Jon's Blog started 7th October 2007!

[M]

Mercy Sakes Alive, we got ourselves a convoy!

I have an old Amstrad CB radio you can use next time if you like

[jeremy]

Road workers seem to be getting a bit sensitive about being hit by passing traffic - so the convoy van could be to keep speeds down?

Driving it beats using a pneumatic drill or riding a petrol powered pogo stick type rammer doesn't it?

[docchevron]

They dont make them like they used to do they.
In my day men would arrive, dig a hole whilst smoking and drinking tea from a grubby metal cup, with nothing more than a couple of cones and a hard hat to protect them.
Ah, the good old days.

[jeremy]

Yes but in my youth they always had a coal fired brazier for warmth in winter and a canvas hut.

Haven't seen the brazier for years - so do they get cold?

[Way2go]

Haven't seen the brazier for years - so do they get cold?

There's no answer to that!

[mat_fenwick]

About a year ago we were passing a short stretch of roadworks the a single STOP/GO sign visible from both ends. The guy that was 'operating' the sign (i.e. twisting it 180 degrees every now and again) was sat on a chair, shirtless, and generally enjoying the sunny day. So I said to my mate "He must have the easiest job in the world", only to look in the rear view mirror to see that he had dropped the sign into the passing traffic!

Keep up the good work (and photos) with the valver Jon!

[Way2go]

That all makes good sense!

Initially company cars were good to have because all was found and you had a new car to run around in every 2 or 3 years. However to have a company car today you get taxed to the hilt (are the vans still exempt?) so when the sums are done it is probably much more economic to run a reliable second hand car of your own and claim a mileage allowance.

Strange isn't it in these days of recycling that getting longevity out of a car can be frowned upon?

[docchevron]

All makes good sense.
I find it very odd that in this age of global warming paranoia that we are encouraged all the time to have the latest telly, the latest bloody fridge which uses 3% less leccy, the latest this that and the other.
As is with cars, and I dont care what the government say, or how much the SMMT pay the government to say it. Buying a shiny new car that has low emissions and is therefore better for the longterm future of the planet is bollocks.

Who actually still believes this crap?
My TD left the factory in July 1989. It has in that time clocked up over 500,000 miles.
But it passes the emissions test so well that there's no reason it would fail if it was tested as a new car with particulate filters and all the rest of the rubbish they bolt on to cars now.
So, would I be better off buying a brand new car every three years or so given the amount of energy used to actually build the new car in the first place, or keep the BX going?

Propaganda is evil stuff, especially when touted by people that have vested interests....

Good blog Jon!

[MULLEY]

Got to agree with Doc, most of this eco stuff is total garbage. No one seems to have made any effort to tell anyone how much energy was required to produce said item, & that could be for either a car to the humble light bulb.

Ok, the newer products themselves emit less emmissions or use less energy, however, over the life cycle of the item from making it, to using it, to then finally chucking it, which was actually better, new or old???

[stuart_hedges]

I agree wholeheartedly with the spirit of this post, but I've just got to pull you up on this:

Then we have my work van which of course is just for work, and a bit of a mile eater. Though I give the van some grudging respect for its ability to munch on the miles, its superb dynamics, its economy and its aircon; that thing has no soul and you would never love it.

This just reminds me of what I said about my sheddy BX19RD when I first got it. It was faded, battered, slow and expedient; but once I'd done a few long trips in it, usually hauling cargo, I learned to respect it and even like it. It's for sale on this forum and altough I wouldn't have it back I reckon it's a good buy for someone. A year later, I had a similar experience with the ZX I bought from Smiffy; I expected to hate it and therefore I did, but I eventually discovered a fine-handling and not-uncomfortable car which managed the rare trick of being well-appointed and economical. I even preferred it without PAS...

[docchevron]

Ah yes, energy saving bloody light bulbs....
And how is rapidly becoming the worlds number 2 polluter?

Yep, the happy people that are equally happy to terrorise Tibet.

The whole world is an arse. Really it is.
Long live the revolution.
And may it be swift in destroying the human species. After I've snuffed it of course!
The of course there's the new policy of charging for Tesco's (or any other supermarket's) plastic bags. Cos that'll save the planet from the terror that is global warming, even though as such we dont even know global warming exists.
We are still in an ice age after all.
The earth was warmer 500 years ago, and we dont know anywhere near enough about the history of the earth to say with any certanty at all whether we are just in a rather pleasant interglacial epoch or whether we are destroying the planet by driving/flying/having leccy etc...

It's all crap.

[M]

We are still in an ice age after all.
The earth was warmer 500 years ago

So its the men who wore hoise that we have to blame for it being so fugging cold in the morning? Barstools.

Interesting fact number 0
England is old and small and they started out running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

[docchevron]

Thats very interesting indeed, and I did not know this!
Thats why I'm being microwaved when I snuff it.
Even if they get it wrong and I'm still alive when I get stuck in the casket, I sure as hell wont be after being incinerated!