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Finally got around to agreeing to have the meters replaced. Both gas and electricity were over 20 years old so 10+ years overdue.....

Waited all afternoon on Monday - no show.

Rescheduled for this morning - British Gas installer arrived and got on with swapping the meters.

Electrical meter swapped first and left to establish communications while the gas meter was swapped.

Gas meter swapped. Waited. Waited a bit longer.

I now have two shiny new dumb meters 

To be fair, Auckland is a fair way for the British Gas installer to go between jobs.                                       

Fair point.

We have smart meters in Auckland - they 'just work'. Probably because they have a good mobile signal.

I am back in Cornwall for a while - trying to clear up the chaos caused by people we trusted. 

Each day I discover so many new things to piss me off that I have chosen not to share as I don't have the time

Managed to get the bonnet open

It has taken a week of periodically pulling the release lever and pushing/pulling on the bonnet.

Need to fit a good battery and see if it starts now.

What can possibly go wrong

New battery I ordered from Tayna yesterday (standard delivery) arrived today.

Need to get of my arse and fit it now.

Fitted the new battery yesterday - wouldn't start.

Gave the battery a good charge overnight, refitted it today and finally got it started - (for the first time in 5 years).

There is something not quite right with the starter motor. Cranking was slower than it should be and my helper said that they saw sparks and some magic smoke - almost as if the starter wasn't bolted tightly to the engine.  Something to investigate before the MOT.

Once the engine was running I had to shunt it back & forth a few times before the rear brakes would let go. Brake discs look surprisingly good but tomorrow I will get the wheels off and have a closer look.

Dropped the wheel off to see if it can be made round again.  He said he'd call me in a couple of hours, but he hasn't.  Not sure if thats a good or bad sign!

Bought a new tyre for mine today. Stupid Łucking sh!try roads. 

 This bastid weather!

There was a time that the fastest thing on 4 wheels you could buy was a Transit van. Now - the front of every queue round here is some twonk driving one at 45 in a NSL limit.

Maybe someone should invent a smart phone app
control your delivery vans speed while texting ,calling etc 

There was a time that the fastest thing on 4 wheels you could buy was a Transit van. Now - the front of every queue round here is some twonk driving one at 45 in a NSL limit.

Totesamazeballs

 Wonderment

Had to go over to my friends and find out why the engine fan was not working after I redid some of the bodged wiring on his hot rod, must have been one off the links onto links onto links I removed. New feed and it works, also had to find an ign feed to rev counter. Cant wait to do the job correctly with new fuse/relay box and bin the bad jumble of links.

Looks like Thursday is old farts driving day out, for effs sake 35 in a 60 on a clear road. Then the road ruiners have filled a layby with gravel to wreck some side roads (same ones they ruined last year by the look of it) and have temp traffic lights so they can load wagons. 20mph and loose gravel signs on the main road so of course the old farts are slowing down even though the side roads have not been tared.

Round these parts, it used to be everyone drove 15mph below the speed limit* so when all the limits got lowered to 50mph, everywhere was 35mph, with not too many overtaking opportunities.  Now its started to creep to 20mph under the limit, making overtaking potentially easier.


*Except when they get to 30mph villages, when they speed up.

And that's just the old farts on the mobility scooters, forgot to ask, did you find the retirement property you were looking for?