I thought the same too. It's funny isn't it, I bet my Mrs (or many people for that matter) wouldn't notice that.
She's one of those people who often says "so which way is it to undo / turn on / turn down this" etc (and I'm happy she asks). Now, I know you generally turn the volume of something 'up' by turning the knob clockwise and turn gas / water 'up' by turning it anticlockwise but I never have to think about any of them. Same with nut / bolt threads or what direction we should walk to go home when coming out of a shop. ;-)
When I have a pop at the daughter for not having a very good sense of direction, in spite of living in this area for 19 years she questions why I still misspell the same words after 53 years. ;-(
Well it wouldn't be to most people but this is a d-i-y group. ;-)
Many a time I've seen something that didn't look right, assumed everyone else must have also so didn't mention it.
Like hearing that new noise when in the car or when working on a machine and some subconscious 'what's that?' sensor kicks in and makes you take more notice. Often it's nothing of course, or just something settling down (or even a change of road surface when in the car).
If you do take notice and investigate further you can often prevent something getting worse or failing completely. If you don't and it all goes pop then you question why you didn't listen to your senses.
I'm sure it's built into some of us [1] ... the fact that some of us can sense when something (electro / mechanical) isn't right, even if we have no experience of that object / field previously, just as we can equally miss stuff of course. [2]
When I was about 12 we had a puncture in the 14' dinghy (trailer) we were taking with us on holiday to Cornwall. I dug out and put the scissor jack under the axle beam but because it was very low to the floor the scissor action couldn't start. I stopped cranking the handle and said to Mum / Dad "it doesn't feel right .. it's not moving ...". Dad got in there (normally pretty god with 'stuff'), cranked the handle a couple more times then 'bang!" the welds gave on the jack. ;-(
Cheers, T i m
[1] I wonder if it's linked to your psychometric profile. Whatever it is that makes some people stores persons and others entrepreneurs.
[2] When I was IT training (mainly PC hardware / A+ etc) one of my delegates was (at the time of the course) literally 'the tea girl'. Whist doing her rounds she would come across people having issues with various apps and, with no background experience at all, seemed able to help them. This was noticed by the management and they gave her the opportunity to move into 'support' of she desired. ;-)
Somehow, the Cat and Fiddle seems to get the thickest of fogs. Over the years, I have travelled extensively across most of England and Wales, and I have only once been in fog as thick as that I have experienced about half a dozen times on the Cat and Fiddle. That was on the A52 between Boston and Grantham in Lincolnshire.
It was so bad that I was relying on the cats eyes to give me direction. But I quickly realised that you need to be able to see three cats eyes to tell whether the road curved, which way and by how much. And the fog was too thick for that - this on a road with deep drains at the side and some sudden and sharp bends.
So as soon as I saw an inn sign, I drove straight into the car park and booked a room for the night. I had breakfast, and stayed for lunch before the fog cleared enough to continue home to Surrey.
Yes, the riding was quite appalling, regardless of speed. I didn't intend to suggest that it wasn't.
I understand the A628 regularly vies for the title of the most dangerous road in Britain for "accidents" involving motorcycles. One of the others in the "competition" is the A170 between Thirsk and Pickering in North Yorkshire.
recent addition; the A628 Woodhead Pass and A170 have been on the high risk list for years. Also the A57 Snake Pass.
For cars, there was one B road that stood out a few years ago, the B6277 through Teesdale. Further investigation uncovered the fact that it was in regular use as a testing ground for high performance cars, both for more than one (unnamed) manufacturer and for several motoring journals. The poor alignment and surface quality meant that it was less attractive to motorcyclists.
I have my own favourite roads for a high speed "burn", but in the interests of keeping the traffic sparse I don't usually tell other people which they are. ;-)
The top isn't secure enough to be carried around in a pack without spilling (unless, possibly, held on with some stout rubber bands), but it will keep the ants etc. out.
Those were the days ... I recall a trip down the country (Auckland to Nelson) on an old Vespa. The flywheel magneto was located on the shaft by a Woodruff key. Both the key and its slot were quite worn, and after riding for a while the flywheel would move on the shaft, causing the engine to gradually lose power. When I couldn't get up the hills any more I'd stop, undo the securing nut, adjust the timing , do it up again and head off. I must have done this about 10 times on my trip.
BTW the first motorized two-wheeler I ever rode was a Zundapp moped that our family had. A more gutless beast I've never encountered.
I know it's progress etc (computer controlled vehicles) and required in many cases to make stuff more efficient / cleaner but it certainly doesn't always make it easier to fix (the computer says 'don't know').
Even at a more basic level, I never had any problems with electric windows, power steering, immobiliser, electric sunroof etc etc on the Sierra because it didn't have them. A fact that didn't stop me keeping it 23 years. ;-)
Hehe. I've often asked the 'what is likely to go wrong that could stop me getting home' type question when considering any new (well s/h) vehicle. I like the fact that the engines in the Ka and our kitcar are pushrod as then there is no cambelt to break (and often these days, write the vehicle off). The 2L Sierra was OHC but a 'safe engine' (nothing can touch if the cambelt breaks, as it did once but was replaced within the hour).
I know the name but never been on one etc. I've never been on a Vespa either for that matter. I don't think that was for any reason (in spite of the Lambretta Vespa competition > fanbois) just that all my mates that had scooters at the time had Lambrettas.
My Honda P50 was probably the slowest vehicle I've ever owned (even slower than the electric car but only just) however it wasn't bad off the line (or up hills).
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rode that daily for about a year (till I found the 'Quickly' in a heap on someone's garage floor) and it never went wrong. Not bad for something that cost me a fiver and a day making a new plug fit as the thread had been stripped out the head.
The Messerschmitt KR200 was £45 and the Morris Minor Van, £25 (but I did have to buy a gearbox for £5 and fit it in a carpark). The Sierra was £25 (Co car bought off them after 10 years of driving it) and the Rover £100 (and just gone through it's 6th MOT for me). The Astra / Belmont was quite expensive but we bought it of my Niece for £350 (it was my Dads car before that). I had also had Dads Corsair and Vauxhall Victor (1800 auto) for nothing before that.
The most expensive car was the kitcar at ~£2K for the kit some twenty years ago but considering we have spent little on it since it's probably worked out pretty well.
The BMW R100RT was the most expensive (£2250), had a FSH, lowest mileage (32K) and has been the least reliable so far, much less reliable than the MZ, ETZ 251 Saxon Tour I rebuilt after it was partly cremated in a shop fire (then a mate bought it off me and put 70K km on it and then gave it to our Daughter who rode it to / from work for
6 months before going to Scotland).
But then for us, all these vehicles are just 'transport', even the Wife XV750 Virago (with too much chrome (as std) for my liking) , chosen because it was comfortable for her back, easy to ride, had a low CoG and saddle height and a 'bomb proof' engine. ;-)
That's interesting as the B6277 passes 200 yards from the window I'm sat behind, any references? I've come a cropper on that road twice, once on black ice, almost fell over on it walking back from taking pictures of the bushy tree that I'd lost the argument with. The other time is a "well known" spot, Folly Top, the bendy section after the hill as you leave Middleton heading towards Barnard Castle. Some one loses it along that bit about once a month, the rebuilt sections of drystone wall testify to that...
I guess I could say that the best vehicle I've owned was also the cheapest. About 7 years ago a friend gave me his Kawasaki Ninja 250, which had been no-go in his garage for a year. I got it going, fixed a few things (but no significant expenditure) and it's been running like a watch ever since (my daily transport). I'm so happy with the bike that I gave him $500 a few years ago, so I suppose strictly speaking it wasn't free. Many years ago I rode Norton twins (Dominator 500, 600, and Commando). The Nortons would rev to about 7000 rpm. The Ninja wakes up at about 7000, and is redlined at 14,000. It definitely outperforms the 500 and the 600, and is close to the 750. Handles well, starts first time, drops no oil. A great little bike.
You really only need two three means your driving to fast... That's always assuming that the cats eyes/lines aren't covered in snow. The worst I've had was coing over the top from Teesdale into South Tynedale at night in, thick hill fog one a snow covered road. The fog was so thick you couldn't see one snow pole to the next, the road was covered in snow so no lines or cat's eyes. There had been a couple of other vehicles through so there was a vauge set of tracks to follow. I went slowly and worked on the basis that if it got bumpy I wasn't on the road any longer...
No where to stay, even blagging in a farmhouse for over 10 miles up there.
Bought one. It works well but in relation to the OP and arthritis probably not much use as it still requires similar force to turn the handle as any other can opener.
It cuts through the rim and doesn't leave any sharp edges. The only snag is that getting the lid off can be tricky, the side of the opener has a little thing that you use to grip the lid and lift it off but it's a bit fiddly, I'll probably resort to some other lever to get the lid off.
The lid is difficult to remove as it remains recessed into the can body and is a snug fit. This feature could be used to "reseal" part used contents. I was always taught not to leave things in cans but to decant them to some other container as the fresh oxygen/acid food can cause corrosion of the metal can once opened tainting the food if nothing else.
For =A31.79 pretty good, it seems well enough made but has lots of hidden areas and slidy bits, washing is probably not recoemended but as nothing gets in contact with the food that shouldn't be an issue.
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