Today I shall be Mainly...

[PanBiker]

What's betting he turns up when they open the Yorkshire Bank Clinic?

[Stanley]

How much longer will he be operating Stephenson House on Church Street? Does anyone know if it has ever been used for anything?
I shall be in the shed as usual at 06:00 refining the crosshead on my engine. I cocked up yesterday with my first drill and tap for the piston rod but thankfully I have enough meat in it to enable me to use the other end and cut my mistake off. The mistake wasn't serious, just bad alignment. It's fine now!
I might cook my sweet potato chips later.....

[Stanley]

More refining of the crosshead. Mainly reducing the size of the blank starting with cutting my mistake off! Then the other faces measured marked and cut both by hand with the hacksaw and finishing cuts on the mill. I also marked the position of the crosshead pin and drilled the head and tapped it 4BA. I can cut one side to clearance as is needed after I have cut the slot in it for the eye of the connecting rod. It fits and runs nicely. I shall cut the slot tomorrow and then make the connecting rod. But now it's time for breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

What an odd day yesterday without our daily trip . After art, in the afternoon, the rain ceased for a bit or at least became a light drizzle so Bob took the opportunity to get the petrol hedge cutter out and trim the back hedge and branches . I swept up. It took some time and we were caught in heavier rain occasionally but at least it all looks a lot tidier now and there is a chance that our private bottom patio may now dry out as it was deeply in the shade from the hedge and the branches ( from neighbours trees). In the morning I noticed our fish were active not having been since late November. We haven’t seen all the big ones but we do have 6 new small ones. I have started to feed them again. Now we must put the filter on and treat the masses of blanket weed that has accumulated.

Today is u3a art followed by lunch out with the usual group of friends. Rain forecast…of course but much less than yesterday. In fact by Rochdale standards almost dry . Laetitia has been in touch. They had a nice day on Sunday so she opened all the windows in our house to air it. I think Yves has cut the lawn and uncovered my pots of strawberry plants and other potted plants and they have started to shoot. Spring is on the way . Have a good day all

[Stanley]

"Spring is on the way "
Morning Sue! Keep saying that, it doesn't half cheer me up!
We have a similar day to yesterday. It's only just raining but it's wet and gloomy. I shall cheer myself up by cooking some sweet potato chips....

[Stanley]

I was thinking about your fish Sue, have I heard you say that you have had problems with Herons in the past?
I shall be in the shed as usual at 06:00 putting the finishing touches to my crosshead I think. I do enjoy these fitting jobs, you don't realise what complicated wee beasts some of these parts are until you get to chop them out of the solid. They call it fitting!
There's a good chance it might stay dry at midday and if so I shall wrap up and go for a walk. Now I haven't got a dog to walk I find it very easy to decline walking in the rain!

[Sue]

Morning

What a beautiful day. In answer to your question Stanley we have had Heron problem but not recently. We now have a large net that spans three quartes of the pond up to the shallow end. The fish tend to prefer the deeper end. However we have caught cats and bigger birds trying to get into the shallow end but that end is edged with a wall. The deep end runs into our overflow boggy area which as you can imagine is very boggy indeed. When we got back from lunch yesterday we put the filter and fountain on and applied our algae killer , it will take a few days to work but then it will all look better.

Today its Bacup market but nothing else planned at the moment. As the paths may dry a little I will give them a sweep following our hedge cutting the other day. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue. Glad to hear the herons are being foiled! As for you having a day without doing anything...... That's for the birds.



As usual, some careful measuring and marking, this morning for the slot in the crosshead that accepts the small end of the connecting rod. Then some careful milling , enlarging one side of the drilling for the crosshead pin, then providing a pin and fitting it. I'm happy to report it has all turned out as near perfect as I could wish. I shall make the crosshead look pretty tomorrow but mechanically it couldn't be any better. A nice morning with very good results. Now I deserve my breakfast!

[Stanley]

As usual, in the shed at 06:00 to do an hour on my engine. I do like the work I did yesterday. That's possibly as good a crosshead as I have ever made. Impossible to describe how it makes me feel looking at it, priceless!
We are promised rain all day today and there is no need for any shopping so it's quite possibly going to be an indoors day, there have been lots of them this winter even though it's been so mild.

[Stanley]

Only one image needed this morning. I have finished the crosshead, refined it's shape and made it pretty. Then I worked my way through refitting the whole of the engine as finished so far making sure that all the fastenings worked and fitted correctly. This isn't the final fitting with gaskets but is the next thing to it. It's wonderful how many snags you can find. I am ready now to move on with the connecting rod and main bearing. I shall start that tomorrow. Now I'm interested in breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

After our shopping the sun was still with us, so we had our morning coffee in the conservatory and I got one load of washing dried outside. I decided to clean and disinfect the bird feeders and was able to dry them in the sun before putting new feed in them . I then went to get changed in order to scrub the algae off the garden paths using my new broom, bought at B&M earlier. Aldi washing powder has been recommended to me. Our neighbour uses bleach which horrifies me in case it gets on the plants . Anyway I was changed when down came the rain. I just managed to get the jeans off the line before they became too wet. I pottered in the greenhouse for a bit, then gave up and went inside to do a bit of jigsaw, some Duolingo French and the ironing, the latter normally done on a Sunday.

We have no plans for the day, but will take it as it comes.

[Stanley]

Sue.... you've reminded me that my flags need some treatment, both in the back yard and the front they are green. My favourite is to scatter washing soda and let it quietly work its magic. I asked for it in the Co-op the other day and they don't sell it now... (Plenty of expensive wonder cleaners at £3 a spray gun!) I shall have a word with my friends at Shambles.
I shall be in the shed as usual at 06:00 and I think I might make a start on the connecting rod just to make a change from hand fitting, a bit of light turning will be very relaxing. The forecast is for a dry day so a walk out to the Square in search of washing soda is a distinct possibility......

[Stanley]

I've done my measuring and marking and started cutting the connecting rod out of the piece of bar supplied. A good start with no mistakes and now I can have breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday turned out drier than expected, it was raining when we did our walk so we kept it short. If I had known it was going to be so dry I would have done the flags but it today looks promising. Pilates first, thén flags, then yoga.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

That's a pretty clear agenda. I'm aiming for finding some washing soda. Clear ambition! Off back to bed now to get my second sleep in. See you later and have a good day.

[Stanley]

I have my washing soda and it's going to rain Wednesday and Thursday so that's when I will attack the algae.....

[Stanley]

We had a wet start to the day so I have top-dressed the backyard flags with a light scattering of soda to start the killing of the algae.
I shall be in the shed at 06:00 carrying on with making myself a connecting rod. Later this morning I am going to give my aerial man a call. I have been having some drop-outs in satellite connection and it may be time for an inspection. I have a feeling I shall be getting word from Well that my meds are ready...... It's all go....

[Stanley]

This morning I carried on with making the connecting rod. I cut the stock back to what I needed m put the shape in it, polished it and then parted it off. The image is of the rod ready for fitting accompanied by the remainder of the stock. That took an hour and a quarter but I think I have it right with no mistakes so now I deserve my breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

I tackled the algae on some paved parts of the garden yesterday, I think washing soda may be a bit harsh here if it gets washed on to the borders which are full of plants. Anyway I shall see if the Aldi bio powder works.it was quite a pleasant afternoon yesterday so we both ended up pottering in the garden, rebuilding one small rockery at the side of the pond. We shall do the other side when we have time and the weather permits it. I also need to repot one of my hydrangeas. It is in a very large pot but has become pot bound, a bigger problem is that the water can’t drain away and it has been sitting in several inches of water from the continuous rain. We tipped the water out but it will be a long job to get the plant out, trim its roots and replant.

This morning we shall do our weekly walk to Rochdale, not a trip to the bank but we shall buy some cake or biscuits as our friend Kath is coming for a cuppa this afternoon and to cut Bobs hair. We don’t eat biscuits and rarely cake and as Christmas fodder has now run out we need to buy something. Kath likes her biscuits with a cuppa.

Its pilates and yoga in the studio this evening. The weather is supposed to brighten up later this morning. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue! It's been raining here but the sun has just come out (and immediately gone back in as I wrote that!)
Washing soda isn't going to be too strong here. Nothing growing in the back yard and only my wild garden in the front.
I am voting with my bum here, off to bed for second sleep. I hope the soda does its job.....

[Big Kev]

I will be getting the jet wash out of the cellar to sort the flags and stone steps. I may seal them with an epoxy concrete sealer to see if that makes any difference, I used an outdoor sports court paint on the concrete outside the back door last year. It's green now but comes off easily with the hose and the yard broom.

[Stanley]

I might follow up my tidying up and soda dosing by a bit of a scrub with the yard brush later this morning. Things look better already in the back yard....
I shall be in the shed at 06:00 as usual and might be concentrating on my oak plinths, they need rubber cutting to fit the bottoms and sticking on. It won't be long before I need one for this engine. Apart from that, looking at the weather forecast which is for rain all day I shall be looking to stay indoors in the dry if possible.
It struck me..... in my dog walking days I had no choice and had to go out whatever the conditions. Now I don't go through the door unless I absolutely have to do! I have no feelings of guilt, I've done my share!

[Stanley]

The first thing I did was get my guillotine out of the front room, set it up in the kitchen and cut rubber sheet to glue on the bottom of the two oak plinths I have sat waiting. I've cut it and glued it with impact adhesive and now it's sat to cure for 24 hours....
Next I marked the connecting rod and drilled it ready for fitting to the crosshead. My next job is to make the crank pin bearing and fit it but I'm not starting that today. That's tomorrow's agenda! The task now is breakfast!

[Sue]

Morning

Yes my flags need a brush now but of course its raining today. Our jet wash is out in France, Kev. I could do with it here as we have a lot of paved areas, though the hose pipe does have a power nozzle.

This morning I may go and buy some new rockery plants for the newly refurbished rockery, then this afternoon, at last, I have a sewing session with Maxine. I have quite forgotten where we are up to with the present pattern. Tea time is zoom pilates, the last one of the week.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue! I shall decide what to do about my flags when I see what the weather looks like after I have had my second sleep. To be quite honest I'm not very enthusiastic about working in the rain. Also I have a gutter leaking which is bothering me. I have shouted out to my builder but not had a reply yet.
It's just one durn thing after another!