Druidic exploits of a various nature!!

[v8druid]

Probably all of us .

[Wazza]

Probably all of us .

Yes sorry .....

[v8druid]

Yes sorry .....

hmmmmm !!



I was supposed to be out Saturday, slinging again ...
had also planned to go to Engcon's dig day, 'til it came up ......
and then the lift got cancelled 10 oclock Friday evening ......
they hadn't got the roof off the building for the morning!!


Their H&S guy didn't like the way they'd got it scaffolded and made 'em re-do it all again !!!!!!!!


so both plans for Saturday got scuppered. Spent some time on the lil' Mosa again ....
carb off, stripped, cleaned, fuel system drained and cleaned then all back together, fresh motion lotion, crank cases blown out whilst the carb was off with 150 PSI ....
all dry, plug cleaned, gapped, checked for sparks .... all back together and....


can get it to run, for 10-20 seconds, but will not rev .... weird throttle linkages on it ... controlled by engine speed AND a solenoid actuator which picks it up on demand ... plenty of fuel getting through ....
it had me stumped .... and knackered again .....it still takes some pulling WITH the venturi open to atmosphere.


Got pee-ed off with it eventually, after several fruitless hours ... it's rare I'm beat by a lil' petrol engine, but this one has me .... ATM!!!


If anyone knows anything about these Del Auto carbs ... please share ?



Spent some time over the weekend having a sort out of old files that I've had to keep ... (7 years after closure of biz) ...
anyway ... their time was up and it was time to meet the burning bin



tha's 12 months worth from one steel stockholder !!


and some more



took a while to burn this lot, plus a load of other stuff
'Nother two years and it'll all be gone ......
filing cabinets are emptying quietly


Squeak has also recruited Sparty to my desk of an evening ....





Anxious hour last night, when the old girl refused to respond to the helm!! .... eventually sussed that the mouse had sort of died ??


cursor was fine and'd go where ever I put it ..... left click wasn't working though .... but took me a while to realise it .... thought the old girl had frozen for the last time.


A n other mouse installed and problem solved ... in fact it's even improved things a bit ..... could have been having unseen issues for a while ... she's turbo charged today !!!!!


this morning was at least dry .... not the clear skies forecast, but drier than last night ...
Pam was off to a funeral for 10.45 ... and I decided it was time to have a 'discussion' with Ollie's trailer's tow bar


jack leg off first .... as it was welded across the raiser block for the tow eye...



followed a little while later by the block ....



not quite what I was expecting to see .. or how I'd have done it .... and a PITA to get off



but it's off and cleaned up ready for the next phase





Have a suss on the next stage too

[v8druid]

phase two ......


Genny started first flick








forgot a pic of the next bit ... but can see the result .....





same both sides turned around in't saw ....


genny started the second time ... first flick


after I'd set up the plasma ready for some exercise ....





forgotten just how nice a tool the old plasma was ... ate this





had to use the saw for the two vertical cuts as i had no guaranteed idea of where the eye tail was -- whether it was a long un or a short un ... available in two lengths usually ..... t'was a long un .... but just cleared it . ...





not the most impressive of installations and improved on it a bit with some extra weld, here and there ...





re-used the tapered end inverted





then it was time to have a suss





looked ok, so back to the bench





and nailed that taper on, on the bench ....... 'fore transferring it all to the back of the patch





had intended to just stitch it on and make it mobile enough to shift about, but way too windy for yon MIG today, so got carried away with the Caddy and it ain't coming off .... still want some MIG time with it, to just tidy up some of the verticals ..... hell of a gap in them in places for a stick job , do the overhead, underneath it and attach some re-enforcing plates, either side and underneath, when I get 'em cut.





job for another day .... BIL's dad's funeral tomorrow ..... but at least it's easily moved about now and could do with having it a bit further in the air for comfort's sake and an easier job underneath it ........ getting too old to be lying on the deck under that ... back's in half this evening, as it is, down there with it this afternoon




now have a 52" length, to eye centre, too .... tow bars need to be half the towing vehicle width plus a couple of inches ..... 'Drema's 100" overall inc. the leg feet .. no chance of catching a corner on a severe lock !!

[v8druid]

one to make you all 'smile' ....
this makes it one all, 'tween me and the missus ...


some may recall ... I took us to the wrong hospital last year - honest mistake .. paperwork came from me usual clinic..MRI suite was in a different place, t'other side of Cardiff


so ..... left here in good time Wed.s for said funeral .... Pam's organised what / where / when ... times, etc.


we get to the Crematorium half an hour before the stated time of 1.15 .... looks a tad quiet??
I park and have a wander over to the 'You are here' board / map and buggered if I can see 'Calfaria Chapel' on it???
walking back I notice on a lamp post, a notice stating the batting order for the day ..... our 'team' is scheduled for 2.15 ?????


"check that text from yer sister Pam" says I, as I get back in't car ...... "there's no Calfaria chapel here and that notice over there says 2.15 "


She hadn't noticed the "1.15 " between the words "chapel " and "crematorium 2.15" ...... fook ...
we're in Merffa (Merthyr)... a place we do not know and only go to once in a blue moon, with no idea WTF this chapel is ?????
Her sister and BIL will both have their phones turned off by now ... ditto Pam's neice !!


"OK ...head back to Anne's place and we'll ask " that was the easy bit ... get back to Cefn Coed and dive in a shop .. never heard of said chapel !!
"where did Gareth's parents live Pam ? "
" er heel summat "
"Heol Gerrig by any chance? "
" that sounds familiar "


'S maybe 15 years since I last had to navigate Merffa .. 's a big-ish place and has changed massively ... grabbed a posty for some directions ..
he lost me after the fifth mini roundabout, but it must've sunk in, 'cos ten minutes later we're heading into what used to be Heol Gerrig village on t'other side of the valley from where we'd just come ....
grabbed another posty for more directions ... 'nother half a mile ... straight up the significant hill we're on
... 's gonna be up in the clouds at this rate !!!


Anyway .. we get there, park and leg it down to Calfaria Chapel about 30 seconds 'fore the cortege arrives and dash inside


I never knew her BIL was a welsh speaker ..... nor did Pam !!
90% of the service was conducted in Taff, (Welsh) all bar one hymn ... so stood/sat there like a dummy for 50 minutes, watching the clock thinking, ...


'this is gonna be a bloody fast trip to the Crem.!!!!! '


It was for us ... we just tagged on to the back end of a line of cars .... heading in the opposite direction we'd arrived from (and the hearse was pointing) ...
" don't 'spose they're all going home do you ? " ....
"not unless they all live in the same place Pam " .....


after a ten minute, semi-guided tour of the back streets, we emerged exactly where I thought we'd end up and I was away, heading for yon Crem. .......
Cortege was well late .. but he had a damned good send off ... must've been 250 folks there ...... bloody good job they'd not all come to the 'Chapel'


Finding the wake venue was a.n.other story ........... but no time constraints on that one ....
I got us there though ... all in all was a bloody loooooooong day ...
didn't get home 'til damned near 8 in the evening

[v8druid]

well me thread in the CEF survived me tripping the Millionth view last night .... was concerned it'd blow a gasket - going to seven digits ... everything else there seems shot to sh*t ... and it's gone and notched up another 800 plus hits since last night ... amazed it keeps on getting the hits




forgot to add this to the post about the funeral last Wednesday ...... some pretty impressive parking NOT !!





I'd guess their arrival at the crem. was 'urgent'??


don't you just love folks who need two spaces for their wide track A3s






Friday night's rain and most of Saturday's here, as in most other parts of the country, was 'biblical', but missing the frogs!!


Been here 9 years and aside from one 20 minute monsoon deluge in 2012, have not seen so much water standing, with the drains struggling to handle it all, at the speed it was coming down !!


this is about two hours after it'd stopped persisting down late Saturday ...








unreal !! pushing 7-8" at the very back end where me burning drum is when I went out checking things earlier in the day


was draining quietly ... as this'd gone down about 1 - 2" since it'd stopped ..


the following morning it'd all percolated away .....




more planings required to crown this off to the edges





yon black tank had floated out from it's parking spot, to up against the 'Drema ... 'bout 3 feet !!


turned into a reasonable day, but chilly with it ....... so much so that by 23.00 it was this cold ........








first frost of the oncoming winter ..... and was bloody white, everywhere, by 1 a.m., when I went to bed




the cats get worse ...... LOL .... trying to use my desk, early evening is hard work !!



only way to stop Sparty from lying on the keyboard was give him something more 'atttractive' to lie his old bones on ... squeak's well enough padded to stretch out anywhere

[v8druid]

so ...... two weeks ago this appeared next door ....
blocking our right of way from my old drive-way ...





they've had planning to replace that old building on the right for maybe 3 years .....
the white wall forms a boundary and is subject to the terms and provisions of the Party Wall Act, but does not straddle the boundary line....
all on their side of it.
a week ago the building disappeared ...





... sort of ..... got flat packed
bearing in mind that, as said, this is subject to all the terms of the Party Wall Act, AND it retains my old drive ...


I'd had no notice this was happening ...
minimum 2 months written required, to be accompanied by plans, RAMS, schedule of works, etc., etc.,etc., ...
with a follow up written request for reasonable access two weeks before start date and could then only be commenced, assuming I had no objections,
otherwise a 'dispute procedure' swings into place and everything stops.


I was not a happy bunny ...
this is the numpty neighbour, who's tirade at Pam pissed us off 18 months ago and we've had ZERO contact with since, let alone any notifications, or requests necessary to comply with the PWA !!
He's just barged on regardless


Come back from town a couple of days later and my ****ing gate and R/h pillar has vanished into a n other skip and the builders are busy digging the side of my driveway out .....
Unhappy bunny does not come close .....


I had polite 'words' with the builder, who calmly tells me that he'd been told by Numpty that everything was fine and it had all been cleared with me




doing it was bad enough...lying to the ****ing builders was several steps beyond ...
I was now within a gnats bollock of injunction time and shutting it down for 3 months.


I know the builder lads, who're a decent bunch and they're now not happy with all aspects of the situation ...
particularly the prospect of no further work for several weeks to sort it. I am ****in' LIVID !!


Numpty won't even show his face out the house ... knows damned well he has fkd up .. BIG time !!


It's end of day, getting dark and I tell Wayne (the builder),we'll sort this in the morning ...
after I've calmed down / de-stressed a bit ....


Wayne was left in no doubt he'd been lied to by Numpty, after he'd had the Party Wall Act's provisions and terms explained to him and went off home to have a read up.


I like to think that I'm a reasonable man and had chilled a bit by the morning ...
Wayne and I had a calm discussion about what had gone down and that the thing that ANNOYED ME MOST was the fact he'd been told bare faced lies and put in the position he was in ....


Numpty scuttled off and hid as soon as I appeared .....
which was probably for the best .....
one wrong word and it'd have been all stop ...
arrogant bully that he is ... can't have a reasoned discussion with idiots like that.


Anyway .... having dug out my bloody driveway ...





there's no way it'll go back without summat holding it .....


clear demarcations were set as to build lines, boundaries, etc. and EXACTLY where the new wall is going to go, where faces are and where my ****ing gate pillar needs to be put, to replace the bugger they knocked down.


Asked him to fence off the drop to stop the kids or the cats taking a nose dive ...
and to make sure we were both on the same song sheet from now on, before doing anything affecting me or my property ..


Wayne's fine ...... Numpty's still hiding ... I'm not going looking for the tw*t
... don't need the stress and it'll only end one way, when he kicks off ... on stop !!








I've conceded some footing on my side of the boundary, simply to get it back up ...
didn't have to ... but I want a retainer back up - quick, 'fore we get any more deluges ...
the red line is my boundary








Numpty has kept well out of sight for days .......
and left two sensible blokes - me and Wayne - sort out the shit he has caused
I've not finished with him ... by a long chalk ..... don't yer just love *ricks like this


you'll probably be able to recall, the lengths I have gone to to help these people, since they came here, with all sorts of issues, efforts, weeks of free machine time, repairs and help, etc.
I have bent over backwards to be a good neighbour ...
until 18 months ago when he well and truly shoved the bat up my arse, metaphorically speaking and all goodwill was withdrawn.
They're the sort who can see no other way than their way/opinion and in their eyes, can do no wrong.




... good neighbours can make or break a happy environment in which to live/work/etc. ...
We've just ignored them, as we're fortunate to not have to come into contact with them, if we so choose and gotten on with our lives ...
the other neighbours are lovely people and I feel for them, as they're in much closer proximity than us and have had their lives made a misery at times.
The man is an arrogant, aggressive bully .... who can now add lying bastard to his title.




I have been more than reasonable with this .. I doubt he has the intelligence to realise it, or the balls to admit his errors, to even try to make amends .....
it will take some doing after his behaviour of the last few weeks.


IMHDO he will maintain as low a profile as possible until the 'Sword of Damocles' is no longer looming overhead and then revert to type.


He knows full well he has absolutely contravened the PWA in every way possible, to say nothing of the criminal damage he has caused to my property and I could drop the axe/sword, at any point, if I choose to.


We shall see how it pans out ...... ATM I want something back in place to keep my drive way in situ .... Pronto !!


He has pissed off the wrong bloke this time .... and in a manner that has serious ramifications legally ....
Wayne the builder saved his bacon the other day, or he'd have been on the receiving end of a county court injunction by now and facing criminal damage charges !!


My solicitor is a barrister/QC, who just practices as a solicitor (easier life) and has never failed me in 35+ years

[AndrewMawson]

IMHO you need a solicitors letter slapped on him stating what he's done so even if you take no further steps against him it is all a matter of record.

Probably also well worth getting a signed statement from the builder recording that he'd been lied to, so you have documentary evidence for the future.

I know it's a pain, but a little paperwork now may save heartache down the road.

[AndrewMawson]

Is everything OK in Druid Central Graham, you've been very quiet recently !

[v8druid]

Is everything OK in Druid Central Graham, you've been very quiet recently !

Aye sorry Boyo .... need to update this ..... I'll drag summat together

[AndrewMawson]

I'd hate to think you've been slacking :)

[v8druid]

Is everything OK in Druid Central Graham, you've been very quiet recently !

all I wanted them to do is put things back as they were ... this idiot was trying to pinch a foot or so off the boundary line and straighten out a dog leg IMHDO ...
which wasn't happening .....


had he gone about things in a proper manner that might have been a different story .... with suitable incentives ... but not now


I deliberately didn't back fill this when we did all the water issues a while back, 'cos I knew the building would happen at some point





red line is the boundary edge .... all construction is to be his side of that line ...





could see some long faces coming up Monday morning as IMHDO they haven't dug wide enough his side ... and poured it Friday afternoon, when the 8 wheeler full of mix turned up ...... eventually


So .... My solicitor got briefed last Sunday, in anticipation of grief on the Monday morning. Minds were 'focused' at 08.00 Monday

...this was going one of three ways .... Compliance, .... "cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war", ... or ... he was going to have to buy the most expensive 12" strip/30 sq. ft. of property/ground in the area, with provisos, if he didn't want shutting down ....

amazing / impressive how the right phrases will 'focus' people's attention ..... all debate / argument ceased and correct lines were established ..to my satisfaction ...



took Clara to nursery, had my treatment for two hours and was just about to go back down for her lunchtime when Wayne was at my back door to ask if I'd like to come and check all was satisfactory ....

corner masonry installed and leveled by the end of the afternoon, checked again and Alun was 'stood down' .... for now.
Numpty has scuttled off out of sight on several occasions that day ... hopefully he fears for his safety .. he bloody well needs to ... amount of shit I've had this last week

more pix to follow .... bit dark for the corners that night

Quite why (other than the obvious reasons of idiocracy and Napolean syndrome) I had to suffer all this crap, beggars belief.
I have a memory like an elephant for certain things

they've been plodding on with it quietly this week and i put in an appearance every now and then ... at which point he scuttles off if he's about ... been a pretty mixed week for weather and Wayne's done well really, considering


on a much more enjoyable/pleasing note .... bought this Monday evening









'twas very cheap, 18" and Miller


But ..........


Not as sweet a buy as this













and yes I know it says 210 on it ...... but it's been inspected by one of my 'spies' and ain't as big as it first appears


Virtually unused ... as can be seen and just could not be passed up for the price
'S gonna frighten the bejeezus out of a lot around here
now HTF was I gonna smuggle these past Pam was the next question??


these're reasonable tack .... ones I've seen B4 for 210s have been a hell of a lot BIGGER !! Like 7ft tall !! ...... have a plan formulated to overcome the pins and ctrs. .. in fact have a few ideas. For the cost it'll be a well "handy grab" .. people'll have to be a bit more circumspect about WTF they park in future

[AndrewMawson]

Glad to hear that you've straightened the neighbour out. Now you need to decide how much compensation he owes for the stress and suffering that you've endured in the midst of your treatment due to his totally illegal actions. (The right to peaceful enjoyment of your property is a phrase that comes to mind)

(I presume that he is re-instating your gate pillars etc)

Just remind him while you're at it that he has to declare neighbour disputes when he sells :)

[v8druid]

it's a compact model .....





http://www.secbucket.com/hydraulic-grapple22.html

the real thing touched down about 11.00 wed.s morning





Roy and his good lady arrived at eleven that morning together with said goodies


this's never been in the ground ... laid about on it a bit maybe no crap/tish in any of the gaps/crevices around the teeef and not a witness mark anywhere to say it's not been on a pension all its life





sadly it's 65 mm pins ... and a tad too narrow in the cheeks ... but I have a cunning plan


as for this little beauty ..... 'sgonna look a lot less monstrous with them bloody great cheeks whittled down to a more sensible size to suit a 'Drema .... cheeks are almost as big as the jaws








Both are good as new and neither look to have done any 'battle' .. ever !! Legs/jaws're 4 footers and'd make a mess of anything that refused to shift

after we'd all had a cuppa and his good lady and Pam had buddied up like they'd known each other for years ...
we escaped from the kitchen and went an' dropped 'em on the floor off of Roy's trailer,
............... 'fore taking a placcy pig chassis by the throat and depositing that back on his trailer, for a flight back to sunny (so I was told it was, that morning) Devon ...
So Rory should've taken possession of it by now ... and Del'll have it parked in yet someone else's storage facility ..... Rory's got more space than me anyway
All this, just as it started to piss down ..... glad I fixed the screen wiper on the 'Drema a few weeks back ... generally try to avoid using it in the wet, as a rule ... involves getting damp otherwise ....
forgot to get a pic of the pig departing


So after I'd paid the man for my new toys and his delivery fees, they departed, after a final cuppa and natter ... for their 4 hr trip back ... did very well on time running up, fair play ... was surprised to see them so early, but did leave an hour earlier than I'd been told they would


Lovely people, who I hope we get to meet again


Having dumped said items where they'd landed, I re-located 'em to a spot a little more out the way, for now .... now that I had it pig free and wrapped up proceedings for the day .... as it was lashing down even harder





better pix and more info. when the big yeller fing puts in an appearance next
very glad I let Rory cajole me into these ....... SERIOUS bargains ..... but not as cheap as the Pocy 60, on 80% gear, the jammy sod found on Tuesday ....... bit easier to shift about though

[v8druid]

Glad to hear that you've straightened the neighbour out. Now you need to decide how much compensation he owes for the stress and suffering that you've endured in the midst of your treatment due to his totally illegal actions. (The right to peaceful enjoyment of your property is a phrase that comes to mind)

(I presume that he is re-instating your gate pillars etc)

Just remind him while you're at it that he has to declare neighbour disputes when he sells :)

I've already considered that one Andrew and will take immense pleasure in making it known

as for comp this pr*ck will think he's done f**k all wrong ..... but obviously knows he has by his constant scuttling off out of sight.
I haven't finished with him yet mate he's currently blocking my right of way .... across his forecourt which is a prosecute-able offence, not only by having dug up my bloody drive, but also parking a load of concrete blocks in front of me gate onto it.
It was our original drive and has never been extinguished ... on me deeds ... I've used it several times in the last few years .. and a lot before we had the misfortune of them buying next door ... I make sure it gets used occasionally but only needs one use in 20 years
'S gonna wind the fkr up in some order
the prospect already does ... he tries hard to make me rise, but I ignore it ... just to wind him even more.
replacing the gate post will be further confirmation of his knowledge of it ... he tries desperately to ignore it

Shortly before we 'fell out' back in March '18 cheeky *wat said to me one day .."things change - you'll get used to it" !! cuts both ways ....... wonder if he's starting to get used to it