What is happening

[Moonlady]

Thanks everyone.

I'm glad everyone is safe and okay. Allen, I hope your mom improves quickly and fully.

My dad's pain is better managed but he still will suddenly experience stabbing pain which could be related to what happen with his med. The doctor is still trying to reverse it and my dad is willing to let him as long as its not too evasive because he would enjoy more time with me and my stepmom. I am glad yet at times when that stabbing pain occurs it breaks my heart. Personally, I am mentally and physically exhausted but I keep trudging on. Last week, I actually took a day off to just rest. I haven't ever done that before. Thankfully, my principal understands and my aides are amazing so I don't worry about my students.

[mawra]

I am glad his pain is manageable and that you were able to take a day off to rest.

[Zelandeth]

Having some decorating work done around the house - and have managed to come down with a cold which has gone straight to my chest. As a result I really can't stand to be in the house as the paint fumes pretty much immediately send me into a massive coughing fit. As a result I've been finding many a thing to do outside - albeit nothing too strenuous as I have zero energy.

Not least was trying to sort out the one nagging issue I've had with the Sinclair C5 is that the chain tensioner (which was a dodgy design 30 years ago) has an annoying tendency to drop the chain. I'd been staring at and poking it periodically for months while trying to decide how to sort the issue.

This afternoon I had a bit of a Eureka moment and realised a quick way to keep the chain from being able to jump off the tensioner...Cue a quick run to the plumbing section of our local DIY store.

One 15mm copper pipe clip later, this was what I came up with.



99.9% of the time it does nothing - except for the odd occasion when the chain tries to escape, at which point this prevents it from being able to go anywhere other than back onto the tensioner where it belongs.

Will take it out for a run tomorrow and see how it performs, but I'm hoping that this will ensure it behaves.

[mara]

Is this what they call putting it together with spit and chewing gum????

[Zelandeth]

That pretty much sums up how the C5 was made in the first place!

Took it out for a 5 or so mile run today and it seems to be behaving itself. Definitely need to think about how I can improve the brakes though! Especially given that 30mph isn't by any means out of the question on a long smooth downhill stretch. Would be nice to know it can stop as well as it goes...

[Priscilla]

Sir Terry Pratchett has died. This makes me terribly sad. What a loss to the literary world!

[Spock]

Sorry, can't think of anything else to add. I enjoyed reading his books.

[Kath]

My father's MND has already got to the point where his diaphragm no longer functions properly, and his lung function/CO2 levels were so poor that the doctors were amazed he could still walk around. So, they got him into hospital within a couple of days, for non-invasive ventilation which works via a mask worn at night (and later, during the day, or non-stop). It should improve his quality of life tremendously (better sleep, better oxygenation), but it is absolutely terrifying when the NHS moves into action that fast, and makes beds on wards appear out of nowhere.

He's home again now. Hoping the good results of the ventilator can outpace the degeneration for a while.

[Priscilla]

I am so sorry! I hope the ventilator will provide some relief.

[Kugai]

[Hans]

Still sad about the death of Terry Pratchett, we have lost yet another icon.
One already finished Discworld novel has yet to be published. It will be strange feeling reading it... At least he went with the dignity he so sorely wanted.

Kath, I hope for the best with your dad (((hugs)))

[Kath]

Thanks all. He's doing a bit better now.

[Allen]

My mom says she gets to come home next Saturday!

[Priscilla]

That's really good news!

[GinnyStar]

hugs those who need them

[Zelandeth]

Met up with a fellow Citroen enthusiast who is having a clear out and ended up walking away with about GBP500 worth of stuff...including a brand new radiator, two cooling fan motors, a set of glow plugs and a brand new central hydraulic pump (the heart of a hydropneumatic Citroen). Radiator will probably be done soon when I need to dismantle the whole front end to sort the fans...given I have to take it out to get to the wiring...may as well replace it with a new one. At least I know I won't need to take it out again in six months!

Have also been seeking quotes to get the Atrium roof sorted, have had several back now at the GBP1500-2500 range which is less than I was braced for. Just waiting for Polysolar to get back to me regarding a full reglaze with thin film photovoltaic glazing to see how viable that is before saying go. If that's less than GBP15K it will likely save us enough on energy to make it cover its own finance payments!

Have to wait and see I guess...

[Moonlady]

Kath, I understand that scare. Hugs and I am glad for the good news for you.

Allen, I'm glad your mom will be home soon. Hugs to you too.

My dad is the same with good and bad days. I am going home almost every weekend. I picked up an IPad for him so he can play games, watch shows/movies, and answer trivia relating to WWII. My dad was born in 1941 and has always been fascinated with WWII. Last weekend Micah visited with me with the express purpose of finding realistic WWII games and teaching grandpa to play them. He did a good job. The IPad provides entertainment for my dad because he barely has the energy to walk to the kitchen from his room and this way he feels less like a prisoner in his own home.

Otherwise, I am trying to keep up with graduate school, work and the rest of my life.

Wishing everyone a great rest of the week.

[Zelandeth]

Had another couple of roofing contractors get back looking to have a closer look before providing quotes. One of whom will not be getting my business. He returned my email asking for my availability to which I responded "I am generally pretty flexible, so let me know when will suit you and I will work around that." Which he interpreted as "turn up unannounced when I very well please." Sorry, that's not a way to instill confidence. If I can't trust you to read a two line email properly, why am I going to trust you to carry out several thousand pounds worth of work on my house?

Thank goodness I put together a table of who is who and what they have done, who responded etc as my inbox looks a complete mess right now. Without the table I would be well and truly mixed up by now.

[Zelandeth]

Today's random image of the day (well, unless anything interesting happens later...it's only 10 in the morning here so far), captured during the partial solar eclipse this morning.

Camera refused to focus through the welding glass I was looking through, so I had to improvise with a DVD for the camera, hence the slightly fuzzy image. Still interesting to be able to see it though I reckon.



Not something you see every day, and you really can see why it must have been something to really cause a major scare before people understood what an eclipse was.

EDIT: For some reason the image is refusing to load. ...This appears to be a problem with Photobucket, so I'll try it again later and see if it will work then.

[Kath]

http://m.thestar.co.uk/news/video-sh...ipse-1-7167081

This is what my family have been up to today...

[Hans]

Oh, that was a really enjoyable movie clip, Kath, and a bonus to see and hear you! Unfortunately we were under complete and utter cloud cover and I didn't see a thing. The birds went quiet though and the temperature dropped somewhat, but nothing visual

[P'ter]

Gotterdamerung!

[Priscilla]

It's snowing. This does not look like Spring!

[Kugai]

Bugger

Rain

[Hans]

You meant Götterdämmerung, Peter?

or did some kind, knighted German lady ring a bell?

[P'ter]

Unfortunately my computer shows any 'foreign' letters/accents simply as a black diamond with a question-mark inside it.

And; I'm not sure why we say TWIlight when 'twi' means two. That should be even lighter than normal.

[Kugai]

Well, at least we don't make a saga out of it.

[Zelandeth]

Mostly spent in the garden. Starting to sort things out from the winter, and attempting to get unreasonable amounts of bamboo into the garden waste bin.

Also got 80% through putting together a lean-to between the greenhouse and fence to contain some of the general garden supplies and keep them out of the worst weather. Hopefully get that finished tomorrow. Would have today were it not for the daft Sunday trading laws meaning everything closes at 4!

[Priscilla]

My son and his girlfriend are at Madison Square Garden in New York City to see a hockey game. New York Rangers vs Mighty Ducks. Let's Go Rangers! We used to go fairly often.

Most of our flowerbeds are still covered in snow. When I went out to fill the bird feeder this morning there were tracks in the snow that I am pretty sure I have identified as a fox.

[Priscilla]

And, they won, 7-2. It's always more fun when "your" team wins!

[Priscilla]

Normally by this time of year lawncare companies have started Spring Cleanup and mowing. I wonder how many are contemplating plowing the snow off the lawns so they can start mowing (the still dead) grass?! C'mon, you know they are thinking about it!

[mawra]

Some are probably thinking about it.

Need new keyboard for my computer, so I am not posting much. I am at college wait, as usual, on Kibby.

Melissa is hoping to take Seth to a Chiari Malformation clinic in New York. If she does I may go with her. She is working on getting all his medical infro together. Melissa will be getting an MRI herself to check for Chiari. It is not unheard of for people to have it and not know it until they are older. She has been having headaches so bad that she has passed walking up the stairs at home.

[Zelandeth]

Today I mostly finished building the lean-to between the greenhouse and the fence. No guarantee that either of those are actually structurally sound...but if either collapses or blows away, it will be taking that with it!

I reckon the entire country may however now be unable to find any 1/2" woodscrews, as I think I must have used the entire nation's stock building this thing.

Also earlier this morning I dozed off on the sofa at some point, and when I woke found myself wondering why I couldn't move my legs.

Looking down I was greeted with this dozily looking back at me.



...The then proceeded to tuck his head back in between the sofa and my leg and go back to sleep.

...I was comfortable enough and decided that this was a good idea, so followed his example. Until the doorbell rang later on and I got the wind knocked out of me when he exited the vicinity at somewhere approximating the speed of sound.

[Allen]

Finished a necklace for Maw a while back


And one for Sharon of the NKT today


sold this one a couple weeks back

[Priscilla]

All beautiful!

[Moonlady]

I agree with Cilla, they are all beautiful, Allen.

What type of necklace would you design for an elf, Allen?

Mawra, my thoughts are with you and your family.

I'm just trying to not get behind on everything while spending most of my free time with my dad. He is having a bad day today and I am glad I took the day off work to be with him.

[Hans]

Great photo, Zelandeth and great work, Allen!

[Zelandeth]

Lovely work there Allen. They really are beautiful.

Today I seemed to spend the entire day going back and forwards to the aquatics shop just outside town.

We were out of food for the fish, and I figured getting them some decent stuff was worthwhile for the spring as they are only just starting to eat again after the winter.

Got home, fed them and decided the filter needed a clean as it wasn't pumping great, so did that. Noticed while I had the cover off that the UV lamp was cooked. Cue another 15 minute drive there, 10 seconds in the store and 15 minute drive back.

Took the cover off and discovered why the lamp had failed, because the seals in the quartz capsule the lamp lives in had failed (it's a service item).

Cue much grumbling and climbing back in the car...

Just under three hours later, finished the half hour "get food for the fish" task and what it snowballed into!

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Zelandeth

Lovely work there Allen. They really are beautiful.

Today I seemed to spend the entire day going back and forwards to the aquatics shop just outside town.

We were out of food for the fish, and I figured getting them some decent stuff was worthwhile for the spring as they are only just starting to eat again after the winter.

Got home, fed them and decided the filter needed a clean as it wasn't pumping great, so did that. Noticed while I had the cover off that the UV lamp was cooked. Cue another 15 minute drive there, 10 seconds in the store and 15 minute drive back.

Took the cover off and discovered why the lamp had failed, because the seals in the quartz capsule the lamp lives in had failed (it's a service item).

Cue much grumbling and climbing back in the car...

Just under three hours later, finished the half hour "get food for the fish" task and what it snowballed into!

A couple of corollaries to Murphy's Law:
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Everything takes longer than you think.

[Allen]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

What type of necklace would you design for an elf, Allen?

h
How about something in a weave called Elfen or perhaps Elfweave. This one can even be made in a continuous loop, with no clasp.

Either could have a pendant added, perhaps a custom wire-wrapped moonstone cabochon.

Did I mention I have a moonstone cabochon, and another, prettier one on the way?

Why do you ask? Hehehehehehe.