Result............

I like to think that I try to live my life right. I recycle, I do my bit for the less fortunate in society by coming to work every (nearly every) day & no matter what, I never ever covet my neighbours oxen (& he's got a fcuking nice one too). As a believer in karma & fate, I was waiting for my turn.

So with the above in mind, I'm happy to announce, to my band of 3 subscribed followers and various curious Facebook "friends" who clearly have little else to occupy their time, that:

THE GEARCHANGE IS FIXED. I CAN GET 1ST GEAR. I DO NOT HAVE TO MENTALLY PLAN EVERY JOURNEY AVOIDING TRAFFIC LIGHTS OR JUNCTIONS ON UPHILL SLOPES.

Enough of the hysterical reportage - after all, this was done last Thursday & I've only just got round to typing it up. Hardly Hold The Front Page.

Story is that Arthur went off for his MOT with some new little neoprene blocks that attach to the bottom of the gearlever. Some more research on Club 80-90 suggested this could be the thing to do so Paul at Minichanics (http://www.minichanics.co.uk/ for all your classic car repairs/maintainance) was tasked to fit them. MOT went well, probably better than expected, failing only on a non-working fog-light and a gay sounding horn that has been getting on my wick since I bought Arty last November. The old Arrugah sounding horn has been replaced by a straight-forward normal sounding horn that releases me into the world of road-rage once more. You can't really beep someone in traffic if you're embarrassed by the sound you make. Maybe that's the solution to road rage, camp sounding horns..........(mental note:  patent this along with replacing airbags with metal spikes to make people more careful drivers and foam rubber cars in dedicated lanes for drunk drivers only).

Anyway, Paul fitted the blocks but said they didn't make much difference. Whilst underneath, he noticed that part of the linkage at the back looked a little worn so stripped it & wrapped the shaft (oooh missus) with tape. The gearshift is now a thing of beauty, slipping like silk between gears (don't go overboard....). I can get 1st easily & everything else is better too. Paul said it might need re-taping every 6 months & to be honest I should probably get a replacement part but at the moment, I'm too giddy at NOT having to lash out £1k on having a gearbox fitted to do anything remotely practical. Besides, you can buy lots of gaffer tape for £1k.

What else?  I've been a little concerned with the harshness of the ride since lowering and the state of some of the bushes on the front suspension. They all passed the MOT but look tatty & near the end of their useful life so decided to invest in a set of Powerflex bushes. Will have the rollbar done first & stash the rest of another time. Will throw on a pair of uprated shocks too.

Have booked a North Wales break in August. 6 nights split between Aberdaron on the Llynn Peninsula and a place just north of Barmouth. £84 for 6 nights including hook-up can't be beaten if the sites are as good as the reviews. We'll see.........................

Not a lot to say really........

.........bus-wise. No trips other than an odd jaunt to Tesco just to stretch Arthurs legs. Looking forward to the MOT & summer hols. Trips to Grizedale, North Wales & the Dales in prospect but nothing is getting booked until I've got the new MOT in hand!

Might be some hope on the gearbox - a couple of other cheap things to try before the cheque book comes out big-stylee

See you soon