Tuesday, April 8. 2008
It’s good to see that there have been some other posts to the LITFOD site. … and very nice to hear that the old traditions are being upheld by those remaining.
I may be at the end of my stay in Canada. I’m hoping that I can swing another job out here and stay on but with the need for a work visa I am not the most employable techie in Vancouver. The monkey movie is finished. Only a skeleton crew remain to finish of the odd bits of PR related work. As of the 25th of this month I become officially unemployed. If nothing comes up here in the next few weeks I will be back in the UK at the end of May or the beginning of June. I’m going to have a few weeks off here no matter what. Maybe I’ll even take a drive down to LA and see how Mr M is.
Part of me would be very sad to leave. I like living here. There’s no one thing about it. The Vancouver area is just a very nice place to live. I would happily move here on a permanent basis and will probably look at doing that in the future. I also seem to have acquired a missus and, well, I’d rather not have to split up. In short, I’m happy here and really don’t want to move thank you very much Immigration Canada. On the other had I do miss my own place and I miss people and places back home. So going home wouldn’t be so bad.
I replaced the gearbox in my car about six weeks after my post reporting that the car had died. That was a fun weekends’ work but surprisingly required not a single specialist tool. The workshop manual was as useless as ever. The manual I have for the Celica is by far the least accurate manual I have ever owned! One thing I have found owning an older Celica is that parts are like hens teeth in Canada and are there for seriously over priced compared with the USA or back in Europe. I eventually tracked down a secondhand box on Vancouver Island for a more reasonable $350.
The car has been great for the whole of the winter. It never once objected to the cold. Nor did it require the use of the silly engine heater thingy. I’ve found that driving on snow and ice is a riot, especially somewhere as hilly as BC. I made the trip out to Edmonton for New Year. Edmonton is cold and kind of boring but I had an invite for New Year and it would have been silly to turn it down. I drove there and back on slushy mountain roads but no need for chains. Some sections were a bit slippery with the ice but nothing too bad. The only time I needed chains at all was in Burnaby on supposedly gritted and salted urban roads. (There was a shed load of fresh snow). Chains turn the slippy slidey all season tire shod Celica into a little tank! Probably the best and most fun $60 for winter driving.
... Oh, and I think BAC is no more... but I need to check on that. I think they were merging with another club...
Tuesday, March 25. 2008
Ha-ha!!
I remembered to check the Litfod pages in the first time since goodness knows how long (even better, I managed to remember my login to post an entry). A belated happy New Year, Mr M and Mr R and thanks for the good wishes.
Cmdrs Maynard(s), Hoddinott, McLoughlin and Elmslie decided to toast their overseas chums in an escapade they thought you would be proud of on Good Friday.
Assembly commenced at Chez McLoughlin at 18:30 hours where some time was spent teaching the nippers there important Litfod ideologies, such as how to hit things with hammers and being generally impressed at their speed of growth. We then piled into Mr McLoughlin's capacious Hun-Wagon for a trip to JBs eatery for some nosh. My McLoughlin was admirably 'up' for stinking out his motor with the pong of grilled dogburger.
Horror was expressed and much shaking of heads was performed at the Tescos monstrosity sitting so arrogantly upon the place where the good commanders used to park up. Not ones to be depressed about progress and what used to be however, we sagely reflected that in another 20 years, we'd be parking up in our spaceships and moaning about the fact that this used to be a Tescos. An inflatable green alien was spied in a van which prompted some chuckles and then the happy five entered the infamous JBs.
In minutes all modernity was forgotten as we were whisked back into a different era - the menu was the same as ever (apart from the addition of the intriguing 'Jackpot Burger') This frivilous extra was ignored as the lads ordered what they knew and loved. Monster & Chilli burgers all-round! Big Nige added a couple of spring rolls to his 'larged' order and managed to wolf the lot down before everyone else.
The trip to The Beehive (TM) was very bouncy and made all the worse because Mr P had been let off the lead for the evening and was putting the motor through it's paces. Nige was co-pilot and sent a lot of 'data' to Mr H's phone where he and Mr E chuckled drunkenly at it whilst adopting the brace position every so often. It is worth noting that Mr H took everything Big Nige had to offer although he complained that it was 'too much' on a few occasions. A phrase Big Nige hears often no doubt. After many purile gags about taking a load, etc, etc the Beehive was reached and the evening flew by in the manner of the mighty Concord (quickly) A few orders of Coffee and Hot Chocolate were added to the drinks orders, as the commanders are now getting on in years. They toasted their fallen comrades and wondered where the camp chappy was who used to be a source of much amusement.
Bladders drained, at kicking out time, the lads performed the obligatory freewheel test down Holmbury Hill (it was noted that hun-wagon estates have serious initial rolling resistance and some help was required here) Hot and Cold flushes were also performed all the way back to Chertsey, much to the amusement of the entire company.
Classic photos to follow tomorrow, courtesy of Maynard Photography Inc.
Saturday, December 22. 2007
I doubt anyone even checks any more, but since I've long since lost track of what everyone's doing (with the exception of our esteemed Canadian correspondent) I have little choice but to use this board to communicate with the old-school.
I'm headed back to Blighty today for a Christmas visit, although I'll be staying down in deepest, darkest Devon so there will be little opportunity for catching up with any remaining TCN operatives who haven't yet scattered to the furthest corners of the Empire. I hope at least a token contingent will make the traditional pilgrimage to The Beehive on Christmas Eve, and will raise a glass to their absent comrades while perusing The Monacle and reminiscing about those great adventures of yesteryear.
Meanwhile I'm still forging ahead in the U S of A, not sure what will happen when my visa expires next summer but I'm hoping to stay on a little while yet. Unlike Mr James I've been too lazy to get around to acquiring a local driving license (an unthinkable situation to most Americans) since everything I need is within walking distance. Although I may get around to it next year. Perhaps. I also need to stick around until the dollar is worth more than 2 English Sterling Pennies or whatever it is at the moment, assuming it ever recovers, so that I don't return to British shores a pauper.
So may I wish all the TCN massive a jolly good Christmas and New Year, wherever you may be in the world. I suspect there may well be some miniature Maxs and Darrens running around these days, not to mention all sorts of other exciting developments so congratulations to anyone and everyone who deserves them.
Tuesday, September 4. 2007
It would seem that I am the only one left posting....
Anyway. The final weekend of summer has proven to be a little bit strange on a number of counts, and pretty much terminal for my car.
Over the course of the summer I fixed all the niggling issues with the old sh * t heap with the exception of the gearbox figuring that this was far too big job and that it should last out the summer and possibly, if I treat it right, the winter too. I even tackled the power steering which turned out to be nothing more than a split hose. Mind you, when the manual says "undo union at the pump" they don't mention that this is quite likely stuck from not moving for 20 years and that to get to the pump you have to make your arms contort into shapes that they were never intented to...
So everything is running sweet and I take the car up on the forest roads to explore and no problems what so ever. Get some hiking in... play at being a rally driver. All good fun.
Driving the highway home, after about two hours with the cruise control clicked on I need to down shift. The gearbox is stuck in 5th.
D'oh!
For the next 160km I have a 1 speed transmission. This isn't as bad as it sounds. The road is pretty fast and the traffic was light. The final 10km were the killer. I managed to make it through four sets of lights without having to stop before my luck ran out. It ran out big style. Not only were the lights red, they were up hill too! I crepts as slowly as possible hoping they'd go green before I got there but no such luck. A swift three lane swirve to the right and a horrible smell of burning clutch and I was stuck. Not a hope of getting the thing moving again - not in 5th anyway.
After a much needed "pit stop" I returned to the problem...
... linkage looks good... whatever was breaking on third must have finally given up and jammed up the forks. Much brute force followed, which succeeded in getting back and forth motion back, which should have given 5th + Reverse. but strangely ended up giving me 5th + Reverse at the same time (not much good unless total distruction was in order) and 4th but nothing lower.
Ever tried a hill start in 4th? It's a somewhat smelly affair after which the clutch is so worn that the car then does a great impression of an automatic. It did get me the last few km home. Although a detour through a supermarket carpark was the only way I could think of that would avoid any uphill traffic lights. And stopping at stop signs was, well, just not going to happen. "Give Way" always had much nicer sound to it, don't you think.
Sunday, May 20. 2007
As all my cars seem to be, it's actually an old car but it is new to me.
It's a 1986 Toyota Celica GTS and cost me $800 CDN...
It's not in too bad shape cosmetically but does have a small shopping list of things that I will or will not be fixing.
None of the tail lights / brake lights worked. (fixed)
The left indicator switch only works if you hold it down. (I can live with that)
The brakes are down to the backing (will pick up new pads tomorrow)
The rear silencer is shot (will order one on Tuesday when I'm back at work)
Third gear has no synchromesh anymore (can stay like that - will use another gear or just force the issue)
Something in the mass of pipes that is the power steering leaks when on full lock. (more investigation needed on this - may fill it with "stop leak" and hope for the best)
My budget for the car was $1000. Fixing the brakes and the exhaust wil only cost about $150. The power steering is a little more concerning. A replacement rack is $350! Please be a hose or an "O" ring.
Scrap yard worthy cars are in so much better condition back in England.
It came with a nice stereo though
Oh, and ICBC - The only insurance company in British Columbia - saw fit to sting me for $1700 for the privilege of driving this heap.
It was nice having no car bills for over a year... It couldn't last though.
Friday, May 11. 2007
It's been about 13 years since the last time I took a driving test and I have to say they're still not much fun. One hour of being watched like a hawk while you try and remember how you should drive and not drive like you do every other day of the year.
Anyway, I now have a nice shiny new Canadian drivers license. Now all I need is a car to go with it.
Sunday, April 8. 2007
I'm back in the UK this week after six months in Canada. This brings me to over one year not living in the UK. I miss some aspects of the UK but not all that much. I feel now that I could quite happily live in either country.
One thing that I really miss is the collection of strange vehicles that I have access to here. I am very tempted to get the Tomact out of the garage and see if will start. Maybe even take it out to anoy the neighbours.
Since I have been back I have already been to Norwich in a LDV van running on Sainsburys vegetable oil to collect a bright yellow Cadillac DeVille. Nothing beats driving a car that with each waft of exhaust fumes has you thinking "mmm burgers"!
This mornings strange cars were a Lada Niva (which refused to start so stayed where is was) and a GAZ 69. The GAZ is cool. We even had a Ferrari turn around in the road ahead of us just to get another look as this ancient communist rust pile. Brakes on this thing were only used for minor speed changes. Rapid deceleration required the use of the non synchromesh three speed gearbox and the turning circle on this thing is measured in miles rather than metres! All of this perfectly fine as the size and weight of this thing is just going to obliterate anything that happened to get in its way.
Photos to follow.
Update:
The Tomcat refused to start. Initially the starter motor would not engage but a bit of hammering and some grease freed that up. Then I forgot to reconnect the fuel tank and by the time I had recharged the battery and given it another go I had run out of time to do any further investigation. I suspect the fuel is not very fuel like anymore.
Friday, March 23. 2007
Seeing as how I've changed ISPs, I thought I should revamp my website about the Caterham.
The new one's here
Thursday, December 21. 2006
Festive Greetings to one and all
Monday, December 4. 2006
The classic 'Howard's Way' Series 1 and 2 have been released in a boxed set on Amazon, I notice.
Now I can watch in rapt attention once more as Ken Masters, Jack Rolfe et al live the coastal dream. Hoorah.
Monday, November 27. 2006
...that the humble octopus is the only living creature without a skeleton, capable of walking?
Wednesday, October 25. 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js61WW3Y7Zc
I'm so glad someone uploaded this.
Tuesday, October 24. 2006
I Spent a few days back in the good old united kingdom last week. It was good to be back in the UK, if only for a very brief time. The official purpose of the trip was my sisters wedding but I think I would have probably gone home at about this point anyway. It was time for a break and that may as well take me home.
I found Big Pete, the other half of TeamWWIS, is getting ready for this year's roadtrip to Banjul by collecting as many left hand drive cars as possible. I'm a little disappointed that I wont be able to take part this year. Work happens to the best of us I guess, Still, we are both up for the London Tashkent rally in 2008 if it is still going.
One crazy Idea we did come up with was to check out the possibility of driving from Canada to Argentina. It seems that people have done this trip in the past with one guy, Tim Cahill, managing the trip from Argentina to Alaska (all 15,000 miles of it) in 28 days. I'm going to have to buy the book to find out just how he did it.
Just need someone to push a road through the Darien Gap and we won't have to take to the water. Still, One ferry crossing wouldn't be so bad.
Saturday, October 21. 2006
I think I've had a mid-life crisis.
The Caterham is going because I have no interest in driving it any more. It's impractical, costs money and is dangerous to drive.
I'm thinking of getting rid of the boat too, but only on the grounds that it doesn't get used much and we have to pay to store it on the coast where it gets a yearly pummelling by the elements which are doing their best to reduce it to it's consitituent parts as rapidly as possible,
But most of all I hate my job and want to change it. I detest commuting most of all and would rather be an IT administrator than a consultant. I think that needs to be my next more I'm also toying with the idea of property development because it seems so unreal - an occupation that i enjoy? the idea seems so alien I'm convinced there must be a catch. And there is - the big wodge of capital needed to get the ball rolling. That and the fact that even a 150k property translates to a 1-bed apartment round here at the moment.. I need some inspiration in the form of a job I can do via the internet from home, there must be some business or service that people would happily pay for.
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