No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I discovered a nice
length of white nylon cord attached, as a drawstring/handle affair, to a
plastic carrying thing. After un-threadelling it and using it to measure
said dog I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped,
on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

Si

Mungo two sheds Toadfoot wrote:
No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I discovered
a nice
length of white nylon cord attached, as a drawstring/handle affair,
to a
plastic carrying thing. After un-threadelling it and using it to
measure
said dog I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
looped,
on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool
drawer.

Si

While you're at it, tighten the lids on the solvents as well ;-)

On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...


--
Cheers,
Harvey

Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...

Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust, should the
need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this piece.

Si

StealthUK wrote:
Mungo two sheds Toadfoot wrote:
No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.



While you're at it, tighten the lids on the solvents as well ;-)

Wuh? S'matter? Lessavacuppateaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Si

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...
Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...

Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust, should
the need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this piece.

I was once glad of a bit of cornflake packet I just happened to have in my
pannier when my Norton Commando's rocker box gasket failed all over my
derriboot just as I reached Gretna Green ... I was alone, unfortunately
:-(

Jeremy

In article , ""Mungo \"two sheds\"
Toadfoot" " "Mungo \"two sheds\" Toadfoot"
says...
Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...

Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust, should the
need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this piece.

I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.

In article ,
"brugnospamsia" says...

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...
Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...

Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust, should
the need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this piece.

I was once glad of a bit of cornflake packet I just happened to have in my
pannier when my Norton Commando's rocker box gasket failed all over my
derriboot just as I reached Gretna Green

Cardboard drinks cartons make a good emergency gasket material.

This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

I would recommend it to anyone on this forum. Look it up on Amazon for a
synopsis 'cos I can't explain all the nuances of this story, suffice to say
it deals with the quest for - and question of 'quality' as a virtue
(amongst many other things).

Using a piece of budweiser can as a shim on a front fork mid journey is a
great example, especially when the writer's disgusted companion has this
solution applied to his brand new BMW tourer.

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.





"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
"brugnospamsia" says...

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...
Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
On 11 Feb 2005, Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot wrote

No.1: The appreciation of a good bit of string.

I had to measure the dog's chest for a harness today and I
discovered a nice length of white nylon cord attached, as a
drawstring/handle affair, to a plastic carrying thing. After
un-threadelling it and using it to measure said dog I now have a
lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly looped, on my desk
where it will stay until I place it lovingly into a tool drawer.

And then never find a use for it ('cause it's too good to use for a
mucky job). But we all know that's not really the point of keeping
stuff...

Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust,
should
the need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this piece.

I was once glad of a bit of cornflake packet I just happened to have in
my
pannier when my Norton Commando's rocker box gasket failed all over my
derriboot just as I reached Gretna Green

Cardboard drinks cartons make a good emergency gasket material.

Kevin Brady wrote:
This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

I would recommend it to anyone on this forum. Look it up on Amazon for a
synopsis 'cos I can't explain all the nuances of this story, suffice to say
it deals with the quest for - and question of 'quality' as a virtue
(amongst many other things).

Using a piece of budweiser can as a shim on a front fork mid journey is a
great example, especially when the writer's disgusted companion has this
solution applied to his brand new BMW tourer.

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.

I've got a well thumbed copy which I've tried to read al the way through
more than once... couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

Yeah, I know what you mean - the middle bit gets a bit sticky -But I'm just
looking at Amazon and thinking of buying a copy and reading it again though
now I'm in the middle of building a new Kitchen extension.

I only mentioned it because this thread seemed to be identifying why some
people 'DIY' - that is the satisfaction of knowing a job has been done well,
and 'properly', and not just bodged to earn some cash and get out quick.
Even an imaginative temporary fix can give a great deal of satisfaction and
needn't necessarily be a bodge.

"Old Bill" wrote in message
...
Kevin Brady wrote:
This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

I would recommend it to anyone on this forum. Look it up on Amazon for a
synopsis 'cos I can't explain all the nuances of this story, suffice to
say it deals with the quest for - and question of 'quality' as a virtue
(amongst many other things).

Using a piece of budweiser can as a shim on a front fork mid journey is a
great example, especially when the writer's disgusted companion has this
solution applied to his brand new BMW tourer.

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.

I've got a well thumbed copy which I've tried to read al the way through
more than once... couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

Kevin Brady wrote:
This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

Pirsig, ffs.

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.

Especially if you read it the way it was written.

So far as I know it's still an offence to read this book in California
without a substantial dose of recently-inhaled cannabinoids circulating
round your bloodstream ;-)

And there's *deep* irony in the idea of a 'synopsis' of ZATAOMM - it's
like, man, the journey *is* the destination; neither synopsis nor (God
preserve us) the Reader's Digest Condensed version could come anywhere
close to recreating the reading experience...

Stefek

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
| ... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
| looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
| into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.

Owain

In article ,
Rob Morley writes:
I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.

I keep a wire coat hanger somewhere in the car, and there's always
a pair of pliers too. The coat hanger got used to tie up the
(remaining) exhaust section just a few weeks ago when the back
box dropped off. Some years ago, I used one to make a new clip
to hold the handbrake cable in place when its clip dropped off
leaving the cable rubbing on the road, whilst on holiday of
course.

--
Andrew Gabriel

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Rob Morley writes:
I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.

I keep a wire coat hanger somewhere in the car, and there's always
a pair of pliers too. The coat hanger got used to tie up the
(remaining) exhaust section just a few weeks ago when the back
box dropped off. Some years ago, I used one to make a new clip
to hold the handbrake cable in place when its clip dropped off
leaving the cable rubbing on the road, whilst on holiday of
course.


.... or in my case when the throttle pedal of my 2CV detached itself just
outside Reading.
I used a variety of door /gate hinges over the years before I finally caved
in and bought a proper generic pedal and had it welded on properly ....

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Rob Morley writes:

I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.


I keep a wire coat hanger somewhere in the car, and there's always
a pair of pliers too. The coat hanger got used to tie up the
(remaining) exhaust section just a few weeks ago when the back
box dropped off. Some years ago, I used one to make a new clip
to hold the handbrake cable in place when its clip dropped off
leaving the cable rubbing on the road, whilst on holiday of
course.

Coat hanger? Bloody luxury!!

In Ladakh a while back some friends were travelling in a taxi - the
ubiquitous Austin Ambassador - when its throttle cable broke. The driver
fished around and brought the end of the cable in through a hole in the
dash and drove on, working the throttle with one hand whilst steering
with the other. The front seat passenger was given the job of changing gear.

"Kevin Brady" wrote in message
...
This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

I would recommend it to anyone on this forum. Look it up on Amazon for a
synopsis 'cos I can't explain all the nuances of this story, suffice to
say it deals with the quest for - and question of 'quality' as a virtue
(amongst many other things).

It was my life-changing book. Trouble is, I lent it to someone ...

Mary

"brugnospamsia" wrote in message
.uk...


I was once glad of a bit of cornflake packet I just happened to have in my
pannier when my Norton Commando's rocker box gasket failed all over my
derriboot just as I reached Gretna Green ... I was alone, unfortunately
:-(

Spouse cursed me for not using hairpins when the small end went on our
Thames mini-bus. Luckily we had a cargo of girls with us and one was able to
provide the temporary split pin.

Mary

Jeremy

Rob Morley wrote in
t:


Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust,
should the need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this
piece.

I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.

I've just put a mudflap on the back of my new bike, made out of an old
rubber mat clamped and
supported by bashed flat 22mm copper pipe.

This is because all bikes now are designed for cannabis smoking
Californians who don't go out in the rain, but sit around reading ZATAOMM.

(I read it years ago, and didn't get the point)

mike

Owain wrote:
"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.


Ah...another Fellow of the DIY. *Makes secret sign and offers bizarre
handshake*

Si

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...
Owain wrote:
"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.


Ah...another Fellow of the DIY. *Makes secret sign and offers bizarre
handshake*

.... which originated because of the need to shake hands very carefully with
bandaged fingers.

Colin Bignell

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 23:45:43 -0000, "Owain"
wrote:

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
| ... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
| looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
| into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.

lol

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

"Stefek Zaba" wrote in message
...
Kevin Brady wrote:
This all reminds me of a book I read a few years ago:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

Pirsig, ffs.

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.

Especially if you read it the way it was written.

So far as I know it's still an offence to read this book in California
without a substantial dose of recently-inhaled cannabinoids circulating
round your bloodstream ;-)

And there's *deep* irony in the idea of a 'synopsis' of ZATAOMM - it's
like, man, the journey *is* the destination; neither synopsis nor (God
preserve us) the Reader's Digest Condensed version could come anywhere
close to recreating the reading experience...

I've read this book over and over ... but skipped over the abstract
philosophy in the middle ;-)

There's loads of stuff in it relavent to DIY.

My favourite quote is :-

"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind."

(I wonder if there really /was/ an instruction booklet containing those
words ....)

Jeremy

In article , "John Stumbles"
says...
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Rob Morley writes:

I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.


I keep a wire coat hanger somewhere in the car, and there's always
a pair of pliers too. The coat hanger got used to tie up the
(remaining) exhaust section just a few weeks ago when the back
box dropped off. Some years ago, I used one to make a new clip
to hold the handbrake cable in place when its clip dropped off
leaving the cable rubbing on the road, whilst on holiday of
course.

Coat hanger? Bloody luxury!!

In Ladakh a while back some friends were travelling in a taxi - the
ubiquitous Austin Ambassador - when its throttle cable broke. The driver
fished around and brought the end of the cable in through a hole in the
dash and drove on, working the throttle with one hand whilst steering
with the other. The front seat passenger was given the job of changing gear.

When the clutch cable on my bike broke I converted it to a hand
clutch by fitting a Mole wrench to the actuating arm. I only needed
it for pulling away, as the rest of the time clutchless changes were
okay, so it worked until I got a new cable.

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Kevin Brady"
saying something like:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)


Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.

Yep. You'll realise that it's got buggerall to do with Zen and sodall to
do with bikes. A useful life lesson.
--

Dave

In message , mike ring
writes
Rob Morley wrote in
et:


Of course. I could keep it in the car to tie up a broken exhaust,
should the need arise, but that's a job for lesser string than this
piece.

I prefer copper or iron wire for that - string has a tendency to
burn/melt/fray.

I've just put a mudflap on the back of my new bike, made out of an old
rubber mat clamped and
supported by bashed flat 22mm copper pipe.

This is because

Yerra pikey

--
geoff

In message , "Mungo \"two sheds\"
Toadfoot" writes
Owain wrote:
"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.


Ah...another Fellow of the DIY. *Makes secret sign and offers bizarre
handshake*

A consequence of only having two fingers left on one hand

--
geoff

On 12 Feb 2005, raden wrote
mike ring writes

I've just put a mudflap on the back of my new bike, made out of
an old rubber mat clamped and supported by bashed flat 22mm
copper pipe.

This is because

Yerra pikey

Mikey the bikey pikey.

Cool.

--
Cheers,
Harvey

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Kevin Brady"
saying something like:


"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)


Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.


Yep. You'll realise that it's got buggerall to do with Zen and sodall to
do with bikes. A useful life lesson.

Which is pretty much what Pirsig says in the introduction!

In message , John Stumbles
writes
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Kevin Brady"
saying something like:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.
Yep. You'll realise that it's got buggerall to do with Zen and
sodall to
do with bikes. A useful life lesson.

Which is pretty much what Pirsig says in the introduction!

AH, but GC is a biker, and expected more

--
geoff

"Harvey Van Sickle" wrote
| This is because
| Yerra pikey
| Mikey the bikey pikey.

But is Mikey a tykey bikey pikey dressed in Nike?

Owain

Anna Kettle wrote:
On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 23:45:43 -0000, "Owain"
wrote:

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote
... I now have a lovely length of gleaming white cord, neatly
looped, on my desk where it will stay until I place it lovingly
into a tool drawer.

Where you will find the tape measure you were looking for originally.

lol


Oi! No wimmin!! There's secret blokey things being spoken of!

Lime plaster repairs?

Oh ok then, as you were.

Si

Harvey Van Sickle wrote in
:


Mikey the bikey pikey.

Cool.


Oh, wow, like, thanks, dude

mikey

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , John Stumbles
writes
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Kevin Brady"
saying something like:

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Thomas Purzig (sp?)

Read it. It'll change the way you see things for the better.
Yep. You'll realise that it's got buggerall to do with Zen and sodall
to
do with bikes. A useful life lesson.

Which is pretty much what Pirsig says in the introduction!

AH, but GC is a biker, and expected more

Then he should read the introduction!

When all else fails, read the instructions ...

Mary

--
geoff

"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...


Oi! No wimmin!! There's secret blokey things being spoken of!

Without wimmin you'd have to d-i-y, Si.

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Mungo "two sheds" Toadfoot" wrote in message
...


Oi! No wimmin!! There's secret blokey things being spoken of!

Without wimmin you'd have to d-i-y, Si.

Mary

But...oh right.

Si

John Stumbles wrote:

Coat hanger? Bloody luxury!!

In Ladakh a while back some friends were travelling in a taxi - the
ubiquitous Austin Ambassador - when its throttle cable broke. The
driver
fished around and brought the end of the cable in through a hole in
the
dash and drove on, working the throttle with one hand whilst steering

with the other. The front seat passenger was given the job of
changing gear.

You've definitely won the contest No-one will top that, I'd almost
stake my beloved circular saw on it.

NT

Mary Fisher wrote:
"brugnospamsia" wrote in message
.uk...

My favourite quote is :-

"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind."

(I wonder if there really /was/ an instruction booklet containing
those
words ....)

I'd like to think so :-)

It may be quite right too. Assembly of complex mechanism (by someone
not experienced) can indeed require great patience.

NT

wrote in message
ups.com...
Mary Fisher wrote:
"brugnospamsia" wrote in message
.uk...

My favourite quote is :-

"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind."

(I wonder if there really /was/ an instruction booklet containing
those
words ....)

I'd like to think so :-)

It may be quite right too. Assembly of complex mechanism (by someone
not experienced) can indeed require great patience.

? A bicycle isn't a complex mechanism ...

NT

NT wrote
| In Ladakh a while back some friends were travelling in a taxi -
| the ubiquitous Austin Ambassador - when its throttle cable broke.
| The driver fished around and brought the end of the cable in
| through a hole in the dash and drove on, working the throttle
| with one hand whilst steering with the other. The front seat
| passenger was given the job of changing gear.
| You've definitely won the contest No-one will top that, I'd almost
| stake my beloved circular saw on it.

My mother tells of the time, well before I was born, when my father whilst
driving said "hold this" and handed her the steering wheel which had come
off the column.

It's okay, you can keep the circular saw.

Owain