Tea? (Part 2)

[Night Train]

Night Train, once you have got the car (with the flat battery, started) how long do you need to run the engine to recharge the battery?

Depends on why it was flat to start with.

If the alternator is not charging then the battery will not charge up at all.
However, it is usually the battery that is old and at the end of its life. It will charge up after a few miles of driving but then won't hold that charge.

If it is a 'one off' event like leaving lights on over night with a good battery then the battery will charge quickly but may have been damaged due to being completely discharged. Not always a problem if it still has charge but just not enough to start with.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Night Train, once you have got the car (with the flat battery, started) how long do you need to run the engine to recharge the battery?

Unsure here - but a 30 mile brisk drive should certainly have it well sorted (no headlights or power hungry stuff running)

Just wondering how old the battery is. Could be time for a new one? If it goes flat again then it is!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Oh Speich - while you are out and about charging batteries perhaps I could remind you about that chocolate

 

[Speicher]

((((I think we might be in trouble when @wol logs on ))))))

Correct Rocky you are in trouble, which means no doughnuts will not be purchased on a Monday!

My internet connection decided to go wibbly wobbly.

Thank you all for your comments about flat batteries. It was not my flat battery that was the problem. My Mother's neighbour from two doors down, parks their car on my Mother's driveway (with her permission). This is not usually a problem. However, there seemed to be a problem when the RAC man was called out to fix the battery, and said the car would need to be on the drive, because it was illegal to do it on the road. I was surprised at this, and your comments about being in charge of the vehicle, and not leaving it unattended seem more relevant than not running an engine at the side of the road. The car would have been on the drive, so I am not sure how it became a problem. My Mother seemed to think it had been a big problem.

My brother visited my Mother last week, and he developed a cold the day after he saw her. I think I need to keep everything crossed that my frail 91 year old mother does not catch his cold.

 

[Speicher]

I may purchase a very small packet of dark chocolate suggestive biskits later, when I go out to the Bank. Yes, yes, my bank does sell biskits.

 

[coffeejo]

I may purchase a very small packet of dark chocolate suggestive biskits later, when I go out to the Bank. Yes, yes, my bank does sell biskits.

I has had pizza. And stollen slices. Why do I buy stollen every year, thinking I really should try it and then rememememember when I'm eating it that I get it every year but am not especially keen on it. Oh well, also have Ben & Jerry's.

 

[Speicher]

There is a new Polish shop here, selling a variety of more unusual edible items, like chocolate covered gingerbread biskits.

 

[Arch]

<Arch flops through door laden with bags>

Phew! I've been Christmas shopping...

Not quite got it all, still a couple of things to decide on . My main problem is whether Oli, who is 5, could actually enjoy a thing intended for an 8+. It seems that no matter how old he is, I see cool stuff for him but aimed at older kids....

Went straight on to Sainsburys for groceries, before I lost the will to live. I can has meatballs for my pasta sauce

Now having a restorative

 

[Speicher]

It can be very difficult choosing presents for children. If it is too easy, they will get bored, and if it is too difficult they will get frustrated. When is Oli's birthday? Could you get what you saw today for his birthday, when he will be 5 and three eighths (?), and something less advanced for Christmas. If you visit him near his birthday, could you help him with it if necessary. At Christmas I would guess that children can easily get too excited to concentrate for long on one item.

I am off to watch the Hairy Bikers and their Christmas recipes. Might take Leo with me. He has suddenly decided he likes to sleep on me, but it can be inconvenient at times.

 

[Arch]

I've asked advice over on YACF, and one person has replied so far and thinks it'll probably be ok, if he's supervised.

The thing is a space activity set, containing a little orrery, a star map and some fact cards - I'm sure he'll enjoy it, he's crazy about fact cards about dinosaurs and animals, even though he can't read them.

I'll pop back on my way home during the week, and get it.

 

[Night Train]

However, there seemed to be a problem when the RAC man was called out to fix the battery, and said the car would need to be on the drive, because it was illegal to do it on the road.

Should not have been an issue at all.

The RAC and AA don't jump start from their running van battery. They have a battery in the back of the van, that has a pair of leads attached, and that is taken to the member's vehicle to facilitate the start, regardless of where the vehicle is parked.

The only problem I can see would be if the driver of the vehicle wanted to leave the engine running unattended to charge the battery or warm up the car. In that case then it would have been illegal to start the vehicle on the public road.

 

[coffeejo]

Note for future reference: if the house seems horribly cold, it's probably because you've forgotten to switch the heating on.

 

[Arch]

Should not have been an issue at all.

The RAC and AA don't jump start from their running van battery. They have a battery in the back of the van, that has a pair of leads attached, and that is taken to the member's vehicle to facilitate the start, regardless of where the vehicle is parked.

The only problem I can see would be if the driver of the vehicle wanted to leave the engine running unattended to charge the battery or warm up the car. In that case then it would have been illegal to start the vehicle on the public road.

But the AA or RAC can't be responsible for the actions of clients after they fix their cars! Otherwise, I suspect about 50% of them would end up with proxy speeding tickets from people racing to make up time...

I'm tucked up in bed, having just eaten a huge chocolate coin, courtesy of NT's fridge fairy.

 

[Night Train]

Rather then stripping the woodchip paper off one of the walls in the box room I am converting I thought about overboarding with another layer of plaster board. However, the timber stud work was a both haphazard with none of the studs lining up with the joints in the existing boards, or the new ones. The studs were also quite wide apart with very few noggins. Bleeding '70's cowboy builders!

So, this afternoon I decided to remove the old boards and put more timber in the wall in the right places. The old boards came off so easily, I just put my fingers on one of the exposed edges and pulled. The boards just popped off.
There were hardly any fixings, nails were every 2' or so and, as the timbers were in the wrong place, none at the joints!

I have now got the first two boards on and almost doubled the amount of timber in the wall and have screws every 6" on every timber stud and noggin.

 

[coffeejo]

Also...have you started drinking that polish again?

I think I should sign off now.........