CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[MattBLancs]

I think they are just lazy typists Neil - the contraction saves 3 keystrokes (4 if you drop the ')

Oh yes, very much so me!!

Edit: but pendant too, hence the continued use of the apostrophe!

[CitroJim]

Edit: but pendant too, hence the continued use of the apostrophe!

[Armidillo]

I think they are just lazy typists Neil - the contraction saves 3 keystrokes (4 if you drop the ')

Oh yes, very much so me!!

Edit: but pendant too, hence the continued use of the apostrophe!

A pendant hey? I bet you swing both ways . Are you a swinging voter as well?

[CitroJim]

I think they are just lazy typists Neil - the contraction saves 3 keystrokes (4 if you drop the ')

Oh yes, very much so me!!

Edit: but pendant too, hence the continued use of the apostrophe!

A pendant hey? I bet you swing both ways . Are you a swinging voter as well?

[CitroJim]

Still very much under the weather and waking up more fatigued that I was before I went to bed despite a good nights' sleep Such is the 'joys' of ME No sign of any remission just yet although I'm coping reasonably well with it - got to really as it may go on for a while yet

This morning I felt particularly awful. I dragged myself to Junior parkrun and as usual, that did me a power of good and I left there a lot brighter, especially after being told something that made me very happy - the positive effects we have on our D of E volunteers and how much they enjoy and benefit from volunteering with us. This to me is absolutely magical and so very special... Cloud 9 stuff

Physically I'm now on the way to recovery; I can (slowly) walk again and sit down Still a fair way from being able to run and cycle though

This afternoon I took Bluebell out for a reasonably long joyride around our local country lanes. It was indeed a true joy

As she's outside for a bit and all this bright sunshine does her dash no good, precautions have been taken

Once the carport is up and Pix is rehomed, this will not be such a problem. It'll be nice and cool and shady in there...

Strawberry is in the garage and awaiting some work. Her cambelt is a bit tight for my liking and I want to check her valve clearances as well as giving her mechanical bits a very thorough check-over...

[bobins]

Still very much under the weather and waking up more fatigued that I was before I went to bed despite a good nights' sleep Such is the 'joys' of ME No sign of any remission just yet although I'm coping reasonably well with it - got to really as it may go on for a while yet

Very much what my Lyme disease can cause - I can wake up feeling like I've just (as in 5 minutes ago) completed the London Marathon* It's not a sense of tiredness as in - needing sleep - it's just an exhaustion.
I'm sure your ME diagnosis is on the money - but it is worth noting that it's common enough to have both false positive and false negative diagnosis for Lyme. The UK seems to lag behind a lot of other countries when it comes to testing for Lyme

*- not that I've ever done or am likely to do the London Marathon, but judging by the scenes on the telly, I think it can be quite exhausting

[CitroJim]

That sums it up perfectly Bobins...

Of all the marathons and ultra marathons I've run, never have I felt as exhausted as I do now, continuously. It's totally different to being tired, as you allude.

Mind you, having marshalled at mile 20 during this year's MK Marathon I can honestly say I have never seen so much pain and suffering in all my life!

I was tested for Lyme disease as part of the differential diagnosis process I went through over the course of a year or so. Basically, it means test for everything and if all draw a blank then all that's left is ME... Fundamentally I'm physically in tremendous health and very fit although that's stating to go whilst I'm unable to train at my usual intensity. Under such a regime your 'top' fitness falls away quite quickly but your 'base' fitness stays good for a long time. Your 'top' fitness can be quickly regained once training resumes.

[MattBLancs]

Sorry to hear what you: Jim, and Bobbins are both going through. Hope lots of doing the enjoyable things that have positive effects is on the cards for both of you

[bobins]

We'll be meeting up on Thursday so Jim and I'll be able to compare notes and ailments. It'll be a sort of Top Trumps version for the unwell

[mickthemaverick]

We'll be meeting up on Thursday so Jim and I'll be able to compare notes and ailments. It'll be a sort of Top Trumps version for the unwell

I'll bring a book!!

[myglaren]

We'll be meeting up on Thursday so Jim and I'll be able to compare notes and ailments. It'll be a sort of Top Trumps version for the unwell

I'll bring a book!!

50p on Jim

[CitroJim]

We'll be meeting up on Thursday so Jim and I'll be able to compare notes and ailments. It'll be a sort of Top Trumps version for the unwell

I'll bring a book!!

A gun might be more appropriate

[daviemck2006]

It's fibromyalgia that the medical profession has tagged me with, along with diabetes. It's very rara that I sleep more than three hours at a time, but usually have enough sleep that Iis considered proper. I just need to do the slightest thing that involves using energy then I'm in pain and suffering exhaustion, not sleepy tired, in fact some days I just feel the exhaustion for no reason at all. It has put paid to most of my playing with spanners. I replaced the burst flexi on the dispatch with a clamp on one, it took two days to do it. I still have a driveshaft to replace, i think I shall get someone else to do it. I was intending doing a self build camper conversion on it, but that may take until next summer to do because of my worsening health

[CitroJim]

Davie, I feel greatly for you ME and fibromyalgia have a lot in common so, apart from the pain, which fortunately I'm largely free of, sports injuries excepted, I know exactly what you're going through I'm not going to say 'hope it soon clears up and you'll all be OK soon' as we both know it won't. We're all in this for the long-haul I do trust you are finding a bit of happiness and joy in life despite all this and retain your positive outlook...

I've been able to do a bit of light stuff on Bluebell today and as its been seriously hot and sunny; a perfect day to do do a bit more on her rear window flange rust-proof and repaint.

First job was to drive (in Bluebell, naturally) to Halfrauds to get some paint. Now it's an age or so since I last set foot in Halfrauds but I was shocked. It's not the shop it was any more. It seems to be a boutique for modern car tat mainly, with the serious stuff poked into a dingy corner.

Still, I got my paint. A can of anti-rust zinc primer and some satin black top coat.

Now, I'm not the world's best at painting although I'm keen to try to learn and improve. Where I'd be painting today is more or less hidden so I could practice without much risk...

First job was to pull the rear window weather seal up off the flange:

Rust removal and killing had already been done using a phosphate-based treatment...

Masked up:

Primer:

Top coat:

It's OK, not perfect but will do for now... Not bad for a beginner...

I then squirted a load of Bilt Hamber rust protection wax into what bits of the weatherseal I could get to. I need to revisit this and do it properly - which means removing the window glass. I've not got the confidence to do that on my own.

I was keen to get this done as Bluebell is edging toward being my favoured daily driver in the summer... She's a fun little thing to hoon around in. Something Polly the Picasso definitely is not; not in the same way anyway!

So that Bluebell stands a good chance of living outdoors (albeit soon in a carport) without dissolving, I've ordered a load of underbody and box-section rustproofing stuff to treat her whilst we still have nice warm, dry weather.

Whilst I had the can of Bilt Hamber out, I gave Bluebell's fuel filler a bit of a re-treatment. This is a place were the AX can rust alarmingly and mine was a very surface rusty here when I first got her. She is all very structurally sound around her filler and it looks a lot better now that it did. Another application of the magic fluid didn't hurt though

Finally, for today, whilst I was waving a can of satin black about, I tried a bit on Strawberry's rear bumper... At some point, her bumpers were painted - incorrectly really as they should be natural self-coloured like Bluebell's.

Her rear bumper is a bit patchy so I did a little test spray to try and gauge what it would look like..

It looks OK but the black is too black. It really should be a very dark grey ideally.

A good, fun day of work playing with cars and massively enjoyed I also took advantage of the weather to wash my IKEA armchair covers. I do it once a year when the day is guaranteed to be very hot and sunny so the thick fabric can dry fully on the line outdoors...

[bobins]

So that Bluebell stands a good chance of living outdoors (albeit soon in a carport) without dissolving, I've ordered a load of underbody and box-section rustproofing stuff to treat her whilst we still have nice warm, dry weather.

I won about 8 litres of old fashioned Waxoyl on eBay the other week - all for under £7 My intention was to do all the bits under Helga the Merc with it, so I ventured under her at the weekend only to find her factory underbody sealant is in exceptionally good condition. I only used a yogurt pots worth of Waxoyl on some pipes and odd bits, so I've now got the remaining 8 litres looking for a project I've previously done the Hairdryer and the truck with Dinitrol so they don't need doing, the Land Rover was done decades ago with Waxoyl and it's still doing a sterling job - I might have to end up using it up on the Sportage