Kabuto Noodles

I got a Kabuto on offer. I finally got around trying it. It was quite disgusting. Safe to say, never again.

Double Awards

I found my car insurance from a comparison website. I was surprise to find out I was getting double awards. So not only my sister's kids will get an extra toy, I also get extra movie tickets that I may not get to use...

Clean Airbox

I took little Rome to class again. I cleaned her air box out. It was only cleaned out in Spring, but there were loads of insects. I cleaned it out with tool wash, air line, etc. I dislodged a lot of dirt using the air line, and I washed it twice! It is as clean as it could ever be!

Leeds Cake Trail

I devised a cake trail and took Ben and Sarah.  



I very much maxed my sugar quota today. 
The pistachio cheesecake from La Bottega Milanese was very nice. 
Cream (the macaroon place) and Carters (the cafe formerly known as HAVEN) are closed!!!
The coffee at cafe Nu was quite smooth.
The tray bakes in San Co Co looked and sounded amazing.
The cakes at Hepworth Deli looked very nice and healthy portion.
The cakes in the Casa Mia market stall looked nice.
The pecan tart at Moments were great at always.
The Griffin looked like a good pubby venue.

Yummy!

Mathematics One-sided and two-sided surfaces

Sarah was knitting some science-related projects, and I suggested mathematics-related topology objects, the classic: Möbius band, sphere, torus and Klein bottle.  I am very happy with her products!

True Yorkshire Dale RIde

The Dutch came for a day out armed with the Yorkshire Dale route loaded in the Sat Nav.  Dave and I were struggling to comprehend the route, ie the length, the roads and the route itself.  We have given a few points, but they were adamant about following the route provided.

After we struggles past Harrogate and A59, we headed into the Dales.  Part of it follow the Dales Way.  We had never need on so many farm tracks!  We must have zigzagged across all the tracks in the Dales.  At the end, we chopped the routes due to the time limitation.  The two guys on GS really loved the farm tracks, they were fist pumping when they deliberately riding over puddles and drifting across the gravels.  At the end, we split in half, the GS and Dave went down for more farm tracks.  The two sporty bikes came my route via sweeping bendy roads.

GPS dead

I am trying to use the driving assessment app to get some discount to insurance, and it is apparent that my GPS is dead and I am not able to record my journey, this also explains why GPS has not been working correctly!

I suspected it was the plastic case, so I tried with the plastic case off, and GPS worked, not perfectly, but nonetheless works.  I just need to remove the case when I do use it!

Take Your Kid to Gym Season

Leeds Council's Bodyline is offering free junior membership to the members.  There were loads of kids in the gym...

Ginger Candy

Ginger is good for the stomach.  So I gave Dev some Sina Ginger Candy to see if it suits his palate.  He had one, and it was properly chewing it quickly.  He was literally in tears at the end.  Maybe I should have started him on the crystallised ginger?  I hope I have not put him off ginger for life!

Wheel Adjustments

Last year, it was recommended to get some new cush drive every few years as they are rubber and they degrade.  Then I bought some, and Gary tried to put them in and failed.  He reckoned the old cush drive was good and the new cush drive was shit.


So in the lesson, I took off Little Rome's wheel and made some adjustment.  I looked at their Haynes manual, it mentioned nothing about cush drive replacement.  I brought the cush drive anyway, but also cannot fit them in.  Ian identified my wheel's powder coating slightly altered the size of the cushing's slot and pressing the cushing rubber in, also they were not very well made.


I also take the opportunity to clean the sprocket and cush drive areas.  It has never been so clean!  I also cannot believe how quickly I got through the brake cleaner!


I struggled to put the wheel back on, the mechanic always makes it look easy!


Next week, air box, carburettor and compression test.

Stem Ginger Cookies

I made some stem ginger cookies as requested.  Stem ginger is very sticky!  And I am glad it turned out well, I wouldn't know as I don't like ginger and refused to eat them!

"Homemade" Sunflower Seeds

I finally processed the sunflowers. It was a lot of work for a small handful of sunflower seeds.  I saved the tallest's seeds for next year, and ate the other two.  They were very small and not very fleshy.  I toasted and toasted again, I ended up eating all the shells as well.  I wonder if Matt just leave the whole head to the hamster.

Loose Bulbs

Two of Kendrew's bulbs went and I was not happy.  I looked at the filaments and they looked fine.  I thought it was wiring problem, and it maybe associated with the recent repair.  Then I chatted with the Halfords guy, and he slammed my tailgate, Free of Charge!  And the tail light came back on, so I am happy that it was not associated with the recent repair.


The head light's filament was clearly in tack, so I was not prepare to buy a new bulb without first looking at it.  At first it looked okay, as I wiggled it to try to remove the bulb, it occurred to me the bulb was not sitting correctly in the cradle, which would be use as the earth.  So I wiggled it a bit more, and it clicked on, and now it sits flush in the cradle.


I am now happy with all my lights on, especially it is getting dark!

Tyres Shopping

Car is definitely more complicated than a motorcycle.  Kendrew needs some new tyres and I am overwhelmed by choices.  There are different ratings, different purposes, different cost and different services from different supplier.  I spoke to a local tyre place and establish how many tyres I need, they seem to be indifferent about brand and ratings.

A lot of people just go to a tyre place and take whatever they recommend, an element of randomness, but I want something good, and I like to think I contribute in the selection process.  This is a big purchase, and it will have a long lasting effect on the car safety, the fuel economy and even the overall driving experience, I certainly think reading up tyre review is more important than restaurant review.

I think I have made a decision on what, when and how to get the new tyres, it certainly took some brain power!

Shady World of Auto Repairs

The garage dealt direct with AA regarding my power steering issues.  It was first thought to be the pump, then there were also some wiring problem.  Potentially, it was just the wiring problem.  I had to reset the radio and the clock, why was the battery disconnected?  I don't know how much it was, I don't know what else was done to Ken, but it is working for now, so don't ask why and how.

Urban Leeds Foxes

I never believed we had foxes near where I live.  Then when we walked home one evening, we saw a woman feeding two foxes.  We were quite close to two foxes, and has a good look.  It was interesting, but I am not a big fan of urban wildlife!

Beyond Dark 70% Original

Beyond Dark is fairly smooth.  The taste is quite generic and there is a strange after taste.  But it is suitable for vegan and Kosher, is this the best these diet could get?

South Leeds Middleton and Thwaite

As part of Heritage Open Day, we went to Thwaite Mill Watermill.  Unlike most other mills, textile manufacturing, Thwaite was industrial material processing, eg chalk and flint, this is much more interesting.  A lot of the machinery are still operational.  They also did a demonstration with the steam crane.  In comparison, much smaller museum than Armley.

While we were in South Leeds, we also stopped by the Great Middleton Park Show.  It was a small show, with quite a few religious stalls.  We saw owls and ferrets, brass band and the usual.  I heard so much about produce growing competition, and I have finally seen some.

Conjoined Flowers

After the "able-bodied" sunflowers bloomed and wilted, the "disabled" sunflower is now blooming.  This sunflower was snapped when it was young, I nearly pulled it out, but it continued to grow and now it has 3 buds, including this conjoined pair.

Overwhelmed by International News

Sarah got me using the podcast apps. My selection of podcast are usually factual, informative shows. But I am frankly a little overwhelmed by the international news, namely Syria and Russia. They have been in the news for the last 5 years, why are they still news?

Relaxed Motorcycling

I was repeatedly told that motorcycle is two big gyroscopes and I should never worry about falling. I never fully understood it until now. I am now more relax, more trusting to little Rome. I now believe, with the suitable amount of traction and momentum, little Rome will never drop me. I will always be careful when there is a lack of traction, eg rain, or lack or momentum, a serious of quick turns. And if little Rome does drop me, I should just tumble in the direction of momentum as it would be unlikely of other types of impact.

Commuting on Motorcycle

I have been riding to work for the last week or so, I certainly love being on little Rome. The only snag is the hassle, specifically the hassle of putting on motorcycle trousers. I am immediately happier with a smile on my face when I don my motorcycle jacket. Provided the weather is still reasonable, I have found a solution to my problem, ie using a thick denim work-compatible padded trousers. I would not mind riding for a few more weeks!

HIIT

I have tried HIIT in the gym, and I also failed. It takes a lot of motivation to complete such training! And I am not about to pay someone to shout at me.

5:2 Diet

I have tried the 5:2 diet, and failed miserably. I think the trick is avoid hard work in between, otherwise it is very straining. I may attempt it again in a few weeks time.

Nuffield Health MOT

We sat Nuffield at Leicester Pride, and they did a quick Health MOT at the spot. I have refused to weigh myself since I have been in the gym. As the MOT concluded, I am still fat! I am still a way from my target! I have got to regain my motivation!

Leicester Pride Freebies

We skipped the parade and went straight to the stalls before the crowd and the rain arrived. We had a good haul this year at Leicester Pride! I got the opportunity to educate someone regarding hate crime and the difference between transgender and genderqueer. And I learnt a few things about solvent, aerosol and drugs. Pride is all about education!

Nomenclature

Let add this to the "if pronounce in American way will irritate English list". nomenclature 1 : name, designation 2 : the act or process or an instance of naming 3 a : a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art b : an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants nomenclatural play \ˌnō-mən-ˈklāch-rəl, -ˈklā-chə-\ adjective

Linseeds Perks

I have been eating linseeds since I moved to England. I consider it good dietary supplement, as it is cheap, required vast amount of chewing and majority would still pass untouched, in additional of being one of the few plant food containing omega 3. Then recently I got some promotional materials from Grape Tree that it also contain Lecithin and lignans, all the better. I will be stock piling them from now on.

Power Steering Fault

Car has so many parts, so far with my experience, any given one time, any given thing could fail!

Everything was fine until I restarted Kendrew and it could hardly turn, and I noticed the steering wheel warning light on.  I looked around the Kendrew, no puddle of oil; I looked under the bonnet, no apparent loose connection, so I called AA.

I called them about 7pm, they said it maybe up to 8:30pm. The app doesn't register the call until about 7:27pm, and the van turned up about 7:40pm.

Karl arrived just before 8pm. He plugged the computer in and still no obvious answer. He checked all fuses and earth, still no problem found so he has given up. Since my car was fine, I was told to drive home without power steering! And he offered to follow me home. I did have some problem with the small roundabouts and reversing into the parking space. I had o skip gym because of the problem, but I broke a sweat parking up! I have to try to sort it out tomorrow.