Saturday 23 May 2015

The Sicilian Defence for Tools


We share a drive with Hay's dad. He has the most annoying habit of taking his car out of his garage and then leaving it in his famous Sicilian Defence blocking position, which leaves me unable to get out.


I haven't the foggiest why he insists on doing it and it has become a popular joke within the 3 households of us, Hay's dad and her sister. When quizzed about it he says he has to go out, but it could be 6 hours later! It's a war of attrition. Going to leave a stinger across the drive...

Finished the trailer mudguards last night. Well, I say finished - I need a stronger pop rivet gun than the one I have.


So the trailer cost me £200 and the mudguards have cost me £10 for the drums. Then there was £30 for the sabre saw, £29 for the air shears, £79 for the compressor, £15 for the drill mounted nibbler (never used), £30 for the cordless drill, £40 for the angle grinder..... The strange thing is that I could have achieved everything with just the sabre saw - inexplicable - just as well I had bought one.

OK, not the prettiest mudguards this side of Suez, but it's the first time I've ever made anything from steel. Must have saved myself a fortune by using the old oil drums..... NOT. At least I have a near-full complement of tools - just a few more to get. Bending the flanges in a common or garden vice wasn't so easy - need a mini rolling mill.

People are increasingly complaining that politicians are nasty, stupid people. Looking at some of the nasty, stupid comments on newspaper articles posted on Facebook, it seems to me that politicians are simply becoming more like the people they represent, rather than a political elite.

Nicola Sturgeon is calling for Alistair Carmichael to resign following the leaking of a fake pre-election memo suggesting she wanted Cameron to remain as PM, calling it a blatant dirty trick. Aren't all words uttered by politicians during an election blatant dirty tricks?

Talking of stupid people - I was reading this story on Facebook about a guy in Texas who was told to take a US flag down from his apartment by the apartment manager because it offended Muslims. Now the overwhelming number of responses were from Rednecks not reading the story and telling Muslims where to stick it. The thing is that no Muslim actually complained - it was a stupid Texan apartment manager who told the guy it would offend Muslims. The Texan is entirely to blame, yet the Facebook Redneck lynching mob are all blaming Muslims. Shades of Kristallnacht.

Eurovision tonight! An object lesson in how Europe is fatally divided, if you ask me. Won't be watching it - it has become a kitsch circus.


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