alastairq

Is that what google decided I had should have typed?? The uploading was quite slow, so I didn't bother looking and went to another thread......

A Leaf tried to complete [compete] in one of the MCC long distance trials [cannot recall which?] and had to withdraw as it ran out of power. This over a 20 hour event in the UK. Unable to get enough charge, despite access to 'fast charging'....and they had to divert off the proscribed [IE, registered, and bought & paid for with the DoE]...route, a few times.

There levels of miserableness I find pleasing.....Discourages drivers from blocking petrol pumps whilst they enjoy themselves inside the shop.

Looks like a porch? {B&Q?}

To get us about, why not clockwork? Or steam? Give your passengers summat to do on long journeys?

I have heard....the trick is, to lick one's wife's finger, then jam it into the cigarette lighter socket. ''NOw dear, where was it we were going??'' You can tell I'm divorced, can't you?

Lectronic missus substitute...

Best not follow a satnav, then?

Aaah! But, they think they have!

Sugarlumps! If I go 3 miles in any direction, I still end up in the middle of nowhere!!

All I can say is, how long does it take sterilised barge poles to arrive from ebay China?? I now find myself considering 'outings', socialsing, etc...then asking myself, is it 'worth' it? What am I going to get out of my socialsing? Is that temporary feel-good thing really worth the candle? Who do I trust to have taken their own precautions? [Nobody!] I note regarding the decency of wearing a mask so as not to spread our own diseases..[covid might be the least of our worries?]....that folk in my local Lidl seem more considerate than folk in a near-local Morrisons. Yet another reason why Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury, etc..even Aldi, don't get my custom, or a share of my income! Oh, the arrogance of claiming one's freedoms?

On the other hand, the effect on the local economy of just doing the bare essentials regarding snow clearance also needs taking into account. If the number of days where transport locally comes to a halt [or, nearly so] is minimal, then why bother spending council tax payers' money? Why not simply hire in the equipment? If it really needs to be hired in? In my county the gritter fleet is used all year round for other purposes, and can be equipped with stick-on snow blades when necessary. At one time, local farmers would have a blade sat in the grass all year round, ready to plonk on a tractor front for clearing snow locally/ More so in rural areas, of course. Nowadays, i haven't tripped over an overgrown plough in the grass verge for yonks... Even the local bus companies pull their vehicles off the road at the first signs of snow. One time we would be out getting folk home, or to work....but then someone added up the cost of how many cars slid into buses, causing damage which meant buses off the road for days, being mended....was it 'worth' it? Not to shareholders it wasn't! A balancing act really, between one set of economics, and another.

The volume of international [air & otherwise] travel makes the likelihood of pandemics ever more frequent. The public health industry need to be ever more prepared. For better or worse, it seems to me the UK has made itself a hub of the world...the world's traffic roundabout, for travel, perhaps? So whilst Australia & NZ [purely for example]...can invoke all sorts of isolatory policies, with but a small impact on the rest of the world [thereby being able to care for its citizens more effectively?]...the UK has positioned itself in such a way, caring for ''its own'' is ever more difficult., without impacting on most of the rest of the world. Like it, or not! Then there's the population make -up of the UK? This makes it a lot harder for a UK Govt. to adopt policies of public health similar to the Antipodes....There would be a more vociferous outcry concerning so-called 'human rights' for starters. Thus the UK is really hoist upon its inclusive petard.

In the past, I think the idea of decentralisation has been hampered by a lack of connectivity, perhaps? Does anyone recall, decades ago, a government effort to get companies to move out of the London area [thus easing the strain on transport and other resources?] Some companies did indeed heed the call, but most simply said 'no' and stayed put. Nowadays, with internet access on a reliable scale pretty much available to all, the idea of centralised retail, or even, work , ought to come under even greater scrutiny. All old hat really...but I get the feeling mreo folk are looking towards the 'think small' approach.

I think we need to get away from the concept of 'mass gatherings?' By that, i mean, the centralisation of societal aspects, and move towards more localisation? We have become used to having places where large numbers of people congregate. Supermarkets, for example? Or even, large housing estates? Where large numbers of people literally live ''on top of each other,'' or so it seems? [I use more 'local' shops where I can now....in order to avoid contact with large groups of people.] I prefer a decentralised society too. Not from a governmental point of view, but from the viewpoint that, for me, small is better. Less generalised. Smaller herds, but maybe more of them, rather than larger herds.

I get the impression, herd-immunity is being 'seen' as the be-all-&end -all? Yet, as pointed out on the latest Zoe briefing, the various time periods of immunity [double vaccine, single vaccine, infection, etc ] seems to be quite variable. Certainly, in the bigger scheme of things, the period of immunity seems to be quite short, perhaps? Also varies between individuals. Maybe 'herd immunity' is a short -lived goal?

Marley?

This thread, perhaps?

I've made myself thoroughly unpalatable to lions.... I think the biggest issue I have with the herding instinct is the loss of individuality.

That's what the nurses that are practicing their trade [until they get it right, i suppose?]...at my GP surgery say [A GP whom I have still not met! That's now 3 GPs I haven't met since my old GP retired! I spoke to one, briefly on the dog n bone! She promptly left !!] I have an unreasoned distrust of having multiple jabs at the same time. So I might either,just have the covid? Or take the flu jab at a later date? I remember Gulf War Syndrome...blamed, reasonably or otherwise, on the combination of jabs dished out to military personnel at the time. I also discovered my son was autistic, pretty soon after he had endured the MMR combined jab. [We noticed a distinct change in his behaviour afterwards..a bit like my old dog suddenly developed a dislike for vets.....because they always shoved stuff where the sun don't shine....He followed that one on by a distrust of anyone wearing plastic gloves.....My son, at at 23, has a dislike of too-many people still. Not sure if he has any fears of plastic gloves, however...?}

I have had a car fail on emissions [t was running bike carbs] literally a matter of half an hour after it had been released from expert tuning on a rolling road, where the emissions were well within the parameters for MoT. When I immediately returned to the rolling road tuners with a complaint, it was tested again and found to be unchanged from the first results. The tuner concerned [a well respected ancient fella]...then got onto the tester to ask how come their readings were different? Turned out, the machine used at the MoT test spot had not had its filters properly maintained. {This was many years ago now, but still this century].... I got a 'free' retest [it only failed on emissions]...after the tester had serviced their machine properly. Also got an apology, although to be fair it wasn't the tester's fault. The owner of the spot was also a tester, and had responsibility for the machines he owned. I never returned there, needless to say. Not for tests, at any rate. For some years recently I had a number of fails merely for number plate issues....Not cheap, number plates!! {Gone are the days when I could get away with hand painting them!]

To be fair [to testers] there is a limit as to how far a tester may prod areas of a vehicle. Also, with modern {IE, made this, or the last decade of the last, century] vehicles much of the exterior of the bodywork is hidden behind plastic sheathing. Which testers are not allowed to remove. Hence esoteric stuff like X Jagwars can have their rotten sills hidden for half a lifetime, until the rot appears at the very ends in the wheel arches? MY favourite testers have been known to have a test of mine cancelled [to save me money] by claiming I had insufficient fuel for the test. When on the way to the test an insignificant cross member eventually parted company at one end, with the chassis. Took it away, got an agricultural engineer who was used to the commonplace problem, fix it for just over a hundred quid..back a day or so later to pass the test. My tester always liked that vehicle, it was his favourite to 'borrow' to go to his Mams for lunch..It could shift nicely, and all the brake pipes were copper...[my doing] He also liked the way I overcame the 30 cm rule with rust...or anticipated a possible failure. He once passed my suzuki even though one tyre was a different size to the other three....just. It was one of the two sizes of tyre the manufacturer recommended, and was on the little pressure sticker. One of my front tyres had the inside edge worn smooth,so I swapped it for the spare for the test. The spare being [still s] the 'odd' size. He told me the worn tyre was still legal and would have passed [he would have advised replacement before next test]...All to do with the measurement of the longitudinal deep treads, not the thinner, less deep, edge sipes. I replaced it anyway, after a while....30 quid wonders from Camskill...They do the job. I have even repaired a puncture using one of those dogzpubes repair kits...Very easy to use, I had acquired a big nail which was worn down, but a very slow puncture. So one of these Chinese kits for a fiver, complete with tools and the glue....a half hour of poking and riving the old nail out, then ten minutes of poking and reaming, inserted the hairybit with glue, pulled it out, left for a cuppa, then trimmed the surplus with the blade provided....Jobzagoddun! Sound as a pound now, no air loss. Plus, enough left to fix 20 punctures! Mind, I don't 'do' much more than 55 mph anyway....just to annoy everybody! Seeing as how no-one offers to pay for the extra petrol needed to go faster?

Equally, many more have not! Especially with the increase in various kinds of migration over recent years. Minicabbing is a job not popular with the national workforce. [Like, picking potatoes?] Unsocial hours, poor incomes, etc...

Neither is there one when booking an MoT test. [The Law recognises that there never can be one, when applying rules to the mainland UK as a whole.] Hence it is perfectly 'legal' to buy a car without a current MoT, in London [or, more cheaply, in Wales] and drive it home to Scotland, providing one pre-books an MoT test in Scotland. Mind, before setting off, it is wise to remember the driver's responsibilities as far as roadworthiness is concerned. In all its aspects. For, not having a current MoT doesn't mean a vehicle is unroadworthy. Equally, having a current [even a fresh] MoT doesn't mean the vehicle is roadworthy. I have often been disappointed when folk pontificated about the MoT exemption for old motors. Of how the exemption will allow any old wreck to be legally driven on the roads? Which, of course, will be unlawful, if that wreck is actually unroadworthy for some reason or other. Therefore the above argument is fallacious. [Being without a valid MoT is a minor traffic offence.....Being unroadworthy is another matter entirely] Indeed, it is perfectly legal to drive a vehicle on the public roads, without it having a registration plate [if one has not been issued] How many folk out there inthe big wide wotsit would declare such a thing as 'illegal?'

At this juncture [still on tyres] I'd like to present an observation which is not intended to be racist or anything-ist [mods please note, but kindly inform me before banning my presence, to save me messing with my computer, and complaining to BT?} Recently, [in York, as it happens] the Police [and doubtless the DVSA as well as the York City Council]...discovered, in checks, that an awfully large number of taxis [private hire, probably, or minicabs?]....had tyres which not only were illegal, but actually right down to the canvass, and beyond...some even running around on flat tyres. Now, normally a UK driver would at least try to do something about the situation on their vehicle before it got as bad.....or would at least consider the safety aspect, one would hope? However, I feel one has to look at the national origins of these minicab & PH drivers, to see how different attitudes might prevail? Looking to see what is considered 'normal' as far as tyres were concerned, in places like, Bulgaria/Roumania, Afghanistan, etc, where a lot of the 'taxi' drivers hail from? They are simply applying 'standards,' which in countries such as i've mentioned, and others, are considered to be 'normal'..especially outside of the glossy cities? If the car still works, in other words, why worry about a bit of canvass showing? These folk are only applying standards they have always considered 'normal'....Perhaps they cannot 'see' our own points of view on the matter? After all, they haven't actually crashed, or hurt customers, have they? [Which has to be the criteria when considering 'safety'.....not what 'might' have happened if circumstances had been different? After all, we all consider ourselves as 'safe' drivers if we manage to get from A to B in one piece, don't we?} The attitudes towards driving, and vehicle standards is more & more being dictated by what is deemed acceptable in other parts of the world. Where sheer economics dictate vehicle & driving standards? Which ought to be a worrying aspect to those of us who frequently inhabit our crowded public highways? The recent case of a VW Golf being stopped, locally, sporting no tyre at all, and severe overcrowding inside [kids, adults, all crammed in]...the driver possibly not concerned, as that was 'normal' behaviour when getting from A to B, ''back home?'' Possibly wondering why the Police were taking such a high handed attitude here, when such things would be ignored in other parts of the world? It must be difficult to adapt one's culture in regard to vehicles and driving, when confronted with the UK's somewhat strict, and possibly over-bearing Laws concerning safety and road use? The Police doubtless have difficult problem when confronted by someone who has been made to realise they have broken the Law, but yet, doesn't fully understand what all the fuss is about? Differing ideas of 'normality,' perhaps?