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Post by mangocrazy on Nov 12, 2020 21:25:31 GMT 1
I retired at the end of July, after agonising over it for ages, but it's probably one of the best things I've ever done. Prior to that I'd been working a 3 day week (my choice) to prepare me for retirement and give me more time to do other stuff (bikes, mainly). Thankfully before the first lockdown I'd got all the major parts for mt 350LC restoration organised so lockdown didn't slow that down too much. The main problem was finding suppliers that were still open and trading.
The last 6 months of my working (?) life I was working from home and doing the square root of feck all. I spent most of my time chasing up bits for the LC resto, if I'm honest. The biggest annoyance was not being able to get out on the bikes when the weather was good. I'm sure everyone can relate to that.
And now Son of Lockdown/Lockdown 2.0 is with us. Up until yesterday I'd been out and about on the LC, running the refurbished motor in and generally having fun. Had I been stopped by a copper I'd have given the 'outdoors exercise' defence. But I wasn't, so that's cool. For the rest of lockdown I'll continue to restore the LC; get wheels dipped, stripped and vapour blasted then put them back to standard, decoke the exhausts and get them ceramic coated and tidy up all the little bits that get missed first time around. I'm also rebuilding a Lancia Beta 2000 engine, giving the Aprilia Falco a full service, building a wine rack in the cellar, building and configuring a Linux box as a media server and when I find time I need to replace the hot water cylinder as the b'stard has just started leaking.
I don't think I'm going to be bored...
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Post by steve h on Nov 12, 2020 21:39:38 GMT 1
Building a wine rack? Just need to find a job now then, so's you can fill it up!
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Post by mangocrazy on Nov 12, 2020 21:50:23 GMT 1
Building a wine rack? Just need to find a job now then, so's you can fill it up! I've turned my back on the world of paid work; I've absolutely had enough of it. And the wine to fill the wine rack is already sitting in cartons on a table in the cellar. We have another 'project' in the south of France, and with Brexit in mind I've been bringing van loads of good, honest, inexpensive wine back from the S of F for the last few years.
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Post by steve h on Nov 12, 2020 22:06:34 GMT 1
Brilliant!! My Mrs always stocks up when she is over there. A cousin once got some "cheap bargain" French wine, worked out less than a quid a bottle at the time... it was cheap for a reason... Waste of alcohol points. I always instruct the Mrs to include Sancerre and Pommeau de Normandie on to her shopping list. (And butter)
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Post by mangocrazy on Nov 12, 2020 23:10:08 GMT 1
I'm guessing you're a white wine kinda guy from the above. We're in the Languedoc, with months of hot summer sun, and red wine is the main game in town. But I had my eyes opened to no end of excellent white and rose wines from the region, as well. For around €4 a bottle you can pick up excellent wine of whichever pigment you prefer that would set you back at least twice as much in English pounds in the UK. Last time I was over I picked up a couple of 10 litre (red) BIBs (Bag in Box) for €17 apiece. That's roughly £1.50 a litre and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
My major worry is that post-Brexit we go back to the bad old days of paying UK duty on anything over 4 or 5 bottles of wine. That would make me very upset...
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Post by steve h on Nov 13, 2020 0:20:45 GMT 1
Equally fond of red Yes for around £5, you can get some 1st class wines, we usually keep it to under a tenner a bottle. I once offended a wine merchant at a UK show once when I told them "no.. I can get it for half of what you are selling it for" Gave me a look that could of stunned a cat at 50yds... I just smirked at him, he should not of picked on me to try and get a sale.. the big bullying tosspot... We often presume a region for a particular wine.. If we lived there we would know otherwise. And yes, it will go back to paying duty..so be it. I'll just get the Mrs to go on more holidays over there.
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Post by bernardo on Nov 13, 2020 13:55:48 GMT 1
Was going to work on my bikes but now I have to recover from heart surgery.
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Post by steve h on Nov 13, 2020 14:18:01 GMT 1
Take it easy and recover They will still be there when you're back up fit and well! It's a real pita with the dont lift anything for months ect..
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dane61
L plate rider.
Posts: 13
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Post by dane61 on Nov 13, 2020 17:10:47 GMT 1
On Danish lockdown and just been tested for covid19 because of exposure. Plan is to shange gearshifter gasket on my YPVS, find oil leak and fix it on my 92 Africa twin, same for my Dnepr 650 sidecar MC, and finaly repair ignition on my CX 500.
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Post by earthman on Nov 13, 2020 20:50:18 GMT 1
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Post by mangocrazy on Nov 13, 2020 23:26:42 GMT 1
Only motorcyclists understand that riding a motorcycle is exercise, both for the body and the mind. It's a physical and mental thing in a way that car drivers can never understand.
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Post by kernow on Nov 15, 2020 18:58:18 GMT 1
As in the last lockdown working for the MOD. My wife is a Care Worker so our working lives have remained the same, although a little scary. It has been very odd especially in the first lockdown with very little traffic on the roads. I use my (shh Bonneville) for the commute when the weather is reasonable as it was during the first lockdown. One day i was walking to the shop to get the papers for myself and elder neighbour and was stopped by a chap who lives close by "I noticed you have been out riding your bike", "yes that's correct, was it at 06:15 when i left for work or at 16:00 when arriving home" i replied and walked on. I came close to giving the dick a mouthful but what's the worth.
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Post by paulsx on Nov 23, 2020 17:43:25 GMT 1
Are you still moving Dave or are you backup and running? Paul
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