to the department I was leaving.  Seems I am surrounded by blonde women there too, although holding up the prezzie handcuff cufflinks and tie pin should not be taken as a portent of things to come.  The lady next to me was one of the sergeants I worked with, and could handle herself in a pub fight - not to be judged by the cover.

 

@iL Dottore will note the crisply ironed white shirt.....not worn one since, 9 years......

Were you paraded before the 'regiment' so that your official pass could be torn from your manly bossom and cut in too.

[Hroth]

5 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Were you paraded before the 'regiment' so that your official pass could be torn from your manly bossom and cut in too.

 

With the accompanying roll of snare drums...

 

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

As expected today was taken up with burning papers containing sensitive information, sorting my part of a wardrobe, taking a load of stuff to a charity shop, food shopping and a couple of '5 minute' jobs. The frustrating bit was when the clever press a button key thingy failed to connect with the car in order to open the doors so I was stuck in Moreasons carpark until Jill could bring me the second key thingy from home. It's a good job that neither of us I was a hundred miles away. I'll have to contact the VW agents but I bet it will be expensive to get a new key dongler thingy.

At least my activities over the last couple of days have earned me a weekend of modelling and watching 6 nations rugby so there is a silver lining.

 

Dave

 

The thingy for my Fiat has a battery that needs to be replaced every so often. It also has an actual key that slides out in case the battery is flat. Maybe your's does too?

[New Haven Neil]

22 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Were you paraded before the 'regiment' so that your official pass could be torn from your manly bossom and cut in too.

 

Chief Constable took it from my fat belly......

 

16 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

With the accompanying roll of snare drums...

 

 

.......he bought me a pint. 

[Hroth]

7 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Chief Constable took it from my fat belly......

 

 

.......he bought me a pint. 

 

I was thinking it might have been a bit like this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SQujVFXPnVA

 

But without all the macho American posing, naturally!

 

[Hroth]

33 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

The thingy for my Fiat has a battery that needs to be replaced every so often. It also has an actual key that slides out in case the battery is flat. Maybe your's does too?

 

Skoda uses VAG keyfobs.

Mine has a flip out key and is powered by a CR2032 flat battery, which should be replaced now and then.  The real problem is mechanical degradation of the "buttons" and VAG  charge a pretty penny for replacement key units...

 

[DenysW]

9 minutes ago, Hroth said:

and VAG  charge a pretty penny for replacement key units...

An ugly £220 in my case. I bought a pre-loved Skoda (having generally found that this brand lasts 180k-280k miles bought either new or pre-loved) but it only had one key. That price was for a second key PLUS ensuring that the missing 'second key' would no longer work.

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, DenysW said:

An ugly £220 in my case. I bought a pre-loved Skoda (having generally found that this brand lasts 180k-280k miles bought either new or pre-loved) but it only had one key. That price was for a second key PLUS ensuring that the missing 'second key' would no longer work.

My first used LandRover only had one key fob but as it was purchased from a main dealer they just sorted one out for me. I think being an “approved used vehicle” meant it had to be supplied with two keys. 

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

The thingy for my Fiat has a battery that needs to be replaced every so often. It also has an actual key that slides out in case the battery is flat. Maybe your's does too?

I have a couple of CR2032s in the glove box too , just in case. My car has the hidden key in the fob too. The lock has to be exposed by levering a bit of door handle off. 
Tony

[Winslow Boy]

4 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I have a couple of CR2032s in the glove box too , just in case. My car has the hidden key in the fob too. The lock has to be exposed by levering a bit of door handle off. 
Tony

Same with my Renault Mégane which keeps telling me that the battery in the key fob needs replacing. But as it's told me this for the last six months, I'm begining to suspect that there's a deal between Renault and the battery manufacturers.

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Chief Constable took it from my fat belly......

 

 

.......he bought me a pint. 

......Which he balanced on your fat belly....

 

CYMBALS!

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[BR60103]

22 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Ummm, that just may be a bad (or wrong) decision. I thoroughly enjoyed my parents photo albums and still have them.

Well, our heirs are our sisters' kids.  I saw what my sister did when cleaning out dad's place.

 

Dad told me that the Youngs men tend to marry women who throw things out.

 

[BR60103]

On 29/01/2024 at 02:50, SM42 said:

 

Yes they do. 

 

I treat my old Woodhead and other older pressfix transfers with Microsol's Liquid Decal Film. 

 

It doesn't turn them back into press fix, but does allow you to place the Decal and soak off the tissue carrier. 

 

They do move about while doing this, so care is needed and pushing them into final position with a wet brush is required before gently pressing down.

 

I also use setting solutions when doing this. 

 

Andy

Andy:

Thanks for the advice.  I managed to find a bottle at the train shop and have now put a couple of the transfers on each side.  The next step is the number, each of which will be 6 little bits. 

The shop didn't even know they had it.

 

[AndyID]

11 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

As expected today was taken up with burning papers containing sensitive information, sorting my part of a wardrobe, taking a load of stuff to a charity shop, food shopping and a couple of '5 minute' jobs. The frustrating bit was when the clever press a button key thingy failed to connect with the car in order to open the doors so I was stuck in Moreasons carpark until Jill could bring me the second key thingy from home. It's a good job that neither of us I was a hundred miles away. I'll have to contact the VW agents but I bet it will be expensive to get a new key dongler thingy.

At least my activities over the last couple of days have earned me a weekend of modelling and watching 6 nations rugby so there is a silver lining.

 

Dave

 

If this is up to date you should be able to replace the battery and there is a slide out key in the fob.

https://www.stohlman-vw.com/service-tips-and-tricks/change-battery-in-vw-key/

[Happy Hippo]

Off to Newport (Salop) shortly.

 

Nyda has to drop some Guiding stuff off to a fellow leader, and then it will be another drop off of stuff for the post and taking stuff to the charity shop.  Maybe we'll call by Aldi to see if they have any Rev James to accompany this afternoons entertainment at Twickenham.

 

Yesterday's entertainment was the removal and replacement of the  rotten fence panels in the back garden.  The remains of the old panels are now cut up and awaiting  a trip to the recycling centre for disposal.

 

I must admit I found it hard going installing them on my own.  The last time they were done I had no problem lifting them, but my upper body strength is not what it was, so there is no way I am going to be able to get the even bigger ones, for the area behind the garage fitted, without some assistance.

 

Annoyingly it is only a few minutes to fit the new panels, providing the site is clear.

 

 

[skipepsi]

4 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Off to Newport (Salop) shortly.

 

Nyda has to drop some Guiding stuff off to a fellow leader, and then it will be another drop off of stuff for the post and taking stuff to the charity shop.  Maybe we'll call by Aldi to see if they have any Rev James to accompany this afternoons entertainment at Twickenham.

 

Yesterday's entertainment was the removal and replacement of the  rotten fence panels in the back garden.  The remains of the old panels are now cut up and awaiting  a trip to the recycling centre for disposal.

 

I must admit I found it hard going installing them on my own.  The last time they were done I had no problem lifting them, but my upper body strength is not what it was, so there is no way I am going to be able to get the even bigger ones, for the area behind the garage fitted, without some assistance.

 

Annoyingly it is only a few minutes to fit the new panels, providing the site is clear.

 

 

Is that not a job for children? I am sure my eldest daughter is as strong as me now. I have three 6x6 panels to replace...

Edited February 10 by skipepsi
missed a bit

[Tony_S]

19 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

but my upper body strength is not what it was

I don’t think my “what it was” was ever very much. I noticed I didn’t seem to be able to lift as much as other people. After the heart attack I seemed to,lose even more upper body strength but,it is probably back to normal , for me at least, now. I couldn’t move the 25 kg bags of water softener salt at all . 
I recently , for something to do, cleaned and serviced a guitar I bought a very long time ago. I never really made a progress so gave up. I now realise my problem was that my left hand has quite weak little and ring fingers and I struggle to move them independently. So I bought a finger exerciser, No problem with right hand , but I could hardly budge the buttons for the weak fingers,on my left hand. Aditi had a go and demonstrated she had no problems at all. This is probably why she used to tear knobs off washing machines or pull Volvo choke cables out of their location. I will now attempt to get my hand working properly before starting the famous Bert Weedon teach yourself book.

Edited February 10 by Tony_S

[bbishop]

Woke up to sunshine, so put a wash on.  Cycle finished but there is now mizzle in SE London.

 

What to do this afternoon?  I can't watch the Rugby because Wales always lose when I watch.  So I need to find some distraction, perhaps build some cassettes for the fiddle yard?

[SteveyDee68]

6 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I recently , for something to do, cleaned and serviced a guitar I bought a very long time ago. I never really made a progress so gave up. I now realise my problem was that my left hand has quite weak little and ring fingers and I struggle to move them independently.

Good luck with the guitar. I’m a trombonist by training, but find myself teaching ukulele to Primary School Year 2 and 4 classes for my day job. I’ve never even begun to be able to play the guitar, and four chords on a ukulele are my absolute limit, not helped by a dose of “trigger finger” in my left hand.

 

However, what I’m actually here to suggest is what I’ve done for one or two left handed children who absolutely could not manage to play the instrument “the right way around” - turn the instrument the other way (so the neck is in their right hand) and re-tune the strings in reverse order (as turning the instrument over reverses the string order). For a guitar, I would suggest you would also need to re-string the guitar.

 

Doing so would mean your left hand is then left to simply strum - your weaker ring and ‘pinky’ fingers would only show up should you want to do “classical” guitar pieces or finger picking type patterns.

 

Just a thought should the finger exercises prove less successful.

 

Steve S

[Tony_S]

33 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said:

Just a thought should the finger exercises prove less successful.

Thanks. Although I think I am very right handed using tools I used to bat left handed in cricket. I think the finger exercises may help, though I still can’t do a Vulcan salute. If six strings are too many there is also a bass guitar upstairs. My son was left handed but played his bass right handed. 
I think the music teacher at my secondary school must have been dreadful. I couldn’t understand anything about music theory, and was considered stupid. I bought a Dummies guide some years ago and in a few pages could understand. Didn’t make me a musician but I at least didn’t feel so stupid. 

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Woke up to sunshine, so put a wash on.  Cycle finished but there is now mizzle in SE London.

 

What to do this afternoon?  I can't watch the Rugby because Wales always lose when I watch.  So I need to find some distraction, perhaps build some cassettes for the fiddle yard?

 

I've found that if I watch a match, the team I am most sympathetic towards always loses.  It could be that I have an innate ability to detect the rubbish teams...

 

[Northmoor]

55 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Thanks. Although I think I am very right handed using tools I used to bat left handed in cricket. I think the finger exercises may help, though I still can’t do a Vulcan salute. If six strings are too many there is also a bass guitar upstairs. My son was left handed but played his bass right handed. 
I think the music teacher at my secondary school must have been dreadful. I couldn’t understand anything about music theory, and was considered stupid. I bought a Dummies guide some years ago and in a few pages could understand. Didn’t make me a musician but I at least didn’t feel so stupid. 

I was truly terrible at music at school, it was a subject I dropped at the earliest opportunity.  However, I must have understood some of the theory and successfully played four notes on the recorder because I ended up in the upper group, sat next to my mate who played the Euphonium in the County Orchestra.  Let's just say my abilities stood out and never more so than when we had to do a sight reading test in front of everyone.  I think that's when the teacher realised there had been some sort of mistake.....  I seem to have some mental and physical block with musical instruments; every instrument I've ever played feels like I'm trying to make my hands do something unnatural.  Art was much the same for me.

Model railways and photography have been the only creative things where I have ever felt able to even vaguely convert what it is my head into something tangible.  When I get around to it that is...