October
2022
Where has October gone? Early on I was in Norfolk then later that week I was in Barnsley for an eightieth birthday travelling in the Burton on both occasions followed by the Hackney protest on the Kawasaki and Vee day At the Ace cafe that I attended on the Valiant.
The next week was filled with travelling to the Nehru Centre for performances by Gita and the concurrent exhibition of arts and crafts from all the states of North East India around Assam. During the week I did a cursory check of the Toyota and managed to dislocate my thumb dealing with an unrelated electrical connector I was trying to crimp up that didn’t crimp. The following week was MOT time with tests booked for the Toyota and Burton. The Toyota failed and required new front brake discs and pads that required a return to the garage on the Friday for the work to be done. That was Tuesday, Thursday it was Burton MOT at the station I use in Isleworth that has done all my 2CV MOTs for years and know my cars well. On checking the Burton over I found the brake lights not to be working. I was not able to fix it in time so had to cancel the MOT. I spent the Thursday fixing it by fitting a new wire as I could not locate the exact point of the problem in the harness. The Toyota was delivered to the garage on the Friday. We filled the garage time by walking around Feltham avoiding the showers and sampled the delights of the local Weatherspoons. I had a Ruddles best and a burger on offer for just four pounds. With deals like that it would be difficult to stay away. Gita was driving because my thumb was still very painful and got about a mile down the road we could smell something very hot and when we stopped in traffic there was smoke pluming up from the nearside front wing. It was the left front brake pads smoking and almost on fire. Needless to say we returned to the garage. It took some time to fix but most of that was waiting for replacement pads. The ones first fitted were faulty. Just my luck to have a faulty set of pads. It is a rule for me in that if things can go wrong they will go wrong. Have you ever heard of faulty brake pads? All fixed and nothing more to pay I went home with an MOT. Saturday we went to Bristol for my elder brothers’ birthday, Barry. For eighty years old he is still a good dancer supported during the evening by the Jive and Ballroom dance clubs and an excellent local band. While in Bristol I collected a little four stroke outboard engine that my other brother Adrian had and no longer needed. He thought there was a problem with it in that while being used it slowed and finally stopped. I would try to get it running again at some point. Back home and Monday was Dewali with a celebration meal cooked or really created by my Master Chef Gita for the family. Wednesday was the rescheduled MOT for the Burton. My thumb was feeling much better after it clicked back into place over the weekend. The Burton passed and is good for another year.
Over the next few
days I got the little engine running, found a set of 2CV brake callipers in the
loft of my garage cleaned them up ready for fitting, cleaned the rust off the
front pipe and silencer box and gave them a thick coat of black heat resistant
paint. When that was dry made two new hanger brackets from some galvanise
sheet. I don’t feel I have done much in October.
