revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Redyed my hair - cos I'm going to a wedding in ten days and didn't want to look like a pink badger!!

Met a friend for coffee

Came home and made cake

Scary bit - I've just taken two online 'tests' that should enable me to do my bus/coach licence. BUT - they are the psycometric type tests - in French FFS!!!

So I've had to use some of the time allowed for translation, and this meant I missed two of the questions in the first test (one of them was counting boxes on a pallet FFS!) and I'm not remotely sure I got a couple of the 'mechanical' questions right (WTAF has working out which bridge is stronger got to do with taking a bus licence - surely it is a reasonable scenario that all the bridges I'm likely to drive on are ok and I have not seen anywhere on my routes that I'd have to choose between two on the same route ) and 'which block can you remove that will not cause the top plank to tip over' Seriously??

Then there was the actual psyco test - which of these statements best describes you. So put the four in order of most to least.


I'm fully expecting the tests to come back with - do not let this bird near a vehicle with passengers


Oh well

Dropped the Triumph Scrambler
Broke my glasses
Riding the old speed triple
Now waiting for an MRI scan …

Living the dream

Noggin wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 1:51 pm
the psycometric type tests - in French FFS!!!

The Spanish have a machine with two handles to test reactions, a car on a screen keeps veering towards the kerb and you're supposed to keep it between the lines. At least that's what I think it's like, I've never seen one. The day I went to do the test the link to Trafico (traffic police) was down so the machine wouldn't work, bloke says "don't worry, you'd pass it anyway". I failed the hearing test so he said I needed a big mirror in the car. There's a reason why the Spanish are such excellent drivers.

Have been swanning about in a brand new Audi A3. Quite like it, 3.5 (whatever that means, it's not litres!) TDi. It's quite perky, flappy paddles too.

(My car is in for service and MoT. Got the obligatory,
- we've spotted this on the brake system and your tyres are legal but a bit old. £670 for the brake thing and £700+ for the tyres...oh yes, I'm certainly going to buy tyres from a dealer - not).

Swearing at HMRC *

I "was" on self-assessment for 3 years, ending 21/22, filed and paid early each time, but closed my self-assessment account in May23, and received a confirmatory letter stating I didn't need to send any more filings, specifically including 22/23...



This morning I get a Statement showing all my payments (early, natch) from HRMC with an addendum demanding monies with menaces for failing to file a return for 22/23!


WTAF?



* not on the phone, good luck getting through their systems....

Mr Moofo wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:27 pm Dropped the Triumph Scrambler
Broke my glasses
Riding the old speed triple
Now waiting for an MRI scan …

Living the dream

Crasher!

Pirahna wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:28 pm

Noggin wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 1:51 pm
the psycometric type tests - in French FFS!!!

The Spanish have a machine with two handles to test reactions, a car on a screen keeps veering towards the kerb and you're supposed to keep it between the lines. At least that's what I think it's like, I've never seen one. The day I went to do the test the link to Trafico (traffic police) was down so the machine wouldn't work, bloke says "don't worry, you'd pass it anyway". I failed the hearing test so he said I needed a big mirror in the car. There's a reason why the Spanish are such excellent drivers.

I'm hoping that by the time I have to do stuff about the highway code and other stuff I'll have learnt enough of the right phrases to pass !!!

Drove back from Battle to home, end of Archdeaconry time away, an excellent time of quiet reflection and worship.

Had a "Why Easter" session in the church run by the local Pentecostal Church for my school years 5/6. Really excellent use of quiz games, challenges and a good talk by the pastor. Nice to have a good relationship with other churches in sharing faith.

Met up with someone walking the dog and our two hounds played together very nicely. They have met up a few times now and are enjoying themselves.

Had a meeting with a young lady who is being confirmed on Saturday, she is so looking forward to making the commitment in faith. I let her know that we only use non alcoholic sacramental wine, and as a recovering addict, she can receive in both kinds, so she is so very happy! So good that our pastoral decision to only use that sacramental wine is bearing fruit in faithfulness.

Fetched my wife, had dinner, going to bed soon, I have a very busy three weeks now. At least I love what I am doing!

My second favourite band was playing tonight in a bar I’ve only been to when they are there

They are a rockabilly three piece (proper double bass ) that i first saw a couple of years ago but I couldn’t dance cos of the broken knee That time, the lead singer/guitarist was I’ll and there was a stand in. He’s the lead in a rock band (think he’s quite well known locally!!) so some of the songs weren’t quite how I know them, but still blooming good

I’ve seen the bad a couple of times with the normal singer/guitarist and it’s a bit more pure rockabilly - which I love


But, no one else generally wants to go see rockabilly, so I steeled myself to go alone! As I was booping away, two friends did come in. Sadly they don’t dance (well one does a bit, but not to rockabilly! ) - at the sort of halfway point and as the bar was getting busier, the band changed to rock. Luckily really as my legs were dying - an hour and a half (maybe more) of bopping after no dancing in yonks was a shock to the system

Totally brilliant (and sober!!) night out. Think I might be late for coffee in the morning

Potter wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:32 am Big meeting this morning, the culmination of a lot of prep work and a very successful morning, so no complaints, but by crikey I don't half love coming home.
I got back home, went and stood on the patio and thought "I absolutely love this place".

There is something about 'home' that makes me feel like no other place on earth.
Mrs Potter is making us a couple of cheeseburgers for lunch and I couldn't be happier

which home ? UK or t'other ?

I've just booked the ferry for this years 3 week France & Belgium tour.

Put up the first 5m length of guttering on my cabin. Need to pick up a couple of bits tomorrow though as there will be a bit of a tweak to the 'design'. (Technical: I bodged a running outlet and an internal stop end together - 'cos that's what I'd got - to make a stop end outlet. I'll pick up a proper stop end outlet and a couple of rainwater diverters - to go into the water butts - tomorrow).

Now waiting for the call to collect my car/give them a kidney - or two.

I'm procrastinating.

I have to make a dress (going to a wedding in 9 days ) and had a pattern and some fabric. Finally dug both out of the box under the sofa only, not enough fabric for the plan (had put off laying it out cos of lack of space, so only realised yesterday )

Sooo - I have a plan. I've pinned the top to the bra I'm going to use as the base. But am seriously lacking in mojo to actually do sewing

I know I'm a last minute kinda person, but I do really need to find some mojo and get this done!! (And then a little jacket for my shoulders! LOL - or I might just take a pashmina! LOL)

Doesn't help that it's bastard raining again - I do so hate rain up here in winter

We live in a cul-de-sac that also happens to be unadopted. We're also easy walking disrtance to the train station, so it's common to find cars dumped in our road in the morning then disappear around 5 or 6 o'clock.

Today some fuckwit parked so badly that he/she/it all but closed the entrance to the road off. So I did this.

Drove the F350 back from Phoenix (actually about 30 miles East of Phoenix)

Started off a bit slow (75ish), but by the time I'd put 100 miles on it with the snake oil* mixed in the tanks it was humming along at a comfortable 90

* Hot Shots Diesel Extreme. This shit actually works.. & has the added advantage of smelling like I'm running it on rocket fuel.


https://www.hotshotsecret.com/diesel-extreme/

1500 quid for a week's labour ain't mad, in any context, is it?

When I got men in to paint the inside of my house I was astonished a) how quick they lay paint down and b) how much better it looked than anything I could have done.

Potter wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2024 4:53 am So that's £1,500 a week for a painter and decorator.

£70k a year, if they work 52 weeks

Wouldn't get out of bed for that.............would you Mr P?

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2024 6:40 am 1500 quid for a week's labour ain't mad, in any context, is it?

When I got men in to paint the inside of my house I was astonished a) how quick they lay paint down and b) how much better it looked than anything I could have done.

I got 2 chaps in to paint the outside of the cabin recently. Most of the work was in the prep. Sanded the whole thing because it was stained previously (by me) rather than painted. Treating knots and cracks with 2 part epoxy etc etc. They brush and rollered the primer coat, masked everything and spray painted the final coat. £1200 inc materials (no VAT ). I roughed out they made about £25/hour each. (Took the best part of a week, dodging the weather, probably 2-3 full days otherwise).

Bloody good value for money*.

*Particularly compared with the bill for the car service/MoT yesterday.

If they're on £70k, is there VAT in that £4k?

(Then they have vans, fuel, kit, insurance and other stuff, winters probably tend to be slack. I doubt many end up with £70k 'in the bank').

72k turnover ain't the same as pocketing 72k as a salary though, is it?

Just like Count just said in fact

Also, a 72k salary generally only requires you to actually work 47 weeks of the year, plus you'd get another few faaahsand in pension contributions.

Plus you probably don't have to deal with the public

On the other hand, you do get to laugh at soft palmed nancies like me (and KFB) who can't DIY for shit.