What did you do today (2015)

Along one of the grass banks of the M25 I saw a yellow jacketed dude just standing and about 50 ft away a sort of go cart. Turned out to be a radio controlled mower. I guess it saves the safety cage and has lighter loading and generally can be used o steeper slopes instead of the gang with strimmers.

Probably the fastest thing on there!

Does that mean there is no longer three men sitting in yellow lorries reading newspapers while one man does all the work?

Edited By David Clark 1 on 13/11/2015 18:28:44

normally but just when I would have preferred to be at a standstill to examine it we were rocketing along at over 30. Probably get a speeding ticket.

It was 36C (98F) in the shed by lunchtime today, and 70 per cent humidity, so I'm inside doing a bit of armchair engineering. Got a big stack of old MEW's to work through. A C3 to set up in the air-conditioned spare bedroom is sounding better and better all the time.

Ha Tim

Thanks! They have recently built a link road near here - it is through a cutting and has very steep banks. I wondered how they would cut this - and now I know!

Norman

Well I cheered myself up by looking at a few old Model Engineers. Percival Marshall lamented the tribulations of editors when wrestling with whether or not Model Engineer had room for wider engineering stories in its pages - as a way of encouraging younger entrants to the hobby. I wish I had the wit to compose Ed's Bench like his Smoke RIngs:

Some seventy years ago an American writer, Will Carleton, produced a volume entitled “Farm Ballads," in which he included some very human and amusing verses relating to life on the prairies in the great wide West. In one of these – “The Editor’s Guests" - he describes some of the visitors who invade the editorial sanctum of a small town newspaper. A farmer brings in his youngest son and explains that the lad is no use on the farm -

"But he don’t take to nothing but victuals and he’ll never be much, I’m afraid,

So I thought it would be a good notion to larn him the editor’s trade."

The farmer proceeds to explain the reason for this suggestion,

" I used for to wonder at readin’, and where it was got up and how,

But ’tis most of it made by machinery, I can see it all plain enough now.

And since the whole trade has growed easy, ’twould, be easy enough, I’ve a whim, ‘

If you was agreed, to be makin’ an editor outen of ]im."

Then the editor explains some of the hundred and one things he has to know and do in his daily work.

"The farmer stood curiously listening while wonder his visage 0’erspread,

And he said, ‘]im, I guess, we’ll be goin’, he’s probably out of his head’ "

I read this poem many years ago, but it often comes into my mind, and I hope these few extracts may give you a smile.

They tried the rc mowers on the banks round Dover castle, now they use Herdwick sheep

The Herdwicks must be better. They have four "wheel" drive with independent power to each one, as well as universally adjustable cutters!

Howard

Sheep can't really be trusted on motorway verges though!

In todays 'latest posts' we have two new members introducing themselves. Why are the posts attributed to Jason?

Should I have started a new thread for this question I wonder?

Ian P

Sheep great with mint sauce

Bob

Even better with Lamb

Martin P

A lawn mower you can eat

He had to move them, its a quirk of the system

Neil

Ian as Neil says they should have been in their own thread rather than tagged onto the bottom of Neil's one. To be able to move a post to a new thread first I have to create one to get a thread number, I can then move the post to there and then delete the blank post that I have to make. If you look at the URL of this page you will see a six digit number - 103007 - that is the threads number.

As I create the thread the system still wants to attribute it to me. For those that are quick you may find the new thread with a post by me with just "." as the text due to the system not allowing a blank post and the "." is the quickest way round it

All in a days work for a Moderator. I also do it sometimes when a new question often by a new member is added to a very old post, a lot of people don't notice the date and start replying to the OP rather than the new question.

J

Edited By JasonB on 14/11/2015 20:13:04

.

... and you even carry the can for Nick_G' s posts

MichaelG.

Now the dark morning and nights are upon us I finally decided [ only after two winters ] to sort the lights out in the back of the Donald.

Never come across a Donald yet that has decent lights. Mine has one right in the back, above the rear doors with a 1/4 watt festoon bulb fitted. The fact they supply most vans now with side opening door seems to have evaded the modern day Mr Lucas or Monsieur Lucas in my case.

So get two strings of these Chinese LED light strips with the adhesive back and thread them thru the roof supports and stick them down.

Temporary wire up to existing light feed and test.

That's at half past dark tonight. Need to secure both ends of the strip with those self adhesive square pads and a cable tie and them fit two door switches care of a Seddon Atkinson and wire in.

Difference can be seen between these strips and the cab light which is on at this point.

Dead chuffed and now off to post in the Lathe design not keeping up post with the latest sage but probably should be in Bodgers Lodge so a warning for anyone of a sensitive disposition NOT to read it.