WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Big Kev]

The price of an alternator for my daughter-in-law's little Toyota Yaris. A bit of Googling and I've found one, at GSF in Skipton, for a more sensible price of £73 rather than the £170 - £250 shown elsewhere. I get to use my spanners tomorrow

[Stanley]

That's a big difference Kev!
What has my attention is the fact I expect a visit from Daughter Susan today, tension mounts!

[Tizer]

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we now see so much anger and aggression
`Jiggling thighs and hair twiddling among triggers for those who hate fidgeting' LINK
"If I see someone tapping their fingers on a desk, my immediate thought is to chop their fingers off with a knife," an anonymous patient confides to a researcher. Another shares: "When I see someone making really small repetitive movements, such as my husband bending his toes, I feel physically ill. I hold it back but I want to vomit." Sound familiar? If so, perhaps you too have a condition called misokinesia - a diagnosible hatred of fidgeting....

[Big Kev]

The price of an alternator for my daughter-in-law's little Toyota Yaris. A bit of Googling and I've found one, at GSF in Skipton, for a more sensible price of £73 rather than the £170 - £250 shown elsewhere. I get to use my spanners tomorrow

I'm not currently impressed, got the old one out and the replacement is the wrong one...

[PanBiker]

I hope you can get it sorted Kev.

[Big Kev]

I hope you can get it sorted Kev.

Me too, got a refund for the wrong one as they didn't have the correct one in stock. Hopefully sourced another from a motorist shop in Nelson, it won't be in until 4pm so it won't get fitted until tomorrow now. At least I have the old one in my car to compare before I pay for it

[Big Kev]

The 'body' of the alternator is the same but a different plug and pulley, the right one will be there tomorrow morning, apparently my daughter-in-law's Toyota Yaris is Japanese spec not European. It's like pulling teeth

There's not a lot of room under the bonnet of a Yaris, I had to unbolt one of the aircon hose brackets, and the top of the front panel, to give myself enough room for the 14mm spanner. Once I got the two bolts out I had to remove the dipstick tube and exhaust manifold heat shield to get the alternator out. Fitting the new one should be fairly straightforward, hopefully replacing the belt won't be too awkward as it is auto adjusted with a spring loaded roller. I was able to pull in it enough to remove the belt...

[Stanley]

You've reminded me why I stopped doing vehicle maintenance Kev..... I hope you get a result....

[Big Kev]

The correct alternator is in, unfortunately this one is £140, I will go and collect it one I've finished my brew. Fortunately it's not me who's paying for it

[Big Kev]

Collected the right part at 10 this morning, and an added bonus that it was £120 not the quoted £140 then over to eldest offspring in Barlick, coffee and overalls on. The job to replace took just over an hour, initial fitting is only two bolts it's refitting everything else around it that took the time. My shovel like hands are the wrong size to be working under the bonnet of a Toyota Yaris

[Stanley]

Yes, big hands can be a handicap. Mine are on the small side of medium and this was always a great advantage when calving cows......
Glad you got the alternator sorted. One consolation, the £120 price might mean it's a better made knock-off!
(How much an hour did you charge him for labour? )

[Big Kev]

(How much an hour did you charge him for labour? )

A full English breakfast

[Stanley]

Cheap at half the price.....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report. We have sold another piece of the family silver.......
The sale of Royal Mail's parent company to a Czech billionaire has been approved by the government. The £3.6 billion takeover by Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group will be announced on Monday morning, the BBC understands. The government will retain a so called "golden share" that will require it to approve any major changes to Royal Mail's ownership, HQ location and tax residency. Other commitments to unions include workers getting a 10% share of any dividends paid out to Kretinsky, as well as the formation of a workers group that will meet monthly with the directors of Royal Mail to give employees a bigger voice on how it is run

Is there anything that the government wouldn't sell?

[Stanley]

See THIS report....
The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell is facing calls to resign over his handling of a sexual abuse case, days before he takes temporary charge of the Church of England. As Bishop of Chelmsford, Mr Cottrell let priest David Tudor remain in post in the diocese despite knowing he had been barred by the Church from being alone with children and had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim, a BBC investigation reveals. Tudor was only banned from ministry two months ago - after he admitted historical sex abuse allegations relating to two girls. Since this article was first published, Mr Cottrell has responded saying he is "deeply sorry" that action could not be taken earlier, but that was the situation he inherited. However, the Bishop of Newcastle the Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley has said Mr Cottrell could have done more and should resign as archbishop.
Is it time to reconsider the fact that the CofE is the Established Church?

[Stanley]

The thing that got my attention as I cooked veggies yesterday was the fact that Xmas is upon us. This batch of veggies will see me through past Xmas with a bit of judicious extending. So I can tell you what my Xmas Dinner will be.... You've guessed it! Meat and veggies!

[Stanley]

THIS is what got my attention, you don't need details. It is totally outside my ability to comprehend.

[Cathy]

Happy Birthday Julie in Norfolk .
Are you still with us Julie? .

[Stanley]

Many happy returns Julie....

[Tizer]

Post Office inquiry: Abi's post box topper...
From BBC
Abi Smith, 55, watched the inquiry online and says she became more drawn into it after hearing former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells give evidence. Ms Vennells, who had not spoken publicly about Horizon for almost a decade, was quizzed over three days in May in the most anticipated appearance of the inquiry. Abi, who works in education management, says she found it "quite bizarre" and "incredible" that a chief executive could claim "she didn't know so much". She was so inspired by the events that she decided to knit a post box topper of Ms Vennells being questioned by Mr Beer. "I just wanted to make a statement really," she says. Abi, whose grandad and aunt used to work for the Post Office, thinks the scandal touched so many people because "it's always been a very trusted institution". She describes the events as a "tragedy of trust" and thinks it will take some time before anything else inspires her to knit a scene of such impact.