[Bob Williams]

That will change, Graham, because the necessity to change it has been gathering momentum for a while now. Research is being carried out that will inevitably bring a solution. That’s the way humanity has always progressed, since some oddball became an arsonist another oddball looked at sledges, compared the runners with the shape of a circle and invented the wheel. Progress. (Or, to put it another way, sh1t happens)

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Never used Avast, kicked out AVG years ago, got rid of Kaspersky weeks ago. I just use Windows Defender and Malwarebytes now. When Kaspersky told me that Mwb was in conflict with Kas, I knew what to do. Had both working together OK for about 4 years, then that came out of the blue. No more Kas for me, the only AV I use now is Defender and Mwb and they work together fine.

What’s more, they don’t hog system resources like Kaspersky. And they are cheaper! Defender built in, Mwb Premium is one price, then annual upgrade.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Cheers Ryan! Passed on.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Graham, this gives the best explanation of the real, technical reason for dual valve springs:

” Dual springs are a good option for performance engines with a heavy valvetrain. The two springs rub against each other and act as a damper. The second spring also acts as a safety measure. Broken springs can be found before they drop a valve into the engine. ”

Then there is this American publication, Summit Racing:   https://tinyurl.com/uyhgzhj

Triple springs, even. Scrolling down into the 5 ‘Other answers’ at the bottom of page, gives more interesting information.

Keith, I would be interested to know if you ever had pneumonia, and what you named it! Fact is, 58% of English is derived from French and Latin. 29% of that is French. 26% is from Germanic roots, 10% is Greek, The rest comes from other languages. All European languages, with the exception of Hungarian, are descended from one root, called Indo-European. What we Brits should be proud of, is that English is now the world’s language of business, spoken all over the world. That is what annoys the French! Listen to some TV programmes when other language speakers are interviewed in English. They all speak it with varying success. On the other hand, what we should be ashamed of, is that so few of us can travel abroad and speak another language, because the universality of English has  made us lazy.

French and words from other languages, were “creeping into” our speech, before there was a nation called England. The English, on becoming a nation, took all these roots and made of it a simple, gender-free language that anyone could learn.

Here endeth the lesson. Wake up at the back!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

My own hand problems seem to have faded away, just dry skin now with patches of rough.

On a more serious and sadder note, I just had a message from the wife of an old mate back in Notts: he is currently fighting for his life in hospital ICU. Looks like his brain cancer has returned. Puts things in perspective for me. That particular problem began for him after a head injury: some years ago, a heavy lamp fixture fell from the ceiling and hit his head at work. It took a few years for the first tumour to develop, but we thought he had beaten it. If I know Gee, he will be fighting as he always has done. Making it worse, his missus (also a friend for many years) lost her mum a few weeks ago. Her dad passed away when she was a teenager.

Sometimes you cannot put into words what you want to say to someone with such bloody awful luck.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Right on Les! Ducati desmos rule, mate!

Graham, the amount of money and research poured into F1 is enormous. The engineering brains and experience behind the top teams, is surely enough to know what they are doing. As a former motor engineer, I can understand the truth of Les’s comment:

” Valve springs are almost energy waste free, pneumatics must be very energy inefficient. Work done compressing a gas it HIGH, all wasted on exhaust expansion. ”

The metals and lubricants used to manufacture F1 working parts will be the latest, best specifications. The technology behind these companies is always cutting edge and they employ the best people, because they can afford to pay top money. Check this out:

https://tinyurl.com/sbt85do

They start with kids, they invest in future employees. They get the best.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Graham, you have the Mini story down, were you in the Trade? I lost count of the number of times I replaced a leaking Mini rod seal, where it enters the box. Eventually I tried just tapping another new seal on top of the old leaking one, with an old socket . I did this for free, providing the customer came back whenever she could, to let me check it. 2 years, 2 MOT’s and maybe 4 services* later, it was not leaking. I did that with every Mini we worked on after that. The only one which that did not work for, was an auto box. However, that customer was a widow who only had that car after starting to drive and passing her test at 71! She swapped it for an auto box Escort that I found for her, still driving that until 87, when she gave up.

I will always remember the Mini coming out: Summer 1959. I was on a school trip at Innsbruck, Austria and reading a full page advert in the Daily Express. “Austin 7” and “Morris Mini” iircc. A story all about Sir Alec Issigonis on the next page. Actually I preferred the Hillman Imp, but that’s another story, when I rallied a Chamois in later years as an amateur.

*That customer was a travelling sales rep for a UPVC company, drove many miles in that Mini, always had it serviced every 6,000 miles.

Les, no worries mate, I had to dredge my memory and unfortunately photos of my own Ducati were lost in Germany, along with photos and letters from my former family. Frau BitchMeister burned the lot. I should never had kept them anywhere but at my parents’, but you know how it goes: “Dad had one of these, kids!”

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

From Wiki:

” Diana
The first production Ducati 250 debuted at the Milan Fair in April 1961. It was called the Diana but for some unknown reason was renamed as Daytona in the UK. The 250 was so popular that in 1963 Ducati introduced the Diana Mark 3 Super Sport ”

I have only just come back online after CT and MRI scans and a rough time at hospital last night, didn’t get home until after 10 pm.

I actually gave no dates for when I bought the bike, just “before going to sea” which was 1962. It should have been a Daytona in the UK, but was badged as a Diana. That was due to buying it from a bloke in Oxford, who was the son of a wealthy family. He was told to get rid of it after he had it imported and it cost his parents a lot of money in (pre-Common Market) import duties. My big bro saw it in his bike mag and between us we bought it. I had it trained up to Nottingham and was supposed to wait for bro to come and pick me up, carry it home in his mate’s Bedford van. I passed him going the other way, riding with no tax or insurance and got the rowlocking of my life back home. Might have been the first one in the UK, I don’t know. All I know is that I loved that bike, like I said it was a lighter blue than the pic. It’s almost 60 years ago now, but riding it stays in my memory.

Some relevant Ducati stuff from the horse’s mouth ” è di fonte sicura ”

https://tinyurl.com/qoxusfr

Never was a biker after I sold the Ducati, began buying four wheels after that.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Result!😀

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Blimey Graham that was excessive by the law, a very expensive, very fine bike. Probably broke his heart: I remember when I wrecked my Ducati a few months before going to sea. Repaired very well by a mate with a bike shop using all Ducati parts, then  I joined the Merchant Navy, then pit, then Army, when I sold it at last. Was never homesick for home, just the bike, but never had another after my first car. One of the first Ducati 250’s in the UK and it blew the socks off big Brit bikes. Didn’t leak oil, either like Brit bikes. This is same model but mine was a lighter blue iirc. I loved that bike! “Diana Super Sport” in Asia and USA, “Mach1” in UK.

Nolan, we had a Suzuki car dealership here until about 4 years ago, between Louth and Grimsby. Suzuki gave it up over a weekend, all stock gone by the Monday. On Wednesday the same staff restarted the place with the ex-manager as the new owner. He bought back a lot of the used Suzuki’s and it always looks busy. My attention as an ex-workshop foreman is always drawn to the stock and there is always newer stock there, always “Sold” signs on cars. It has a thriving workshop, MOT station and the best drive-through carwash I have used: part drive-through, part jetwash, does full valets as well. I always use that just before I take back a Motability car at end of lease. It’s always well attended, think Suzuki shot themselves in the foot there.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

My missus and I are Humanists and believe in no organised religion. The Celebrant link is what we will have: already “booked” and a Burial Green sorted, not far from where we live. I am expressing my wish in the new Will to be buried in just a shroud, with a tree planted over me. It’s a beautiful, quiet meadow dedicated to just Green Burials, no headstones or other markers but all plots known to the Gate Security. I want to be recycled into the Earth via the bugs, beetles and worms. My Gert’s wish is cremation: ashes scattered to the wind at Sutton on Sea, Celebrant service. I promised not to burn her before she falls of her perch.😊

Our kids and grandbrats already know and agree with all this, which is something that we believe is necessary. I can see my Notts relatives (whoever comes) finding all that strange, but it’s not their business, should have visited us here in life, not seen one since 1999. They (and probably some neighbours) won’t like my choice of music:

“Games People Play” by Joe South –

https://youtu.be/5znh58WITU8

“The Last time” by the Stones –

“Run Through The Jungle” Creedence.

“If You Could read My Mind Love” by Gordon Lightfoot.

https://youtu.be/Ilybv2ZKOto

Those are my choices, they are at liberty to leave the building before I do!😉😇😁 I don’t want to be grieved over, I have had a great life (mostly) and I want celebration, not misery.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Everything about this election, its root causes and those who participate in its shoddy administration, is guesswork Dave.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Thanks for that Ed, sorted after some differences in Sony Xperia software. My phone Android is 8.0.1.

No, my missus is not tech savvy nowadays. However, after working as a PA to 3 managers and running a workstation with complex databases, she had a botched operation which cost the dexterity of her left hand and lost much of the use in her right hand. She worked Front of Desk in a furniture manufacturing environment, operated as a County Council sheltered workshop employing mainly disabled staff, some industrially injured including miners. That ended in 1999 and she did not want to touch a computer again until the last 3 years, when I coaxed her into the local library then bought her the Lenovo laptop she now uses. My Gert just uses the lappy for email, ancestry, shopping (of course!) and contacting family, she has no intention of doing anything more involved than that.

But I would certainly face a Third Degree, were any suspicions of my entering the Dark Side to surface!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Thanks from me too Les, I looked at that and may get some to try. (on my missus first!)

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Nolan, a vote for the candidate as a person, judged by your own opinion of their suitability to represent you, is the best way to vote IMHO. Voting for a candidate because of the political party they represent, is wrong in my view. I always vote for the person I think best represents the MP I want to represent me.

Too many people “have always voted ………. ” (insert Party name) -” and so did my dad/granddad/etc, etc….”

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Ed I recall working in the South during Army service and seeing plenty of snow in Hants, Wilts and Dorset. In 1965 IIRCC, from Middle Wallop we were flying Scout and Sioux Helicopters across snowbound farmland, dropping supplies to farmers and blowing snow away from stranded animals with the rotors. The AAC then was a poor relation, but we improvised our own ‘snowploughs’: Land Rovers with six foot tables strapped to the front bumpers, clearing the apron in front of the hangars, to allow take – offs. Pushing hay and other stuff out of freezing helicopter bays was an interesting test of morale!

I think that your Tory voter will still be determined to overcome the weather, and I don’t believe that they will all be Seniors either. I read that there has been a large increase in registered voters within the last week, and over a third of the number will be aged 18 to 25. The interesting question being, how many of those will venture out if there is bad weather on election day?

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Got all excited about that useful link Ryan! Unfortunately, nothing in my area, which doesn’t surprise me. Nearest are Nottingham, Sheffield and Hull. Had a good look at it and would very much like to see that here. The communication of results is a haphazard procedure here and is one of the things that our local GP’s are always complaining about. As my GP says, if they don’t get the information, they can’t transmit it to patients.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Yes, but should we vote for someone with such obvious Anger Management issues? –

A word from the Question Time Producers: –

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

EDIT to my last post:

Just had a call from Grimsby Hospital. CT scanner broken down, appointment moved from tomorrow at 11:00 to December 2nd at 18:30. Yes you read that right. 6:30 PM. I will be lucky to be home by midnight, as I also have X-rays a urine sample to give.

Might take my toolbox in case the bloody machine breaks down again.🙄🤓

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Bob Williams]

Couldn’t find any from my contacts Nolan, but there is some available from Amazon here:

https://tinyurl.com/uawu2mo

Any good?

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Author]

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