Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I know what you both mean about proximity to people outside your immediate bubble. As far as possible I avoid it and would certainly not do it by choice in a room for any length of time. I don't think I am paranoid, just realistic and careful. It seems like common sense....
Today I shall be measuring and drawing for the Fire pump crankshaft. The drawings are very complicated and need simplifying. Once I have done that I can transfer the measurements to the shaft, mark the crank pin centres and set up to cut the two crank pins. Basically the same as a single throw but complicated slightly by the fact there are two at 90 degrees to each other and a centre main bearing....
Bookie watch will be well wrapped as we are promised a cold windy day.
Apart from that, enduring the interminable wait for the outcome of our version of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce.

[Sue]

Morning

The rooms I meet in are very large and spacious halls, tables well apart and big tables . We used to sit two to a table and its now one each so we are probably nearly 8 feet apart. I never have a drink unless I have taken it as I do not want to use cups that may not have been washed properly.

This morning is my Rawtenstall art, now in a large church hall in Haslingden. I have no plans for the afternoon but if the rain is not too heavy , it is raining now, we may go for a walk. Yesterday, after my hair do, we popped into Rochdale to buy a birthday card and some wrapping paper for Briony so we can wrap and leave her present at Coventry on the way to the ferry on Monday. Her birthday is not until November but it saves postage. We have bought her some binoculars as apparently she has become very keen on watching and identifying birds.

Have a good day all, this rain could do with being heavier. The garden is dust and its only a light drizzle

[Stanley]

Briony is such a lucky girl! Yes, we could do with rain as well but I doubt if this is the day.
I've just come out of the shed and deboned and de-fatted my mutton. Now I shall post on shed matters and come back later.
Later at 08:40.


Here's where I stopped this morning. I have the slug marked up for the bearings and journals and I am ready to start cutting once I have set the stock up in the 4 Jaw to cut the two crank pins.

[Sue]

Better than a computer game Stanley. I don’t think any of my grand daughters have one. At the moment we will nurture Briony if it helps her recover from the lockdown depression that she suffered from .When they were on holiday in Scotland a month ago she showed me the book she was reading. It was BIRDS OF SCOTLAND . She tells me she doesn’t read stories but likes non fiction, nature and history. Particularly history about people. Not bad for an up and coming 10 year old

[Stanley]

I agree. I always said in the days before computer games that if children had books, music pencil and paper they would largely educate themselves just by their curiosity. School was the icing on the cake.

[Tripps]

She tells me she doesn’t read stories but likes non fiction, nature and history.

I've got two like that. It's a joy. You could do worse than get them a subscription to Aquila

[Sue]

She tells me she doesn’t read stories but likes non fiction, nature and history.

I've got two like that. It's a joy. You could do worse than get them a subscription to Aquila

I will take note of that. The binoculars ( not expensive ones) are a suggestion from Julia who is getting something else that ties in with the same interests . Christmas isn’t far away

[Tripps]

Christmas isn’t far away

That's how I started. I've renewed it twice since then, and they still squabble over who reads it first.

[Stanley]

13 weeks to Xmas.....
It's weekly shopping early doors at the Cathedral of Choice this morning so only an hour in the shed. I shan't start eccentric turning but will get set up and do another small job that is pending. Tomorrow and over the weekend will be crankshaft turning!
We have rain forecast for today so I don't know whether bookie watch will happen, perhaps just a short walk.

[Sue]

Morning

Its a more pleasant morning than yesterday due to be warner but with showers later. It was blooming cool yesterday hovering around 13 degrees. It was damp all day but eventually in the afternoon Bob and I dragged ourselves out from the comfort of home to do a 4.3 mile circuit through the Dell, up to Rooley Moor and back along the railway track. It was a wild wind and fine drizzle. We passed the waterfalls which were very low indeed, a sign of the lack of rain over recent weeks

This morning I have dance exercise. It has been prerecorded and is on youtube which means i can do it when I want. My plan is for straight after breakfast then shower and change before we have a drive over to Burnley cemetery. We want to check that the Parks Dept has dealt with the Japanese Knot weed that was invading two graves over from Mums and Dads . If not I shall contact them again. Meanwhile Bob will do his magic on a Sunday visit. Afterwards its Friday lunch with Wendy, Keith, Barbara and Bill.

That will be my day, have a good one

[Stanley]

We have that wind and light mizzle this morning Sue. Bookie watch might be compromised by the weather, I've been out in it to the Co-op and done my early morning shop wearing mask and gloves. Several people looked at me as though I was slightly loony, no other person wearing a mask. You wouldn't think there was any infection at all to guard against.
I had an hour in the shed, a pic later when I have posted in shed matters.



Only one pic needed for today's hour in the shed before shopping. I set the stock up in the 4 jaw independent chuck and by trial and error made sure it was running as near dead parallel as I could manage, I have it within a worst error of 2 thou. This is within the margin of error in the stock and the jaws of the chuck.
Once it was installed I set the cutter up and made sure the top slide was set on 0 degrees because I shall be using it to move the cutter from side to side in the cut which is 7/16"wide for the pins. Then I took two of the 100thou cuts that will be used to cut down to the finished thickness of 1/4" for the crank pin.

[Sue]

Lots of people wearing masks in shops here and even when just walking around the town . I have never bothered with gloves. You still have to wash and disinfect them and hands after removing them to be safe or dispose of them creating waste so you may as well just wash your hands . I read a science article about it way back at the beginning saying that the gloves are rarely washed and become a major possible source of contamination when taking them off

Yes its clouded over and drizzly but no wind

[Stanley]

No waste with mine Sue as they are the same vinyl gloves I had on to protect my hands in the shed and of course are single use.

[PanBiker]

Aldi was back up to about 50% of customers wearing masks yesterday morning when we called. Plus all the staff of course. Reasonably busy as well.

[Sue]

No waste with mine Sue as they are the same vinyl gloves I had on to protect my hands in the shed and of course are single use.

So if you have to wash your gloves and your hands when you take them off, why not just wash your hands. That is what the article was about. The waste was, then, a minor issue. Now we know that disposable public PPE is a major waste problem

[Stanley]

But Sue, muck isn't the only thing my gloves protect me against in the shed....

[PanBiker]

I remember them saying that gloves were counter productive as covid protection. Much better off using the hand gel on the way in and out and then washing your hands when you get home.

[Stanley]

Surgeons wear double gloves.... I use the hand gel as well.
Today all shopping is done and so there will be a full two hours of crankshaft turning. Bookie watch looks possible as there is no rain forecast and it will be a mild day.

[Sue]

Morning

Sorry Stanley I can only disagree on this. Gloves in the workshop and in a medical situation are a different issue than gloves to protect against covid.

Today is a dismal damp start to the day like yesterday. I wonder if it will progress the same brightening up by 5.00 pm and then warm. Ii is supposed to reach 21 degrees here today. If so its going to be a muggy old day. No Bacup market this morning as the only thing we need is a couple of pork chops for Sunday tea. I think Bob will pop down to our local butcher whilst I strip the bed and do some washing. Then its a bit of packing this morning. This afternoon we have an appointment at the MINI car showrooms . I want to see about a hybrid car. They have been pestering me for a few months about trading my three year old mini for a new model and we said no until I could get a hybrid or electric car. We shall see what they have to say.

Thats it really. Its a day of sorting travel documents, packing and generally tidying up loose ends before we are off on Monday . Have a good day

[Stanley]

I'm not saying that they aren't different Sue. It just so happens that when I go to the Co-op I have always been in the shed so I already have gloves on. Leaving them on is belt and braces against things like contamination on basket handles.
Wearing my gloves.... Here's where I got to this morning, we have two crank pins the correct size at 90 degrees to each other. That's all the eccentric turning finished, I can relax a bit but not much!

[Big Kev]

I'm not saying that they aren't different Sue. It just so happens that when I go to the Co-op I have always been in the shed so I already have gloves on. Leaving them on is belt and braces against things like contamination on basket handles.

Just an observation here, would you not be potentially contaminating a basket handle with oil and such like from your shed?

[Sue]

The few shops and supermarkets I have been in, admittedly a handful, have wipes and gel present to wipe handles before use.

Anyway enough said. I have a bowl full of ripe homegrown tomatoes which can’t go with ys to France . We shall give them to Julia. Bob reckons that so e will come back to us at Christmas in the form of home made chutney. We are in negotiation for Eve and Briony to come fora few days at half term. Its two years since they have been here. We are trying to synchronise a day with Erin at Brockholes . Should be fun and a delight to see them all together

[PanBiker]

Leaving them on is belt and braces against things like contamination on basket handles.

They have sprays next to the baskets for that issue.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed wearing my gloves and chasing a complicated little crankshaft. All is well so far, all I need to do is proceed with thought, care and patience. Not bad practice for life when you come to think of it. Bookie watch looks on as the weather is going to be dry and mild.

[Sue]

Morning

Yes apparently today is going to be a nice day. By 5.00 pm yesterday it was sunny and 21 degrees but it had taken all day to get there. I had to dry the bedding in the drier which I hate doing as it gets so creased and doesn’t dry well. In the afternoon I finished my ironing and we did pay a visit to the MINI dealers where we were offered a bargain price for my present countryman. In fact it has gone up in value by over £5000 since they last contacted me in May. This means its depreciation was less than £9000 in 3 years, the reason being that there is a shortage of new cars so good second hand ones are in high demand. In my case low mileage, and always kept in the garage. Its the lockdown sewing machine saga all over again. Anyway we decided to exchange it for a new plug in hybrid version of the same car with little increase on the monthly payments. It should come early January.

Today I have a zoom art lesson with Briony at 10.15 am and a whats app chat with Eve about 5.00 pm . This afternoon is a memorial do for Adams grandma who died back in February. It would have been her 100 th birthday in May and the do was planned for that but could not go ahead because of covid , so its a bit of a birthday celebration today rather than a wake. Its all afternoon hence a late whatsapp chat with Eve. Our packing is all done, not that much really. I am mainly taking summer clothes to France to store for the winter. We have a bit of shopping like English tea for our English friends , and Bob wants to take a new railway engine that he has finished making for the garden railway .

Have a good day all