belfastguzzi

So I believe – it just so happens that I caught some of the weather forecast, or... was it yesterday's or the day before or the day before that, or... no it was today right enough. More of the same tomorrow then? Even the mighty BBC were thwarted today. I noticed a few announcements on tv this morning saying that the expected Ceebebe's (I'm sure that's not how it's spelt, no idea) live broadcast to come from this part of Northern Ireland (as a special treat to this far-flung outpost of BBCLand) was cancelled, because of the wind. Ha ha ha ha ha. But then, the presenters were probably all softy southerners, shipped in from The City and possibly Kent. Ha ha ho ho I've got the iPod on shuffle, playing through the stereo. As I type this, what should come on but The Incredible String Band singing the Sweet Banks Of Italy. Grief, it's a conspiracy I tell you! The very words now are: The sun shines bright in France Yellow it shines on high Barbary O be my light of day Tarry not long on the banks of sweet Italy ..... Summer's gone with calm days Ungentle now is Biscay Bay...

I'm going to get rich and then commission JRT to build windmills all around the north and west coast. This great barrier will dissipate the constant gusts and slice the pouring rain into a fine mist that will rise in the sky again and then coalesce somewhere in the general area of Kent and Belgium.

Quite chilly! It bloomin' well lashed down! Sounded like 20,000 horsemen of the apocalypse riding over the roof. Black as sin. We had some snow in parts today. Tomorrow: "South and East getting away with some sunshine.." her words (just as I was thinking, the Southerners seem to be getting away... "a lot of dry and sunny weather across Kent" he says. "Across north and west the showers keep going relentlessly", he says. Oh really? No, surely the raging cloud can't again/still/currently/today/again/as usual be over [certain northerly areas] leaving [certain southerly areas] lovely and clear for the lovely sunshine to beam through in a lovely soft way. Quelle surprise!

The lethal metal blades you mention...well, they are pretty sharp. I was thinking of putting some rubber trim on them since I'm tired of picking up dead birds, the occasional cat and neighbor's finger. Perhaps if I just welded up the bearings? That might improve safety a bit, although I don't need to remind you that this is the USA, where the use of deadly force for protecting one's home is the kind of behavior (behaviour) that is actually encouraged. Ah, smart. (I knew it wasn't a windmill.) So it tracks around the perimeter of the house, at speed, snaring and slicing. Why don't you just get an angry dog?

10.20pm melbourne australia 21/10/11. And waiting for the start of the rugby world cup on sunday!! Go the All blacks!! Cheers guzzler. Which Sunday?! Can't you be more specific?! There are very, very, many Sundays you know.

I used to spend hours in the shed making bits for the bike etc, very satisfying time. I'm envious This site doesn't embed vimeo movies, so follow the link > here for something gorgeous. For iPhone / iPad:

She's a big animal person (oh! be generous in your interpretation of that careless juxtaposition of words). She's a Dr Dolittle dog and horse expert & writer.

What the heck you talkin' 'bout? I was raised in Texas....we *never* sell our barbeques. Oh: child included for scale sorry, I thought you said 'for sale' Anyhow, couldn't you have included a yard stick / metre rule? How are we meant to know what size the alleged child is? Plus, if it really is a so-called windmill (and it obviously isn't) why are you putting the alleged child in the way of danger – immediately under lethal metal blades on a structure that clearly isn't 'approved' in its fixing or its fitting? Plus why would you have an alleged windmill placed low between a building and the nearby untamed jungle that is impenetrable to gusty blow? There is more to this curious scene than meets the eye. Is it a radioactive x-ray machine?

Quite chilly! It bloomin' well lashed down! Sounded like 20,000 horsemen of the apocalypse riding over the roof. Black as sin. We had some snow in parts today. Tomorrow: "South and East getting away with some sunshine.." her words (just as I was thinking, the Southerners seem to be getting away... "a lot of dry and sunny weather across Kent" he says. "Across north and west the showers keep going relentlessly", he says.

erm, I can't find anything! But some stuff just comes to me. I think it's because I'm a V.11Forum Moderator and so have partial super-powers (and a computer).

Don't think I haven't thought about it! But sure they'll move to Korea or somewhere in a year or two: wherever is cheaper at that point and will pay more for them to come and be there.

...tools of an artist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjAPNx5BogU

STILL!!?? Now hang on there! Speak for yourself, dear chap. You're talking Essex, perhaps? While southerners bask in the soft and sheltered sun-spots of the Sceptered Isle, all is not fair and equal in these lands. Every time that I have seen a weather map on the evening news, since I posted above, it has shown the same consistent picture: fierce masses of stormy wetness blanket and pound the northern reaches, while 'down below', babies eat ice cream on the beaches. Northern Ireland, Western Scotland – there is permanent intonation of doom in the opening announcements of the far-distant BBC London Weather Presenters, before they slide contented into the balmy lap of the Home Counties and the sweltering metropolis. It seldom changes Essex Northern Ireland

Surely not? Game Of Thrones, seriously?? Is it... any good, really? I haven't watched it, but it's made here on my doorstep. I can't get many of the people who would normally work for me freelance, because they're all working on the Game Of Thrones production. Long, long days, but big, big money. There's no way of competing with the film industry rates. The local government here throws millions at HBO to have them here. The production is in the Painthall Studio, where there is a huge indoor soundstage. Tom Hanks and many other names have used it. The building was originally used for painting huge ship assemblies, when it was part of the Harland & Wolff shipyard. It's right beside the slipway where the Titanic was built. Surely yes! Bucky? Of course I thought of him in exactly the same moment that my mind turned to A. Knox. I'm sure the 2 of them would have been perfectly 'at home' with each other. Er, do you watch Sons Of Anarchy too?

On the same theme, there was a marvellous book that really affected me at the start of the eighties. It was by Melbourne born Alistair Knox, considered to be the originator of the Australian environmental building movement, which relied on the use of traditional materials (often recycled), largely unskilled workers and a minimum of machinery, factory-made components or expensive finishes. Alternative housing : building with the head, the heart and the hand / Alistair Knox "Knox, born in Melbourne, is regarded as the leading figure in the Australian environmental building movement both as a thinker and practitioner. Inspired by a visit in 1940 to the adobe buildings of Montsalvat, the artists' colony at Eltham, Victoria, he became a leading designer of mud-brick houses. His participatory building process and the alternative lifestyles of his artistic clients complemented the earth-building tradition of Eltham and the surrounding areas, which was to blossom in the late 1960s and 1970s." As well as conveying the importance of building with the heart and hands as well as the head, in writing, the book had lots of inspiring, heart-gladdening colour and b&w photos. I bought a couple of copies and gave them to friends. Money was tight and unfortunately I didn't buy a copy for myself. I have often thought back to this book. It's not available anymore (and I think that Knox died a couple of decades ago). If any of you Aussies ever come across it....

A number of years ago there was discussion of Melissa Piersons's PERFECT VEHICLE book. Amazon has alerted me to her current book, looking at being on the ride forever and ever... The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing: Long-distance Motorcycling's Endless Road Melissa H. Pierson I had mixed views of the Perfect Vehicle. Anyone read this new book? I'm sure it will be an interesting and worthwhile read. I have attached some text clippings, below. The book I'm looking forward to reading now is The Case for Working with Your Hands: Or Why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good Matthew Crawford It was originally published in the States with the title of Shop Class as Soul Craft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work Product Description It's time to rethink our attitudes to work. For too long we have convinced ourselves that the only jobs worth doing involve sitting at a desk. Generations of school-leavers head for university lacking the skills to fix or even understand the most basic technology. And yet many of us are not suited to office life, while skilled manual work provides one of the few and most rewarding paths to a secure living. Drawing on the work of our greatest thinkers, from Aristotle to Heidegger, from Karl Marx to Iris Murdoch, as well as on his own experiences as an electrician and motorcycle mechanic, Matthew Crawford's irreverent and inspiring manifesto will change the way you think about work forever. About the Author Matthew Crawford is a philosopher and mechanic. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from the University of Chicago and served as a postdoctoral fellow on its Committee on Social Thought. Currently a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, he also runs Shockoe Moto, an independent motorcycle repair shop. Maybe it's been discussed here before? I reckon it should chime very much with many of us here, connecting with a moto guzzisti ethos. ------------------------------------

You can find either fuel or water draining from these outlets. Rather than blocking them up, the issue is more normally that you need to unblock them. They can become blocked with muck or corrosion and need to be poked from time to time. The top end of these tubes, under the filler cap, also become blocked. The whole drain system benefits from a clean-out.

Ahh, that sounds good, Mr Monkey, apart from the busy everyday busy, busy business. It's been a weird old year for me too and it feels like something of a wet and windy one, with a very short summer window, even though we probably had a good amount of dry weather. The past weeks have been very wet with lashing rain and pervasive damp – and winter dark drawing in. Other parts of UK have boasted record sun & heat for this time of the year, but we, along with the Scottish highlands, always seem to cop the 'weather' in off the Atlantic.

Where/how did you find it? On Ebay in England. Collecting on Saturday. I bought mine (new) in England: they are very seldom for sale here, very rare. There was a burgundy one locally a couple of years ago.

I didn't see your Feb/March updates, but I've been wondering how the bike progressed. Good to see the photos. It's certainly a different bike now, from the original model. It must feel quite different to ride?

Where/how did you find it?

A windmill wot u made? Why have you included a child in the sale? I think there's a better chance of selling them separately. Or, throw the barbecue in with the windmill?

No the engine does not turn at all with the problem that I and others have experienced. Push the button and nothing at all happens. The solution seems to be to add a more direct wire, as explained on other forums. Although I still intend to I have not actually done this yet

The 750 Dorsoduro is quite big to start with. Originally 'they' (Aprillia press I think) said it was because the frame was designed and made so that later, a 1200 engine would also fit in. While that's substantially the case, in fact the 1200 Dorsoduro is bigger, with frame and geometry modifications. The 750 Aprilia also of course makes a lot more than Guzzi's 45HP.