The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Drum brake self-adjusters are the work of Satan

Came home today to total hard drive failure on my laptop. Not spinning up at all, not recognised by BIOS and the poor machine trying to fall back on the non-existent network boot

Good job Sian hoovered today cos that meant we had a clean-room for me to whip the top off it. Platters were jammed until I shoved them round a bit with a screwdriver and it's fine now. Maybe time to clone it though.......

Phonecall on my mobile at 14:20hrs this afternoon.

Hospital: Hello, Mr. Roberts?

Me: Yes

Hospital: XXXXX XXX Hospital here

Me: Ok, hi.

Hospital: Are you still planning to attend for your procedure today?

Me: Procedure? Errm what procedure would that be then?

Hospital: Your L5 nerve block injections?

Me: Nerve block injections?

Hospital: Yes Mr. Roberts

Me: Errrrrrr, ummmmmm. I thought I had those on the 3rd April.

Hospital: No Mr. Roberts, they were booked in for today. Do you recall receiving some forms from us.

Me: Umm, no, well actually ummm, no, pretty sure I don't actually recall.

Hospital: We did send them out to you (confirmed address).

Me: Ah, really?

Hospital: Yes.

Me: Oh bugger, ummmm, okaaaaaaay.

Hospital: Is there any chance you could get down here in the next 15 minutes?

Me: Ummm, yessss, I would imagine so.

Hospital: So we'll see you in 15 minutes then.

Me: Absolutely.



Me: Fecccccckkkkkk!

So my day off today consisted of me lying on an x-ray table, have a large dose of Fentanil tranquiliser (rather pleasant if I am honest) and having thin but very long needles (looked like 5 or 6 inch long) injected into my sodding spine again.

It's 6am and I might actually get my work in this week. Some days (or rather nights) I love being bi-polar!

Points to Renault for last weeks Clio diesel for the real world 3.5 ltr/100km over 3 days of 90km/h max roads. Not an unpleasant drive though I didn't have it long enough for it to become boring. Points deducted for no visible means to turn the headlights off. Further points deducted for the steering wheel that is adjustable in rake but not reach.

Points also to Citroen for this weeks C4 diesel. Driving this week includes 300 km of motorway work already so little point comparing fuel consumption but it looks like turning out ok. No this weeks points go for the auto wipers and auto lights that have easy, visible mechanisms for turning the damned things off. Also the cruse control being of the dial-a-speed type rather than prod-and-hope gets an approving nod. But WTF is the 4th set of controls on the steering wheel for? The symbols give no clue at all.

The Citroen had 9km on it when collected, lowest I've driven bay far. Previous lowest was in 3 digits. Did I find the experience of wiping a large sum off the value in any way interesting, rewarding, exciting or tempting? Well, I was 250km up the road and bored rigid of the thing before I realised so no, not a bit.

Just seen my letter about my Grandparent Vauxhall Cresta has been published in this months Practical Classics

After 10 weeks commuting to Greenford daily followed by 2 weeks in Denmark I am ecstatic to be back at Brackell now with a mere 82 mile / hour 50 or so round trip each day.

I can even put up with being back at my old desk within earshot of the sales droids all day. Most of Bracknell is within earshot of a couple of 'em. The unending discussion of high brow topics such as how <insert bunch of overpaid pigskin chasers> got on, two hours daily moaning about Simon Cowell's few minutes of moaning on last nights feckwits-got-votes and the intricacies of changing wallpapers and screen savers will get me down in a few weeks.

But for now I shall rejoice in not having to go beyond J12 on the M25 any more

Working on Boris last night I put the welding torch down and promptly got bitten by a ferret. My hand hurts

[cross fingers]If this actually comes off, then all the apparently unappreciated nice things I've tried to do over the years must be coming home to roost at once!!!!!! [/cross fingers]

Something tells me Sabre are taking the mickey a bit.

been swinging 2 pair of 24" stilson all day fitting 2"gas pipe through school hall, cream crackered and forearms like popeye, same again tomorrow !!

On the Mini run, no mini
Pocket full of tokens to swap for parts down at Brighton

Want to bottle the sound of a Jaguar XKR-S, wow

My dolly has developed a rather nasty oil leak from the rear crank seal area...aww nuts!

Good Day ! Got an MOT on SWK
Bad day.! Clutch master cylinder suddenly failed: Had to get back the last 2 miles watching the traffic carefully, and judging the up 'n down changes.