Tasmania
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What did you do today non-detailing related?
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Coatingsarecrack
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- Dec 9, 2018
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Doing some seasonal cooking today.
Cooking? Well, it's that time of the year to make tomato sauce. A large box of gorgeous red, ripe Roma tomatoes are being turned into home-made sauce from a recipe that spans several generations. It's actually been a few years since I've made it.
That is my grandmothers recipe book, something I treasure as it still smells like her kitchen. I grew up in that kitchen, helping her cook and eating her country cooking. Nan was never a gourmet cook, everything was roughly chopped and mess everywhere, but her saying "it'll eat all right" was always the truth. I especially loved her zucchini slice and vegetable soup served up for lunch nearly every Saturday during winter. Her apple pie was a stunner as well. When I got diabetes, she made it her mission to cook without sugar, sometimes with success, sometimes without............those rock cakes could break glass!
This was my grandmother on my mum's side, the same who mentored me during my early years in horticulture. I lost nan just as I entered adulthood, I would dearly love to have had her around as I grew out of that boyish stupidity we all have. It took me a very long time to come to terms with her loss, I keep thinking of things I'd want to ask her only to snap back to reality. It's one of the reasons why I continue making that tomato sauce because it takes me back to helping her make in her kitchen.
After saying all that, I most take after my grandmother on dad's side. She was always immaculately dressed and presented, always the pretty lady. And that particularness flowed through to just about everything, from her precisely made food to her spotlessly clean home where there was a place for everything and everything in its place. Sound familiar?My father used to play a game where he would move an ornament or two on a shelf, then wait to see how long before she noticed and moved it back into place. She only had one child, so my sister and I were her world. I lost her to cancer while I was only 11-years old, and again, it hit me hard and still does as I never got to know her as an adult.
I find it fascinating that a basic human need in the form of food brings with it memories of the past. It's one of the reasons why I love listening to the Table Manners podcast, which recounts people's memory of food and family.
https://www.tablemannerspodcast.com/
https://open.spotify.com/show/2SZX2oyIXVvyqEtjQ6C6z5
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcas...e/id1305228910
Still waiting for my bottle..
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Setec Astronomy
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- Aug 31, 2010
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Went for a ride to pick up a new tool, which to my surprise was not made in China, although the battery and charger were:
Along the way passed the shop of one of our members:
Along the way passed the shop of one of our members:
DFB
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Went for a ride to pick up a new tool, which to my surprise was not made in China, although the battery and charger were:
View attachment 138234
Along the way passed the shop of one of our members:
I've seen a few of those GTA 26's in action, surprisingly capable.
Setec Astronomy
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Believe it or not, I was watching one of those crazy "I mowed the lawn at an abandoned house and the neighbor called the police" videos on YouTube, and the guy had something in a holster that he was cutting things with, so after a while I figured out what it was. It was actually quite an ordeal buying it, you can only buy from a Stihl dealer; I ordered it through the Stihl site for pickup at a mower shop I drive past all the time, figuring that they had it or that they would get it.
Instead of getting an email from the dealer saying "your order is ready for pickup" I got one saying "we canceled your order, we don't have that in stock". This was endlessly frustrating, as I also wanted to get the holster, and I envisioned having to call up every dealer in NJ to find one that had both in stock, so instead I picked one that sounded like a big dealer and emailed them and they had both. There is a "ship-from-store" option but it was $28 so I opted to drive up there which was a bit of a trek.
In retrospect I guess I understand that Stihl is more of a professional product and relies on brick-and-mortar shops, and therefore doesn't want to undercut them with internet sales, but it was surprisingly difficult in the modern e-commerce era. The only shipping option is a "ship from store" option, which not all stores do, and that just seemed like it was asking for trouble from a mower shop. The place I bought from was an "arborist supply". Anyway, Stihl was having a spring sale of about $25% off plus a free extra battery, so I figured this might cure me from my usual biting off more than I can chew with trying to cut too big a branch with my loppers. Plus one hand on the branch, one hand on the tool seems more efficient and less getting hit in the head with a cut branch.
Wow, sorry, rambling, not enough coffee yet.
Big Dave
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- Jan 7, 2018
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I gave FJ's throttle body a clean today, I don't think this counts as detailing, so I put it in this thread. This is not something I'd normally do, but Faye Hadley did a video on Instagram showing how easy it is, not that I thought it was going to be difficult, so I thought I'd give it a go. Anyway, for the cost of $5.50, plus one MF wrecked, and 45 minutes of my time, job done. According to Google, the cost to get it done around here is from $75 - $150 depending wether you use a random mechanic or Toyota Service Centre, now that's a saving. Had fun on the test drive afterwards, got a bit too exuberant, as I pulled back into the garage, the idle was up around 1500rpm, so I went for a 10 minute drive around the neighbourhood at "normal" speed and revs, till it started idling normally again.
Tasmania
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Came out bloody awesome, The high revs did the throttle body sensor just need a re learn? This Faye lady knows her Toyota's
Big Dave
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Yeah, both Faye, and others, said it would have a high idle and need to relearn with the clean throttle body. I could have done a short cut and pulled the negative battery terminal, but I didn't feel like retuning the radio stations and recalibrating the compass.
DFB
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No need to apologize, I know the annoyance.
For me, I've found it hard to buy OEM parts online because Stihl wants to protect the dealer network. In most cases I can easily get an aftermarket equivalent, but from experience, the quality and fitment precision are often lacking.
The biggest annoyance for me is seeing these parts on eBay or Amazon stores in the USA, but by the time you include freight to Australia, it ends up being extremely expensive for something that only costs $20 in the first place. This then means having to go the dealer, which is often an exercise in frustration.
Last year I went to the Stihl dealer looking for a very common fuel filter for a chainsaw. I spent 20-minutes waiting for the guy to look up the part, then go out the back looking for it, only returning to tell me they would order it for me and call when available...............................4 months later and I never did get phoned. So, including travel to and from, I wasted the better part of an hour there and came home empty handed. I now look up the part numbers myself and go in there with a list.
Anyway, check out this video on the latest GTA40 (dual battery) and ASA20 Secateurs...............................
Setec Astronomy
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DFB
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Australia doesn't get the GTA40 either. We do get two hedge trimmers, a line trimmer, the vacuum, secateurs, a mini pressure washer.
There is also a shrub shear / mini hedge trimmer kit which I have but rarely use.....................................
HSA 26 Battery Shrub Shears Kit | STIHL Australia
Lightweight STIHL HSA 26 battery grass and shrub shears in a set with AS 2 battery, AL 1 charger and transport bag ✔ ➤ Buy now!
JDGolden
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We also have that shrub and mini sheer trimmer kit. It was on my wife’s Christmas list and it will get plenty of use here!
Today I did an oil change on the daily driver. Hoping to get the Camaro out here in a couple weeks.
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Today I did an oil change on the daily driver. Hoping to get the Camaro out here in a couple weeks.
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opie2
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- Mar 6, 2021
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Planted some blueberry, black raspberry, red raspberry, and black berry bushes today. First go at it. Blueberry bushes are 5 year old plants and the rest are 3 year old. Still got to put up small trellis and get some netting/fencing. Planted in a way that i can add more next year to the rows if we choose. Im used to digging with a machine..not a shovel. Rewarding work though. lol
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Setec Astronomy
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Cool!
Tasmania
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Don't blame the dog on your hot farts Dave
DFB
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Planted some blueberry, black raspberry, red raspberry, and black berry bushes today. First go at it. Blueberry bushes are 5 year old plants and the rest are 3 year old. Still got to put up small trellis and get some netting/fencing. Planted in a way that i can add more next year to the rows if we choose. Im used to digging with a machine..not a shovel. Rewarding work though. lol
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The key with blueberries, and most berries in general, is to keep them well mulched through summer. They like rich, fertile soil with plenty of moisture.
It looks like you have a bark-based mulch, so be sure to keep up the feed to avoid what is called nitrogen draw down, which is the process of nitrogen being drawn out of the soil to aid the decomposition of organic material such as mulch, in turn taking nutrients away from the plant. Something like blood-and-bone (do you guys have that in the US?) applied every 6 weeks. Blood-and-bone is good because its organic and slow acting, so you won't end up with a lot of leaf material at the expense of fruit/berries. I'd also be top dressing with compost or manure once a year or before reapplying your mulch in the spring.