HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

Cultivate good friends who send helpful mails in times of stress! I had one this morning, cheered me up no end!

[Stanley]

If, like me, you are a pipe smoker, rotate your pipes regularly, clean them and let them rest, they smoke far better! (Not a very useful tip for most of you I know.... We are a dying breed!)

[plaques]

Sorry Stanley but they'll have to go. Mark my words.

[Marilyn]

I agree.
Only schmucks smoke!
My young neighbour smokes like a train. To hear him coughing up every morning is truly disgusting.

[Tizer]

Some new oak sleepers are being used as steps in our new garden. Three of them had about 30cm sawn off the ends to make them fit. I've now got the off-cuts in our garage. I'm sure they'll be useful for something.

[Marilyn]

We never take the off-cuts home. We have a "no junk" policy.
Apart from that, we have no imagination for 30cm off-cuts

[Stanley]

"Only schmucks smoke!" Well there you are, Maz has spoken! (Takes deep breath, doesn't cough and lights pipe.....Today's tip, go to hell in your own way!
Funnily enough I am coughing more than usual, a funny little irritating dry cough, but this is a side effect of the Ramipril blood pressure drug they have put me on to to protect my kidneys. It's a very common side effect even in non-smokers!

[Tizer]

Apart from that, we have no imagination for 30cm off-cuts

If I discard them I'm sure that in about 5 years time I'll wish I'd kept them!

[Stanley]

Less than five years if we have a cold winter...... besides, 12" lengths of good hard wood aren't junk in this establishment! ring a lumber dealer up and ask for a quote for them, you'll be surprised at the price!

[Stanley]

If you forgot to attend to the insulation of the condensate drain from your condensing boiler last year, get it done now. The insulation had blown off mine and I had to drain it internally during the frost to keep the CH boiler running but my friend Ian dealt with it for me!
No sweat for the Oz contingent.......

[Stanley]

It's never a bad idea to start the day with hands that are as near germ-free as possible. It struck me as I was going through my morning routine of coffee brewing, sterilising my pint pot and cleaning the sink that in effect I always start with hands that have been exposed to dilute bleach. Can't be a bad thing when you think of all the germs they are exposed to during normal activities.

[Stanley]

I know that some people would say I was obsessed with my sink and toilet and they may be right! However, I have a very clear sight of what is important and don't waste any time on being an obsessive compulsive cleaner. In some matters you would probably think I was a bit of a slut!
I think that's today's tip, decide what is important in your life and spare no effort to address those matters but ignore what you have decided isn't important. What matters is the overall condition of your existence, are you pain-free, happy and satisfied. Are you attending to the really important things like relationships and planning for the future. In my case I have given these things a lot of thought and whilst I might be wrong, I think I have got equilibrium. I recommend you all to decide the boundaries for yourselves. Good luck!

[Stanley]

Beware of enterprises that involve packing day bags with items like slippers and dressing gowns!

[Stanley]

Don't allow memories of medical procedures from 30 years ago to influence you. Yesterday was light years different from then and no problem at all.

[Tizer]

That's how I felt about the angiogram - a tube inserted through my groin into a blood vessel and all the way to my heart, where it took video which I could see on the screen! The worst part of it all was waiting, sitting on a hospital bed in a gown waiting to go in for the op!

[Stanley]

Quite, and we all have imaginations! I think I permanently expect worst case. Not a bad trait but it can be disturbing at times. I am trying to stop second guessing the next stage so I repeat my father's advice for today's tip: "Don't pee before your water comes".

[Stanley]

I had three days out of the shed and missed one longer dog walk and was surprised how quickly I had gone out of condition. I knew I'd been on my feet for too long well before I had done two hours. So the tip is, try to keep levels of exercise and activity up no matter what is going on!

[Stanley]

If the lid and seat on your lavatory come loose, see it as an opportunity to dismantle it and give the hinges etc. a deep clean! It will be easy to re-tighten.

[Stanley]

When an 'expert' tells you something is bad for you, don't be afraid of making your own assessment and acting on that. You may be wrong but at least you have the satisfaction of knowing you tried. It can work the opposite way as well. I once refused an injection of dye into my spine on the grounds that it seemed too dangerous, it transpired I was right and the procedure had to be abandoned as it was damaging the nerves in the spine. Sometimes we are better following our instincts!

[Stanley]

I don't know about you but I always find in times of mild stress that 'getting a straight edge' is good therapy! This can be making sure all the laundry is done, the vacuuming has been attacked and the kitchen clean and tidy. This doesn't extend too far! I remember a woman in Barlick who was an obsessive compulsive cleaner and all the trafficked areas in the house were covered with sheets of newspaper. I often wondered if this extended to her husband! So today's tip is attend to the straight edges but don't go overboard!

[Tizer]

Do you remember when new cars came with plastic covering on the seats to make sure they were spotless when the buyer received the car? Some people left them on to make sure they stayed that way. Many drivers only took their car out of the garage if the weather was dry. If the car did get wet they dried it off before putting it back in the garage. There were lots of rented timber garages on the cinder track behind our house in the 1950s. Behind them were the hen pens and allotments. My dad and his brother built a double timber garage for themselves at the edge of a hen pen.

[Tripps]

If the car did get wet they dried it off before putting it back in the garage

That rings a loud bell. Our first family car - in 1956 was a Ford Consul which got that treatment, and a local garage was rented to keep it dry after it had been wiped.

The expression 'double de-clutch' comes back from the past - it had only three gears on a column change, and the stress of the operation, changing down from second to first on steep hills, soon caused it to be sold and we were back on the bus.

[Stanley]

Wooden garages, often converted hen huts, are the best for cars as they absorb moisture. That's today's tip.
Doubling the clutch was essential on the old 'crash' boxes with straight cut gears and even more so on the later constant mesh boxes where the changes were effected by moving dogs on sliding shafts. It got to be so much a habit that I did it on synchromesh boxes as well. I often wondered what it was doing to the life of my left knee joint, especially on a vehicle with a heavy clutch but I can report that it doesn't seem to have had any bad effects!

[Wendyf]

I used to have to double declutch in my much loved Fiat 500 many years ago. I became quite skilled at heel and toe gear changing!

[Tizer]

I bet you would have liked this Fiat Abarth, Wendy! LINK I remember watching them racing with the boot wide open. Here's another one: LINK Or how about this one - slower but just as interesting! A sedate estate: LINK