On Tuesday, 3 March 2020 17:08:05 UTC, T i m wrote:
On 02 Mar 2020 22:49:22 +0000 (GMT), Theo
wrote:
T i m wrote:
63 here with a 39 year old daughter so not sure if we are in the same
category.
I'm roughly the same age as your daughter, and a lot of that chimes.
;-)
I've been doing DIY (FSVO) since I was six.
reminds me of cosmic dancer by Marc Bolan.
Both daughter and I were naturally 'creative' when we were young. Give
either of us some Selotape, card or paper and we would make all sorts
of things. Same with Lego / Meccano etc.
you were bought lego and mecano, you didn't DIY your own.
The original lego was designed by an english toy maker.
Difference is I had nobody to teach me, so I've mostly learnt it myself.
That was mostly the same for me, for the things *I* wanted / needed to
do, but my Dad did at least (indirectly) show me how to use tools, by
watching him whilst helping him (no choice). ;-)
I had the same mainly when he was building sheds/averies to keep budgies in..
But whist the general tools thing was of use, he had little idea re
mechanics or electrics so I would do that round the family home.
My dad did the elecgtrics he didnlt understand what he was doing just followed
a DIY book on the 'rules' as he called it.
Where did I learn that. I don't know, but with no Internet in those
days it can only have been from an inquisitive mind and the
opportunity (house with back garden, tools, workshop, tolerant
parents) to experiment. I was 'left / trusted' to take things to
pieces as long as they were still working properly (or better) when I
was finished. ;-)
Noerdays people/families tend to have flats with communial gardens,
no sheds and lots of H&S restrictions and it was easier to ignore any
restrictions that were in place.
When I took the engine out of a Fiat 850 at 15 years old it was just
more of the basic things I had learned from cycles and other machines
and the good old HBOL. ;-)
We never had a car, my dad had a bike.
Being in Generation Rent rather hampers the DIY tendencies, but for a long
time I had an absentee landlord who never spent a penny and didn't care, so
I did it myself. The downside was it was never worth investing to do things
properly given you could always be kicked out at 2 months notice, or indeed
fined for changing things. So the DIY was usually minimalist stuff to
keep things going.
Daughter is in a similar position to you re what she can (or wants,
under the circumstances) in her rented flat. The landlords have
visited and are pleased with all she has done so far (and pay promptly
for any parts we use if we have to repair stuff (like I fitted a new
button panel to the washing machine the other day, because I could and
it was quicker and easier than getting him or the agent down).
Most aren't so lucky and have landlords that won't pay for anything
and some won;t repair anything and will evict those that complain.
We save him some money by fixing some stuff, he is more flexible /
generous re what we can do. ;-)
Having moved from 30-year-old to 10-year-old cars I don't do as much DIY as
I used to on that front, however it's always difficult when you're working
on the street and don't have anyone to help/tell you you've done it
right/make sure you aren't going to die.
I know what you mean Theo. ;-)
There was also more space on the road and your neirgbours were friends who'd lived in that area for years rather than a few months with a different culture
and ways.
So mostly avoid stuff on the
underneath (plus crawling around in the cold is no fun).
That was partly why we sold the (her) Mini and built the kitcar. ;-)
I rember thje days when kit cars were really popular, yuo could even build
a boat via the daily mirror.
So why don't people do this sort of thing anymore, purhaps there;s just too many
retrictions.
No one really triesd to build their own computer even from a kit.
Whilst I find that sort of diagnostics quite interesting (as I'm into
electronics and 'computers' as well etc), it's not quite the same as
getting your hands dirty, especially a successful engine related job.
Could you fix a modern car engine like you could have 40 years ago ?
Recently bought a house so lots to do in prospect, although not a lot of
free time to do it in 
I only bought our house 40 years ago so haven't finished it yet. ;-)
There arev still properties yuo can buy to do up, but they are still usualy very expensive and someone looking for their forst place is unlikely to have the money to buy it or get a mortgage.
That is why most of the latest developments are furnished 1 2 & 3 bed flats
and offered for as 'little as £150k part ownership.
You aren't really allowed to knock down a dividing wall in a block of flats
or do much DIY to the property without breaking the T&Cs and you have to pay
around £50 pcm or more for someone to change the lightbulbs in the corridors
and look after the comunial garden.
All this started long Coronavirus, Brexit or the discovery of global warming
so no of those can be blamed.
But some of us should have seen it coming.
Cheers, T i m